Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 24
Deep in his heart, the evil thoughts were released, and Si Yin Yuan’s eyes gradually became paranoid. Feeling the soft touch under his hand, he couldn’t help but tighten his grip, leaving a red mark on the fair and delicate neck.
He self-mockingly thought that anyone, even innocent children, would be afraid of him in his current state. Ji Jiu would be no exception; he would see him as a demon and keep his distance.
Si Yin Yuan was, in essence, a madman, but he had worn human skin for too long, which led to him possessing the terrifying ability of “Vitality-Extraction” in the post-apocalyptic world, a power that both awed and frightened countless people…
Before his emotions could fully brew, the madness in Si Yin Yuan’s eyes was abruptly interrupted as he incredulously looked at Ji Jiu, who had taken the initiative to come closer.
The fear and tears he had imagined didn’t surface. Instead, Ji Jiu, being held at the most dangerous place, acted as if he hadn’t noticed the swirling darkness and cruelty in Si Yin Yuan’s eyes. Like a harmless and soft little animal, he rubbed against Si Yin Yuan and closed the distance between them to just a fist’s length.
Ji Jiu’s eyes were pure black, and after being scolded, they turned watery and clear, making them very transparent. He obediently raised his head and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eat it. Please don’t be angry.”
His voice carried a hint of grievance, not understanding what he had done wrong but choosing to pacify the man first.
He emitted signals of needing comfort like a frightened little animal seeking refuge in the arms of someone it trusts.
The uneasiness within Si Yin Yuan was instantly appeased. Faced with Ji Jiu in this state, he couldn’t bring himself to utter harsh words.
If the great chief Si paid more attention to the gossip between hunters at ordinary times, he would realize how he was currently seen by others: as someone being skillfully lured.
He moved his hand to Ji Jiu’s head and gently rubbed it, asking, “What did you eat without permission?”
Ji Jiu counted on his fingers and said, “I ate a lot of purple flowers.”
Si Yin Yuan’s voice was low and seductive, “Were these flowers light-colored around the throat area, with faint purple patterns?”
Ji Jiu felt his ears tingle and moved closer to Si Yin Yuan’s embrace, murmuring in response.
With a height of 1.75 meters and a slender figure, Ji Jiu fit perfectly in Si Yin Yuan’s arms.
Indeed, it was the chinese violet from the “Barren Lands.”
However, just by looking at Ji Jiu’s innocent expression, Si Yin Yuan knew that he had probably eaten the flowers greedily without realizing they were distorted creatures. He had been angry earlier and nearly hurt the innocent Ji Jiu, all due to the fault of the person who brought the chinese violet into the base.
Si Yin Yuan pondered on how to deal with that person once he caught him. On the surface, he remained gentle, asking, “Where did you eat them, and who gave them to you?”
Ji Jiu looked timid as he lifted his head, “Please don’t be angry.”
Seeing Si Yin Yuan’s patient nod and comforting gesture of patting his head, Ji Jiu shook his head and replied casually, “It was at the church. I saw a man in a black robe giving them to the church’s leader, saying they were to be mixed into the free bread for the people.”
Si Yin Yuan’s face darkened, “A black-robed figure? Did you encounter members of the Blood Sect?”
“The Blood Sect?” Ji Jiu played with the buttons on Si Yin Yuan’s sleepwear, “What’s that?”
He knew nothing about it and didn’t seem to care, speaking as casually as discussing tomorrow’s weather.
Si Yin Yuan couldn’t help but smile. All the doubts vanished in an instant. At least in this moment, he saw from Ji Jiu’s clear eyes that he was not lying.
All the unspoken accusations were for naught. He had suspected Ji Jiu might be a member of the Blood Sect when he smelled the fragrance of chinese violet on him. Thus, he had become angry, feeling betrayed.
The Blood Sect was an anomaly in the apocalypse, a group of half-human, half-mutated creatures cloaked in black robes, forever concealing their faces.
Nobody knew how they had become like that; all people knew was that they believed in human Darwinism, thinking that all humans should be eliminated in the apocalypse, and only mutants were the true inhabitants of Earth.
This extreme belief led them to attack their former kind, and whenever they encountered humans outside the base, they would launch attacks, leaving malicious writings in the victims’ blood as they died, with just two large characters: Eliminate.
