The car stopped in front of the highest courtyard on the mountain.
The courtyard was still designed with three main rooms and two side rooms.
Behind the courtyard was a tall bamboo forest, with lawns on both sides. Rose bushes, which Tian Jing liked best, were planted on either side of the courtyard gate. These were not climbing roses but lush shrubs.
Zeng Jingchu and Yulia were waiting in front of the courtyard, holding a two-year-old boy.
"Tiantian."
"Captain Tian."
Tian Jing nodded at them, then looked at the boy in Yulia's arms. The boy had completely inherited Yulia's looks.
The boy also looked at Tian Jing.
Tian Jing smiled, "Say 'Auntie'."
The boy smiled shyly and turned his head away.
Zeng Jingchu helped Li Zhengguo move the luggage and found there wasn't much, but a lot of local specialties.
His eyes weren't greedy, but his mouth was: "Should we come over tonight to celebrate?"
Li Zhengguo opened his mouth to refuse.
Tian Jing agreed, "Okay, remember to call Zeng Jingrong and Wanting over."
Yulia put down her younger son, "I'll help."
Zeng Jingchu quickly pulled her, "We'll go back first. Let them rest for a bit before coming."
After the family of three left, Li Zhengguo asked his wife if she was tired.
Tian Jing shook her head, "Not tired. I feel much better than at home."
Li Zhengguo was relieved. "I'll go tidy up the beds. You sleep for a while. There will likely be many visitors tonight."
Tian Jing slept very deeply. In the three years since she woke up, she had never slept so comfortably.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was getting dark outside.
She walked out of the bedroom and saw two people, one big and one small, sitting in the living room.
Li Weixin stood up to greet his mother, "Mom, you're awake? How are you feeling?"
Tian Jing nodded, "Pretty good. I slept very comfortably. Where's your dad?"
"In the kitchen."
Li Weixin pulled his mother to sit down, "Big Brother, Second Brother, and Brother-in-law are all in the kitchen. Third Uncle and Third Aunt will be here later."
After Tian Jing sat down, she looked at the little person on the sofa, "Sirui, come to Grandma."
Li Sirui, who was over three years old, had been to Kushan Mountain before, but he recognized everyone in the Li family. He twisted his body and slid off the sofa, walking towards Tian Jing.
"Grandma."
"Good boy."
Tian Jing reached out to hug him, but he waved his small hands, "Grandma is sick, no hugs."
Tian Jing felt a pang of heartache. This child was as sensible and considerate as his father, and he was also the child who received the least affection from the Li family. "Then ask your Uncle to hold you."
Li Sirui immediately opened his arms to Li Weixin.
Li Weixin picked him up and sat him on his lap.
Li Sirui dangled his short legs and shouted to the outside, "Xiao Xiao Hei."
"Woof woof."
Xiao Xiao Hei, who was ordered to lie by the courtyard gate and not bark or move, ran in.
Its big head rubbed against Tian Jing's lap, then against Li Sirui's little shoes.
When it tried to rub against Li Weixin, Li Weixin pushed it down to lie by the coffee table, "You rubbed Sirui's shoes, now you want to rub me?"
"Woof woof woof."
Xiao Xiao Hei looked at its owner aggrievedly. It didn't understand what its owner disliked about it.
Li Sirui raised his two shoes and showed them to Li Weixin, "Uncle, look."
"Hmph!"
Li Weixin lightly tapped his nephew's nose, "I just dislike it."
Li Sirui shook his head, "Not dirty."
Li Weixin also shook his head, "Dirty."
"Not dirty."
"Dirty."
As the uncle and nephew were playfully bickering, two more people walked in from the kitchen.
"Mom."
"Mom."
It was Li Weihao and Li Wanting, the couple.
Tian Jing nodded, "Once Sirui is more familiar with us, we'll have him stay here. It will be easier for Wanting at work."
"Okay."
Li Weihao agreed readily.
Li Wanting hesitated, "Mom, your health?"
"Quite good."
Tian Jing touched Sirui beside her, "After I came in, I felt much more relaxed."
Li Wanting glanced at her husband and said, "After a few days, I'll bring Sirui over before I go to work."
Tian Jing smiled and nodded.
Outside the door, Zeng Jingrong walked in, "How do you feel?"
"Very good."
Tian Jing nodded, "I felt much better as soon as I came in."
"That's good."
Zeng Jingrong was relieved and sat opposite her, "Do you have any requests? The experiment base has been classified as a secret by the higher-ups, so your contributions cannot be officially rewarded."
"No," Tian Jing shook her head.
The Devil's Desert experiment base incident was too terrifying for ordinary people to comprehend, and any country would classify it as a secret.
...
Due to Tian Jing's health, everyone tacitly left after dinner.
Li Wanting and Li Weihao tidied up the living room and kitchen and left with their son.
Li Weixin left after using his powers to help his mother with her body.
Only the couple remained. Li Zhengguo looked at his wife, who seemed to have good spirits, and felt a sense of relief.
...
The couple settled down in the special forces team. As long as Li Weixin was not on a mission, he came for dinner every day, and also used his powers to help his mother with her body. Tian Jing's health was visibly improving.
Zeng Jingrong still held out hope for Tian Jing's health and asked her to try the maze and the dungeon.
Tian Jing, who had already accepted her situation, was persuaded by him and agreed to try.
In the dungeon, Tian Jing looked at the cell where Tong Xinhua was held and asked about Lin Duo'er.
It had been over four years. She had tricked Lin Duo'er into the dungeon back then because she suspected Lin Duo'er had acted against Li Wanting...
"She went back to the cafeteria."
Zeng Jingrong's gaze also fell on Tong Xinhua's cell.
"After you were in trouble, I didn't have time to pretend to question them, so I let Lin Duo'er go."
Tian Jing sighed softly, "What about Jiang Lin?"
"She's married."
Jiang Lin signed a confidentiality agreement and left the special forces team. She got married the following year and had a child the year after. Zeng Jingrong didn't know if Jiang Lin regretted it, but he saw that she seemed very happy after getting married and having children.
Tian Jing proposed to see Tong Xinhua first.
Zeng Jingrong took her to the dungeon where the serums were stored. "Tiantian, do you dare to try this? Look."
Zeng Jingrong took out several vials of serum from a box. Each transparent vial contained a precipitate the size of a grain of rice.
The color of the "rice grains" in each vial was different, but all were crystalline and beautiful.
Spirit Core?
Tian Jing, surprised, took a vial of serum from Zeng Jingrong and examined the grain of rice inside under the light.
Under the light, the blue grain of rice in the liquid emitted a dazzling glow. It was indeed a spirit core, extremely precious in the apocalypse.
Although zombie spirit cores could be used by ability users to upgrade, they contained too many impurities. After excessive use, the impurities remained in the body, not only preventing further upgrades of abilities but also causing ability users to exhibit zombie-like symptoms.
However, spirit cores were essential for upgrading abilities. The major bases then began to purify spirit cores. Although the purification process was very difficult, purified spirit cores were more conducive to improving ability levels.
Purified spirit cores were named "spirit cores." One spirit core could be exchanged for one hundred spirit cores.
If the team members used spirit cores, perhaps they could continue to upgrade.