Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 6
Ji Jiu poked his head out of the shaky armored vehicle. He had been completely coaxed and now looked as happy as a child going on a spring outing.
Si Yin Yuan’s gaze fell deeply on him, finding something familiar about the clothes Ji Jiu was wearing.
It was normal for clothes to have the same style, so he dismissed it as something he had seen before.
After the apocalypse, resources were severely scarce, and people were still wearing clothes from three years ago. There was hardly any clothing production anymore, and ordinary people couldn’t afford the clothes made after the apocalypse with their points.
Si Yin Yuan reached out and grabbed the back collar of Ji Jiu’s clothes, pulling him back like holding a little chick.
“Sit properly. We’re leaving the ‘Waste City’ now,” he patted the seat next to him.
“‘Waste City’?” Ji Jiu blinked his eyes and didn’t sit properly even after being pulled back. He leaned against the man.
It was rare for them to have such intimate contact. Si Yin Yuan forced his attention away from the area where their bodies touched and explained, “It refers to abandoned cities. Besides that, there are also ‘Wastelands,’ which are the outskirts and areas occupied by mutants.”
Looking at Ji Jiu’s obedient appearance, Si Yin Yuan couldn’t help but add, “This is a recent term. Previously, we directly called the areas outside the base ‘Slaughterhouse.'”
It was more brutal and straightforward.
Mutants were butchers, and humans were the prey to be slaughtered. That’s why the Hunter’s Guild was established, representing humans with the ability to enter the food chain and become a higher link in it.
The title “Slaughterhouse” was officially abolished after the first anniversary of the establishment of the Hunter’s Guild.
Li Chao smiled, “It’s rare to see Captain Si so patient.”
If it were any other time and he was asked such a basic question, he would have… Oh no, no one would dare ask Captain Si such a question in the first place.
The vehicle left the once bustling city and gradually entered the “Wasteland.”
Although this was a vehicle traveling at high speed and occasionally shooting bullets, Si Yin Yuan still worried that Ji Jiu would pick up some strange things to nibble on when he turned his head.
So he took out two pieces of pre-apocalyptic chocolate from the car and gave them to Ji Jiu.
These were supposed to be for emergencies.
The foolish little plant had never eaten chocolate before. He held it like a precious furry rodent and nibbled on it bit by bit.
The rich taste of chocolate spread in his mouth, and Ji Jiu’s fluffy leaves seemed to come alive with more vitality.
A word that was somewhat unfamiliar to him suddenly popped into his mind – cute.
Si Yin Yuan chuckled. He had almost forgotten how long it had been since he last used that adjective.
The last thing that made him feel this way was the small potted plant at home.
That was the only living thing he had successfully taken care of all these years.
Watering it every day, touching its leaves.
Although he didn’t know why, it never grew taller, remaining a small, pitiful, and cute plant in the pot.
Unfortunately, almost all plants were now in opposition to humans.
The small potted plant could have turned into an ugly and cruel mutant, or it could have been eaten long ago under the law of survival of the fittest in the world. He didn’t want to see either of those outcomes.
So even though their mission was close to his pre-apocalyptic home, he never had the thought of going back to take a look.
Sensing the subtle change in his mood, Ji Jiu immediately looked over with his round, watery eyes.
His pupils and hair color were gentle and dark, as if he would never be tainted by the evil things in the world.
Si Yin Yuan’s golden eyes deepened. “It’s nothing.”
After passing through this “Wasteland,” they would arrive at the largest base with the most survivors in the entire Hua Country.
The original vegetation and animals in the “Wasteland” were more abundant than in the “Waste City,” making it more challenging.
However, this area had already been cleared by the base’s people, so they only spent two days crossing it.
Ji Jiu looked at the long queue of people outside and exclaimed, “Wow, so many people!” Most of them, like him, didn’t have the green medals.
They had tattered clothes and didn’t look very well.
Yu Fei sighed, “There must have been an incident at some small base in the past few days, and these people are fleeing here.”
Fortunately, their base was large enough to accommodate everyone, but there would be another mad dog coming out to bite people at the meeting tomorrow.
Outside the base, there were not only people in line but also those maintaining order.
Ji Jiu pressed against the car window and pointed at those people in uniform gray outfits, “Why do they hold guns and bully people?”
Yu Fei’s expression was somewhat awkward. “They’re not bullying people, they’re… maintaining order.”
In the distance, a team leader in a gray uniform kicked over a mother with a child, laughing harshly, and forced her to step back behind the yellow line.
Even though she was accidentally pushed by the crowded crowd and stepped on the line.
The child helped the confused mother up, crying, and the woman kept apologizing to them.
She was afraid that this unpleasant incident would result in her being disqualified from entering the base.
This wasn’t the only dispute. These people in gray uniforms had an arrogant attitude, as if they were treating survivors not as survivors but as shameless beggars.
There were also some security team members with slightly better attitudes, but they dared not confront their colleagues or superiors. They just stood silently, holding their heavy guns.
