From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 20 - 18: Don’t Get a Good Deal and Still Complain
She needed to seriously consider what path to take from now on.
She had originally thought that with mutant plants covering the mountainside, restoring her ability would be a piece of cake.
But last night, reality had thrown a bucket of cold water on her.
——She *could* forcibly restore her ability level by plundering their energy, but her body couldn’t withstand it.
She had no idea what had happened over the past thirty years. Her current body’s absolute limit was supporting a level 8 ability, and she had nearly been taken down by that viciously mutated plant last night.
This forced Gu Xi to suppress her ability back down to an early level 4 after the fight was over.
Gu Xi sighed.
’Looks like I can’t rush restoring my ability. I have to take it one step at a time.’
’First, I need a strong physique...’
There was nothing wrong with her current body, per se. It was just inexplicably more fragile than her old one. It was like the difference between an elite, thirty-year-old special forces operative and a five-year-old girl. Both are healthy, but the gap is enormous.
But Gu Xi was never an impatient person. After thinking it through, she lay in bed for a while longer to recover her spirits, then pushed the door open and walked out.
By the small creek, the two Qin sisters were fiddling with a water pump. When they saw Gu Xi, they waved to her from a distance.
Gu Xi thought for a moment, then slowly strolled over.
"Gu Xi, you’re here," the sweet-natured Qin Yi said, wiping her hands. "My sister is about to build a large cistern here. It’ll make getting water much more convenient for us."
Qin Shi had an Earth Ability, so making something like this was indeed convenient for her.
Qin Shi saw Gu Xi looking over. While still working on the pump, she gave Gu Xi a slight nod. "Wei Heng traded for a bunch of pipes yesterday. Find them in a little while, and I’ll help you two install them."
Gu Xi had already seen how capable Qin Shi was yesterday.
’It’s good to have help, but I can’t just take advantage of them for nothing.’
Gu Xi thought for a moment, then said, "Thank you. In that case, how about I treat you both to sweet potatoes for lunch?"
The Qin sisters exchanged a glance. Today’s lunch was in the bag!
...
「Meanwhile, over 150 kilometers away on the outskirts of the Da Heng Mountain Range.」
This was the very front line of humanity’s campaign to reclaim lost territory, as well as one of the military’s forward bases.
Inside a makeshift medical tent, Shen Yue was lounging on a hospital bed, one leg bent and the other straight. Despite his relaxed, lazy posture, he radiated a sense of vibrant, coiled power.
A sudden knock came from the door. Shen Yue glanced up, his gaze casual and indifferent, yet it carried an inexplicable, intense pressure.
The young soldier on duty saluted, then silently stepped aside to reveal the person behind him.
When he saw who it was, Shen Yue froze for a second before a lazy grin slowly spread across his face.
"Old man, what are you doing here?" he asked with a wide grin, settling back onto the bed.
Although he was called "old man," the visitor only looked to be in his early forties.
Seemingly displeased by Shen Yue’s indolence, the man shot him a glare and strode to the bedside. He sat down, his expression grave. "At around 0500 hours, Satellite 11 detected abnormal energy fluctuations in area NC9257018. We suspect a mutant plant has undergone a vicious mutation."
The laziness vanished from Shen Yue’s face in an instant. His fingertips twitched.
He slowly sat up. "Did it get an image?"
The man slowly shook his head, his expression grim. "The satellite failed to capture an image in time..."
It couldn’t be helped. The apocalypse had come so suddenly that human society was thrown into chaos for a very long time, and control was lost over most of the satellites.
Over the years, while humanity had gradually reclaimed lost territory and launched a few new satellites, ground surveillance was still a far cry from what it once was.
"A nearby camp was notified and sent a drone to investigate this morning. They didn’t find any viciously mutated plant, only a large patch of wild mutant plants that had seemingly withered naturally..."
"Shen Yue, you should know what this implies!" The man’s brow furrowed as he looked at Shen Yue, his expression solemn.
Shen Yue arched an eyebrow at his old man. "You want me to go? Come on, I’m still injured... If I run into a powerful, viciously mutated plant, aren’t you afraid your son will get himself killed out there?"
Shen Zhennan shot his son an irritated glare. "Shen Yue! Stop playing innocent when you know you’ve got it good."
As he spoke, he activated his personal terminal. "Why do you think I’m asking you to go? Qin Shi and the others’ current mission objective is in area NC9257018..."
"You’ll be going to investigate the disappearance of the mutated plant, at least on the surface. But your real mission is..."
He turned his Light Screen toward his son, his expression stern. "Look carefully. If it weren’t for your injury, you think an opportunity this good would ever fall to you?"
Shen Yue didn’t look at the Light Screen. Instead, he gave his old man a look that clearly said, ’With a father like you, when does anything good ever fall into my lap?’ His thin lips curled up, bit by bit. "Oh, really?"
’I don’t believe it.’
Whenever there was a good mission like this, the old man would always give it to Ye’s Special Service Team.
Shen Zhennan’s brow furrowed, his expression stern. "Shen Yue!"
’If this mission weren’t so critical, requiring someone absolutely trustworthy and with an unfamiliar face, I’d shut off this Light Screen and leave right now.’
Shen Yue shrugged. "Alright, fine. I’ll take a look." ’Can’t very well piss the old man off until he has a stroke, can I?’
’That would land me in a military tribunal.’
There was very little information about the mission—just a few short lines.
After reading it, Shen Yue’s scrutinizing gaze fell on the final line of the document, and his brow furrowed slightly.
After a long moment, he looked up and asked his old man, "The one who found the mission target in the NX1984 ruins... that was Wei Heng, from the former Special Ability Combat Team?"
He didn’t know Wei Heng personally, but they were in the same system, and he had heard bits and pieces about him.
After all, that incident six months ago had caused quite a stir.
Shen Zhennan nodded, his expression grave. "Correct. But I’ve already looked into it. The screening of the NX1984 ruins was clean. Team Three was directly in charge, and no other powers interfered."
The old general paused, frowning as he muttered to himself, "It’s like that little girl just... appeared out of thin air."
Shen Yue arched an eyebrow. ’And you’re saying there were no issues?’
But then, recalling the file he’d just read, an idea sparked in Shen Yue’s mind.
He licked his dry, pale lips and accepted without hesitation. "I’ll take the mission. But what about my cover identity?"
In recent years, as human order was gradually restored, the major bases had taken in a steady stream of refugees returning from the ruins.
These refugees, having lived alone in the ruins for so long, almost all shared a common trait: they were cautious by nature, extremely wary, and found it nearly impossible to trust anyone but themselves.
This mission’s target didn’t look old, but for a young girl who grew up alone in the ruins... who the hell knew what she must have experienced?
Her wariness was probably off the charts.
The appearance of the Qin sisters could be explained away, but if another ability user suddenly showed up and started hanging around the girl... it would be almost impossible not to arouse suspicion.
"Don’t worry about that." Shen Zhennan stood up. "Command has already arranged your cover. A helicopter is coming for you this afternoon. Get ready. You leave tonight."
"Remember, this mission is top secret!"
