Chapter 227: Baiting Her Away

Gu Xiqiao turned down Yin Shaoyuan’s suggestion to send her back personally. She stood there at the intersection holding her phone. She walked in circles for quite a while with a wild look in her eyes as if she was deep in thought about something.

That went on until the ex-residents of this area recognized who she was. The moment that happened, they gasped out of surprise. Gu Xiqiao regained her senses upon hearing that. She then directed smiles at these people.

“Grandpa Wang, Uncle Wang, Auntie Li, nice to see you all here.”

“Miss Gu, my son’s sitting for his finals next year, can you give him a word of encouragement or something?” Aunt Li looked at Gu Xiqiao with eyes full of anticipation. She was aware that Gu Xiqiao was the national top scholar and thought that her luck in academics might rub off on her son.

“Oh, of course.” Gu Xiqiao fumbled around her pocket before producing a pen and a piece of paper. She then started writing down with swift and artistic strokes––”As nature’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive along. The earth in its devotion carries all things, good and evil, without exception. In the same way, the superior man gives to his breadth of character, purity, and sustaining power, so that he is able both to support and to bear with people and things.”

Such powerful words, like that of a gentleman’s. Such swift and nimble brushwork, like a dancing dragon in the sky.

In no way did this writing seem like something that would be produced by a woman’s hand, and by a girl of such a tender age at that.

The strength in a woman’s wrist was typically less than that of a man’s, hence why their brushwork was more showy. However, the words on this piece of paper did not reflect who the author was.

“These words, they’re really beautiful aren’t they?” said Aunt Li the moment she received the piece of paper. She was surprised by how beautiful Gu Xiqiao’s text was. “It’s much prettier than what my boy at home can do.”

Grandpa Wang, who was standing next to her, took it out of her hands and read it. In a split second, a bright glow appeared in her eyes. “It’s been so many years since I last saw calligraphy of this caliber! To be able to craft such beautiful words at such a young age, how terrifying this new generation has become!”

Grandpa Wang’s praises for Gu Xiqiao sounded identical to the voice of an angel for Aunt Li. “No, don’t you underestimate Miss Gu right here. We’re just a bunch of ordinary folks, you and I. The next time we bump into Miss Gu, she’d no doubt already have become a celebrity or somethin’. Your grandchild is miles below where this young lady is today.”

Grandpa Wang nodded in agreement while he raised the paper up in the air to examine it further. He was a researcher in calligraphy after all. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in calligraphy but upon closer inspection at calligraphy exhibitions, much of the artwork on display was too pompous and over-the-top. How could these youngsters compare to the ancient scholars and the contents that they had left behind?

By merely glancing at it, Grandpa Wang knew instantly that Gu Xiqiao was not your average calligrapher.

“…”

Uncle Wang, who was standing on the other side thought to himself, ‘Don’t you forget that the ones who you two said are miles below Miss Gu are your own son and grandson!’

Gu Xiqiao continued marching forwards after that. Almost simultaneously, a familiar cold robotic voice rang out in her mind.

“[Ding! Congratulations, you have reached the Grandmaster Level in calligraphy! The system rewards you: 1000 points!]”

Finally, a level up.

The small tasks which Gu Xiqiao had completed over the course of the past couple of days had added up to over a thousand points. That, and the chain mission which the system had rolled out previously should round out to around ten thousand points. With her achievement now, there should be enough points for the system to upgrade itself.

“Hm, little system, I still have to make some inquiries in the ancient martial arts world, let’s leave your upgrading for tonight, alright?” asked Gu Xiqiao as she rubbed her chin.

The system responded instantly as it circled around Gu Xiqiao’s body. It started thinking, after this upgrade, it should possess a body of its own.

Then came the sharp noise caused by the friction between rubber and asphalt. The royal blue sports car drifted in a half-circle in front of her before grinding to a stop right next to her. The window was then rolled down, revealing Zhu Yuan’s face with a somewhat resentful expression behind it. “Beauty Gu…”

Gu Xiqiao pulled the door open and hopped into the vehicle.

With a face devoid of emotions, she hurried him, “Spit it out.”

