In the base, everyone made noodles. The amount that Yu Dong and the others brought back was small, but it was enough for Xu Yin and Li Nianqin to have this meal.
Xu Yin cooked the noodles, and Yu Dong smelled the fragrance, making his stomach hungry again.
When the faint sound of water in the bathroom stopped, Xu Yin went over and knocked on the door, seemingly wanting to go in.
Yu Dong: “What the heck, what are you guys up to?!”
The bathroom door opened, Xu Yin turned around, gave Yu Dong a smirk, then walked in and closed the door.
Yu Dong: “Ahhhhh, what are you guys doing?!”
018 suddenly appeared again: “Hehe.”
Xu Yin: “Are you also reminded of your past self?”
018: “I am no longer who I was!”
Xu Yin: “The straight man of steel is no longer a tough guy, now just a mosquito repellent.”
Xu Yin: “Close your eyes and leave.”
018: “You think I want to see? Hmph!”
After grumbling, 018 disappeared again.
There was still mist in the bathroom. Li Nianqin was wrapped in a towel around his lower body, his black hair wet, and water not completely dried off his body. Water droplets flowed down from his neck or chest along the perfect muscle texture.
He looked extremely sexy.
However, the man with surging hormones was somewhat embarrassed.
He could naturally feel Xu Yin’s lingering gaze on him. He couldn’t help but turn his face slightly, pursing his lips and smiling, “What’s up?”
“You just opened the door without asking what I was doing?” Xu Yin said with a smile.
Li Nianqin’s voice was deep, “Would you do something to me?”
“Do you expect me to do something to you?” Xu Yin said softly, walking closer step by step.
The warmth of the man’s body still lingered with the residual water temperature. Even with a fist’s distance between them, Xu Yin could feel it, as if he were a warm body.
Xu Yin raised his hand.
The man stared at him intently.
Then, Xu Yin conjured a bottle of medicinal spray out of thin air.
Li Nianqin: “……”
The obvious freeze of the smile at the corner of the man’s lips made Xu Yin couldn’t help but chuckle.
Li Nianqin’s ears turned red. He turned his head slightly to try to cover it up.
The wound on his left shoulder was indeed healing quite well. Xu Yin wiped off the remaining water droplets on his skin and sprayed a layer of medicine on it. He said, “It should be almost healed by tomorrow, but remember to keep it bandaged for a few more days.”
To avoid being noticed by others, Li Nianqin moved slightly.
He looked back again, looked deeply at Xu Yin, and promised, “Okay.”
After Xu Yin finished bandaging Li Nianqin, he collected his things and turned to leave.
However, as he turned around, his wrist was grabbed.
The man behind him asked in a low voice again, “Why are you so kind to me? Why do you trust me so much? Why are you able to reveal some secrets that are enough to make others curious?”
Water dripped from the shower, falling onto the bathroom floor, making a slight sound.
Xu Yin sighed helplessly.
This stubbornness.
So fixated on these questions, I really don’t know whether to say he’s foolish or sharp.
Xu Yin turned around.
Li Nianqin stared at him intently, waiting for his answer.
As Xu Yin turned around, he took another step forward, this time almost toe to toe with Li Nianqin.
Li Nianqin was stunned.
Xu Yin raised both arms—
Li Nianqin froze.
Because he was gently hooked around the neck.
The handsome young man hooked him, as if he had hooked directly into his heart, then raised those clear eyes and said in a soft tone,
“Well… because I fell in love with you at first sight?”
The bathroom was silent.
However, in that instant, it was as if something had exploded in Li Nianqin’s head.
His breathing stopped, his body tensed, only his heart was beating rapidly, trembling in his chest.
The two were very close, and the thin layer of fabric on Xu Yin’s body quickly became wet with the water droplets on Li Nianqin’s body. They pressed against each other, as if exchanging body heat.
Li Nianqin’s Adam’s apple rolled, and when he opened his mouth again, his voice was hoarse to the extreme, “I…”
He realized the strangeness of his voice and immediately stopped speaking.
In the blankness of his mind, he saw Xu Yin smile, let go of his hand, turned around, and left the bathroom.
