From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 224 - 215: Cousin, I Was Wrong
「Meanwhile, in a valley five kilometers to the northwest.」
Standing on the head of a giant Hybrid Monster, Shen Yue squinted. Only after confirming that the rest of the creature—aside from the head beneath his feet—had been utterly diced to bits by his Wind Blades did he holster the Superpower Gun at his waist.
Not far away, the people in the off-road vehicle, who had been left covered in grime by the Hybrid Monster, all gasped. They watched as the man ripped the black combat mask from his face and strode toward them.
Unlike Ye Junhan, who was naturally blessed with a cold, unapproachable face, Shen Yue had always given off a laid-back, devil-may-care vibe. But now, with his expression turning cold, Yang Chi finally realized just how terrifying his cousin could be.
Shen Yue casually stuffed the black mask he’d used to wipe his hands into his pocket and, radiating an aura of bloodlust, walked straight to the side of the off-road vehicle.
Yang Chi hesitated, not daring to open the door. He tried to shrink into the passenger seat, confessing through the window, "Cousin, I was wrong."
Shen Yue’s expression must have been truly terrifying, because Yang Chi hunched his shoulders and ducked his head, doing his best to look pathetic. He was trying to appeal to whatever little brotherly affection his cousin might still possess.
Unfortunately, Shen Yue knew his cousin’s character all too well and wasn’t falling for the act. He knocked on the window, his face a blank mask.
Seeing there was no escape, Yang Chi opened the door, trembling.
"Cousin, I really know I was wro—"
But before he could finish, Shen Yue yanked open the door, grabbed him by the back of his collar with one hand, and dragged him out of the car.
Poor Yang Chi. A man well over six feet tall, he didn’t dare make a sound as he was dragged a long distance by the back of his collar. He could only scramble uselessly with his legs, trying to get to his feet and preserve one last shred of dignity.
Shen Yue dragged him into the woods far away, and only when they were out of everyone’s sight did he toss the man aside. He looked at Yang Chi, his face devoid of expression. "Who told you to come here?"
Yang Chi avoided his gaze and took two steps back. His eyes darted around as he mumbled, "I... I was just curious..."
"Yang Chi." Shen Yue leaned lazily against a tree trunk, arms crossed. He slowly lifted his gaze, and his normally casual expression was now piercingly sharp.
’My cousin’s angry. The consequences are going to be dire.’
Yang Chi didn’t dare hide it anymore. He hung his head and said in a low voice, "It was Uncle..."
’Of course.’
Shen Yue wasn’t surprised by the answer. He pulled the black combat mask from his pocket and carefully wiped his hands. After a long moment, he looked up at his cousin and warned, "This won’t happen again."
The danger had passed. Yang Chi breathed a sigh of relief.
He raised three fingers, swearing earnestly, "Cousin, don’t worry, there absolutely won’t be a next time. Even if Uncle tries to force me again, I’ll definitely be on your si—"
Shen Yue shot him a look that was half-smile, half-smirk. "Oh? Tell me, how exactly did the old man force you?"
Yang Chi: "..."
Yang Chi fell silent.
Luckily, Shen Yue knew the kid could be tight-lipped, so he didn’t press him. Instead, he changed the subject. "The old man sent you to intercept our target, and he only gave you this handful of people?"
He glanced toward the off-road vehicle, asking nonchalantly.
Besides Yang Chi, there were three other people in the car.
’My cousin is completely useless in a fight, and as for the other three...’ Shen Yue narrowed his eyes. ’Forget Gu Xi, whose abilities I still can’t get a read on; even Ye Junhan could annihilate them in minutes.’
Yang Chi followed his line of sight. "They were sent by Uncle to protect me. Cousin, can you talk to Uncle for me and tell him to send them back?"
"Protect?"
Seeing Shen Yue look over with that same mocking smile, Yang Chi quickly puffed out his chest and declared righteously, "To be honest, the reason I came wasn’t to work for Uncle. The main reason is... I missed Gu Xi."
