Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 51
Rest
Chen Zhaonian regained the hesitant tone he had when they first met, and the sharpness and gloominess from earlier disappeared as he let down his guard.
He nodded and said, “Yes, go on.”
Afterwards, he tightly embraced the stone next to him, with a hint of apprehension in his expression.
Li Chao asked, “Was the distress signal sent by you?”
Chen Zhaonian shook his head and replied, “I don’t know what distress signal you’re talking about, but if it was sent from this island, I might know the location.”
Si Yin Yuan emphasized, “The distress signal itself is not important; what’s important is the content. Does it imply that you received information before the apocalypse?”
His tone made the word ‘apocalypse’ sound more pronounced, and his gaze pierced through to Chen Zhaonian, like a sharp, cold glare, as if it could reveal all hidden secrets.
Chen Zhaonian nodded and said, “I do know a bit of inside information. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
As he spoke, his tone became more confident and assertive, and he gradually dropped his initial hesitations.
Chief Si: “Continue.”
Without realizing it, he had taken control and adopted the role of a ruler with the power to inquire. Chen Zhaonian was completely unaware that he had fallen into the rhythm set by Si Yin Yuan.
Under these circumstances, his nervousness became more apparent, and the long period of isolation from normal human interaction had made him somewhat slow to react.
Chen Zhaonian explained, “It was around four years ago. Someone suddenly found me and told me about the impending apocalypse in this world. They said that when the time comes, all civilization will be in ruins, and I would be spared from the disaster if I paid a considerable sum of money. They would create a ‘Noah’s Ark’.”
In the pre-apocalyptic world, money was invaluable, but it had no use in a post-apocalyptic world. Thus, in the weeks leading up to the apocalypse, they managed to escape to this private island, thinking that they could avoid the catastrophe temporarily and wait for it to pass.
However, no one had anticipated that this catastrophe would truly be global in scale. Chen Zhaonian became increasingly agitated as he recounted this and his chest heaved.
However, they had never informed us about these so-called monsters! They turned out to be mutations of the Earth’s original inhabitants!
The group of wealthy people who thought they were safe on an island filled only with plants and small wildlife had ended up being victims of their own misguided cleverness.
Ji Jiu listened to his story as if it were a fascinating tale, cuddled in his owner’s embrace, playing with his starfish. Then he urged Chen Zhaonian to continue, “And then? Why are you the only one who survived?”
The tone, combined with his delicate features, made Ji Jiu appear like an inexperienced young master. Si Yin Yuan was the powerful benefactor who pampered him.
By now, the others had grown used to this dynamic. The interactions between Ji Jiu and Si Yin Yuan were more like a playful young lord and the fish he’d hooked.
Chen Zhaonian’s expression showed a hint of bewilderment. “I never expected this outcome. I wasn’t the richest among them. I just had a small hobby of collecting weapons, and I liked reading zombie novels before the apocalypse. The others thought they could survive for about a year, so they didn’t prepare as extensively as I did. We also had a helicopter, and we planned to escape by air if all else failed. But who could have known that the helicopter would become inoperable.”
Li Chao responded, “It’s a pity, your helicopter didn’t break; rather, it was the chaos in the Earth’s magnetic field that occurred after the apocalypse. Even drones can’t fly in the sky anymore.”
Ji Jiu found the story boring and began playing with his owner’s buttons. He had a particular fondness for them and often fiddled with them when he was bored, like a playful kitten with an itchy paw.
Si Yin Yuan gently stroked Ji Jiu’s head to soothe him and asked the most critical questions, “So, who were these people? What did they show you that made you believe a disaster was imminent?”
Chen Zhaonian fell silent for a moment. His eyes suddenly revealed a mix of fear and a recollection of something indescribable.
He stammered, “It… it was a giant seed.”
Si Yin Yuan was surprised, “A seed?”
Ji Jiu, who had been playing with buttons, perked up, his curiosity piqued.
“Yes, a seed,” Chen Zhaonian continued, swallowing hard. “It was a three-meter-long seed, purplish-red in color, and it seemed to be alive, constantly writhing. Just one glance at it would give you an overwhelming sense of sticky dread…”
Yu Feichen shivered. “A seed? Writhing?”
The combination of those words sounded unrelated, yet Chen Zhaonian spoke them together.
Chen Zhaonian grew more agitated. “It’s true. That seed is absolutely not any kind of Earthly organism. After seeing that seed, we were convinced of what those people told us about the impending arrival of these monsters.”
Even though they hadn’t found any living people in the first few villas, they had discovered some items that confirmed the residents’ identities, such as passports or identity cards.
