From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 229 - 220: Chaos
News about the quarantine hospital was under a strict lockdown by the base; the outside world remained completely unaware.
Meanwhile, after taking advantage of the chaos to sneak a meeting with Zhou Jing, Qi Xiang returned feeling that something was wrong with her calf.
It was numb and itchy, with a faint, chilling sensation.
She rolled up her pant leg to take a look. The gash she’d gotten that morning had already scabbed over. It wasn’t red or swollen, and on the surface, there was no visible problem.
After a moment’s thought, she went to find Fang Rui.
After hearing her out, Fang Rui’s expression grew serious. "You got this injury underground this morning?"
When Qi Xiang nodded, he thought for a moment, then opened his toolbox and took out a thin scalpel. "I’ll have to cut it open and see." ’Those plant-people... It’s hard to say. Who knows if getting scratched by that thing’s thorns will leave any side effects.’
Qi Xiang knew this was serious.
Bracing herself as if for death, she lifted her calf. The sharp blade sliced open her wound again... Qi Xiang shut her eyes and hissed in a sharp breath. "That hurts! Be gentler."
Fang Rui was speechless. ’Could you please not insult my technique?’
He snapped, "Should I give you an anesthetic, then?"
Qi Xiang grimaced in pain, her eyes turning red with grievance. "You had anesthetic and didn’t tell me sooner?"
That’s when Fang Rui realized something was wrong. He was very confident in his technique; normally, his incision shouldn’t have hurt that much. Even if this young lady was exceptionally delicate, she wouldn’t be in this much pain.
’Unless... there’s something wrong with the wound.’
"What’s going on?" Liu Hao and Qian Shan, who were just passing by, heard Qi Xiang’s voice and came in to see her with eyes squeezed shut, her face deathly pale from pain, and cold sweat pouring down her face.
Looking down, they saw a trickle of blood snaking down the young lady’s pale calf, while Fang Rui held a blood-drenched scalpel in his hand...
The two men exchanged a look.
’What in the world is going on here?’
Qian Shan, being more observant, leaned in for a closer look and exclaimed, "There’s something in the wound!"
Fang Rui’s expression changed in an instant.
Qian Shan was the team’s scout and a visual evolver. His eyesight was as good as a microscope’s!
Liu Hao had already keyed the radio on his shoulder, giving a quick report of the situation.
Meanwhile, Fang Rui took a blood sample from Qi Xiang and walked over to a nearby instrument.
After finishing his report, Liu Hao also leaned over the microscope. Staring at the root-like filaments on the screen, he was stunned. "What the hell is this stuff?"
’It looks disgusting.’
Qi Xiang tried to get up to see what was going on, but Qian Shan held her in place.
Fang Rui gave Liu Hao a look. Liu Hao took the hint and left the room.
Soon, Xu Hai came hurrying up with a group of people. When he saw the root-like substances in Qi Xiang’s wound, a bad feeling washed over him.
Although he wasn’t qualified to participate in the experimental research on "New Humans," he had heard some rumors.
The root-like things in Qi Xiang’s wound made him subconsciously connect them to some very unpleasant matters.
More importantly, back in the underground laboratory, several of his subordinates had come into direct contact with the plant residue...
Xu Hai immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He turned to Ye Junhan. "Mr. Ye, I suggest that everyone who came into direct contact with that stuff undergo an examination..."
"Is that really necessary?" He Yue interjected. "None of us were injured..."
Just then, someone shouted, "What are you doing?"
Everyone turned to see Gu Xi half-squatting in front of Qi Xiang. A vine shot out from her hand and wrapped around Qi Xiang’s calf. Nearby, someone from the Abnormal Ability Research Institute had opened a personal terminal and was aiming its camera at them.
Liu Hao instinctively stepped forward to block the camera.
The person snapped at him, clearly displeased.
Seeing everyone looking their way, the person filming Gu Xi and Qi Xiang walked over to Xu Hai, lowered his voice, and whispered a few words in his ear.
The way Xu Hai looked at Gu Xi changed instantly.
By now, Qi Xiang had fainted from the pain. Gu Xi examined her, a slight frown on her face. ’Qi Xiang’s condition is... strange.’
The Qin sisters, squatting nearby, exchanged a worried glance.
"Gu Xi, is Qi Xiang going to be okay?" Qin Yi asked.
Gu Xi shook her head slightly. ’Qi Xiang’s situation is unusual. The things in her wound look like parasitic plant roots, but they were discovered too late. They’ve completely fused with her flesh and blood, so even my ability can’t fully separate them. However, Qi Xiang’s own constitution seems to be special. With my ability helping to suppress the growth, the parasitic plant that had fused with her flesh and bone has now turned into a kind of beneficial nutrient, strengthening her body.’
’It’s... a blessing in disguise, in a way.’
’Still, Qi Xiang will probably need some time to adjust.’
Ye Junhan walked over as well, his eyes questioning Gu Xi about Qi Xiang’s condition.
Gu Xi thought for a moment before standing up. "She should be fine. The things in her wound are likely a parasitic effect from a mutant plant, but it’s been brought under control. She’ll just need to rest and recover for a while..."
Nearby, He Yue heard her and a flash of disdain crossed his eyes. ’If Miss Ye had said that, I’d believe it. But Gu Xi? What does a Wood Element user like her know?’
’Just trying to get attention.’
Xu Hai, however, had a sharp glint in his eyes.
He stopped He Yue’s impending sarcastic remark just in time and looked up at Gu Xi.
’This Miss Gu’s ability is truly extraordinary,’ he thought. ’If I could just...’
Just as he was about to step forward and say something, Shen Yue, who had been lounging lazily by the door, suddenly came up from behind and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Xu."
Feeling as if a mountain had just been dropped on his shoulder, Xu Hai immediately turned his head. "Mr. Shen."
Shen Yue said with a grin, "I have a few things I’d like to ask you, Mr. Xu. Why don’t we step outside for a chat?"
Xu Hai began, "Xiaoxiang’s condition is still uncertain. Dr. Qi and I have been colleagues for many years, so I’ve practically watched her grow up. In a situation like this, I’d like to examine her myself—" HISS!
Staring at the smiling Shen Yue, whose hand was still on his shoulder, Xu Hai gritted his teeth and instantly changed his tune. "However, since Miss Gu says Xiaoxiang is fine, then she must be fine. I have complete faith in Miss Gu’s abilities.
"Mr. Shen, why don’t we... take this outside? So Xiaoxiang can get some rest..."
’This bastard is ruthless,’ he thought. ’Any more of this and he’ll break my shoulder blade.’
...
「Central Base.」
Under heavy pressure from the military, the base authorities finally relented. Lu Xiao was to remain in the quarantine hospital, under the joint care of a medical team composed of personnel from both the base and the military.
Just as the experts began discussing various aspects of Lu Xiao’s condition, an alarm suddenly blared in the quarantine hospital’s staff dormitories.
The first incident involved a janitor from the inpatient ward.
Due to Lu Xiao’s earlier acts of self-harm, the floor of the isolation room he had occupied was covered in blood.
After Lu Xiao was moved, the janitor entered the isolation room...
Around noon, he returned to his dorm for a break. He had barely been lying on his bed for a moment when his nose began to itch.
He scratched it instinctively, only to realize something was crawling out of his nostril...
At that very moment, similar incidents were happening to several other people.
Without exception, every one of them had been inside Lu Xiao’s room.
The entire hospital descended into chaos. No one noticed that deep underground, in a fully sealed isolation room, Lu Xiao—who was supposed to be unconscious from a massive dose of anesthetic—suddenly opened his eyes.
