Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Situation of the Ye Family

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Uncle Yu quickly had the rooms prepared. Mei and the others were shown to their respective quarters to rest, leaving Ye Jingxuan with Ye Shitian and Ye Jingnan to recount the events of his journey.

“So you left the city, went to the Moonlight Base, then after the base was destroyed by a zombie horde, you seized the opportunity to return here? That’s it? You’ve been gone for over three months, and you sum it up in a single sentence? Jingxuan, could you be any duller?” Ye Jingnan looked as if he’d been utterly defeated by his cousin, practically ready to kneel in exasperation.

Ye Jingxuan ignored his cousin’s exaggerated expression, maintaining a solemn gaze fixed on his father, waiting for his questions.

“Those friends of yours—did you meet them at Moonlight Base?” Ye Shitian asked.

“Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenyuan I met in the city. Mei and Mo Chen I encountered on the way to Moonlight Base, though we didn’t travel together at first. We ran into each other again at Moonlight and gradually became acquainted. As for An Ziyou, I only met him at the base.” As soon as Mei was mentioned, Ye Jingxuan unconsciously offered a few more words.

“If you met on the road, why didn’t you travel together?” Ye Jingnan asked, curiosity piqued, his intuition telling him that his cousin harbored a particular interest in the girl named Mei.

Ye Jingxuan pressed his lips together, shot him a glance, and replied succinctly, “We weren’t familiar.”

“So how did you end up getting close? Don’t tell me it’s just from seeing each other a lot. I know your temperament far too well for that!” Ye Jingnan pressed on, eager for gossip.

“She saved me—more than once,” Ye Jingxuan answered simply, turning his head to avoid his cousin’s overly inquisitive gaze.

A life-saving debt?

Ye Jingnan couldn’t help but imagine a scene: in the midst of danger, a valiant young lady descends from the heavens, heroically slaying the monster and rescuing his frail cousin, who then devotes himself to her in gratitude—a perfect romance!

He was so amused by his own flights of fancy that he nearly doubled over with laughter.

Paying no mind to his cousin’s antics, Ye Jingxuan turned his attention back to his father.

“If she saved your life more than once, you must repay her properly. The Ye family has always honored their debts,” Ye Shitian said, probing no further.

“I will, Father,” Ye Jingxuan replied respectfully.

“You’re an ability user now as well, and your return comes at the perfect time. From now on, I’ll entrust the Ye family to you.”

“How many ability users do we have now?” Judging from his father’s words, the Ye family’s situation seemed dire, prompting Ye Jingxuan to ask.

“With you, only three. Your cousin awakened a perception ability, and Uncle Yu awakened an earth ability. No one else has awakened powers,” Ye Shitian said with a touch of helplessness.

Once the most powerful family in the nation, the Ye family now survived only thanks to their vast arsenal of weaponry. Without it, they’d have been swallowed up by rival families long ago.

Ye Jingxuan frowned. “What about the other families? How many ability users do they have?”

“The Situ family has seven, the Liu family four, and the Wang family three. The Liu family runs the market, and the Wang family manages the food factory—between them, they control most of the base’s resources,” Ye Jingnan explained, finally serious.

“What about recruiting ability users from those who joined the base? Is that not possible?” Ye Jingxuan pressed further.

“How could we? Even though we had advance warning, our greatest stockpile is in weapons. We don’t have much else. If we hadn’t seized supplies early on, before others had grown strong, we wouldn’t have been able to support all these people,” Ye Jingnan said, spreading his hands in frustration.

Weapons only go so far. Even if they were willing to share, for ability users, other resources were far more valuable. As for mutants, they preferred to join the Situ family—an ancient martial clan whose collection of martial arts manuals allowed mutants to maximize their strengths. As a result, over half of the base’s mutants were under the Situ family’s control.

Had the three families truly united, or if the others had any idea of the Ye family’s true strength, they might not have held out until Ye Jingxuan’s return.

Ye Jingxuan finally grasped the gravity of their position. Fortunately, he had not returned too late—and he was not alone.

“Are there any substantial stockpiles of supplies left nearby?” Ye Jingxuan pondered, realizing that their most urgent need was to acquire more materials in order to recruit talent and revive the Ye family.

“There are, but they’re extremely difficult to reach. Otherwise, they wouldn’t still be there. Are you thinking of going? How many people would you take?” Ye Jingnan asked, frowning.

“Don’t worry about the manpower. Just give me the details on those locations,” Ye Jingxuan replied, not answering directly.

