From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 210 - 201: Kidnapping

The giant-tailed monster was down, but the surrounding sense of danger only intensified.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Gu Xi was already back on the ground, and Bud had once again transformed into a small green sprout, twirling around her fingertip.

During the fight, aside from forcing the giant-tailed monster out of the ground at the beginning, she hadn’t intervened. Instead, she stood a short distance away, serving as a deterrent.

’I have to watch out for that sneaky thief.’

Compared to the giant-tailed monster, whatever it was felt far more dangerous and difficult to handle.

Meanwhile, Gu Xi was observing.

Observing the giant-tailed monster.

This was the first thing she’d encountered since waking up that had managed to evade her senses right under her nose.

’Before its giant tail attacked, it had registered in my senses as just an ordinary mutant plant, no different from the thousands of other mutant plants covering the mountainside!’

Still shaken, Qi Xiang approached Gu Xi. She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Gu Xi, I once overheard Dr. Qi mention something in passing... about species fusion..."

Dr. Qi called it the third great mutation of the natural world.

Qi Xiang hadn’t paid it much mind at first. After all, they had already endured rampant zombies, frequent natural disasters, and a food crisis. The apocalypse was hard enough. Surely, fate had to give people a fighting chance, right?

But now... looking at the giant-tailed monster lying in the distance, Qi Xiang’s feelings were complicated.

Gu Xi’s gaze also fell on the monster, but her mind was on the private breeding farm she and Wei Heng had cleared out on the outskirts of South City.

The mutant animals there were all bizarrely shaped.

Back then, Gu Xi and Wei Heng had suspected that the deformed mutant animals might be the rejects of some kind of experiment.

But at the time, her suspicions were focused on the Crystal Cores. She’d thought someone was creating those deformed animals to produce more Crystal Cores. Now, however... looking at the fallen monster in the distance, Gu Xi had a different theory.

So was this thing, this suspected malignantly-mutated Hybrid Monster, a product of the natural world’s third great mutation—or evolution? Or... was it the result of a man-made scientific experiment?

She even began to suspect that the very reason she’d been woken up this time was that the situation had spiraled out of control, and someone had no choice but to bring her back...

If that was true... Gu Xi closed her eyes, replaying every event since she had awakened, trying to connect the dots.

But she suddenly realized that, aside from cleaning up the mess, she had no other choice.

’Because her life was never just her own.’

Li Ming once said that as long as you live in this world, you will one day become a hostage to it.

’But why should it be that way?’

There were many people in this world she cared for. The mess... she could clean it up. But it was also time for the Xidao, which she had personally buried all those years ago, to see the light of day again.

Gu Xi’s eyes snapped open.

Beside her, Qi Xiang suddenly felt a chill so deep it seemed to freeze the marrow in her bones.

"Gu Xi?" she asked, turning to look at her, her voice trembling with fear.

"I’m fine." Gu Xi slowly shook her head, the intimidating aura around her gradually receding.

She thought for a moment, then turned to Qi Xiang. "About the species fusion... what else did Dr. Qi say?"

...

Several vehicles in the convoy had been overturned, and many people were injured. As dusk fell, Ye Junhan gave the order to make camp where they were.

Ye Nan and the convoy’s doctor were treating the wounded in a makeshift medical area when He Yue suddenly approached.

"Mr. He, do you need something?" Ye Nan’s expression was grim.

’Driven by the urges between his legs, He Yue had pestered her in private more than once.’

Ordinarily, she might have humored him, since her mother had a decent relationship with the Qee Family, and He Yue was a favorite of the Qee family’s patriarch.

’But now... can’t he see I’m busy?’

’The man has no situational awareness at all.’

"Miss Ye." He Yue suppressed his irritation and forced a smile. "Have you seen Mr. Ye?"

’Ye Nan froze. Why was He Yue looking for Jun Han here, of all places?’

Ye Nan immediately sensed something was off.

Then she heard He Yue continue, "I thought I saw Mr. Ye and Miss Gu heading toward the medical area just now, but when I came over to check, they were gone. So I thought I’d ask..."

"But it looks like you don’t know either, Miss Ye. In that case, I won’t disturb you any longer..." After saying his piece, He Yue shot her a meaningful glance and, to her surprise, actually turned and walked away.

Ye Nan narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling that He Yue’s visit had been utterly bizarre.

Meanwhile, on a small hill behind the camp, Gu Xi stood at the summit, the wind in her hair as she gazed out at the dark, distant mountain forests.

Ye Junhan stood silently by her side.

After a long moment, Gu Xi pulled back her gaze and turned to him. "You knew all along, didn’t you?" ’That Superpower Bullet Liu Hao fired from the rocket launcher today... if I saw it correctly, it must have been specifically designed to counter the giant-tailed monster.’

’In other words, the military had long known about the existence of these Hybrid Monsters and had prepared a secret weapon to deal with them.’

Ye Junhan lowered his gaze to her face. "Yes. I received a secret mission before we departed..."

"Who gave you the mission?" Gu Xi looked up at him, cutting him off.

"The order came directly from headquarters," Ye Junhan said. "That new type of Superpower Bullet was also delivered by a specialist from HQ just before we left."

He paused, looking at her. "But I didn’t expect we’d have to use it so soon."

Gu Xi understood what he meant.

’He’d thought they wouldn’t need it until they were near City A. But... the situation was even more complicated than they had anticipated.’

The night wind swept over them, and they both fell silent.

After a long moment, Ye Junhan suddenly asked, "What are your plans now?"

"I want to figure some things out," Gu Xi said, poking the little green sprout on her fingertip. "And then, I’m going to take care of a few problems."

Ye Junhan watched her, his gaze deep and inscrutable. "Have you considered that the reason these things were revealed ahead of schedule is..."

"That someone wants me to see certain things clearly, to force me into making the ’right’ choice?" she finished for him, looking up at him with a sudden smile.

’Many people saw her as a useful pawn, the sharpest of blades. But she really wasn’t stupid.’

’The business with raising mutants and Hybrid Monsters definitely had ties to the base authorities and the research institute.’

’Maybe someone in the military had a hand in it, too?’

’And the one who exposed all this ahead of time was probably Yun Ye.’

’Yun Ye wanted her to see the vileness, selfishness, and ugliness of human nature. He wanted to stir the hatred and anger in her heart, to let her hostility run rampant until she was finally consumed by the beast locked away inside her!’

’But she wouldn’t give Yun Ye what he wanted. Even after guessing the whole truth, she wouldn’t stand against humanity.’

’Because she was human, and all she wanted was to be human.’

"So..." Gu Xi suppressed the hostile energy stirring within her and turned to look into the distance. "Do me a favor and tell them not to worry." ’And that they don’t need you to watch over me.’

’Not that you could stop me, anyway.’

’Because the art of killing... it was the foundation of her survival in the apocalypse, and she had never let her skills grow dull.’

’She didn’t dare let them.’

Ye Junhan was silent for a moment. Just as Gu Xi was about to turn and head back, he suddenly called out, "I didn’t take this mission to watch you."

"Then why did you take it?" Gu Xi paused.

’Even knowing that Ye Junhan was the boy from all those years ago, now... they stood on different sides.’

But Ye Junhan just looked at her and said unexpectedly, "Two years ago, when Mr. Li went to City A... I was there, too."