Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 10
Si Yin Yuan :…
Enduring and enduring, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He reached out and poked his cheek.
Ji Jiu: “Hmm?”
He blinked his watery eyes and turned around.
The touch of his fingers was delicate, and without a care, Si Yin Yuan withdrew his hand. “No running around next time.”
Ji Jiu covered his face. “Okay.”
He looked cautious, making it impossible for him to succeed again.
Si Yin Yuan had a somewhat mischievous personality, and seeing the young man in such a disheveled state made him even more eager to tease him. His gaze fell on the hot soup stall and he asked, “Do you want soup?”
“I do!” Ji Jiu’s eyes lit up.
“Show your cheek.” Si Yin Yuan’s expression was serious.
Ji Jiu hesitated for a moment. He didn’t expect that he would have to sacrifice his own face just to eat something.
He liked it when his owner touched his leaves, but he didn’t like being poked in the face.
His gaze turned to the bubbling hot soup, and after struggling for a moment, he said, “Okay.”
“But only gently,” Ji Jiu added.
Si Yin Yuan’s lips curled up, and he reached out and lightly poked Ji Jiu’s soft cheek.
The sensation was even better without the pile of shells in his mouth. Despite the small face that looked like it could be covered with one slap, poking it revealed that there was more flesh than it seemed, and it was soft and tender.
Ji Jiu, like a cat whose tail had been touched, stopped letting him touch him after being poked twice. He tugged at Si Yin Yuan’s hand and looked at the hot soup, urging, “Buy soup, buy soup.”
He completely resembled an eager little cat.
Si Yin Yuan followed his gaze to the hot soup stall and chose the mutated berry soup that looked appetizing among the various mutated soup and herb soups.
The mutated berries were as big as footballs, and they were crushed and added to the soup along with some mutated beast meat.
The person selling the soup was a middle-aged man with a broken leg, and he excitedly said to Si Yin Yuan, “I-I’ll treat you to a free drink.”
His stall was empty, and only Ji Jiu, who was a bit foolish, was attracted to it. Si Yin Yuan shook his head, “Swipe for points.”
Unable to resist, the stall owner filled a large bowl for Ji Jiu.
Ji Jiu happily held the bowl and drank, and even the tuft of hair on top of his head seemed to stand up more.
The stall owner scratched his head in a simple-minded manner. “Chief Si, you have always been the hero in my heart. Our base relies on you to protect it.”
He didn’t expect to encounter chief Si in the marketplace, and his low mood, with no income for the day, suddenly became upbeat.
Just as he finished speaking, an discordant voice chimed in.
A passerby holding a cowhide paper snorted, “Our base is protected by the Gama Defense Barrier, which is a gift from the Lord of Saint En.”
Ji Jiu raised his eyes from the soup and glanced at this strange human.
Si Yin Yuan explained to Ji Jiu, “He is a believer of the Church.”
After finishing the last sip of soup, Ji Jiu was puzzled. “Then why isn’t he wearing a white robe?”
He remembered that during yesterday’s meeting, all the people from the church were wearing white robes, even the leader looked very mysterious.
This statement stung the believer, and he angrily pointed at Ji Jiu, unable to find the right words. “The sacred white robes are not for everyone to wear. Only those who have been selected and baptized, those who are most devout to the Lord of Saint En, are eligible to wear them and become members of the church. I’m just a believer for now, but one day…”
He said a lot in one breath, and Ji Jiu caught the key words and suddenly understood. “Oh, you don’t have a white robe because you’re not devout enough!”
“You, you!” The believer was so angry that he pointed his finger at Ji Jiu.
Si Yin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
He deflated instantly, mumbling something in his mouth, “Divine grace… baptism…”
The stall owner mocked with a spoon, “If there really is a Lord of Saint En, why hasn’t he come to save you?”
The believer couldn’t find a response and could only glare at him fiercely. “Those who dare to disrespect the Lord of Saint En will never pass His test!”
The Church of Saint En was a sect that emerged after the apocalypse. In a world where human life was of little value, many people needed a psychological support to continue living. So when the Church of Saint En, which best suited the post-apocalyptic world, appeared, it quickly attracted a large number of followers, and the previously established religions disappeared within a year, leaving only this one church in the entire base.
The power of faith was terrifying, and with the support of a large number of people, the Church of Saint En quickly developed into a powerful force. The presence of the leader was instrumental in this development, as he possessed a mesmerizing method akin to brainwashing.
The Church of Saint En believed that the so-called apocalypse was a test given by the Lord of Saint En to humanity. The dinosaurs and the Maya civilization became extinct because they could not withstand the test of the Lord. Therefore, cursing them without undergoing the test could be translated into cursing them to death.
The enraged stall owner waved his spoon and threatened, “Why don’t you get lost?!”
Chief Si had exterminated so many potentially dangerous mutants for the base, yet there were still so many cynics who would rather deceive themselves and pursue those intangible things.
Startled, the believer ran away with his tail between his legs.
During their conversation, Ji Jiu couldn’t resist and drank two more bowls of soup.
Si Yin Yuan paid for it and led him away.
“What is the gama defense barrier?” Ji Jiu suddenly asked as they walked.
Chen Yanli had mentioned the gama defense barrier during the meeting that day.
Curiously, he looked up at the man.
