From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 206 - 197: What Did She Discover?

The temperature plummeted at night. Besides the special meals prepared for the injured, Ouyang eyed the pile of fresh ingredients on the ground and thought about the appetites of the brutes on their team...

It wasn’t often they got such good ingredients. Ouyang made a snap decision: they were having spicy hot pot for dinner.

’Spicy hot pot. It’s simple, convenient, and everyone can serve themselves. What a perfect dish. I don’t even have to slave away with a spatula.’

A gentle night breeze drifted by, and the assertive aroma of the spicy hot pot soon dominated the entire camp. Even the people from the distant Abnormal Ability Research Institute grew noticeably restless, casting frequent glances in their direction.

However, some of them, priding themselves on being high-level intellectuals, still had their pride to consider. They couldn’t bring themselves to publicly scramble for food in front of everyone.

But Liu Hao and the other soldier types clearly had no such reservations.

The moment the pot began to boil, everyone not on duty swarmed over in a massive rush.

A large basin of crisp napa cabbage had barely hit the water when countless chopsticks plunged in after it.

Liu Hao didn’t even bother with chopsticks. He broke off a large, forked branch from a nearby tree, stripped off the leaves, and plunged it into the pot, stirring once before hauling out half the vegetables...

’It’s not even cooked, is it?’ Qi Xiang’s face was a mask of shock, her chopsticks hovering in hesitation.

But she only hesitated for a moment. By the time she looked again, the pot was empty.

Qi Xiang watched them. ’Good heavens,’ she thought. ’To say their table manners are a bit rough is the understatement of the century.’

In no time, the mountain-high pile of vegetables was devoured completely. Not even a drop of broth remained.

The researchers from the Abnormal Ability Research Institute, who had been maintaining their composure from a distance while waiting for the Special Service Team to invite them to dinner, could only stare in bewilderment.

Qi Xiang glanced at the researchers in the distance before sitting down next to Gu Xi.

’Those brutes from the Special Service Team are absolutely savage,’ she fumed. ’Every single one of them eats like they’ve been starving for a century. With all those vegetables, I only managed to get two mouthfuls before it was all gone.’

GONE!

"Gu Xi," she said, nudging her arm and glancing at the rowdy crowd. "Why aren’t you eating?"

Gu Xi shook her head. "I’m fine." ’There’s so little to go around,’ she thought. ’I’m not going to fight them for it.’

’Besides, she was a firm believer that hot pot was meant to be eaten with meat.’

Seeing this, the two sisters from the Qin Family shuffled over, burping contentedly.

Unlike Qi Xiang, who was saddled with the burden of maintaining a beautiful and elegant image, the two sisters who grew up in the military were completely uninhibited. When it came to fighting with the men over food, they more than held their own.

In fact, they often used their petite frames to their advantage, snagging the most strategic positions around the pot.

Tonight, for example, the two sisters had eaten their fill quite comfortably.

The four young women sat around the fire. Qin Yi handed a freshly roasted potato to Qi Xiang. "Here, eat this. You at least got one bite. Look at Wei Heng..."

Qin Yi jerked her chin in his direction. Wei Heng had spent the entire evening washing vegetables, and now he was stuck washing the pot. He’d been busy all night and hadn’t even had a sip of the broth...

Qi Xiang took the potato and bit into it fiercely, glancing over at Wei Heng out of the corner of her eye. "How is that the same thing?!"

’With Gu Xi around, you think she’d let the cook go hungry?’

Qi Xiang gnawed on her potato in a huff. ’I wonder if Gu Xi will bring out some of those beef rolls from last time when she cooks a private meal for him later,’ she thought.

’Okay, she had to admit it. She was just craving meat.’

"Gu Xi," Qi Xiang said, deciding to give her captain a subtle hint. She put on a troubled expression. "Before I met you, I always thought I didn’t like meat."

"But after meeting you," she continued, swallowing the last of her potato and speaking with great sincerity, "I’ve discovered that meat is my one true love."

Gu Xi was speechless.

Just then, Qin Shi said suddenly, "I saw Zhou Jing in the Research Institute’s convoy today."

Qi Xiang was surprised. "Did Zhou Jinyu really manage to get her onto Ye Nan’s squad?"

There had been too much going on during the day. After the two convoys met up, they had rushed to the camp to rescue people. Afterward, Qi Xiang had been swamped in the medical area and hadn’t noticed Zhou Jing was with them.

Hearing Qin Shi mention it now, she couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle. "Our Mr. Zhou is really something else."

"That Zhou Jing girl is pretty strange, too," Qin Yi said, picking up a twig and scratching it idly in the dirt.

