From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 103 - 95: Two Matters

Gu Xi didn’t destroy her personal terminal as Li Ming had told her to. Instead, she stored it in her personal space.

On the way back, her mind was consumed by the matter.

From the moment she sensed something was wrong, to her proactively sending out a signal, and finally to Li Ming contacting her...

Following that chain of events, it seemed Li Ming was still the same Li Ming from before—the dependable, trustworthy Ming she had always relied on.

But Li Ming’s physical condition was terrible.

This didn’t rule out another possibility—that Li Ming had also been involved in *that* incident back then.

It had caused problems with his ability, which would explain why he’d arranged for Wei Heng—who had similar ability issues—to approach her and test her current capabilities. Only after Wei Heng’s condition improved did Li Ming finally show himself.

Then he confessed everything *except* his own involvement to win back her trust.

Gu Xi didn’t want to assume the worst of people, to believe everyone’s heart was so wicked.

Especially not when that person was Li Ming, the man she had always looked up to as a brother and a father.

But surviving in the apocalypse was no easy feat. She wasn’t alone anymore; she had so many companions relying on her now. She had to be more cautious.

However, based on the current situation, the information Li Ming had passed on today was at least credible.

Gu Xi calmly got into the jeep, the wind whipping past as she stepped on the gas.

’I hope I made the right choice this time. I hope Li Ming is still the trustworthy Ming I used to rely on!’

Gu Xi’s thoughts turned to two other things Li Ming had mentioned.

Li Ming had said he’d already made arrangements at South City Base... which meant the newly appointed base commander of South City was one of his people.

Gu Xi understood his intention. He wanted to turn South City Base into their main rear support.

However, pushing an ordinary person into that position was no easy task, not even for Li Ming.

Gu Xi suspected it must have involved a great deal of horse-trading between various factions...

Li Ming hadn’t gone into detail, and Gu Xi hadn’t asked, but she imagined he must have paid a steep price.

As for why he went to such great lengths to prop up an ordinary person instead of simply choosing someone with an ability?

Compared to someone with an ability, an ordinary person was, of course, much easier to control.

Of course, for Li Ming to have chosen that person, they must have possessed other outstanding qualities besides absolute loyalty.

Still, even if an ordinary person became the commander of South City Base, holding onto that position wouldn’t be easy.

Besides needing powerful backers, the most important things... were naturally food and an army.

And as it happened, Gu Xi could provide both.

’But since Li Ming hadn’t mentioned it, he probably has other plans... or perhaps he was afraid I would read too much into it?’

’I’ll just wait and see.’

’There’s no rush.’

But that other matter...

Gu Xi rested one hand on the steering wheel, her gaze calm as she looked ahead.

’—Ye Junhan is one of Li Ming’s men!’

She’d actually had a faint suspicion before that Ye Junhan seemed to be helping her intentionally.

She had originally assumed it was out of consideration for Wei Heng. It never occurred to her that he was actually working for Li Ming!

Gu Xi slowly opened her other hand. A small, black Crystal Core lay quietly in her palm.

It was the Crystal Core from the mutated owl they had encountered on their way to the Southwest.

At the time, Gu Xi had noticed that this Crystal Core’s energy fluctuations were strikingly similar to Ye Junhan’s.

She had found it a bit strange.

But now, after learning that Ye Junhan was the final participant in the G01 project, a certain theory began to form in Gu Xi’s mind...

Gu Xi suddenly thought of Shen Yue.

Remembering the faint arc of purple light that occasionally flashed in the depths of Shen Yue’s pupils, Gu Xi’s expression darkened.

’Could Shen Yue... also be one of the participants in the G01 project from back then?’

...

When she returned, Gu Xi had just gotten out of her car when Qi Xiang hurried over.

"Gu Xiaoxi, you’re finally back." Qi Xiang had been waiting in the courtyard for a while. She glanced around before lowering her voice. "There’s been some movement over there."

Gu Xi had previously asked her to secretly investigate someone. She’d been watching that person for a long time but hadn’t gathered any useful information.

Unexpectedly, right after Gu Xi returned from her trip to the Southwest, the target made a move.

Gu Xi handed Qi Xiang a bag of snacks she’d bought at the camp. "Tell me."

Qi Xiang took the bag and picked out a small bread roll. "As for that, it’s actually thanks to Zhou Jing..."

After Gu Xi left, Qi Xiang had, under Shen Yue’s arrangement, deliberately befriended Zhou Jing.

