From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 187 - 178: Never Underestimate Any Woman

But Zhou Jinyu clearly still didn’t understand Ye Xin well enough.

Or perhaps, he didn’t understand the old Doomsday Squad at all. He didn’t understand the people who had walked out of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

After ending her call with Zhou Jinyu, Ye Xin immediately contacted Li Ming.

Zhou Jinyu’s attempt to probe her had just reminded her of something.

Many people inside the base were growing restless, and the high-level commanders would likely make a big move to control the situation.

She needed to give Ming a heads-up.

Half an hour later, after finishing her call with Li Ming, Ye Xin thought for a moment, returned to her room to take a shower, and specifically changed into a suitable battle attire before contacting Qee Ran.

Qee Ran was now a man of great power and influence. Not only was he the Head of the Qee Family, but he was also one of the Central Base’s Commanders. He was extremely busy, so the communication request Ye Xin sent was not answered immediately.

She wasn’t in a hurry. After about half an hour, Qee Ran contacted her.

"What is it?" Qee Ran was dressed in a sharp black outfit, his features cold and stern. He looked no different from the handsome young man of thirty years ago, but Ye Xin’s sharp eyes still spotted a few white hairs at his temples.

"Xiaonan wants to form her own team and leave the Central Base." Ye Xin glanced at the blurred background behind him and said bluntly, "Have Shadow..."

Before she could finish, Qee Ran cut her off without hesitation. "No."

Ye Xin’s lips curled into a small smile. She crossed her legs on the sofa, adjusted the bathrobe she was wearing, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Qee Ran frowned slightly. "If Xiaonan wants to go out, I can make arrangements. But don’t even think about Shadow..." ’That’s the Qee Family’s greatest trump card. No one can touch it unless it’s a last resort.’

"My dear Commander, are you not aware of the situation outside?" Ye Xin leaned back on the sofa and shifted her position. Her long, fair, and slender legs became partially visible beneath her pink bathrobe, a picture of alluring charm.

She arched an eyebrow at the man on the light screen, her alluring demeanor tinged with a hint of grievance. "Don’t forget," she said plaintively, "Xiaonan is your daughter, too..."

"Ye Xin." Qee Ran’s face instantly turned cold. With his already stern features and the imposing aura he had cultivated from years in a high position, anyone else would have been scared stiff by his glare.

But who was Ye Xin?

She was the only female member of the Doomsday Squad besides its leader, Gu Xi. She had grown up amongst hordes of zombies and, despite having killed countless people, had ended up being hailed as a goddess and savior.

She looked at the man opposite her and sighed deeply. "Qee Ran, no one forced you that night..."

Qee Ran’s brow furrowed, and he cut her off in a low voice, "Ye Xin."

Ye Xin lowered her head slightly and continued, "...Xiaonan is the only daughter I have. I imagine you’ve realized by now that Xiaoxi is quite fond of her. If she were to find out that Xiaonan is our daughter, what do you think would happen..."

Qee Ran narrowed his eyes slightly. Ye Xin was blatantly threatening him.

’One wrong step leads to a cascade of errors.’

’He never should have been soft-hearted back then...’

"I will make arrangements for Xiaonan." Qee Ran softened his tone. "But Shadow belongs to the old man. The situation is delicate right now, and the old man wants to keep him in reserve to restrain the military..."

The relationship between the military and the base had always been extremely delicate.

When the apocalypse first broke out, times were tough. The two sides huddled together for warmth, fending off external threats together, and their relationship was relatively harmonious.

But ever since the zombies disappeared thirty years ago and humanity gradually restored order and civilization, the base’s upper echelons began to have other ideas.

The military began to be constrained. The allocation of military rations dwindled year by year, and their core elite forces were dispatched from the base in batches to carry out wilderness cleanup missions, all under the pretext that humanity needed to reclaim its lost lands and return home as quickly as possible.

In this way, the military gradually lost control over the major bases and was suppressed by the authorities at every turn.

