The Max-Level Sacred Mountain Begs Me to Save the Interstellar [Apocalypse] - Chapter 13

“One by one, look at you! Where is your sense of decorum?” Xiao Liu attempted to save face for his teammates. “You lot, every single one of you gets ten kilograms of additional weight added to your endurance training!”

Fortunately, Xie Songnian’s prestige remained intact. Even though the buttons on the team’s combat uniforms were flying across the cafeteria like machine-gun fire because they were so bloated, the members still supported each other as they hobbled toward the training grounds.

Eventually, only one person remained in the cafeteria.

Xiao Liu looked at Shen Ye’s stomach, which was as round as if he were five months pregnant. Internally, he thought, My friend, I shall mourn for you.

Xie Songnian approached, looking down at the boy. “Shen Ye.”

Shen Ye opened his eyes groppily. “Is that you, Brother-in-law? I thought it was that Golden Retriever calling to collect my debt again!”

“Stand up. Go back to the dormitory if you want to sleep.”

“I don’t want to. I am so sleepy. I have a carb coma… a mushroom coma.”

Xie Songnian leaned down helplessly. He slid his arms beneath Shen Ye’s knees and back, lifting him steadily with a single motion. The weight in his arms caused Xie Songnian’s heart to skip a beat. After suppressing the surging restlessness in his chest, Xie Songnian turned and signaled to his subordinate. “Liu Zhiqing, go get the car. We are going straight back to the office.”

The fallout from this incident was becoming more serious than usual. He had to sell this batch of mushrooms as quickly as possible to shut people’s mouths. At that moment, however, Xie Songnian did not yet realize that nothing involving Shen Ye was ever simple.

Three hours later, Shen Ye woke up briefly. He allowed his gaze to drift out of focus, soaking in the boundless sky. For a moment, he thought someone had knocked over a palette of paint; even the thick mist could not hide the magnificent glow of the sunset splashed across the heavens. He sat there dazed, unable to tell if he was still in a dream or witnessing a daylight absurdity.

“Everyone! The mushrooms are sold out! They are really sold out!”

“What? Those cannot be sold! That is our lunch for tomorrow!”

“Mushrooms are meant to be eaten. They are so fresh, so sweet.”

Xiao Liu was facing a camera, arguing heatedly with netizens from across the stars. The familiar voice pulled Shen Ye’s scattered soul back to the world of the living. He gripped the doorframe, cautiously peeking out to survey the commotion.

Suddenly, a gaze as sharp as a hawk’s locked onto Shen Ye. It was filled with scrutiny and judgment, leaving him with nowhere to hide.

Shen Ye spoke up obediently. “Brother-in-law.”

The soft, tender voice hit Xie Songnian’s eardrums without warning. It felt as though his heart had been squeezed gently by something. Without hesitation, he strode forward and pushed Shen Ye back into the room.

The door closed behind them.

Shen Ye looked at the door with a look of pure, innocent confusion. “What is wrong, Brother-in-law?”

Xie Songnian’s gaze dropped uncontrollably. He subconsciously straightened his already meticulous cuffs. “Xiao Liu started a live stream. I do not want you exposed to the public eye.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Furthermore, I have handled the mushroom situation. I claimed the spores were scavenged from the territory of a Lord-level Anomaly. Even if the Agricultural Union wants to question it, they will find it difficult to charge into such a dangerous area to verify the claim. Shen Ye, I will not pry into your secrets for now, but I do not want any more ‘surprises’ like this. I do not want you to be in danger.”

A wave of warmth settled in Shen Ye’s heart, like a weary bird finally finding its forest.

He spoke up with newfound determination. “Brother-in-law, family members should tell each other everything, right?”

“Yes.”

“Brother-in-law! Actually, these seeds were given to me by someone else. I promised them I would only take out specific seeds at specific times.”

Xie Songnian paused. “Fine. I believe you.”

“?”

Shen Ye peeked up cautiously to observe the man. Was he really this easy to talk to? Perhaps he could push his luck just a little bit further.

“Brother-in-law, actually, I have one more tiny thing to tell you. It is really small. It is just that I found the Anomalies Zhou Hui smuggled into the base. They are buried right under the mushroom field.”

“?”

“Also, I did not just find mushroom spores. I happened to pick up a tiny bit of bitter melon seeds as well. Maybe about a hundred or so. But the person helping me sell them, Zhou Xiaofu, seems to have run into a bit of trouble. I need you to go save him. Hehe.”

“?”

“Oh, right. There is also Zhang Hao. I found his orchid seeds too.”

Xie Songnian turned around decisively to leave.

Shen Ye cried out, “Hey! Brother-in-law! Brother! Big brother! Where are you going? You told me to tell you everything! You have to solve this for me!”

Xie Songnian roughly shut down the live stream. Before Xiao Liu could react, Xie Songnian threw him and his Star-Ring out the door.

Shen Ye stood by the partition, trembling. “You were the one who asked me to speak! I am warning you, domestic violence is illegal!”

