Chapter 869: Scar Cleanse: The War of Remedies

Scars are the personal brand left on everyone by the eleven years of catastrophe.

Right now, mirrors are the worst-selling everyday item in the Safe Zone—most people just can’t stand to see that face in the reflection, covered in scars and hollowed by hunger.

On the other hand, the hottest cosmetic is concealer, the kind that hides scars.

If your scars are shallow, concealer can do a decent job covering them up, but with deeper or larger scars, it’s pretty much useless. Anyone hoping to actually fix their scars has to rely on laser treatments or microneedling surgeries at the hospital.

But medical resources are painfully scarce after the disaster. Public hospitals don’t even have these so-called ‘beauty’ departments, and private clinics in the Inner City are outrageously expensive—the average person can’t afford it.

So, when the Fire Phoenix started hyping a new medicine this March—a drug that promised to effectively treat both old and new scars, set to launch in June—it immediately grabbed attention all over the Safe Zone.

But once news broke that this ‘Scar Calm’ would cost eighteen thousand credits per bottle, most people lost interest fast.

Everyone wants to look better—who doesn’t? But forget eighteen thousand credits—even eighteen hundred would be impossible for people surviving on ration bars made from grass.

Given the choice between treating scars and staying alive, staying alive always wins.

Maybe it was the sky-high price and weak demand, but Fire Phoenix soon slashed the price of Scar Calm from eighteen thousand to just 6,888 credits a tube, firing up another wave of buzz.

But no one saw this coming: recently, Hui Three Pharmaceutical, suddenly the center of attention, announced that tomorrow they’d release a brand new scar treatment, ‘Scar Cleanse,’ for just 1,888 credits!

The moment this news dropped, it wasn’t just bases across Huaguo blowing up—even bases overseas were calling in, desperate to grab Scar Cleanse, language barriers be damned.

Hui Three—a small base.

Hui Three Pharmaceutical—a small factory.

Chief researcher at Hui Three Pharmaceutical, Fu Tianfeng—a big deal!

Drugs from Hui Three—great quality, fair prices!

Inside the Section 1-10 Lords Chatroom, a heated debate was brought to an abrupt halt by Wen Nengjie’s message:

“Scar Cleanse versus Scar Calm: 1,888 versus eighteen thousand. Senior Expert Fu is clearly throwing down the gauntlet at Fire Phoenix! That’s ruthless—and sly!”

Silence. Wen Nengjie’s heart skipped a beat. He realized he’d put his foot in his mouth, though he wasn’t sure exactly what nerve he’d hit.

Was it Fu Tianfeng—or Fire Phoenix?

As Wen Nengjie squirmed in uncertainty, Kuang Qingwei jumped in with a chuckle: “Maybe Scar Cleanse was developed by Senior Expert Fu’s top team, but I’d bet he didn’t set the price himself.”

Kuang Qingwei obviously wasn’t talking to Wen Nengjie but to Third Brother, who was probably lurking online.

Wen Nengjie latched onto the hint at once. “Right, right, right—Senior Expert Fu’s busy saving humanity, when would he ever care about pricing? Besides, Fire Phoenix isn’t even in the same league—they’re not worthy to carry our boss’s shoes!”

Inside the comfortable glasshouse of Territory Seven, Senior Expert lounged barefoot with a cat, watching the sunset and stifling a yawn.

In the yard of Section Three, a devoted fan of Senior Expert was washing Monkey, rummaging through her stores in her head to see what dish she could add to the idol’s dinner tonight.

Atop Fire Mountain, everyone walked on eggshells, terrified to make a sound that might draw their captain’s wrath.

“1,888?” Fire Phoenix toyed with a blood-filled test tube, her crimson fingertips rolling it between them. That dark red precipitate drifted slowly from one end of the tube to the other. “Dan Ying.”

Dan Ying’s scalp tingled. She answered right away, “At that price, it’s probably 1g per tube. Ours is 5g per tube—so if we split it into five, it’d only be 1,377 credits per tube.”

She glanced at Liao Wendong, the deputy captain in charge of the business side, silently blaming him for not packaging it in the smallest doses.

