From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 216 - 207: Rice Congee

Not long after the convoy set off, Gu Xi received a private message from Ye Nan.

——Miss Gu, thank you for the brown sugar eggs. They tasted just as good as the ones my mom used to make.

Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. ’With Ye Xin’s cooking skills? As good as Wei Heng’s?’

’I have no idea how that girl could say that with a straight face.’

After a moment’s thought, she replied politely, [You’re welcome. Everyone in the Special Service Team got some.]

Strictly speaking, Ye Nan was still officially on the Special Service Team’s roster. However, under Ye Junhan’s suspicious control, she hadn’t participated in any team missions for a long time.

So, when the eggs were handed out that morning, Qi Xiang had brought a bowl over to her with a wide smile, right in front of the people from the Research Institute.

The key, of course, was that there was only one bowl.

Ye Nan replied quickly: [Miss Gu, I’m afraid the rest of the journey will be very bumpy. You aren’t in the best of health and just had blood drawn this morning, so you should be careful to get some rest.]

This was clearly a hint about something.

Gu Xi replied earnestly, [Thank you.]

This time, Ye Nan didn’t reply. Gu Xi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The convoy continued its slow advance. Gu Xi didn’t dwell on Ye Nan’s message. Instead, she released her spiritual power, swiftly scanning every plant she came across.

After their previous encounter with the Hybrid Monster, Gu Xi was on high alert.

In the afternoon, someone found a mutant plant that met the experimental requirements. Gu Xi led her people out of the vehicle to inspect it.

Hearing the news, members of the Research Institute and the Guard Team also gathered around.

This time, however, Gu Xi didn’t act personally. Instead, she had the other members of her team take turns to get some practice.

There were some hiccups along the way, but thankfully, after its mutation coefficient fluctuated for the better part of the day, the plant finally began to show signs of reverse evolution.

By the time the candidate specimen was completely stabilized and sealed in a special container, the sky had grown completely dark.

He Yue and Xu Hai found Ye Junhan, proposing they make camp and rest where they were.

But Ye Junhan refused.

Gu Xi was the first to board the command vehicle. The Special Service Team member in the driver’s seat suddenly said to her, "Miss Gu, why don’t you get some shut-eye? It’ll probably be a while before the convoy gets moving again..."

Gu Xi followed his gaze out the window.

In the distance, although He Yue and Xu Hai were no longer arguing the point, the researchers accompanying Gu Xi’s group, as well as those from the Research Institute, looked pale and unsteady on their feet.

They were all ordinary people, unable to compare to the physically formidable ability users. Their work kept them cooped up in laboratories year-round, so they lacked exercise and were exceptionally weak. The past few days on the bumpy roads had left them utterly exhausted.

Chen Jia, in particular, had it rough. When the convoy was attacked yesterday, her vehicle was swiped by a giant-tailed monster’s tail. It was only a glancing blow and the vehicle didn’t flip, but Chen Jia was unlucky enough to take a hard hit to her lower back.

That night at the camp, Chen Jia discovered a large, dark bruise on her left side, but with so many others injured, she felt too embarrassed to mention it. She just asked someone for some ointment and quickly applied it.

After being jostled in the vehicle for most of the day, followed by several hours of experiments in the afternoon, she was now at her breaking point.

It wasn’t just Chen Jia; several others in the convoy were also in bad shape.

Without exception, they were all ordinary people.

With no other choice, the medical team had to make new arrangements.

In the chaos, no one noticed that the scout vehicle up ahead had quietly changed the convoy’s direction.

...

At two-thirty in the morning, the convoy drove into an area of urban ruins.

Strangely, this small city had been abandoned for decades. Yet, despite the terrifying destructive power of today’s mutant plants, a relatively intact building still remained in the ruined landscape.

A building completely engulfed by overgrown greenery, yet still standing defiantly.

According to the drone footage, it appeared to be a factory. Mutant plants ran rampant all around, not only swallowing the surrounding walls but also covering the roof in thick layers of vines and weeds.

It wasn’t easy for a pre-apocalyptic building to survive to the present day.

