Chapter 142: Beast Traits
Xia Huo Qu and the others followed Xiong An Tian to a small courtyard.
They parked the truck on the road outside the courtyard and each grabbed two bamboo tubes from the back of the truck.
Xiong Antian was curious about the bamboo tubes, but he didn’t ask.
Xiong An Tian’s courtyard was quite spacious, with a narrow path lined with rows of densely planted radishes. The radish leaves looked even more vibrant and lush against the backdrop of snow.
Xia Lu Nong’s gaze fixated on the radishes.
Noticing this, Xiong Antian said, “If you like radishes, I’ll make some radish pancakes for you later.”
Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “Just for him?”
“If you all like them, of course, I’ll make more,” Xiong An Tian quickly clarified. “I just thought he looked the youngest.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “You guessed wrong. His boyfriend is actually the youngest.”
“Oh,” Xiong An Tian muttered awkwardly, quickly shifting his gaze away from Xia Lu Nong and focusing on leading them upstairs in silence.
Seeing Xiong An Tian retreat from conversation, Xia Lu Nong surprisingly broke the silence. “These radishes don’t seem like an ordinary variety?”
Xiong An Tian, momentarily excited but quickly reigning it in when he noticed Kong Zhi’s gaze, said, “Good eye! These were specially bred at the Black Gold Base. Each one can weigh seven or eight kilograms.”
“Could you pull one up and show me?” Xia Lu Nong asked.
Radishes weren’t particularly valuable, so without hesitation, Xiong An Tian went to the garden and uprooted a large radish.
The radish was indeed massive—over 30 centimeters long with a girth as thick as a person’s thigh. It looked more like a giant white gourd than a radish.
Both Xia Lu Nong and the others realized what this enormous radish implied.
Looking at the radish, Yan Xi Nian asked, “Has your base produced a lot of these oversized vegetables?”
“Not many, just a few kinds—radishes, winter melons, and pumpkins,” Xiong Antian admitted with a grin. “At least, those are the only ones we know of. There might be others, but that’s not for us to know.”
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi exchanged a glance.
Their own base had only recently managed to grow oversized wheat and peanuts, and the results were still uncertain. The stability of the seeds’ traits wouldn’t be known until after the next planting season. It was surprising to see that the Black Gold Base had already made such progress.
Yan Xi Nian commented, “It seems the Black Gold Base is doing really well in this area.”
Xiong Antian replied, “Yeah, there’s a lot of interesting stuff happening at Black Gold Base. If you’re interested, I can tell you more. But, well, you know…” He trailed off with a cheeky grin.
Yan Xi Nian patted him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, we know how things work. Everything has a price. Two kilograms of rice for an hour of honest conversation. If there’s something you can’t answer, feel free to stay silent. How about that?”
Xiong An Tian rubbed his belly and said honestly, “We’ll probably have to chat after dinner, then.”
“That’s fine. We’re not in a rush,” Yan Xi Nian replied.
After unloading their bamboo tubes into their temporary lodging, they took everything they could from the truck and locked it up, asking Xiong Antian to keep an eye on it.
Xiong An Tian agreed without hesitation.
Having been on the road for days without a proper meal, Xia Lu Nong and his group were eager to cook. They borrowed the kitchen and made a large pot of rice.
They didn’t ask Xiong An Tian to provide food, only requesting two of the large radishes from his garden.
The radishes were exceptionally delicious.
Xia Lu Nong tasted a small piece and found it sweet, spicy, and very juicy.
He shredded one radish, mixed it with flour, cracked in two eggs, added some chili powder, and made radish pancakes.
The other radish was used to make fish soup.
As for the radish leaves, he stir-fried them with chili and vinegar to create a crisp and tangy dish.
Xiong An Tian, who usually didn’t eat proper meals as a bachelor, was drawn by the delicious aroma. Unable to resist, he lingered downstairs, pacing the courtyard and occasionally glancing toward the kitchen.
After consulting with Xia Lu Nong, Yan Xi Nian called out through the window, “Want to join us for a bite?”
Xiong An Tian was overjoyed. “Great, I won’t hold back then!”
“No problem,” Yan Xi Nian laughed, “but after eating our food, you can’t expect us to pay for the conversation later, right?”
Xiong Antian, moving swiftly like a bear, came over to help. “No need, just letting me join the meal is enough. I’ll tell you everything I know, no holding back.”
Soon, Xia Lu Nong and the others finished preparing the meal.
Since Xiong An Tian was joining them, they decided to eat in the living room downstairs.
Xiong An Tian even contributed a pot to keep the radish and fish soup simmering, so it wouldn’t get cold and develop a fishy taste.
Once the food was ready, everyone sat down to eat.
When Xiong An Tian took his first bite, tears welled up in his eyes.
Seeing this grown man with teary eyes, Xia Huo Qu silently handed him a roll of tissue.
But Xiong An Tian, reluctant to waste the tissues, wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffled. “Damn that asteroid! Since the disaster, it’s been over a year since I’ve had such authentic homemade food.”