Seeing the unamused look on her face, Zhu Yuan no longer dared to mess with her anymore. Instantly, he returned to being serious. “This time, it is the state leader who has become ill. He controls most of the military might in the Imperial Capital. Seems like a steel-willed person but for some unknown reason, he has fallen unconscious. His symptoms are not too far from Su Wen’s grandfather from before. The difference between them is found in their bodies. Su Wen’s grandfather was considered healthy and the same goes for the leader too. However, according to the doctor’s diagnosis, he has been confirmed to be brain dead.”

“Have you seen him up close?” Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes. Brain dead. She had never stumbled upon this issue before.

Zhu Yuan nodded. “I did. My conclusion isn’t too far off from the doctor’s. He really does appear to be brain dead.”

Saving someone from brain death isn’t a walk in the park. The human brain is an incredibly complex system which involves human will as well. Gu Xiqiao failed to come up with a solid plan after thinking about it for a while. “You think he’s still worth saving?”

“In any case, we have to try before we reach any conclusions.” Zhu Yuan cautiously glanced at Gu Xiqiao. “This patient is someone who my master was once responsible for treating.”

After he said that, he nervously awaited Gu Xiqiao’s response.

Gu Xiqiao’s expression remained stoic; her response was subtle. Of course, she disliked bringing personal grievances into her professional work.

Zhu Yuan let out a sigh in relief upon seeing this. For the past few days, he had only seen his master once. When they met, Rong Feishuang’s bottle of hard liquor had never left his grip. He was so intoxicated that he failed to even recognize his own disciple.

Zhu Yuan felt distressed by his master’s condition and he disapproved of his decisions. He knew that his master must’ve bumped into some major issue and Gu Xiqiao must’ve been closely related to it.

His master was supposed to be in charge of multiple patients. At this time however, he cared only about his bottle of liquor at home. It was then that Zhu Yuan finally understood why his master refused to let him tag along with him. Rong Feishuang must have feared that he would be mentally affected by it too.

Rong Feishuang’s character was freedom-loving and easygoing, something which was incompatible for a divine healer.

Zhu Yuan sighed.

Slowly, he drove his car towards a military compound.

The level of security here was incredibly high. Defense mechanisms were not only on the surface but beneath the surface too. Every compound was armed to the teeth against potential intruders, like an impenetrable fortress.

From this alone, it could be seen how important the people being housed here were.

Gu Xiqiao got excited when she noticed this. Slowly, she opened up the map of this massive compound. Observing the security mechanism they have entrenched here, her eyes lit up. There were patrol teams moving around the perimeter every 60 seconds and there were armed guards hiding around every dark corner. The automated security system they had built in place here was extremely high-tech. Every single move by the people within the compound was being tracked. The shadows cast on the clear panel in front of her eyes were quite obvious areas where infra-red sensors were covering.

Breaking into this place must’ve been worse than breaking into a hornet’s nest.

However, in the hands of the wrong person, this invincible defense system might just spell the end for everyone contained within its walls.

Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin while deep in thought about something.

Zhu Yuan stopped his car outside the iron gate before bringing Gu Xiqiao into the compound. It seems like the men guarding the entrance were all well-acquainted with Zhu Yuan. There was no need for any security checks; he only looked at Gu Xiqiao briefly before saluting Zhu Yuan.

“Mr. Zhu.”

This tall building was a bit aged.

Before Zhu Yuan could walk through the front door with Gu Xiqiao, a handful of men hurried out to greet him.

“Mr. Zhu.” Standing at the forefront of the group was a young man with a crew cut. His stern eyes scanned across Zhu Yuan before shifting over to the girl standing next to him. The moment he saw her, his words got stuck in his throat.

Zhu Yuan ignored that strange occurrence and instead, nodded in his direction. “Major General, let us head inside.”

Peng Zijie nodded and without further demands, he brought his guests into the building.

After they went in, another young man questioned him with a worried expression. “Boss, why are you letting someone with an unknown background into our place?” He was of course, referring to Gu Xiqiao. This period was not like any other; the entire compound was sealed shut. Not even a fly was allowed in without a permit. So why on earth was Zhu Yuan able to bring a stranger into their compound? This made the young man scratch his head.

Could it be possible? That his boss had only allowed her access just because of her looks?

Peng Zijie glanced at him before giving him a blunt reply, “If she was to make any sudden moves, you’d all never be able to restrain her.”

Right after saying that, he walked straight into the room.

