From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 171 - 162: Underestimated Him After All

Li Xiao, however, was no longer in a rush.

He glanced at Zhou Jinyu, who still maintained his gentle demeanor. When Zhou Jinyu noticed his gaze, he even offered a nod and a small smile.

Li Xiao lightly tapped the fingers of the hand resting on the table.

’Zhou Jinyu fancies himself clever, but he really doesn’t know anything. He’s always been one for backstabbing, yet today he suddenly steps forward to attack me. I’m afraid his intentions lie elsewhere.’

Sure enough, someone soon chimed in. "Mr. Li was indeed careless about this. As I recall, the military provisions allocation plan is usually submitted for review at the end of the year. How did word get out at a time like this?"

The man shook his head, casting a disapproving glance at Li Xiao. "This was all baseless rumor, yet it caused such a stir. If the Military Department misunderstands because of this and a rift forms with the base, that will be your responsibility, Mr. Li."

Li Xiao scoffed. ’The decision to reduce military provisions every year wasn’t mine alone. Now that these people see the military is on the verge of rising, they want to pin all the blame on me?’

’Hah. Do I look like cannon fodder?’

"Shouldn’t you all hear me out first?" Li Xiao’s gaze swept slowly across the people on the holographic screen as he admitted frankly, "That’s right. I did intend to reduce next year’s military provisions allocation..."

Before he could finish, several people looked up in surprise.

’Is Li Xiao that foolhardy? He knows the military isn’t what it used to be... trying to control them with provisions will be difficult now.’

Li Xiao continued, "It’s because times are tough for the base as well. Our grain reserves are dwindling year by year, and the mutation index remains stubbornly high. That’s why I planned to compensate for this portion of the military provisions quota through other means."

"Other means?" someone asked, their mind racing. "Mr. Li, are you suggesting... we cooperate with the military to vigorously cultivate crops that have undergone reverse evolution?"

Just as Li Xiao was about to nod, someone sneered sarcastically, "So that was Mr. Li’s plan. What a pity this technology is currently in the hands of the Military Department..."

The speaker then looked up at the military representative seated to one side. "I just wonder if the Military Department is willing to share this technology..."

All eyes snapped toward him.

By this point, even a fool could see that Li Xiao’s proposal to reduce military provisions was merely a pretext. This was the real issue.

The military representative on the left frowned. Just as he was about to state his position, someone suddenly scoffed.

"When all is said and done, isn’t it just that everyone wants a piece of the pie?" Ye Xin let out a light laugh, ignoring the stares fixed on her as she casually blew on her fingernails.

The vast conference room fell silent in an instant.

The silence held until the silver-haired old woman, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, suddenly let out a cough.

Someone had a flash of inspiration and asked, "Director Chen, what are your thoughts?"

’That’s right, this old woman was the one who called today’s meeting. And since Zhou Jinyu was the first to launch an attack, she must have had a hand in it.’

For a moment, everyone was lost in their own thoughts as they looked up at the smiling old woman. Only Ye Xin raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly and relaxing into her chair with the air of someone completely unconcerned.

The old woman, in turn, gave Ye Xin an imperceptible glance before raising her head to address the room.

Though she was advanced in age, she was full of vigor, and her voice was strong and clear. "I hear the Military Department has been recruiting Ability Users lately. They must be a bit short-handed, I imagine? So, I suggest our various departments could each dispatch some personnel over to provide support..."

’Is she brazenly trying to get her hooks into the military?’

Everyone was stunned by the old woman’s words.

The old woman paid no mind to the others, simply looking at the military representative with a smile. "Young Yan, what do you think?"

The military representative, whose surname was Yan, was quite decisive, agreeing at once. "That’s no problem."

The Military Department had no intention of being secretive about it, and Miss Gu was more than willing to train newcomers. It’s just...

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "However," he said slowly, "the matter of plant malignancy must be disclosed to the public."

"Absolutely not," someone objected vehemently. "The impact would be too great. Once this is made public, it’s bound to cause mass panic. Who will take responsibility for that?"

"That’s right," another person chimed in. "The situation across the country has only just stabilized. If there’s social unrest, all our previous efforts will have been for nothing..."

"But have any of you considered the consequences of keeping this a secret indefinitely?"

The military representative frowned, his tone heavy. "Many mutant plants in the wild are already showing signs of malignancy... You can’t wrap a fire in paper. This is something that simply can’t be hidden."

"Blindly concealing it will only lead to greater panic and casualties!"

"Why can’t it be hidden?" someone said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Hasn’t the Military Department been conducting screening operations in the wild all these years? I think that work could be done a bit more meticulously..."

"As long as our soldiers clear out all the plants showing signs of malignancy ahead of time, won’t that solve the problem?"

"Easy for you to say," the military representative said, clearly angered. "Right now, over ninety-eight percent of the country is covered by wild vegetation. How difficult do you think it is to screen all of it?"

"But there are always more solutions than problems..." someone offered with a placating smile.

"But the plants in the ground aren’t static. They can undergo a secondary mutation at any time, anywhere..."

"Then just screen them more often," someone said, adding flippantly, "Protecting our homes and defending the nation is your job, after all..."

The military representative shot to his feet, his face ashen with fury. ’It’s so easy for some people to talk when they aren’t the ones doing the work...’

Just then, Li Xiao stood up.

"Actually, there is a way to solve this..."

Ye Xin, who had been leaning back in her chair and seemingly detached from the meeting, suddenly lifted her eyes to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao rose and addressed the room. "The efficiency of ordinary people conducting these field screening missions is naturally low. But Ability Users are different. The range they can perceive is beyond what an ordinary person can imagine..."

"The Military Department was short-staffed before, so progress was naturally slow. But now, since everyone is preparing to support the Military Department, let’s not be stingy..."

He looked at everyone with a smile. "My suggestion is this: since the Military Department is willing to share, why not use this as an opportunity to gather all the Ability Users and dispatch them across the country? While they select backup plant species and learn the technology, they can also eliminate some of these latent threats ahead of time..."

No one present was a fool; it didn’t take long for them to grasp Li Xiao’s intention.

This way, not only would they all get a piece of the pie for solving the food crisis, preventing the military from taking all the credit, but they could also justifiably infiltrate more of their own people into the armed forces.

Who would object to such a good deal?

And the Military Department... was in no position to object.

...

After the meeting ended, Ye Xin remained seated until the door was pushed open from the outside.

"Deputy Director Ye, you’re a hard woman to find," Li Xiao said with a smile as he sat down across from her.

Ye Xin wasn’t the least bit surprised. She looked up, studying Li Xiao as if for the first time. "Mr. Li, you truly have a grand vision."

’Before, I underestimated him. I thought he was just a fool, obsessed with petty, immediate gains. I never expected... I really misjudged him. He’s been hiding his true depths all this time.’