LABMY CH100.2

The next morning, Shen Nian, sore all over and unable to get out of bed, pulled the blanket over his head and lay there, waiting for Jian Yuanbai to return from buying breakfast.

Beneath the blanket, his face was as red as an overripe peach.

Jian Yuanbai, moving quickly to avoid being disturbed, even knocked on Qu Wenxuan’s door to inform them that they wouldn’t be joining any missions today.

However, just after breakfast, an unexpected guest arrived.

When Jian Yuanbai opened the door, he saw Liu Xue’er standing there. He raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

He blocked the doorway, showing no intention of inviting her in, as if he was ready to slam the door shut at any moment.

Liu Xue’er looked at him and said, “Can we talk inside?”

Jian Yuanbai replied coldly, “If there’s nothing important, I’m closing the door.”

Liu Xue’er emphasized, “It’s important.

“If others overhear, it won’t be good for you.”

Jian Yuanbai frowned, clearly reluctant, but allowed her in.

In truth, he would rather be cuddling his little wife in bed than dealing with some unfamiliar woman’s nonsense this early in the morning.

The moment Liu Xue’er stepped inside, she said, “I know who you are.

“To be precise, the upper ranks of the D City base have been watching you ever since you set foot here.”

She thought this would make Jian Yuanbai more alert. However, the man before her remained indifferent, not even bothering to sit down, still looking as though he was ready to kick her out at any moment.

Liu Xue’er: “…”

“I’m here to help you. You don’t need to be so hostile.”

Jian Yuanbai asked seriously, “Do you have a wife?”

Liu Xue’er was dumbfounded, but for the sake of her mission, she maintained her composure. “I’m not into women.”

Jian Yuanbai: “Oh, so you don’t have one.”

He looked at her with genuine pity. “No wonder you’re up so early. People without wives wouldn’t understand how wonderful it is to cuddle with a soft, sweet wife in the morning.”

Liu Xue’er thought of Jian Yuanbai’s bold “we’re boyfriends” declaration from the previous day and felt like throwing up blood.

She wanted to retort that she had no interest in their gay love story.

But she endured it. For the sake of her mission, she swallowed her frustration.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself back to the main topic.

“The reason you were assigned to our team yesterday was to assess your abilities.”

“The higher-ups of D City base want to… capture you.”

Jian Yuanbai’s expression darkened slightly, though he already had some suspicions. “Capture me for what?”

“Who wants to capture him?”

Shen Nian, who had just finished getting dressed, heard this as he stepped out of the bedroom, confusion written all over his face.

Jian Yuanbai immediately pulled Shen Nian into his arms.

Shen Nian, still shy from last night’s events, struggled to break free, especially with an outsider present.

“Be good, wife,” Jian Yuanbai coaxed as he kissed Shen Nian’s flushed ear before turning to Liu Xue’er. “Go on.”

Jian Yuanbai looked perfectly natural, while Shen Nian turned bright red and froze in place.

Meanwhile, Liu Xue’er felt incredibly awkward.

This man was radiating a “look at my lovely wife” vibe that made her want to vomit.

But she held back. She needed his help.

Avoiding their sickly sweet display of affection, she fixed her gaze on the water glass on the coffee table and said seriously, “What you did back in the S City fortress… many people know about it.

“Not just the people in S City, but the higher-ups in D City as well.”

“In this post-apocalyptic world, where extreme cold has cut off water, electricity, and communication, the ruling classes of each base are still connected.”

“The people you killed back in S City… they kidnapped Shen Nian, deliberately infected him with pollutant energy, and then sent him back to you.”

“And now, you and Shen Nian have appeared here, yet Shen Nian shows no signs of being polluted. What does that imply? Everyone knows.”

Liu Xue’er’s gaze returned to Jian Yuanbai, her expression grave.

“You can purify pollutants.”

“Am I right?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone was full of certainty.

Jian Yuanbai raised his eyebrow and remained silent. His attitude was relaxed, but Shen Nian, on the other hand, was a little nervous. He instinctively gripped Jian Yuanbai’s hand and softly called out, “…Yafu.”

He wasn’t trying to say anything, just subconsciously seeking comfort from Jian Yuanbai. The term “Yafu” slipped out without thinking—after all, that’s what he had been calling him all night.

Jian Yuanbai patted the back of Shen Nian’s hand to comfort him. Neither of them felt anything was wrong with this, but Liu Xue’er’s expression cracked.

“…Yafu? What the hell does that mean?”

Is this… some new slang she missed out on before the apocalypse?

Or… did she really just hear Shen Nian call this man “Yafu”?!

But… weren’t they boyfriends?!

The banner of ethics in Liu Xue’er’s mind began to sway violently. She had vaguely heard rumors about their stepfather-stepson relationship, but after yesterday’s public confession of being boyfriends, she assumed those were just baseless gossip.

But now… it turned out to be true?!

In all her years of living, this was her first time witnessing such a forbidden love scenario unfold before her eyes. For a moment, Liu Xue’er didn’t even know what kind of expression to make.

The door to a whole new world of depravity was about to burst open in her mind.

Liu Xue’er frantically chanted in her head: “It’s the apocalypse. Humanity is on the brink of extinction. A little bit of… ‘unconventional’ love is nothing. No blood relation, no problem. No blood relation, no problem.”

After repeating this several times, she barely managed to hold her crumbling worldview together.

