After inspecting the cornfield, Gu Xi had just returned to her dorm when she received a call from Li Ming.
In the video call, Li Ming looked sowhat weary. "Xiaoxi, I know everything. It was Li Xiao."
Gu Xi frowned. "Li Xiao? Your... cousin?"
Gu Xi rembered Li Xiao, but it wasn’t him who had left a deep impression—it was his absolutely terrible parents.
Back then, those awful people had sohow found out that Li Ming wasn’t dead and was even doing well at the Central Base. They had shown up with their whole family in tow, insisting that Li Ming take care of them from then on.
Having had his family’s assets seized by that couple before being personally shoved into a horde of zombies, Li Ming naturally refused.
The couple then brought up Li Ming’s parents, who had been dead for years. They claid that Li Ming’s father had sworn at his own father’s deathbed that he would take care of his younger brother—Li Xiao’s father—for his entire life.
Now that Li Ming’s father was gone, it was up to the son to pay the father’s debt. Li Ming was now responsible for taking care of his uncle.
But at the ti, Li Ming had been nothing more than a frail boy of eleven or twelve.
The whole family threw tantrums and made a scene, demanding he take responsibility. Anyone who witnessed it would have called them the worst kind of people.
Gu Xi couldn’t rember how Li Ming had handled it in the end. She only knew that not long after, the couple disappeared, leaving behind only a young Li Xiao, who was eventually sent to the base’s orphanage by Li Ming.
Li Ming nodded, his hands resting on his wheelchair. He tapped his fingertips lightly and said softly, "Yes, that’s him."
Initially, Li Ming hadn’t paid his young cousin much mind.
Unexpectedly, however, Li Xiao proved to be quite capable. He secretly used Li Ming’s na, posing as the brother of the Doomsday Squad’s vice-captain, and eventually managed to worm his way into the base’s managent.
Although his position wasn’t high-ranking at the ti, it was enough to make people see him in a new light.
When Li Ming later found out, he did nothing. Instead, he allowed his young cousin to continue using his na to get ahead.
This continued until ten years ago, when a problem arose with his ability. If he had remained in his position, he would have beco a living target for others.
But if he were to step down voluntarily, others might not necessarily rest easy.
And so, Li Xiao beca useful.
At the ti, Li Xiao was one of the eight deputy chiefs of the logistics departnt, but he already had his eyes on the chief’s position.
So, Li Ming had soone spread a rumor: if the two Li cousins were to control two of the base’s most critical departnts simultaneously, it would likely make the base’s top leadership deeply wary...
Thus, in order to climb the ladder, Li Xiao naturally had to kick away his cousin, who had beco a stepping stone.
And just like that, Li Ming made a "tragic and miserable" exit from the intelligence departnt and faded into the background.
"Why would he do this?" Gu Xi asked while organizing so docunts.
She didn’t really understand Li Xiao’s actions.
From the current situation, it was clear that regardless of which side Li Xiao had allied with back then, he had now been reduced to a pawn, cast aside after the ga was played.
Even if he completely disrupted the current state of affairs, he could only secure his position temporarily. This move would undoubtedly offend many people, and his future... would likely be a grim one.
Li Ming didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, he said, "Li Xiao went to Region 0569 a few days ago."
Gu Xi’s fingers, which were hovering over the Light Screen, paused. She looked up. "I rember... Ye Xin is there too."
"Correct." Li Ming’s hand, resting on his thigh, tapped slowly. "Xiaoxi, I suspect that batch of Hibernation Chambers is hidden in Region 0569."
Gu Xi frowned slightly. ’If they were really hidden there, it’s impossible that Ye Xin, who went personally, hasn’t found them after searching for so many days.’
’Unless...’
Gu Xi abruptly closed the Light Screen, stood up, and opened the door.
"Miss Gu?" Outside the door, a young soldier who was just about to knock froze for a mont before saluting. "Miss Gu, soone wishes to see you."
「Fifteen minutes later.」
Gu Xi walked past the cornfield and glanced at Shen Yue, who was lazily leaning against an off-road vehicle, basking in the sun. She raised an eyebrow.
