Chapter 337: Chapter 322: Not Without Gains

If you had to ask who Yun Ye hated the most...

...the number one spot would absolutely belong to Li Ming.

Ever since he first met Gu Xi, Li Ming had never been able to stand the sight of him.

Back then, he had even thought about getting rid of Li Ming.

But Li Ming was cunning to the core, slippery as an eel, leaving him with no opening to strike.

And his only weakness was probably Gu Xi.

But Li Ming and Gu Xi weren’t just childhood friends; they were comrades-in-arms who had fought side-by-side on bloody battlefields for years.

Their bond and mutual understanding were so deep that it was difficult for any outsider to come between them.

This very scene, for instance, infuriated Yun Ye.

The man’s dark eyes stared grimly at Li Ming on the other side of the Light Screen for a moment.

Suddenly, he turned to Gu Xi. "Xiaoxi, you heard him. He admitted it himself. Isn’t his kindness toward you also driven by ulterior motives?"

’How is that any different from me!’

’Why does Gu Xi have to treat us differently?’

Yun Ye felt it was deeply unfair.

Since it was unfair, then he should just... Yun Ye stiffly rotated his wrist. ’Wouldn’t it be better to end all of this with my own hands?’

Just then, Li Ming’s voice came through, deep and commanding. "Do it."

Yun Ye instinctively looked toward Gu Xi.

At this point, the only person here who posed a threat to him was Gu Xi.

But to his surprise, Gu Xi merely watched him calmly. The one who attacked was Ye Junhan.

A curved blade left its sheath. A soft green light twined around purple lightning as it slashed toward the man opposite them with blinding speed!

The man froze for a second. Seeing the hint of spring-like green within the purple glow, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a flash of delighted excitement in their depths. "Xiaoxi, your superpower..."

Before he could finish, that speck of green light completely merged into his body.

Gu Xi took a step forward. Looking down at the man who had fallen to the ground, now completely silent, she stroked the little green sprout that had returned to her fingertip, clearly displeased. "My superpower," she said softly, "has been upgraded."

Silence filled the vast underground space.

No one spoke.

Not until Li Ming’s voice came from the other side of the Light Screen. "Xiaoxi."

Gu Xi looked up and gave him a slight shake of her head. "He’s gone."

Although Yun Ye had escaped quickly, Gu Xi hadn’t come away empty-handed. At least Yabao had gotten a small taste of the origin power. It was just that the other party was too fast; the moment Yabao got a taste, the power vanished without a trace.

This left Yabao feeling both unsatisfied and very unhappy. The entire sprout seemed dispirited, wilting limply on Gu Xi’s fingertip.

Li Ming wasn’t surprised. If Yun Ye were that easy to deal with, he wouldn’t be Yun Ye.

He and Gu Xi both agreed that Yun Ye’s situation was likely similar to the successfully evolved form of Unknown No.1. They could both probably parasitize other living beings.

But the direction of their evolution was different.

Unknown No.1’s ability was to devour energy; this was somewhat similar to Gu Xi’s superpower, which was why it had always considered Gu Xi one of its own kind.

As for Yun Ye’s ability, Gu Xi guessed it was control and evolution. The Zombie Emperor from all those years ago was likely his creation.

That’s why he had always looked down on High-level Zombies. After all, if he wanted to, he could create as many of those low-level creatures as he pleased.

After the two of them exchanged information, they fell silent for a moment.

They both considered a possibility: could the sudden outbreak of the zombie virus back then also be related to Yun Ye?

It was obvious he wasn’t a native of this planet, but rather a visitor from space who had accidentally arrived here while chasing the Superpower Seed.

And while the exact time the Superpower Seed appeared was no longer traceable, Gu Xi had been born clutching that small stone in her hand.

And the day she was born was the very day the apocalypse began...

The two of them exchanged a look but didn’t delve deeper into the issue.

What had happened, had happened. There was no point in dwelling on it now.

And right now, they had more important things to do.

Gu Xi stared at Li Ming’s legs and frowned slightly. "Ming, do my words as a captain not matter anymore?"

Before leaving the Central Base, to prevent Li Ming’s body from having further problems, she had sealed a portion of her superpower within him to nourish his body and specifically warned him not to use his own powers for some time.

If there hadn’t been any issues, Li Ming should have been able to stand by now.

But now, he was still sitting weakly in his wheelchair.

Gu Xi was a little angry.

Li Ming had always been wise. If he didn’t want to act, no one could force him.

Li Ming just smiled, offering no explanation or excuse. There were some things he had to handle personally.

Thinking of the current chaos in the Central Base, Gu Xi didn’t press the matter, but the heavy feeling in her heart was deeply unsettling.

Li Ming rested his hands on his wheelchair and sighed softly, not wanting to say more on the topic—he would handle all the dark, dirty business himself. There was no need to sully his sister’s ears with it.

"Xiaoxi," Li Ming began, seamlessly changing the subject. "Stay in City A for the time being. Come back to the Central Base after you’ve handled things there."

Gu Xi stared at Li Ming for a long moment before finally agreeing.

She wasn’t oblivious; she knew Li Ming was telling her to stay in City A because he didn’t want her to wade into the muddy waters of the Central Base. He had always been thoughtful in this regard. Whether in the past or now, he would silently handle all sorts of troublesome matters for her.

Because he knew she didn’t like it.

This time was no different.

But right now, the situation in City A was indeed more important.

No matter how the various factions at the Central Base were infighting, it was ultimately an internal human conflict.

But Yun Ye... Those not of our kind are sure to have other motives.

In Gu Xi’s view, the danger Yun Ye posed far exceeded the chaos caused by the current power struggles in the Central Base.

So she had to stay in City A.

Because only she could suppress Yun Ye’s abilities.

The two of them chatted for a few more moments. Seeing the unconcealable exhaustion in Li Ming’s eyes, Gu Xi was just about to tell him to get some rest when he suddenly spoke up. "Xiaoxi, about Qee Ran..."

Gu Xi lowered her gaze. "Qee Ran’s situation... I should be able to handle it. Let’s talk about it after I get back."

Li Ming watched her quietly for a long time before saying, "Alright."

’Xiaoxi... she’s still too soft-hearted in the end.’

After the communication ended, Gu Xi glanced at Ye Junhan. "Was that Li Ming?" It finally made sense. Ye Junhan had been outside fighting off enemies, so his sudden return to the swamp was completely outside their plan. ’So, Li Ming must have told him to come back... But that makes sense. With Ye Xin still in City A, there’s no way the situation here could have been kept from Li Ming.’

But unexpectedly, Ye Junhan looked down at her and said, "No."

"In fact, I was already on my way back to the swamp when Li Ming called."

"I can’t really explain why. There was just a moment where I had this incredibly strong intuition that I had to get back to your side."