Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 33
Death
“Welcome back. The base is always here, waiting for you.”
The gentle announcement made Xiao Xiang lift his eyes to look outside for a moment, then he shrank back when he made eye contact with the guards.
The eldest of the triplets patted him to comfort him as they got off the car, and the second sister took the registration form for him.
During the return journey, Xiao Xiang finally let go of his guard against them. He no longer stayed huddled by Ji Jiu’s side like a cat and occasionally responded to the triplets’ words.
Another S-class mission had been successfully completed, but unlike the last time when they were surrounded by crowds due to deliberate publicity, this time there was no change in the people on the road. However, when the car passed by, they all showed grateful smiles.
After the incident with the escort team stepping down, the relationship between hunters and ordinary people had eased considerably, slowly returning to the state when the Hunter’s Association was first established.
Ji Jiu still leaned his head out of the window, but this time it was not out of curiosity about the crowd but because he smelled the fragrance coming from the street vendors.
Xiao Xiang, imitating him, also stuck his head out of the car window. The two of them, one big and one small, were completely synchronized.
Si Yin Yuan was separated from them.
Ever since Ji Jiu gained a little tail, there had been few moments of solitude during their return journey. The man’s possessiveness was causing him to subtly resent the current situation. However, since the other party was just a child, Si Yin Yuan didn’t say anything. He just silently increased the speed of the car.
After bringing them to the Association, Si Yin Yuan directly handed Xiao Xiang over to the triplets, instructing them to take good care of him.
Just like that, Si Yin Yuan didn’t realize that his feelings had shifted from what he called “friends.”
Upon hearing that they had returned, Hu Yan, who was usually obsessed with mutants, changed his usual demeanor. He appeared at the laboratory to visit them. Unlike his usual well-dressed appearance, this time he looked haggard.
Si Yin Yuan tossed a cube containing Peace Lily to him. “Didn’t catch any good samples, but this Peace Lily is special. It seems to have memories from before the apocalypse. I’ve already had Guan Yin write a report about the ‘Vanished Enclave.’ Soon, you’ll know the reason behind the enclave’s creation.”
Normally enthusiastic about mutants, Hu Yan behaved differently this time. Even when he heard about the special Peace Lily, he only showed a bit of interest as he looked at the cube.
Si Yin Yuan frowned, realizing that something was wrong. “What happened?”
“While you were away, the Research Institute held a change of director ceremony,” Hu Yan said casually, subconsciously reaching for a cigarette, but only finding a mint candy. “Now, I’m the director of the Research Institute.”
He self-mockingly tugged at the corner of his mouth and stuffed the mint candy into his mouth. The person who once said he would indulge in smoking after the apocalypse had given away all his cigarettes that day.
Ji Jiu, who looked up at the candy in disappointment, continued playing with his own things on the side.
“What about the former director?”
Hu Yan chewed on the candy and said, “He’s lying in a hospital bed, waiting to see you one last time.”
That was also his purpose for coming here.
Si Yin Yuan didn’t waste any words, grabbing his coat and saying, “Let’s go.”
And he didn’t forget to hold onto Ji Jiu.
After arriving at the hospital and seeing the person lying on the bed, Si Yin Yuan remained silent for a moment. The person on the hospital bed looked nothing like the energetic director he remembered. However, this wasn’t surprising; the director’s health had deteriorated day by day several months ago.
Even though he didn’t speak, the old director managed to open his eyes, though they were no longer clear. “Is that you, Yin Yuan?”
Si Yin Yuan took a step forward. “Yes.”
The old director trembled slightly. “Good, good, it’s good that you’ve returned safely.”
He seemed to have many things he wanted to say to him, the person who had been prophesied as humanity’s hope.
In the end, he only said, “It’s good that you’ve returned safely.”
Si Yin Yuan, however, seemed to understand and said, “You can rest assured; leave it to me.”
After he said this, the old director suddenly closed his eyes, and the nearby ECG showed a steady straight line.
Ji Jiu, who was following beside his Master, immediately sensed the fading vitality of the human in front of him.
He tilted his head and looked at the human for a few seconds.
Doctors rushed in and tried to save him, but after a few minutes, they sadly announced the old director’s death.
Hu Yan felt like smoking again. He took out a mint candy and chewed it. “The director’s funeral will be held tomorrow.”
After the apocalypse, people had grown accustomed to death, and funerals were not particularly elaborate. However, for someone like the old director who had made significant contributions to humanity, a slightly more solemn funeral was needed to inform everyone.
Ji Jiu’s gaze shifted from the old director to his mint candy.
Si Yin Yuan said, “My condolences.”
“Thanks,” Hu Yan replied with somewhat inexplicable words.
Si Yin Yuan instantly understood his meaning.
If it weren’t for his determination to see him, the old director’s condition would have deteriorated several days ago. So after seeing him, that determination was relieved, and he left after saying his piece.
They walked out of the hospital, and at the hospital entrance, Hu Yan suddenly pulled out an invitation card and handed it to Si Yin Yuan.
The black invitation card had a red ‘X’ drawn on it.
