From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 83 - 77: Short on Money

Seeing how the other women were staring at Gu Xi with increasingly blatant expressions, the woman with the mole by the corner of her mouth immediately shot them a warning glare.

The women pursed their lips, but ultimately averted their gazes, albeit unwillingly.

Gu Xi kept her head down, tidying her bunk, seemingly oblivious to the simmering undercurrents in the room.

The woman with the mole thought for a moment, walked over to sit across from her, and said disapprovingly, "Young lady, have you really thought this through? You’re really going into the mines?"

The implication was clear: it wasn’t too late to back out now. If she really went down into the mines, a delicate, pretty little thing like her...

The thought was just too much to bear.

Gu Xi kept her head down. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "I need money. A lot of money."

It was such a simple and honest reason that it left no room for further persuasion.

The woman with the mole stared at Gu Xi for a while longer. Although her brow furrowed deeper, she ultimately said nothing more.

However, the thin woman with her hair in a bun stared at Gu Xi for a bit, her eyes darting about shiftily. Then, with a turn, she hurried out of the room.

A short while later, a young, skinny girl ran in from outside and asked everyone with a smile, "It’s time to eat. Anyone want to go to the cafeteria together?"

Upon hearing this, the women in the room nodded and got up. The woman with the mole walked to the door, then looked back at Gu Xi. "Want to come with?"

Gu Xi looked up at her in surprise, then nodded, slowly walking out the door with her large backpack on.

Outside the room, the other women glanced at her large backpack before looking away.

Gu Xi pretended not to notice and silently followed them downstairs.

The women’s cafeteria was located on the second basement level of the building.

The space inside was winding. Gu Xi guessed it must have been converted from old mine tunnels.

But the ventilation system seemed poor, and the air inside smelled a little strange.

Gu Xi impassively created a spatial shield around herself.

Meanwhile, the young, skinny girl from before had somehow fallen to the back of the group and, whether intentionally or not, ended up walking beside Gu Xi.

Gu Xi had noticed that although this girl looked thin and small, with dull, sallow skin, she was, without a doubt, an adept.

’Her powers are a bit strange, though. But why would an adept like her come here to work as a temp?’

’Unless, like me, she has another reason for being here.’

Gu Xi lowered her gaze and said nothing.

Along the way, the girl enthusiastically explained to Gu Xi, "You’re a new temp, right? After you scan your ID card, you’ll have to go to that window over there to register, and then..."

Gu Xi nodded slightly and thanked her softly.

The young girl smiled, a bit embarrassed. "Don’t be so formal with me. I just got here a few days ago myself..."

However, as soon as she said this, Gu Xi noticed the other women nearby glance at them in unison. It was a subtle look, but a very peculiar one.

Gu Xi knew something was amiss, but she didn’t let it show on her face, doing her best to maintain her quiet, reticent persona.

With the young girl’s enthusiastic guidance, she quickly got her meal card, then found a random service window and got in line for food.

The girl stuck close behind her, trying to probe into Gu Xi’s background.

Unfortunately for her, Gu Xi remained deep in character, sparing with her words.

The young girl ended up getting the same food as Gu Xi. She carried her tray over, sat down across from her, and looked at her with a hint of envy. "Gu Xi, you’re so pretty. Why on earth would you want to go work in the mines?"

Gu Xi’s movements paused for a fraction of a second. "...I need money."

The young girl: "..."

"Oh, I see." The young girl looked up at her, then mentioned casually, as if it were an afterthought, "Actually, I heard from some people here that besides mining, there’s another job that’s a quick way to make money..."

Gu Xi’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged. She just kept her eyes down and silently finished every last bite of food on her plate.

Seeing that she wasn’t taking the bait, the young girl across from her just smiled and naturally steered the conversation elsewhere.

’No need to rush.’

’The prey walked right into the trap. It’s not like it can grow wings and fly away, can it?’

...

After dinner, Gu Xi silently followed the others back to the dormitory.

The thin young girl who called herself Mr. Tian sat cross-legged on the bunk across from her, watching her with a curious expression.

"Gu Xi, have you read the safety information for down in the mines?" As she spoke, the girl glanced left and right before hopping off her bunk and leaning in conspiratorially. "I heard they sent two more adepts down yesterday..."

’Again?’

’That’s a rather peculiar word choice.’

