From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 164 - 155: She Doesn’t Want to Repeat Her Past Mistakes
Li Ming was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. "Then let them be unhappy. But, Xiaoxi, what do you think about Yun Ye?"
Gu Xi closed the Light Screen and thought for a moment. "Back then, after I killed the Zombie Emperor, some people thought the apocalypse was about to end..."
’That’s why, just as the power struggles were beginning to emerge, I fell victim to that glass of wine.’
’And I dragged all my teammates into it...’
And now, because of the plants’ reverse evolution, once the food crisis is resolved, a whole new era will arrive.
It’s like I said, a change of eras inevitably brings a change in power.
And so, certain people have naturally grown restless.
"Yun Ye has stayed behind the scenes all these years. If there’s a major shuffle in the circles of power, the situation will become very disadvantageous for him. That’s why he chose to approach me proactively..."
"Because right now, I’m the key person who can sway the situation." After speaking, Gu Xi looked up at Li Ming. "Ming, is my analysis correct?"
Li Ming nodded. "Very good, Xiaoxi. I thought..."
He looked at her, trailing off.
Gu Xi smiled. "Thought what? That I’d be heartbroken, or that my love would turn to hate?"
She rose and walked to the window, leaning against the frame. Half her face was hidden in shadow, her eyes slightly downcast, her expression unreadable. "But Ming, I’ve said it before. The best outcome for Yun Ye and me is to be strangers if we ever meet again."
Some things are already fated. There’s no point in saying more.
Thinking of him, Gu Xi subconsciously raised a hand to her chest, only to find her heartbeat was steady, without a single flutter.
Li Ming sighed to himself. ’Sometimes, being too clear-headed about the world isn’t necessarily a good thing...’
Xiaoxi’s strength was beyond question.
But what was even more commendable was a rare quality she possessed, one seldom seen in people after the apocalypse: a detached clarity, yet she always remained true to herself.
Even when she was unmatched in the world, she never engaged in wanton slaughter.
In a chaotic world, following a captain like her was, all in all, reassuring.
As for Yun Ye... of course, Yun Ye was also very powerful, but his strength was terrifying.
Because in his eyes, you could see no respect for life.
He seemed like a refined gentleman, pure as jade, but in reality, he was colder than anyone.
But he was very good at hiding it.
To win Gu Xi’s favor, he always presented himself in public as a gentle, elegant, and distinguished gentleman.
Gentle and harmless, the kind of man who could easily capture a young girl’s heart.
But perhaps because they were cut from the same cloth, Li Ming saw right through him at a glance.
He even felt that Yun Ye... from the inside out, exuded an extreme indifference, bordering on cruelty.
His blood ran ice-cold, without a hint of warmth.
Back then, Li Ming knew that Yun Ye... was by no means a good match for Gu Xi.
Looking at the silent Gu Xi, Li Ming let out a long sigh.
He wheeled himself behind her and subtly changed the subject. "By the way, Xiaoxi, when are you planning to go to City A?"
He had originally thought that after completing the corn plant’s reverse evolution, Gu Xi would quietly head to City A to investigate the truth of the past thirty years. But unexpectedly, the young woman truly had the weight of the world on her shoulders...
If Yun Ye hadn’t appeared, Gu Xi had planned to make a trip to City A in a few days. But now... She thought for a moment and said, "Let’s wait a while longer."
They say chaotic times create heroes. Just like with the zombie plague back then, and the food crisis now... people always hope a hero will emerge from nowhere, bringing new hope and solving all their problems.
But if the chaos disappears, a hero naturally has no place to display their might.
Gu Xi had been such a hero once before.
Now, she didn’t want to make the same mistake again.
In the end, Yun Ye’s words had affected her after all.
But unfortunately, Yun Ye still didn’t understand her well enough.
She had never wanted to be the Blood-colored Asura.
Gu Xi knew very well that the fundamental reason those people were targeting her wasn’t because her ability was powerful and she was invincible.
It was about power and profit.
They wanted to control her simply to use her abilities in exchange for greater power and more profit.
But what if many people could master such an ability?
...
A few days later, the Military Department secretly gathered a group of Wood Element ability users with decent planting talents to participate in the subsequent plant reverse evolution experiments.
The higher-ups wanted Gu Xi to select a few promising candidates from the group and offer them some guidance when she had time.
But Gu Xi thought about it. ’Since I’m teaching one, I might as well teach them all.’ So she decided to keep everyone.
Gu Xi’s application of her abilities was second to none.
Under her guidance, these people progressed by leaps and bounds.
Although their Wood Element abilities couldn’t increase a plant’s capacity for X Energy—the primary condition for triggering reverse evolution—
—once a plant reached that critical point, even an ordinary ability user could trigger its reverse evolution, as long as they applied their ability with precision and subtlety.
This was also the most difficult step in the entire process.
This was because every plant had a different capacity for X Energy, and thus a different reverse turning point.
And the appearance of this turning point was often fleeting. If it wasn’t seized, the plant would continue to absorb energy, and once it passed a certain saturation point, it would undergo a malignant transformation...
Intervening at this precise turning point was undoubtedly delicate work. The energy requirement was extremely strict; a fraction more or a sliver less, and it would fail.
There were countless plants in the world, and the X Energy within some of them was already approaching its saturation point. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been several incidents of malignant plant transformations over the past year.
This meant that a large number of plant specimens that met the conditions for reverse evolution already existed in nature. Gu Xi didn’t need to use her ability to nurture all plants to a certain state; other ability users could complete the subsequent experiments on their own using naturally occurring mutant plants.
Of course, even so, it was very difficult.
Because that point of reverse evolution was incredibly hard to find.
Although the researchers had already discovered some patterns and accumulated some experience,
for ordinary ability users—who, unlike Gu Xi, couldn’t use their abilities to quickly nurture a plant to that state—the only way was to sense, to feel, to try... over and over again.
The process was undoubtedly slow and arduous.
But even so, for the monumental task of solving the food crisis, this was definitely an encouraging step forward.
The Military Department’s experiments were proceeding with great intensity; meanwhile, people on the outside were certainly not idle.
Learning that the military had recently been searching all over the country for potential plant specimens for evolution, the various powers also began to stir restlessly.
The Abnormal Ability Research Institute, in particular, sent out several teams, and even Ye Xin personally led one out of the Central Base...
After receiving the news, Li Ming warned Gu Xi, "I’m afraid Ye Xin has gone to City A. Xiaoxi, you need to be prepared..."
Although back then, Ye Xin had entered the center of power step by step with Yun Ye’s support, her original goal had been to avenge Gu Xi.
But after so many years of working together, Ye Xin now had fame, fortune, status, and prestige. Who could guarantee she wouldn’t get lost in it all and side completely with Yun Ye?
Li Ming couldn’t, and neither could Gu Xi.
After all, people change...
Gu Xi gave a soft "mm" in acknowledgment.
Li Ming sighed, but Gu Xi suddenly asked, "Ming, I remember when I was very young, the Abnormal Ability Research Institute also had a vice director with the surname Ye?"
