What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH76

Chapter 76: My Wife Also Called Me Back

Gu He took his men to the central tower that night.

The exact second his boots cleared the lobby, he initialized tactical discussions with several uncles, aunts, and close associates with whom he maintained high-frequency professional connections. Although Base Three lacked the absolute administrative leverage of global headquarters, it was still a critical tier-one fortress on the map, meaning the individuals navigating the corridors were universally influential figures.

Even though he had only integrated into Base Three a few days ago, and this marked his initial entry into the Central Command Building, a constant stream of officials continuously stepped into his perimeter to exchange pleasantries.

Although his explicit jurisdiction lay elsewhere, his father’s supreme reputation at headquarters combined with his own recent promotion to Major General ensured that even the head of the base took the initiative to cross the floor to audit the border defense situation with him.

Offering a brilliant smile, the base director shook his hand warmly. “Major General Gu, your column integrated into our perimeter several shifts ago. Why is your card only logging into the command tower tonight? Is your system suffering from travel fatigue? Does your line require my office to coordinate a luxury massage protocol at the central hotel?”

A flash of calculated dismissiveness crossed Gu He’s eyes. He returned the handshake, his tone perfectly polite. “Bury the arrangement for a few shifts; it isn’t too late to schedule it later. Right now, my desk is managing far more critical variables.”

“Ah, the military defense architecture for Base Three? Rest completely easy on that front, Major General. My division will execute whatever parameters your office dictates and absolutely obey your deployment scripts. I also harbor the hope that upon your return vector to the capital, your vocal processors can drop a few favorable metrics to the High General regarding our sector. When headquarters initializes the next distribution phase for premium logistics and supplies, preserve a high priority for Base Three.”

Gu He smiled smoothly. “Understood. My report will definitively reflect the data.”

“Remaining anchored inside the tower at this hour… your dedication to the uniform is truly exemplary, Major General. I shall refrain from plundering more of your time. The vast majority of our personnel are currently retreating to their quarters to rest and eat, so ensure your system doesn’t drive your terminals too late into the night.”

Gu He nodded flatly.

He watched the director’s security detail clear the corridor before turning his torso toward his subordinate. “Did your sensors extract the file?”

The scout stepped close, lowering his voice. “The diagnostic is complete, sir. The asset named Ling Lang is entirely absent from the tower tonight; his unit is currently executing an external patrol mission out in the hot zones. However, the illumination grids on the 30th floor are actively burning. Shall our column initiate a direct breach up the shaft?”

“Bury the breach. Bypassing the security firewalls to access the 30th floor isn’t a protocol just anyone can execute.” Gu He calculated the variables in silence for a few seconds. “That lightning-user’s words are fifty-percent fabrication. She explicitly ordered our tracking lines to hunt down these specific names inside this tower, but did her intellect genuinely assume my division would be dense enough to trigger an open brawl inside a tier-one fortress?”

He had spent his entire career navigating an ecosystem built on pure intrigue, deception, and political traps. How could his radar fail to decode such an obvious piece of misdirection?

The 30th floor… according to the historical base schematics, that sector had previously been registered as an idle, decommissioned administrative block. He couldn’t fathom what hidden faction had seized control of the grid.

“The supreme base-wide assembly convenes tomorrow shift, so I shall hold my position and monitor the parameters,” he ordered. “Drive a deep intelligence sweep across those files tonight. I want every single micro-metric delivered to my desk.”

Pei Xiqing—that duplicitous woman had harbored zero hesitation when it came to manipulating his own affection in the past, meaning her system wouldn’t hesitate to hook up with an even higher-tier ruler to secure her timeline. Given his recent promotion, his own board needed to execute maximum caution to protect his rank.

“The Major General’s strategic caution is flawless,” the scout murmured.

Gu He adjusted his gloves. “Still, since the illumination grid up there is active, I shall ascend the lift alone to run a preliminary audit on the sector. Execute your sweep, and isolate a viable channel to transmit a secure message directly to Pei Xiqing’s coordinates.”

His eyes narrowed into lethal slits. “Deliver the exact script—”

Back at the villa, Pei Xiqing was curled up on the soft sofa, her fingers cradling her communicator as she whispered into the receiver. “What is your return vector looking like tonight, Brother Duan?”

A deep, level voice immediately bounced back across the channel.

The corners of her eyes crinkled into a brilliant smile. “Upon clearing your shift, could your logistics basket secure an extra ration of those fresh wild mushrooms my system prefers?”

Saying this, she glanced out the glass door toward the courtyard, where several massive crates of fresh beef and premium ribs had been deposited. Xiaobai was sitting directly flanking the wood, a steady stream of drool escaping his jowls. Tightening her grip on the hound’s lead to pull him back, she added, “My line just cleared the gates, and Commander Ying noted his detail transferred a massive volume of raw meat back to our kitchen grid. My mind wants to assemble a massive beef hot pot tonight. But the vegetable inventory is critically low. Ensure your basket carries a wider selection when your boots clear the tower. Sister Long Yan and her laboratory staff are routing their columns to our villa tonight, so scale the purchase parameters accordingly.”

Down in his private office, Duan Xiaolin was currently running an audit on a stack of high-court verdicts. Hearing the soft demands filtering through his earpiece, the severe lines of his jaw relaxed, the corners of his lips curving into a microscopic smile. “Understood. The logistics are logged.”

