From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!

Chapter 291 - 278: A Thousand-Mile Foreshadowing

’That’s right, Ye Nan is still in their hands.’

’Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to get Ye Xin here so easily.’

The Chen sisters finally remembered that they were still holding another trump card.

It wasn’t really their fault that Ye Xin had led them by the nose with just a few words.

Ever since Gu Xi disappeared all those years ago, the Chen sisters’ glamorous status at the Central Base had been merely superficial. In reality, their situation had worsened year by year.

The two sisters had been prominent for so many years and were on the verge of uncovering the secret to eternal life when suddenly, their most useful bargaining chip vanished. After that, their prestige was gone, and so was their power.

The fall from grace was so great that one could only imagine the anxiety and resentment festering in their hearts.

On top of that, the life force within their bodies had begun to inexplicably wither away in recent years, leaving them in a constant state of panic...

Only at the very end did they learn that the one holding the fatal blade over their heads was none other than Gu Xi—the very pawn they had once held so firmly in their hands.

How were the proud and conceited Chen sisters supposed to feel about that?

Under the prolonged torment of shock, anger, anxiety, resentment, and the shadow of death, how could the two sisters possibly maintain their former calm and wisdom?

It was a wonder they hadn’t gone mad already.

Now, hearing Ye Xin bring up Ye Nan on her own initiative, the two sisters let out a sigh of relief.

"Rest assured, Xiaonan is fine for now." Chen Lu stared grimly at Ye Xin, her tone exceedingly arrogant. The implication was clear: your daughter was only fine *for now*. As for whether something might happen to her later?

That would depend on what her mother did.

They were all intelligent people. How could Ye Xin not understand her hidden meaning?

"Director Chen Lu is a straightforward person." Ye Xin lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly before she smiled. "In that case, I won’t beat around the bush either."

"Since our goals are more or less the same, cooperation isn’t out of the question."

Seeing the Chen sisters look over, Ye Xin reverted to the assertive demeanor of Mr. Ye and stated her terms concisely:

"One, as long as my daughter is unharmed, I will speak to Yun Ye and guarantee your safety in City A for the near future."

"Two, I can also help you deal with Gu Xi, but I want her Crystal Core."

"No." Chen Lu flatly rejected the proposal. "You can have half of Gu Xi’s Crystal Core at most."

"Half?" Hearing this, Ye Xin’s face instantly turned cold. She stood up abruptly. "If that’s the case, then there’s nothing more to discuss."

"Ye Xin," Chen Lu countered with a grim smile from across the table, reminding her, "don’t forget, your daughter is still in my hands..."

Before she could finish, Ye Xin let out a careless laugh.

"I’m afraid you two directors have forgotten how long high-level ability users live, haven’t you? As long as I cross that threshold, how many dutiful daughters do you think I could have in the future?" she said lightly, as if she couldn’t care less whether her daughter lived or died.

The Chen sisters fell silent.

To be honest, after being run in circles by Ye Xin, they could no longer tell if she was being genuine when she said such things—if she truly didn’t care about Ye Nan, or if she was... deliberately feigning indifference to mislead them.

Ye Xin wasn’t in a hurry. She sat back down in her seat.

"Why don’t you two directors... think it over carefully?" she even suggested kindly.

The Chen sisters looked at each other, exchanging a glance.

After a long moment, Chen Yun spoke up. "Fine. But you must hand her over to me completely intact. As for the Crystal Core in her head, I will personally retrieve it for you."

After a pause, she asked Ye Xin, "What’s your plan?"

Before Ye Xin could answer, she added a well-intentioned reminder, "Don’t forget, the Gu Xi of today is not the same obedient little girl she once was."

"She might not trust you like she used to... After all, you were the one who personally handed her that drink back then."

Ye Xin knew that Chen Yun was reminding her, but also warning her.

She curled her lip into a smile.

"How I do it is my business. You two directors needn’t worry about it. In short, I will deliver the person to you."

After speaking, Ye Xin gave a lazy yawn and stood up. "I’m a bit tired. If Xiaonan isn’t here, then you’ll have to excuse me... I won’t keep you company."

Chen Yun watched her with a smile for a long moment before speaking. "You’re getting impatient, Ye Xin."

With that, she raised her wrist, activated her personal terminal, and tapped it twice.

Soon, two ability users from the research institute pushed open the door and walked in.

"Take Mr. Ye to see Xiaonan," Chen Yun said, her face once again wearing the kind, amiable, and wise expression of the old director she presented to the public.

After Ye Xin left, the smile on Chen Yun’s face vanished instantly, a flash of malice glittering in her eyes.

"Sis," Chen Lu said anxiously, "how could you agree to her terms? How can we give her Gu Xi’s entire Crystal Core? You know better than anyone..."

Over the years, through countless experiments, the two sisters had long since deduced that Gu Xi’s blood alone was not enough to cross the threshold to eternal life.

They had even studied that small stone Li Ming had brought them, but unfortunately, it yielded no results.

Therefore, Chen Lu was certain that if the two of them wanted to take that final step and become benefactors to all of humanity, it would ultimately come down to Gu Xi’s Crystal Core.

So how could they give something so important to Ye Xin?

Chen Lu didn’t understand what her brilliant and wise sister was thinking this time.

"What’s the rush?" Chen Yun patted her sister’s hand and said pointedly, "I only promised to give her the Crystal Core that is *currently* in Gu Xi’s head..."

Chen Lu froze for a second, then it dawned on her. ’That’s right, how could I have forgotten? Gu Xi isn’t like other people; her Crystal Core can regenerate after being removed from her brain.’

’Didn’t the people in City A already remove it once? I just don’t know how they managed to control the process...’

Chen Lu was a little worried.

Chen Yun, however, knew a little more.

She reminded her sister, "Do you remember the mass plant mutation incident in South City last year?"

Chen Lu quickly caught on. "You mean the one Zhou Jinyu went to South City to handle?"

That time, South City had a sudden outbreak of mass plant mutation. The authorities there were desperate for the military to use a nuclear missile for total saturation, but the military flatly refused.

She remembered that, as it happened, Ye Junhan’s Special Service Team was also in South City at the time...

At this thought, something suddenly clicked for Chen Lu. "Sis, are you saying that the experiment in South City was related to the regeneration of Gu Xi’s Crystal Core? And the military specifically sent Ye Junhan there for that experiment?"

’No wonder Zhou Jinyu went to handle it personally.’

’But behind Zhou Jinyu... is the Gu Family.’

Chen Lu’s expression turned colder. "Sis, the Gu Family has clearly abandoned us. Even if they participated in that experiment, I doubt they’ll give us the data..."

But Chen Yun wasn’t worried in the slightest. "That data isn’t necessarily in the hands of the Gu Family... Don’t forget, that girl Qi Xiang went last time too."

Chen Lu understood instantly. "You’re saying Dr. Qi was also involved in that experiment?"

Chen Yun didn’t answer her sister’s question directly.

She raised a hand to smooth her meticulously combed silver hair, her eyes narrowing as she said meaningfully, "Dr. Qi was Mr. Fang’s most prized and final disciple."

And Mr. Fang was the ability instructor for the Doomsday Squad back in the day. If you had to name the person who understood Gu Xi’s abilities best, it would be none other than Mr. Fang.

It was just a pity that such a scientific genius had fallen so early.