From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 160 - 151: The Sky is Changing

Gu Xi had only been at the Central Base for a few short days, yet a series of events had already unfolded.

The various factions were stirring, and many were watching from the shadows.

Just as everyone was guessing her next move, Gu Xi walked into the Military Department compound.

That very day, news spread that Gu Xi would be participating in the military’s research project on the reverse evolution of crops as an external contractor.

The moment the news broke, the entire city was in an uproar.

Surprisingly, however, the Abnormal Ability Research Institute remained remarkably quiet this time. The first person to object was, unexpectedly, Li Xiao.

"You all don’t seem worried in the slightest." Li Xiao pushed open the conference room doors, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present as he spoke. "From what I know, since she entered the military’s research lab, she hasn’t shown her face for three days straight."

With her capabilities, three days was more than enough time to accomplish a great deal.

’He refused to believe that certain people could really just sit back and do nothing.’

Li Xiao shot everyone a scornful glance and sat down in his seat with a dark expression.

He looked up at Zhou Jinyu across from him and asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "Mr. Zhou, according to my sources, the day before she announced her cooperation with the military, you had a phone call with her?"

Zhou Jinyu pushed up the cool frames of his glasses, neither admitting nor denying anything. Instead, he calmly changed the subject. "Everyone, after testing by our Institute, the stability of the reversely evolved sweet potato seeds the Military Department sent last time..."

"Mr. Zhou," Li Xiao suddenly scoffed, interrupting him in a snide tone. "It seems your Abnormal Ability Research Institute and the Military Department are working quite closely these days..."

Zhou Jinyu’s expression didn’t change as he replied mildly, "Our Institute and the Military Department have always worked closely together..."

His tone was perfectly diplomatic.

After speaking, he looked up at the others and added with a gentle smile, "And as everyone knows, our own Mr. Ye’s daughter is currently serving in the military..."

Li Xiao glanced at Zhou Jinyu’s gentle face and let out a snort that wasn’t quite a laugh. He didn’t press the issue, but instead followed the thread of conversation, turning his gaze to Ye Xin, who sat diagonally opposite. He then jabbed at her with a pointed remark.

"Right. If Mr. Zhou hadn’t reminded me, I would’ve forgotten. Mr. Ye and Mr. Xiao go way back, after all. Tsk, no wonder..."

Seeing the attack now aimed at her, Ye Xin raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and replied at a leisurely pace, "You certainly concern yourself with a great many things, Mr. Li..."

Li Xiao frowned slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Xin looked up at him with a faint, mocking smile. "If you have so much time on your hands, perhaps you should pay more attention to your own little patch of turf."

"You!" Being openly mocked like this, Li Xiao’s face instantly darkened.

But he still remembered this was a joint meeting for the base.

He glanced at the old man sitting at the head of the table and saw that the man had no intention of intervening. Only then did he say coldly, "And what is that supposed to mean, Mr. Ye?"

Ye Xin’s gaze slowly swept over everyone present. "According to my sources, the Military Department has been frequently purchasing military rations through civilian channels for the past few years... and now, by directly tackling the reverse evolution of crops, it seems they’re no longer willing to put up with the situation."

"As for the reasons behind it all..." Her gaze finally landed on Li Xiao. "I imagine no one knows more about that than Mr. Li, isn’t that right?"

Li Xiao was at a loss for words and, for once, didn’t offer a rebuttal.

Over the past few years, the Central Base and the Military Department had indeed been at odds over the allocation of military rations.

Of course, this was partly due to the difficult overall situation and the hardships the base itself was facing. But a larger part of it was due to deliberate human actions.

Now, the military was making it clear they were no longer willing to be stifled and intended to solve the food supply issue on their own.

But once the Central Base lost its leverage to keep the Military Department in check, the future would become very uncertain.

And as the head of the Central Base’s logistics department, Li Xiao could in no way shirk his responsibility.

After the meeting, Li Xiao went home, his face a grim mask.

He paced back and forth in his study with a dark expression before finally contacting that person.

"Things have gotten complicated," Li Xiao said, staring at the person on the light screen. "Blood-colored Asura has joined forces with the military. I’m afraid that woman, Ye Xin, is planning to turn on us."

He briefly recounted what had happened at the base’s internal meeting today.

That person just nodded, but didn’t say anything.

’For a moment, Li Xiao couldn’t figure out what the other person was thinking.’

Just as he was about to probe further, the person suddenly spoke. "Have you found out where Gan Qi is being held?"

Li Xiao faltered for a second, then slowly shook his head. "No. I suspect they’re holding him somewhere off-site..."

Ever since he learned that Gan Qi had fallen into Ye Junhan’s hands, Li Xiao had his people investigate. But he had scoured every possible detention site within the Military Department and still couldn’t find where Gan Qi was being held.

The person on the light screen seemed lost in thought. After a long moment, he said to Li Xiao, "You need to speed this up." ’Gan Qi is only a semi-finished product, but I’ve poured a great deal of effort into him. It would be a real shame to lose him just like this.’

"Understood. I’ll handle it myself. However..." Li Xiao thought for a moment, then said probingly, "If...?"

"You don’t need to worry about that," the man said, his tone arrogant, completely dismissing Li Xiao’s concern. "Gan Qi has undergone special training. He’s very tight-lipped..."

"But there’s always a chance something could go wrong..." Li Xiao, unsure of the stance from above, wanted a clear directive.

"Then eliminate the problem permanently," the man said dismissively, not hesitating for even a second.

Li Xiao nodded, his expression unchanging, but inwardly his heart sank.

’In truth, he had no fondness for Gan Qi. The way the man looked at him always rubbed him the wrong way. A mere counterfeit, an experiment. Who was he putting on that arrogant act for!’

’But as the saying goes: when the fox dies, the rabbit grieves...’

The man on the light screen glanced at him, then suddenly said, "One more thing. Those death-sworn soldiers we sent out last time... the higher-ups want you to find a way to retrieve their Crystal Cores."

Hearing this, Li Xiao’s expression changed slightly.

"Well..." He hesitated before saying, "I just received news myself. Those men... they supposedly haven’t mutated yet..."

Now, it was the man on the screen whose expression changed. He exclaimed, "What did you say?"

’If they hadn’t been certain that the death-sworn soldiers sent to assassinate Blood-colored Asura had already mutated, why would they have sent Gan Qi out in the first place?’

But he quickly calmed down and asked with a frown, "What exactly is going on?"

Li Xiao offered his analysis: "The earlier reports must have been false information deliberately released by the military to mislead us..."

’That’s a problem.’ The man on the light screen frowned slightly.

’The fact that those men didn’t mutate means Blood-colored Asura now possesses some new form of control—a power they knew nothing about.’

’If that was the case, their subsequent plans would likely be...’

"Is the information accurate?" he asked.

Li Xiao nodded. "The intel came from one of my insiders after Blood-colored Asura joined the Military Department... Apparently, those men have now regained their senses."

People who should have mutated after their powers went out of control had instead regained their sanity. Everyone knew what that implied.

On top of that, she had now formally joined forces with the military and was starting to tackle the food crisis...

Things were about to change drastically.

After Li Xiao finished speaking, he slightly lowered his gaze.

"This insider of yours... is he reliable?" the man on the screen asked after a moment’s thought.

Li Xiao nodded. "You can rest easy on that front. The man has been embedded in the Military Department for over a decade. I have his entire family in my hands..."

Before he could finish speaking, the light screen in front of him suddenly went dark.

Li Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly.

’Hanging up without a word... a clear sign he wasn’t taken seriously at all.’

’Good thing he’d prepared an exit strategy long ago...’