Thus, the Blood Sect got its name. Some hunters lost their lives not to mutants but to the Blood Sect. In the early stages, some smaller bases were even controlled by the Blood Sect, forcing them to open the gates, only to be overrun by distorted creatures in the end, leaving no survivors.
How could Si Yin Yuan not hate them? Eradicating blood sect has always been ranked as an S-class mission by the Association, but they seem to possess an ability to evade all tracking. No one has ever been able to trace their whereabouts, nor do they know how they survive in a world full of mutants.
Si Yin Yuan knew that the Church was unscrupulously recruiting followers, but he never expected them to dare to feed survivors with mutants, and even have dealings with suspected members of blood sect.
The matter involving the blood sect cannot be concluded yet. Although the black robes are their symbol, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone wearing one is from blood sect. The case of the chinese violet is already a foregone conclusion.
If they really have connections with blood sect, no matter how much blame he would bear, Si Yin Yuan would ban the Church, kill the leader and his trusted subordinates.
His eyes turned cold, but when facing Ji Jiu, he instinctively softened his tone and asked for more details about the incident.
Apart from concealing how he had transformed into his original form as a small grass, Ji Jiu revealed everything else.
Mischievously, Ji Jiu unbuttoned almost half of Si Yin Yuan’s buttons, exposing his well-built chest.
Si Yin Yuan was still deep in thought and didn’t notice that he was taken advantage of by this rogue-like little grass.
So, Ji Jiu secretly continued to play the game of unbuttoning.
Si Yin Yuan: “Did you eat all the chinese violet?”
Ji Jiu innocently nodded, “Hmm… and I also stole a few billion of their offerings.”
Si Yin Yuan didn’t notice the difference between “one” and “a few billion” and continued pondering.
If all the chinese violet were eaten, they would have no evidence to accuse the Church.
Ji Jiu asked, “Am I causing trouble for you?”
“No, if it weren’t for you eating those flowers, they would have been consumed by other survivors today, destroying the evidence. I wouldn’t have discovered the severity of the problem with the Church so quickly…” Si Yin Yuan stopped midway, feeling a chill on his eight-pack abs.
Lowering his head, he saw that Ji Jiu had already unbuttoned all of his sleepwear’s buttons and was now playing with one of them.
Noticing his gaze, Ji Jiu innocently tilted his head, asking with his eyes, “What’s wrong?”
Si Yin Yuan: …
He had a headache. Was it because he usually indulged Ji Jiu in his bad habit of pinching his clothes?
Si Yin Yuan took the rogue-like little hand off himself and sternly admonished, “You can’t do this.”
Ji Jiu switched to pinching his clothes, obediently saying, “Okay.”
No, he would still do it next time.
How could a small grass have any bad intentions?
Because it was past their usual bedtime, Ji Jiu couldn’t resist yawning after speaking. Si Yin Yuan immediately compromised, gently patting his back and soothingly saying, “Go to sleep.”
As for the doubts about the injury assessment report and the young man’s true strength, they were all suppressed at this moment.
“Okay.” Ji Jiu closed his eyes, and soon his breathing became steady.
He still held the corner of Si Yin Yuan’s clothes, relying heavily on it.
Si Yin Yuan fastened the buttons all the way to the top and gazed at that piece of clothing with a complex expression. In the end, he allowed Ji Jiu to continue holding it. The two of them cuddled intimately, and the pillow that was originally placed in the middle as a boundary was kicked under the bed long ago.
Ji Jiu buried his head in Si Yin Yuan’s chest, and a slight arc formed at the corner of his mouth.
Today, he was once again a cunning little grass.
…
The receptionist, a cat-like beastman, bounced over to knock on the office door, “Chief Si, representatives from the Church have arrived!”
Si Yin Yuan’s hand that was signing documents stopped.
Could it be that the hunter he just sent to investigate the Church was captured?
He quickly denied this possibility. The hunter he dispatched had the ability of “invisibility.” Moreover, it hadn’t been more than ten minutes since that hunter left. He shouldn’t have started infiltrating the Church yet.
Crack.
A faint sound came from beside him as Ji Jiu accidentally broke a decoration that was used as an ornament.
