From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 220 - 211: Then... So Be It
On the other end, Li Ming was surprised for a moment when he received Gu Xi’s message, but he quickly figured out what was happening.
He wasn’t surprised by Ye Junhan’s decision.
In fact, he was even a little relieved.
After a moment’s thought, he replied to Gu Xi: [Xiaoxi, don’t overthink things. Just do whatever you want.] ’As for everything else,’ he thought, ’I’ll naturally handle it for her.’
Gu Xi stared at the message in silence, but ultimately didn’t reply.
Li Ming had once said that emotions were the cruelest things in the world. To survive in the apocalypse, one had to remain soberly aware of reality. He had also told her countless times that in this world, no one was responsible for anyone else.
But emotions and reason were, in the end, two different things.
’It was true for her, but wasn’t it just as true for Li Ming and the others?’
After a long silence, Gu Xi looked into the distance. "What makes a person human?"
Ye Junhan’s voice came from beside her. "Because of emotions." ’And because of reason,’ he added silently.
Gu Xi fell silent again.
’Since I can’t be completely detached, since I’m bound to be held hostage by this world, then... so be it.’
Gu Xi closed her eyes.
Beside her, Ye Junhan keenly sensed a shift in her state of mind.
But there was nothing he could do except offer his silent companionship.
Not until the first pale light of dawn touched the horizon did Ye Junhan finally speak. "It’ll be light soon. Let’s head back."
Gu Xi opened her eyes and looked back at him. "Yeah. It’ll be light soon."
Ye Junhan glanced at his watch. "It’s still early. Want to go back and get some sleep?" She had barely closed her eyes these past few days. He knew she wasn’t as delicate as she looked; in fact, she was strong—stronger than anyone.
But even the strongest person is still human.
And humans, ultimately, need to rest.
Gu Xi was silent for a moment, then turned to look toward the factory. "Over there... is there still no sign of movement?"
Ye Junhan followed her gaze. "None."
Unsure if their ’fish’ was just being patient or if something had gone wrong, Ye Junhan decided to wait a little longer.
They were all top-tier Hunters; they could certainly afford to wait.
Gu Xi extended her immense spiritual power deep into the earth. Then, retracting her gaze, she turned and headed for the camp. Ye Junhan followed, keeping a slight distance.
The camp had been in an uproar for much of the night, so now, aside from the personnel on duty, everyone else was resting.
Gu Xi found the tent assigned to them and pulled back the flap. Inside, Qi Xiang was sprawled horizontally across her spot. She had kicked the Qin Family sisters to either side of her. The sight of that wild sleeping posture immediately made Gu Xi abandon any thought of squeezing in with them.
’Forget it. I’ll just make do in one of the vehicles.’
’But she had been in the command vehicle earlier...’
"Gu Xi." Shen Yue had appeared from out of nowhere, leaning lazily against a nearby off-road RV as he suddenly spoke up.
He turned, opened the vehicle’s door, and gestured for her to come sleep inside.
Not far away, Ye Junhan, who was behind her, saw Gu Xi start walking toward Shen Yue’s vehicle and frowned almost imperceptibly.
’But there were two other team members resting in the command vehicle. It would indeed be inconvenient for Gu Xi to go there.’
Shen Yue’s off-road RV was part of a new equipment delivery, brought in two days ago when the transport plane went to the collapsed camp to pick up the wounded. Besides the Qin Family sisters, he was the only one assigned to it as a driver.
But with the Qin Family sisters resting in the tent, the RV was a good place to get some sleep.
Gu Xi hadn’t slept properly for several nights in a row and was indeed feeling drowsy. After a quick word with Shen Yue, she climbed into the RV.
Ye Junhan had already started walking toward the patrol members, but he paused when his gaze swept over Shen Yue, who was following right behind Gu Xi and also about to board the vehicle.
’Shen Yue is a decent guy, but the Shen Family’s situation is too complicated.’
’He’s not suitable for her.’
Just as Shen Yue was about to get into the vehicle, he heard footsteps behind him and turned to look.
The door closed from the outside. Gu Xi glanced up and saw Shen Yue walking off toward the factory behind Ye Junhan. She blinked, surprised for a second, then slowly closed her eyes.