Li Nianqin subconsciously took a step forward, but the young man had already closed the door.
Li Nianqin: “……”
The man left in the bathroom, just confessed to, looked bewildered.
In the living room.
The bathroom door was pulled open with a bang, and Yu Dong was startled.
The tall man with his upper body naked stood at the door, staring intently at the young man.
The young man placed two bowls of noodles on the table, looking innocent, “After you finish drying off, come over and eat quickly.”
Li Nianqin: “……”
At a loss.
…So, the atmosphere during the meal that followed was very strange. Li Nianqin mostly stared at Xu Yin.
Yu Dong: “Are we eating noodles or people here?”
When Xu Yin finished showering and entered the room wearing the pajamas he had in his space, Li Nianqin lay straight on the bed, stiff as if awaiting the visit of an emperor.
Xu Yin smirked, smiled without saying a word, and lazily said goodnight after lying down on the bed, then curled up and closed his eyes.
Li Nianqin: “……”
At a loss again.
He propped himself up with his hand, quietly leaned over to take a look.
The young man turned over with his eyes closed, leaning towards him.
Still curled up, but it seemed like he was curling up into his embrace.
Thump.
In that moment, it felt like a warm stream continuously welled up from Li Nianqin’s heart.
This feeling was familiar, sweet, like the taste of white chocolate.
Li Nianqin quietly watched the young man for a while, reached out to turn off the light, and whispered, “Goodnight.”
Then he lay facing the young man. In the darkness, their faces were close enough to feel each other’s breath, long and peaceful.
…
The next day, Xu Yin woke up even earlier. After getting ready quietly, he went to the cafeteria for breakfast and asked Dr. Lu about the location of their laboratory before heading there.
It is said that there were originally two researchers at Base B.
Dr. Lu would directly become the head of the laboratory upon joining.
The laboratory was on the third floor underground of a mall. When Xu Yin found the person, the other person didn’t even look back and said, “You’re just in time.”
Xu Yin looked around and asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”
Dr. Lu turned around and pointed to a bed in the middle of the laboratory, saying, “Just lie down for now.”
Xu Yin raised an eyebrow.
…
When Li Nianqin found the person, the handsome young man was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. The tip of his left index finger had been taken off, and Dr. Lu had put it in a container.
Li Nianqin’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he ran over.
Dr. Lu turned around and saw him, calmly saying, “Don’t worry, I just took a bit. With the half-zombie’s body functions, it will recover completely.”
As Dr. Lu said, the tip of the index finger started to stop bleeding and heal at a visible speed…
Xu Yin opened his eyes, somewhat surprised. “How did you come here?”
“I heard someone say you came here,” Li Nianqin gently touched Xu Yin’s ear and asked in a low voice, “Does it hurt?”
“It’s okay, I don’t feel much,” Xu Yin smiled, “It seems that even the sense of pain is weaker for half-zombies.”
“You should have called me,” Li Nianqin said with a tense face.
“Would there be any difference?” Xu Yin sat up from the bed, “If you had seen the whole process, wouldn’t you have furrowed your brows even more?”
So Li Nianqin’s brows furrowed even more.
Dr. Lu: “Um, could you please talk about your love affairs outside? I’m all set here.”
Li Nianqin froze, his handsome face starting to blush.
Xu Yin chuckled. Lao gong was really too cute.
After leaving the laboratory, Xu Yin asked, “Did your dad’s team get any news from sending drones to search the city yesterday?”
After the meeting ended yesterday, three drones were sent out from the base to search the city overnight.
Li Nianqin shook his head, “No.”
Thinking that it was the same, Xu Yin said, “Drones can only overlook the surface of the city and can’t search every corner. That psychic ability user can easily hide.”
With that said, the only hope now is to rely on Yuan Yue, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
While thinking about this, Xu Yin greeted the person approaching him.
The person looked at Xu Yin with sparkling eyes, cheeks blushing—after witnessing Xu Yin’s power yesterday, many people in Base B idolized Xu Yin.
Li Nianqin: “……”
He turned his head to stare at Xu Yin, his brows furrowing even more.
But Xu Yin stared straight ahead and asked gently, “Where’s Yuan Yue? I wonder how the progress is going.”