He left his group of men standing outside. The corner of the young man’s mouth twitched. “Is the boss trying to pull my leg?”

These men were all special forces. They were internationally notorious for how tough their training was. Each individual was so strong that they could take on a hundred regular infantrymen without a problem. How could it be possible then, for what Peng Zijie said to be true.

Questions were merely questions. They still had a job to do. Immediately, they returned to guarding the entrance. Whilst doing so, the young man couldn’t suppress his curiosity and he looked into the building from time to time.

Inside the room, several doctors in white lab coats were running around, busy with their tasks. The place was filled with sophisticated medical instruments, all shipped in from overseas.

“Doctor Zhu.” These white-coat wearing doctors all stopped what they were doing and greeted Zhu Yuan.

Zhu Yuan picked up the medical record book brought over by one of the doctors. While flipping through the pages, he asked about the patient’s recent conditions. Gu Xiqiao, who was standing nearby, used her mental strength to search for any abnormalities.

These were all top doctors within China’s borders. Some of them belonged to international medical associations. After Peng Zijie’s report was submitted, the state had formed a small but highly-specialized medical team to treat the old commander’s illness.

Peng Zijie had a lot of respect for these folks.

The leading doctor was reporting on the patient’s condition when he noticed the young girl standing nearby. He paused mid-sentence and was dumbfounded. “Miss Gu!”

The metallic clinking of steel scalpels at work stopped right at that moment as the other doctors turned their heads over in Gu Xiqiao’s direction.

In the next moment, these doctors who were initially standing around Zhu Yuan all flocked around Gu Xiqiao with excited expressions.

“Why are you here, Miss Gu?”

“You’re finally here Miss Gu!”

“Miss Gu, I need you to take a look at this report!”

“…”

The report which Zhu Yuan was holding was taken from his hands and passed over to Gu Xiqiao. The corner of his mouth twitched awkwardly at the sight of what was going on. He was sort of expecting things to turn out like this BUT STILL! How painful!

“Mr. Zhu, this is…” Even Peng Zijie was shocked. These were all leading practitioners in their specializations. They came from the upper echelons of the Chinese medical community and hence, were highly-respected by people around them. After spending so many days here, never once had he seen them react this way towards another person. Even when Rong Feishuang arrived here, these people at most greeted him with honorifics. And now they seemed… almost fanatical in the way they showed admiration for Gu Xiqiao.

Peng Zijie’s brows furrowed up when thoughts of Rong Feishuang came to his mind.

Zhu Yuan patted him on the shoulder. He seems to have long grown used to such a scene. “Major General, they still have a lot more to talk about.”

Peng Zijie’s subordinate, who was standing at the doorway, was shocked by how things played out for Gu Xiqiao. These doctors would usually look down condescendingly at them; their reaction today was completely out of this world… unbelievable.

Their gazes were directed at a single girl standing in the middle of the flock. Still, the girl didn’t appear to be pressured or fazed by this. With a slight wave of her hand, the doctors stopped their endless banter almost immediately. It was quite apparent then that this girl was someone who had a lot of prestige to her name. Even Zhu Yuan was unable to do such a thing.

Mind you, Zhu Yuan was well-known worldwide as a prodigy. Who was this girl? Why have they never heard of her before?

Gu Xiqiao took the document which one of the doctors passed over to her. Looking down, she remained in that stance for a moment before she uttered something back to them. When she did so, the excited looks on these doctors’ faces quickly faded away and soon, they were listening intently to what she had to say.

Peng Zijie suddenly realized that Zhu Yuan, whose mind was initially wandering off had returned to his senses and he joined his fellow doctors on Gu Xiqiao’s lecture. This made Peng Zijie look over at Gu Xiqiao with growing curiosity in his eyes.

A short while later, when Gu Xiqiao’s explanation came to an end, a look of excitement returned to these doctors’ faces. Following her orders, they set out on their assigned tasks.

Before she came, these doctors worked with tense and worried expressions on their faces.

Now, their fighting morale was as high as it could get.

Zhu Yuan walked up next to her. “Beauty Gu, what should I do then?”

Gu Xiqiao glanced at him briefly before exiting the room. She was not in the mood to speak to him.

Zhu Yuan felt as if he was in the wrong upon seeing her reaction. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he followed her out of the room.

