Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan finished adding the diesel and immediately returned. When they heard what the Evolver said, they instinctively jumped to Ren Yuanyang’s defense.
"You really can’t tell who’s on your side, can you! If we hadn’t stopped your boat, you would’ve crashed right into that forest ahead! Not only would your boat have been damaged, but it could have capsized and overturned. We saved everyone on this boat, and this is how you talk about our leader? You have no conscience!" Xin Wan retorted without a second thought.
The corner of Ren Yuanyang’s mouth twitched. He really wanted to pull Xin Wan back. ’She’s laying it on a bit thick!’
To his surprise, Lu Jiamei, standing to the side, chimed in to agree.
"That’s right! You people are shameless! The boat capsizing would have been the least of your worries. What if the impact had caused an explosion? You’d have been blown to smithereens!"
Ren Yuanyang was utterly speechless. ’There’s no diesel, no electricity, and no other flammable or explosive items. If it could explode under these circumstances, then hell has frozen over.’
But to his amazement, he saw that the Gold-Type Evolver had actually been taken in by the two women’s claims. She didn’t refute them. Instead, she stubbornly jutted out her chin and shot back, "If you were saving us, why did you have to knock us out?"
At her words, Ren Yuanyang and his group were all stunned.
’She actually believed them?’
Meeting her clear yet stubborn gaze, Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan actually felt a pang of guilt.
’Is she really an Evolver?’ Ren Yuanyang began to wonder himself.
Ren Yuanyang cleared his throat and said, "A group your size is a threat to us. Under the circumstances, we had no choice but to use force first and be polite later."
The Evolver still looked completely unconvinced.
"Think about it," Ren Yuanyang countered. "If we wanted to kill you, we could have done it long ago, couldn’t we?"
The Evolver snorted. "Don’t think I don’t know what filthy ideas you have. You’re after our bodies!"
Ren Yuanyang was at a loss for words.
Xin Wan immediately unzipped her raincoat, revealing her stunning figure. "You’re a little overconfident, aren’t you?" she shot back. "Our leader hasn’t even touched me. What makes you think he’d be interested in any of you?"
The Evolver’s eyes widened in admiration at the sight of Xin Wan’s face and figure. While she might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, she certainly had an eye for beauty.
"He hasn’t touched you?"
Xin Wan nodded firmly. Pointing at Lu Jiamei, she added, "It’s not just me. He hasn’t touched her, either!"
Even though Lu Jiamei was wearing a raincoat, you could tell from her face and height alone that she was also a beautiful woman.
"Is there something wrong with him? Or is it his sexual orientation?" The Evolver glanced at Hua Lingfang, who was standing nearby. "He’s not into older men, is he?"
Just from her expression, Ren Yuanyang knew her mind was in the gutter. "Don’t let your imagination run wild. I’m perfectly normal, I just don’t like forcing myself on people. Besides, in times like these, who’s got the energy to be thinking about what’s between their legs all day!"
Called out on her thoughts, the Evolver actually looked a little embarrassed. But she pressed on, "If you’re not going to kill us, then why not let us go? Why are you keeping us tied up like this?"
"To ensure the location of our base isn’t leaked. You now have two choices: join our base, or die." Ren Yuanyang gave her an ultimatum.
The Evolver was still hesitant. "If we join your base, you won’t enslave us, will you?"
Ren Yuanyang rolled his eyes. "Our base doesn’t restrict your personal freedom. You can slack off all you want, but if you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s your choice."
"If we work, we get to eat?" The Evolver seemed much more interested in the food.
Of course, under the current circumstances, any survivor would be interested in food.
"Of course," Ren Yuanyang replied, nodding with absolute certainty.
"Can we eat until we’re full?" she pressed urgently.
Ren Yuanyang didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said to Xin Wan, "Go get the leftover Cherry Tomatoes from the last batch."
Xin Wan nodded and turned to leave.
"Sister Wan, let me go! I know where they are!" Hua Wen immediately dashed out.
Xin Wan paused, taken aback for a moment, then called after him, "Be careful!"
"Okay!" Hua Wen’s voice echoed from the distance.
It was only then that the Gold-Type Evolver realized there was a child of about ten living at the base.
’They have elderly people and children, and they all seem so relaxed. This base can’t be that bad.’ The Evolver mused, already beginning to warm up to the idea of this place.
By the time Hua Wen returned with the Cherry Tomatoes, the others were also beginning to wake up.
They still felt dizzy, but when they saw Ren Yuanyang’s group standing nearby with guns, they instantly understood they had just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. At the thought of the miserable life that awaited them, they couldn’t help but start to cry.
Ren Yuanyang was exasperated. "If anyone keeps crying, they don’t get any of these Cherry Tomatoes!"
As he spoke, he lifted the raincoat from the bamboo basket Hua Wen had brought over, revealing it was filled to the brim with Cherry Tomatoes.
Everyone froze at the sight of the basket, including the Gold-Type Evolver who had woken up earlier.
"Are you... going to give these Cherry Tomatoes to us?" the Evolver asked, swallowing hard as she sought confirmation.
"They’re a welcoming gift for those who choose to join our base," Ren Yuanyang replied. "If you don’t join, then naturally, you don’t get any."
At his words, everyone’s eyes went wide.
’Fresh fruits and vegetables are more valuable than gold these days. Is this handsome young man in front of us really going to give them to us as a welcoming gift?’
"What kind of base is this? They’re actually willing to give us fruit?"
"I don’t care anymore! I’m joining even if he tortures me every night, as long as I get two Cherry Tomatoes a day!"
"You’re too greedy! I’d be happy with just one!"
"I didn’t notice before... but this guy is actually pretty handsome!"
Hearing their hushed discussion, the Evolver suddenly had a realization. "Is this Peach Blossom Base?"
A few days ago, Peach Blossom Base had advertised on the regional channel, offering to trade Cherry Tomatoes for other plants.
Ren Yuanyang gave her a surprised look. He hadn’t expected her to guess it was Peach Blossom Base.
"That’s right. This is Peach Blossom Base." Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "I’ll say it again. You have two choices: join our base, or find your grave in the sea. You have one minute to decide."
"We’ll join Peach Blossom Base!" everyone replied without a shred of hesitation, including the Evolver.
"Good. Since you’ve made your choice, you must abide by our base’s rules," Ren Yuanyang continued. "I’ll emphasize three points. First, you will follow orders and accept work assignments. Second, you will not leak any information about our base to outsiders. Third, you are forbidden from entering the core area of the Banyan Forest without permission."
The women all agreed in unison. They were so quick to accept mainly because the aroma of the Cherry Tomatoes was making their mouths water uncontrollably.
"Jiamei, Xin Wan, go ahead and divide these among them." Ren Yuanyang sounded a bit resigned, but he understood. After all, it had probably been a long time since any of them had seen fresh fruit.
This large basket held about fifteen pounds of Cherry Tomatoes, and with only twenty-four people on the boat, each person would get more than half a pound!
When Lu Jiamei placed over half a pound of Cherry Tomatoes in front of each of them, they were stunned all over again.
They would have been ecstatic to get just one each for a taste; they never imagined they’d each receive more than twenty!

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