Shen Yue pointed a finger toward the nearby cornfield but averted his own gaze.
’There was nothing he could do. So of the old guard were just too embarrassing.’
In reality, however, Shen Zhennan, one of the "old guard," was very conscious of his image.
The second before Gu Xi looked over, he quickly shoved the half-eaten cob of corn he was holding into his aide’s hands, wiped his mouth, and turned to walk toward Gu Xi as if nothing had happened.
He grinned. "Gu, this rascal of mine hasn’t caused you any trouble, has he?"
Gu Xi glanced at the certain soone who was staring blankly at the sky, then nodded. "...He’s been fine."
After a mont of thought, she rembered that this was his father. Recalling the lessons on social etiquette Li Ming had taught her, Gu Xi paused before adding with sincerity, "Shen Yue is a good teammate."
Shen Zhennan was taken aback for a second, then concealed the flicker of disappointnt in his heart and let out a hearty laugh.
’A teammate is good too...’ he thought. ’After all, aren’t her forr teammates all incredibly successful now?’
"With you saying that, I can rest easy." After the pleasantries, Shen Zhennan naturally changed the subject. He looked up at the nearby cornfield. "The corn is growing well."
He had just tasted so. It had the sa flavor as it did over thirty years ago...
Gu Xi also thought she was quite skilled at farming. For this batch of corn, aside from using a little of her ability during the seedling stage, it had been left to grow naturally afterward—this was, of course, to cooperate with the researchers’ work.
After all, the vast majority of people who would go out to clear land and farm in the future would be ordinary people.
Those with abilities were, in the end, a minority.
"Are you angry?" Shen Zhennan suddenly turned back to ask her. "Those rumors in the base... they’re quite outrageous, aren’t they?"
Gu Xi stared at the baby corn in front of her and slowly shook her head.
’What’s there to be angry about?’ Although Li Ming always said she was too soft-hearted, Gu Xi knew that, deep down, she was an indifferent person.
’She wasn’t angry or bothered simply because she didn’t care.’
’That was all.’
’And in this world, there were very few people and things she truly cared about anymore.’
Shen Zhennan gave her a deep look, then took two steps forward, snapped off the baby corn she had been looking at, and tossed it to the aide behind him. He turned back. "You’re not angry even now?
Those people clearly benefited from your help. It’s one thing not to be grateful, but they even turn around to bite you, slandering you with baseless accusations, wishing they could grind you into the mud..."
Gu Xi retracted her gaze and looked up at Shen Zhennan. "It’s just a baby corn. I’m not that petty."
’Besides... those rumors and slander could no longer hurt her.’
’Shen Zhennan was bringing this up so openly—was he testing her attitude, afraid she would throw a fit and quit in a rage?’
After all, public opinion was a blade that could sotis kill without leaving a trace.
But Gu Xi truly didn’t care.
Having been in a high position for many years, Shen Zhennan had a good eye for people.
Seeing that Gu Xi genuinely wasn’t angry, he nodded and tentatively brought up the other purpose of his visit. "What if this ill wind has to blow for a while longer?"
Gu Xi understood.
If Li Ming could trace the source of this ill wind, could the Military Departnt really not do the sa?
She had discussed this matter with Li Ming just before she ca out to et Shen Zhennan.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t find it, but that now... was not the best ti to deal with it.
Because so far, besides Gu Xi, only the now-deceased Yang Qiao had been lucky enough to independently complete a plant reverse evolution experint.
But now, Yang Qiao was dead.
And soone had pinned the bla on the Military Departnt.
They claid that Yang Qiao was just a front fabricated by the Military Departnt to deceive people, that he never actually had the ability. They said the Military Departnt deliberately released this false news to attract more ability users, expand its influence, and vie for power with the base’s administration...
Even though it wasn’t true, because Yang Qiao was dead, there was no one left to corroborate the story.
Unless a new ability user could step forward, cooperate with the researchers, and complete another plant reverse evolution experint.
To defeat lies with facts.
But since there was no one else, the Military Departnt could only let Gu Xi be wronged for a while longer—it was better for people to say Gu Xi was selfishly hiding her thods than to say the Military Departnt was lying.
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