“What’s wrong?” Si Yin Yuan glanced at him.
“Nothing,” Ji Jiu casually placed the ornament back in its original position.
Si Yin Yuan stood up and inquired, “I’m going to meet the representatives from the Church. Do you want to come along?”
He thought that Ji Jiu was afraid of the Church because of their conversation last night.
Ji Jiu, who usually stuck close to Si Yin Yuan no matter where he went, hesitated for a few seconds before unusually shaking his head.
Indeed, he was scared.
Si Yin Yuan thought so, but he didn’t insist. He opened the door and followed the receptionist to leave.
As soon as they left, Ji Jiu sneaked after them, feeling somewhat guilty.
Uh, these people were probably here for him.
He stealthily pushed open the door to the meeting room, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Si Yin Yuan was sitting with his back facing him, his gaze showing a hint of scrutiny, “What brings the Church’s leader here today?”
There was no trace of someone who had sent people to infiltrate someone else’s territory just ten minutes ago.
As long as he wished, he wouldn’t reveal even the slightest hint of emotion to outsiders.
Ji Jiu pricked up his ears, nervous.
The Church’s leader knocked on the table, and the devout follower behind him immediately took out several photos and handed them over.
The follower then discreetly put his hands behind his back, “Yesterday, our church suffered a malicious attack. Our guards are currently undergoing a major reform. Therefore, we would like to entrust the Association to help us catch the culprits.”
“A malicious attack?” Si Yin Yuan’s eyes showed some interest as he took the photos.
The pictures showed a warehouse that was now almost completely empty, with only a few crumbs of food indicating that it had once been a granary.
From Ji Jiu’s perspective, he could just see a corner of the photo, and he immediately recognized it as the place where he stole the offerings yesterday.
He couldn’t resist and ended up eating all the offerings…
Sure enough, they came to catch him.
The little grass blinked nervously.
Si Yin Yuan remained calm and asked while looking at the photo, “The Church’s supplies are stolen?”
The Church’s leader nodded, and there was a hint of gritted teeth in his voice, altered by the mask covering his face, “All the offerings we prepared for the Holy Lord have been stolen. These were our offerings for the next six months.”
The logistics team allocated the supplies for each faction, and they could only receive the next batch at the scheduled time. No matter what unexpected events occurred, the management group would not release supplies ahead of time. Half a year without offerings was a significant blow to the Church. Rumors spread among the believers, and some even suspected that someone had offended the deity.
The trust of the believers was essential for the Church, and they had to find the thief to appease the anger of their followers. However, due to the magnetic field issue after the apocalypse, the surveillance cameras were not functional, and the warehouse guards were knocked unconscious. They couldn’t catch the culprit.
Si Yin Yuan didn’t feel sorry at all; he had long been disapproving of the Church’s practices. In this resource-scarce post-apocalyptic world, many people struggled to find food, yet the Church still used fire to offer extravagant offerings.
Survivors believed that the Hunter Association had the most resources, but in secret, the Church received a considerable amount of resources as well, only without publicizing it.
In the apocalypse, some people desperately needed faith. Without it, they would find it difficult to continue living after losing their loved ones. Many people regarded the Church as their all.
Although Si Yin Yuan viewed the Church as deceitful, it didn’t stop him from respecting others’ beliefs. After all, the Church’s existence spiritually saved many survivors.
So, until they found evidence of the Church collaborating with the Blood Cult, Si Yin Yuan didn’t intend to directly destroy the Church.
He tapped the table, “You should know the rules for assigning missions in our Association. The higher the reward points, the more people will take the job.”
The Church’s leader replied, “Points are not a problem, but aren’t you worried, Chief Si? That person might be an unregistered awakened one with exceptional abilities. The next target could be the Association.”
He intended to ask Si Yin Yuan to handle the matter.
But Si Yin Yuan had other plans, “Hmm, maybe there will be some idle hunters interested in this mission, if you raise the reward.”
His words indicated that he had no intention of getting involved personally.
Seeking help from rivals was a shameful thing to do. The arrogant man behind the mask couldn’t bring himself to say more and could only leave angrily, followed by the mute follower.
Before Ji Jiu could even exhale, he was grabbed by Si Yin Yuan like a little chick.
