The Max-Level Sacred Mountain Begs Me to Save the Interstellar [Apocalypse] - Chapter 12

“Exactly!” Shen Ye had a sudden flash of insight. “Following He Xiaoxiao’s logic, she is clearly closer to Zhou Hui, yet she refers to her as ‘Zhou Hui’ while calling a complete stranger ‘Brother Changfeng.’ It is a paradox.”

“Brother-in-law, could it be jealousy? He Xiaoxiao likes Liang Changfeng, and she is jealous of everything Zhou Hui has, so she fabricated all of this? But that does not make sense either; Zhou Hui really did kidnap me.”

“Human emotions are complex and ever-changing,” Xie Songnian exhaled slowly. “I do not think it is necessarily about romantic love.”

“Everything you possess—your family, your job, and even your bright personality can become a source of envy for others. Good and evil always permeate one another. Those who have wandered the abyss of human nature might still walk toward the light, while beneath a holy snowfield, a sinful past may lie buried.”

Xie Songnian pulled out a report detailing He Xiaoxiao’s life history.

“Her younger brother, He Yao, went missing twice. Once at age three, He Yao wandered into the Ghostly Mist and was rescued by a mining team. The second time, at age five, he left home alone and accidentally fell into the water before being found by a rescue team. From then on, He Xiaoxiao began living in a boarding school.”

In an instant, Shen Ye understood everything once again.

Zhou Hui was likely one of “those people on the same side as the Anomalies” mentioned by Buzhou Shan. He Xiaoxiao had discovered Zhou Hui’s abnormality long ago but had not reported it. Instead, she warned Liang Changfeng in advance, which was why he began frantically taking on missions.

He Xiaoxiao’s goal likely boiled down to one thing: genuine feelings had developed between Zhou Hui and Liang Changfeng, and that was what He Xiaoxiao envied most. Even the tear in Liang Changfeng’s protective suit might have been He Xiaoxiao’s doing.

Shen Ye asked, “Then what am I in this whole ordeal?”

“A little brat with bad luck, I suppose.” Xie Songnian’s voice held a hint of helplessness. “Zhou Hui likely thought you had a strong attraction for the Veiled Guest and wanted to use you as bait to lure it out while also avenging Liang Changfeng.”

Shen Ye thought to himself that this was a total disaster out of nowhere.

“What about Song Huaiyuan?” Shen Ye pressed further.

“In order to help his sister, Song Anning, successfully enter the Agricultural Union, Song Huaiyuan used his position to lure Zhang Hao away from the base. He did not expect Zhang Hao to buy plants from an unknown source, which led to the truth being exposed.”

Xie Songnian stopped there. Watching Shen Ye’s eyes darting around, he consciously changed what he was about to say.

“The full truth still requires further investigation. However, Shen Ye, humanity’s current opponents are not just the Anomalies, but also these shadowy organizations with ill intentions. Do you have anything you want to say about that?”

Shen Ye replied, “I do not have anything yet.”

Xie Songnian said, “Fine. Your brother-in-law will always be right here, waiting for the day you are ready to speak.”

In the silence, the office door was suddenly slammed open. Xiao Liu rushed in front of Xie Songnian, his voice trembling. “Captain, this is bad! A patch of mushrooms suddenly grew in the empty lot behind the dormitory!”

“What!” Shen Ye bolted upright, slapping the table. Two pairs of eyes focused sharply on him.

Surprisingly, Xie Songnian spoke with uncharacteristic composure. “Those are the latest model of mushrooms I commissioned someone to cultivate. Tell the staff not to panic.”

Xiao Liu and Shen Ye both asked in confusion, “Huh?”

Xie Songnian had almost lost his patience. “First, clear the onlookers and block the news. Then, inform the Agricultural Union that I will issue a formal announcement later to explain everything.”

“Yes, Captain.”

As Xiao Liu left, the last bit of energy drained from the room. An invisible wall rose between Shen Ye and Xie Songnian. Shen Ye buried his head in his chest like a guilty quail.

Xie Songnian asked, “With your head lowered that perfectly, are you looking for a grave site for me? Do you need me to lie down for you?”

Shen Ye replied, “Brother-in-law, actually, I just wanted to give you a surprise.”

Xie Songnian said, “Splendid. Do not do it again.”

Shen Ye answered, “Oh.”

Shen Ye had not expected the mushroom spores Zhouzhou provided to grow fully in just half a day. Zhouzhou communicated that he could not fully control them yet because there were too many seeds. Furthermore, there were delicious “Ghosts” deep underground.

Shen Ye wondered if it could be that coincidental. Had Zhou Hui buried the killed Anomalies right in the plot of land where he planted the mushrooms?