So, when Da Hong’s army of chickens and ducks staged a rebellion a while back and made the courtyard unbearably smelly, Qi Xiang moved into the staff dorms at the experimental fields for a few days, coincidentally ending up next to Zhou Jing.

"After you left this morning, Zhou Jing came looking for me."

Qi Xiang took a bite of the roll, then wrinkled her nose in disgust. "She was complaining to me that ’that person’ dumped work that was originally Fangfang’s on her, then took Fangfang and disappeared somewhere..."

"Did you find out where they went?" Gu Xi asked, looking up.

Qi Xiang nodded. "They claimed to be returning to the Central Base to report on their research findings, but I had someone check... The plane’s final destination was City A."

City A?

Gu Xi lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

Qi Xiang didn’t dare to disturb her and just sat quietly to the side, occasionally fiddling with her hair out of boredom.

After a long moment, Gu Xi raised her hand and tapped on the tabletop in front of her.

"What is it?" Qi Xiang, who was about to doze off from boredom, propped her head up and asked, her eyes still hazy with sleep.

Gu Xi casually jotted down a number and pressed it into her hand.

Qi Xiang took it and glanced at it. "This is...?"

Gu Xi said nonchalantly, "Later, try to sound out your adoptive father. See if he recognizes this number."

Qi Xiang’s eyes flew wide open. She shot to her feet, her sleepiness completely gone. "Gu Xiaoxi, you really overestimate me!"

Gu Xi casually picked a pack of sunflower seeds from the snack bag and pushed it into her hands. "You can do it."

Qi Xiang really wanted to say that she couldn’t.

No one knew better than her just how terrifying her adoptive father, Dr. Qi, was.

His intelligence could only be described as monstrous!

Trying to get information out of him was next to impossible!

But looking at Gu Xi’s calm, trusting gaze, Qi Xiang finally gritted her teeth. "Fine, I’ll give it a try."

Gu Xi thought for a moment, then brought up another matter. "Later, go to the experimental fields and drop a few hints. Say that in order to support the new base commander’s work, Huang Er came to see me..."

Gu Xi didn’t plan to reveal her contact with Li Ming just yet, but she definitely had to get things moving with the South City Base connections.

They were just missing a bridge to connect the two.

Gu Xi decided to build that bridge herself.

Qi Xiang understood instantly. "You want to establish a connection with the new base commander?"

Gu Xi nodded. "The situation is a bit complicated. I’ll tell you the details later. In short, it’s crucial that outsiders believe I’ve connected with him through Huang Er and that I’m preparing to release a large batch of grain soon..."

Qi Xiang sounded a little disapproving. "But if you do that, people will probably gossip behind your back."

Gu Xi looked up, confused. "What kind of gossip?"

Qi Xiang glanced at her and sighed, mimicking the tone of certain people she remembered. "They’ll say you’re calculating, an opportunist, that sort of thing..."

A thought struck Gu Xi. ’An opportunist?’

That actually gave her an idea. The people watching her could be divided into two groups. One was the very small number who knew her true identity. To deceive them, she’d have to be clever.

But for the other group...

In the eyes of the majority who didn’t know the truth and only pursued their own interests, her dealings with the commander of South City Base needed a plausible reason.

For instance... a little refugee orphan, with no status and no background, coveted by certain people for her extraordinary planting talent, and therefore in desperate need of a powerful backer?

It was perfectly logical.

Gu Xi lowered her gaze slightly. The little green sprout had appeared at some point and was now twirling around her fingertip.

After a long moment, she said, "In that case... I’ll just release a batch of fruit as well."

To connect with the commander of a major city’s base, a single bridge probably isn’t enough.

You also need a substantial gift to get your foot in the door.

Fruit, a delicacy loved by the powerful, would be an excellent choice.

If a helpless little orphan girl wants to seek the protection of a powerful figure, she has to demonstrate her value, doesn’t she?

Besides, her orchard has been established for a while now. It’s time for it to make its official debut and serve its purpose.

Gu Xi finished speaking and waited for a moment, but heard no reply from Qi Xiang. When she looked up, she saw Qi Xiang staring at her with a strange, hesitant expression.

Gu Xi: "?"

Qi Xiang didn’t know what to say. After hesitating for a long time, she finally stammered, "Gu Xiaoxi, maybe... maybe you should go check on the orchard first..."