Chapter 82 (1/2)

”Anyways, as long as I am standing, as long as I am still capable of going out to search for food, we will not eat this pea, not even a bite!” the man bellowed. ”We will not accept any of this! Not until I die!”

The man picked up the dagger and its sheath in anger. ”See you!” He threw the almost-rude farewell to Chang and left with his wife and kids.

Chang pondered the man's statement while staring at the cage.

The man couldn't be more ordinary than everyone else; people like him lived everywhere in the city. They were not equipped with sufficient amount of knowledge in science, and neither were they as smart or a.n.a.lytical as Qing Shui and Zhuo. They were frightened and fragile, yet they remained skeptical about this seemingly perfect crop. The Crystal Pea was just too good to be real.

Human beings weren't as great as they would imagine themselves to be, yet they were stronger than they knew themselves to be. The commoners who endured the deadly evolution were slowly adapting to this disconcerting world.

If the Crystal Pea was as menacing a crop as Qing Shui suspected, then whoever consumed this pea would be slowly but surely eliminated from this planet without a trace.

As a human, Chang knew that the majority of the commoners would consume the Crystal Pea to avoid the painful starvation. In result, the Crystal Pea would become a largely consumed crop, which would force people to rely on the periodic seed distributions. After all, the crop's reproductive ability was intentionally removed - the testa of the harvested pea was too thick for water to permeate, making the germination simply impossible - to control the food supply. Only then would Zhuo's ambition be fulfilled - to control the ma.s.ses and receive the wors.h.i.+p that he desired.

However, Chang couldn't see the true aim behind this kind of behavior.

”What is he going to do with that power?” Chang asked himself. He had qualms about Zhuo's ultimate goal. ”Has he ever thought about the consequences?”

Chang failed to figure out the purpose behind his actions, hence he put aside the issue. After all, even if he was able to see through Zhuo's intrigues , he would still be too powerless to stop him from executing whatever evil plans he had.

He was too negligible in the political struggle; he could only watch his own back.

Therefore, Chang shook his head and smiled wryly. He walked away and started using the same method as the man to search for edible plants.

The plants had evolved significantly since the first day of the apocalypse; they grew in shapes or forms that Chang had not seen before. The tiny yet tenacious sprouts broke through the concrete road. By eyeballing, it was hard to distinguish whether a plant was edible or not.

Though his job was easier with the bug's aid.

People were arguing here and there, but Chang only focused on utilizing the ability of the bug to look for edible plants. The afternoon was a fruitful one. Each plant that the bug chomped on, Chang collected and wrapped its leaves and a seed in a piece of cloth. It was a rather worthwhile harvest as he gathered about seven or eight different plants in the cloth pocket.

When the sky gradually lost its brightness, he returned to the inst.i.tute and found Qing Shui.

”Buddy! I found eight edible plants! Though I don't know which one can be reproduced in a large scale…” Chang said with excitement, carefully placing the cloth pocket on Qing Shui's lab table.

”Eight?” Qing Shui stroked the cloth. ”You're really good at this, aren't you?”

”No… This little guy should take all the credit,” Chang said, putting the cage on the table to reveal his helper.

”Impressive!” Qing Shui exclaimed. ”Tomorrow, I'll have these planted in the experimental field, and hopefully some of them will reproduce. This way, more will be saved…”

Chang gazed at Qing Shui's calm face, grinning. ”To be honest, you seem cold and unapproachable, but you do have a big heart.”

Qing Shui's benevolence reminded Chang about how they had went back to the jungle to find Pangzi. They even made a fist b.u.mp at the time. It was something that Chang had least expected Qing Shui to do. Qing Shui had gradually become cold-hearted and less human-like since he attained his ability, but deep down in his heart, he had not lost sympathy. He had just chosen to conceal his emotions and only let them slip out around the people he trusted.

Chang turned away and left the office. Before the door closed, his last sentence slipped through the closing door. ”And I think that's what makes you different from Zhuo.”

Chang ran all the way back to their suite so that he could see Jing sooner.

”I am back!” he shouted out, bursting in. Light streamed into the dark room when the door was opened, and he found Jing sitting on a chair close to the door. She had sensed his return long ago, and thus, she had been waiting patiently. Her presence warmed his heart, and he gently hugged her, then fondled her hair. ”You were worried, weren't you?”

”I was,” Jing agreed with a nod. Her fingers softly yet firmly grasped his s.h.i.+rt.

”Let me see if there is anything we can do for fun.”