“In addition to those parameters, what secondary files require my signature?”

“There is an immediate capital punishment execution directive tracking to the three human-trafficking syndicates liquidated last week. The enforcement squads require your authorization to…” The tribunal scribe stood diligently before the massive mahogany desk, waiting for the Chief Judge to sign off on the executions. Hearing a voice speak from the desk, he instinctively raised his head, only to run head-on into the administrator’s uncharacteristic, smiling gaze.

A sudden, violent shiver shot straight down the scribe’s spine.

Then, he monitored the director speaking back into the device. “Furthermore, a newly engineered cultivation strain of green vegetables just cleared the agricultural labs. Does your palate harbor any interest? My line can secure a sample for your system to test.”

After listening to a brief, soft reply from the speaker, Duan Xiaolin terminated the communication link and returned his focus to the paperwork, his tone reverting to pure ice. “Halt the execution protocol against those traffickers for the next few shifts. My office still intends to extract alternative utility from their files. This specific verdict sheet carries zero structural defects, but there are a few legal citations your division must re-verify.”

The scribe let out a sharp, internal breath of cold air. It finally clicked in his brain that the director hadn’t been broadcasting those gentle sentences to his station at all.

He nodded frantically, his fingers trembling over his folder. “A-Affirmative, Chief Judge. I shall process your directives immediately. My division will execute the revisions and re-submit the files within the hour.”

“Not an hour. Clear the errors and return the documents in ten minutes.”

“Understood, sir!”

Ten minutes later, the scribe wiped a thick layer of nervous sweat from his forehead, gingerly presenting the corrected execution logs. Once the administrator’s final authorization seal stamped the paper, his baseline anxiety finally deflated. Looking at the dark sky outside the window, he offered a small, polite smile. “The night cycle has completely initialized, sir, and my wife just called my line to command my return home. Did the Chief Judge’s home radar execute the exact same protocol?”

Duan Xiaolin organized the files into his drawer, reached down to lift his tailored coat from the brass rack, and slid it over his broad shoulders. He cast a flat, unbothered glance at the scribe. “Mhm.”

The administrator took the private lift down the central shaft. Clearing the secure doors on the ground tier, he passed directly through the public lobby, where Gu He was currently arguing with a security guard over his lack of lift clearance.

The exact millisecond Gu He’s eyes locked onto his tall silhouette, his vocal track cut out, his brain temporarily freezing as he watched the man stride past his flank without granting him a single glance.

When his processing units finally rebooted, a sudden memory flashed in his database, and he pivoted his boots to shadow the director’s path.

A winter ago, back at global headquarters, his father had hosted a private state dinner with this exact individual. Gu He had only managed to extract a rapid, passing glance at his profile from the edge of the banquet hall back then, and because a full year had drained away, the facial data in his memory banks had turned mildly blurred.

He hadn’t crossed his shadow since that night. He had attempted to query his father regarding the man’s identity multiple times, but the old General had locked his lips down regarding the event, strictly broadcasting the singular word “Franlun” while refusing to release another syllable of context.

The man entered a biometric code at the main exit to clear the building. Gu He maintained a tight tracking vector behind him.

He calculated the director was charting a path toward a high-level command briefing or a secure diplomatic talk, but to his utter bewilderment, once they cleared the perimeter walls, the man marched straight into the public commercial supermarket flanking the square.

Gu He adjusted his pace, maintaining a precise distance that was neither too close nor too far behind his shadow.

Monitoring this elite figure—decked out in a flawlessly tailored suit and silk tie—calmly picking through wild mushrooms along the grocery aisle, a quiet scoff escaped Gu He’s lips. He stepped forward, reaching out to casually harvest two packages of premium steak from the shelf before turning his torso to face him.

“Well, look at that,” Gu He said slowly, his voice smooth. “My eyes just tracked your frame clearing the central command building, yet I didn’t calculate running into your shadow along a common food aisle. I am Gu He, recently detailed to this base.”

The administrator stood exceptionally tall, his towering physique and cold aura making him stand out dramatically from the regular civilian shoppers packing the floor. He methodically deposited several varieties of fresh mushrooms and greens into his wire basket. Reaching up with long fingers, he lightly adjusted the frame of his silver-wire glasses, his green eyes cutting through the lenses with an absolute, crushing weight of unbothered composure.

Duan Xiaolin cast a brief, microscopic glance at Gu He’s face.

His thin lips moved slightly, releasing a flat, venomous murmur. “Gu He? Never heard of you.”

The rehearsed smile on Gu He’s face fractured for a fraction of a second, before his political training forced the expression back into perfect alignment. “I am a Major General dispatched straight from global headquarters, sir. My line harbors zero hostile intent. I simply desired to query if your uniform anchors to the Franlun grid. My father’s office has always maintained an intense curiosity regarding the internal architecture of Franlun. Perhaps our respective columns could map out a viable channel for mutual cooperation.”

He explicitly broadcasted his supreme military rank right out of the gate. Inside the walls of any stronghold, zero assets would dare to deny his rank basic compliance.

Yet, to his absolute disbelief, the man didn’t even grant his uniform a secondary look. He smoothly turned his back, stepping up to the automated terminal to clear his transaction.

Gu He stared fixedly at the two packages of premium steak clutched in his hands, before hirling them back onto the display shelf with a forced, icy smile.

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