“You’re not planning on going with just those friends you brought back, are you? Are they ability users? How many?” Ye Jingnan guessed.

At Changyang Base, only infection checks were conducted at the entrance. Ability user status or level was recorded elsewhere. Mei and her group had been brought straight to the Ye residence, so Ye Jingnan had no idea of their abilities.

“They all are.”

“What? All of them? You’re not joking, are you?” Ye Jingnan couldn’t help but raise his voice in disbelief.

He knew better than anyone how rare ability users were. Their scarcity made them highly sought after, which was why the Ye family struggled to recruit anyone.

Now, five had appeared at once—and they were staying under their roof. How could he believe it?

“They are my friends,” Ye Jingxuan emphasized, his eyes glinting with warning.

His words carried two meanings: first, that Mei and the others were his friends, not Ye family subordinates. Even if they helped, it was out of friendship, not obligation. Second, Ye Jingnan shouldn't dream of exploiting them—whatever reward was due, not a single bit less.

Knowing full well how fiercely protective his cousin was, Ye Jingnan caught on immediately. He dared not test that bottom line, so he quickly said, “Of course, of course—they’re your friends and honored guests of the Ye family. Rest assured, I won’t have them working for nothing! You should take some time to register a mercenary squad at the mission hall. That way, you can take on missions directly. Those supply caches have been on the mission board for ages, just never completed. I’ll double the base’s official reward—will that do?”

“I’ll discuss it with them first,” Ye Jingxuan replied with a nod.

“By the way, do you have any zombie crystals—of the mental type?” Ye Jingnan suddenly remembered something.

“Why do you ask?” Ye Jingxuan neither confirmed nor denied.

“You know those crystals can boost abilities, right? I’ve been stuck at level three for ages, so I wanted to see if you had any,” Ye Jingnan explained.

“Have you absorbed any?” Ye Jingxuan frowned, recalling the deathly energy within untreated crystals.

“No, I’ve only heard about it. Supposedly, you need to absorb crystals matching your ability’s type, but mental-type zombies are too rare—I never got any,” Ye Jingnan shook his head. Seeing the disapproval in Ye Jingxuan’s eyes, he pressed, “Why? Are zombie crystals not actually useful?”

“If you don’t want to become a zombie, don’t absorb them recklessly,” Ye Jingxuan warned, relieved that his cousin hadn’t tried.

“Seriously? You could turn into a zombie?” Ye Jingnan was startled.

Ye Shitian’s expression grew grave as well. “Is your source reliable?” he asked carefully.

“It is,” Ye Jingxuan replied with conviction. Though he hadn’t witnessed someone change after absorbing a crystal, he trusted Mei’s judgment.

Ye Shitian’s face darkened further.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Jingxuan asked.

“Uncle Yu has absorbed zombie crystals. I once had Nan’er find him two,” Ye Shitian said, guilt flickering in his eyes.

Though Uncle Yu was the Ye family’s steward, he and Ye Shitian had grown up together—their bond was no less than that of true brothers. Now, to think his old friend might become a zombie because of him—how could he not be filled with regret?

Ye Jingxuan’s expression also darkened. In his childhood, his father had been too occupied with family affairs to care for him, and it was Uncle Yu who had raised him. To Ye Jingxuan, Uncle Yu was the father figure he’d always lacked, commanding as much respect as his own father.

Now, to hear that the man he revered might turn into a zombie—how could his mood not plummet?

He touched the bracelet woven from metal-type crystals beneath his sleeve, recalling how Mei could dispel the deathly energy within crystals. Could she perhaps remove it from a person’s body, too?

With this thought, Ye Jingxuan stood up abruptly. “I’ll find a way to help Uncle Yu!” he declared, then strode out—he had to ask Mei at once.

Seeing his urgency, Ye Shitian and Ye Jingnan knew he was worried about Uncle Yu and didn’t try to stop him.

Outside Mei’s room on the second floor, Ye Jingxuan composed himself before knocking gently.

“A-Ye? Did you need something?” Mei asked, a touch of surprise in her voice. Shouldn’t he be with his father and cousin, recounting his journey? What business could he have with her now?

“Mei, I need to ask you something,” Ye Jingxuan nodded, his expression grave.

Seeing he was serious, Mei invited him in. “Go ahead. What is it?”

“If someone has absorbed the deathly energy from a crystal, is there still hope for them?” Ye Jingxuan asked directly, wasting no time.

Mei was momentarily taken aback, then shook her head, “I’m not certain.”

At her words, the hope in Ye Jingxuan’s eyes was instantly extinguished.