Miracle Fruit

Despite his somewhat twisted personality, Yousuli's strength is top-notch.

He is a typical representative of the M Country. He is usually very annoying, but no one can deny that they are very powerful.

Although Xiao He was not afraid of these people, that did not mean they did not need to worry.

After all, the competition rules stipulate that each player cannot appear more than one-third of the total number of matches, so Xiao He must control the number of times he appears and save his opportunities for the key matches.

"Don't worry," Xie Haining comforted her gently. "When Yinglong isn't around, just leave the most troublesome guy to me. I'm the eldest brother in the family; it's my responsibility to protect my younger siblings."

"Brother Ning, it's too much for you to handle those people by yourself..." Xia Yu frowned. "Those people are too dangerous. I may be useless, but... I will try my best. I should be able to handle this loan Loan Sharking."

"If that doesn't work, I'll go first." Xiao He pointed to himself smugly. "I'll cripple the most troublesome guys, so they can't play, right? Then they'll have to let the substitutes play, right?"

"Hmm, that sounds like the most reliable method," Qin Weize nodded.

"I think so too..." Li Xue muttered reluctantly from the side, "That kind of guy is annoying in every sense of the word."

"Hmph..." Yue Feng laughed smugly. "A bunch of cowards... What's there to be afraid of with that kind of guy? I can handle him! What I hate most are these petty Loan Sharking who use their cunning to make money!"

"That's right!" Cui Man suddenly realized, "Qiongqi's power can restrain him!"

Although Xiao He didn't know exactly how this "Forced Lending" Superpower worked, judging from its name, the "interest" collected was calculated based on the "principal," not absorbed as a percentage. This meant that he could never fully absorb Yue Feng's power.

Furthermore, even if he absorbs Yue Feng's Superpower, he will also absorb the weaknesses of Yue Feng 'Superpower, and can simply attack Yousuli from behind. From this perspective, Yue Feng's Superpower completely counters Yousuli. However...

"The key is figuring out how to get you to face him in the match, right?" Zhang Ming asked, frowning.

As everyone chattered amongst themselves, Xiao He noticed Ye Wanqing standing silently to the side, looking all alone. So he leaned over, took her small hand, kissed it, and said softly, "The competition is over for today, shall we go home?"

"Mmm!" Ye Wanqing nodded happily, seemingly relieved.

Xiao He simply patted her head understandingly, then turned to the crowd and said, "Sister Man, you all can continue your discussion. Wanqing and I will head back now."

"Okay, go back now." Cui Man nodded. "There's nothing much to do for the next few days. We'll record and discuss the match footage. You and Wanqing can rest for a few days. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Next, Xiao He took Ye Wanqing back home.

"Ah--! It's so comfortable at home!" Xiao He collapsed onto the sofa, then waited for the softness on his back.

"Old Xiao!" Just as Xiao He had hoped, Ye Wanqing happily jumped onto his back. "What do you want to eat tonight? We had so many snacks this afternoon. How about I cook noodles for you later with the broth from the Husband-and-Wife Lung Slices and tripe in chili sauce?"

"Don't think you can get away with this." Xiao He reached behind her and tapped her little nose. "My flames were ignited when I felt your righteous power during the day. Now that you're not helping me put out the fire, I'm going to be unhappy."

"You asked to touch me, and you're blaming me..." Ye Wanqing muttered unconvinced. "Anyway, you just torment me every day."

With that, Ye Wanqing gave a soft snort, stood up, and went to feed the cat. A moment later, Tuantuan roared angrily behind her, echoing Ye Wanqing's protest. "You fierce woman, you're yelling at me again! I'm feeding you!"

Xiao He lay on the sofa, admiring Ye Wanqing's beautiful curves with satisfaction, then finally couldn't resist and hugged her from behind. Ye Wanqing screamed, "Ah--! What are you doing?!"

"I'm hungry, aren't you going to feed me?" Xiao He scooped her up in a princess carry and laughed.

"But... but I haven't taken a shower yet!" Ye Wanqing said shyly, curling up in his arms like a kitten being held.

"It's okay, my Little Pufferfish is already very delicious..." Xiao He said, leaning over to kiss her.

"No, please let me take a shower, please..." Ye Wanqing said pitifully.