Outside, Peng Zijie’s men had their eyes glued onto Gu Xiqiao; they failed horrendously at hiding their interest in her.

Peng Zijie too, left the building. He ordered the butler to bring them some tea. “Miss Gu, how is the old commander faring?” Peng Zijie realized from his observation that Gu Xiqiao was probably the best person out of the medical team to answer this question.

Gu Xiqiao picked up the cup of tea which the butler served to her. After saying her thanks, she looked back at Peng Zijie. “Let’s set that aside for now. What is more crucial at the moment is ramping up the security system of this base.”

“What do you mean?” A chill went down Peng Zijie’s spine.

“This military base, its security system, it’s already under the control of someone hostile.” Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes as she took a sip of tea.

“Impossible!” Before Peng Zijie could respond, the youth behind him repudiated Gu Xiqiao’s claim. “This security system was jointly-designed by me and the Ministry of National Defense. At any given point in time, this entire base is under my control. It is preposterous that someone else managed to take control over this base.”

Peng Zijie looked at Gu Xiqiao, then at the young man. He had trust in his subordinates but he also had to consider her odd-but-effective methods from before. She wasn’t the sort of person to make groundless claims. “Miss Gu, how do you know this?”

‘I knew it! He’s been won over by her looks!’

Gu Xiqiao placed her cup of tea down and flashed a smile at that young man. Turning back to face Peng Zijie, she asked, “Do you have a computer?”

“Get this girl a computer,” ordered Peng Zijie.

“But boss! Don’t tell me you really believe what she said!” Peng Zijie’s subordinates’ brows were furrowed. They were on the same page as the young man; they thought their boss was head-over-heels for Gu Xiqiao. “Don’t let anyone fool you boss.”

Compared to Gu Xiqiao, they of course are more convinced by the argument of a fellow comrade who went through hell with them on the battlefield. What’s more, this comrade of theirs was an IT-technician who had been hand-picked by the Ministry of National Defense and was considered one of the most-skilled individuals throughout their entire nation. Back then, he had managed to break high-security passwords one after the other; his position amongst his mates was the highest around here.

Peng Zijie’s brows scrunched up. Still, he contained his temper. “I said, bring her a computer.”

“I have one here!” The young man jumped up after hearing that. As someone with an IT background, he made sure to always have a computer around him. This was the computer with which he used to monitor conditions around the military base. “You can use mine!”

He looked at Gu Xiqiao with eyes full of skepticism. The security system was incredibly well-hidden; for a complete outsider to raise this issue, he couldn’t help but be doubtful of her words.

Gu Xiqiao picked up the handheld computer the young man offered to her. Looking down at the screen, she opened up a mini keyboard and started typing away with her nimble fingers. The speed and precision with which her fingers moved were such that they couldn’t even see her movements clearly.

Zhu Yuan, while holding his teacup, stood idly behind Gu Xiqiao’s seat.

He knew that it took Gu Xiqiao only twenty minutes to calculate the structure and molecular formula of the virus from before. Her skill on the computer was in short, as incredible as she was in medicine. The doctors from before had even started to consider whether they should get into computer science after seeing her at work.

Zhu Yuan then peered at the young man with eyes full of sympathy.

The young man’s eyes were glued onto Gu Xiqiao’s fingers as well as the computer screen. He, who was initially inattentive, was now 100% focused.

Gu Xiqiao typed out her final line of code and tapped on the ‘enter’ key.

Displayed on the screen were multiple surveillance footage around the military base.

Peng Zijie’s teacup fell out of his hands when he saw this on the computer screen.

The young man stared wide-eyed at Gu Xiqiao. “You… the thing you said just now, you’re absolutely serious?” In just a handful of minutes, she managed to hack into the Ministry of National Defense?! And with the elite programmers not noticing the breach in their security network at that! Even the mysterious God Lo from the hacker’s world could not possibly pull this off within mere minutes, right!?

This alone was more than enough to prove her capability to him. A look of embarrassment surfaced on the young man’s face when he recalled how skeptical of her skills he was initially. With a burning flame in his eyes, he peered up at Gu Xiqiao.

“Little missy, would you be interested in joining the Ministry of Defense?”

“…”‘

Zhu Yuan was speechless. Why on earth would there always be people from other industries trying to bait Gu Xiqiao away from the medical community?! Was there anything he could do against this?