’The girl has a complicated background and is quite calculating,’ she mused. ’If she really wanted to escape Zhou Jinyu’s control, she has the means to do it.’

’But now... it looks more like the father and daughter are scheming together. What are they after?’

"But why is she just letting this drag on with Zhou Jinyu? What could she possibly be after?" Qi Xiang propped her chin on her hand and gave a sly wink. "Fatherly love, perhaps?"

What a joke.

Not even Qi Xiang herself believed that. The Qin sisters, sitting beside her, also laughed.

Qi Xiang saw Ye Junhan walking toward them out of the corner of her eye. She suddenly grabbed Gu Xi’s arm, changing the subject abruptly. "Captain, after we finish the hot pot later, can we have a big watermelon?"

’Watermelon?’

In a flash, a strange thought popped into Gu Xi’s head.

’That thing... it chased them all the way to the camp. Even after Bud taught it a lesson, it kept persistently sending her team-up invitations. Could it be... all for a watermelon?’

’After all, the only thing she had ever planted near that giant crater was watermelon!’

’Of course, its goal probably wasn’t to eat it, but for... the propagation of its species!’

Gu Xi shot to her feet.

She had to go confirm her theory.

Shen Yue sauntered over, confused, holding a bowl of spicy hot pot he had fought hard to obtain.

"I’m going to check the mountains," Gu Xi said, her eyes fixed on the distant forest.

Shen Yue froze for a second, then shoved his bowl of hot pot into Qi Xiang’s hands. "I’m coming with you," he said, his expression serious.

Gu Xi nodded.

The two of them had just slipped out of camp, trying to be inconspicuous, when Gu Xi suddenly turned back.

Ye Junhan was standing silently not far away.

Shen Yue rubbed his nose and looked at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi hesitated. "...Together?"

The three of them moved with incredible speed, crossing two mountain peaks in no time.

According to Ye Junhan’s senses, the thing was in the valley just ahead.

But in his field of vision, there was nothing but hillsides covered in mutant plants.

The creature seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Ye Junhan and Shen Yue exchanged a look.

He suddenly leaped into the air, his feet tapping lightly on branches and vines halfway up the mountainside. He shot toward the valley like a falcon.

Just then, Shen Yue suddenly raised his gun and fired at Ye Junhan in midair.

A silver Superpower Bullet streaked across the night sky with astonishing force.

In the same instant, Ye Junhan drew Xidao with his right hand. With a backhanded slash, the blade, wreathed in a purple Thunder Net, struck the speeding Superpower Bullet. The bullet shattered, dissolving into countless silver sparks that were instantly absorbed by the purple lightning, which then expanded to blanket more than half the valley.

The moment the Thunder Net covered the valley, a fierce gale erupted. Sand and stones flew as countless mutant plants were shredded by unseen Wind Blades, only to be blasted to ash by the Thunder Net in the sky.

Under the force of their perfectly coordinated attack, several initially unremarkable plants were suddenly exposed within the Thunder Net.

They instantly swelled to monstrous sizes, baring fangs and brandishing claws, revealing their ferocious, terrifying true forms.

Vicious plants!

By now, Ye Junhan had landed. He gripped Xidao and weaved through the Thunder Net, taking down one vicious plant with each ruthless, clean, and efficient strike. He quickly finished off the mutated specimens.

But he didn’t dare let his guard down.

Because according to his senses, that unknown, terrifying presence was still lurking nearby.

Standing within the Thunder Net, Ye Junhan pressed the radio on his shoulder. "All units, on alert. Vicious plants spotted ten kilometers northwest of the camp."

At this point, Gu Xi and Shen Yue had also arrived in the valley.

Ye Junhan looked up at Shen Yue. ’The Superpower Bullet in his hand... can it suppress the mutated plants?’

Shen Yue shrugged. "Don’t look at me. It’s a new toy Lu Chenyuan whipped up. I’ve only got two." ’And I only got these because my old man pulled some strings,’ he added silently.

As for whose strings were pulled... Shen Yue glanced at Gu Xi.

Ye Junhan also looked at Gu Xi. ’Shen Yue shot at me just now because, with limited ammunition, splitting the Superpower Bullet and spreading its energy with the Thunder Net was the optimal solution.’

’But for that kind of tactic to work so seamlessly, it requires more than just countless life-or-death drills. You need an encyclopedic knowledge of each other’s abilities... The slightest miscalculation would result in friendly fire.’

’And he and Shen Yue... officially, they had never served in the same unit.’

Yet Gu Xi’s gaze was deep and calm, without the slightest ripple of surprise.

’So... has she already figured something out?’