"Well..." Xiao He raised an eyebrow, grinning mischievously as he asked, "Shall we shower together? After all, it's getting cold, and this electric water heater doesn't have enough water for two people, don't you think?"

Ye Wanqing blushed and nodded gently after a long while.

Xiao He smiled smugly, picked up Ye Wanqing, and headed towards the bathroom. Ye Wanqing playfully slapped him, a little annoyed. "You! Tell her to go get some clothes to change into!"

Although the girl was quite shy at the moment, once things were out in the open, Ye Wanqing would cooperate with him wholeheartedly. The two of them took a slow bath until they used up all the hot water.

"Your hands are all wrinkled from soaking..." Ye Wanqing muttered as she pulled her little hands apart after getting into bed.

"Who told you to be so cute?" Xiao He said, opening his arms to Ye Wanqing, who obediently snuggled into his embrace. Xiao He gently kissed her forehead, then sighed contentedly, "You'll have to make noodles for me later."

"Aren't you done making a scene yet?" Ye Wanqing playfully punched him, "You've been torturing me back and forth, up and down!"

"I was talking about dinner. We haven't eaten yet, have we? Didn't you say you were going to make noodles for me with the broth from 'Husband-and-Wife Lung Slices'?" Xiao He asked Ye Wanqing in surprise.

Ye Wanqing's face immediately turned bright red. She covered her mouth, glaring at Xiao He with a mixture of shock and anger. "You, you bastard!"

"I'm such a jerk, I'm such a jerk." Xiao He hugged Ye Wanqing and kissed her, "But you're so cute."

"You just like to bully me..." Ye Wanqing glared at him angrily and complained, then got up and said, "Then I'll go cook some noodles. Let's eat early so we can get some rest."

While Ye Wanqing was cooking noodles, Xiao He also came to the kitchen to keep her company.

As usual, the girl turned to the side to avoid obstructing the view with her righteous indignation. However, since she had just taken a shower, Ye Wanqing was only wearing a set of pajamas, with her delicate and slender ankles exposed, looking quite adorable.

"Are you cold, my little cutie?" Xiao He asked, wrapping his arms around her slender waist from behind. "I'll hold you to warm you up."

"It's alright, it's right near the stove," Ye Wanqing said with a smile, already starting to scoop out the noodles. "Okay, stop messing around, go wait in the living room for a bit, they'll be ready soon, okay?"

Xiao He then returned to the living room, and soon Ye Wanqing came back with two bowls of noodles. After the two finished eating, their stomachs were full and their bodies were warm, so they went back to the bedroom and slept peacefully.

"Every day I spend with you is so wonderful," Xiao He sighed contentedly, kissing Ye Wanqing on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too..." Ye Wanqing smiled sweetly, turned around to turn off the light, and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight."

The next morning, since the M Country Team's match had already finished, it didn't matter if Xiao He didn't go to the Mutant Arena for the next few days. He planned to go back to school with Ye Wanqing.

However, before leaving home, Cui Man brought a bag of fruit to their house.

"Here, have a taste." As soon as Cui Man entered the room, she tossed a pear that was the shape of an apple and the color of a potato into Xiao He's hand.

"What is this?" Xiao He asked curiously, picking up the fruit and taking a bite, then raising an eyebrow. "What a peculiar taste."

It's a bit like a very pink apple and a bit like a pear, but the texture isn't as coarse as a pear nor as delicate as an apple. Instead, it's more like a cooked potato, with the aroma of an apple and the sweetness of a sweet potato. The only downside is that it's not very juicy and is a little dry.

Xiao He had never eaten this fruit before, but then he understood and turned to Cui Man, exclaiming in realization, "This, could it be...?"

"That's right, this is the new species you developed to improve carbon emissions." Cui Man nodded, then took a bite herself. "The hybridization actually only took a week; we've been letting it grow freely for the past three months. This thing..."

As she spoke, Cui Man smiled smugly, "Absolutely amazing... No wonder it was Yinglong's solution."

"It tastes alright..." Ye Wanqing said, somewhat surprised, "But it's just alright, I guess."