Ji Jiu immediately put on an innocent expression, but the fluffy tuft of hair on his head exposed him.
Si Yin Yuan brought Ji Jiu, who had sneakily eavesdropped, closer, raising an eyebrow, “Tell me, what happened to those offerings?”
Ji Jiu lowered his head, revealing a cute expression of embarrassment, “I ate them…”
Although his voice was extremely soft, Si Yin Yuan still heard it. No matter how much he could eat, no one could eat an entire warehouse of offerings.
Si Yin Yuan wasn’t foolish. Since the day Ji Jiu beat Fang Sheng, he realized that he had misunderstood something. Ji Jiu was indeed an awakened one, but his ability was definitely not just “toxin resistance” and so harmless.
Now was the perfect time for interrogation.
Si Yin Yuan deliberately put on a serious expression, “Is it related to your ability?”
Ji Jiu, like a child who had done something wrong, replied in a subdued voice, “Yes.”
He extended his hand, and a small, black mist appeared on his palm.
The black mist constantly changed shapes in his hand, sometimes resembling a lazy cat stretching, and other times, it looked like a small black dog in his palm, seemingly ready to bite.
Si Yin Yuan playfully teased the black mist with his hand, poking it gently with his fingertip, and it felt as harmless as a cloud.
Just as cute as Ji Jiu himself.
Si Yin Yuan withdrew his hand, “So, it’s this thing that ate the entire warehouse of offerings?”
His voice carried a hint of skepticism; this little thing didn’t look like it could consume so much.
Ji Jiu nodded and released the black mist to give Si Yin Yuan a demonstration of a big gulp.
The black mist swallowed the large black square table in the reception room where twelve people could sit, and then shrank back into a small ball, happily rubbing against Ji Jiu’s palm.
Only now did Si Yin Yuan realize that when he poked it just now, this little thing had gone easy on him; otherwise, it could have swallowed his finger too.
“An ability that can eat anything?” Si Yin Yuan asked.
Ji Jiu tilted his head, thinking for a moment, “Yes.”
He felt somewhat embarrassed.
Si Yin Yuan pondered, “So, in the ‘Dream Garden,’ that hole in the golden cage was also caused by your ability?”
Everything seemed to make sense now.
Ji Jiu nodded, looking pitiful as he asked, “Will you dislike me?”
Si Yin Yuan was slightly surprised, “You were hiding it from me because you were afraid I’d dislike you?”
Ji Jiu answered softly.
Because all the mutants disliked his black mist, he feared that his owner would dislike it too, so he hid it to avoid being discovered.
It seemed there was some misunderstanding; Si Yin Yuan reached out and rubbed Ji Jiu’s head, “Why would you think that?”
He believed there must be a misunderstanding, which made Ji Jiu so cautious about hiding it.
Ji Jiu subconsciously blurted out, “Because they all dislike it,” referring to the mutants.
If the consumed mutants could speak, they would be very angry and stand up to express their discontent: Who would be friendly towards such a cruel ability!
“Who are they?”
Ji Jiu hesitated and found that he had spoken too much, he stammered, “I can’t remember…”
He imitated the amnesia trope he had seen on TV and lied convincingly.
This reminded Si Yin Yuan of being a substitute and realized that Ji Jiu must have been traumatized by the person who previously had Ji Jiu and the other associates. This incident left a significant shadow on Ji Jiu to the extent that even if he forgot some memories, he still concealed his real ability, mistaking it for something to be hidden.
Based on his imagination, Si Yin Yuan perfected Ji Jiu’s lie and looked at him with a mix of pity and a trace of jealousy that he wasn’t even aware of.
What a scumbag, he didn’t know how he managed to raise such an obedient Ji Jiu.
Si Yin Yuan concealed the restless beast within him and maintained his calm demeanor, “This ability is impressive. Shall we go to the monk later and update your records?”
If Ji Jiu didn’t want to, he wouldn’t force him.
Unexpectedly, not only wasn’t he disliked, he was even praised.
Ji Jiu was delighted, “Sure!”
He remembered that he actually had another ability, but he didn’t have many opportunities to use it, so he wasn’t proficient enough.
After some hesitation, he decided not to mention it.
He followed Si Yin Yuan to the record room, where the monk was still sitting there, putting down his wine cup without showing any embarrassment, calmly asking, “What brings you here?”