Si Yin Yuan took the opportunity to poke his face and explained, “It’s a circle outside the base made up of gama elements. It can resist most of the mutants currently. It’s also the key that sets our base above all others.”
“But I didn’t see it when I came back that day.” Ji Jiu blankly covered his poked face.
He had originally wanted to get angry, but Si Yin Yuan’s explanation quickly captured all of his attention.
Si Yin Yuan’s eyes carried a hint of amusement. “It’s not visible to the naked eye. Only the research institute can detect its daily fluctuations, which have been stable for the past three years.” But no one can guarantee that it will exist forever.
He didn’t say the last sentence.
Ji Jiu tilted his head. “Then how did it appear?”
“How did it appear?” Si Yin Yuan repeated the question, and his expression became slightly serious. “The earliest gama defense barrier was built by several great awakened individuals. No one knows how they did it. It was only when that day truly came, and the hordes of mutants were about to breach the base, that the awakened sacrificed themselves to create this invincible defense barrier.”
When Si Yin Yuan arrived, the endless slaughter had already soaked the outskirts of the base in blood. He stood in a dark corner, watching as they turned into a golden, silver, red, and blood-red mixture of light.
Although it seemed like a gentle and ethereal descent, it was like the [tn content=”sword of damocles”] If you have a sword of Damocles hanging over you/your head, something bad seems very likely to happen to you. It’s a catchall term to describe a looming danger.[/tn] finally falling. Any mutant that touched this layer of light instantly perished.
Afterward, the light disappeared and became the current gama defense barrier, blocking the invasion of countless mutants.
Among those few awakened who willingly sacrificed their lives, one of them was a predecessor whom he had always respected. The original hunter’s guild was established by that predecessor.
He said, “We have entered the hunting ground and become a part of the hunt, representing humans no longer being prey in the ‘slaughterhouse’.”
Ji Jiu didn’t quite understand these complex human emotions, nor did he understand why those people would sacrifice themselves, but he could sense that Si Yin Yuan’s mood wasn’t very good at the moment.
So obediently, Ji Jiu tilted his fair and delicate little face and asked, “Do you want a poke?”
“Be gentle.”
He was too well-behaved.
Si Yin Yuan didn’t hold back and extended his hand to give a poke, leaving a red mark on Ji Jiu’s face.
The fierceness deep within his heart was completely appeased by the soft touch. Si Yin Yuan, unusually talkative, said, “In fact, there is a more academic term for the apocalypse.”
“We call it the ‘Devouring Tower Ecological Era’.”
“Devouring Tower?” Ji Jiu awkwardly pronounced the term, as he had never heard of it before.
Si Yin Yuan smiled and said, “The mutated flora and fauna in the devouring tower ecology are classified in levels like a pyramid, and the only common characteristic among the mutants is their constant devouring, hence the name.”
The emergence of this ecology completely subverted human understanding of the world’s existence and operating laws, shattering everything that humans used to be proud of.
Ji Jiu wondered absentmindedly where he would be within this ecological tower.
In any case, it shouldn’t be too bad.
Proud Grass.jpg
Although he didn’t know what the young man was so happy about, Si Yin Yuan also smiled, and while they were walking home, he mentioned the decision he made last night, saying, “I’ve taken on a new mission, leaving tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Ji Jiu obediently lowered his head and ate the unknown dried fruit he bought from a stall.
Is everything so calm?
Si Yin Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
After finishing the last bite of dried fruit, Ji Jiu looked up and asked, “What should I pack?”
He counted on his fingers and realized he had too many snacks he wanted to bring along.
As expected… the young man misunderstood.
Si Yin Yuan coughed lightly and said, “You don’t need to pack anything. Just stay at the base.”
Ji Jiu reacted for a full three seconds before unbelievably widening his eyes.
His eyes quickly became misty with tears, accusingly staring at Si Yin Yuan.
This mission was an S-rank mission that had been hanging there without anyone daring to take it. Not allowing Ji Jiu, who had weak combat abilities, to accompany him on the mission was clearly for his own good, but Si Yin Yuan felt greatly condemned under this gaze.
As if he had committed some unforgivable crime.
Instinctively, he tried to comfort him, saying, “Tomorrow, I’ll have the institute send over the strawberry-flavored nutrient solution. Be good.”
These words lost their original charm, and Ji Jiu was still very angry.
He couldn’t be appeased! Even the strawberry-flavored nutrient solution couldn’t appease him!
The tuft of hair on top of his head was ruffled, and he truly looked very upset.
Although Si Yin Yuan was helpless, his attitude remained firm.
He wouldn’t change his mind no matter what.
Angered, Ji Jiu ignored him and ran back home, locking himself in his room, wrapping himself up in a soft quilt like a silkworm.
Only a little tuft of hair could be seen.
Until the next day when they were about to depart, Si Yin Yuan hadn’t seen Ji Jiu come out of the room.
He glanced at the door of the guest room, where the food he had feared Ji Jiu might get hungry and left for him last night was now empty.
He was angry, but the food was still eaten properly.
He had quite the temper.
Si Yin Yuan took out the communicator and instructed Li Chao, who was staying at the base, to take care of Ji Jiu. He also placed his credit card in the most prominent place on the table.
After completing all of this, he deeply glanced at the closed door of the room and walked out.
Si Yin Yuan never would have thought that the bed in the guest room, which should have been occupied by a large bundle, was now empty.
Ji Jiu had long since disappeared.