Chapter 267 - 181: A Sow Gives Birth, Poisoning Him

Chapter 267: Chapter 181: A Sow Gives Birth, Poisoning Him

"What about me?" Tu Chong asked.

"Rest up for a bit. Your job is coming up soon!" Xin Wan replied.

Tu Chong was stunned again.

’Soon?’

’They can’t be planning to slaughter the newborn piglets, can they?’

’In our current situation, we need to expand our livestock. These piglets are absolute gold nuggets!’

’And there’s no way they’re slaughtering the adult pigs. If they can give birth, we obviously have to keep them!’

He couldn’t quite figure out why Xin Wan would say such a thing, but he didn’t press the issue. He’d find out soon enough anyway.

Just then, in the pigsty, the sow went into labor. As Hua Lingfang delivered the piglets, Ren Yuanyang seized the opportunity to enhance each and every one of them.

By the time the last piglet was born, the sow, Hua Lingfang, and Ren Yuanyang were all completely exhausted.

Hua Lingfang was a bit baffled. "Is it that tiring just watching me deliver them? You look even more exhausted than I am."

"I was just supporting you mentally!" Ren Yuanyang replied with a smile.

He wasn’t wrong, either. He had used his Mental Energy to enhance the piglets as Hua Lingfang delivered them, which was, in a way, mentally supporting him.

Hua Lingfang shook his head with a resigned sigh. He wasn’t so much tired as he was flustered.

Still, things looked good so far; almost all of the piglets had survived.

"I never thought this sow would be so prolific. Fifteen of them!" Hua Lingfang exclaimed, gazing at the little piglets.

Ren Yuanyang nodded. "Indeed. But the more, the better."

"Right, the more the better!" Hua Lingfang agreed.

"Should we give the sow something extra to eat?" Ren Yuanyang suggested.

Hua Lingfang shook his head. "A sow that’s just given birth shouldn’t be fed on the first day—just water is fine. For the next two days, she should only have liquid food, fed in small amounts but frequently. After that, we can slowly reintroduce regular feed."

"Wow, you really know your stuff!" Ren Yuanyang gave him a thumbs-up.

Hua Lingfang waved his hand dismissively. "It’s just something I heard from the older generation."

"It’s a good thing you’re here. We probably would’ve killed these pigs by now otherwise," Ren Yuanyang said with a sigh.

"Not necessarily," Hua Lingfang said, shaking his head. "These pigs aren’t like ordinary ones. They might be fine no matter how we raise them."

"Still, it’s better to raise them properly if we can," Ren Yuanyang replied. "Let’s head back and get some rest."

Hua Lingfang nodded. He got up and gave the pigsty staff instructions, reminding them of the key points for feeding the new mother.

The two workers carefully committed his words to memory.

"Keep a close eye on the sow every time you feed her. If you notice anything unusual, inform us immediately!" Hua Lingfang instructed as a final reminder.

"Yes, Minister Hua!" the two replied in unison.

Ren Yuanyang surveyed the pigsty and said, "Our poultry and livestock numbers are about to explode. We’ll need to expand this facility and hire more staff. Two people won’t be able to handle it all."

Hua Lingfang nodded. "Didn’t we just bring back seven or eight people? We can assign two of them to come help out here."

"Right. Let’s go back and figure it out," Ren Yuanyang said, getting up to leave. Hua Lingfang followed close behind.

After they returned to the shipping container, Ren Yuanyang received a message from Qin Haonan. "Leader, it looks like Yu Ren has already recovered. Should we have Elder Hua come take a look?"

"Okay, wait a minute," Ren Yuanyang replied, then led Hua Lingfang back toward Yu Ren’s location.

When they arrived at the speedboat, Hua Lingfang examined Yu Ren’s wound and found it had almost completely healed.

It had only been two or three hours, yet the wound was almost perfectly healed. The potency of the enhanced herbs was undeniable.

Hua Lingfang then took Yu Ren’s pulse and nodded slightly. "There are no major issues. With another day or two of rest, he’ll be fully recovered."

"Thank you for saving my life, sir," Yu Ren said to Hua Lingfang, full of gratitude.

Hua Lingfang shook his head slightly. "Your swift recovery is entirely thanks to the enhanced herbs provided by our Leader. Even your surgery was only possible thanks to the enhanced Mandala we used for anesthesia. Otherwise, you would have suffered greatly."

Yu Ren was stunned.

"So, it’s the Leader you should be thanking," Hua Lingfang concluded.

Yu Ren nodded, looked at Ren Yuanyang beside him, and said earnestly, "Thank you for saving my life, Leader."

