Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 88

Touch the leaves

Upon returning to the base, they noticed that the welcoming team had grown, and there was a row of neatly dressed combat squads at the north gate, their expressions firm and resolute, devoid of any laziness.

Since the incident with the Gama Defense Barrier, the base promptly adjusted its new combat squads as military reserves. It was a change orchestrated by Si Yin Yuan, utilizing his authority as the base leader.

Approaching the team, Si Yin Yuan spotted Og, waving to him, “Is something wrong?”

Og got down from the vehicle, saluting, “Yes, another base fell. You hadn’t returned yet, so after unanimous voting from the upper echelons, we decided to accept them.”

Ji Jiu turned to look at those people in line, most of them ordinary, with only a few awakened, and none of them seemed to be attackers.

This scene coincidentally overlapped with the unexpected one when he was first brought back to the base.

At that time, it was also after a base fell, and survivors sought refuge in their base.

Unexpectedly, less than a year later, it was another base collapse.

If this continued, how many bases could survive?

The human environment was gradually deteriorating.

Ji Jiu noticed a mother holding her baby still in swaddling clothes. The baby’s face was pale, too weak even to cry. The mother’s thin face revealed a look of anxiety as she looked to the queue, seeking help.

Someone, unable to bear it, exchanged places with her, but even so, the queue remained endless.

The baby’s movements gradually weakened.

The mother had nothing to nourish it with, only anxiously coaxing the baby to be good.

Suddenly, Ji Jiu acted, feeling his body and retrieving the only remaining tube of nutrient fluid, handing it to her.

This was the first time he shared food with a human other than the owner.

No particular reason, just felt like doing it.

The mother hesitated for a moment, hastily thanked him, and tremblingly took it. Though she appeared very frail, in that moment, she became exceptionally strong, without any hesitation, she opened the cap and fed the baby a few sips.

Watching the baby’s complexion gradually improve, tears that had been held back in her eyes finally fell.

Ji Jiu curiously asked, “Why are all of you ordinary people?”

This question had no hidden meaning; it was a simple inquiry. After all, in the post-apocalyptic world of survival of the fittest, survivors of a collapsed base shouldn’t be the weaker ones.

The mother looked into his clear eyes, feeling no offense, and explained softly, “We were able to reach here because awakened individuals sacrificed themselves according to the Fireseed Plan.”

“What is the Fireseed Plan?”

The mother showed him her baby, the worry on her face dissipated, replaced by a bit of a smile. “This is the Fireseed.”

“His father, my husband, stayed at the base during the evacuation of the main force to ensure the safety of the Fireseed. They split into two factions – one guarded the base gate to attract the attention of the mutants and perished with the base, while the other was responsible for escorting the main force on the road.”

Ji Jiu only now noticed that many of these fragile humans were young lives, and there were even pregnant women among them.

So, these were the Fireseeds.

He still didn’t understand, “But isn’t this the lowest casualty plan?”

Due to the influence of the Tower Devouring Exology, mutants repeatedly lowered their demand for “reproduction.” When the highest priority became consumption, reproduction seemed insignificant.

Clearly, humans didn’t see it that way.

They possessed a belief that Small Grass couldn’t comprehend, one about the continuation of life.

“Perhaps,” the mother held the sleeping child tightly, “When we set out, we were nearly ten thousand strong, and now there are less than two thousand. If those young awakened ones had stayed and we left, maybe it wouldn’t have…”

Behind the cold numbers were bloody sacrifices.

It took the sacrifice of one life after another to bring the final remaining thousand people to the base.

The baby, influenced by the mother’s emotions, woke up and babbled, reaching out to play with a strand of her fallen hair.

With bright grape-like eyes, the baby looked at Ji Jiu and giggled.

A voice came from behind. Ji Jiu and the little baby waved goodbye, took a few steps, and then turned back.

He smiled at the mother, “But leaving him behind is definitely the right choice. He’s a very outstanding awakened.”

A brilliant little Fireseed.

“Huh?” The mother was stunned, looking down at the baby in her arms.

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.

Ji Jiu ran back to the owner’s side, tilted his head, and chattered away, sharing what he had just seen.

When he mentioned that the baby also had awakened abilities, Hu Yan suddenly intervened.

Hu Yan pushed up his golden-rimmed glasses, “This is actually a strange phenomenon. Almost all babies born after the apocalypse awaken abilities, while the proportion of people like us, born before the apocalypse, awakening abilities is rare.”

“However, the number of newborns after the apocalypse has rapidly decreased, and their survival rate is low. Could it be that this is really…”

Ji Jiu pressed for more information, “Really what?”

Hu Yan, however, stopped, unwilling to say more, his usually refined appearance revealing a hint of suppressed irritability.

Si Yin Yuan sensed something, pulled Ji Jiu back into his embrace, “We need to meet Seer granny.”

“Sure,” Hu Yan composed himself, returning to his usual refined demeanor.

However, Ji Jiu’s focus wasn’t on that. He tugged at the owner’s clothes, “Where are those people going?”

He noticed some familiar faces, those who had guarded the gate that day.

Si Yin Yuan said, “Go to the obliterated base and bring back any other survivors.”

The likelihood of this was extremely low; they had a more important mission – to bring back mutant samples from there for comparison. This was to determine any commonalities with the mutants that had gone mad and concentrated their attacks on the base when the Gama Defense Barrier collapsed.

Hu Yan checked his watch, “Let’s go, meet Seer granny first.”

