Chapter 149 - Banana Flavored Boss Gong (9)
Translated by Hua Li ^_~
Why am I still subjected to this inhumane devil training?
As he fled miserably from the attacks of the yellow bear beast, Gou Liang, with his signature dimples, fumed inwardly.
Not only that but with his Tier 2 ability, the merciless Shi Buyu had escalated the evasion training to full-on combat training. Now, in addition to dodging the beasts’ indiscriminate attacks, Gou Liang had to find ways to injure them.
“Shi Xiaoyu,” Gou Liang called out just as Shi Buyu appeared by his side, scooping him up with one arm and stabbing the beast’s core with a single strike.
“What is it?” Shi Buyu asked, using the wobbling corpse of the yellow bear beast as leverage to land further away. A faint purple electric current danced along his hand as he held Gou Liang, dissipating into his fingertips just as they landed.
With a thud, the beast collapsed behind them.
“I’m hungry,” Gou Liang said, patting his stomach in an attempt to recreate the sound of hunger he used to make. But Shi Buyu quickly stopped him, saying, “Craving a snack is totally fine.”
Easily pacified, Gou Liang smiled contentedly.
When Yu Sen brought over some food, Shi Buyu carefully wiped Gou Liang’s face and hands. It was then that he noticed a small cut from a stone on Gou Liang’s fair cheek.
The blood had already clotted, and the wound was healing, but Shi Buyu still frowned, cupping his face gently and licking the wound.
“It tickles,” Gou Liang said, though he didn’t shy away, his smile never leaving his lips.
Even after Shi Buyu healed the wound, Gou Liang tilted his head up, silently tugging on Shi Buyu’s hand as if urging him for more.
Shi Buyu chuckled, pressing a kiss to his lips. But as he pulled back, seeing Gou Liang staring at him intently with a look of protest that meant ‘the treatment is not deep enough’, he hurriedly set him on his lap. “Eat first. Weren’t you hungry?”
“Actually… not really,” Gou Liang admitted, habitually reaching up to adjust his gla.s.ses—except that his oversized, non-prescription gla.s.ses had long been removed. His fingers touched his brow, his ears turning red as he shyly said, “I like it when you kiss me.”
Shi Buyu held him even tighter, his warm lips grazing Gou Liang’s brow to calm his own racing heartbeat. In a low voice, he said, “I’m not going anywhere, but the food is getting cold.”
“Oh…” Gou Liang reluctantly opened his mouth, taking a big bite of beast meat. The moment he tasted it, the delicious flavor made him squint his eyes in happiness.
Sitting up straighter in Shi Buyu’s lap, his eyes fixated on the hands cutting meat for him, Gou Liang chewed faster, eager for the next bite. When he was done, he opened his mouth with an “ah,” much like a child being fed, his eyes curving with a satisfied smile.
Shi Buyu’s heart melted, and unable to resist, he kissed the corner of Gou Liang’s greasy mouth.
Realizing that his attention was about to be diverted, Shi Buyu quickly stopped any further small gestures.
The meal was filled with sweetness and affection, leaving them oblivious to the five companions beside them, all of whom had expressions that screamed, “We want to set these two dog men on fire.”
After five days of Tier 2 ability training in place, they finally resumed their southward journey.
During this time, they had acc.u.mulated a large amount of beast meat, with planes coming every other day to collect the stock. On the final trip, in addition to the beast meat, Shi Buyu sent a hundred beast cores to the Jiuzhu base.
He had also promised General Yao to regularly supply them with beast cores.
After all, individual strength was limited. Even if the seven of them advanced to Tier 9, the ultimate level, it would be impossible to save all of humanity.
The hope of humanity wasn’t resting on just Gou Liang or Shi Buyu—it lay in every single survivor!
Thus, the cultivation of high-level ability users at Jiuzhu Base was equally urgent.
Thanks to the ability-detection device developed by Gou Liang, which could predict the potential of regular people and those consuming beast blood to awaken their abilities, there have been no mistakes so far. This allowed the Jiuzhu Base base to systematically cultivate the ability teams they needed most.
What they lacked most were beast cores, and within his capacity, Shi Buyu was willing to offer all the help he could.
It was also around this time that Gou Liang handed over the baby snake beast to Jiuzhu Base.
The beast had grown rapidly since leaving its mother, increasing in size almost daily.