Si Yin Yuan found it amusing and pulled Ji Jiu to sit down, “Change some information.”
The monk suddenly realized, “You lied about your age back then, didn’t you? You were actually underage, right?”
His gaze at Si Yin Yuan was shining brightly with the words: “You are amazing.”
Si Yin Yuan remained expressionless, “Change the information in the ability column.”
The monk sized up Ji Jiu, “What kind of ability is it?”
Ji Jiu demonstrated the table-eating ability once again.
The monk’s expression seemed about to split apart, “My table!”
Ji Jiu hiccuped.
He looked at the human, confused. Wasn’t he asked to demonstrate it?
The monk quickly recited some mantras to hide his inner sadness.
He soon became serious. He had seen various kinds of abilities and had a decent understanding of them, though not as deep as some others, still more than an average person.
Ji Jiu had only demonstrated a little, but the monk already knew that this ability was far from ordinary.
The monk said, “This ability is interesting. Not only can the black mist consume anything, but even the user can also eat anything. Do you have any name in mind for it?”
Usually, the names of abilities were decided by the person recording the information, and they would also consult the awakening ability holder for their opinion, as long as it wasn’t too far-fetched. Before this rule, some awakened individuals gave their abilities abstract names, such as calling a fast runner’s ability “Red Rabbit,” but the person’s ability was often misremembered.
The more fanciful the name, the less practical it became. The key to naming an ability was simplicity and clarity.
Ji Jiu thought for a moment, “I like to call it ‘Devour.'”
Straight to the point.
The monk muttered, “I think ‘Gluttony’ would be more fitting.”
He was still lamenting his lost table.
In the end, they entered “Devour” as the ability name.
Ji Jiu’s identity also changed from “Scavenger” to “Pathfinder.” Since Ji Jiu insisted on joining missions, even sneaking out, Si Yin Yuan decided not to treat him as a fragile item to protect. He understood that Ji Jiu was better suited to grow independently.
Ding ding ding—
Si Yin Yuan lowered his head to answer the communicator. Hu Yan’s voice came through, sounding serious, a change from his usual nonchalant tone.
He only said one sentence, “Seer Granny is looking for you.”
Si Yin Yuan understood the seriousness of the matter.
Ji Jiu obediently followed him, looking curious, “Who is Seer Granny?”
Si Yin Yuan replied as he drove, “She’s an ability user with the power of ‘precognition.'”
“Is she powerful?” Ji Jiu asked in confusion.
“Very powerful. She has prophesied four times, and each prophecy has been crucial for the base. Once, the base almost fell, and she made a prophecy. Unfortunately, we weren’t adequately prepared, and the Gama Defense Circle was formed during that catastrophe.”
From Si Yin Yuan’s tone, it was evident that he held great respect for the old woman.
Ji Jiu tilted his head, “Will this be her fifth prophecy?”
Si Yin Yuan tightened his grip on the steering wheel, “Yes.”
Otherwise, Hu Yan wouldn’t have called him so seriously.
No one knew whether the prophecy would be good or bad, but one thing was certain: the prophecy would concern the entire base, if not the survival of all humanity.
Si Yin Yuan had been the protagonist of Seer Granny’s second prophecy too. It was also a sudden summons like this time. If he hadn’t arrived, Seer Granny would never have spoken even if she regained her consciousness.
That time’s prophecy was the shortest of the four. She had trembled, extending her finger towards Si Yin Yuan, and said, “Your ability is the strongest, the hope of all humanity.”
Everyone present was astonished.
With such a simple statement, Si Yin Yuan, who had been treated with suspicion by many at the time, finally fully accepted his ability.
Perhaps his ability would make people fearful, but it also became the deadliest weapon against mutants.
And then, he became the Chief Hunter, known as the unquestionable strongest human. No one dared to approach him and comment on how terrifying his ability was.
He had never forgotten the sentence Seer Granny said to him when he was lost in confusion, “The hope of humanity.”
This time felt a bit like the situation back then, with the only difference being that Ji Jiu was by his side now.
Due to her health issues, Seer Granny had been staying in the research institute, protected and confined to the room assigned to her since the apocalypse. Anyone who wished to see her had to personally visit her.
