Arriving at the Base (10,000-word chapter)

Lou Yu raised his eyebrows, making no attempt to hide his smugness. "Yes, oh, who told my girlfriend to grow these crops?"

Teammates: "..."

The team leader has a knack for making people hate him.

Once everyone had stopped eating, the bowls and plates on the table were almost empty, with not a single dish left.

Lou Yu and several teammates took the initiative to clean up, scrubbing the dishes and chopsticks until they were spotless before letting Tao Qiu take them back to the cave.

The temperature was low at night, so they built a fire at the bottom of the valley. The three babies were each held by their teammates. The babies were warm and soft, and smelled nice. They didn't want to let go once they held them in their arms.

Thinking about going to the base tomorrow, the three kids kept pestering their teammates with questions about the base. They were all questions that adults would find boring, but because of the kids' enthusiasm, Liu Qi'an and the others answered very actively.

The conversation showed no signs of ending even as night deepened.

But considering there's a lot going on tomorrow, Lou Yu still reminded the adults and kids that they should get some rest.

Huo Lan and his companions brought sleeping bags, intending to sleep by the fire, and did not arrange for anyone to keep watch.

Tao Qiu told them to rest assured and not to worry, as no mutated monster would dare to invade his territory tonight.

Having carried out so many missions in the wild, this was the easiest and safest one yet. They were well-fed and watered, and didn't have to worry about mutated monsters appearing at any time.

Most importantly, she was holding an adorable baby in her arms.

The kids were seeing sleeping bags for the first time. After Huo Lan and the others opened one and explained how to use it, the three kids asked if they could sleep in a sleeping bag with them.

The sleeping bag isn't very spacious, but the kids are small. There's still plenty of room for one adult and one child to lie down.

The kids made their request, and their teammates agreed, so Tao Qiu and Lou Yu had nothing more to say.

After washing up, everyone crawled into their sleeping bags.

The Eldest Cub Liu Qi'an; to be precise, Liu Qi'an took him away.

"During our conversation just now, I held the child for the least amount of time. To be fair, the child should sleep with me tonight."

Liu Qi'an spoke with righteous indignation, and even held the child in his arms. The Eldest Cub also said he was fine with either parent, so no one else had any objections.

Huo Lan, being a woman, has a smaller frame, allowing for more space. Plus, her Second Cub Third Cub are very attached to her, so both little girls ended up in her sleeping bag.

Huo Lan held the two soft, fragrant babies, how happy and content he was!

John and Chen Lin, having failed to catch a single one, could only silently hug themselves.

After everyone lay down, Huo Lan and Liu Qi'an, who were with the children, had just whispered something to the kids when all three of them suddenly started yawning.

The kids usually go to bed early, so tonight is practically an all-nighter. They've managed to stay up this late only because they're so excited about the news from the base.

No need for the adults to coax them; after saying goodnight, the three kids quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The adults, however, were still somewhat sleepy, their eyes closed as they tried to drift off.

Just then, John suddenly muttered to himself, "Is it? No? Is it? Because I was so excited, why don't I feel as tired as I expected after finishing the work today?"

Liu Qi'an said, "After eating those fruits, I felt full of energy. I sweated a lot while harvesting wheat, but I didn't feel tired at all, just a little bit fatigued, which seemed to disappear after dinner."

Chen Lin speculated, "It must be the effect of those fruits and vegetables."

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the crackling of the burning firewood.

After a long silence, Huo Lan finally spoke, "Knowing Tao Qiu is Captain Tao's good fortune, and even more so, it's our human fortune."

Lou Yu had told them before that Tao Qiu's crops had special effects, but only after experiencing it firsthand today did they truly understand how significant it was that Tao Qiu was willing to befriend humans and help grow so much food.

They had already anticipated the significant impact and changes that the arrival of this grain at the Yong'an Base would bring to the base.

It would be an understatement to say that this is about to be recorded in history.

The thought that humanity might have another chance for salvation made them even more excited and unable to sleep.

Meanwhile, Tao Qiu and Lou Yu, whom the others were talking about, were currently engaged in a fierce battle in the bamboo forest.

We're heading back to base soon, and we probably won't be able to do these kinds of outdoor activities for a while, so we should take advantage of the remaining time and enjoy ourselves as much as possible.

Lou Yu sat on the ground, Tao Qiu sat on him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and her hot breath sprayed into his ear.

A bead of sweat slid down Lou Yu's neck, and Tao Qiu leaned in to kiss it away, chuckling softly as she breathed heavily, "I've been wanting to do this all day."

Lou Yu, supporting his waist, laughed as well, "I know? The way you looked at me during the day, it seemed like you wanted to tear me apart and eat me."

"You're scared? If you're scared, why are you still seducing me?" Tao Qiu snorted. "Don't think I didn't see it. You were twisting and turning over there, just... doing it on purpose for me."