In just a month, it had grown from the length of an arm to the size of a train carriage, taking up far too much s.p.a.ce for them to continue keeping it.
Although Gou Liang had initially considered taming it, the moment the snake beast’s scales fully developed, he abandoned the idea. Not only was the female snake beast black and ugly, but once its scales grew in, signaling its s.e.xual maturity, it began emitting mating calls.
The piercing cries kept them up all night and attracted dozens of male snake beasts. Worse still, the sound waves triggered an involuntary biological reaction in Shi Buyu and the rest of the team, all of whom stood at attention as if saluting a flag.
Gou Liang was the only one unaffected. The others fought through the night, miserably, until Gou Liang managed to install a soundwave disruptor on the containment unit, finally putting their “guns” to rest.
From that moment on, Gou Liang regarded the snake beast with a hostile glare, as if it were a romantic rival.
After all, while Shi Buyu had been respectful and never crossed the line, even after all this time, he still managed to get aroused by a mere beast!
To collect the snake beast, Jiuzhu Base Research Inst.i.tute sent a special team to accompany the materials collection.
When they arrived, one of the researchers politely asked, “Excuse me, is Teacher Tang here?”
Since losing his gla.s.ses, Gou Liang had developed a habit of touching his brow. This time, he pointed to it with a slight smile and asked in his soft, elegant voice, “Is there something you need?”
Caught off guard by the overwhelming charm and hormones radiating from Gou Liang, the researcher blushed furiously, unsure of where to put his hands or feet. The bearded man, usually composed, was now fl.u.s.tered and tongue-tied.
“Boss!” said Jiang Ren suddenly, nudging Shi Buyu, who was busy helping load beast meat onto the plane. There was urgency in his voice.
Shi Buyu followed his line of sight—
In an instant, he vanished from where he stood, reappearing at Gou Liang’s side, his possessive arm slipping around Gou Liang’s waist. The two crates of beast meat he had been holding crashed to the ground with a loud bang!
“Why are you blushing at my wife?” Shi Buyu asked the researcher with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
The researcher froze, glancing between Shi Buyu and Gou Liang before hesitantly asking, “Major General Shi?”
“That’s me. What do you want?”
Shi Buyu tightened his hold on Gou Liang, pulling him even closer to his chest.
The researcher now flushed redder than before, jabbed an accusing finger at Shi Buyu. “Aren’t you supposed to be Teacher Tang’s partner? How could you—how could you do this?!”
His expression was one of utter disdain.
Blushing furiously, Gou Liang stepped in front of the stunned Shi Buyu and grabbed the researcher’s finger, saying, “I am Tang Tang.”
“Huh?”
Still confused, the researcher stammered, “But… Teacher Tang is supposed to be… well… larger.”
“I lost weight,” Gou Liang replied with a polite smile, shaking the researcher’s hand before releasing it. “So, yes. Both Teacher Tang and his partner—are us.”
The researcher was speechless.
Looking as though he’d been dealt a heavy blow, the researcher left with the despondent snake beast, who had similarly failed to find a mate.
Three days later, they approached the deadly zone south of the 30 degrees north lat.i.tude.
It was called the Death Line because the number of beasts increased exponentially beyond it, and the level of destruction in the region far exceeded that in the north.
To date, Jiuzhu Base has dispatched dozens of drones to sweep the area, but all have returned without results.
However, just two hours after entering the Death Zone, the life-sign detection alarm in the vehicle suddenly blared.
Gou Liang, who had been refining the beast data archive, propelled himself toward the detection system, his wheelchair drifting gracefully across the floor. Shi Buyu and the others rushed over, interrupting their call with the Jiuzhu Base base.
Zhou Gao, barely containing his excitement, asked, “Teacher Tang, are there survivors? Are they far from us?!”
“It’s not a survivor,” Gou Liang said, though his tone was filled with excitement.
As he rapidly keyed in commands to lock onto the coordinates via satellite, he explained, “I’ve recently upgraded the thermal sensors. It now detects not only human life signs but also other species. Plants, animals—”
Before he could finish, the satellite imagery projected a vivid, green landscape on the screen. It was a stark contrast to the decaying world they had grown accustomed to in the apocalypse.
“Cabbages, potatoes, carrots, peas, eggplants… This must have been a vegetable farm before the apocalypse. It’s incredible how well-preserved it is,” Yu Sen marveled.