Another person approached and immediately screamed upon seeing Xu Yin’s face, “Ahhh Good morning, Xu Ge!”
Xu Yin smiled and nodded.
Li Nianqin’s brows can now kill flies.
Xu Yin was about to say something when he turned around and pressed against the wall of the corridor by Li Nianqin.
The corridor went silent.
Xu Yin is not that short, only 1.8 meters tall, but Li Nianqin was taller enough for him to tower over Xu Yin and cover his entire body.
Li Nianqin’s face was tense, while Xu Yin slowly raised his lips, half-smiling.
The man approached him, his voice hoarse, “You said you like me.”
Xu Yin raised his hand, gently playing with the man’s hair, and chuckled, “Did I say that?”
Feeling his hair being twirled, Li Nianqin’s Adam’s apple rolled.
He whispered, “I do too. I fell in love with you at first sight.”
Perhaps he didn’t understand before, or perhaps he was still a bit confused when he was confessed to yesterday.
However, since last night, his heart had been itching, unable to resist wanting the young man by his side all the time, unable to resist hoping that the young man could always be like last night in the bathroom.
Hooking his neck, hooking his heart, whispering to him with a smile.
Upon careful consideration, Li Nianqin had been off ever since the moment they first met.
However, since confessing, the young man had not made any further moves.
…Li Nianqin felt it was very awkward. After much contemplation, he finally realized in that moment what was missing between them.
He had been too foolish.
He hoarsely said, “I like you too.”
Xu Yin smiled.
He released the man’s hair, gently embraced him, and sighed, “It’s good that you’ve figured it out.”
Li Nianqin, the big elm, had been waiting for this moment.
Even though they had already experienced two lifetimes together, Xu Yin still hoped that they would further develop their relationship after fully understanding each other.
This hug made Li Nianqin’s heart beat heavily again.
The pleasant smell from the young man rushed into his nostrils. In that moment, it felt like something was being filled in his heart that had been empty.
Li Nianqin had never thought about whether he liked men or women. The word “love” had never even appeared in his dictionary. However, at this moment, the desire to kiss the young man in his arms felt like an instinct carved into his soul.
He hugged the young man tightly, lowered his eyelids, and felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction in his heart.
Xu Yin gently rubbed the man’s head, “You’re so cute.”
Li Nianqin: “…”
He felt like he should retort, but for some reason, he felt like arguing was futile.
After a moment of embracing, Li Nianqin murmured in his ear, “Don’t smile so beautifully at others.”
“Aiya, but I’ve always smiled like this?”
“It’s very beautiful.”
Xu Yin smiled, “What should I do then? I can’t stop smiling forever.”
Li Nianqin: “…”
Xu Yin smirked, turned his head, lightly kissed the man’s cheek, and teasingly scolded, “Idiot.”
Li Nianqin: “…” Not very convinced.
Changing the subject, Xu Yin said, “Do you know what I was thinking just now?”
Li Nianqin gently rubbed Xu Yin’s cheek and whispered, “What?”
“I was thinking, let’s go to the field. To make you eat healthier and more comfortably, I want to plant some vegetable seeds.”
Li Nianqin: “Okay.”
…
Xu Yin: “Let go for now, we can hug later tonight.”
Another person passing by in the corridor: What the heck are they doing?!
The two went hand in hand to the field, dazzling a group of onlookers along the way.
At the edge of the field, the assistant in charge was angrily complaining to him.
Overnight, many people discovered that the people from Base A had opened a field behind the dormitory and sowed seeds.
It was well known after the apocalypse that water-based abilities could stimulate plant growth. Obviously, the field at Base A had also been nurtured by their water-based ability users. Overnight, seedlings had sprouted, all of which appeared to be rare normal plants!
However, the people from Base A did not inform them, developed the field without permission, and did not allow anyone to approach it, claiming it as their private property.
– If they have the ability, they should stop eating at the cafeteria and using their supplies at Base B. It’s too sneaky to only take and not give back. Do they think everyone is a fool?!
Some people have already reported to Li Qun and the others. It’s hard to say what will happen next, but the people at Base B are already angry.
