Chapter 6: The Ye Sisters

Ruan Ming planted the chayote and a few cabbage seeds in that tiny patch of soil, watered it, then put on her protective suit and mask and headed out to clear weeds.

More than half of the ten mu of Purification Grass had already been contaminated. All of it needed to be cleared promptly and new grass seeds replanted. She started with the area near the courtyard. The contaminated weeds were pulled up by the roots, piled together to dry in the sun, and later she planned to simply burn them.

After clearing around the courtyard, she continued along the path toward the territory entrance, working her way out.

While she was busy, the sound of a car engine approached from afar. A battered old pickup truck stopped at the entrance, and several men of varying heights got out. They were Territory Patrol Officers.

Based on what she had seen and heard over the past couple of days, Ruan Ming was almost certain these men were connected to her father’s case. She had wanted to meet them face-to-face anyway. She dropped her work, stood up, and walked over.

The patrolmen saw her reflective mask, and the disappointment in their eyes was clearly visible. One of them spoke:

“Miss Ruan, we’re the New Land Patrol Team. Any unusual activity here?”

Ruan Ming shook her head. “I only arrived at the territory the day before yesterday. I’m not yet familiar with things here. I didn’t get your names.”

The team members exchanged glances. The short-statured young man at the front said, “I’m Rong Xiaomi.” He pointed to the man with high cheekbones next to him: “This is Liu Guang. And Fan Zai. The one behind us is our Captain Wei. This area is our responsibility.”

Ruan Ming nodded to each of them in greeting.

Wei Heng stepped out of the truck. He was very tall. Even Ruan Ming, at nearly 1.7 meters, was a full head and a half shorter than him.

“I can see Miss Ruan is a highly cautious person,” he said.

“Outside the Safe Zone, wanting to stay alive requires caution, doesn’t it, Captain Wei?” Ruan Ming replied.

Wei Heng couldn’t read her expression, couldn’t gauge her true feelings, which clearly displeased him. He was about to speak when the walkie-talkie at his waist suddenly crackled with fragmented sound:

“Patrol Team… Patrol Team… Territory 20 reports an unidentified mutated creature! It’s wrecking my vegetable fields… requires urgent assistance!”

He stared at Ruan Ming, saying nothing for about three or four seconds, then raised the walkie-talkie and responded: “Patrol Team, copy. Arriving at the scene in ten minutes.”

With a wave of his hand, he turned and strode toward the pickup. The others quickly followed. Rong Xiaomi, lagging behind, called out to Ruan Ming as he ran:

“Miss Ruan, if anything happens on your territory, remember to contact us first—”

“Hurry up, what are you dawdling for? Your legs turn to jelly every time you see a woman!” Liu Guang cursed at him.

As the vehicle started, it kicked up a cloud of dust and quickly vanished from sight.

Their voices, however, carried over to Ruan Ming’s ears:

“She’s quite young. The file says she’s only twenty-three. Too bad about that reflective mask; can’t see what she really looks like.”

“Ruan Feng wasn’t bad-looking. His daughter shouldn’t be too shabby either.”

“New arrivals are all like that, very guarded.”

“They say she’s a Strength Esper. Looks delicate and weak. Who knows if she can last.”

“This place is near the swamp. Lots of mutated animals and even more Espers passing through. A girl all alone… tsk.”

“That Ruan Feng, lived here almost three years and just kept farming those few dozen mu of cacti. Barely tended to them at that. Anyone could tell he was hiding something—”

The sentence was cut short by Wei Heng’s sharp rebuke: “Shut your mouth!”

Liu Guang’s dismissive voice followed: “Boss, we’ve driven way out already. The engine’s so loud, she’s not an Auditory Ability Esper. What’s there to worry about!”

Ruan Ming’s ears twitched slightly. She let out a cold snort, turned around, and walked back to where she’d just been pulling weeds.

Research Institute #2.

Inside a laboratory, a woman with exquisite features sat in front of a microscope, fully absorbed in observing a sample. In a storage cabinet outside the lab, her communication wristband was flashing incessantly.

About two hours later, a knock on the door broke the silence. She looked up at the mechanical clock on the wall. It read 1:00 PM. The knocking showed no sign of stopping. She had no choice but to stand, removing her gloves as she walked to the door.

Opening it, she found her Assistant, Little Wu, standing outside, glaring at her with puffed-up cheeks.

“Sister Wan, if you don’t start eating your meals on time, Director Ye will scold me again.”

Ye Fengwan said irritably, “She got a stomach ulcer first by not eating on time, and now she bosses me around?”

She walked to the storage cabinet and retrieved her wristband. As she scanned the messages on it, her eyes flickered slightly. Turning her back to Little Wu, she said, “Alright, I got it. I’ll go eat right away. You go take your lunch break, don’t be nodding off during work this afternoon.”

