Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 56
Blown up
Aside from Chen Zhaonian’s frightened and heavy breathing, no one else in the chamber made a sound.
The scene in front of them played out like a surreal silent movie. The projector displayed the fleshy ball, the twisted tentacles writhing and intertwining, almost transparent on the outside but containing dark viscous fluid inside. This disturbing display made everyone uneasy.
Ji Jiu, not understanding why everyone’s faces had suddenly turned grim, tugged at his owner’s clothing. “I’ve seen this thing before in the Holy Grace Church,” he said, his innocent eyes meeting the gaze of Si Yin Yuan.
This revelation seemed to ease Si Yin Yuan’s initially dark expression. He gently patted Ji Jiu’s head and acknowledged, “Yes.”
Even though only senior disciples were permitted to see the Holy Lord enter the inner sanctum, what the Church worshiped was no secret to those in the base.
Yu Feichen, who was temporarily stunned into silence, finally found his voice and expressed his disbelief. “What on earth is happening…”
Li Chao regained his composure quickly and asked, “Do you remember the founder of the Church?”
Si Yin Yuan’s eyes darkened, and he replied, “The Holy Lord.”
Chen Zhaonian, not understanding their conversation, trembled with fear and took several steps back. Even though this was just a projection, he couldn’t shake the intense dread that first gripped him when he laid eyes on this seed.
Unfortunately, he was pulled back by Ying Xiao. With a gloomy face and sunken eye sockets, he inquired, “Are you saying that the Holy Lord is responsible for showing you this thing?”
Chen Zhaonian’s legs turned to jelly, and he stammered, “No, I don’t know anything. I was blindfolded and led there by the owner of this island. He also introduced me to this signal tower. That’s all I know!”
However, the owner of this island had already perished in the Red Lips Sea. Except for this projection device, there were no other clues left.
Si Yin Yuan ordered, “Bring the projector back.”
Li Chao complied, approaching the projector, but as he picked it up, he heard a faint ticking sound, akin to a ticking clock.
Being a former police officer from before the apocalypse, Li Chao had a heightened sense of awareness. Acting faster than his own thoughts, he quickly tossed the projector into a clear area, then immediately dropped to the floor.
The explosion resounded through the chamber, scattering black shrapnel fragments and emitting a pungent odor. The projector had self-detonated.
Si Yin Yuan swiftly protected Ji Jiu as the explosion occurred, and once it was safe, he examined the aftermath. Unfortunately, the most important chip had been destroyed in the blast.
“This projector was rigged with a bomb. It would explode the moment it was moved away from the table,” Si Yin Yuan concluded.
Had it not been for Li Chao’s quick thinking, both his hands would have likely been injured.
Yu Feichen’s expression turned even grimmer. “These people are like rats, willing to do anything to avoid exposure.”
He turned to grab Chen Zhaonian by the collar and shouted angrily, “Why didn’t you report to the country? Why did you choose to hide when you knew something was going to happen?”
This global-scale mutation had claimed far too many lives, and Yu Feichen was struggling to stay calm. He thought, what if we had known in advance? Maybe then we wouldn’t have lost so many lives that fateful night.
The first night of the apocalypse saw the most significant drop in the global population, marking the beginning of nightmares for countless families.
Chen Zhaonian was trembling with fear. “I didn’t know, I really didn’t know it would be this serious. We all believed we just needed to hide in remote, uninhabited places for a few months. I thought it was just a form of species mutation. Who could have foreseen that all living beings on Earth would suddenly start mutating globally?”
His expression hinted at a breakdown, and he yelled back at Yu Feichen, “Do you really think anyone would have believed me if I reported this at the time?”
Yu Feichen let go of Chen Zhaonian’s collar, his eyes cold. “Who knows? You were just selfish, don’t try to make excuses.”
Chen Zhaonian wanted to argue but found himself unable to form any words.
Yes, he had been selfish. Back then, he believed that perhaps only a few thousand people might die, and he could take a vacation on a private island. He would wait until the danger had completely passed, and the military would have eliminated the mutants before letting a private helicopter fly him back home. Little did he know that the death toll wouldn’t be in the thousands but in the billions, and that human civilization would crumble as a result.
In the dimly lit room, Ji Ning removed his hat. “When I gained my powers, I had to drink blood inside the base, and many people rejected my job applications. The Security and the judiciary team didn’t need me. But before I joined the Hunter’s Guild, the Holy Lord actually approached me.”
“Go on,” Si Yin Yuan urged.
Ji Ning continued, “I refused because I didn’t have any faith. I believed that in the apocalypse, it was better to rely on myself. However, I always remembered the conditions that the Holy Lord offered me. He promised me a generous number of points each month and fresh blood daily. He had only one requirement – to be by his side at all times.”
The Holy Lord had been quite skilled at manipulating people. He understood Ji Ning’s vulnerability at the time and offered the terms most difficult for him to resist.
Ying Xiao scoffed, “And now the scoundrel has a loyal dog following him around.”
The relationship between the Hunter’s Guild and the Church had never been good, and they weren’t fools. At this stage, they could see that the Church had its secrets. At least, that Holy Lord had definitely kept many things hidden from the base.
