Chapter 99
After three days of continuous labor, all the grain in the field had been harvested. Bundles of rice were eared, dried, then packed in sacks for storage in silos for grain. Corns were strung with hemp ropes, dried under the eaves before being peeled and stored away. Sweet potatoes were washed, cooked, peeled, sliced, dried with fire and frost before finally turning into dried sweet potatoes that were easy to preserve. Fresh vegetables were marinated and those that couldn’t be, were put into the space of space ability users. Although they didn’t know if it would be eaten by those people, but in this time of emergency, such measures were needed.
In the next two months, the entire base was busy processing these foods and it seemed to be flourishing for a while, leaving the imminent issue of food sources behind. However, the idle Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan kept thinking about the coming disaster and looked at the gloomy eyes of more than 3000 slaves.
While the two were wondering if it was time to kill some people to save food, a phone call came from Xiangcui Bay in Kyoto, stating that they would be receiving a VIP visit in two days.
The two let go of their thoughts and planned to take such actions after receiving their guests. At the same time, Gong Yuanhang had also been invited to greet the guests with them. Gong Yuanhang couldn’t refuse and nodded in agreement.
"Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan were afraid that I would get involved in base affairs. Why would they let me go and pay respects with them at such a moment? I’m afraid there’s more to it than meets the eye. They just want to dig a pit and wait for me to jump into it." Two days later, Gong Yuanhang had sent away the guards that were sent by Bao Long to invite him to greet the guests and said so to his son who was accompanying him.
"Dad, I’ll go with you. If they dare frame you, I’ll kill them directly." Gong Lixin said so casually while playing with a third-level mid-grade power system nucleus. This crystal core was originally intended to be given to Wang Tao, but Wang Tao had just been promoted to second-level high-grade and the strength of this nucleus was a full level higher. If he hastened to absorb it, he would explode. So Gong Lixin was temporarily keeping it in this office and played with it when he was bored.
"This child, don’t just open your mouth and spew kill, kill, kill. Use your brain and find some other way!" Father Gong pretended to knock his son’s head pretentiously. This child of his also grew crooked and became more and more violent, but his mind was as simple as before, as if he didn’t grow at all. This made Father Gong want to cry and laugh with worry. In the apocalypse, mankind couldn’t live without killing. This kind of change was natural and there was no need to correct it. He just hoped that his son would always have good intentions and kindness for others, but he also didn’t want his son to become a lamb to be slaughtered by others. Killing was better than being killed.
"So, what do we do?" Gong Lixin tilted his head and asked seriously.
"Responding to change without the change happening, let’s go and see first what happens." Father Gong got up and rubbed his son’s inky smooth hair.
Without saying anything, Gong Lixin took a look at his father, blinked in confusion and followed behind him, step by step. If things did change, he’d have to kill Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan! He was resolute about that.
The large open field dedicated to the prisoners to play in had been emptied by Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan. The higher rank members amongst the prisoners and prison guards stood behind them, waiting for the VIPs coming from Xiangcui Bay to arrive.
Lin Wenbo, Song Haoran and Tan Mingyuan stood behind Bao Long, their faces somber, their different coloured irises forcefully suppressed by them. Tan Mingyuan touched the corner of his eyes and secretly felt like a pig-eating tiger, especially when Bao Long looked at him with his head held high. He felt the other person was very pitiful, like a pig awaiting to be slaughtered.
"Do you know who’s coming? What are they coming for?" Song Haoran interrupted Tan Mingyuan’s wild thoughts and asked him in a low voice.
"I heard that Song family’s Xiangcui base came about raising food." Tan Mingyuan, as the first officer under Bao Long’s leadership, knew naturally better than others and whispered back.
Song Haoran frowned and said with sarcasm, "Raising food? Right now, there’s not enough food for oneself, who would want to share it with others? The Song family is not the original Song family anymore, who else would sell their face like this?" Song Haoran was extremely nauseated, especially by Song Haoxuan, who now controlled Xiangcui Bay base. The man was insidious and vicious and had been his enemy since childhood.
"The base of Xiangcui Bay base is big and supports more than 40000 people. Now that the soil is contaminated, the farmland cultivated by earth-ability users are wasted. How could they live without food from other bases? Firearms and crystal nuclei are likely to be exchanged for these sources, but depending on the wishes of other base leaders and if they are short-sighted, they will likely agree to the exchange." Lin Wenbo murmured.
Tan Mingyuan sneered and added disdainfully, "Isn’t that the case? Bao Long’s an idiot and had agreed right away. It’s said that the price was two third-level mid-grade wind system crystal nuclei. With those two crystal nuclei, he could be promoted immediately to third-level mid-grade. I don’t know about Kang Zhengyuan’s situation, but it’s estimated that it’s similar to that of Bao Long." Speaking of third-level mid-grade, Tan Mingyuan’s eyes showed a hint of pride. He had already been promoted to third-level mid-grade and Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran had reached the peak of third-level mid-grade and would be promoted to high-grade any time now.