Little Wu, not having awakened any Esper Ability and lacking Ye Fengwan’s ability to maintain high energy levels even with minimal sleep, mumbled an “Okay” and left.

Once the door was closed, Ye Fengwan immediately dialed her wristband.

“When did Ruan Feng die?”

The voice of a woman came from the other end: “The night of March 4th.”

“Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“You’re always swamped with work. We usually don’t bother you with the mundane affairs of The Alliance. If we reported every single person’s death to you, even if you had the time to handle it, your sister would eventually get suspicious.”

She had a point. Ye Fengwan gritted her teeth, momentarily speechless. Yet, while Ruan Feng might not have been a key figure in The Alliance, to one particular person, he was her only family.

“What happens to Territory 32 now?”

“Base One allowed his daughter to inherit it.”

“Ruan Ming is on Territory 32 right now?”

“Yes, she’s been there four days. Why are you so concerned about Ruan Feng? Was he someone important to you?”

Ye Fengwan’s brow furrowed. “Ruan Feng was part of The Alliance. Shouldn’t we take care of his family?”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. Then the voice continued: “She’s a C-Rank Strength Esper. She’s not as weak as you might think.”

“Ruan Feng was also a C-Rank Strength Esper, and he’s gone, just like that.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll send someone to keep an eye on her safety. You’re contacting me at this hour… you haven’t even eaten lunch after your experiments again, have you? Go eat. Don’t end up like your sister—”

Ye Fengwan impatiently ended the call.

She went downstairs and headed toward the cafeteria. Her older sister, Ye Jianggui, as the Director of Lab 1, had mobility issues. Her daily care was handled by dedicated staff, and she had a personal chef for her meals. Ye Fengwan, however, was just an ordinary researcher and didn’t enjoy such special treatment. She typically ate in the cafeteria, often just resorting to Nutrient Solution as a meal replacement.

After finishing her food and walking back, she ran into Ye Jianggui, who was being pushed toward the lab by her assistant, Little Ding.

Ye Jianggui was thirty-two years old and Base One’s only A-Rank Brain Evolution Esper. She had developed the special cactus variety that solved the food shortage problem and the Purification Grass capable of cleansing the soil. These achievements were vital not just to Base One; even Central City and the other bases had adopted these two plant varieties.

One could say that Ye Jianggui had become a key strategic asset for Base One. Everyone, from researchers to management, held her in the highest esteem. Even the Base Chief, Qu Wanshan, treasured her like a precious gem.

The two sisters were both remarkably beautiful, but their styles were completely different. One possessed a serene beauty, glasses framing her face, an aura of pure scholarly intellect radiating from her. The other was strikingly, aggressively beautiful, her presence so sharp it was hard to meet her eyes directly.

Ye Fengwan naturally took over Little Ding’s task, pushing the wheelchair toward the research building.

Ye Jianggui turned her head and said to Little Ding, “Ruonan, leave this to Little Wan. Go find Institute Director Fang and get back the genetic data on the mutated tiger that Lab 2 took from our Lab 1.”

Ding Ruonan acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

Ye Fengwan asked, displeased, “Why would Fang Changqing take data from our Lab 1? Lab 1 and Lab 2 have separate responsibilities; we never ask them for data.”

Ye Jianggui replied flatly, “Scientific achievements should be shared.”

“Then why don’t you go ask Lab 2 for their data on those inhumane experiments?”

Ye Jianggui gave her a helpless glare. “It was the Base Chief himself who contacted me to authorize them taking the data.”

Only then did Ye Fengwan let out a cold huff and shut her mouth.

Once upstairs, they entered a reference room equipped with anti-eavesdropping measures. Ye Fengwan stopped pushing the wheelchair.

“I want to take a few days off.”

“Request denied,” Ye Jianggui refused immediately, without a second thought.

“Sis—”

“I don’t care what you do outside, or who you associate with. Inside this home and this research institute, you do as I say!”

“I just want to go out,” Ye Fengwan retorted stubbornly. Because when it came to reasoning things out, she could never win against Ye Jianggui.

“There are plenty of people out there watching you closely. You’d best stay obediently inside the Research Institute. Where I am, you are.”

“I’m twenty-six already. Can’t you just stop managing me so tightly?”

“No,” Ye Jianggui replied concisely.

She wheeled herself over to the computer. “Ever since Li Quan was transferred to Central City, I’ve been swamped with other matters. The agriculture forum has been unmoderated for too long now; several sections are piled high with unanswered questions. If you have nothing else to do, then handle those issues.”

Ye Fengwan’s face darkened. “I have plenty of things to do on my end. When would I have time for some forum?”

“Then you were just talking about leaving for a few days. If you don’t have time to go out, how can you leave? By the end of this week, I want all forum emails, PMs, and posts answered and cleared.”

With that said, Ye Jianggui wheeled herself out of the room, leaving Ye Fengwan standing there alone, gritting her teeth.