From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 222 - 213: A Familiar Face

The man in glass experimental chamber SDC003 hung his head, his long hair obscuring most of his face. One could only faintly make out a prominent Adam’s apple, suggesting it was indeed a man.

Qi Xiang stared at the exposed line of the jaw, studying it for a moment before frowning. "This chin... It looks a little like Ye Junhan’s, doesn’t it?" The lower half of the face did bear some resemblance to Ye Junhan, but its contours were noticeably softer.

"Really?" Feng Xiao didn’t see it. ’But then again,’ he thought, ’Qi Xiang has been chasing our captain for years. She must have spent all that time dreaming about his face, to the point where she’d never forget even a similar-looking chin...’

With that in mind, he gave Qi Xiang a complicated look. "With an eye for detail like that, it’s a real shame you’re not a scout for our Special Service Team."

Qi Xiang never thought she’d see the day the Special Service Team tried to poach her. She lifted her chin, looking both prim and proud, and said humbly, "Oh, you flatter me. I’m just your average level of amazing!"

Then her tone shifted. "Still, it’s hard to see clearly from out here. It would be great if we could get inside for a better look."

Qi Xiang stared at the glass experimental chambers beyond the door. She had a strong gut feeling, an urge to go inside and see for herself.

Feng Xiao wanted to check it out too. He tried to contact Ye Junhan for instructions, but there was no reply. ’The captain’s signal must be poor,’ he figured.

While Feng Xiao was still discussing things with Yang Liu, Qi Xiang had already opened the special glass window, using a method she remembered Dr. Qi once jokingly teaching her.

The windowsill was rather high. Qi Xiang stood on her tiptoes and peered in. Aside from the massive glass experimental chambers, she didn’t spot anything else.

She placed her hands on the sill, about to vault inside to investigate, but Feng Xiao suddenly grabbed her.

"Don’t be so reckless," Feng Xiao said, pulling several small mechanical gadgets from his pocket and tossing them inside.

The drone piloted by Yang Liu followed close behind, flying in as well.

After waiting for about a minute, Feng Xiao vaulted over the windowsill without hesitation, beating the eager Qi Xiang to it.

Qi Xiang followed close behind.

"Be advised, the oxygen concentration inside has risen to forty percent," Yang Liu’s voice warned from the drone.

The two of them were now standing before glass experimental chamber SDC003.

Qi Xiang looked up at Feng Xiao. "Can you open it?"

"I’ll try," Feng Xiao said. He took a small toolbox from his backpack, moved to the side of the glass chamber, and got to work.

Qi Xiang tilted her head back, staring at the face inside and examining it from different angles. Suddenly, she stumbled backward, bumping into Feng Xiao’s arm.

Feng Xiao whipped his head around just in time to see the plant-like forms submerged in the transparent liquid inside the chamber give a slight twitch.

But they quickly fell still again, so fast that it was easy to dismiss as a trick of the eye.

Feng Xiao instinctively looked up and saw the previously lowered head slowly rise, revealing its true face.

It was the face of a young man—handsome and gentle, but ghastly pale, completely devoid of color.

Qi Xiang, of course, saw the face as well.

The face bore a strong resemblance to Ye Junhan’s, but where Ye Junhan’s features were cold and sharp, this man’s were much softer.

"He..." Qi Xiang’s face was etched with astonishment, as if she had just realized something.

But Feng Xiao clapped a hand over her mouth. He cautiously pulled her backward, gesturing for her to look at the man’s eyes.

They were a pair of white, lifeless eyes. Framed by the lush green flora, they looked especially terrifying.

He—or perhaps, *it*—was awake.

Feng Xiao froze. ’I know it’s the apocalypse,’ he thought. ’Humans have even developed special abilities. Nothing should be surprising anymore.’

But those eyes...

Just then, Yang Liu’s tense voice came over the drone’s speaker again. "Feng Xiao, snap out of it!"

Feng Xiao snapped back to his senses to find Qi Xiang, panting, trying to drag him toward the exit. All around them, the glass chambers began to emit cracking sounds.