But not only was this factory’s main structure intact, even its surrounding walls stood firm, encircled by plants.

Something was clearly wrong.

Gu Xi and Ye Junhan’s eyes met in the rearview mirror.

Perhaps this was the place they were looking for.

Ye Junhan keyed his radio. "Yang Liu, go take a look inside."

"Copy that." Yang Liu flew the reconnaissance drone in a circle around the factory. The entire building was tightly encased in vegetation, with no visible entrances like doors or windows.

The situation inside could not be determined.

Ye Junhan gave the order to halt.

"Are we there yet?" Qi Xiang asked, yawning, her eyes heavy with sleep.

Ye Junhan’s gaze met a pair of calm, profound eyes in the rearview mirror. He keyed his radio, his voice low and measured. "Qian Shan, clear a path."

In one of the heavy armored vehicles up front, Qian Shan slammed his foot on the accelerator, charging straight toward the factory’s outer wall.

The Earth Element user and the Wood Element user in the same vehicle silently activated their abilities.

The vine-covered wall collapsed with a BOOM, sending a tremor through the ground.

In a medical vehicle at the rear of the convoy, Xu Hai was startled awake and shot upright.

"What’s going on?" he asked He Yue, who was sitting across from him.

He Yue had just woken up as well. Realizing the convoy had deviated from its planned route, he was also a bit stunned.

But soon, both of them spotted the strange factory standing alone in the open wilderness.

He Yue and Xu Hai exchanged a glance, and each saw the raw fear in the other’s eyes.

The vehicles at the front had already rolled over the collapsed wall. The two had no choice but to follow.

Outside the factory was an open clearing, originally overgrown with man-high weeds. Now, having been flattened by the heavy armored vehicles, it was just barely possible to find a place to stand.

As soon as everyone disembarked, He Yue and Xu Hai came looking for them.

"Where’s Mr. Ye? And what is this place?" He Yue demanded, his expression grim.

"Mr. He, our Mr. Ye went up ahead to scout the path," Dongfang said, blocking their way with a pleasant smile. "As for what this place is? We don’t know either. It’s just so dark out, you know? The convoy must have lost its way..."

’Bullshit. The Special Service Team, lose its way?’

He Yue’s expression soured even further.

Beside him, Xu Hai’s eyes narrowed. ’This is a wide-open clearing with no obstructions. Where could Ye Junhan possibly have gone to scout?’

’Nowhere, except for this factory right in front of them.’

By now, the members of the Special Service Team had already established a defensive perimeter and started a bonfire.

Ouyang took out a case of compressed biscuits and began handing them out. Just then, he saw that Wei Heng had already built an earthen stove, quickly created a few pots with his ability, and called over the other Water Element user on the team.

Not far away, the Qin sisters were tilling the soil, while Qi Xiang crouched beside Gu Xi, helping her pick out seeds.

Soon, the seeds were in the ground, and the air filled with the fragrance of ripening fruits and gourds.

Different aromas soon began to waft from Mr. Wei’s large pots as well.

Ouyang slowly looked down at the compressed biscuits in his arms, then over at the huge pot of fragrant vegetable and rice porridge, and all the various side dishes beside it...

He couldn’t stop the drool from shamefully leaking out of the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile, that shameless Liu Hao had already sidled over with a grin. Without a shred of courtesy, he reached into the pot, grabbed a piping-hot sweet potato, juggled it between his hands twice, and stuffed it right into his mouth.

He huffed and puffed as he ate, apparently unafraid of scalding his tongue.

Dongfang and Zhao Qingxiao stood to the side, trying to appear reserved. But once Mr. Wei handed them each a bowl of the fragrant vegetable and rice porridge, they couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer.

They dug in with a ferocity that was in no way inferior to Liu Hao’s.

Seeing this, Liu Xiao, Qian Shan, and a few others also eagerly crowded around...

Ouyang had had enough. He shoved the entire case of compressed biscuits he was holding at a passing teammate and took off running in their direction.

’Any later, and that delicious rice porridge would be all gone!’