Why did you provoke me?

Xiaomei was confused. Did everyone abandon her now that her mother-in-law was gone?

Xiao Wen felt sorry for Sister Xiaomei looking at her like this. "Sister Xiaomei, where do you live now? I'll take you home."

Sister Xiaomei glanced at the people around her. When she looked over, everyone was either looking down at their toes or turned away as if there was a better view elsewhere.

"I just meant well but messed things up. The person isn't dead, why are you treating me like this? Have all these years of friendship been fake?" Sister Xiaomei was starting to lose her composure.

Her mother-in-law, who had raised her, passed away without a word. Her brothers, who had always treated her so well, now ignored her completely and were even sending her away. She didn't know what she had done wrong, how she had ended up in this situation.

"Sister Xiaomei, you're too emotional right now. Old Du and the others just got back and need to rest. Why don't we talk as we walk?" Xiao Wen's tone was gentle, like a kind-hearted person. "If you keep arguing here and the commander finds out, it won't be good for any of us. She'll question how Grandma's soldiers are so uncivilized, and she'll also think Grandma's daughter is of bad character. We can't tarnish Grandma's reputation. Don't you think so?"

Sister Xiaomei followed Xiao Wen away. Du Wenhe looked at Fu Ke, "Brother, you've been at the base for a long time. Hasn't Secretary Wu's attitude changed too quickly? He wouldn't have said such disrespectful things before."

Fu Ke glanced at him. "You're asking me? I'm not Secretary Wu's secretary, how would I know?"

After saying that, he turned and left. Before leaving, he left a reminder: "The commander said you need to write a self-criticism. You must hand it in as soon as possible, or you will bear the consequences."

Du Wenhe burst into laughter from behind. "You talk as if you don't need to write anything."

Fu Ke was so angry that he walked faster, muttering, "I must have taken the wrong step when I left this morning. I must be careful next time."

Yu Meng brought these aliens to Qingyuan's laboratory. "Aunt Qing, the experimental specimens are here. You can decide how to use them."

"Yu Meng, how are you? Are you adjusting well?" Qing Yuan asked with concern.

Yu Meng nodded, "It's alright, but I'm a little homesick. I want to go home."

Qingyuan tentatively asked, "Shall I have the guard battalion escort you?"

Yu Meng looked at her without saying a word.

Qingyuan explained patiently, "Your current status is unusual; you can't afford to make the slightest mistake."

"If you don't tell, who will know?" Yu Meng lay on the table, playing with the alien she had just taken out.

"Those who need to know know that you are now connected to the lifeline of four provinces, and countless people are watching your every word and action," Qingyuan stated the facts.

"Where are my family? Are they in danger?" Yu Meng looked up at Qingyuan.

Qingyuan shook her head. "Many people, both overt and covert, have already gone to that town. It's been put under protection."

"Since there are already so many people here, what could possibly happen to me? Why do we still need a guard battalion?" Yu Meng truly didn't understand.

"As a leader of your caliber, you need to maintain a certain image when you travel, right? We can't just let you leave with a bag. Doesn't our base have any dignity?" Qingyuan's expression was very serious; clearly, that was what she thought.

"Aunt Qing, what do you think of the thing I gave you yesterday? Do you think it's feasible for us to make an experimental site?" Yu Meng changed the subject.

Hearing Yu Meng bring up this topic, Aunt Qing's eyes lit up. "This is an unprecedented discovery, one that has never been made before. This is something that can be recorded in history."

"Really? Aunt Qing?"

Qingyuan nodded emphatically. "Yu Meng, if you're going to build this experimental base, I'll apply to manage the research."

Yu Meng nodded, "Why shouldn't we do such a good thing? But what about manpower?"

"We'll recruit from among the unmasking specialists. But we need to carefully vet their character and background," Qingyuan said, deep in thought. "They have to be absolutely loyal. If this gets out, the other bases will probably go crazy."

"Does Aunt Qing have any recommendations?" Yu Meng asked. "This doesn't need to be a high-ranking position. Just have them take care of things. The details can't be revealed, and it's best if the person in question doesn't appear in public."

Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, "My mother-in-law has an adopted daughter named Xiaomei. She is very hardworking, but she is not very talented."

Yu Meng laughed. "I met her today. Impulsive, ambitious. She treats soldiers' lives carelessly and disrespectfully. This person is no good."

"Where have you seen her before? You have such a bad impression of her."

"Grandma's second squad is back. She ignored all warnings and tried to extract the alien, and the result was terrible. If I hadn't gone, there would probably have been a few more monsters. She has no respect for life."

Qingyuan sighed, "My mother-in-law once told me about her adopted daughter, saying that she had a bad temper and that she had never let her extract any aliens. I only mentioned her because I was a little soft-hearted. I didn't expect that you and my mother-in-law would have such a surprising agreement."

Yu Meng gave a fake smile, "If I'm not mistaken, she must have caused a lot of trouble, but because she's her mother-in-law's adopted daughter, you all not only didn't hold it against her, but also helped her smooth things over."

Qingyuan did not deny it. "She grew up in the base, and we all treated her like a child, so naturally we hoped she would be successful. We just never expected it to turn out like this."

"It's alright, it's not your fault. Maybe she just has this kind of bad gene in her genes," Yu Meng comforted her.

Qingyuan rolled her eyes inelegantly. "You might as well say that we all spoiled her."

Yu Meng shook her head violently, "I was also pampered growing up, how come I wasn't like her? It's clear that pampering can't ruin someone, it's just that her genes aren't good."

Qingyuan looked at Yu Meng, then belatedly realized something. "Could it be that you have someone in mind?"

Yu Meng nodded seriously, "My sister Xiu is quite good, but I don't know if she'd like to come here. After all, she has a little sister. She's younger than me, but she's very talented and learns things incredibly quickly."

Qingyuan could tell that Yu Meng thought highly of this young girl. "Then why don't we bring them all over?"

Yu Meng shook her head. "I can't raise children. I'd rather have my mom support me!"

Qingyuan could tell that Yu Meng genuinely didn't want to participate, so she changed the subject, "So, how big do you plan to make this experimental park? How many people do you plan to recruit?"

"Raw materials are scarce right now, so scaling up is impossible. Aunt Qing, do you think I should issue a mission? Anyway, these two types of aliens are quite common."

"What's the reason? Many pharmaceutical companies are interested in acquiring the withered branch alien, and we own a pharmaceutical company, so it's not difficult. But what reason do we have for that mushroom-shaped alien? You need to know that every piece of information about the base is repeatedly studied by those with ulterior motives. If they discover the connection, we'll regret it to death."

Yu Meng rolled her eyes. "Aunt Qing, aren't you overthinking this? In all these years before this, has anyone discovered the connection between the two? It was only because I, this little genius, stumbled upon it. That's called fate, something you can't force."

Qingyuan watched Yu Meng's smug expression, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. This was the kind of reaction a child should have.

"Is that really the case? Then let's listen to our genius leader." Qingyuan didn't insist anymore. Yu Meng was now in charge. She could remind Yu Meng, but she couldn't make decisions for Yu Meng.