Furthermore, due to the food crisis, their logistical support was held in the base’s grip, so the military had no choice but to swallow their pride all these years.

But now, things were different...

With the food crisis on the verge of being solved, the military now had the ability to support itself. After swallowing their pride for so many years, it was not out of the question that they were considering a split from the authorities.

The only reason the two sides hadn’t completely torn off all pretenses was that neither wanted to be the first to make a move and face the sharp blade of public opinion.

And Qee Ran, as one of the base’s Commanders and a core leader, certainly didn’t want to see the military become independent from the base’s control.

’Such a useful tool of the state—who would be willing to just throw it away?’

In fact, his obstruction of Gu Xi’s departure from the Central Base this time was partly because he genuinely wanted to keep her there. But more importantly, it was a way to probe the military’s attitude.

’If he were truly just some love-struck fool, how could he possibly have ascended to the position of the base’s supreme commander in the middle of an apocalypse?’

’Don’t be ridiculous.’

Ye Xin lowered her gaze, hiding the emotion in her eyes. She lounged lazily on the sofa. ’Qee Ran’s words are just something to listen to, nothing more.’

Qee Ran looked at this impervious woman, his heart sinking slightly. Yet, his face showed a hint of helplessness as he said, "Ye Xin, Xiaonan is the only daughter I have, too. I will naturally do everything in my power to protect her. But given the current situation, there are some things that are beyond my control."

Ye Xin’s lips curled. She flicked a droplet of water from the tip of her hair and said nonchalantly, "Qee Ran, do you really think... I’d believe that?"

Before Qee Ran could speak, she changed the subject. "Fine, I won’t make things difficult for you. Forget about Shadow. Give me Feng Ying instead. Have him go to Xiaonan’s side and be responsible for her safety..."

"No," Qee Ran refused again.

He lowered his gaze to hide the impatience in his eyes and said in a low voice, "Feng Ying can’t be moved right now. As for Xiaonan’s safety, once they leave the Central Base, I’ll find a way for the two squads to rendezvous. With Xiaoxi there, Xiaonan will be perfectly safe. Are you satisfied now?"

’If it were possible, he wouldn’t want Gu Xi and Ye Nan to be together.’

’Although Ye Nan was his only daughter, he felt no affection for her. She was merely evidence of Ye Xin’s scheming, a constant reminder never to underestimate any woman.’

’Ye Xin was undoubtedly a handful. Her demanding Feng Ying and Shadow, using Ye Nan’s safety as a pretext, was surely a test of its own.’

Qee Ran’s gaze toward Ye Xin grew more scrutinizing.

"Qee Ran, how long has it been since we last saw each other?" Ye Xin said suddenly, a melancholy look on her face. "Let’s meet once this is all over."

’True, she had schemed against him back then, but he hadn’t refused, had he?’

Qee Ran agreed. "Alright." ’It was time to put an end to certain things.’

The moment the call ended, the trace of melancholy on Ye Xin’s face vanished instantly.

She clearly didn’t mind Qee Ran’s cold indifference in the slightest. ’What are men, anyway? I, Ye Xin, have always known what I want!’

She had plotted against Qee Ran back then for two reasons. First, they were childhood friends, and she had genuinely liked him. Second, she had valued his status as the eldest legitimate grandson of the Qee Family, which could help her quickly integrate into that circle and obtain everything she desired.

’As for how much of it was true love?’

’Men... once you’ve slept with them, that’s all there is to it.’

Besides, Li Ming had told them since they were young that feelings were the cruelest things in this world, especially during the apocalypse. A girl must never allow herself to get entangled in emotions.

’Otherwise, it would lead to a fate beyond redemption.’

Ye Xin lowered her head and blew a nonchalant breath. ’Whatever the base and the military wanted to do, they had no desire to get involved, nor would they.’

’But as for the people who collaborated with Yun Ye back then... not a single one of them would escape.’

’Including the Qee Family...’

After testing Qee Ran, Ye Xin immediately sent a message to Li Ming.