From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 18 - 17: Night Has Always Been the Best Cover

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: Night Has Always Been the Best Cover

Across the small creek, the two Qin sisters returned with tomatoes and a watermelon, then boiled a pot of hot water.

After washing up, the two sisters chatted for a while as usual, then returned to their room.

A few minutes later, the light in the room went out. The two sisters lay on the bed, neither speaking. Only a rose vine, under the cover of the deep night, silently crept out of the house, hugging the base of the wall...

After a long moment, Qin Shi opened her eyes and turned to her sister. "What do you think?"

"It’s hard to say." Qin Yi shook her head slightly. "She looks so delicate and doesn’t say much, but I’ve noticed her eyes are always calm. The contradiction is, her actions can sometimes be rather... crude and direct."

Qin Shi gave her an odd look. "You mean when she was planting the sweet potatoes, don’t you?"

’That was certainly crude and direct. Not at all like others, who tend to their crops like their own children, as meticulous as can be.’

"It’s not just that," Qin Yi said, shaking her head.

She thought for a moment before saying, "This morning, when we went into the mountains to catch butterflies, she carried a machete in her cloth bag but never used it. Whenever we came across overgrown weeds or bushes blocking the path, she would just stomp right over them..."

’That’s more than just crude and direct; it’s fiercely relentless.’

’It was almost like something out of our military combat teams.’

’She really liked Gu Xi. If only she could trick her into joining their special combat team, then all her comrades could enjoy delicious steamed sweet potatoes.’

’Oh, and tomatoes and big watermelons...’

"Qin Yi." Qin Shi frowned, looking at her sister who was practically drooling.

Qin Yi snapped out of it, her face breaking into a smile that revealed two sweet dimples as she tried to appease her sister.

"Continue," Qin Shi said.

"After you left this afternoon, Gu Xi spent the whole time browsing the forums. She was paying close attention to all sorts of topics..." Qin Yi hesitated after she finished speaking, then added uncertainly, "There’s one more thing."

She frowned slightly. "Back when we were planting the sweet potatoes at noon, the way she looked at me... it felt a lot like Mr. Ye."

Ye Junhan, captain of the Superpower Special Team and widely recognized as humanity’s greatest master, had once served as an instructor for their combat team.

He had left a profound impression on both sisters.

It wasn’t just because he was handsome and capable, a natural magnet for young women, but also because of the very unique aura he possessed.

His gaze, in particular, seemed to possess an innate Spiritual Skill—calm and piercing, compelling subconscious obedience.

Today, Qin Yi had seen that same look in Gu Xi’s eyes.

Qin Shi frowned slightly. ’It’s no wonder Mr. Ye has that kind of aura; he’s spent years on the front lines, slaughtering the most savage and violent mutated animals.’

’But Gu Xi... according to her file, she’s just a refugee girl rescued from the ruins.’

’She doesn’t even know her own age or where she’s from—only her name. It’s clear she grew up as a wanderer in the ruins.’

’So how could she possibly...’ Qin Shi grew suspicious, feeling that this mission might not be so simple after all.

’But Gu Xi’s file doesn’t seem fake.’

’And after observing her up close, I did notice that she lacks understanding of some basic common knowledge, which fits her supposed history and origin.’

’Plus, Qin Yi just said Gu Xi was on the forums all afternoon, trying to use them to quickly learn about the outside world.’

’Everything appears normal. The logic holds up.’

’It’s as if Gu Xi really is just a refugee girl who grew up in the ruins, scraping by with the other displaced people, with barely any contact with the outside world, who just happens to have some special talent for planting.’

’It’s just... her ability was telling her something was subtly wrong.’

After a long pause, she asked Qin Yi about something else. "After you accelerated the growth of those sweet potatoes this afternoon, I noticed you looked a little pale..."

’Her sister, Qin Yi, is a level-seven power user. Normally, accelerating the growth of a hundred mu of sweet potatoes should be no problem for her, but today...’