’This is bad. The plant-people are getting out!’

"Holy fuck, what the hell are these things?!" Feng Xiao scrambled for his gun. He’d been mesmerized by those eyes, completely unaware of the approaching danger. But looking at Qi Xiang, it seemed she hadn’t been affected.

But this wasn’t the time to ask questions.

The plant-people inside the glass chambers had all awakened and were now raising their heads one by one.

The sound of shattering glass echoed from behind them. Without a second thought, Feng Xiao shoved Qi Xiang toward the window, spun around, and raised his gun.

At the same time, Yang Liu’s calm voice came from the drone: "Oxygen concentration is at forty-five percent and still rising."

Feng Xiao fired several shots, but it did nothing to stop the overwhelming tide of vegetation spreading toward them.

Even Qi Xiang, who had almost reached the window, was forced back by the encroaching plants.

Piloting the drone, Yang Liu watched the screen showing the two of them standing back-to-back. "Watch out, they’re coming."

Feng Xiao glanced to the side and sucked in a sharp breath. All the plant-people had opened their eyes. Countless vines were twisting together, forming leg-like appendages, and were slowly crawling toward them.

The commotion was so great that the entire floor began to tremble.

Feng Xiao knew he couldn’t prolong the fight. He instantly erected a long metal wall, then pulled Qi Xiang along, using the wall as a foothold to fling her out before quickly vaulting onto the windowsill himself.

Innumerable vines and leaves instantly swarmed over the metal wall. Feng Xiao straddled the windowsill, launching metal blades inside with one hand while returning fire with his gun.

He had to hold this window until reinforcements arrived, no matter what.

If these plant-people managed to crawl out of this special laboratory, the consequences would be unthinkable.

As Qi Xiang was thrown through the window, she instinctively shut her eyes and shielded her face.

And then... she slammed right into Gu Xi’s arms.

"Gu Xi, you’re finally here!" Qi Xiang was on the verge of tears. She lowered her voice and said, "I just saw... *that* person inside."

Gu Xi patted her hand, signaling that they would talk about it later, once they were outside.

Qi Xiang took the hint and quietly retreated to lean against the wall, touching her own face with lingering fear. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Gu Xi looked up into the window.

Countless vines, entwined with human faces, struggled to crawl toward the window.

The scene was indescribably grotesque.

But Gu Xi’s expression was perfectly calm.

The plant-people, who had been scrambling to pour through the window, suddenly paused for some unknown reason.

’Now’s my chance!’

Feng Xiao leaped down from the windowsill, about to use his ability to seal the window completely, when a powerful force suddenly grabbed him by the waist and yanked him back.

At the same time, a slender, ghost-like figure flashed past him.

As he hit the ground and rolled, he instinctively glanced back.

Gu Xi vaulted over the windowsill with one hand. Her feet touched down on the mass of vines, and with a light push, she shot forward like a dragonfly skimming across water, rapidly closing the distance to the plant-people.

At that same moment, the plant-people finally broke free from whatever force had been restraining them and stirred back to life.

Countless vines surged toward Gu Xi, only to be held at bay by some mysterious force.

Gu Xi leaped down from a high arc of vines, landing directly in front of one of the plant-people.

It had a face Gu Xi recognized. Its lifeless eyes were now fixed on her as countless vines unfurled from beneath its neck, blossoming into large, bewitching red flowers.

They exuded an alluring fragrance.

But Gu Xi only frowned in disgust.

She struck suddenly, quick as lightning, and seized it by the neck.

The plant-person’s face froze. A strange noise escaped its mouth, and the vines covering its body began to tremble violently.

"So noisy."

Gu Xi applied a little pressure.

In a single instant, the flowers bloomed and withered.

By the time He Yue and Xu Hai arrived with their team, the vast underground laboratory was filled with nothing but the withered remains of plants.

Gu Xi stood amidst the wreckage, looking up and out the window.

Her gaze traveled past the crowd and finally landed on one man’s face.

Ye Junhan stood at the back of the crowd. He raised his dark eyes to meet hers, his expression calm and composed, betraying no emotion.