The three looked at the other with contempt and killing intent in their eyes. In exchange for strength, they traded the food everyone depended on. Such a stupid thing was really absurd and they couldn’t stand it! But it was not the time yet, they had not completely penetrated the forces of the two factions yet, nor had they grasped enough strength so that they would not affect the lives of the 3000 ordinary people.
Concentrating on suppressing the killing intent in their eyes, the three recovered their obedient expressions.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, there was a roar of propellers coming from the sky. A helicopter flew closer and closer to Long Snake Island and, finally landed slowly in the center of the open field. When the propeller stopped turning and the hatch opened, Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan quickly straightened out their wind-struck hair and greeted the others with an eager smile on their faces.
A man with a long and handsome appearance and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses stepped out of the door with a light, gentle smile on his face. He nodded towards the eager Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan with a bit of pride and superiority. Then, another tall man with a strong physique, a cold face and a strong aura also stepped out of the hatch and stared blankly at the crowd at the edge of the field as if searching for something.
Seeing this last person, Lin Wenbo’s and Song Haoran’s eyes darkened and their expression held a hint of worry. But it was just a hint, because this person, He Jin, had been out of touch for a while.
Seeing the turquoise eyes like a millennia old ice, Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan were startled. Their eager smiles froze in the middle of their face, making them particularly stiff. Judging from the depth of the colour of the man’s irises, he must be a wind ability user above third-level mid-grade! An absolute top master! With only one glance, they had become afraid.
Soon, the other two jumped out of the cabin and broke the slightly stagnant atmosphere in the field. These two were two young people in their early twenties. One looked ordinary, but had a great temperament and the other looked handsome, with a hint frivolity and arrogance between his brows. The two muttered to each other and didn’t notice the presence of Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan.
"Hello, welcome." Kang Zhengyuan had, after all, seen more of the world than Bao Long. After a moment of stage fright, he smiled and walked up to them. He stretched out his hand and looked at the gentleman with glasses who seemed willing to get along with them.
"Hello, Mr. Kang. My name is Zheng Chaohe, this is He Jin, the second-best ability user in our base. These two are his friends, Lu Yun and Meng Yuanji, who followed along to come and play." Zheng Chaohe’s dim coloured irises were hidden behind the shining glasses and he introduced the four of them one by one before turning to shake hands with Bao Long. His attitude was polite but without being too close.
Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan smiled charmingly and shook his hang before extending their hands towards He Jin. He Jin expressionlessly crossed the two and walked directly toward the crowd not far away, his cold and evil-looking eyes revealed a trace of eagerness. Lu Yun and Meng Yuanji also quickly followed behind, treating them as air.
Zheng Chaohe brought Bao Long and Kang Zhengyuan out of their surprise and explained, "Sorry, He Jin’s character is relatively solitary. I hope you don’t mind. I heard that he had a close friend at your base. He may have come here to find them."
"Wh-why didn’t you say so earlier? We could’ve helped him find them in advance." Kang Zhengyuan retracted his hand and sneered, turning to see who would be good friends with this top master in order not to provoke them later.
He Jin strode towards Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran, but didn’t speak politely to them. He went straight to the point as he directly asked, "Where’s Lixin? Why didn’t he come?" Lu Yun, with a smile on his face, greeted the two as a pair of eyes moved around the crowd, searching for the figure of Young Master Gong, who he thought of day and night.
"Such a great man you are. Did you come to pick Lixin up in person?" Song Haoran straightened his back and asked sarcastically. Lin Wenbo smiled politely at He Jin, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. If he read right, He Jin’s feelings towards Xiaoxin wasn’t simple. This man was also one of his rivals.
He Jin’s turquoise irises flowed with a gleam of cold light and raised his chin with a shallow groove on it, making him look particularly sensual. He squinted and stared at Song Haoran. Song Haoran should be aware of his feelings. No wonder his hostility was heavier than before, but seeing his slightly sour expression, it seemed that he had not succeeded yet. Thinking of that, He Jin’s heartstrings relaxed quite a bit.
Seeing his relaxed facial expression, Lin Wenbo, in his heart, sneered at Song Haoran, who was full of sour feeling and secretly thought: Before the war even started, Song Haoran already exposed his hand to his love rival and already lost the first fight. From his point of view, he could only try the strategy of ’fishermen fighting for clams’. Thinking of this, the false smile on his face became a real one.
Tan Mingyuan stepped uncomfortably away from the mine field created by the three and said in his heart: What’s going on? How come they hate each other? However, when he saw Gong Lixin, who was accompanied by Father Gong, walking slowly towards them, the man’s turquoise eyes were suddenly burning and he immediately realized: He was a love rival! No wonder they were jealous!
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