From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 139 - 130: Smart People

After a long moment, Gu Xi suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"Dr. Qi, you’re as bold as ever," she remarked.

An invisible killing intent instantly filled the air around them.

Dr. Qi’s whole body tensed, but he managed a wry smile. "Xiaoxi, I’m just a mental evolver. Before an unparalleled master like you, I don’t even stand a chance..."

’So, everything I *can* say is the truth.’

’And as for the things I can’t talk about, I really can’t talk about them.’

Gu Xi clearly understood his subtext.

She toyed with the small box in her hand, shot Dr. Qi a meaningful look, and then nonchalantly opened it.

Sure enough, a few of her Crystal Core Fragments lay quietly inside.

Dr. Qi’s gaze also fell on the Crystal Core Fragments, his expression wistful. "These were sent over... after the NX1984 incident..."

Gu Xi raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wouldn’t have kept these, Dr. Qi."

After a pause, she looked at him and said meaningfully, "After all, you’ve always been so fascinated by my Crystal Core~"

"But now that I’ve confirmed it’s you who returned, how could I dare to use them again?" Dr. Qi gave a self-deprecating, wry laugh, then looked up at her and said seriously,

"Xiaoxi, anyone might underestimate your abilities, but I won’t."

So ever since he confirmed that the little girl who returned from the ruins was indeed the Blood-colored Asura, Gu Xiaoxi, from all those years ago, Dr. Qi hadn’t used a single one of her Crystal Core Fragments.

Because countless calculations had all indicated that since Gu Xi had returned, with her power, if she wanted to kill him, no one could save his life.

After all, the Blood-colored Asura’s dominance over the apocalypse was never built on public acclaim.

So, his only choice was to take a risky gamble, to court death in hopes of survival.

In fact, he had been planning and preparing for today’s meeting for over half a year.

"Last question." Gu Xi tapped the table and looked up at him. "When did you know I was back?"

Dr. Qi lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze, his expression a little wistful.

After a long moment, he finally looked up. "Xiaoxi, Xv Yiyisan has very deep feelings for you. All these years, he’s been unable to let go of what happened to you. But that time, after he came back from South City, I noticed... he was a completely different person."

"I started to have my suspicions then." He glanced at Gu Xi. "Later, two more incidents of malignant plant mutations occurred in South City, so I used that as a pretext to make a trip there myself."

Gu Xi frowned. "You knew it was me back then?" But she remembered not having met Dr. Qi on that trip.

"That time, Xv Yiyisan pulled some strings to lure me back to the Central Base overnight. After I returned, I was certain." Dr. Qi gave her a meaningful look.

’If there wasn’t something fishy going on, why would he be in such a rush to lead him away?’

Gu Xi nodded. Compared to an old fox like Dr. Qi, the tactics of Shen Yue and Xv Yiyisan were indeed a bit amateurish.

However, this did remind her of something.

"So you got anxious after that and wanted to end the experiment in the NX1984 Area as soon as possible?" Gu Xi asked. "You even used Zhou Jinyu to do it?"

But Dr. Qi shook his head. "How could Zhou Jinyu be so easy to use? He was involved in this matter from beginning to end; he just didn’t know the fragments came from you."

"I didn’t want to end the experiment, I wanted to get results sooner." At this, he glanced at Gu Xi and said honestly, "After all, when facing the former Blood-colored Asura, I wanted the ability to protect myself."

"After all, I have indeed done some things wrong over the years." After saying this, Dr. Qi glanced at Gu Xi impassively.

Gu Xi lowered her gaze, noncommittally stroking the water glass in her hand. Dr. Qi’s attitude seemed sincere, saying everything he could without omission, but of the things he couldn’t say, he didn’t breathe a word.

Dr. Qi sighed softly and said truthfully, "But that time, I was indeed too impatient. And to warn me, ’they’ tampered with my experiment, which ultimately triggered the collective malignant mutation of the mutant plants."

Gu Xi shot him a meaningful look. "Just a warning?" ’I doubt it.’

Dr. Qi admitted with a wry smile, "Xiaoxi, as expected, nothing gets past you." But he didn’t mention any specifics.

’Old fox.’

Gu Xi glanced at him but didn’t press for details.

She used to hate people who only told half the story, but Li Ming had told her that surviving the apocalypse wasn’t easy, and everyone had their own way of getting by...

Thinking of Li Ming, Gu Xi lowered her head and fiddled with the small, tender sprout on her fingertip.

This, in turn, made Dr. Qi a little unsure of what she was thinking.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Xiaoxi, believe it or not, everything that happened after that had nothing to do with me."

Gu Xi gave a noncommittal smile. "Is that so?"

