With Lan Re’s help, the search for Elemental Stones became extremely smooth. After Fang Yuxin communicated her intentions to it, she released it. Lan Re could navigate through the ruins with ease, and once Fang Yuxin located an Elemental Stone, she would convey its position through her thoughts, and Lan Re would directly reach the location of the Stone and easily retrieve it with its body.
Thus, her efficiency in searching for Elemental Stones greatly improved, and she found most of them. The only problem was that whenever zombies appeared, Lan Re would go on strike and hunt them down instead.
After a busy afternoon, by around five o’clock, all the Elemental Stones in the ruins had been found. Along with the Stones, some usable supplies were also discovered.
Aside from the occasional zombie, other survivors didn’t seem to cause any trouble, or even appear at all; it was unclear if they were afraid of this place.
Regardless, the day’s harvest was quite satisfying. Fang Yuxin had tamed a Mutated Crystal Orchid with incredible combat power as her Spiritual Pet. She also found many Elemental Stones, and the number of zombies she hunted was not small. Although the others didn’t find quite as much as her, their gains were still very decent. The Yongcheng Team even gained a new member who was a Space superpower user, further strengthening their team.
After regrouping, Fang Yuxin introduced the new member Shang Jinxiu to the others, then planned to return to the Safe Zone. At this moment, Bai Ye approached, his gaze instinctively drifting to the Lan Re on Fang Yuxin’s wrist. The creature looked extraordinary, which made him more wary.
Detecting his gaze, Fang Yuxin coldly shot him a look. Bai Ye, sensing her undisguised caution and hostility, suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. He thought that, after all, Fang Yuxin was Qianqian’s biological mother, and he was Qianqian’s biological father; even if Fang Yuxin didn’t want to be his friend, there was no need to be so full of hostility, right?
He wouldn’t do anything to her!
He pondered for a little, feeling that since Fang Yuxin was Qianqian’s mother, he, as a man, should be more magnanimous. So, he stretched his lips into what he thought was a friendly smile. His intention was to express goodwill to Fang Yuxin, but little did he realize that a person who rarely smiles suddenly doing so can be quite alarming.
His smile perfectly exemplified the saying "grinning without mirth" - due to its stiffness, it was somewhat twisted and ferocious, looking more like a provocation.
Fang Yuxin raised an eyebrow and watched him warily, wondering if he was thinking of going back on his word and demanding Bai Qianqian back. As she considered whether to refuse directly or to take Bai Ye somewhere secluded and teach him a lesson, she heard him say, "I’ve decided to go with you to the Safe Zone outside the city."
His voice was stiff, as if he was very nervous. Fang Yuxin found it strange; the man seemed powerful, yet he was nervous.
What was up with him?
But then she thought that Bai Ye seemed to have a grudge with Qiu Yiming and judging by Qiu Yiming’s behavior, he seemed to care a great deal about it. If so, it wasn’t strange for Bai Ye to be nervous. After all, the Qiu Family had considerable influence in the military, and if Qiu Yiming was determined to make things difficult for Bai Ye, he would undoubtedly face endless troubles in the Safe Zone.
Upon this reflection, she felt it was not a wise decision for Bai Ye to enter the Safe Zone.
Originally, this matter wasn’t of her concern; if Bai Ye wanted to risk his life, that was his own business. However, considering Bai Ye was indeed Qianqian’s biological father and had raised her, the bond between father and son was certainly deep. If anything happened to him, Qianqian would surely be devastated.
So after hesitating, she felt she couldn’t just watch Bai Ye take this risk. She advised, "You have a grudge with Qiu Yiming, right? In that case, I suggest you better not go to the Safe Zone; he won’t let you off."
Meng Qingluo had always wanted to persuade Bai Ye and quickly agreed, "That’s right, Big Brother, Miss Fang is right. You should reconsider. Confronting Qiu Yiming now is too dangerous!"
Unfortunately, Bai Ye had already made up his mind and wasn’t someone she could persuade. Bai Ye gave Meng Qingluo a calming glance, then addressed Fang Yuxin, "I have thought this matter through; you don’t need to worry about me."
Fang Yuxin was somewhat speechless; she hadn’t expected this seemingly stern man to be so self-absorbed! Clearly, she was worried about Qianqian being sad. Since when was she worried about Bai Ye?