Chapter 153

Gong Lixin didn’t know why Gong Xiangyi suddenly stopped him, why she suddenly hugged him, or why she whispered ‘thank you’ into his ear. Gong Lixin’s was very confused.

“She may be acting crazy again. Don’t think about it anymore.” A if he could read his mind, Dou Heng opened his mouth and said to him.

“Hn, you’re right.” Gong Lixin felt relieved and walked back towards the warehouse.

When they got closer, Gong Lixin heard Jin Shangyu’s helpless voice, “Brother, be good. Gong Lixin will be back soon. You have to wait patiently for a little while longer. Come and eat these crystal cores!”

Jin Shanghui’s impatient low growls came immediately after. Gong Lixin smiled and accelerated his pace. Seeing the young man pushing open the door, Jin Shanghui quickly flicked away Jin Shangyu’s hand that was holding a crystal nucleus and ran to the young man with his arms stretched out. He held the teenager tightly in his arms and gently rubbed the other’s cheek with his own. The feelings of attachment was more intense than mere words could describe.

“You came back. If you didn’t come back, this one’s small ancestor would be upset!” Jin Shangyu pouted and complained.

Gong Lixin chuckled slightly before he retreated from Jin Shanghui’s arms. He pushed himself up on his tiptoes, held the other’s cheeks in his hands, leaned against his forehead, his nose touching the other’s nose and softly whispered “Xiaohui” against his mouth. He liked Jin Shanghui’s trust and adoration for him, as if he was the other’s entire world and could only rely on him. Jin Shanghui belonged to him completely and this feeling made him feel at ease.

Feeling the joy of the teenager, Jin Shanghui narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue to lick the youth’s white cheek. He had been living by absorbing crystal nuclei. The smell in his mouth had long disappeared. When his burred tongue brushed against Gong Lixin’s skin, it would bring about a feeling of numbness and itchiness, causing Gong Lixin to laugh and try and hide.

Jin Shanghui only felt that the teenager’s skin was smooth and silky. It also had a faint fragrance which was much tastier than crystal nuclei. It was when Gong Lixin moved to dodge that Jin Shanghui reached out to hold him in his arms. His tongue licked the other’s cheek, moved to the corner of his eyes and finally, stopped at the jade white auricle as he savoured the taste.

One, tall and handsome; the other, slender and handsome; they hugged each other. Although it was purely playful, but the scene was really warm and moving, making Jin Shangyu’s cheeks red and her imagination run wild. Wiping off the non-existent saliva from the corner of her mouth, she greeted Gong Lixin with a smile and said in a pleasing tone, “Young Master Gong, come on and sit down! Did you take pictures at the press conference?”

“Photographed. You can see it for yourself.” Gong Lixin handed over the camera and sat naturally in Jin Shanghui’s arms.

Turning on the camera, Jin Shangyu’s face immediately became serious. Curious people also came around and stood behind her to watch together. Dou Heng sat next to the teenager and ignored the hostile growls from Jin Shanghui.

The video was very short and finished in less than ten minutes. Jin Shangyu looked up, but when she did, she saw that he brother was holding Gong Lixin’s in his arms with his chin resting on Gong Lixin’s shoulder. He eyes were squinted as if he was sleepy and he leaned his head left and right from time to time, sniffing Gong Lixin’s scent with a drunken expression on his face. Gong Lixin had long been accustomed to this and he lazily leaned against Jin Shanghui’s chest and played with his sharp nails. The interaction between the two was so intimate. It was almost as they were lovers. It almost blinded Jin Shangyu’s eyes.

Jin Shangyu’s mouth twitched and she secretly wondered: Did Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran ever see his brother and Gong Lixin’s face when they were together? Aiya~ This scene is too sweet! So exciting!

Noticing Jin Shangyu’s strange look, Gong Lixin raised his eyes, glanced at her and asked, “How is it? Difficult?”

“No such thing. Only the video doesn’t really explain anything.” Jin Shangyu corrected her expression and answered seriously. When the teenager raised his brows and glared at her, she immediately smiled and flattered, “But fortunately, Young Master Gong shot it very carefully, so I found a major clue! Have you seen this?” She pointed at the man in the white coat on the screen. “I know this person. He was originally from our research institute. I once worked with him to develop a research paper on adhesion molecules. I have an amazing ability to recall these things. So, if this potion was created by his hands, I can guess eight or nine out of ten of the main ingredients. Just give me a set of laboratory instruments and three months and I can make a better potion.”

