Chapter 342: Chapter 327: No One Has It Easy

The empty box Ye Xin had sent over looked very ordinary.

In fact, it was.

After receiving it, Zhou Jinyu had studied it carefully. It was, in fact, just an ordinary empty box. It contained no hidden mechanisms, concealed nothing, and bore no markings or secret codes.

But just in case, before handing the box to Gu Xi, he used the research institute’s equipment to scan it inside and out, creating a detailed digital record.

Because that woman, Ye Xin, would never send Gu Xi an ordinary box.

Anyone with half a brain could figure that out.

But what Zhou Jinyu could never have guessed was that, in a sense, it really was just an ordinary box.

The only thing that wasn’t ordinary about it was that Li Ming had originally used this little box he’d picked up to hold Gu Xi’s Superpower Seed.

But not for long.

After entering the base, Li Ming quickly realized that the more important something was, the more low-key and ordinary it needed to be—so ordinary that it was ideally indistinguishable from anything else.

So after that, he took Gu Xi’s little pebble out and tossed it into a pile of gravel in the yard.

The Superpower Seed blended in perfectly with the surrounding gravel, remaining completely inconspicuous.

Then, day after day, year after year, he quietly used dirt, dust, and dead leaves to slowly, bit by bit, cover the gravel scattered beneath the large tree.

This process of concealment went on for several years, until Gu Xi’s powers broke through to a high level and the children of their Doomsday Squad had gradually gained the ability to protect themselves, establishing a firm foothold in the base.

And the people who had been constantly monitoring and testing him and Gu Xi gradually relaxed their vigilance, as the base’s leadership turned over again and again.

Furthermore, with zombies running rampant at the time, the situation for human survivors had become extremely dangerous. It was thanks to their outstanding innate superpowers that these children began to stand out in the base.

—’People who are useful won’t be touched by the higher-ups, not until their usefulness has been completely wrung dry, anyway.’

And just like that, the still-young Li Ming had quietly managed to safeguard the small stone Gu Xi had clutched in her hand at birth.

It hadn’t been easy.

As for this box... Li Ming figured that since it had held the Superpower Seed for a time, it must have been imbued with some of its aura. Although many years had passed and he couldn’t guarantee the aura hadn’t dissipated, he decided to send it to Gu Xi after giving it some thought.

Since he had kept this thing for so long, it was only natural that he should use it to its fullest potential.

So, how could he maximize that potential?

Li Ming knew that everyone was watching Gu Xi right now, so anything delivered to her would naturally be a focal point of attention.

So, he had Ye Xin devise a way to have Zhou Jinyu deliver it—in a manner that wasn’t too deliberate or conspicuous...

As for the subtleties involved, Li Ming trusted that Ye Xin would handle them perfectly.

In fact, Ye Xin had executed her part flawlessly. Very few people knew about it, but everyone who needed to know, did.

And what kind of person was Zhou Jinyu? Li Ming knew all too well.

—’Once the box passed through Zhou Jinyu’s hands, the number of eyes on it would only grow.’

’Smart people tend to overthink things, and those in power are especially prone to suspicion. Why would Ye Xin send a useless little box to Gu Xi?’

’If they were to discover some kind of special aura on the box and misunderstand something... well, that would be no concern of his.’

Reading people, creating diversions, and profiting from chaos—these were Li Ming’s specialties.

As for whether Zhou Jinyu might greedily keep the box for himself?

Li Ming wasn’t worried about that in the slightest.

First, when Ye Xin handed the item over to him, she hadn’t done it in complete privacy.

Knowing the item was from Ye Xin and intended for Gu Xi, especially at a time when news of the Superpower Seed was breaking, meant that keeping it would be like holding a hot potato.

’There’d be plenty of people watching, no doubt about it.’

—After all, Zhou Jinyu didn’t have Gu Xi’s immense Combat Power. How could he possibly withstand the kind of trouble people would cause him?

Besides, communications were restored now!

Even if he gave in to a moment of greed and pocketed the item, Gu Xi would find out eventually.

He would have to hide for the rest of his life and never show his face again. But for someone like Zhou Jinyu, who craved power and was determined to get ahead, was that even possible?

Impossible.

Besides, Zhou Jinyu was a smart man. Rather than spending a lifetime hiding from everyone and risking being hunted down over a box of uncertain use, it was far better to... treat it as a rare resource, wait for the right price, and sell it for a good profit.

Therefore, Zhou Jinyu would absolutely deliver the box to Gu Xi safely and in front of witnesses.

Gu Xi then handed the box to Guardian 027.

took the box, looked it over and over with its unfocused, terrifying eyes, then lowered its head and took a deep sniff before its brow furrowed slightly...

Gu Xi paid it no mind. After tossing it the box, her consciousness shifted to another part of her space—where Bai was hugging the heart-shaped Superpower Seed, giggling foolishly in a state of utter bliss.

Gu Xi was speechless. She really couldn’t bear to watch.

The night her powers upgraded, this little mouse had suddenly darted over... It had probably hoped to score some leftovers, but ended up invisibly confined to her space by Gu Xi.

Then, it had been overjoyed to discover the Superpower Seed and had refused to leave ever since.

Gu Xi wanted to observe the effects of the Superpower Seed on a living creature up close, so she left the little mouse alone, content to watch silently from the side...

「Meanwhile, outside the camp, deep in the swamp.」

In the quiet woods, a thin mist refracted the sunlight into a dreamy, seven-colored haze.

Shen Yue leaned lazily against a tree, watching the man opposite him. "Mr. Li," he said with a wide smile, "have you considered my proposal? The military is being very sincere..."

"Mr. Shen, you’re asking the impossible," Li Xiao said, though he was inwardly fuming. Shen Yue was actually demanding he hand over command of the Central Base’s management system.

’That’s the very foundation of my position, something I’ve spent years fighting for. I’d be a fool to hand it over!’

’Besides, back at the Central Base, the management and the military are at each other’s throats. Handing my authority over to the military at a time like this? I’d have to be crazy!’

Of course, Li Xiao had no intention of agreeing.

But with Gu Xi right outside, he didn’t dare show it... Who knew what she might be able to sense?

’My life is in her hands, after all.’

Li Xiao suppressed his irritation and looked at the smiling Shen Yue, putting on a troubled expression. "I’m just a logistics minister on the verge of being stripped of all my power. What you’re asking... I really can’t do it..."

"Is that so," Shen Yue said, propping his chin on his hand. He gave him a noncommittal smile, not pressing the matter. "In that case," he continued lazily, "you’re still in charge of your own little domain in the Logistics Department, aren’t you?"

Li Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. He frowned slightly. ’Is Shen Yue after the base’s supply depots?’

He put on a troubled expression. "Mr. Shen, you know my current situation. You know the saying: the tea gets cold once the host leaves. I may still hold the title of Minister of Logistics, but those deputy ministers under me are not an easy bunch to handle. Besides, I’m not even at the base right now. My orders don’t carry much weight..."

But then, perhaps remembering that Gu Xi was just outside, he paused and said tentatively, "However, if this is Miss Gu’s wish, then I’ll go back and give it some more thought, see if I can find a way..."

Shen Yue didn’t expose his little scheme, simply raising a hand to pat him on the shoulder. "Then on behalf of the brothers on the front lines, I thank you, Mr. Li."

’The food situation was easy enough to resolve now, but Crystal Cores, energy, and other resources were still mostly in the hands of the base’s management.’

’Now that this Li Xiao had delivered himself right to his doorstep, how could Shen Yue not seize this chance to fleece this sheep for all it was worth?’