Chapter 31 – Awareness
There were so many mutated creatures in Qingluo Bay.
They had been clearing out the area for over two hours, killing the aggressive ones. The rest, they managed to drive away.
Mutated animals were one thing, but this was Xia Lu Nong’s first time seeing mutated plants flee. Some vines slithered away like snakes, quickly gliding across the ground. Some shrubs uprooted themselves and floated away, carried by the wind thanks to their large crowns. The most extreme case was a tree that literally hopped, its roots springing out and alternating like legs, running faster and more agile than a person.
Xia Lu Nong had never imagined that mutated plants could be so intense.
After seeing the plants, the winged fish, snake-sized worms, and rolling, ball-like mutated chickens seemed almost ordinary.
Xia Lu Nong was overwhelmed by all he had witnessed, his little cat face dazed for quite a while, struggling to process it all.
Taking advantage of this, Yan Xi Nian gave his belly a few rubs, his face showing the mysterious satisfaction of someone who had thoroughly enjoyed petting a cat.
Seeing Yan Xi Nian enjoying himself so much, Ba Niu also wanted to give it a try but withdrew his hand after receiving a dark look from Xia Huo Qu, feeling disappointed.
Yan Xi Nian seized the rare opportunity and rubbed several more times. He had known Xia Lu Nong since he was a kitten, so there was no hesitation in his actions.
When Xia Lu Nong finally snapped out of his daze, his belly was swollen from all the rubbing. With a loud “Meow!” he swiped at Yan Xi Nian, kicked him twice with his hind legs, and darted over to his brother’s side.
Once there, Xia Lu Nong lifted his head, his bright green eyes staring at his brother as he loudly complained, “Meow, meow, meow!”
Xia Huo Qu chuckled, picked him up, and calmly changed the subject. “Shall we make lamb soup tonight?”
During their clearing, they had come across a flock of sheep, and six of them weren’t too heavily mutated, meaning their meat was edible. They planned to cook one for dinner.
Liao Quannan and the others had already skinned the sheep. The skins, heads, and innards—except for the intestines—were sealed in barrels, ready to be taken back to the base’s kitchen tomorrow. The innards would be enough to make lamb offal soup for the entire base.
Xia Lu Nong, who had never had lamb head before, perked up at the mention of lamb soup. He swallowed, his little cat face showing clear desire. “Meow.”
That was his way of agreeing. His brother smirked and, still holding him, said, “Let’s take a walk through the village and see if we can find some chives or green onions for seasoning.”
Once the lamb head soup was done, they’d pull out the meat, which could be eaten as sliced lamb, perfect with dipping sauce.
Xia Lu Nong looked down at his short little legs. If he could transform into human form, he could even prepare the lamb in different ways, like hand-pulled lamb, braised lamb, or red-braised lamb.
What a pity.
Xia Huo Qu, who had been a key force in clearing out the mutated creatures that afternoon, still had energy left. No one was too worried about his safety.
Ba Niu waved his hand and called out, “Vice Captain Xia, don’t take too long. The lamb soup’s almost ready.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded slightly.
Yan Xi Nian stretched and stood up, saying, “I’ll come along for a walk. Xiao Nong has a keen sense of smell and good luck. Maybe we’ll find something interesting.”
Ba Niu chimed in, “We’ve already combed through every path, and all we found were some pots, pans, and tools. What else could there be?”
“Who knows?” Yan Xi Nian smiled.
Liao Quan Nan added, “If there were any food left, we’d have found it already during our clearing. Let’s not take too long.”
Yan Xi Nian waved casually, “You keep working on the lamb. We’ll be back once it’s done. The village isn’t that big. If there’s any trouble, just shout, and we’ll hear you.”
Cong Lian, who loved reading, stood up, saying, “I’ll go too.”
Luo Cong Xin quietly followed behind, indicating he wanted to go as well.
Ba Niu, seeing that almost everyone was heading out, grumbled, “So it’s just me and Old Liao left to cook?”
Liao Quan Nan chuckled but said nothing.
Unwilling to be left out, Ba Niu quickly packed up his things and declared, “No way. If you’re going, we’re all going together.”
Yan Xi Nian responded, “We’re just going for a walk.”
“That doesn’t matter. We’re a team, and a team isn’t complete with someone missing,” Ba Niu insisted, pulling out two garlic cloves and a green onion from his bag. Grinning, he moved closer to Xia Lu Nong and said, “You’re just looking for seasoning, right? If we don’t go, how about Xiao Nong helps grow a little extra?”
Xia Lu Nong, caught off guard by suddenly being the focus, widened his eyes.
Ba Niu leaned in and encouraged, “Come on, give it a try. Didn’t you come out here to practice your powers anyway? The more you use them, the better you’ll get.”
Xia Lu Nong looked over at his brother.
His brother had always told him not to show off his powers too much in front of others.
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t sure if this counted as showing off in front of others.
Sensing his hesitation, Liao Quannan shot back at Ba Niu, “None of us have powers, so what do you know? What if he overdoes it?”
Ba Niu tossed the garlic and green onion in the air, catching them one after the other, and grinned at Xia Lu Nong. “Garlic and green onions are the easiest plants to grow. What could go wrong?”