In the past, meeting her required scheduling, and many people would listen in. Si Yin Yuan, now the base leader, bypassed this step using his authority.

Seer Granny remained dazed, showing no reaction when she saw him and Ji Jiu approaching.

Without a prophecy, she was no different from an ordinary Alzheimer’s patient.

Si Yin Yuan asked everyone to leave, leaving only three people in the room – or more accurately, two people and a little grass. “Hello,” Si Yin Yuan gently patted the little grass, then got straight to the point, “Is he the one you mentioned for the turning point?”

Seer granny clapped her hands in a daze, counting beats with closed eyes.

As expected, Si Yin Yuan felt a slight regret in his heart. Turning around to leave with Ji Jiu, they were suddenly stopped.

Seer granny opened her eyes, a trace of clarity flashing through her clouded gaze, “Blossoming is an ill omen.”

“Blossoming?” Si Yin Yuan frowned, “What is blossoming?”

“Hahaha?” Seer granny’s gaze blanked out again, returning to a state of foolishness, pointing at him and laughing heartily.

Unable to get any answers, Si Yin Yuan pondered, pressed the call button, and watched as Seer granny was once again surrounded by medical staff, filled with doubts.

No answers obtained, but a new prophecy received.

Weixian stood on an overturned vehicle, looking regretfully at the wreckage. “The fate of humanity is truly lamentable,” he expressed, his eyes, however, filled with twisted satisfaction as if experiencing a form of schizophrenic pleasure.

Below, Blood Sect members clad in uniform robes were conducting the final cleanup. Those with only a breath left were ruthlessly executed using brutal methods. The distinctive feature of these robes was their ability to cover individuals entirely, leaving only a pair of eyes visible.

The Church robes were originally given to High Priest by Weixian, but unfortunately, his plan was not executed in time, and the useless church leader brought about his own demise.

Thinking of this, Weixian couldn’t help but wear a cold expression. His temper had always been capricious, and he jumped down directly from the vehicle.

A Blood Sect member, approximately two meters tall, was about to raise a butcher knife to strike down a survivor hiding in the crevice. Seeing Weixian approaching, he quickly stepped back.

“You monsters!” The man, knowing he couldn’t escape death, closed his eyes, stretching his neck, “You will face retribution!”

As soon as the term “monster” was uttered, the Blood Sect members in the vicinity became agitated, angrily approaching.

This word was a taboo within the Blood Sect.

Jiang Yi’s expression was icy. “Do you need me to drag him out for you?”

“No,” Weixian, in an unusual twist, enjoyed the title.

His ashen-colored pupils suddenly turned red, intensifying his already gloomy expression. The survivor, who had just hidden in the crevice, suddenly felt a splitting headache and involuntarily moved.

Before everyone’s eyes, he slowly raised his hand.

“No, please,” he pleaded, conscious yet powerless.

The sickening sound of hands entering flesh echoed.

“Ah, ahh, ahh!!!”

He directly stabbed his own eyes and began forcefully stirring.

The screams were relentless.

The Blood Sect members around emitted joyous laughter, as if watching a highly entertaining performance.

Until the man breathed his last.

Jiang Yi’s distressed expression eased as he said, “Boss, let’s go back. The status of the Aster Flower has been somewhat unstable lately.”

Only the final step remained here: to “eliminate” and cover this base.

Weixian replied, “Don’t be impatient; I have a feeling that Precious will come looking for me again.”

Jiang Yi couldn’t quite understand, “You seem to value him a lot.”

Weixian had never shown concern for anyone before; everyone, in his eyes, was a failure. However, this person named Ji Jiu was different. Different enough that, even if he were an opposing failure, Weixian would go to great lengths to take him away.

Weixian’s right hand twitched nervously again, indicating he was entering an excited state. “Of course, he’s the most special one.”

“I love him, just as he loves me.”

His murmurs sounded like a kind of enchantment.

Recalling, Jiang Yi thought Ji Jiu’s expression when he saw Weixian had remained unchanged… His gaze was no different from looking at a stone by the roadside.

Uncertain of what his subordinate, who had gone rogue, was thinking, Weixian pointed to his heart, “This is where he left his mark.”

…

Sitting on the bed, Si Yin Yuan dried Ji Jiu’s hair and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really have no memories of the Blood Sect?”

Ji Jiu kissed him at the corner of his mouth, shaking his head, “None at all.”

“But he calls you ‘Precious.'”

Ji Jiu asserted, “That’s because he’s sick.”

Putting down the hairdryer, Si Yin Yuan kissed him affectionately, “Xiao Jiu, what should I do with you?”

Ji Jiu shivered at his tenderness, feeling his face heating up.

Tonight, the way the master looked at him seemed a bit off.

Si Yin Yuan bent down, deepening the kiss, and couldn’t help but coax, “How about we plant a little flower?”

His hands, with distinct joints, easily gripped Ji Jiu’s slender waist, making it impossible for him to escape.

Ji Jiu’s skin was delicate and left marks easily, but unfortunately, it also recovered quickly. The kiss marks had already faded, which displeased Si Yin Yuan.

As the words fell, Ji Jiu, in a moment of danger, transformed back into a little grass, sensing the danger.

“Ji! Why are you touching me?”

Si Yin Yuan looked distressed, “Didn’t you say to touch you every day?”

Ji Jiu lifted his tiny leaf, “Ji! Touch the leaf!”

Seeing that the deception didn’t work this time, Si Yin Yuan suppressed the desire in his eyes, retracted his wolf’s tail, and gently rubbed the leaf, “Okay, touch the leaf.”