“Hmm?” Si Yin Yuan accepted it.
Hu Yan stared at the card and regained a somewhat carefree expression. “Sparrowtail Flower Revelry entry pass.”
“Is there anything delicious at the revelry?” Ji Jiu poked out his furry little head.
“Yes…” Hu Yan was amused, deliberately keeping him in suspense. “There’s plenty. If you want to eat, let your boyfriend take you there.”
Si Yin Yuan fiddled with the card and asked, “What do you want from me?”
After the apocalypse, people’s nerves were stretched too tight, and those with extra points would attend revelries to relax. The conditions for hosting revelries were also quite strict. The Sparrowtail Flower Revelry was the only one that continued in the base, held almost every month for a full three days.
At this time, regardless of your identity, whether awakened or ordinary, as long as you had enough points, you could get an entry pass. Everyone would wear masks, and there were no distinctions of status. Everyone went there to enjoy themselves and relax.
No one knew what force was behind the Sparrowtail Flower, and some had speculated it was organized by the former Security team. After all, Fang Sheng was known to be quite flirtatious. However, even after the Security team fell, the Sparrowtail Flower Revelry continued without any disruptions, leading the suspicion to fall on the other six major forces.
Si Yin Yuan wasn’t interested in such things. He was more like a serious and self-disciplined old cadre. Even before the apocalypse, he hadn’t been to a club, and he was even less inclined to such activities after the apocalypse.
Hu Yan explained, “One of my important research subjects escaped. Based on the information I received, I suspect it’s within the revelry, and tomorrow is the first night of the revelry…”
Before he could finish speaking, Si Yin Yuan grabbed his collar and lifted him up. He was 1.8 meters tall, not short by any means, but facing the nearly 1.9 meters tall Si Yin Yuan, he seemed a bit lacking.
Si Yin Yuan was furious, and his golden eyes were filled with coldness. “What do you mean? Did your research institute let a mutant escape?”
The base was full of people, and the consequences would be unimaginable if a mutant appeared.
Even Hu Yan, who was calm in most situations, couldn’t remain calm under such a powerful aura. He had expected Si Yin Yuan’s reaction and willingly accepted the surge of anger. “Yes, but it was absolutely not due to our negligence. In fact, we had the strictest containment equipment for that mutant.”
Ji Jiu wasn’t intimidated by his owner’s aura at all. He was the only one who dared to speak when Si Yin Yuan was angry. He tugged on his Master’s clothes and asked, “Is it about the research on the Luminous Lilies ?”
Hu Yan looked at him in surprise. “How did you know?”
Ji Jiu tilted his head. “Last time when I went to see Seer Granny and entered the research institute, your assistant, Chen Ke, mentioned that it was very important.”
The reason he remembered was because the scent coming from inside the laboratory was too tempting for Little Grass. He almost rushed inside.
It was also because of his hesitation that Chen Ke had explained a bit.
It was evident that the research was indeed very secretive. Chen Ke didn’t dare to say much and left with them.
Ji Jiu’s words instantly calmed Si Yin Yuan. He didn’t want to get angry in front of the naive youth because he didn’t want to see fear in the young man’s eyes like he did with others.
Hu Yan let out a sigh, straightened his disheveled collar, and was prepared to be punched in the face, but he didn’t expect to suppress his anger because of Ji Jiu’s words.
Given the seriousness of this matter, even if Si Yin Yuan hospitalized him, it wouldn’t be excessive. Involving the lives of so many people in the base, Hu Yan only dared to reveal this to Si Yin Yuan. He trusted only him.
Hu Yan sighed, “It’s not like the Double-Disc suction worm, which is an infectious mutant. This mutant can’t reproduce. If it were to launch a large-scale attack on people, a riot would definitely occur. However, for some reason, it has been on the run for four days, and there has been no sign of any disturbance.”
That’s also why he didn’t immediately disclose this matter as soon as they met.
Mm, does this mean he has a chance to secretly catch it and taste its flavor? Ji Jiu’s eyes brightened slightly as he remembered the tempting scent that had enticed Little Grass. The pure Gama concentration was more alluring than any human delicacy. Just a tiny taste, a small bite, and it wouldn’t be noticed by his owner. Ji Jiu quietly calculated in his mind.
Hu Yan continued, “But this mutant is very important to the research institute, no, to all of humanity. It’s the only mutant that has been mutating from a seed. It was grown by our research institute, and it has been in the lab from the very beginning, never seeing the outside world. We don’t know why it suddenly escaped this time.”
The research institute was the most secure place in the entire base. It was difficult for mutants to escape, and even the specimens treated as mutants would be injected with a substance derived from fungi over time to paralyse them and render them combat ineffective. The cube was developed based on this principle.
So, there was no need for further description to understand that the escaped mutant was incredibly formidable.
Si Yin Yuan’s golden eyes were still filled with coldness as he retrieved the invitation card into his pocket. “I’ll go to the revelry to find it. If it kills innocent survivors…”
Hu Yan raised his head with a serious expression. “Then I willingly request a trial at the Judgment Court and resign from the position of director.”