Ji Jiu had finished his canned meat, and a small black mist hovered on his shoulder. He casually stuffed the empty can into the mist.
The small black mist swelled a little and grew to the size of a small black cat.
A golden flame, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, joined them. It had been observing the black mist sneakily and, upon seeing it eat the canned meat, rushed to get a new can. However, in its eagerness, it accidentally crushed the can it was reaching for, reducing it to ashes.
The black mist noticed that its stash was now one can short, and it grew furious. It went to find the golden flame to fight. A ball of black and a ball of gold tussled on the ground. The golden one refrained from fighting back and let the black one roll and flatten it.
Si Yin Yuan witnessed the entire ridiculous spectacle. For a moment, his anger toward the Church subsided as he watched the antics of the two supernatural entities.
For Si Yin Yuan, the golden flame was more like a manifestation of mental power rather than a true fire. He couldn’t believe that the psychic energy he’d separated would behave so foolishly.
Ji Jiu retrieved another can of food and asked while eating, “Should we bring this projectors’ pieces back with us?”
Si Yin Yuan withdrew his gaze and replied, “Yes, let’s leave now.”
This mission couldn’t be concealed from other factions. If this matter was indeed related to the Church, he couldn’t imagine what kind of trouble the Holy Lord might stir up within the base.
The Church had both regular people and awakened individuals among its followers. The Church preached a principle of equality, accepting everyone regardless of whether they were regular people or awakened. However, if someone wanted to become a senior follower and see the Holy Lord every day, they had to dedicate their entire being to the Lord.
They were not allowed to work for other factions within the base.
Because of these restrictions, it was difficult to gather information about the inner workings of the Church.
Ji Jiu, straightforward and innocent, said, “So, this mission basically brought back a bunch of useless trash.”
Chen Zhaonian hesitated to speak, and in the end, he remained silent.
Si Yin Yuan patted Ji Jiu’s head. “No, this is enough.”
The base was also in need of some reorganization.
A trace of wildness appeared in Si Yin Yuan’s golden eyes, coupled with a hint of haughtiness. He had always acted swiftly and decisively, but after serving as the Guild Chief for a while, he had toned down some of his nature. However, now that someone was exposing themselves, he had no qualms about taking action.
In a certain sense, his personality was quite similar to Ji Jiu’s. Whether it appeared mature or naive on the surface, it couldn’t conceal their inherent rebelliousness.
Ji Jiu looked eager. “So, can we take all this food back with us?”
Si Yin Yuan nodded, speaking in a calm tone with a hint of indulgence, “Yes, you found them, so they’re all yours. I’ll take care of the allocations to the base and the guild.”
According to the Hunter’s Code, any resources found by hunters must be distributed, with 40% going to the base, 20% to the guild, and the rest being divided among the hunters involved in the mission.
Ji Jiu cheered with joy. “So, how do we get them onto the ship?”
Si Yin Yuan cast a chilly glance at Chen Zhaonian. “Naturally, we’ll need to distribute some manpower. Those who don’t contribute will have no use returning.”
A blatant threat.
It was this person who had corrupted Ji Jiu. The situation was extremely dire.
Chen Zhaonian felt uneasy and knew he had misunderstood Ji Jiu from the beginning. Rather than Ji Jiu clinging to Si Yin Yuan, it was this terrifying man who was utterly captivated by Ji Jiu.
Faced with Si Yin Yuan’s imposing presence, he didn’t dare to voice any complaints and could only nod in agreement.
Over the next half a day, he, along with Ji Jiu and the others, tirelessly hauled resources onto the ship, including various mutated creatures they encountered along the way. He nearly exhausted himself, but this exertion seemed to clear his mind, and he stopped muttering to himself in front of the stone.
Yue Feichen couldn’t help but exclaim, “It seems this kind of self-inflicted neurosis really needs someone ruthless to cure it.”
Si Yin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back. “Hm?”
Yue Feichen got caught in his words and quickly said, “I’ll help keep an eye on them! If they continue at this pace, they might not make it by the time the sun comes up.”
With that, he rushed off, leaving only Ji Jiu and Si Yin Yuan on the ship. The moonlight cast a gentle misty glow over Ji Jiu, making him appear tranquil.
It seemed quiet enough, except that Ji Jiu’s hand was busy with a can of food, and he fed the empty can to his black mist. This time, it was a swift, natural movement. The canister was taken from his hand almost instantly.
Si Yin Yuan quickly intervened, saying, “…Don’t eat random things.”
Ji Jiu, looking innocent, swiftly fed the last can to the black mist, then raised his head with a completely innocent expression, “Hmm?”
The Golden Flame couldn’t resist and sneaked out again. It kept changing forms in front of the black mist, trying to communicate with it.
Telling it not to swallow things indiscriminately.
One moment, it took the form of a wolf; the next, it transformed into something else, completely concealing the power that could instantly claim lives in the blink of an eye.
The round, coal-like black mist observed in silence for a while, then opened its mouth and belched.
The Golden Flame: Melted by cuteness.
It made a motion as if it were shot and fell to the ground in front of the black mist.
Si Yin Yuan looked at his own Golden Flame and Ji Jiu’s black mist playing together, and he had to admit that his psychic power did seem a bit less intelligent.