From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 156 - 147: What’s He Up To?

Gu Xi left the Superpower Union Building and walked slowly down the street.

There weren’t many pedestrians at this hour. She wandered aimlessly, replaying the entire incident in her mind over and over again.

Her visit to the Superpower Union today might have seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it wasn’t. First, Qin Yi had gone missing, and then there was that invitation...

If someone had orchestrated this, then the most likely culprit was Chen, Chen Lu.

As far as she knew, the Chen sisters’ situation in the Central Base in recent years hadn’t been as good as it appeared to outsiders. Compared to their glory days, it was a world of difference.

And how could people long accustomed to holding power and being on top be willing to let that power slip into others’ hands?

’So, the Chen sisters have set their sights on me...’

’They want to use me—or, to be more precise, they want to regain control of the world’s sharpest blade, one they forged themselves, to serve their purposes and fight for power on their behalf!’

As for that special mutant plant, it was the bait they had prepared for her in advance.

—Because that plant had once absorbed one of her Crystal Core Fragments, Chen Lu was certain that Gu Xi, who was investigating the truth of the past, wouldn’t let this clue go.

But there was one thing Gu Xi found strange.

The old woman, Chen Lu, had said the plant was a gift from someone else.

Gu Xi was certain the old woman hadn’t been lying when she said that.

So the question was, what was the relationship between the person who delivered the plant and Chen Lu?

Judging from Chen Lu’s behavior today, she clearly wanted to use Gu Xi to eliminate that faction.

’This seems hostile... but if they were truly enemies, why would they send such a precious plant to Chen Lu? My Crystal Core Fragments are undoubtedly valuable, and that other party probably doesn’t have many left.’

’It just doesn’t make any sense.’

’Unless... there’s a third party involved, or perhaps even more factions.’

’And the plant itself might have changed hands several times before finally ending up with the old woman, Chen Lu.’

’Then there’s the sniper who fired from a distance today... If the goal was really to warn Ye Xin, why choose the Superpower Union’s territory as the assassination spot?’

The Superpower Union was teeming with numerous powerful ability users; it was supposed to be the safest place in the entire base.

For a genuine assassination attempt, it was by no means a good place for an ambush.

What’s more, Ye Nan had been with three teammates at the time.

’Thinking about it this way, Ye Xin could even be suspected of staging the whole thing. After all, Ye Nan only went to the Superpower Union today because she told him to.’

’And for Ye Xin to regain my trust, simply passing a few small notes clearly isn’t enough.’

’So, it’s not impossible that she’d resort to a desperate gambit.’

Of course, this was just one of countless possibilities.

But it would undoubtedly drive a wedge between her and Ye Xin.

’Because if I can think of this, Ye Xin naturally can too... Even if she hasn’t changed, what about in the future? Will she start to suspect that I already suspect her?’

In short, the opponent’s move was brilliant. It achieved multiple objectives at once, all of which caused trouble for her.

’And the person who pushed me from behind... if my senses weren’t mistaken, it should have been that squad leader, Lu Ren... Whose man is he? Was pushing me a spontaneous act, or was he following orders with prior knowledge?’

’This little patch of turf, the Central Base, has too many factions mixed in.’

Gu Xi had a gut feeling—perhaps the group that acted against her back then wasn’t the only one. And now that she was back, those who wanted to deal with her were far more than just the people from that year.

This was because new conflicts of interest were now involved. For example, the matter of how to solve the food crisis.

Setting aside her former identity as the Blood-colored Asura, the value she displayed now was enough to draw attention.

There were certainly many people with designs on her, and probably more than one or two who wanted to control her completely.

Combined with the events of the past, the Gu Xi of today felt as if she were trapped in a labyrinth shrouded in thick fog.

She had managed to uncover the tip of the iceberg, only for more fog to roll in.

’A bit troublesome.’

’But it’s fine. Not a big deal.’

’Worst case, I’ll just have to kill a few more people.’

Suddenly, Gu Xi stopped in her tracks.