Xu Yin wasn’t surprised after learning about the situation. The people at Base A had always been like this.
He said, “I found some seeds stored in my space before. Can I use them to plant in the field?”
There were actually a lot of seeds, but there wasn’t enough space for all of them, so Xu Yin planned to do it in batches.
The head of the base’s eyes lit up, “What kind of seeds?”
Xu Yin took out a hundred seeds of each of the five types from his space.
However, these seeds, being advanced vegetables from another dimension, were unmistakably abnormal even though Xu Yin had tried to select the ones with a normal appearance. One could tell from their seed form that they were abnormal.
The head of the base was immediately disappointed. These were still seeds of mutant vegetables.
He said grudgingly, “Are you sure these mutant vegetables are edible?”
Xu Yin couldn’t be bothered to explain and said, “I’m sure. You can try planting a few seeds first and then taste them.”
If it were someone else, the head of the base would have sent them back by now—honestly, they had enough seeds of mutant vegetables and didn’t need to add more varieties.
However, the person in front of him was Xu Yin. Setting aside how much credit Xu Yin had earned yesterday… He was currently holding hands with Li Nianqin!!
The head of the base touched his nose and said, “Then let’s find a place to try planting them first.”
The group went to a corner of the field, and Xu Yin scattered the seeds.
Being a water-based ability user himself, he watered them after sowing.
The head of the base thought that it would take until tomorrow at least for the seedlings to sprout, as is the case with most water-based ability users.
However, to his surprise, after Xu Yin watered the seeds, some seedlings sprouted out soon after. The germination rate was extremely high, and the seedlings were visibly growing at a rapid rate.
The head of the base was shocked, “They’re growing so fast?!”
After becoming a half-zombie, Xu Yin’s water-based ability had become much stronger.
Onlookers were attracted and gathered around, marveling at the sight.
One type of bright red vegetable grew particularly fast. Xu Yin focused on watering this type of vegetable, and in no time, the tender vegetables had grown to a size where they could be eaten.
Xu Yin picked one plant and said, “You can eat this type of vegetable raw.”
“Are you sure?” the head of the base stammered, “We’ve never encountered mutant vegetables that can be eaten raw before.”
Many mutant vegetables have strange flavors and cannot be eaten raw.
Xu Yin picked a leaf and ate it himself—wow, it tasted good, sweet. The product description in the mall was not deceiving him.
This advanced vegetable not only tasted good but also had the effect of treating minor illnesses and pains.
Seeing this, Li Nianqin also picked a leaf, took a bite, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“Is it delicious?” Xu Yin asked with a smile.
Li Nianqin nodded, and then he obediently ate a whole leaf.
Seeing both of them eating, the head of the base, the assistant, and some other onlookers cautiously picked a leaf from Xu Yin’s hand.
First, they carefully observed the appearance, then hesitated and took a bite. Afterwards—
“Wow, it’s sweet?!”
“It’s so crispy and sweet. What kind of mutant vegetable is this?”
“It’s delicious! I feel like I could eat it as a fruit!”
The head of the base was very surprised: “We have never encountered vegetables with such a good texture. This is even better than normal vegetables!”
After saying that, the head of the base rubbed his stomach. Due to his concern for the field of the base in recent days, he had not been eating well and his stomach had been uncomfortable.
However, whether it was his illusion or not, after eating this leaf, the bloating sensation in his stomach disappeared?
He was confused.
Xu Yin said, “I have tasted these vegetables before collecting the seeds, so you can rest assured to eat them.”
With Xu Yin’s assurance, everyone had no reason not to believe in the taste of these bright red vegetables.
After considering it, the head of the base asked Xu Yin for all the vegetable seeds he had on hand, planning to plant them all at once.
“The batch you watered just now will probably be ready to harvest by tonight. I’ll have the cafeteria prepare them for everyone to taste,” the head said solemnly to Xu Yin, “It’s really hard to come by good food since the apocalypse. Thank you very much.”
Xu Yin waved his hand with a smile.
After a whole day, many people in the base were exhausted once again.