“Are you sure?” Gong Lixin asked.

“He was just a little officer in our research institute and wasn’t even ranked high. How could I be any worse than him?” Jin Shangyu pouted as she boasted.

“That’s good.” Gong Lixin nodded in satisfaction. Now that they have entered the Northeast Plain, they urgently needed to gain a foothold in the shortest time possible. Didn’t the Song family’s base want to use this agent to control Country C? Then if they wanted to stand against the Song family’s base, they had to make sure they were not isolated by the forces of Country C. Although they had better drugs, their strength was not strong enough now. If they hastily released them, it would only attract bad attention from people who coveted them. If the Song family’s base joined the other bases to siege Gong family’s base to snatch the drug’s recipes, they would not be able to resist. After all, two is better than one when putting up a fight. Only when they were strong enough in the future, could these potions be made public.

Thinking of that, Gong Lixin cautioned carefully, “Several of our existing drugs must not be circulated to the outside world. When you set up your laboratory, I will send someone to strengthen the security.”

“I know this. The aftereffects of the zombie antidote on the human body has not been revealed. Even if you let me sell it to other people now, I would not agree. Also, only the lunatics brought up by you dare to try!” Jin Shangyu said with worry.

Jin Shangyu hadn’t agreed on the large-scale use of the zombie antidote. She only suggested to Gong Lixin to find a few volunteers to try it out, but Gong Lixin was very confident about this drug’s efficacy and announced it directly to the people. The people of Long Snake Island trusted him blindly. When she distributed the drugs, she just kindly reminded them to use them with caution. As a result, they didn’t listen to her at all and ran away as soon as they had their hands on the drugs, as if they were afraid that she would not give it to them. She was quite powerless. Fortunately, no one had any adverse reaction so far. She also felt relieved when Gong Lixin said that they could still have children in the future. In fact, with her rigorous scientific attitude, she couldn’t do such crazy and adventurous moves. But it seems that she had been conquered by the teenager’s charisma and became a blind and obedient follower. This was really not a good sign!

After a few brief discussions, seeing that it was not early anymore. Gong Lixin laid down on the cloth that was spread out while still lying in Jin Shanghui’s arm. They both fell asleep, leaving Jin Shangyu to face the black faces of Lin Wenbo and Song Haoran who stood just behind them.

This was probably the so-called paying one’s family’s debt?

***

The next day, the members of Gong family’s base stayed ready, filled their trucks with fuel and slowly drove to Pu’an Country under the escort of the Song family’s base’s army.

More than twenty base leaders stood in front of the door and gave way to them. Their attitude was not enthusiastic, but it wasn’t indifference either. When they saw the delicate-looking teenager though, there was awe in their eyes. Early in the morning, the news that this youth was a fourth-level, four-system ability user had spread throughout the base. It cannot be ruled out that this news was deliberately released by the Gong family’s base, but it was an indisputable fact that the youth had superior strength. The Gong family’s base had the strength while the Song family’s base had the disinfectant. Thus they still chose to stand on the Song family’s base’s side, but wouldn’t rush to offend the Gong family’s base.

When the convoy disappeared at the end of the road, Song Haoxuan’s face immediately dimmed. He whispered to a subordinate at his side, “Follow them.”

The other heads should have also made their move, with several players secretly keeping up with the Gong family’s convoy.

The convoy traveled for more than two hours, successfully passing the checkpoint set by the Song family’s base at the exit of the highway and drive onto the national road toward Pu’an County. Entering Pu’an County, the convoy slowly came to a stop, but from each truck, only four people came down. They were all holding a large bottle in their hands and sprayed the content evenly all over the trucks.

“What are they doing?” He Jin looked at Wang Tao next to him with a puzzled expression.

“You will know when we enter Ningcheng. Come, spray this on your body, from head to toe. Don’t miss a spot. In the future, spray it on you once a day. Also, mix ten drops of it in the water for your bath and laundry. Don’t forget!” Wang Tao took out two small bottles and handed them over to He Jin and Lu Yun as he explained to them.