Yet, as she looked at the two men in front of her—one beautiful and delicate, the other tall and cold—when she mentally substituted in the forbidden “stepfather-stepson” dynamic…

Damn…

She actually felt a strange thrill.

Is this… the power of forbidden love?

Terrifying.

Her mind was filled with countless inappropriate thoughts, but years of working in a high-ranking position allowed her to maintain her composure.

Liu Xue’er forced herself back on track and said,

“You should know what this means to those higher-ups, right? They want to capture you for research.”

Jian Yuanbai’s expression remained indifferent. “I understand their intentions. What about you? What’s your purpose in telling me this?”

“What do you want from me?”

Liu Xue’er was straightforward and honest, “I know those idiots can’t catch you. I’ve said from the beginning that their plan is stupid, which is why I don’t want to join them.”

“After what I witnessed yesterday, I’m even more certain—if they act rashly, it’ll only cost D City’s ability users a significant loss in power.”

“So… I changed my mind and came to you.”

“I have a younger sister who was injured by pollutants. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I want to use this information in exchange for your help.

“Will you help me?”

Jian Yuanbai felt irritated.

This ability to purify pollution had already brought him endless trouble.

First the S City Fortress, now the D City Base.

If this continued, there’d be an E City, an F City… and on and on.

If he didn’t cut this problem off at the root, there’d be no end to it.

According to Liu Xue’er, staying in D City was no longer an option.

Jian Yuanbai’s rebellious nature flared up.

“Then…

“What if I simply reveal my method to the world?”

“What if I establish a base centered around myself and publicly share the method to purify pollution?”

Liu Xue’er was stunned.

Five minutes later, two more people appeared in the living room—Qu Wenxuan and Yang Jinhang.

Shen Nian, along with the three of them, listened as Jian Yuanbai repeated himself with a straight face:

“I’m going to create my own base.”

Qu Wenxuan and Yang Jinhang, who had been dragged out of bed early in the morning, both stared at him with wide-open mouths.

“Huh?”

Shen Nian, who had heard it twice now, couldn’t help but ask again, “Are you serious?”

“With just the few of us… we can’t possibly manage an entire base, can we?”

Jian Yuanbai replied calmly, “We can’t, but attracting others is easy.

“Ability users can also be contaminated by pollutants.

“They need me.

“If we spread the word that our base can reduce the risk of contamination by 90%, do you think people won’t come?”

Liu Xue’er sat to the side, feeling like she had boarded a pirate ship.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Standing up in disbelief, she said, “You plan to lure people in with this claim?”

“If you can’t deliver, the backlash will be catastrophic.”

In contrast to her extreme shock, Jian Yuanbai responded casually, “It’s simple.”

After figuring out how he purified Shen Nian, removing pollution was as easy as breathing to Jian Yuanbai.

He didn’t even need to keep people around him. As long as he consciously absorbed the pollutant energy, he could achieve the effect.

Moreover, as a pollutant himself, absorbing others’ contamination only strengthened his power.

It had no negative impact on him whatsoever.

Liu Xue’er took a deep breath, calmed herself, and asked, “Then… can you tell me how you do it?”

Before Jian Yuanbai could speak, Yang Jinhang eagerly answered on his behalf,

“Because Mr. Bai is a master of ‘Verbal Manifestation.’”

“Verbal Manifestation?” Liu Xue’er frowned.

“Yes!” Yang Jinhang explained with enthusiasm, “Using the power of words to change reality.

“Refuse to submit to fate. Refuse to accept the apocalypse. Believe in the power of human will. Believe that fate is in our own hands.

“This is how Mr. Bai purifies pollution!”

Liu Xue’er: “…”

Sitting before her were four men.

All four were young.

Originally, she only sighed at how talented these young men were for being so powerful in the apocalypse.

Now, she began to suspect…

Were they simply… too young?

Young enough to still be trapped in their teenage delusions of grandeur.

Liu Xue’er stared at them in disbelief.

“…Is this for real?”

“Absolutely!” Yang Jinhang passionately shared his personal experience and even pointed to Shen Nian as living proof.

“You all know he was once contaminated, right?

“But now, look at him—sitting here perfectly fine.

“Isn’t this the best example?”

After a brief and utterly mind-blowing meeting, Liu Xue’er, whose worldview had been shattered multiple times, stumbled back to her own quarters in a daze.

The moment she entered, her subordinates rushed up.

“How did it go, boss?”

“Did he believe you?”

Liu Xue’er did have a sister who was slowly succumbing to pollution.

But she hadn’t been completely honest with Jian Yuanbai.

If her plea wasn’t enough to persuade him, Liu Xue’er had already planned to join forces with the higher-ups of D City to take him down.

Strength alone didn’t guarantee victory.

Poisoned food.

Betrayal from those around him.

Even using pollutants against him.

All of these could bring down even the strongest of men.

However, after tonight…

Liu Xue’er found herself unable to truly act against him.

She didn’t want to see someone who could change the world…

…end up as a cold corpse on an experimental table.

That night, Liu Xue’er spent the whole night sitting in her sister’s room, watching her trembling body, chained to the bed to prevent further contamination.

The next morning, she led her team directly to Jian Yuanbai.

“If you can save my sister…

“I’ll follow you.”

Before the higher-ups of D City Base could set a trap to ambush Jian Yuanbai,

He had already left the base…

With Liu Xue’er and her people following him.

That day marked the birth of a new base in the ruins of the apocalypse.