The division of labor in the base was clear: ordinary people were responsible for the daily management of the base’s internal affairs, while those with abilities were in charge of gathering supplies outside and assisting ordinary people, keeping them busy every day.
Many people before the apocalypse didn’t care much about food, indulging in grilled skewers, fried chicken, and seafood feasts all day long.
However, after the apocalypse, even just a bowl of fragrant white rice could bring tears to their eyes.
The reality was that even white rice was hard to come by nowadays.
Today, the cafeteria should still be serving a pile of dark dishes made from mutant vegetables.
The first batch of lettuce that had just grown was almost gone, and it would take a whole week, even with the water ability users’ best efforts, to grow another batch.
Sighing, everyone took their trays and went to the window to collect their meals.
However, today’s menu is even more terrifying than they imagined.
“Damn, why is everything either red or blue? Can we really eat this?”
“Oh my, why does the red one still look like it’s cold?”
Although there are still normal, uninfected chickens, ducks, and pigs raised in the base, the quantity is limited, and they are not available every day. Today is a completely vegetarian feast. Everyone continues to sigh.
People from Base A happened to come by, bringing with them their well-prepared stir-fried bean sprouts—bean sprouts grow very quickly, and they can be eaten overnight. They made them in the dormitory and brought them here.
The quantity is limited, so how could they possibly share with the people from Base B? They each tightly gripped their meal boxes, feeling smug as they looked at the dejected appearance of the people from Base B.
The people from Base B had already found out about what they had done behind the dormitory last night, and seeing their appearance of mooching off others made them angry.
“Don’t you have your own private food to eat? How can you hide your own things and not share, yet expect to enjoy what others have? Do you have any shame?”
“You only know how to mooch off others. Do you have no shame? Don’t come and snatch food from us!”
“Wasn’t it agreed that everyone would mind their own business? Go eat your own food!”
The people from Base A were embarrassed by the scolding, and in their anger, they retorted, “We only have this limited quantity in total, and we have to share it with the whole base. Then, do we have anything left to eat?”
“Just so, all of it was grown by us with hard work!”
The people from Base B could no longer bear it. “Then our food was also grown by us with hard work. Did you contribute even half of it?!”
The people from Base A were infuriated and rushed forward. Both sides were on the verge of fighting, but they were fortunately separated in time.
The people from Base A, still angry, glanced at the red and blue vegetables in the cafeteria window and suddenly laughed. “Alright, we won’t compete with you. We wouldn’t dare to eat these strange things anyway.”
After saying that, before the people from Base B could charge at them again, they went to get their food—food still had to be obtained, or they would go hungry!
However, when they looked at the rice in their food containers, they were stunned.
Yesterday, they ate pink, sour-smelling rice, but today, the rice was snowy white!
It looked similar to normal rice from the past, but the grains were larger. When they opened the lid of the food container, a surprisingly fragrant smell of rice greeted them.
What… What’s going on!?
Standing next to the food container was a cafeteria staff member. Seeing their reaction, he glanced at them and warned, “Each person gets one bowl, no more.”
The people from Base A really loved to take advantage.
Being watched, the people from Base A could only scoop up a spoonful of food, even if their mouths were watering.
As they sat down at the table, they were still muttering to themselves, thinking that it might look good but taste like a disaster.
At this moment, many people from Base B had already finished cooking their food.
Xu Yin and Li Nianqin came to the cafeteria and asked the cafeteria auntie, “How’s the feedback today?”
The cafeteria auntie winked at them and said, “They’re just starting to eat.”
In order to surprise everyone, even when the people from Base A were being arrogant earlier, she didn’t say anything.
Xu Yin and Li Nianqin looked behind them.
Many people were sitting at the table, listlessly eating white rice. Then—
Their eyes widened one by one.
“Wow!”
“So fragrant!”
“This is regular rice, and it tastes just like how I remember!”
“Even better, I think it’s tastier than the rice we had before!”
The people from Base A’s faces changed slightly after tasting it. They instantly regretted not sneaking a bit more rice earlier.
Just as they were feeling remorseful, the sounds of amazement around them continued.
“Wow, this dish is sweet! It’s so delicious!”
“This blue one tastes like potatoes!”
“Even sweeter than potatoes!”