Lou Yu raised an eyebrow. He admitted that he had deliberately flirted with Tao Qiu, but it didn't seem as exaggerated as Tao Qiu had described.

Did I squirm or fidget?

"Yes, I say yes, so it is." Tao Qiu's tone was as domineering as ever.

Lou Yu hissed, "Okay, okay, yes, yes, Qiuqiu, relax."

"I won't!" Tao Qiu was stubborn, and he was strong enough to move wildly, leaving Lou Yu with no choice but to smile wryly.

Two hours later, Tao Qiu sat with her back to Lou Yu, leaning against him to catch her breath, and idly played with Lou Yu's hand.

Lou Yu hugged him tighter, placing a light kiss on his shoulder, his voice hoarse with satisfaction, "Is everything inside really alright?"

Tao Qiu said languidly, "It was like this the last few times. I didn't clean it up much, and I still didn't get pregnant. I think it's only possible to get pregnant during a fever. I've only had one fever in all these years. If it happens again, I'll just have to be careful. I don't want to have another baby."

He loves his three children very much, but he doesn't want to go through the pain of pregnancy and childbirth again.

Lou Yu was quite understanding. "Qiuqiu doesn't just decide to have a baby whenever she wants."

Tao Qiu lowered her head and kissed Lou Yu's palm. The warm, ticklish sensation shot straight into Lou Yu's heart. Was this Tao Qiu's response to Lou Yu?

Lou Yu's apple bobbed, and he leaned closer to Tao Qiu, "Qiuqiu, I want to kiss you."

Tao Qiu remained silent, but instead hooked her arm around Lou Yu's neck, pulled him close, and proactively lifted her chin to kiss him.

Tender and lingering, their love intense and passionate.

The fire, which had barely been extinguished, reignited.

Tao Qiu was in a subordinate position this time, allowing Lou Yu to shower him with endless love and indulge all his willfulness and arrogance.

It wasn't until the pitch-black night sky turned into a dim light that the two returned to the cave from the bamboo forest.

That night, they restrained themselves, but not entirely. They restrained themselves in areas easily exposed like their necks and faces, leaving few marks. They didn't restrain themselves in the fact that they almost drained each other dry again.

Tao Qiu regretted that she had said a few days ago that she would cause less trouble for Lou Yu, but when the crucial moment came, her mind automatically blocked out those confident thoughts.

Indeed, sometimes a man's words are no different from his farts.

Lou Yu used the water from the bamboo tube to wash the two of them before holding Tao Qiu and falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, everyone got up a little late, so they simply combined breakfast and lunch.

Not long after noon, the grain delivery team arrived at the edge of the valley in their vehicles.

Lou Yu went out to meet them, while Liu Qi'an and the others were responsible for moving bundles of wheat. Tao Qiu and the children were packing their belongings in the cave.

Upon seeing Lou Yu, Zhao Tao was the first to come forward to greet him.

"Brother Lou! I missed you so much!" Zhao Tao hugged Lou Yu tightly, his travel-worn face beaming with a smile.

Lou Yu patted him on the shoulder and asked, "How was it? Did the trip go smoothly?"

Zhao Tao's eyes narrowed with laughter as he eagerly replied, "Successfully, successfully! Brother Lou, let me tell you, I've done a tremendous service this time..."

Zhao Tao chattered on and on, recounting everything that had happened along the way, including what happened at the Yongkang Base.

Because of Zhao Tao, an esper, he could sense the presence of mutated monsters in advance, leading his teammates to avoid and evade many dangers.

There were also unfortunate incidents. After Zhao Tao transformed into his beast form, he became the main force fighting against the mutated monsters. With the added firepower suppression, some members of the team were injured, but no one died.

The situation at the Yongkang Base wasn't complicated. They delivered the food, exchanged two secret documents, and left unscathed.

Zhao Tao spoke rapidly, "Brother Lou, you... don't you know? Although the people at Yongkang Base haven't said anything, their arrogance is impossible to hide. Who can blame them when they can produce their own weapons and are less restricted by the Central Base? To be honest, I'm a little envious. I wish our base could be like that someday."

Another member of the team said, "You envy them, but they envy us too. Our Yong'an Base is the only satellite base with a superhuman stationed there, isn't it? It's even worse than the Yongkang Base."

Zhao Tao perked up again upon hearing this. "That's true! I am an ability user, but when I stand in front of them, they don't even know it, hehe."

Lou Yu smiled helplessly. This silly boy.

After discussing their experiences along the way, Zhao Tao's attention returned to the present moment.

By this time, Liu Qi'an and his men had already moved some of the wheat out and were loading it into the truck bed.

The members of the grain delivery team who came forward to help, just like Chen Lin and his group yesterday, showed expressions of shock and joy.

"These wheat ears are so plump and smell so good!"

Chapter 92 Arrived at the Base (10,000-word chapter)

"I've worked in planting areas before, and I've never seen wheat grow this well."