Yu Fei also saw the scene, and he suddenly closed his mouth and stopped explaining. He stepped on the accelerator, nearly crashing through two roadblocks, and came to the side of the team leader who had just kicked someone.
Hu Zi, who was scared, originally wanted to get angry but held back when he saw the license plate.
He adjusted his hat and walked over, knocking on the car window. His tone was exaggeratedly obsequious, “Chief, you’re back?”
He spoke with a fawning tone, without a trace of his previous arrogance.
The base currently had seven leaders, and only Si Yin Yuan was addressed as “Chief.”
He was the Chief of Hunters, as well as the unquestionable strongest human.
No one in the car fell for his act, except for Ji Jiu, who curiously glanced at him.
He felt that he changed faces as fast as the drama masks that had appeared on TV before.
Hu Zi had time to take a glance at Ji Jiu and was shocked.
He had never heard of a beauty like this by Si Yin Yuan’s side before. Was this still the rumored ice king?
Yu Fei didn’t mince words and asked, “How did you get released without being leashed?”
As the saying goes, don’t bite the hand that feeds you, but the hunters were a group of unruly individuals, especially those who were close to Si Yin Yuan. They were all rebellious and nothing worked except Si Yin Yuan’s words.
The conflict between the base’s security team and the hunters was no longer a secret, but they still maintained superficial calmness. Hu Zi hadn’t expected to be insulted so directly, and he was so angry that he almost drew his gun.
He had no ability of his own to become a team leader. It was all thanks to his good uncle, the captain of the security team.
Ji Jiu didn’t understand, “Why is he angry?”
Li Chao chimed in, “That’s called being furious with embarrassment.”
Si Yin Yuan sat motionless, not even giving a glance. Hu Zi, who had intended to be overbearing, was scared out of his wits by the aura emanating from Si Yin Yuan.
He took a step back, his face stiff. “I won’t disturb you anymore. Please go to the Hunter’s Line.”
He didn’t dare say another word after being scolded, completely different from his previous arrogant attitude.
He stood among the crowd, feeling that everyone, including his subordinates, was laughing at him. His face turned as red as a pig’s liver.
There were noticeably fewer people in the Hunter’s Line. When they saw the license plates of the two cars, they automatically made way, allowing them to pass through the checkpoint smoothly.
The gatekeepers sat in the small windows resembling a prison, taking blood samples from them through the bars.
Ji Jiu hesitated as he stared at the needle. His blood, whether in smell or appearance, was no different from that of ordinary humans. He didn’t know if it would reveal anything when tested.
He had already vaguely sensed that humans’ attitude toward mutants couldn’t possibly be friendly.
The hesitation in his eyes was interpreted by Si Yin Yuan as a sign of being afraid of pain and being delicate.
He should have straightforwardly told this little bundle of grass to get the blood drawn, but what he said was, “It won’t hurt.”
With his cold expression, it was hard to believe that he was trying to comfort him.
No one made that connection. Everyone present was stealing glances at this conspicuous and gentle-looking young man who had been brought back, speculating about his identity.
Ji Jiu said, “Okay,” as he extended his hand, revealing a fair section of his arm with faint purple veins at his wrist.
He watched as his blood was collected in a small tube and put into a testing machine, curiously asking, “What can it detect?”
Yufei rolled down his sleeve. “It can detect if there’s contamination by mutants. Some mutants can enter the base through humans. There were several major incidents before, but they stopped happening after the research institute introduced this machine.”
Back then, the hunters who accidentally brought mutants inside suddenly turned from heroes into rats that everyone shouted to kill. At that time, Si Yin Yuan hadn’t yet become the Chief of Hunters. In the end, they “voluntarily” signed an agreement to leave the base and never looked back.
During the wait, Li Chao asked the gatekeeper for a long registration form for Ji Jiu to fill out. This form had to be filled out by every survivor who wanted to become a legal resident of the base.
Besides some essential required items, the last item at the bottom asked if there were any superpowers.
Ji Jiu wrote “yes” in a serious font like a primary school student.
The gatekeeper took it and his eyes fell on the superpower section. He raised his emotionless eyes. “Please go to the official association to confirm your superpower within three days.”
“Okay.”
The testing didn’t take long. Ten minutes later, the gatekeeper stamped and cleared them.
Ji Jiu glanced at the small tube containing his blood and secretly released a wisp of black mist into it, ready to destroy it at any moment.
Not being detected now didn’t mean it wouldn’t be in the future. Human technology always progressed rapidly.
When they passed through the disinfection checkpoint, it was pitch black. Si Yin Yuan remembered Ji Jiu’s timid and fearful appearance just now and paused his steps.
He would probably be very scared if left alone in the dark.
He was indeed delicate.
Si Yin Yuan took the edge of his own garment and stuffed it into Ji Jiu’s hand, still wearing a cold and resolute expression as he walked forward.
Ji Jiu: ovo?