Fair-Weather Brotherhood

"Right, right." Liu Qi'an ran off and brought the food inside.

Liu Qi'an had bought meals for two, but they all had big appetites, so he had paid extra for another serving of rice. It could go to Lou Yu now.

Lou Yu got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Seeing him move freely, with no sign of his chest wound reopening, Liu Qi'an and John felt much more at ease.

The three sat down together to eat. John looked at the dishes and frowned slightly. "Qi'an, did you buy this from that restaurant in Zone A? Why does it feel like the portions are smaller and the taste has changed?"

The little restaurant in Zone A was close to where they lived. Chen Lin was the only one on their team who could cook, so whenever he was busy, they would eat there or order takeout.

They knew its portions better than anyone.

Liu Qi'an took a bite of potato and said glumly, "The owner said that recently, everything on the market except cabbage has been replaced by a new generation of ingredients, and prices have gone up with them. Once the previous generation of cabbage sells out in a few days, the new variety might go up in price too."

When ingredients cost more, the cost of cooking rose, and naturally the finished meals had to cost more too.

John sighed. "When will food prices finally stabilize?"

A century ago, the Great Catastrophe had struck. Humanity had fallen from the top of the food chain, and the foundations it had built over centuries had been destroyed in an instant. It had gone from vigorously developing advanced technology to struggling even to feed and clothe itself.

The humans who lived through the early days of the Great Catastrophe had undoubtedly been the generation that suffered most. Mutated creatures had slaughtered humans without restraint. Weeds and insects once trampled underfoot could turn into deadly monsters in the blink of an eye, while previously harmless viruses could evolve and instantly break through the human immune

system.

Agriculture and industry had ground to a halt, and survival had become the foremost priority.

Humanity had managed with great difficulty to establish bases, but mutated monsters hungry for human flesh and blood had clung to them like maggots to a bone, threatening their safety at every turn.

On top of that, humanity had faced a food crisis no less terrifying than the mutated monsters.

Some of the old food reserves had been destroyed during the Great Catastrophe, some had mutated and become inedible, and some had been used to feed the survivors. What remained could not last long.

With the bases, humanity had gained a relatively stable environment in which to survive and could develop agriculture and industry again.

But, terrifyingly, the vast majority of the high-yield, high-quality crop varieties humans had cultivated over generations had mutated. Some reverted to ancestral forms, while others evolved, but the results were low yields and poorer taste either way. Some even developed toxins.

The remaining seeds that had not mutated fared little better. The soil across the world had mutated, and the crop seeds could not adapt to it. Germination rates were extremely low, and even those that sprouted were prone to disease and unlikely to survive to maturity.

Scientists had tried to cultivate new varieties, but mutations continued without stopping for a moment. Humanity had also suffered so many casualties that gaps had appeared in technology and civilization, making cultivation several times more difficult.

Food reserves had nearly run out, and there were no new crops. At the time, many people who had not died at the hands of mutated monsters had instead starved to death.

Fortunately, there was always a way forward. After several years, scientists had finally cultivated varieties best suited to growing in the current soil.

Though their yield and taste still could not compare with those from before the Great Catastrophe, there were finally new crops, giving people a little breathing room.

Several decades later, the high-level mutated monsters had suddenly retreated like a receding tide for no apparent reason. Only the mid- and low-level monsters remained, still watching hungrily, but humanity was barely capable of fighting them.

Humanity had temporarily gained a safer, more stable environment and seized the chance to develop vigorously. Infrastructure strengthened its defenses and offensive capabilities, while technology recovered and advanced considerably.

But the food problem remained a mountain weighing on everyone. Mutations never stopped, and new seeds were essentially rendered useless after a single planting, requiring the development of yet another generation of crop seeds.

Developing new varieties was like gambling. No one could say how many seeds would grow once planted, what the final yield would be, or how much could actually be eaten.

When they were lucky, the new varieties produced high yields, enough not only to feed people but also to raise livestock with low levels of mutation, providing humanity with dairy and meat.

When they were unlucky, the new varieties produced low yields, grain prices soared, dairy and meat prices followed, and people went hungry.

In all those years, food prices had never stabilized.

The previous generation of seeds had been relatively high-yielding, and grain and meat prices had remained fairly stable. Everyone had enjoyed a spell of good days, but the new generation of seeds had run into problems. Seeds for several kinds of grain and vegetables had reportedly developed disease, resulting in low yields.

The stores from the previous generation had been used up, and this batch of low-yield crops was now about to take over the market.

Eating was one of humanity's most basic needs, and hunger easily led to unrest. The Central Base did not dare hold the satellite bases back in this regard, so all the bases had made similar progress in seed cultivation and faced the same predicament.

No one could answer John's question, so silence fell over the table. John had only been complaining and had not expected an answer, so he was not disappointed.