Gu Xi maintained a wooden expression, as if she didn’t understand what the girl was saying.

The girl smiled and suddenly leaned closer to Gu Xi. Though she lowered her voice, she no longer hid the probing look in her eyes. "You’re here for that thing too, aren’t you?"

’That thing? Could it be...?’

Gu Xi’s heart stirred, but she feigned confusion. "What thing?"

The girl looked at her and gave a deliberately mysterious smile.

But then she suddenly took a step back, creating distance between them, and exclaimed in a normal volume, "Oh, nothing. I just thought, since you’re so pretty, Gu Xi, you might be an adept too."

When she said this, all the other women in the room looked up at them.

’That makes sense. Life in the apocalypse isn’t easy. How could an ordinary person keep their skin so fair and smooth?’

’Besides, what kind of place is it down in that pit? If she didn’t have some real skills, how would a pretty young girl like her dare to go down?’

Gu Xi considered this for a moment and, remaining silent, did not deny it.

The young girl immediately covered her mouth in an exaggerated gasp. "Gu Xi, you’re not really an adept, are you?"

Gu Xi gave her a silent look.

Mr. Tian gave a meaningful smile, but her expression was one of feigned curiosity as she asked, "Gu Xi, if you’re an adept, then why are you here working as a temp with us?"

Being a temp at Moon Bay was no easy job.

Gu Xi looked at her calmly. "...I need money."

Mr. Tian looked at Gu Xi with a knowing, triumphant expression, as if to say, ’It’s not money you need, is it? We’re all low-level adepts here, so let’s drop the act.’

Gu Xi’s mind was racing, but her expression didn’t change. She just gave Mr. Tian a silent glance, then turned her back, clutching her large backpack as she lay down on the hard bed.

Lu Chenyuan had found out that someone had seen the three wanted criminals nearby. At the time, the trio had claimed to be miners from this area. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

That’s why Gu Xi had come straight here.

’But from the looks of it now, there’s more to this Moon Bay than meets the eye...’

Ignoring the overt and covert stares in the room, Gu Xi closed her eyes.

「A quiet night passed.」

The next morning, after having breakfast with the others, Gu Xi gathered in the square, ready to set out.

At 7:00 AM sharp, the foreman in charge appeared and led the group of new miners to an open area behind the camp.

Gu Xi frowned slightly. ’This doesn’t look like we’re going to the mines...’

Soon, a few middle-aged men in gray-blue work clothes who looked like management walked over. The man in the lead slowly swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes pausing for a peculiar second when they passed over Gu Xi.

Then, holding a megaphone, he announced to the crowd, "We got a notice from the higher-ups this morning. The mine will be undergoing a safety inspection for the next few days, so work is temporarily suspended. Today, we’ll be organizing a safety training session for everyone..."

As he spoke, another man opened his personal terminal, projected a Light Screen in front of Gu Xi and the others, and started playing a video.

"Everyone watch carefully and learn this well. You must remember these safety procedures. Otherwise, if an accident happens once you’re down in the mines, the company will not be held responsible. You will bear all the consequences yourselves..."

After saying this, the men who looked like leaders left in a hurry.

Gu Xi watched for a bit. The main topic of the video was how to avoid bringing plant roots and seeds down into the mine...

The case studies were horrifying, each one representing a life lost.

The lessons from the past, written in blood and tears, taught these miners that plants... had now become the greatest obstacle to human industrial safety.

After watching the videos, Gu Xi felt a strange tightness in her chest.

’No wonder Moon Bay is always short on miners.’

’They’re trading lives for resources!’

She suddenly recalled what the thin young girl, Mr. Tian, had said last night... ’It seems this safety inspection is not only sudden, but also highly unusual.’

For the next few days, Gu Xi obediently followed the group of new miners, attending the safety training sessions.

But she soon discovered that it was only ever their group of newly hired temps who were in training. The original miners, on the other hand, were confined to their respective dormitories, unable to leave easily.

Even their meal times in the cafeteria were staggered to be different from those of the new temps.

Meanwhile, the thin young girl named Mr. Tian had also become unusually busy.

Gu Xi hadn’t even seen her for several days... Connecting that to the sudden "safety inspection" that had put the entire camp on an extended break...

Gu Xi sighed.

’Looks like I really did stir the hornet’s nest this time.’

’So, does that also mean... the hornet’s nest is actually right around here?’