From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 124 - 115: A Visit to Ask for Advice

A nondescript Jeep drove into a small valley deep within the Heng Mountain Range in the afternoon.

The moment she got out of the car, Gu Xi felt a pure energy wash over her.

Shen Yue jumped out from the other side, looking back to explain, "The farms around here send Crystal Cores over every so often..."

Gu Xi nodded. She understood. ’This place is basically the equivalent of a pre-apocalypse bank vault.’

’But...’

"Why are there sweet potatoes planted everywhere?" Gu Xi asked, completely baffled.

It wasn’t that she looked down on sweet potatoes, but planting them all around a "bank vault" just struck Gu Xi as... how to put it... a little odd.

Shen Yue lazily raised an eyebrow and sighed. "We didn’t have a choice. Do you remember that bag of sweet potatoes you gave to Qin Yi?"

Gu Xi nodded. That was the day she had first met the Qin sisters. Qin Yi had been very friendly and given her a pack of compressed biscuits, so she had given her a bag of sweet potatoes in return.

At this point, Shen Yue seemed to recall something. He glanced back at Gu Xi with a slightly strange expression before explaining the whole story.

It turned out that the bag of sweet potatoes had been sent immediately to the Military Department’s experts. After some research, they found that while the sweet potatoes couldn’t be used as a superior seed stock, they did reveal another possibility.

Namely, the reverse evolution of plants.

The Military Department’s experiments in this area began long before the two professors started their own experiments in the test fields.

But soon after, the Military Department’s experts discovered that for plants to undergo reverse evolution, they required a great deal of energy, just like malignant mutation...

But the Military Department didn’t have another Gu Xi, so they could only turn their attention to the Crystal Core storeroom.

And that’s why this entire valley was forcibly planted with sweet potatoes.

Gu Xi had a moment of realization.

’No wonder I thought it was strange before. The two professors chose upland rice and fruit for their experiments, so why didn’t they ever use sweet potatoes?’

’After all, sweet potatoes are the most important staple food today. Especially in the last thirty years, over ninety percent of the country’s population has been sustained by them.’

’So the Military Department had started experiments on this long ago?’

’Not duplicating experiments saves a waste of resources.’

’That’s good.’

"...So, why did the military ask for me this time?" Gu Xi asked hesitantly, looking at the sweet potato plants covering the mountains and fields around them.

"Our experiments have run into a small problem recently, and we need your help, Gu." The person who answered wasn’t Shen Yue. An old man dressed as a farmer walked out from a nearby sweet potato patch.

"Hello, Gu. I’m Ouyang Rui." The old man chuckled and extended a hand toward Gu Xi. "I heard you were injured. Are you alright?"

Gu Xi smiled and took the old man’s hands in her own. "Hello, Mr. Ouyang. I’m perfectly fine."

Gu Xi hadn’t expected to see Ouyang Rui again in such a setting after so many years.

And Ouyang Rui was one of the very teachers she had personally selected for Xv Yiyisan back then.

But she hadn’t seen him in years, and this Mr. Ouyang had changed so much that she hadn’t recognized him at first.

Soon enough, however, Gu Xi figured out why Mr. Ouyang was here.

Mr. Zhao had said that almost all seeds nowadays came from the Abnormal Ability Research Institute. If the Military Department didn’t want to be forever at their mercy, they would have to forge a new path.

’That must be why this Mr. Ouyang—a man in his eighties who had been a prodigy in his youth and a leading botanist even before the apocalypse—had become the Military Department’s guest of honor.’

...

That night, Gu Xi had just walked out of the military’s laboratory when she saw Qi Xiang anxiously pacing outside in the distance.

Gu Xi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’?’

"Gu Xiaoxi." Seeing her, Qi Xiang hurried over and said in a low voice, "Zhang Cheng contacted us on his own initiative."

Ever since the incident at Canyon N0003, Zhang Cheng’s attitude had become very strange, as if he wasn’t the same person who had previously made friendly overtures and leaked information.

At first, Gu Xi had been a little confused.

Not until Shen Yue told her that the higher-ups had traced the Crystal Core swap back to that private farm on the outskirts of South City...

Gu Xi then vaguely understood that Zhang Cheng had probably intended to use them from the very beginning.

’But the investigation isn’t over yet. Why would he suddenly contact us now?’

’This matter... is fishy.’

"What did he say?" Gu Xi asked after a moment of thought.

"He didn’t say anything specific, just told me to bring some friends to hang out at the South City base when I have time." Qi Xiang pursed her lips. "From the way he said it, it sounds like he wants to talk to you face-to-face?"

’I see...’

Gu Xi’s hand, which was pinching a sweet potato vine, paused slightly.