“Something’s not right,” Yu Lin muttered, furrowing his brow. “We’ve seen beasts that require metal to rear their offspring, so there may be creatures here that rely on plants for reproduction. The fact that this area hasn’t been trampled by other beasts means the ones living here are tough to deal with.”
Sure enough, as Gou Liang switched the display to show the beast detection overlay for the same coordinates, the vegetable farm was surrounded by beasts.
Gou Liang turned to Shi Buyu, “Rescuing plant species is important, but your safety is more important.”
Shi Buyu ruffled Gou Liang’s hair. “We can’t pa.s.s up this opportunity. These plants have survived the apocalypse. If we recover them now, in a few hundred years, their seeds might be preserved in a museum.”
The rest of the team shared the same determination, and Gou Liang didn’t protest further.
As Zhou Gao and Qin Bei drove toward the site, Gou Liang switched back to the vegetation interface, staring intently at the monitor, muttering under his breath.
Shi Buyu leaned closer and heard Gou Liang humming in a sing-song voice: “Cabbage dumplings, fish-flavored eggplant stew, spicy mashed potatoes… Just wait for me to devour you all…”
Shi Buyu couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Gou Liang practically drooling over the screen.
Their mission was to collect the plants, not engage in battle. So when they arrived at the site, they activated the beast-repelling soundwave device and disembarked in their protective suits.
Despite the defense measures, they remained on high alert. Yu Sen, the wood-type ability user with the highest risk, stayed in the middle of the group, while Jiang Ren, whose metal ability countered wood, took the lead. Shi Buyu covered the rear, with Gou Liang just in front of him.
The seven of them smoothly entered the vegetable farm. After confirming there were no energy signatures in the vicinity, they began their collection work.
Having cleared out the entire farm, they discovered an intact office building and managed to recover several bags of seeds and a warehouse full of fertilizer and plant treatments.
With a successful haul, they left the farm and turned off the soundwave device after exiting the beast territory.
Eagerly, Gou Liang picked out the best-looking cabbage from the pile and was about to slice it in half when the system suddenly shouted, [Master! Don’t cut it!!!]
Startled, Gou Liang, who had only intended to use a bit of force, accidentally slammed the knife down with full strength. The blade clanged loudly against the metal chopping board, and by the time he stopped, the cabbage had already been cleaved in two.
“Xiao Keng’er?” Shi Buyu rushed over, the affectionate nickname slipping out in his moment of panic.
Swallowing nervously, Gou Liang pointed to the split cabbage and said, “Shi Xiaoyu… I think we’re in trouble.”
Shi Buyu looked closer and, to his shock, saw a thumb-sized, transparent egg nestled within the cabbage leaves. It had been sliced open, and the grayish-black, tadpole-like creature inside writhed violently.
This is… an alien beast egg?!
“Zhou Gao, activate the soundwave disruptor, and everyone put on your protective gear!” Shi Buyu shouted.
Seeing the train carriages filled with tens of thousands of vegetables—each of which had become a surrogate for these alien beast eggs, still in their early stages and lacking energy, which had caused Gou Liang to overlook them—Shi Buyu realized the gravity of the situation. As he shouted commands, he used his lightning ability to destroy the wriggling larvae inside the egg Gou Liang had cut.
But this time, even the soundwave disruptor wouldn’t help. With a whole brood of offspring in their hands, the beasts outside would never let them go easily.
Qin Bei, on guard duty, cursed as he slapped off the screaming alarm. “Boss, flying insect-type beasts, like locusts, are already headed our way!”
“Are you kidding me?! They’re basically just locusts!” Zhou Gao yelled. “Boss, they’re eating through our vehicle! Let me out there and burn them to death!”
To carry more supplies, their original armored vehicle had been modified into a seven-car train on rolling tracks, made with high-grade defensive materials supplied by the Jiuzhu base. But now, under the frenzied a.s.sault of these locust-like beasts, who had cast aside their fear of the soundwave disruptor, the outer layer of metal was quickly being chewed away.
Shi Buyu ordered, “Yu Sen, stay back and protect Teacher Tang. If necessary, disconnect the supply cars and leave at full speed. We’ll catch up later.”
Yu Sen nodded. “Understood!”
Gou Liang added, “Stay safe.”