When they arrived, Assistant Chen Ke was already waiting there. He hurriedly led the two people and said, “This time, besides you, Seer Granny wants to see Mr. Ji.”
Si Yin Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Ji Jiu?”
Chen Ke explained, “Yes, as you know, Seer Granny won’t speak unless she sees the person she is looking for.”
Ji Jiu was puzzled, “But during the communication, they didn’t say they wanted to see me?”
He had been present when Hu Yan spoke, asking Si Yin Yuan to come quickly.
Chen Ke blushed suspiciously, “My mentor called you guys newlyweds, always sticking together regardless of the time, so there was no need for a special notification.”
His mentor referred to Hu Yan.
Hearing this, Si Yin Yuan subconsciously wanted to refute but then lowered his head to look at Ji Jiu, who was holding his hand so obediently.
… For some reason, he found it hard to argue.
In the end, he said with a darkened face, “We’re just normal friends.”
Chen Ke glanced at their tightly held hands and nudged his thick glasses. He thought, ‘Awakened individuals really know how to play.’
Ji Jiu wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. If his hand wasn’t held by his master, he would have already followed the scent of food and run off.
Although he had visited the research institute for brain checks before, this was his first time being so deep inside.
Due to the mutation of plants, the variety of edible vegetables and fruits had drastically decreased. As a result, the research institute had to develop various strange foods to supplement vitamins and nutrients for people. For a glutton like Ji Jiu, this place was filled with the temptation of delicacies.
He didn’t get poisoned easily and wasn’t picky about food; he could happily eat even semi-finished products.
Probably guessing his thoughts, Si Yin Yuan held his hand tighter, like a parent worried about their child causing trouble.
When they passed a tightly closed laboratory, Ji Jiu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s inside?”
He sensed a strong energy, which must be very delicious.
Chen Ke glanced at it and inexplicably felt flustered, “It’s one of my mentor’s experimental subjects, the Transparent Vortex Grass.”
He quickened his pace silently.
Ji Jiu wanted to ask more, but they had already arrived at Seer Granny’s location. The atmosphere was tense, with a dozen researchers, both men and women, waiting there.
He had to suppress his questions.
Seer Granny was different from what he had imagined. Her emaciated body was lying in a huge soft bed, with tubes inserted all over her to sustain her life.
She seemed to be at the end of her life, with only a breath left to keep her alive.
Her eyes appeared hazy, seemingly unable to see anything. Strangely, when Ji Jiu and Si Yin Yuan were brought to her bedside by Hu Yan, she could accurately turn her head to look at them.
It was as if she could see through them with those cloudy little eyes.
Despite needing help to turn over, Seer Granny, at this moment, miraculously found strength. She refused the assistance of those around her and propped herself up, saying, “You finally came.”
Everyone thought she was pointing at Si Yin Yuan, but unexpectedly, her next action was to gently place her hand on Ji Jiu’s head, her eyes filled with warmth, “Such a good child.”
This was the first time Ji Jiu had been touched on the head by someone other than his master, and surprisingly, he didn’t resist.
Calmly, he thought, yet another peculiar human. She could clearly see his identity as an mutant, something humans despised. Yet, he couldn’t sense any malice from this old woman.
The act of reaching out took all her strength, and she withdrew her hand, then turned to Si Yin Yuan, smiling, “In the near future, another ability corresponding to yours will emerge. That will be humanity’s turning point.”
The researchers present exchanged shocked glances. If it weren’t for the prohibition of interrupting during prophecies, they would have exclaimed in surprise when Seer Granny touched Ji Jiu’s head just now.
Si Yin Yuan’s eyes sank, “Where should I find this turning point?”
Seer Granny’s lips moved slightly, and she uttered a weak voice, “Head west.”
“West?” Si Yin Yuan asked.
However, at this moment, Seer Granny’s gaze became unfocused, and she began slapping her hands together and opened her mouth, “Ah! Ah!”
Suddenly, she couldn’t say another word.
The person in charge of taking care of her quickly wiped the saliva from her mouth and gently helped her lie down, coaxing her to close her eyes and rest.
The old woman seemed like a mischievous child, twisting and turning as if unwilling to rest.