Still unsure, Xia Lu Nong scratched his brother’s sleeve with his little cat paws.
His brother met his gaze and calmly said, “Give it a try.”
With that, he set Xia Lu Nong on the ground and gently nudged him forward, signaling him to go ahead.
Xia Lu Nong lifted his right front paw, curling his paw pad inward, and hesitated for a few seconds before stepping toward Ba Niu.
Yan Xi Nian took two heads of garlic from Ba Niu’s hand, quickly peeled off the cloves, skin and all, placed them in a bowl, and poured in some water. He waved his hand, saying softly, “Xiao Nong, come over here. Let’s start with the garlic. Garlic sprouts should be easier to grow.”
Usually, Xia Lu Nong would claw at Yan Xi Nian when he rubbed his belly, but in this situation, seeing him gave him a sense of security.
The little cat trotted a few steps and ran to Yan Xi Nian.
Yan Xi Nian squatted on the ground, placing the bowl down as well. He gently rubbed Xia Lu Nong’s head and stroked along his back to his lower back, saying softly, “Try it. If it doesn’t work, that’s okay.”
Xia Lu Nong knew he could do it—after all, it was just two heads of garlic, with only thirteen cloves in total. How could it not work?
The little cat closed his eyes and stood by the bowl.
Garlic sprouts only need water to grow well, and the garlic cloves could provide all the necessary nutrients.
Xia Lu Nong could almost imagine the garlic cloves drinking water greedily, gulp after gulp.
Once satisfied, the sprouts would gather enough strength to break free from the cloves, pushing upward, eager to see the world.
The garlic sprouts grew longer and higher in his mind.
With his eyes closed, Xia Lu Nong wasn’t aware that the garlic sprouts in reality were growing at the same pace he had imagined.
Unlike larger plants like tomatoes or peppers, which take time to grow, garlic sprouts grow very quickly, emerging bit by bit like smoke. In the blink of an eye, they had grown more than ten centimeters.
These sprouts, which had never seen sunlight and were rapidly nurtured, appeared a tender yellow, with slightly thicker, fleshy leaves. The aroma of garlic was so strong that Xia Lu Nong, with his sensitive nose, couldn’t help but sneeze.
The sneeze broke his concentration, and the growth of the garlic sprouts stopped.
Yan Xi Nian patted the little cat’s head, lifted him by his back and front paws, and returned him to Xia Huo Qu’s arms. He then bent down, pulled up all the garlic sprouts, and showed them to Ba Niu. “How’s that?”
Ba Niu, a bit embarrassed, said, “Pretty good. Xiao Nong is amazing.”
“I don’t need anyone to question my people,” Yan Xi Nian said calmly. “After we return, you should leave the committee.”
Ba Niu’s expression changed immediately. “Captain Yan, I was just… I didn’t mean to—”
Yan Xi Nian raised a hand to stop him from speaking further. “Your mindset is already unbalanced. Even without Xiao Nong, you’d eventually question a second or third person. This mentality is not suited for teamwork. You’ll drag yourself or your teammates down.”
Ba Niu hadn’t expected such serious consequences from a small doubt. His face changed several times, but in the end, he said nothing.
The others present didn’t dare to make a sound, remaining silent.
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t expected this side of his older brother Yan Xi Nian, and he shrank back a bit, feeling a little scared.
Xia Huo Qu remained calm, gently stroking the soft fur on Xia Lu Nong’s back, saying nothing.
Among the group, only Liao Quan Nan braved a comment, glancing from one person to another. He nervously addressed Yan Xi Nian, “Captain, Ba Niu just talks a lot. It’s just his personality. Can’t you give him another chance?”
Ba Niu stayed silent, not daring to look at the Xia brothers.
Liao Quannan’s attempt to mediate yielded no results.
The others remained quiet, even Xia Lu Nong, who was usually the most soft-hearted, didn’t say a word.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu had led their group through life-threatening situations, building their small base from nothing. They were not soft-hearted individuals.
Although Xia Huo Qu had gradually withdrawn from the core leadership, Yan Xi Nian had relaxed somewhat, occasionally joking with his subordinates, giving them a false sense of ease.
But today, the group realized that beneath the relaxed exterior, Yan Xi Nian was still the same, and so was Xia Huo Qu.
In fact, now that Xia Lu Nong had awoken, Xia Huo Qu, determined to protect his brother, had become even more formidable.
The lamb stew was soon finished.
The tender yellow garlic sprouts were chopped up and mixed with chili sauce and soy sauce to make a dip that smelled so good it made everyone’s mouth water.
But tonight, no one had much of an appetite.
The group suddenly realized that the small, soft little cat—who sometimes couldn’t even walk steadily—had become a pivotal figure in the base.
No matter how soft the little cat seemed, with Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu standing as impenetrable walls around him, he now had the power to influence the fate of the entire base.
And it seemed that both of them were intent on using that power to reshape the base—at least Xia Huo Qu appeared to be.
From the moment Xia Lu Nong had awakened, their small base’s trajectory had likely begun to change.