Si Yin Yuan recognized two of the individuals as well-known pre-apocalypse nouveau riche. He also deduced that the group’s target audience was likely uneducated wealthy individuals, who, during pre-apocalyptic times, were the most greedy for self-preservation and the most useful.
However, this was all before the apocalypse, back when money was still valuable and could be used to create many things and stockpile resources.
Ji Jiu thought that the description of the seed sounded somewhat familiar, like something he had seen before, but he couldn’t recall it. Perhaps it was something utterly unimportant.
Back when he was still a seed, he was quite cute—a small, round, green seed, like a little translucent pearl.
That’s why he had ended up in a seed shop’s corner, where his owner found and took him home.
Si Yin Yuan, unaware of the little grass’s elation, couldn’t help but let a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth.
This sentence stirred quite a few ripples, and the expressions of many people in the room changed.
“Mutants’ seeds before the apocalypse? How is that possible!?”Yu Feichen muttered in confusion. Ji Jiu thought, “What’s impossible about it? I’m standing right in front of you, talking.”
Yu Feichen’s eyes betrayed a growing sense of apprehension. “So what exactly are these mutants? Why do they speak? Why are there mutants that can transform into humans, and even some that existed before the apocalypse?”
As they delved further into the discussion, their apprehension deepened.
At this moment, Si Yin Yuan’s steady voice carried extra weight as he changed the subject, asking, “You mentioned that you know the location from which the distress signal was sent?”
Chen Zhaonian nodded, “Yes, it’s in the central area of this island.”
“Central area?” Ying Xiao looked slightly surprised. “But that place is engulfed in a red mist.”
“We called it the ‘Beautiful Red Lip Sea,'” Chen Zhaonian’s tone suddenly became somewhat strange. “There, we planted many hotlips flowers.”
It was evident that the central area had turned into a severely affected zone.
Chen Zhaonian became anxious, “Are you really going there? Please don’t make me go. It’s terrifying out there, and I’ll die immediately if I step outside!”
This was a typical reaction for most people when facing mutants.
“Of course, you can stay,”Yu Feichen said nonchalantly.
Chen Zhaonian’s eyes bulged, and his desire for survival surged. “Really?”
Yu Feichen wore an amiable expression. “Of course, but when we find what we’re looking for, we won’t take any more risks to find you.”
A thinly veiled threat.
Chen Zhaonian turned pale, realizing that his supplies and weapons could only last for about another year. Would he meet the same fate as the others, starving to death or being overwhelmed by mutants that breached his home? No, those weren’t the most crucial matters.
What he feared the most, buried deep within him, was loneliness.
He longed to return to the company of people.
With his hand clutching the stone tightly, he gritted his teeth. “I understand. We will go with you.”
Ji Jiu, bored, let out a small yawn.
Si Yin Yuan lowered his head with concern. “Tired?”
“Mm,” Ji Jiu mumbled, still frustrated about not being able to recall where he’d seen that seed before.
Si Yin Yuan said, “It’s already late. Let’s rest for the night.”
A clear preference for comfort.
After so many days, Ji Jiu could finally sleep on a proper bed. He was so delighted that he felt like jumping on it. But Si Yin Yuan swiftly held him back, just like a concerned parent. He released golden flames, cleansing the bed of any dust. The golden flames didn’t touch the sheets, leaving them untouched but making the bed spotlessly clean.
He usually wasn’t so meticulous, but Ji Jiu had sensitive skin, and he didn’t want him to get any dirt on it. It had become a habit, and taking care of Ji Jiu had become second nature to him.
“Vitality – Extraction” could incinerate all impurities. He had named this ability without thinking much about it initially, but as his mastery of this power increased, he often received complaints that he should change the name to “Omnipotence.”
Ji Jiu started rolling around on the bed.
Mid-roll, Si Yin Yuan caught him and, in a deep, resonant voice, told him, “Sleep, my dear.”
“Okay,” Ji Jiu said. He then took out his starfish and asked, “Can Star sleep with us?”
The yellow sea star, under the man’s gaze, instinctively started trembling.
Reverting his gaze away, Si Yin Yuan said with the same tone, “Yes, it can.”
Ji Jiu happily placed the starfish on the pillow above. The starfish remained nestled there between the two of them.
Ji Jiu patted the bed excitedly. “Let’s sleep!”
With that, he curled up in the covers and closed his eyes.
Left behind, Si Yin Yuan and the starfish faced each other.
Gradually, his gaze darkened. For the first time, he realized that this starfish was utterly redundant and irritating.
The starfish: ?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ji Jiu, carefree and oblivious, had already fallen asleep, completely unaware of the new presence of an irritable owner and a terrified starfish.