Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 32
Xiang Yang
Ji Jiu blinked, “He seems to not want to come with us.”
Xiao Xiang turned to look at Ji Jiu, then back at his grandfather, nodding and tugging on the old man’s sleeve as if trying to pull him toward Ji Jiu. However, he was not much stronger than a cat and couldn’t move a person.
He opened his mouth but couldn’t speak, only showing signs of distress, his pleading eyes shifting between the old man and Ji Jiu.
The old man, with his eyes slightly moist, first lowered his head in sadness and then regained a determined expression. “You must promise to ensure Xiao Xiang’s safety.”
Si Yin Yuan raised an eyebrow in response to the request. As a born negotiator, he could exert pressure on the other party without speaking.
The old man and Si Yin Yuan stared at each other for a few seconds, and then the old man took the initiative to back down, sighing, “I know what you want to ask the most. It’s about why this abandoned base sometimes floats in the air and why the base was truly destroyed. I’m sure you’ve figured out the reason for the first question, which is because of me.”
Hearing the words “because of me,” the group couldn’t help but be surprised.
Guan Yin murmured, “I didn’t expect that this would really be the work of humans, not the mutants.”
He suddenly raised his head with a strong desire for knowledge, “Old man, what exactly is your ability?”
This question also echoed the curiosity of others.
“It’s ‘levitation,'” the old man said as he looked at his withered hand, “I can make any object levitate in the air, even myself. I never expected that I could make the entire base float. It’s a miracle, a miracle that came at the cost of my life. I am bound to this base now. If the base falls, I will die. So, please, take Xiao Xiang away from here.”
Si Yin Yuan couldn’t help but clench his fist when he heard the words “a miracle that cost my life.” He recalled those awakened individuals who sacrificed their lives to create the Gama Defense Barrier.
If it weren’t for them, he might not be so easily convinced now. In the midst of the apocalypse, rather than calling this a miracle, it felt more like a deal with a demon.
When his fist tightened, it was covered by a warm hand. Si Yin Yuan was taken aback and instinctively let go of his hand.
The tender little hand extended, intertwining its fingers with his.
Ji Jiu showed a satisfied expression, leaning against his owner.
Si Yin Yuan’s eyes softened a bit, using his other hand to rub Ji Jiu’s head.
“But, as you can see, lifting the base has become a prison for myself,” the old man continued. “It prevents outsiders and mutants from entering, but it also confines me and Xiao Xiang here, where we have to hide from mutants, consume these dragon fruits day by day, and not know when I will eventually die. So, please, take Xiao Xiang away.”
Xiao Xiang looked at him in a daze, unable to fully grasp such a long conversation. His limited cognitive ability made it hard for him to understand, and he could only gaze at the old man with an expression of incomprehension and sadness.
“Okay, I promise you that I will ensure his safety,” Si Yin Yuan said in a calm tone, giving his word.
He rarely uttered the word “promise,” but once mentioned, he would undoubtedly keep it.
The triplets were all moved by the bond between the old man and the young boy, and they wiped away tears simultaneously.
The eldest sister said, “The base has a special institution for children who have lost their parents…”
Before she could finish, the old man interrupted, “Xiao Xiang is not suitable for that kind of place.”
Xiao Xiang seemed a bit introverted and different from other children. The second sister thought the old man was worried that Xiao Xiang might be excluded and said, “Xiai Xiang’s situation is indeed not suitable for centralized management. If you trust us, we can adopt him on behalf of our sisters.”
Their telepathic connection allowed them to understand that they all liked this seemingly quiet young boy.
The old man sighed, “It’s not that I’m worried about Xiao Xiang not adapting to collective living, but because… he’s an Awakened.”
Si Yin Yuan nodded, “We already guessed that. If he can consume dragon fruits, it means he’s definitely not an ordinary person.”
Ji Jiu grabbed his owner’s hand and played with it. He raised his head curiously and asked when he heard Si Yin Yuan’s question, “What’s his ability?”
“He’s a ‘Listener,'” the old man said, looking down at Xiao Xiang, “He only speaks when he senses danger. Besides using his ability, he never speaks, even when he opens his mouth, he can’t make a sound.”
It wasn’t hard to imagine what his parents might have told him back then when they had to hide him in a dark corner to escape danger.
“Don’t make any noise to attract the mutants.”
This was the last sentence his parents said to him, the last time he saw them. Since then, he could never freely produce sound.
The triplets were filled with maternal love and wanted to rush up and hug him. Unfortunately, except for the old man and Ji Jiu, the boy was cautious like a small animal when it came to them.
After speaking these words, the old man sighed deeply, “Let’s go. You still want to know why this base suddenly collapsed, right?”
He walked ahead, initially subconsciously wanting to hold Xiao Xiang’s hand but suddenly gave up.