“What the heck, how is this possible? They look so strange!”
“Where did they find these vegetables?!”
The people from Base A were all at a loss, looking around. The expressions of amazement on those people’s faces were genuine. They even wolfed down their food after the first bite.
It was strange. The appearance was so unappetizing, but as these people ate with such relish, the people from Base A couldn’t help but swallow and feel a bit envious.
They subconsciously looked towards the window.
Someone excitedly adding more food saw them, mouth stuffed with food, and mumbled, “Didn’t you look down on this? Go eat your bean sprouts!”
The people from Base A turned green with embarrassment!
They had just been arguing, so of course they were too embarrassed to go back now and get more food!
But looking at those people’s colorful vegetables, and then at their own box with just a plate of plain bean sprouts…
The people from Base A were kicking themselves!
After Xu Yin and Li Nianqin got their food and sat down, they noticed the man’s eating speed increase noticeably after the first bite. Xu Yin smiled, his eyes soft.
*
Xu Yin had many seeds, and her water-based abilities were powerful. They never had to worry about the supply of high-grade vegetables, so everyone had been eating especially well lately.
Some people even found that after eating this magical vegetable meal for several days in a row… their bodies felt much better!
In the post-apocalyptic world, medical conditions were poor, and medicines were scarce. Many minor ailments could only be endured, waiting for the body to heal on its own.
Backaches, stomachaches, diarrhea, insomnia—everyone had some to varying degrees.
However, after these few days, all these minor problems had miraculously disappeared!
Was it a coincidence?
One or two might be coincidental, but if it was a dozen or twenty—then it definitely wasn’t, right?
—These were truly divine vegetables!
After learning that Xu Yin had brought these divine vegetable seeds, the people from Base B were simply in awe of him. This is what a divine being is like! What was Yuan Yue before?
So when Yuan Yue was locked in the laboratory for a few days and finally able to go out under Jin Lun’s supervision… he found that the world outside had completely changed.
Xu Yin had almost become the most popular person in the base. Everyone greeted him, calling him Boss Xu at every turn.
This was so similar to the situation in Base A at the beginning.
Clearly of similar age and not looking particularly special, yet able to win the admiration of everyone in the base.
Initially, the people from Base A had been somewhat flattering, but now the people from Base B looked at Xu Yin with genuine gratitude in their eyes.
Yuan Yue was jealous.
He also wanted to receive this kind of attention, this kind of support.
He wanted to stand at the shining top, enjoying the admiration of everyone.
He gritted his teeth and said to the person next to him, “Can’t you help me find a few mental ability users? I need them to enhance my abilities!”
“We don’t have many mental ability users in the base. It would draw attention if even one is missing. It’s best for you to keep a low profile for now,” the person replied coldly.
Yuan Yue clenched his fists.
Suddenly, he noticed a woman approaching him, looking hesitant.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Ren Lan hesitated.
She had just discovered yesterday that she seemed to have awakened a mental ability. Overjoyed, she also faced a problem.
Without cooperation, it was difficult to refine a mental ability. She had no friends in this base, and she couldn’t seduce a man for the time being. But she really wanted to become stronger quickly!
She still remembered the grudge against Xu Yin and had always wanted to retaliate for the humiliation she had suffered.
But she hadn’t figured out how to retaliate yet, especially now that Xu Yin had become so popular in the base, being watched all the time.
So Ren Lan thought to herself, she had to become strong quickly. Only by becoming strong could she do whatever she wanted!
Yuan Yue was also a mental ability user, right? Although it was said that he had made mistakes before, causing dissatisfaction among the higher-ups in the base, look at how everyone treated him like a god when he first arrived at the base because he was powerful!
Now Ren Lan dared to say that in the entire base, Yuan Yue was definitely the most powerful mental ability user!
Following his lead, she would surely learn a lot.
She took a step forward.
Yuan Yue’s lips curled up slowly after hearing her words.
He said to the person beside him, “… As long as they’re mental ability users not recorded by the base, I can use them, right?”
The person beside him looked away, not denying it.
Yuan Yue smiled at Ren Lan. “Then come with me.”
Ren Lan’s eyes lit up!
