When Li Keyi appeared before Shen Feng, Shen Feng was quite shocked. He couldn't help but ask, "Why are you here?"
Shen Feng had rather subtle feelings for Li Keyi; it was a state of being more than friends but less than lovers. Shen Feng had never expected to see Li Keyi here. Normally, Li Keyi should be staying in Yan Jing. It wasn't easy to see Li Keyi elsewhere, but Li Keyi suddenly appearing before him now, Shen Feng was momentarily surprised.
"What? I can't come here?" Li Keyi asked immediately.
Shen Feng quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. If it were any other time, I would definitely have a serious talk with you. But right now, someone is approaching this way, and I must leave immediately. If there's anything, we'll talk next time."
However, Li Keyi responded calmly to Shen Feng's answer, "You're still so cautious. Then I'll be direct. I brought these people, and they're not here to arrest you. They're here to take the plant heart back to the research institute for study. Don't worry."
Upon hearing this explanation, Shen Feng was stunned. "The people you brought? Then why didn't you notify me earlier?"
Shen Feng now realized he might have misunderstood Li Keyi. If Li Keyi had brought people, they certainly wouldn't harm him. But to come here without any prior notification seemed a bit too hasty.
Li Keyi explained calmly, "No one was told about this operation. After taking possession of the plant heart, we will return to Yan Jing quickly. You know the importance of the plant heart better than anyone, don't you?"
Shen Feng nodded. If it was a secret operation by people from the Yan Jing research institute, this explanation was quite convincing. After all, there were only two plants in the world capable of producing evolution base, and one of them was in his hands. Although it was now a dead plant heart, its preciousness was still unimaginable.
"Now, can you sit down? Don't worry, no one will dare to lay a hand on you while I'm here. Besides, your speed is the fastest in the world; are you still worried about someone ambushing you?" Li Keyi said with a smile.
After hearing this, Shen Feng finally relaxed. He trusted Li Keyi a lot. They had experienced various dangers at sea before, and Li Keyi had always considered his well-being. Shen Feng believed Li Keyi was the same now.
Shen Feng then said to the three people behind him, "Alright, continue with the barbecue. The crisis has been averted, so don't be so tense, everyone."
Many people had actually heard of Li Keyi's reputation. Because some paparazzi heard that Li Keyi discovered extraterrestrial elements, they one-sidedly believed that Li Keyi was also involved in the decapitation operation against the Corpse King. Thus, Li Keyi even earned the title "Goddess of Light."
Xiao Sheng and the others had met Li Keyi before and knew she was not an enemy, so they relaxed their vigilance.
Li Keyi first walked to the car carrying the plant heart. Sleds were not suitable in the mountains, so everyone had already switched to cars. As for gasoline, it was the last bit extracted from various towns. Currently, domestic oil production could only await exploitation from Karamay.
Li Keyi looked at the strangely shaped plant heart, and the more she looked, the more excited she became. If she could find something from this dead plant heart, it might solve the problem of mass-producing evolution base.
Shen Feng continued to sit down and barbecue. The wolf meat stewed with mushrooms was already boiling, and a rich aroma wafted from the pot. Sitting down, he immediately felt his appetite whetted. He couldn't help but pick up his bowls and chopsticks to scoop out meat and mushrooms. Although the preparation method was simple, with the mushrooms enhancing the flavor, the final taste was quite good.
After examining the plant heart, Li Keyi happened to sit next to Shen Feng and also picked up chopsticks to eat the meat.
Seeing this, Shen Feng couldn't help but say, "If you want to eat, make it yourself. What do you mean by freeloading my food?"
But upon hearing Shen Feng say this, Li Keyi grinned cheekily and replied, "What's in your own bowl never tastes as good as what's in someone else's pot. Who doesn't know this principle? Don't be so stingy. I'm just tasting it. If there's a chance later, I can let you try my signature dish."
Shen Feng was helpless. He couldn't possibly drive Li Keyi away. It was just a little bit of food; let her eat it.
Meanwhile, Xu Xing, observing this scene from not far away, showed a look of suspicion. He then asked Lu Xian, "Brother Lu Xian, why do I feel that the relationship between the City Lord and Li Keyi is a bit unusual?"
Lu Xian quickly said, "Just pretend you didn't see anything, pretend you don't know anything. Got it?"
Xu Xing still didn't understand and asked, "Why?"
Lu Xian then explained, "You don't understand this! Of course, it's because this matter involves the City Lord's reputation. Moreover, if this gets out and the two wives find out, what then?"
Xu Xing then remembered Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan. Their attitudes towards him had always been quite good, and the two wives wouldn't have such strong jealousy.
Xu Xing then said, "But the two wives aren't particularly petty people, are they? Every time the two wives see me, they greet me enthusiastically. They wouldn't get angry over such a small matter, would they?"
