Chapter 328: Chapter 315: Killing with a Borrowed Knife

With that said, the black-robed man picked up the glass of water in front of him and began to drink slowly.

’I’ve cast the bait,’ he thought. ’There’s no way they won’t bite.’

Seeing this, Ye Xin’s heart sank.

Everyone had known there was something valuable in the Land of Death, but no one knew exactly what. So, even though they were all plotting to reap the rewards for themselves, they were still wary of Xiaoxi. No one wanted to be the first to make a move and stick their neck out.

But now, things were different.

The temptation of a Superpower Seed was far greater than that of the Hibernation Chambers. The allure... it was simply too immense!

To possess this seed was to become like the Blood-colored Asura of old—to wield an incredibly powerful superpower, to stand at a summit the rest of the world could only gaze upon in awe, to become a god of this post-apocalyptic world.

One could even uncover the secret to eternal life and become the true master of this planet!

For anyone with the slightest bit of ambition, who could resist such a temptation?

Never mind the ambitious figures in this room; even Ye Xin herself... She had to admit, she was tempted too.

She took a slow, deep breath to calm the turmoil in her heart, her gaze sweeping impassively over everyone present.

The greatest secret about Gu Xi—the one she and Li Ming had once tried so desperately to conceal—could no longer be kept hidden.

She knew with certainty that this revelation would put Xiaoxi in even greater danger.

’However... Li Ming is holding down the fort at the Central Base. If he allowed this information to get out, it must mean this isn’t entirely a bad thing.’

At the very least, the existence of another Superpower Seed would draw some of the fire away from Xiaoxi.

But how did the outside world find out that Xiaoxi once possessed a Superpower Seed?

Ye Xin’s mind raced.

’Originally, only the members of our Doomsday Squad should have known about this.’

’So, was it Qee Ran? Or Yun Ye?’

’Or perhaps it came from Chen’s side... After all, Li Ming sent Xiaoxi’s seed to them for a while... and Mr. Fang was the first to propose the concept of a Superpower Seed. Chen has been in control of the research institute for years; it wouldn’t be surprising if they’d heard whispers...’

There were too many suspects. Ye Xin’s thoughts spun, but for the moment, she couldn’t be sure.

’However,’ she surmised, ’it was likely because the secret of Xiaoxi’s Superpower Seed got out first. Li Ming must have had no other choice but to reveal the existence of the other one.’

’And then there’s this Mr. Wang...’

Ye Xin glanced impassively at the black-robed man across from her, the one claiming to be Gu Yumin’s personal assistant. ’The information he just dropped... even Gu Yumin himself probably doesn’t know the details that clearly. Yet a mere assistant has it all straight...’

Ye Xin became suspicious of the man’s identity, and her gaze fell on Li Xiao next to him.

Li Xiao used to hang around their Doomsday Squad headquarters when he was younger. He was never well-liked, but they’d known him since childhood, so Ye Xin knew exactly what kind of person he was.

That was why she couldn’t figure it out. How could a selfish coward like Li Xiao, terrified of his own shadow, possibly have the guts to bring someone like this to today’s meeting, especially after Xiaoxi had placed a mental imprint on him?

’When did this Li Xiao get so brave?’

Ye Xin raised an eyebrow slightly, lowered her head, and casually blew on her fingertips.

Unbeknownst to her, Li Xiao was currently regretting his decision to the point of death. ’If I had known he was going to drop this bombshell at the meeting today, I wouldn’t have brought him here if you’d beaten me to death!’ 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But what was done was done, and it was too late for regrets.

Li Xiao was racking his brain for a way to fix this. This was the first he’d ever heard about Superpower Seeds.

’No wonder,’ he thought, ’someone wanted to experiment with Gu Xi’s Crystal Core for energy regeneration... A Superpower Seed... well, it’s a seed. Once it’s planted, who’s to say it won’t take root, sprout, and produce more fruit?’

Things that had once seemed incomprehensible, even utterly fantastical, were now crystal clear.

’Since Gu Xi once possessed a Superpower Seed, her Crystal Core might have similar seed-like properties. No wonder the higher-ups were so fixated on getting their hands on it.’

’But from the way Gu Xi acts, it seems she doesn’t know about this herself...’

Li Xiao’s heart stirred. Perhaps... this was an opportunity for him?

Just then, Li Xiao felt a gaze fall upon him. He looked up to see Ye Xin across the table, her eyes half-lidded as she watched him with a smirk.

Li Xiao: "..." ’Shit, how could I have forgotten about her?’

For a moment, silence fell over the vast conference room. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the only communication an occasional exchange of glances.

Mr. Wang was in no hurry. Under the guise of drinking his water, his gaze swept impassively over everyone present, finally settling on Ye Xin.

Ye Xin was one of the main members of the Doomsday Squad back then. Others might not know about the Superpower Seed, but Ye Xin definitely did.

’With this woman’s ambition, she probably coveted the Blood-colored Asura’s seed back in the day. If so... does she know what a Superpower Seed looks like?’

This was the black-robed man’s main purpose for attending this meeting today!

Ye Xin was no fool. Seeing Mr. Wang repeatedly and furtively observing her reactions, she connected it to his earlier words and quickly deduced his true purpose for coming here today.

’He wants to get more information about the Superpower Seed out of me!’

’Too bad for them. They’re destined for disappointment.’

Ye Xin’s gaze swept slowly over the others. Cupping her chin with one hand, she let out an elegant yawn. "Gentlemen, is that everything? If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back. Mr. Chen has given me quite a bit of work to do lately..."

"Vice Director Ye, we still haven’t come to a decision about the Land of Death, and you’re already leaving?" Tang You shot her a meaningful glance. "Surely that’s not appropriate?"

Of everyone here, Ye Xin was the one who knew the most about the Blood-colored Asura.

Tang You had always been a cautious man; he was still skeptical about whether the Blood-colored Asura had truly possessed a Superpower Seed.

’...Who’s to say this isn’t just bait someone deliberately put out there?’

The Blood-colored Asura had returned, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she was out for revenge.

’So, it’s entirely possible that someone, driven by guilt and fear, is using this Superpower Seed story to stir up trouble—to kill with a borrowed knife.’

’What was that old saying? ...An innocent man gets into trouble for the treasure he carries.’

No matter how strong Gu Xi was, what would happen if she became a public enemy?

No matter how powerful a person is, they can’t withstand everyone’s schemes!

His position as the leader of A City Base wasn’t an easy one. Tang You couldn’t help but overthink things. It wasn’t that he was a fan of conspiracy theories, but... the human heart was simply too complex.

What’s more, this was the apocalypse!

Of course, Tang You was tempted by the Superpower Seed. But that was exactly why he needed to learn more.

As the saying goes: plan before you act.

Like the black-robed man, Tang You also had his eyes on Ye Xin.

Did they really think Ye Xin couldn’t see through their little schemes?

’These people,’ she mused. ’They desperately want information from me, but they don’t dare to burn their bridges... How amusing.’

Ye Xin made no effort to hide the mockery in her eyes. With a smile playing on her lips, she blinked and said, "You all can just discuss this with Mr. Zhou. I don’t believe my presence is required."

After a pause, she leaned back slightly, raised a hand to her lips, and lazily let out another yawn. "Besides, I’m from the Healing System. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to be on the front lines, would it?"

Tang You’s brow furrowed slightly. Just then, in the center of the conference room, a message suddenly popped up on the Light Screen projected by Mr. Wang.

—Target 01 has entered the Land of Death.