Chapter 490: Guess, Realization
Noticing Fu Guai and Pei Yixie were coming over, Xiao Qi waved at them and said, "Brother Fu, Yixie, both of you came at the right time. Aunt Shen just finished cooking a pot of noodles for us."
Fu Guai nodded at them and pulled Pei Yixie to sit with the members. The store was large, and there were lots of tables and chairs inside. But the long table located at the corner was reserved for the Phantom Team.
After they took a seat, he typed on his phone and showed the message to his Captain.
Jin Xuyan read the message, and after a moment, he turned to his stepsister and said, "Since they are coming, we shouldn’t let them go back empty-handed."
Hearing this, Pei Yixie stared at her stepbrother with wide eyes and asked, "Are you telling me to go back with them?"
"If you are unwilling, no one can force you. You are now an ability-user registered under the Lin’an City Base. Even if they want to take you back by force, they have to ask Commander Xun if he agrees to it," Jin Xuyan replied casually.
After hearing her brother’s words, Pei Yixie’s eyes lit up. She was used to escaping and forgot that she was no longer her father’s useless pawn.
With the Lin’an City Base and the Phantom Team as her backing, unless the members of the Facility came personally to catch her, she no longer had to fear the people sent by her father.
Reaching this conclusion, her panic settled down, and her hanging heart returned to its place. She patted her forehead and said, "Brother, you are right! With Commander Xun and our team, I don’t have to worry about anything."
While the members didn’t understand what they were talking about, Feng Yun still said, "Yixie, if you need our help, just let us know."
Wen Kai nodded and added, "You are our youngest sister. If you need anything, just let your brothers know. We won’t let anyone bully you."
After so many years, this was the first time Pei Yixie had experienced the so-called Brother’s protection. She felt her nose sore, and she quickly lowered her head. After a moment, she nodded and said hoarsely, "Thank you, Brothers."
Soon after, Shen Jinzhe walked over holding a tray. He placed a bowl of noodles in front of Fu Guai and Pei Yixie while saying, "Eat before it turns cold."
"Okay," Pei Yixie nodded and started eating.
The egg noodles were warm and comforting. Due to the big appetite of the ability-users, the bowls used in their store were huge. One bowl was equivalent to two bowls of normal portions. While the price was a little bit higher, the amount was generous.
After they finished their breakfast, Jin Xuyan glanced at his stepsister and said, "Follow me."
Pei Yixie noticed his sharp stare and could only follow him back to his condominium.
As for the rest of the members, they went to do their own tasks. Those who needed to supply water went to report to the water reservoir area; those who needed to help with the crops went to report to the farmland area.
The rest of them either went to do some small missions around the base to clear out the zombies and mutants, or went to help fix the wall and damaged buildings.
As for Qin Luzi, he went to report to Wen Hanli directly as he was tasked to patrol the base to make sure that they were not infested with any zombified animals.
An hour later, Jin Xuyan opened the door and saw his fiancée filling a small water tank in the kitchen. Hearing footsteps, Jiao Lizhi turned and said, "Yixie, you are here."
Jin Xuyan gestured for his stepsister to take a seat and asked, "Are you planning to escape from them again?"
The moment she heard his words, Pei Yixie raised her head and asked with surprise, "Brother, do you know about them?"
"I had long known about Pei Xun’s plan. I even know who the spies sent by him are," Jin Xuyan replied calmly.
Hearing this, Pei Yixie was stunned for a moment before she asked, "Brother, did you plant someone beside him?"
Jin Xuyan didn’t reply, but his silence already confirmed Pei Yixie’s guess about the spies.
The question was who the spies were. If they were able to get such detailed information, then the spies should have a high enough position to access the information.
When she reached this conclusion, an image of a man flashed in her mind.
This person only joined the Pei family’s side three years ago. But in such a short time, he was able to receive her father’s trust and become his right-hand man. It was as if he knew exactly what her father wanted and liked.
Thinking about times when this person often helped her solve her problems and even visited her regularly, she asked, "Is it Yuan Ruiyue?"
This time, Jin Xuyan raised his eyebrows when he heard her guess and asked her back, "Why do you think it’s him?"
Pei Yixie went silent for a moment before she said, "Brother, thank you. I didn’t know that you had sent someone to protect me three years ago."
Jin Xuyan looked at her, recalled her tragic ending as the Facility’s test subject, and let out a long sigh. He was unable to protect them in his past life, and it became his lifetime regret. But in this life, he would make sure they wouldn’t end up in the Facility’s hands anymore.
"I have a blood feud with the Pei family. But both you and Yijun are still my younger siblings. I can’t just watch the two of you being harmed without doing anything."
In the kitchen, Jiao Lizhi listened to their conversation and was lost in thought. She didn’t know what her fiancée had experienced in their previous life, as they never talked to each other, even when they crossed paths occasionally during missions.