"It's not that simple, okay?" Cui Man slammed her hand on the table and stood up excitedly. "This thing is amazing! Not only can you eat it raw, but when cooked it tastes almost like a potato—soft and glutinous. And when dried and ground into powder, it can replace refined flour to make noodles. In terms of both taste and nutritional value, it's in no way inferior to our current staple foods. If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference at all!"

"That means it can be promoted smoothly, that's great." Xiao He said, munching on a fruit, then raised an eyebrow, "Why is there a pit?"

In the center of this fruit is a pit, similar in size to a peach pit, but much smaller, about the size of an almond.

"Yes, this 'kernel' is easy to grow. That's what makes this fruit so remarkable—its adaptability to the environment," Cui Man said, raising her index finger. "First, its growing conditions are extremely flexible. It can grow in slightly acidic or slightly alkaline soil, and can even survive in sandy soil. It also has very low temperature requirements, as long as it's not extremely cold or hot. Therefore, this thing can definitely be promoted as a very good economic crop in some areas of our country with poor soil conditions."

Then, Cui Man raised her second finger. "Secondly, it grows quite fast, taking only three months from germination to fruiting, but its yield is quite high, with three harvests per year. Even among cash crops, its yield is quite high, not to mention that its original purpose was actually to balance carbon emissions."

At this point, Cui Man raised her third finger. "Thirdly, because it's a tree, you don't need to constantly sow and harvest like with ordinary crops. You just need to pick the fruit after it bears fruit. Moreover, its root system is particularly strong, almost Plunder the nutrients in the soil, so there's no need for extra care like weeding. Just water it every day."

At this point, Cui Man snapped her fingers, "Finally, its nutritional content is actually much higher than that of regular rice and noodles, and it tastes very good. It can also be processed into flour. I think with a little promotion, the public will readily accept it, and together with the previous Plastic Decomposition Plan, it can be used to improve the living environment of those poor countries."

"That sounds really impressive," Ye Wanqing said with a smile.

"Of course! This fruit is simply Miracle Fruit!" Cui Man said excitedly. "However, we need to adjust the sharing plan a little this time. We can't disclose this grafting technique, but we can sell the seeds of this crop in large quantities at a low cost without charging patent fees. This will also achieve the effect of popularization. Many poor countries have already signed agreements with us and ordered a large number of Miracle Fruit seeds. I believe that it should be popularized in most countries within six months."

"That's wonderful!" Xiao He said with relief, his carefully planned scheme could finally be implemented successfully.

"So, here..." Cui Man said, placing a bag of flour and a bag of noodles in front of them, making three bags in total, including the fruit from before. "Here you go, enjoy the fruits of your labor."

After leaving the three bags behind, Cui Man left their house and headed to the competition venue. Although the teams competing today weren't particularly strong, Cui Man, as the highest-ranking commander of the Special Response Department, still had to be present.

Xiao He and Ye Wanqing then tasted the dishes made from the three bags of ingredients.

Cook the Miracle Fruit, then fry it in oil, sprinkle with cumin and chili powder. It tastes similar to pan-fried potatoes, but with a unique aroma.

The flour made from dried Miracle Fruit, combined with eggs, makes for fragrant, soft, and non-dry pancakes that taste even better than those made with regular flour.

The noodles made from this flour were soft and chewy, somewhat like a mixture of potato starch and alkaline flour, and had no particular odor. If Cui Man hadn't told them beforehand, Xiao He would have thought it was just ordinary flour.

"I like this," Xiao He nodded and said. "Although it's impossible to completely give up rice, I can perfectly fine using this to replace noodles."

"Yes, me too," Ye Wanqing agreed with a happy smile. "I really like these kinds of inventions."

"Shall we continue our research?" Xiao He reached out and touched her beautiful leg, smiling.

"What do you plan to research next?" Ye Wanqing asked with great interest.

"Environmental protection and energy have been solved, carbon emissions have been addressed and global warming can be mitigated, food shortages have been solved, and desertification can even be alleviated. The only remaining serious issues are nuclear waste disposal and freshwater scarcity, right?" Xiao He replied.

After careful consideration, Xiao He decided to start with the problem of "scarcity of freshwater resources".

After all, there are still many countries and cities in the world that are short of water, and as long as nuclear waste is not illegally dumped, the number of countries affected by nuclear radiation will remain small.

But ultimately, all these problems will be resolved.