Chapter154

This request wasn't unreasonable; if Xu Nuo were in Zhu Xiao's shoes, he'd make the same condition. The serum was the key to their village's survival. If others learned how to extract it, they could lose not only their financial lifeline but also their means of self-defense.

Naturally, Xu Nuo agreed to Zhu Xiao's condition, though what would happen if they didn't help after seeing the plant—whether it would upset Zhu Xiao to the point of anger—was not within their considerations.

After all, Xu Nuo didn't think he lacked the ability to escape from this situation. However, he was quite interested in Zhu Xiao's abilities. Moreover, he had realized that Zhu Xiao knew whom to covet and whom to avoid, which made his impression of him slightly better.

Despite Zhu Xiao's age, he considered things more comprehensively than the people Xu Nuo was dealing with currently. Xu Nuo agreed to the condition only because he believed their abilities were suppressed, making killing them an easy task for Zhu Xiao.

If Xu Nuo had guessed Zhu Xiao's thoughts correctly, if they refused to cooperate after seeing the plant, they might not leave the village alive—provided they were truly suppressed, which they were not.

Park Su, with his curiosity piqued, stood up eagerly, wanting to see the plant.

Since Zhu Xiao had agreed, he wouldn't go back on his word, especially not wanting to waste the effects of the serum. With both parties in agreement, Zhu Xiao led them towards the location of the mutated plant, just the three of them for now.

Clearly, he didn't want more people to know about this plant's location. As a third-tier ability user, handling two people whose powers were supposedly gone and one ordinary person wasn't an issue for him; thus, he confidently led them there.

After navigating through several turns, they reached a spot some distance from the village where there was a building resembling a factory. Park Su had a hunch that what they were looking for was inside.

Indeed, Zhu Xiao confirmed his thought, "It's here. But be careful; this plant isn't particularly friendly to humans. Without your abilities, you should be cautious not to become its fertilizer."

Park Su gave an awkward smile at this warning; although he knew Xu Nuo's spiritual energy was still intact, his own abilities were indeed sealed. Looking at the factory, he felt quite insecure.

Xu Nuo, sensing Park Su's tension, gently took his hand and reassured him through telepathy, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Feeling the warmth from Xu Nuo's palm, Park Su's heart settled. Xu Nuo had always been his rock, never disappointing him, and also helped him grow stronger in every crisis. This person was not only the best lover but also the best teacher, making Park Su feel incredibly fortunate to be with him in this life.

Park Su couldn't help but glance at Xu Nuo with affection in his eyes, which Xu Nuo, always attentive to Park Su's safety, noticed.

Xu Nuo's heart skipped a beat when Park Su suddenly turned to look at him. He thought Park Su was becoming increasingly captivating, and if he didn't find an opportunity soon, he might just burst from the tension!

Zhu Xiao had noticed the interaction between the two behind him, and as a nearly forty-year-old single gay man, he was quite annoyed by the display of affection. He quickly opened the factory door to shift his focus.

As the door opened, Elder Chen and his assistant looked up, relieved to see it was Zhu Xiao. "Why are you here at this hour? What's up?" Elder Chen asked.

Zhu Xiao nodded, "I brought two people to have a look. They might become our allies."

Elder Chen frowned upon hearing this, scrutinizing Park Su before saying, "Look around, but don't touch anything."

Park Su, seeing Elder Chen's wild hair, marveled at his dedication; how many days had it been since he last tamed that hair?

Yet, Park Su had no intention of touching anything; who knew what was in those chaotic test tubes? He didn't want to accidentally lose his life.

His chemistry had never been great, and he was always wary of such things, feeling nervous around test tubes, let alone touching them. His entire focus was on the mutated plant, showing no interest in anything else. Fortunately, Zhu Xiao didn't want to waste time or let them see too much about the experiments.

He led them directly to where the plant was kept. Opening another door within the factory, they entered a glass greenhouse where at the center grew a giant vine.

This vine was unlike the pothos; while the pothos looked smooth and harmless at first glance, this one seemed inherently aggressive, especially with its menacing barbs, making Park Su swallow nervously.

Pointing at the vine, he asked skeptically, "Are you sure you extract the toxin you want from this plant rather than getting eaten by it? It doesn't look like something you can tame."

Zhu Xiao wasn't surprised by their reaction. Looking at the vine, he said, "We indeed extract the toxin from this plant. The toxins are in these barbs, but they grow slowly and we've used up a lot, so we're constantly seeking wood-type ability users to help cultivate it."

Xu Nuo frowned, "If Elder Chen could discover the toxin in these barbs, he must know what this mutated plant originally was, right?"

Zhu Xiao smiled, "He does know, but I certainly won't tell you. It's our secret, and I'm not sure if there are other such plants out there. I don't want to turn our monopoly into something others can exploit."

Xu Nuo gave a cold laugh, "You say that because this plant was probably a common vine before the apocalypse, wasn't it?"

Zhu Xiao's eyes flickered, but he just smiled without answering, changing the subject instead, "So, how about it? I've shown you my sincerity. Are you willing to stay and help now? Look, with just an inch more growth, we get so many more barbs, and three barbs can produce one vial of serum."

"Imagine if you could make it grow a meter, how much more resources you could get. That's something you wouldn't achieve by hunting, right?" Zhu Xiao continued.

Park Su wouldn't make such decisions on his own; these matters were being handled by Xu Nuo. So, he just kept quiet, passing the responsibility to Xu Nuo with a look.

Xu Nuo didn't disappoint, speaking up, "The project sounds promising, but I have a question I'd like to ask."

Zhu Xiao's patience was wearing thin with Xu Nuo's continuous questions, his polite smile dimming slightly as he said, "Go ahead, any question you have, I'll answer if I can."

Xu Nuo, seemingly oblivious to Zhu Xiao's annoyance, asked with a pressing tone, "You've robbed so many ability user teams, it's unlikely you haven't encountered a wood-type user. If you're offering such good treatment, why haven't I seen any ability users here?"

"Not every wood-type ability user gets the treatment I've described to you. You get this treatment because I heard he's a third-tier wood-type. I assume your abilities are even higher, giving you better control over this plant, which is why I'm offering these terms.

In this post-apocalyptic world, third-tier ability users are rare. Recruiting one would be beneficial for my village. The reason you don't see them here is that we don't have many wood-type users. They work hard, channeling their abilities into the vine and then go back to rest.

Otherwise, at our rate of collection, do you think you'd see any barbs left on this vine?"

Xu Nuo nodded, "So, it sounds like a high-paying, safe, and easy job."

Zhu Xiao nodded without blushing, "At least it's much safer than hunting outside, and you'd get more resources than what your team distributes. If both of you agree to stay, I'll grant you the highest authority in this village, second only to me."

Xu Nuo smirked, "In other words, you want us to join your ranks, making us vice-village leaders, right?" Zhu Xiao replied, "If that's how you want to interpret our roles, that's fine. With such sincerity, you shouldn't refuse me, should you?"

Xu Nuo's lips curled, "Under normal circumstances, such conditions wouldn't be refused, but unfortunately, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Xu Nuo, this one's partner, and also the leader of the team you robbed.

I don't find your offer compelling because I believe the resources we gain from hunting far exceed what you gain by staying put here and robbing ability users. Your vision is too narrow to convince me.

Moreover, while you might not care much about your villagers, even willing to sacrifice them, I value the lives of my team members. So, cooperation with you is out of the question.

Because from the moment you provoked us, this was never going to end peacefully!"