Ren Yuanyang looked at him and said in a heavy voice, "I don’t want your gratitude. I want your loyalty."

"I may not be what you’d call a good man, but I always repay my debts. Leader, since you saved my life, it now belongs to you," Yu Ren replied.

Ren Yuanyang wasn’t about to believe him so easily. Talk was cheap; anyone could make such a promise. He needed a real means of controlling Yu Ren.

From his previous battle with the team from Xi’an Base, Ren Yuanyang knew he was incredibly strong. It would be too dangerous to just let him roam free.

Ren Yuanyang wanted to use the system to enhance Yu Ren directly. Even a minor enhancement in a single area would place Yu Ren under the system’s control, guaranteeing his obedience.

[Insufficient Mental Energy. Unable to enhance! Enhancing a member of the Human Race requires a vast amount of Mental Energy...]

Seeing the system’s prompt, Ren Yuanyang felt a wave of helplessness. It was the first time he’d seen the system use the word "vast." It meant his own Mental Energy fell far, far short.

Since the system couldn’t be used to enhance him, Ren Yuanyang had no choice but to consult Hua Lingfang. "Elder Hua, is there a type of poison that won’t kill someone as long as they take the antidote on a regular basis?"

Hearing this, Hua Lingfang froze.

The still-restrained Yu Ren sounded resigned. "Leader, I’m still right here. Could you maybe be a little more subtle when discussing how to poison me?"

"It’s intended for you, so why would I hide it from you?" Ren Yuanyang retorted.

"That’s a fair point," Yu Ren said after a brief pause, then nodded.

Hua Lingfang thought for a moment before replying, "There is such a thing. Do you need me to prepare it?"

Ren Yuanyang nodded decisively. "Yes. Go and prepare it."

Hua Lingfang acknowledged the order and left.

"I have to do this to ensure the safety of our base," Ren Yuanyang said, his gaze still fixed on Yu Ren. "But as long as you harbor no disloyal thoughts, I can guarantee you won’t die. In fact, your life will only get better."

"I understand. Just tell Elder Hua to hurry up with that medicine. I don’t want to lie in this metal contraption forever," Yu Ren said, showing his understanding and readily accepting Ren Yuanyang’s arrangement.

Soon enough, Hua Lingfang returned with a bowl of herbal concoction. Yu Ren drank it down cooperatively, not even leaving the dregs at the bottom.

After he finished the medicine, Ren Yuanyang waited a moment longer, then said, "Haonan, remove all the metal from his body."

"Yes, sir!" Qin Haonan nodded and immediately used his Superpower to remove all the metal.

Now free, Yu Ren leaped to his feet. Qin Haonan and Hua Lingfang immediately shielded Ren Yuanyang, watching the man warily.

Although he had taken the poison, it was a slow-acting one that required a regular antidote. If he had a mind to take them all down with him, he could very well attack.

"Don’t be so tense, I’m just stretching!" Yu Ren said, taken aback by their reaction, then smiled and hopped off the surgical table.

"I hear you’re quite the fighter," Ren Yuanyang said calmly. "I’d like to see for myself."

Yu Ren was once again taken aback. "Leader, what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Ren Yuanyang replied.

Yu Ren nodded. "Are you telling me to fight these two?"

He assumed Ren Yuanyang wanted Qin Haonan and Hua Lingfang to test his abilities.

Ren Yuanyang shook his head and squeezed past the two of them.

"You’ll fight me."

"No!" Qin Haonan and Hua Lingfang shouted in unison.

"It’s fine. Both of you, stand down," Ren Yuanyang said, his tone firm and resolute.

Qin Haonan still didn’t move. Beside him, Hua Lingfang frowned slightly and asked, "Leader, are you sure you want to fight him personally?"

Ren Yuanyang gave a decisive nod.

"Alright. Haonan and I will stand by to assist," Hua Lingfang said, pulling Qin Haonan back a couple of steps.

"Elder Hua, are you insane? If anything happens to the Leader, Peach Blossom Base is finished!" Qin Haonan immediately cried out.

Hua Lingfang said in a low voice, "The Leader has made his decision, which means he’s confident. Trust the Leader! He wouldn’t gamble with his own life."

Qin Haonan hesitated. "But..."

"No buts!" Ren Yuanyang’s firm voice cut him off.

Yu Ren took a moment to react, then said with a smile, "Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on him. I won’t hurt the Leader."

"Is that so? I suggest you give it your all," Ren Yuanyang advised.

Yu Ren remained unconcerned. Even if Ren Yuanyang was an Evolver, he was confident he could defeat him. After all, the space here was too confined to create any real distance.

’Once I get in close,’ he thought, ’an Evolver is guaranteed to lose!’