Shen Yue snorted and shot him a lazy glance. "Are you sure it’s Gu Xi you missed?" ’And not the delicious food she keeps in her dimensional space?’
Yang Chi: ’Don’t expose me, and we can stay friends.’
Shen Yue couldn’t be bothered to deal with the kid. He looked toward the factory. ’Gu Xi has probably figured it out by now, hasn’t she?’
’Ye Junhan’s background isn’t simple. And Gu Xi...’
Just then, Yang Chi sidled up to him and looked in the same direction. "Cousin, I’ve destroyed all the original raw data in there. Now, the only copy of the project data is the one I have."
’He planned to use this as his offering to join her. From now on, he would follow Gu Xi and live the good life. He’d never leave her side!’
Shen Yue shot him a meaningful glance. "The data is inanimate. The people are not."
"I know," Yang Chi replied, giving his cousin an equally enigmatic smile. ’Before Uncle’s men took everyone from the factory, I pulled a little trick of my own...’
Shen Yue gave him a surprised look. "What did you do?"
"As for that," Yang Chi said, deciding to be mysterious, "you’ll find out when I see Gu Xi."
Shen Yue glanced at him, straightened up, and started walking toward the factory.
Yang Chi froze for a second, then hurried to catch up. "Cousin, what about the men in the car...?" ’Those are Uncle’s trusted subordinates. We can’t just ditch them, can we?’
Shen Yue lowered his gaze. "Don’t worry. I’ll talk to the old man about this myself."
Yang Chi seemed to catch something in his tone. He gave him a surprised look but ultimately said nothing more.
Half an hour later, Shen Yue and Yang Chi returned to the underground research lab beneath the factory.
Gu Xi was surprised to see Yang Chi, and she immediately looked at Shen Yue.
Shen Yue shrugged. Meanwhile, Yang Chi was already gleefully running toward his long-term meal ticket. "Gu Xi..."
Only to be stopped three steps away by Qi Xiang, who wore a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Yang Chi immediately looked to Gu Xi, his expression pitiful. "Gu Xi..."
Gu Xi walked up. "Why are you here?"
Yang Chi glanced around before lowering his voice. "Gu Xi, I have something very important to tell you." ’But with so many people around, this clearly isn’t the place to talk.’
Gu Xi glanced at Shen Yue, then led Yang Chi back to the surface.
By now, almost everyone from the convoy, except for the personnel on patrol, had gone down to the underground lab. Gu Xi found a deserted corner to sit down, activated her Spirit Shield, and then looked up at Yang Chi. "Sit. Let’s talk."
"Gu Xi," Yang Chi picked a spot opposite her and sat down cross-legged, his posture unusually formal and a little tense. "The truth is, I arrived in the area three days ago..."
Yang Chi didn’t dare hold anything back and laid out the whole story.
It was mostly in line with Gu Xi’s earlier suspicions. The military had long been aware of this secret laboratory, but had been unable to act, constrained by the larger situation.
It wasn’t until Gu Xi went to the Central Base and established closer cooperation with the military that things changed. With logistical support secured and the worries of their several-hundred-thousand-strong army alleviated, the military finally took decisive action.
The research personnel living at the factory had been taken away by the military ahead of time. As for why they left the half-finished test subjects for Gu Xi, however, Yang Chi had no idea.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Gu Xi asked after he finished.
"Because..." Yang Chi straightened his back, looking at her with some trepidation. "Gu Xi, from now on, I want to follow you."
Gu Xi looked at him, astonished. "Follow me? To farm?"
’Yang Chi was Shen Yue’s cousin, Shen Zhennan’s nephew, and clearly capable on his own. By all accounts, he had a bright future ahead of him. Why would he throw it all away to follow a farmer like her?’
Yang Chi nodded. Fearing she might refuse him, he quickly added, "Right, Gu Xi, I found out one more thing. It might have something to do with Ye Junhan’s past..."