’...Whatever. Let the men sort out their own business. I’m a little tired. I just want to rest for a bit.’
「10 AM.」
Qin Yi was woken by the heat. She groggily opened her eyes, only to be met with a face magnified to fill her entire vision!
Qin Yi: "!"
Qin Yi was instantly wide awake. She carefully shifted Qi Xiang, who was mostly lying on top of her, and managed to sit up. She then noticed that her sister, Qin Shi, was no longer in the tent.
’No wonder Qi Xiang was tormenting her and her alone.’
Qin Yi sighed. Without waking Qi Xiang, she tiptoed out of the tent, intending to get some fresh air.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Wei Heng silently tending the campfire.
In a large pot next to him, Ye Nan was lifting the lid, spatula in hand, looking as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating.
Qin Yi suddenly remembered what Gu Xi had said about Mr. Ye’s cooking skills and paled in horror. "Miss Ye!" she yelled.
At her shout, Ye Nan instinctively froze and looked up.
Qin Yi didn’t bother with explanations. She jogged over and said to Ye Nan with the utmost sincerity, "Miss Ye, why don’t I make breakfast?" ’I’ve heard there’s a high chance that things like cooking skills are hereditary...’
’For her stomach’s sake,’ Qin Yi proactively took the spatula from Ye Nan’s hand.
Ye Nan: "..."
She had clearly realized something as well. She looked at the others and explained earnestly, "Actually, my cooking is decent."
Qin Yi tightened her grip on the spatula. "I believe you." ’But my stomach doesn’t.’
Ye Nan: "..."
The atmosphere grew a little awkward.
Fortunately, Ye Nan’s walkie-talkie crackled to life just then. Qin Yi, standing nearby, overheard a little—it seemed someone from the Abnormal Ability Research Institute was injured and they were asking for her support.
After Ye Nan left, Qin Yi thought for a moment, then dropped the spatula and followed her.
Leaving Wei Heng to face the pots and pans alone: "..."
Not long after, a sleepy-eyed Qi Xiang pushed open the tent flap and walked straight over to Wei Heng. "What’s for breakfast?"
Wei Heng added more wood to the fire without looking up. "Sweet potato porridge."
’That’ll do.’
Qi Xiang nodded. Noticing how quiet the camp was, she asked casually, "Where is everyone?"
"Went to explore inside," Wei Heng said.
Hearing this, Qi Xiang’s interest was piqued. She looked up toward the factory. "Everyone went in?" ’No wonder I haven’t seen anyone from the base Guard Team or the Institute.’
Wei Heng grunted in affirmation. Just then, Yang Liu came over looking for food. Qi Xiang hurried to his side, tilting her head to look at his Light Screen. "Why is it so dark?"
With half a sweet potato dangling from his mouth, Yang Liu’s hands flew up and down, a blur of motion. "The factory is completely sealed, no light source. The ’mouse’ is already inside. It’ll be fine in a moment."
The words had barely left his mouth when the display lit up.
Yang Liu began adjusting the drone’s angle, trying to get a clearer view of the situation inside.
Squatting beside him, Qi Xiang watched the feed from the drone’s camera and saw that the inside of the factory was very high-ceilinged and spacious.
The height of the interior was clearly inconsistent with the height of the walls exposed above ground.
It was a semi-subterranean structure.
Its interior must have been coated with some kind of special chemical; not a trace of any plant life could be seen, and it was exceptionally well-preserved.
Qi Xiang even noticed that there were still many tables, chairs, and other daily-use items on the floor. Although they were scattered about chaotically, a closer look from the drone’s zoomed-in camera revealed they weren’t covered in dust.
’It can’t have been abandoned for very long.’
Qi Xiang frowned slightly and turned her head to ask Yang Liu, "Where is everyone?" ’Didn’t he say a bunch of people went in to explore? Why is the factory completely empty? Not a single soul in sight.’
Yang Liu swallowed the sweet potato in his mouth and adjusted the drone’s angle again.
The drone descended rapidly, skimmed across the floor in a circle, and then hovered in front of a pitch-black entryway.
Just as he was about to pilot the drone into the underground entrance, Qi Xiang suddenly pointed at a corner that had flashed across the Light Screen and cried out, "Wait, what was that!"