Lu Yun unscrewed the cap as soon as he had the bottle in hand and smelled the light green liquid which had a grassy scent to it. His face was full of confusion. He Jin’s eyes dimmed and he asked, “Your real destination is Ningcheng? That’s dangerous, you can’t go in!”

“Why do you care so much? Just do what you’re told, stop being so wordy!” Tan Mingyuan, who was not familiar with He Jin, scolded him while spraying the potion on his body. Wang Tao turned over to He Jin and motioned to him to remain silent.

He Jin and Lu Yun didn’t care about that person’s bad attitude. While staying at the Song family’s base for three years, they had long learned to ignore such attitudes as they faced various difficulties. Furthermore, they did not think that these people were wrong with their vigilant attitude towards them. If these people immediately accepted them enthusiastically, they would actually feel quite uneasy instead. After spending time with each other for a long period of time, He Jin and Lu Yun believed that they would be making many friends. Because, they could see that these people looked fierce and evil, but their temperaments were very straightforward. It can easily be seen that they were all affected by Gong Lixin.

The convoy gradually entered the boundary of Ningcheng. He Jin lifted the tarp of the truck and looked out. He saw the overwhelming green vines and felt his scalp tingle. For thousands of kilometers, the scent of plant and rotted animal corpses were mixed together and couldn’t stop drilling into everyone’s nostrils.

There was a rancid smell in the sweetness which was a scent unique to Ningcheng; the smell of death.

The closer they got to the sea of green, the harder He Jin gripped the railing of the truck and the whiter his joints became. Lu Yun was equally terrified and shrank into his seat. At this moment, as if feeling their uneasiness, Gong Lixin got out of the Hummer that was taking the lead and, after a few jumps, jumped into the truck where He Jin was. He squeezed in beside him and patted He Jin’s hand to appease him, “Don’t worry, just sit quietly.”

Seeing the young man’s calm smile, He Jin smiled as well. His tight body suddenly relaxed. He pulled Gong Lixin to sit beside him and waited silently. With Young Master Gong present, Lu Yun seemed to have taken a relaxant as his pale face gradually returned to normal.

Soon, a miracle happened. When the team approached Ningcheng, the sea of green automatically separated to create a passage, allowing them to pass without hindrance. The scene was like when Moses parted the sea, which deeply shocked He Jin and Lu Yun. Even Tan Mingyuan and the others, who had already known the inside story, stared with wide eyes, squeezing towards the sides of the truck to look out.

The convoy went deeper into the ocean of vines. Lu Yun withdrew the shock on his face and pulled He Jin’s sleeve. He whispered in a low voice, “Brother, I have a hunch that your brothers who refused to leave Liaocheng will definitely feel regret!”

He Jin looked at Gong Lixin beside him, smiling without saying a word.

Ningcheng was surrounded by king kong vines which made it look lush with greenery. Gong Lixin took the members of his team to investigate around the city; first, groping the trunks of several large king kong vines before destroying them with ice and fire. The fallen branches and leaves were collected to make vine repellent. Thus, a block was cleared for everyone to live in.

It would take at least three or four months for all the vines in the city to be removed by Gong Lixin alone. Fortunately, they had entered Ningcheng safely and the granaries in Ningcheng were full enough for them to eat for a few years, so they weren’t in a hurry. As for the outer vines, that was the natural barrier of Ningcheng, which could prevent all forces from inquiring about them and harassing them. Gong Lixin will naturally not destroy it. Not only does he not destroy it, but he also sowed many seeds close to it, letting Luo Dahai ripen them to make the barrier more dense and lush.

Upon receiving the news from the spies that had returned, Song Haoxuan’s face was as green as Ningcheng. They entered Ningcheng? The Gong family went into Ningcheng so easily? How did they do it? This mystery would disturb him for a long time in the future to the point he couldn’t sleep at night.

After receiving this news, the leaders of the other bases couldn’t believe their ears. Being able to take the city of death as their own, they had underestimated the true strength of Gong family’s base. Since then, the Gong family’s base became the most mysterious and most unpredictable force in Country C, having the most transcendent status of them all. Talking about Gong family’s base, everyone had longing and awe on their faces. Their attitude towards them was far more cautious than that of Song family’s base, especially after the Gong family’s base also began to sell disinfectants with better efficacy and more reasonable pricing.