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Not even once? How have you been surviving these past two years?”
“Nothing special,” Xiong An Tian replied. “After the disaster, we had months of chaos, right? I didn’t know anything back then. After I couldn’t find my family, I just wandered around with a group of people, slowly ending up here.”
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Did those people settle nearby too?”
“No. Those who could turn into beast-people or afford the supplies made it into the Black Gold Base. People like me, regular humans with decent skills, stayed on the outskirts.”
Hearing this, Xia Lu Nong showed a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Xiong An Tian noticed and, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, “The Black Gold Base doesn’t support freeloaders. For someone like me, being able to scrape by here is pretty good. Those who can’t fend for themselves either find a patron or leave.”
While they were talking, several shadows approached the door and windows.
There were no streetlights outside, and it was already dark.
Xia Huo Qu and the others immediately noticed the figures outside and grew alert.
Xiong An Tian quickly explained, “Those are my friends.”
Xia Huo Qu’s group relaxed a little.
As the shadows reached the door, everyone looked up.
At first glance, the newcomers seemed unremarkable. But on closer inspection, they weren’t quite human—they had beast-like features!
The young man leading the group had a snout and nose just like a cat’s. His ears were also on top of his head, transformed into cat ears.
Xia Lu Nong stared at his face.
Three of the man’s facial features were completely inhuman—the only thing normal were his eyes and eyebrows.
Xia Lu Nong’s gaze was obvious, and the man met his eyes, smiling. “Hey, Xiong, where did you find such a cute—friend?”
Noticing the unfriendly looks from Xia Lu Nong’s companions, he awkwardly changed his tone when he said the last word, making the correction sound odd.
Xiong An Tian quickly explained, “These are our guests. They’re staying here tonight. I’ve prepared an empty room for them, so don’t go near it, Maizi.”
Maizi and his group of six—four men and two women—all had some degree of animal traits.
They seemed friendly enough and didn’t appear to mean any harm.
Xia Lu Nong nodded at them.
Maizi smiled and asked, “Since we’ve crossed paths, would it be okay if we got to know each other?”
Yan Xi Nian stood up and introduced himself first, “My name is Yan Xi Nian. I’m from a base to the southeast. These three here are my companions.”
Maizi looked him up and down before saying, “I’ve heard of you. Captain Yan, your reputation precedes you.”
Yan Xi Nian feigned surprise. “You know me?”
“Your name has spread far and wide,” Maizi replied. “I met another scavenging team, and they mentioned you in conversation. Everyone says your base is managed loosely, that everyone is equal, and that people can eat their fill. If they’re willing to work, they can live well without handing over too many supplies.”
As Maizi spoke, there was a trace of respect in his eyes. “I guess this must be Vice Captain Xia next to you?”
“Hello,” Xia Huo Qu nodded at him. “What should I call you?”
“My name is Mai Dong,” he said, gesturing to the others. “These are Yan Shi Jiu, Wu Xing Hang, Zhao Meng Jian, Yuan Jia Ning, and Shu Meng.”
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi also greeted them.
Curious about Maizi’s appearance, Yan Xi Nian asked, “May I ask a bold question?”
Maizi immediately understood what Yan Xi Nian was curious about and laughed. “This is a trend that’s been going strong in the Black Gold Base for the past six months. Everyone tries to maintain their animal traits. It serves as both a warning to others and an advantage—beasts have much sharper senses than humans, and it’s easier to survive in this form.”
Yan Xi Nian asked, “I wouldn’t know how to maintain such a form, though.”
“It’s simple. As long as you can transform, it just takes a little practice to hold the form. If you’re interested, I can teach you later,” Maizi offered.
Noticing they had just returned, Yan Xi Nian asked, “Have you had dinner yet? If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to join us.”
“Of course, we don’t mind! Give me a moment. I’ll go upstairs and bring down some of my treasured jerky.”
Xia Lu Nong, surprised by Maizi’s generosity, gave him a second glance and then went upstairs with Kong Zhi to fetch some hotpot seasoning.
The fish and radish soup they had made earlier would serve perfectly as the hotpot base.
They cut more vegetables and brought out a larger table, and all eleven of them sat down to enjoy dinner together.
Curious about each other’s lives, the conversation flowed easily as they ate.
While dipping his meat into the broth, Maizi mused, “I used to imagine that after the disaster, we could go back to the way things were. But seeing the state of the Black Gold Base now, it’s clear we’ll never return to the old days.”
Yuan Jia Ning spoke from the side, “It’s not just us who can’t go back; humanity as a whole won’t return to the way things were.”
Even while eating, her face remained gaunt, and her glowing yellow beast-like eyes added a hint of eeriness to her appearance.
Xia Lu Nong asked, “What’s the situation inside the Black Gold Base now? Can you give us a brief overview?”
“Why not?” Maizi said, as he grabbed another piece of meat. “Various factions openly and secretly compete for power. Different groups of beast-people rule their territories, while ordinary humans either submit to these factions and live as second-class citizens or can’t even enter the base. It’s basically like a jungle society now.”