Xie Songnian sat leisurely in the driver’s seat, preparing to head to the mushroom field. “It is a five-minute drive. That is just enough time for you to turn a complex lie into a story I can accept.”

“Brother-in-law, this is a long story,” Shen Ye said, as he had not figured out how to make it up yet.

“Four minutes and fifty seconds.”

“The spores were given to me by my sister!”

Xie Songnian let out a frustrated laugh. “Such good seeds; why did she not give them to me?”

Shen Ye teased, “Maybe because your relationship is not sincere enough?”

Xie Songnian was silenced. It had been a long time since he felt the sting of his own words turned against him. To keep an eye on Shen Ye, Xie Songnian had accepted the “Brother-in-law” identity and invented a fictional sister who was supposedly in seclusion at the Mercury Agricultural Union. However, this lie was full of holes, often leaving Xie Songnian trapped in an awkward position.

He cut the conversation short. “From now on, you are on mute. I will do the talking regarding the rest.”

Shen Ye nodded vigorously, making an exaggerated gesture of zipping his lips. Five minutes later, with the screech of brakes, Shen Ye saw his mushroom field. Countless mushrooms emitting a faint green light created a vast emerald canopy. Shen Ye could only scream internally that Zhouzhou was amazing.

Suddenly, Xie Songnian’s voice turned cold and loud. “Liu Zhiqing!”

“Captain, I am here,” Xiao Liu answered quickly.

“Issue a formal announcement. Say that I collected a batch of special seeds from the territory of a Lord-level Anomaly, and the breeding experiment for the mushroom spores has been successful. No matter which organization wants them, they can receive a few for free. The rest will be listed for sale on the Star-Net soon.”

Since the water was already muddy, he decided to stir it deeper. The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish.

Shen Ye suddenly ran up to Xie Songnian, making muffled noises through his “muted” lips.

Xie Songnian waited a moment and said, “One sentence.”

“The money, does it belong to me, Brother-in-law?”

Xie Songnian replied, “I will give you one more chance to organize your words.”

“Then, Brother-in-law, I want to drink mushroom soup with you.”

At noon, in the Central Building cafeteria, Wang Qiuqiu was about to go home when her colleague, Zhang Nan, stopped her.

Zhang Nan asked, “Qiuqiu, are you not going to the cafeteria today?”

Wang Qiuqiu replied, “No, my boyfriend is waiting for me. Besides, it is all compressed biscuits. If I eat at home, I can drink more water.”

Zhang Nan said with disappointment, “Alright. I wanted to check out the new mushroom soup with you.”

“What mushroom soup?”

“Director Wang said there is mushroom soup today. Though, I bet it is just mushroom-flavored compressed biscuit soup. Plants are too precious to use for stew.”

Wang Qiuqiu was a food lover. Recently, she had spent half a month’s salary on bitter-melon-flavored biscuits and was ready to eat them with her boyfriend. However, she had never tasted mushroom flavor and decided it was worth checking out.

The two women were blocked before they could enter. A voice shouted, “Which department are you from? Why are you not lining up?”

Wang Qiuqiu looked at the line stretching to the center of the hall in disbelief. “Are you all lining up for the cafeteria?”

“What else? Even if the soup is limited, you cannot cut the line!”

It was the first time Wang Qiuqiu had seen such a crowd gathered for food. She was about to take a photo when Shen Ye bumped into her.

Shen Ye shouted, “Sorry, let me through!”

Wang Qiuqiu saw a fair-skinned boy with deer-like eyes wiggling through the crowd. She was about to scold him for cutting in line when Zhang Nan pulled her back.

Zhang Nan whispered, “Are you crazy? Do you know who that is? That is Captain Xie’s brother-in-law!”

The people in line gasped in unison and automatically opened a path. Shen Ye smoothed his hair and limped toward the cafeteria. He received a full bowl of mushroom soup and began drinking it indignantly. He planned to drink Xie Songnian’s portion as well since he had been squashed in the crowd because of him.

As soon as the soup touched his lips, Shen Ye felt as if he had ascended to heaven. The soup was incredibly delicious. Disbelieving praise erupted throughout the cafeteria.

Wang Qiuqiu was also conquered by the taste. She told Zhang Nan that she had never eaten anything so good. When asked about her boyfriend, she replied that she had forgotten him. Her poor boyfriend remained at home, grimacing as he ate bitter-melon-flavored compressed biscuits alone.

By the time the soup was gone, the staff were slumped over in the hall like beetles that had gorged on nectar.

When Xie Songnian stepped into the cafeteria and saw his elite troops in such a state, he felt as if the world had ended.

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