"Alright." She gently snapped the vine in her hand. "After I finish up here tomorrow, we’ll make another trip to the South City base."

But Gu Xi never expected that this time, Zhang Cheng would pull such a big move on her.

"Ah, Gu, don’t be so formal. This is Mr. Zhou from the Abnormal Ability Research Institute." Zhang Cheng was quite frank, getting straight to the point. "Mr. Zhou is the main one who wanted to see you this time. Me, I’m just the middleman."

Gu Xi’s hand, which was gently tapping Yabao, paused for a moment. She looked up, her expression unreadable.

In Zhang Cheng’s office, besides Zhang Cheng himself, were Zhou Jinyu, Ye Nan, and, Ye Junhan.

Zhou Jinyu had secretly come to South City with Ye Nan and Ye Junhan, yet she hadn’t heard a single word about it beforehand.

’Did Li Ming deliberately hide it? Or...’ Gu Xi’s gaze swept imperceptibly over Ye Junhan before finally landing on Zhou Jinyu.

Zhou Jinyu smiled and nodded at Gu Xi, saying gently, "Gu, I hope we didn’t startle you by inviting you here like this."

Then, he looked at Qi Xiang standing next to Gu Xi and added with a smile, "Xiaoxiang is here too. Excellent. I was worried Gu would feel uncomfortable on her own."

"Mr. Zhou, why the sudden visit to South City?" Qi Xiang calmly put an arm around Gu Xi’s shoulder as they sat down on the sofa across from the group.

She was extremely wary inside, but on the surface, she wore a charming smile. "You’re such a busy man. It’s rare to see you outside of the Central Base..."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the two people behind him. "Oh, Mr. Ye and Miss Ye are here too?"

Zhou Jinyu gave a gentle smile. "My trip to South City this time is a personal one. It’s mainly for Ye."

’For Ye Nan?’

Qi Xiang raised her eyebrows slightly and instinctively glanced at Ye Nan.

At her side, Gu Xi discreetly pressed her wrist.

Just then, Zhou Jinyu looked over and explained gently, "It’s like this: Ye is also very interested in the plant reverse evolution experiments. A couple of days ago, she found some materials... so this time, we’ve come to ask for your guidance."

Zhou Jinyu was quite frank, directly stating the purpose of their visit.

Zhang Cheng sat to the side with a cheerful look on his face, but inwardly he was scornful. ’Ask for guidance? Isn’t this just a blatant attempt to take someone else’s research results?’

’Some people may look all prim and proper, but their methods are truly shameless.’

Zhang Cheng couldn’t help but look at the young woman across from him again.

Initially, he had thought this Gu Xi was just a refugee girl who had recently returned to a human base. No matter how outstanding her planting talent was, if she caught the eye of some big shot, her fate would be sealed with a single word.

And yet, now...

Remembering 01’s warning, Zhang Cheng no longer dared to think that way.

Gu Xi was also taken aback. She hadn’t expected Zhou Jinyu to push Ye Nan to the forefront.

’Does Ye Xin know about this?’ 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Gu Xi’s gaze instinctively fell on Ye Nan.

The girl really resembled her mother. ’Looking at her is like seeing the Ye Xin of the past...’

"Miss Ye, what would you like to ask?" She composed herself and took the initiative.

Ye Nan was clearly prepared.

She nodded at Gu Xi, and with a slight opening of her palm, a Light Screen expanded. "Miss Gu, I’ll have to trouble you. It’s like this, in my experiments..."

The questions Ye Nan raised were all very pointed, striking at the very core of the experiment.

Qi Xiang was a little displeased. ’What’s with this Ye Nan? We’re all from the same circle; doesn’t she know what’s okay to ask and what’s not?’

’Those who know what’s going on might say she’s dedicated to her studies and not afraid to ask questions. But those who don’t would think she’s just brazenly trying to steal Gu Xi’s research results.’

Qi Xiang frowned. Just as she was about to retort, Gu Xi began to answer without reservation.

Gu Xi had never systematically studied the theoretical knowledge in this field, so her answers weren’t bound by any fixed format, making them all the more concise and to the point.

Especially regarding the handling of abnormal abilities, certain subtleties in her explanation gave Ye Nan a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

Even Ye Junhan, who was listening from the side, couldn’t help but raise his eyes and give her a deep look.

Zhou Jinyu, however, maintained his gentle demeanor. He nodded and turned his head toward Ye Nan. "Ye?"

Ye Nan seemed a little lost in thought, her feelings complicated.

After a long silence, she looked up at the young woman across from her and slowly said, "Miss Gu, would you be willing to work at the Abnormal Ability Research Institute? I can introduce you to my mother..."