She looked up at the entrance to a small alley ahead.

A man stood by the wall, his entire body cloaked in shadow, yet he exuded a powerful aura that was impossible to ignore.

Ye Junhan’s gaze was profound as he looked at the young woman, who appeared even more frail and pale under the sun. He frowned imperceptibly, thinking of the news he had just received.

"Follow me." He glanced at Gu Xi, then turned and walked into the alley.

Gu Xi followed him in silence.

After passing through the end of the alley and winding through a few more, the two arrived in front of a small, unremarkable courtyard.

Ye Junhan pushed open the courtyard gate and walked straight in.

Gu Xi followed slowly behind him.

Inside the courtyard, Zhou Qian was leaning against a large poplar tree, basking in the sun with his eyes closed. He didn’t even twitch an eyelid, as if he hadn’t seen the two of them enter.

Gu Xi followed Ye Junhan into an elevator that took them deep underground, finally stopping in front of a specially constructed room.

Through a one-way window made of a special material, Gu Xi saw a young man being held in the room.

Right now, the man’s expression could no longer be described as merely ferocious. His entire body was bound in special shackles. He stared at a fixed point, his eyes wide enough to split their sockets, veins bulging on his temples. His face was twisted, as if he were about to explode on the spot.

"Who is he?" Gu Xi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ye Junhan took out a Blood-colored Asura Mask and held it out to Gu Xi.

Gu Xi lowered her gaze to the hideous, terrifying mask. Her expression remained unchanged, but a storm raged within her.

She reached out, took it, and looked up at the man opposite her, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Is this..." ’A test?’

But Ye Junhan said, "Regarding the assassination attempt, I told you I would give you an explanation."

He looked down at her, his voice cold. "We caught the mole... then followed the trail from Tian Qi and captured this man."

Tian Qi was the middle-aged man who had repeatedly provoked Gu Xi on the 36th floor of the Wood Element Superpower Union earlier today.

Ye Junhan held nothing back. Aside from details involving Military Department secrets, he told Gu Xi the entire story of how they had captured this man.

Including his suspicions and some of his theories.

Finally, he glanced at the mask in her hand and said, "When I tracked Tian Qi and found him, he was wearing this mask. Also, during our fight, I noticed his superpower... is somewhat strange."

"This is your explanation?" Gu Xi asked, her expression unreadable as she lifted the Blood-colored Asura Mask with her fingertips.

"He refuses to confess anything, acting brazenly as if he has powerful backing." Ye Junhan watched her, his calm, profound eyes seeming to reflect only her.

It was easy to get the wrong impression.

But his voice was distinctly cold and rational.

"So, you came looking for me?" Gu Xi glanced at him, her tone teasing, then lowered her gaze to study the mask in her hands.

’This one isn’t the same as the one Wei Heng had. It’s more like the one I used to wear all the time.’

’At a glance, you could almost say it’s identical.’

’Even the small chip on the left ear is there.’

’Such detail. Someone clearly put a lot of thought into this.’

’And Ye Junhan bringing this symbolic mask of the Blood-colored Asura to me—was this his own idea, or the Military Department’s?’

’Or was it at the behest of someone else entirely?’

After a long moment of silence.

"Can I go in and see?" Gu Xi looked up at the man beside her.

Ye Junhan nodded, walked over to the Light Screen by the door, and used his authority to open the special cell.

Gu Xi looked at the man’s flawless profile and raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

’Li Ming once said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If someone agrees to your request without even discussing the price and lays all their cards on the table for you, then you need to be careful.’

’Because some things, once you know them, you have no choice but to act, even if you don’t want to.’

’And the other party’s motive for doing this is obvious... they want to rope in an accomplice for free.’

’Just like right now...’

Identification approved. The door opened.

Gu Xi sighed and followed Ye Junhan into the special room.

The moment she stepped inside, the captive man’s gaze shifted from Ye Junhan and fell sharply onto Gu Xi. He even forgot to struggle.