Chen Lin and Huo Lan did not hurry back until after the three had finished eating. The place where they had been working was far from the hospital, and after receiving John's message, they had taken quite some time to finish their business and make the journey.

Lou Quan's people arrived at the ward door at the same time as the two of them.

John and the others blocked the door and refused to let them in. The people Lou Quan had sent did not lose their tempers. They merely said calmly, "The commander-in-chief invites Captain Lou to come with us. Sorry for the trouble."

John knew why they had come and could not help saying, "He just woke up. Can't you wait until our captain has recovered from his injuries?"

Lou Quan's subordinate answered in the same tone, "Sorry, no."

Liu Qi'an, who had one of the shorter tempers among them, flushed red. He clenched his fists and glared at the two men, looking ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.

In the end, Lou Yu stopped him.

"I'll go with you."

Dressed in a change of clothes, Lou Yu came out of the ward and nodded to Chen Lin and Huo Lan. Ignoring their pleading looks, he walked at a leisurely pace up to Lou Quan's subordinates.

Chapter 8: Fair-Weather Brotherhood

"Thank you for understanding, Captain Lou. This way, please." The two subordinates were courteous to Lou Yu; he had a good reputation among both the base's ordinary residents and its military.

Lou Yu nodded and said, "Sorry to trouble you, but could you help take care of the traces in the ward?"

One of the subordinates replied, "The commander-in-chief has already ordered someone to handle the aftermath. The news won't leak out either, so please rest assured."

"Good." Lou Yu looked back and gave his teammates a reassuring look, then left the hospital with the two men.

They went out through the back door, deliberately avoiding those people's watchers.

The two subordinates took Lou Yu neither to Lou Quan's residence nor his office, but straight to the research institute. After parking in the underground garage, they went upstairs in a dedicated elevator.

The research institute was one of the base's key facilities. Each floor had its own function, and not only was it heavily guarded, but authorization was also required to enter and leave.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, the one Lou Yu visited most often. The research conducted there was among the base's highest secrets: experiments on how to make the Ability Awakening Reagent.

After passing through several doors and multiple identity checks, Lou Yu finally reached the core area. He was led into an office, where Lou Quan was waiting for him.

Lou Quan was drinking tea when Lou Yu entered. The moment he saw Lou Yu, his formerly cold expression suddenly changed into a warm smile. He switched faces faster than turning a page.

"Welcome back, my dear little brother. Your big brother is so happy you're alive."

Lou Quan rose and approached Lou Yu with his arms spread. The golden tassels on his uniform swayed with his movements, and he showed none of the gravity or dignity expected of someone in his position.

Lou Yu dodged his embrace and exposed him mercilessly. "Stop acting. If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have rushed to summon me before my injuries had healed."

Lou Quan lowered his arms. He was not angry at Lou Yu's words, and the smile remained on his face, as though he were such a kind man.

"All right, we'll skip the sentimental part and get straight to business. After all, when it comes to researching the Ability Awakening Reagent, time is life."

Once Lou Yu had finished speaking, several researchers came in through the door, all familiar faces to him.

They exchanged greetings, and the doctors also asked about Lou Yu's health, their manner far more sincere than Lou Quan's.

They were all honest, conscientious researchers devoted to their work. They had dealt with Lou Yu many times before without any disagreements and could be considered friends.

Lou Quan spoke up at the right moment. "You're all old acquaintances, so we won't waste time on pleasantries. Lou Yu is still injured and isn't fit for physical tests for now, so stay at the institute and recover. While you're here, tell the doctors how you survived a whole day and night in the wilderness with your bare hands."

Even a three-year-old knew how dangerous the wilderness was. Lou Yu had survived without any protection; his ability had certainly played a part, but there had definitely been other reasons too.

After all, news that Snow Bird had nearly followed Huo Lan and the others back to the base when they went to rescue Lou Yu had spread throughout the entire base.

What Lou Quan cared most about, of course, was the ability, but if Lou Yu had a way to improve humans' survival rate in the wilderness, that information would also be extremely valuable.

Whatever their reasons, humans could not avoid going out into the wilderness. Human lives were precious, and fewer deaths were always a good thing.

Lou Yu agreed readily, without the slightest hesitation.

But no one knew that beneath his easygoing exterior, he had long since prepared himself. He knew exactly what he would say and what he would never reveal a word of, even on pain of death.

He would not speak of the passion and confusion of that night, nor would he speak of Snow Bird's mutated human form.

He would not conceal the substantial increase in his ability's power, though. The great hole in the solid-wood door of the ward was proof. Lou Quan's people had taken over the cleanup, so he would find out the details sooner or later; there was no point hiding it.

His detailed account could be summed up in three points:

First, he had been able to outrun the mutated wild wolves because of his ability, but Snow Bird had killed them.