Qin Yi knew what her sister was implying and shook her head slightly. "It wasn’t because I ran out of energy."

"Sis, when I was accelerating the growth of those sweet potatoes today, the output of my energy... it was incredibly smooth." Afraid she wasn’t making sense, Qin Yi offered an example.

"Normally when I accelerate a plant’s growth, my energy flows like a stream on flat land. There’s no resistance, but the speed is gentle.

But today, with those sweet potatoes, it was like a waterfall crashing down a mountain—fast, fluid, and even exhilarating."

At this, Qin Yi grew excited, her sweet dimples reappearing. "Sis, the feeling was incredible. It was like... Fast and Furious?"

Her body just couldn’t adapt to such a high-speed energy output all at once, which was why she had looked so pale.

After listening, Qin Shi fell silent for a moment before asking about the sweet potatoes themselves.

"A problem with the sweet potatoes?" Qin Yi paused, taking a second to understand her sister’s question.

She knew about her sister’s ability. Thinking for a moment, she chose her words with care. "When I was gathering the sweet potatoes earlier, I secretly scanned them with my ability. Between the ones Gu Xi planted and the ones I accelerated, there was no difference... aside from a slight variation in the mutation coefficient for a few of them."

But Qin Shi said, "The sweet potatoes Gu Xi planted by herself yesterday had a mutation coefficient of around 0.5. The ones we planted today are generally above 1.0."

"But plant mutation is completely unpredictable," Qin Yi said with a frown. "Even when I use the same seeds in the same spot, the mutation coefficient of the crops I accelerate is different every time..."

’These days, plant mutations are bizarre and follow no discernible pattern. Artificially controlling them is next to impossible.’

’Even the scientists at the institute haven’t figured it out after thirty years of research.’

’So isn’t it perfectly normal for Gu Xi to grow sweet potatoes with different mutation coefficients?’

Qin Yi really did like Gu Xi. After a moment’s thought, she couldn’t help but ask, "Sis, don’t you think you might be overthinking this?"

Qin Shi was quiet for a moment. "...We’ll keep an eye on it."

’I’ll report all of these findings. As for what comes next... we’re soldiers. A soldier’s duty is to obey orders.’

...

At 1:30 AM, Gu Xi awoke from a dream, her eyes snapping open.

The scenes from her dream were already dissolving into fractured images. ’I probably had a dream like that because I suddenly heard the name of someone from my past,’ Gu Xi thought.

She closed her eyes and, a moment later, pushed the dream’s fragmented images to the back of her mind.

After carefully sensing the situation outside, Gu Xi raised a Spirit Barrier and enveloped herself in an Air Shield before silently leaving the container house.

She glanced across the creek, her gaze resting for a fraction of a second on the rose branch that was furtively extending from the other house.

Then, she activated her Wind Skill. Her form blurred like smoke and mist, and she silently melted into the night, flitting toward the mountain forest at incredible speed.

This morning, while catching butterflies, she had deliberately led Qin Yi to a different area of the slope to avoid drawing her attention.

Now, returning to the small hillside she had drained of energy before, Gu Xi noticed from a distance that a small, iridescently black patch had appeared amidst the deep green.

It was the very patch of wild vegetation she had drained of energy twice.

Gu Xi had tested them and found that the mutant plants she had drained once had a stable mutation coefficient of around 8.5, while those drained twice had a coefficient of 10 or higher.

’So it’s true. My ability really can increase a plant’s capacity for that Abnormal Energy!’

Gu Xi’s expression grew serious. Her gaze fell upon the iridescently black mutant plants as the little green sprout eagerly emerged, twirling restlessly around her fingertip, raring to go.

It just loved such rich energy.

Gu Xi smiled faintly and tapped the little green sprout with her fingertip. ’Go on.’

’I’m going to find out just what the breaking point of these mutant plants is. And once they pass that limit, will they undergo a malignant transformation?’

’And if they do...’ Gu Xi casually sat down in a patch of wild grass and closed her eyes to rest.

Tonight, she would watch over this patch she was fleecing.