Xie Songnian took three deep breaths before continuing his inquiry. “Why did you not tell me about the seeds before?”

“I was afraid you would steal them. This many seeds are worth a lot of money.”

Xie Songnian took another three deep breaths. “Is there anything else?”

“Hmm, let me think.” Shen Ye looked at Xie Songnian’s expression and felt he could drop a few more bombs. “These plants can all produce seeds naturally.”

Creeaaaak!

The beautiful office desk split in half. The calm on Xie Songnian’s face shattered like thin porcelain. He suddenly realized that what this young boy was guarding was not some ordinary secret, but a world-altering revelation. He grabbed the boy’s wrist with such force it was as if he were clutching a life-saving straw.

“From now on,” Xie Songnian said, “you have absolutely nothing to do with these seeds.”

“You really want to steal my stuff?” Shen Ye’s face fell instantly. He looked like a kitten with its fur standing on end, his eyes flashing with defiance.

Hearing this, Xie Songnian raised his hand and gave Shen Ye a sharp flick on the forehead. “Look back at what is on your pillow.”

“What!” Shen Ye snapped back angrily.

“Your brain!”

“You steal my things and then call me brainless? You are finished! I am definitely not letting you into my house! I…”

“I will buy them from you. Name any price.”

Shen Ye’s attitude shifted instantly. “We don’t hold grudges! Brother-in-law, how much money do you have?”

Xie Songnian felt that the limits of human facial expression management needed to be redefined. Shen Ye’s speed of changing faces had reached the level of high art. He let out a long, weary sigh and showed his account balance to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye stared at the long string of zeros. “One… two… three villas! My dear sister, you really did marry into a wealthy family!”

Xie Songnian closed his eyes in silence, pressing his fingers against his throbbing temples. “Is this enough Star-Coins to buy all your seeds?”

Shen Ye was shocked. “It is more than enough! Wait, I already sold the bitter melons.”

Xie Songnian replied, “Simple. We will just take them back.”

“Ah, well, okay. But in my business, it is payment first, delivery later.”

Xie Songnian removed his Star-Ring and tossed it into Shen Ye’s lap. “The password is 459767. Transfer it yourself.”

“You got it!”

Shen Ye performed a series of mysterious operations on the screen, adding his own sound effects. When he was done, he showed the screen. “Ta-da! All set.”

Xie Songnian took back the ring. When he saw the numbers on the screen, he paused. “What is this 10 dollars for?”

Shen Ye said happily, “That is the meal money I left for you.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It is only right.”

“…And the bitter melons?”

“Here they are. They are with this guy. Brother-in-law, while you are taking the stuff back, please rescue him along the way.”

The incident dated back four days.

As soon as Zhou Xiaofu received one hundred bitter melon plants, he immediately contacted Cheng Shifang, the head of Nova Food. He hoped to use the bitter melon pulp to establish a partnership. He chose Cheng Shifang not only because the man’s character was famously upright, but because nearly all compressed biscuits in the galaxy came from Nova Food. The Cheng family was an indispensable pillar of interstellar society.

Sure enough, after Zhou Xiaofu reached out, Nova Food was unusually proactive. It seemed like a great opportunity, but Zhou Xiaofu still had a conscience. Before signing the contract, he sent a warning.

[Meiba: Is Nova Food really not afraid of going bankrupt doing this?] [Meiba: I am afraid people will need to take this bitter-melon-flavored biscuit with honey just to swallow it.] [Nova Food: Of course not! This is a natural-flavored food. Once it hits the shelves, people will go crazy for it.] [Meiba: I don’t understand, but you have my blessing.]

Meanwhile, at Nova Food, Cheng Shifang sat excitedly in front of his screen. Nova Group was divided into two sectors: Food and Technology. Since their parents left for an interstellar trip, the burden of the family business fell on him and his older brother. His brother handled Nova Tech; the Star-Ring was their flagship product and a hit across the galaxy.

Cheng Shifang, however, was the unlucky one who took over the difficult food sector. He was a fresh graduate who hadn’t even had time to enjoy a playboy lifestyle before the business stress started making his hair fall out. Every time he spoke to his parents about resigning, his father would bring up Xie Songnian.

“Look at the Xie family’s son. He took over the base before even graduating. Since he took office, security on Mars has improved significantly. Look at you, wanting to quit after a few days. Why can’t you learn from him?”

Whenever it got to be too much, Cheng Shifang would hang up to physically interrupt his father’s lecturing “spell.” He had no idea how the rumors started that he and Xie Songnian were best friends. None of the kids in their social circle liked Xie Songnian; he was the “perfect model” their parents used to make them look like failures.

Fortunately, he had some luck. Cheng Shifang sat thinking about the impulsive things he had done. One day, he had stumbled upon the bizarre live streams of Zhou Xiaofu and Zhang Hao. Upon learning that Zhou Xiaofu had obtained the latest plants, he immediately sought a partnership to produce bitter-melon-flavored biscuits.

Everything should have been a success, but something went wrong on Zhou Xiaofu’s end.

He had been kidnapped.

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