“I will,” Shi Buyu replied, planting a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll have Yu Sen grab a few beast eggs for you. But if we have to abandon the supplies, you’re not allowed to risk your life for them, got it?”
“Mm,” Gou Liang responded, “I’ll listen.”
Shi Buyu smiled, ruffling his hair before securing his protective helmet. He then charged out, encased in lightning, slamming the door shut behind him.
Outside, the battle was intense.
The locust-like alien beasts weren’t large, about the length of a forearm, with their beast cores located in their fist-sized heads, which made them easy to spot. Their mouths, however, were lined with sharp, saw-like mandibles that were incredibly dangerous. With their rapid flight and swarming numbers, they encircled Shi Buyu and his team, showing no mercy in avenging their offspring.
Although Shi Buyu was providing most of the defense, he was reluctant to unleash his full lightning power for fear of destroying the tens of thousands of beast cores. Even he had suffered several bites from the swarm, and the others were faring no better.
“d.a.m.n it, your sister!” Zhou Gao cursed as he stuffed the beast cores he pulled from the locusts into his mouth to replenish his fire ability, while Qin Bei a.s.sisted with the wind to boost the flames.
Jiang Ren wielded dual metal blades, slashing at the beasts that charged at him while simultaneously controlling metal spikes to pierce through the locusts’ wings.
Seeing Jiang Ren struggle, Yu Lin quickly joined him, fighting back-to-back. He froze the alien beasts with his ice ability while feeding beast cores to both himself and Jiang Ren to maintain their energy.
Their teamwork was flawless, but despite their efforts, they were still overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies, especially with Shi Buyu unable to use his ultimate moves.
Gou Liang frowned as he watched the battle unfold. When he saw more beasts from the surrounding area being drawn in by the uncollected beast cores, his expression turned grim.
“Yu Sen, throw the vegetables out and see if we can divert their attention,” Gou Liang instructed. “If it works, we can disconnect the last car and blow them up!”
“Got it,” Shi Buyu’s voice responded through the Bluetooth headset.
Yu Sen quickly went to work, but he soon realized that unless the eggs were destroyed, the locust-like beasts wouldn’t be drawn away.
So, he pushed an entire carriage full of vegetables into the last car and activated the electrical system. Under the tens of thousands of volts, the vegetables were quickly liquefied, taking the alien beast eggs with them.
The scent of the destroyed larvae caused the locust-like beasts to emit a sharp screech, abandoning their fight with Shi Buyu’s group and charging toward the eggs. The high-voltage electricity, however, kept them at bay.
As more and more locust beasts gathered, Yu Sen saw his chance and deactivated the power.
In that instant, the intense smell of the larvae triggered the already enraged locust beasts to swarm the car, but before they could grab the eggs, Yu Sen sealed the car and initiated the self-destruct sequence.
The locust beasts’ saw-like mandibles tore through the metal car in a frenzy, gnawing away until the car was dented and deformed, flipping repeatedly until the self-destruct countdown ended. The car exploded on the spot.
Without hesitation, Shi Buyu unleashed his lightning on the remaining locust-like beasts. “Qin Bei, quickly gather the beast cores from the ground!”
Then, leading the others, he rushed toward the destroyed car.
The ground was littered with charred locust-like beasts, but even such severe injuries weren’t enough to kill them all.
Though heavily wounded, the beasts were too weak to escape.
Their scorched bodies crunched underfoot with a crisp sound, filling the air with the nauseating stench of burnt flesh.
Gou Liang, intrigued, briefly considered eating the roasted locust beasts, but after discovering they were toxic, he gave up on the idea.
It took nearly two hours to collect the thousands of beast cores. Once they finished, the group quickly left the dangerous area without taking a break.
They finally arrived at a relatively safe location—an abandoned underground parking garage—where they could catch their breath.
But there was no time for rest.
They split into two groups: Shi Buyu, Zhou Gao, and Jiang Ren went to repair and modify the train, while the others began inventorying the supplies and a.s.sessing the damage.
Jiang Ren’s metal ability proved especially useful at this time, allowing Shi Buyu’s group to finish their work quickly. As they approached the others to lend a hand, Shi Buyu overheard Gou Liang’s perplexed voice saying:
“So, the reason Shi Xiaoyu won’t sleep with me really isn’t because my b.u.t.t has shrunk?”
Shi Buyu: “…”