But Dr. Qi said bluntly, "I only learned about the incident at No. 003 Grand Canyon after the fact. I analyzed it afterward, and it should have been their handiwork. But the matter of you getting injured at the military’s breeding farm... that was a bit strange..."

Dr. Qi shared the intelligence he had without reservation.

Without a doubt, he was a truly clever man who knew how to save his own skin.

...

Half an hour later, Gu Xi left Dr. Qi’s study alone.

As soon as she got downstairs, she saw the three of them waiting by the staircase.

"Gu Xi, are you okay?" Wei Heng was the first to rush over, looking her up and down several times.

Qi Xiang followed close behind, but she didn’t know what to say.

Shen Yue, however, glanced thoughtfully up toward the second floor.

Gu Xi smiled. "I’m fine. I just had a little chat with Dr. Qi."

Seeing this, Qi Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "Gu Xiaoxi, you and my adoptive father...?"

Gu Xi glanced at her, and the little green sprout coiled around her fingertip suddenly shot out and wrapped itself around Qi Xiang’s wrist.

Startled, Qi Xiang froze, her hand held stiffly, and looked up at Gu Xi. "G-Gu Xiaoxi..."

Gu Xi frowned slightly. The little green sprout quickly flew back. She looked at Qi Xiang in surprise. ’This girl’s luck is really something else. Other people suffer from diarrhea, but she actually benefits from it.’

’Truly the strangest ability in the apocalypse. She’s really got something special.’

Qi Xiang was confused by her stare. "Gu Xi, why are you looking at me like that? Is... is something wrong with me?"

This time, however, before Gu Xi could speak, Shen Yue cut in. "Miss Qi, can we talk after we’ve eaten? I’m starving, and I’ve been cooped up in a car all morning..."

Qi Xiang rolled her eyes. "Oh, you poor thing."

Shen Yue dangled the car keys in his hand. "Let’s get a move on."

The four young people walked out of the villa’s main gate, talking and laughing.

In the study upstairs, Dr. Qi let go of the corner of the curtain.

’I suppose I’ve passed today’s trial.’

’Gu Xi won’t make a move on me for now. And while what I said today will make 01 very angry, it probably won’t be enough for them to kill me.’

’It’s just that...’

He sighed, looked down and opened his personal terminal, and found Ye Xin’s contact number.

...

Ye Xin expressionlessly rejected Dr. Qi’s call request. She looked up at the man who had just pushed open the door, her face wearing its usual elegant and calm expression. "What are you doing here?"

Zhou Jinyu had just returned from Zone 2. On the way, he ran into Li Xiao. Before he could even greet him, he heard the man mutter a few curses, vaguely mentioning Ye Xin. After thinking it over, he came straight here.

"I saw Li Ming at Xiao Yu’s place today," he said, his eyes pausing for a moment when they swept over the plate of small pastries in front of Ye Xin.

"Is that so?" Ye Xin followed his gaze and pushed the plate of pastries toward him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Care to try one? I haven’t made these in years, so I’m a bit out of practice..."

Zhou Jinyu was instantly reminded of some tragic past experiences from many years ago. His expression flickered for a second before he casually averted his gaze. "Li Xiao was here?"

"He was," Ye Xin nodded.

Zhou Jinyu frowned slightly. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Ye Nan walk in with a glass of water and some pills.

Seeing Zhou Jinyu was also there, Ye Nan paused. "Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Jinyu glanced at the pills in her hand and understood immediately. ’Ye Xin’s cooking has always been indiscriminate with its victims. Back then, to win this woman’s trust, I suffered quite a bit...’

"Are those for your mother?" he asked gently.

"Mhm," Ye Nan nodded. She handed the glass of water to her mother, then glanced at Zhou Jinyu, looking like she wanted to say something but was hesitant.

Seeing this, Zhou Jinyu smiled warmly. "Xiaonan, what is it? Is it inconvenient to speak because I’m here?"

He didn’t actually care if Ye Nan was his biological daughter. As long as she was Ye Xin’s only daughter, that was enough.

"No." Ye Nan glanced at him, then back at her mother, and said hesitantly, "Dongfang said Jun Han applied for a long leave. I was thinking..."

Zhou Jinyu smiled. "You want to go find him?"

Ye Nan lowered her head slightly, a little embarrassed. "Not exactly, just..." She glanced at Ye Xin, not daring to continue.

"Looks like Xiaonan is growing up." Zhou Jinyu’s expression didn’t change. He smiled, looked at Ye Xin, and said with a pointed meaning,

"Miss Ye, there are some things you should start considering as well."

...

Meanwhile, after sending off his former second-in-command, Xiao Yu pondered for a long moment before looking down and issuing a top-secret mission to Ye Junhan.