Xiao Xiang didn’t understand why his grandfather suddenly stopped holding his hand, so he could only walk unsteadily behind the old man. He was very quiet, with silent innocence in his black eyes.
At first, he was not very skilled in walking alone and almost stumbled, but later he became more steady, following the old man step by step.
The few hunters behind them watched in silence, and no one intervened.
The old man led them to the tower, the only place connecting this base to the outside world.
“I was here when my ability suddenly erupted. This place serves as a node supporting the entire floating base.” The old man spoke while pushing open the door, “When you go back, you just need to descend from this tower.”
The key to the tower was in the old man’s hand, and he effortlessly unlocked the topmost observation deck.
No words were needed; the sight of red words filled their vision told them everything.
“Eliminate! Eliminate! Eliminate!”
Dried blood had been smeared into countless elimination marks on this small observation deck.
Guan Yin’s four hands instantly tightened, and he gritted his teeth, “The Blood Sect.”
Only they would do such a thing; they are provoking all of humanity.
No wonder, no wonder this base collapsed overnight, unable to send out a distress signal.
There were connections between bases, especially for larger bases like theirs. They often received distress signals from smaller bases, and their principle was to help when they could.
However, when this base collapsed, they didn’t receive any signals at all. If this was the work of the Blood Sect, everything made sense.
Ji Jiu looked slightly puzzled, recalling the encounter with the robed figure in the church.
That person had discovered him but didn’t say anything.
What’s more, Little Grass’s intuition told him that the person recognized him.
They would meet again in the future…
Ji Jiu casually thought, his eyes flickering with a hint of coldness.
He didn’t want his owner to know his identity as a mutant, so that person couldn’t appear in front of his owner.
He was never a morally upright little grass; he was a born mutant, engraved with indifference in his DNA.
What his owner disliked, Little Grass also disliked.
Suddenly, his eyes were covered by a pair of calloused hands. Ji Jiu blinked in confusion, and his curled eyelashes gently scratched the palm of Si Yin Yuan’s hand.
The man coughed lightly, “If you’re scared, don’t look.”
He sensed a slight change in Ji Jiu’s emotions just now and thought Ji Jiu might be frightened by the blood letters all over the room.
The killing intent in his eyes instantly dissipated, and Ji Jiu obediently replied, “Okay.”
He then snuggled into his owner’s arms as if he were frightened.
Oh, so scared. He had to be held by his owner to feel safe.
Si Yin Yuan took the opportunity to embrace him and left the observation deck, soothingly stroking Ji Jiu’s tousled hair.
Guan Yin glanced to the side and noticed that the two of them had embraced again for some reason.
Guan Yin: Oh!
The old man locked the observation deck again. “I wasn’t at the scene when the base had trouble that day, so I don’t know exactly what happened. The Blood Sect only left this.”
His eyes were filled with hatred but turned into helplessness in the next moment.
In fact, on the day he found Xiao Xiang, he had thought about taking him to another base. However, with an old man barely hanging on to life and an unarmed child, it was absolutely impossible for them to safely pass through the “Wasteland” and the “Deserted Area.”
The old man glanced at Xiao Xiang with nostalgia, and this time, he pushed the boy toward Ji Jiu.
Xiai Xiang looked at the old man and was about to follow when a stern rebuke stopped him in his tracks.
He watched as the usually gentle old man showed a resolute expression and realized something. He stopped trying to get closer and stood still, staring blankly at Ji Jiu.
The old man said, “I’ve told you everything I know. From now on, this child will be your responsibility.”
The triplets nodded, “Okay.”
The old man leaned on the iron anchor and slowly sat on the ground, as if he had entrusted the most important thing in his heart. All his strength seemed to have been drained.
“This child doesn’t speak, and I don’t know his original name, so I took the liberty of giving him a new one, Xiang Yang.”
Si Yin Yuan’s eyes flickered for a moment, “It’s a good name.”
The grey and misty sky above faintly revealed a few rays of light, shining into this abandoned base.
…
Before leaving, Si Yin Yuan suddenly left alone for half an hour.
Even Ji Jiu wasn’t brought along, and the bored Ji Jiu and Xiang Yang played together, heads together, with a non-aggressive mutant ant.
Little Grass was not happy.jpg
“I’m back.”
A simple sentence instantly made Ji Jiu abandon the ant that had been played nearly to death, jumping up in joy. “Sir Si!”
Si Yin Yuan effortlessly caught the young man hanging on him, a smile in his eyes.
Initially, when Ji Jiu didn’t call him “Captain Si” like the others, Si Yin Yuan felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Now, he found this address particularly pleasant.
This was a title only Ji Jiu would use, carrying a unique tenderness, sounding much like a spoiled tone.
Guan Yin and the triplets also approached.
Guan Yin was curious. “Captain Si, what did you go to do?”
“Nothing,” Si Yin Yuan casually dropped a bombshell, “I just went and wiped out those undead birds.”