Hu Yan explained, “Her Alzheimer’s disease is getting worse day by day, and now, the time she can stay conscious is getting shorter and shorter.”
Even “Regeneration” ability user, Ruan shuang, couldn’t treat her.
Humans were indeed fragile, yet resilient.
Ji Jiu stared at Seer Granny, and she also smiled childishly at him.
…
The prophecy mentioned heading west, so Si Yin Yuan spent a whole night going through all the guild’s missions related to the west and picked the most suitable one – “Vanishing Enclave.”
Li Zhao was somewhat shocked, “You really want to go there? But if you can’t find the lighthouse, you won’t be able to enter at all.”
This was an S-class mission posted in the guild even longer than “Dream Garden,” not that no one accepted it, but those who went in couldn’t find the entrance.
It was like a sky version of Atlantis.
Si Yin Yuan nodded, “I’ll bring Guan Yin with me.”
Guan Yin was an A-class hunter in the guild, and he was the last person to come out of the enclave.
After coming out, his hands turned into numerous white bones. He had to find a “Regeneration” ability user from the guild to circle back through the Ghost Gate and return.
“Regeneration” and “Cure” were the only two healing abilities in the base. The former could only promote cell growth for wound healing, while the latter could repair mental injuries. This was why Ruan Shuang was more popular.
Ji Jiu, who was originally sleeping next to Si Yin Yuan, suddenly raised his head, “I want to go too!”
Si Yin Yuan patted him, “Sure, I won’t leave you behind this time.”
Li Chao covered his face; he didn’t really want to eat dog food.
Yu Feichen, who was sitting nearby, didn’t feel the special atmosphere between the two at all. He stood up like an excited big dog, “I’ll go find Guan Yin!”
Leaving Li Chao alone to enjoy the dog food.
Ji Jiu’s fur stood up comfortably with that statement, and he snuggled up to Si Yin Yuan, pleased.
“I never expected captain, you’d actually get out of singlehood,” Guan Yin said when he entered, witnessing the scene. He was quite surprised.
Si Yin Yuan was too lazy to explain and glanced at Guan Yin, asking, “Have you recovered?”
Guan Yin nodded, and he directly showed another pair of hands from behind him, showcasing them with one above and one below, “Fully recovered.”
Although some abilities could cause humans to mutate and grow extra organs, Ji Jiu had never seen anyone directly grow an additional pair of the same organ.
He curiously tugged at his master’s clothes and asked, “Is he a magician?”
Guan Yin laughed, “Haha, this isn’t a magic trick. But our guild indeed has a ‘Magician,’ and that person is quite dangerous.”
He casually extended all four of his hands, just to let Ji Jiu have a closer look.
Ji Jiu’s face was full of curiosity, “They are real hands.”
Such a pure expression could still be seen in the apocalypse, making Guanyin unable to help but say more, “I awakened the ‘Thousand Hands’ ability, so my mutation was to grow an extra pair of hands.”
Guan Yin’s nickname was given after the apocalypse; his real name gradually faded away because it was too common.
The mutation didn’t directly lead to growing two extra hands; initially, it was a small fleshy lump growing on his back. It gradually turned into a true pair of hands as he used the “Thousand Hands” ability excessively.
Aside from lacking some agility, these mutated hands were no different from his original ones. They could carry heavy objects and would hurt if injured.
Ji Jiu showed a slightly envious expression, “With four hands, you could peel fruits with three while eating with one.”
Si Yin Yuan remembered the empty bag of pistachio shells and fell silent.
It seemed that there was no difference for Ji Jiu anyway since he didn’t need to peel when eating.
This was the first time Guan Yin encountered someone envious of his mutation, and he felt a little moved and embarrassed. He scratched his head with all four hands.
The more they talked, the happier they got. Ji Jiu wanted to shake hands with Guan Yin, but as soon as he moved forward a bit, Si Yin Yuan pulled him back.
Both Ji Jiu and Guan Yin turned to look at him in confusion.
Si Yin Yuan furrowed his eyebrows, not sure why he suddenly felt uncomfortable and instinctively stopped Ji Jiu from getting close to Guan Yin.
After thinking about it, he found a reasonable excuse for himself and coughed solemnly, “Let’s talk about the main issue. Tell us about the ‘Vanishing Enclave’.”