Once Zhang San announced his plan to create an affordable anti-scar formula, Fire Phoenix changed their original 20g cream to a 5g tube, which is how the price dropped from eighteen thousand to 6,888 credits.

But who would’ve guessed—Zhang San pushed the price even lower, choosing to drop Scar Cleanse three days before Scar Calm’s scheduled release.

Dan Ying was unhappy about it. Liao Wendong was even more annoyed. “Scar Cleanse from Hui Three Pharmaceutical comes in 5g tubes.”

Dan Ying’s heart skipped and she whipped her head to look at the captain. Fire Phoenix’s crimson fingertips tightened on the tube as if choking out her own neck. Driven by survival instinct, Dan Ying’s evolved brain kicked into high gear and she seized on a possible answer. “Fu Tianfeng must have found Shi Jiaran and extracted the Recovery Factor from her!”

The Recovery Factor is a unique compound found in Recovery Evolutionaries that rapidly heals damaged tissue.

Liao Wendong “kindly” reminded Dan Ying, “Hui Three Pharmaceutical’s first batch of Scar Cleanse will put twenty thousand tubes on the market.”

Even if you drained two hundred Shi Jiarans dry as jerky, you still couldn’t get enough Recovery Factor for that much medicine.

Across the table, an older woman with graying hair and sunken cheeks spoke up. “Last year, Fu Tianfeng created a treatment for severe injuries to skin and bone. Scar Cleanse is probably just a simplified version of that drug.”

Fire Phoenix glanced up at the deputy captain across from her, Qu Fangzhou, whose job was intel gathering and analysis.

“Yan Long flew back to base by helicopter five days ago. She challenged the Military Command’s six top fighters, pulled off three wins, one draw, two losses—all better than before she left. Not just her—the entire Special Ops Team has leveled up. I spent five days digging for dirt, and finally, got confirmation at noon—the Special Ops Team used a drug on loan from Fu Tianfeng’s group, something the Hui One Military calls 41-6…”

After she was done talking medicine, Qu Fangzhou added, “Section Three’s Lord Xia Qing’s skin returned from dark red to normal, likely thanks to this drug, too.”

Liao Wendong nodded at her reasoning. “Forty-one must be Fu Tianfeng’s lab number. And six is the sixth drug he gave Hui One?”

“Exactly.” Qu Fangzhou nodded. “Fu Tianfeng’s probably completed his agreement with Hui One by now. That gives him more freedom—he can release a simplified version of the drug to the public and allows Red Eleven Base’s Special Forces to garrison Hui Three’s Territory Seven.”

When Fu Tianfeng first left the Hui One Research Institute, he signed an agreement with the Hui One Military: he had to develop ten specialized drugs for them. It’s been less than two years…

Dan Ying slowly lowered her head and clenched her fist, her eyes shadowed with emotion.

Liao Wendong shot Dan Ying a quick look before turning to Fire Phoenix. “Fu Tianfeng is now protected by Hui One, Hui Three and Red Eleven. We’ve missed our best shot at recruiting him to our side. I’d suggest leaving him be from now on—his underhanded tricks can be a real headache.”

Qu Fangzhou chimed in, “The Special Forces team stationed by Red Eleven in Hui Three’s Territory Seven is just as tough and well-equipped as Ji Li’s squad. That means Hui One can’t control Fu Tianfeng outright anymore. And with both Hui Three’s military and Azure Dragon Squad as backup, Fu Tianfeng’s position in Hui Three is locked in solid. We need to adjust our approach toward Hui Three as well as Fu Tianfeng. Their collaboration with Zhang San and Red Eleven will only make them stronger.”

Of course, Fire Phoenix understood all that. She nodded. “Any word on Xia Qing’s background check?”

When Xia Qing wiped out the Fire Phoenix’s Trapping Team and killed Dan Xiang, Fire Phoenix didn’t think much of her—she let Dan Ying handle the matter however she wanted. But seven days ago, after meeting Xia Qing face-to-face in Hui Three, Fire Phoenix realized this woman embodied all the traits she hated, just like Fu Tianfeng.

Fire Phoenix had a strong hunch: if this woman ever climbed high enough, she’d be nothing but trouble—just like Fu Tianfeng!