However, after Xu Xing said this, Lu Xian whispered, "That's because you're not a threat to the two wives. Otherwise, if you threatened their status, you'd be in trouble. Let me put it this way: once, in the City Lord's mansion, a female employee wearing a short skirt and black stockings passed by, and the City Lord glanced at her a couple more times. As a result, the next day, the City Lord's mansion started distributing uniforms, and everyone had to wear uniforms to work. Thus, the City Lord no longer had any opportunity to secretly look at other women. Understand?"
After hearing the many inside stories from Lu Xian, Xu Xing finally understood. So that was the reason. Because he was not a threat to Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan, they were so polite to him. If he had any improper thoughts, he would probably be transferred away from Shen Feng's side.
"Women, their jealousy is truly terrifying," Xu Xing couldn't help but say.
At this moment, lights suddenly appeared in the distance, and then a group of people marched towards them in formation. These were the people Lu Xian had detected earlier approaching them. They were all wearing military uniforms and fully armed. Even before they got close, one could feel a strong killing intent.
Sensing this killing intent, Shen Feng immediately understood. These were all battle-hardened veterans. Only veterans would exude such a strong aura. They might not necessarily have the intention to kill, but the killing intent was naturally revealed.
Li Keyi stood up at this moment and said, "Immediately load the plant heart into the vehicle and send it back to Yan Jing. No one is allowed to take it, no matter who it is. Send it directly to the laboratory."
The soldiers then began to act. First, they loaded the plant heart brought back by Xiao Sheng. At this moment, a young man emerged from the army. Xiao Sheng didn't recognize him, but the young man walked forward and introduced himself, "My name is He Qiuan. I am the leader of this operation. Mr. Xiao Sheng, nice to meet you. I didn't expect you to have become like this. I will help you apply for leave to recuperate for a while."
Xiao Sheng looked at the young man and eagerly asked, "Did headquarters say how they would deal with us? We failed to complete the mission assigned by the organization. Right now, all of Siberia has suffered immense losses, and many cities have been breached. We can only return."
Xiao Sheng just wanted to clarify headquarters' attitude towards the Ability Management Bureau. He didn't know if headquarters would continue to heavily rely on or punish the Ability Management Bureau. Everything was uncertain.
Upon hearing Xiao Sheng's question, He Qiuan smiled and said, "Deputy Captain Xiao Sheng, please rest assured. Headquarters is aware of the difficulties you encountered in Siberia. Especially with so many migratory birds heading south from Siberia, headquarters knows that carrying out missions in Siberia at this time is definitely a dangerous matter. It is regrettable that you could not hold the cities, but the responsibility does not lie with you. Headquarters will not pursue this matter, so please rest assured. Moreover, headquarters wants to commend you."
"Commend us?" At this moment, Xiao Sheng even suspected he had misheard. He had failed his mission, and not being punished was already a great thing. Now, to receive commendation, what did this mean?
He Qiuan said seriously, "I'm not clear about the specific situation, but you'll understand it later. It's said to be related to the Heavenly Dragon Bureau. I'm not an ability user, so I'm not very clear about this matter."
Xiao Sheng nodded and thought to himself, "Is it because I brought the plant heart back from Siberia? But what I brought back was a dead mutated plant. Can that also earn commendation? I thought the best outcome would be a功过相抵 (balancing of merits and demerits), but I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise."
At this moment, He Qiuan walked towards Shen Feng and Li Keyi. Shen Feng made no move, as he knew this young man walking over was just an ordinary person, incapable of harming him.
He Qiuan walked up to Shen Feng and smiled, "Hello, Mr. Shen Feng, long time no see. May I sit down?"
Shen Feng then showed a puzzled expression and asked, "Do we know each other?"
He Qiuan slowly sat down and said, "I know Mr. Shen Feng, but Mr. Shen Feng may not necessarily know me. After all, I'm just an unknown nobody. Speaking of which, during the commendation ceremony two years ago, I was sitting below watching you walk onto the podium."
Shen Feng nodded, still having no impression of this person. It had been two years, and Shen Feng couldn't remember anyone who didn't leave a deep impression on him.
At this moment, Li Keyi put down her chopsticks and introduced, "Shen Feng, this young man has a very significant background. Don't let his young age fool you. His great-grandfather was one of the organizers of the Yan Jing headquarters. He is He Qiuan. During the large-scale southward migration of mutated birds this year, he proposed the scorched-earth tactic, which helped to repel the mutated birds. He has made great contributions."
Shen Feng had indeed thought he was just an unknown nobody. But after hearing Li Keyi's introduction, he realized that the person before him was truly someone not to be underestimated.
"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you," Shen Feng also said politely.
He Qiuan looked around, found a pair of bowls and chopsticks, and actually sat down to eat the stewed meat made by Shen Feng. As he sat down, he said, "I myself have no great abilities. It's all thanks to others promoting me and leveraging my great-grandfather's prestige that I've managed to become somewhat known. It's nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning."
Shen Feng saw that He Qiuan was also very familiar and casual, actually starting to eat the dishes after sitting down, showing no sign of shyness. Seeing this scene, Shen Feng couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He had painstakingly made a pot of delicious food, only to have two freeloaders show up. What a wasted effort, working for others' benefit.