419: Chapter 416 A New Race.

Ye Ouyang stood to the side, watching the scene before him, feeling as if the very air had solidified.

Weis Father stood there, not knowing where to put his hands. Finally, he tucked them behind his back and let out a cough.

"Um... how have things been lately?"

Wei Ziqing also stood there, likewise unsure of what to do with his hands. Eventually, he crossed them over his chest and nodded.

"Oh, things are good. Very good."

Silence.

Weis Father spoke again: "Make sure to eat. Eat plenty."

"Oh, I know. I know."

Silence. An even deeper silence.

Ye Ouyang looked at Weis Father, then at Wei Ziqing, his facial expression gradually twisting.

Are these two really father and son? Why is this conversation more awkward than one between strangers? Strangers would at least talk about the weather!

He really couldn't take it anymore.

"Uh—" He took a step back. "I'm going to head out for a bit; I have some things to do."

Wei Ziqing and Weis Father looked at him at the same time and nodded in unison.

"Okay." "Okay."

Ye Ouyang turned and bolted.

Once out the door of the training room, he leaned against the wall and let out a long breath.

"That was so awkward—" he muttered to himself, scuffing his feet against the floor. "So awkward I could have died."

He rubbed his arms, feeling like his goosebumps still hadn't subsided.

Those two... the way they interact is just too awkward, isn't it?

He shook his head, preparing to take a walk to get some air. Looking up, he saw someone standing at the end of the corridor.

A stranger's face.

Ye Ouyang had lived at the base for so long that he was familiar with almost everyone coming and going. But this face, he had never seen before.

He froze for a moment, then walked straight over.

"Hey!" He raised a hand in greeting, a familiar smile on his face. "Hello! Who might you be?"

The person turned around and looked at him.

It was a young man with a thin build and a sense of quiet calm between his brows. He glanced at Ye Ouyang and spoke; his voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

"Hello. I've come from another base—over in Haichuan City. I was transferred here."

He paused.

"My name is Zhou Zihui."

Ye Ouyang scratched his head.

"Hello, hello." He looked at Zhou Zihui with curiosity in his eyes. "Why did you come here? Is there something going on at our base?"

Zhou Zihui stood there, hands hanging at his sides, his posture relaxed yet his back straight. He thought for a moment before speaking:

"I'm here to see Lawyer Shen, Shen Mingyuan."

Ye Ouyang blinked: "Shen Mingyuan?"

"Yes." Zhou Zihui nodded. "He was once my benefactor. I heard he was here, so I came to see him."

Ye Ouyang blinked again and then let out an "oh."

"Then you might be late," he said with a hint of regret in his tone. "He just went out on a mission a few days ago with Senior Lu. I'm not sure when they'll be back."

Hearing this, Zhou Zihui's expression didn't change much; he simply nodded.

"Oh, I see," he said flatly. "It's fine. I'll be staying here for a while, so I'll just see him then."

Ye Ouyang's curiosity was piqued again.

"What's the story between you and him?" He leaned in a bit closer. "How did he help you?"

Zhou Zihui was silent for a moment, his gaze lowering slightly as if thinking of how to phrase his words.

"Well..." he began, his voice still at that same moderate volume. "It was about a legal case. He really helped me out a lot and saved my life. Regardless, he did help me."

He didn't elaborate, and Ye Ouyang didn't press further. His tone didn't sound like he didn't want to talk, but more like... those matters were too complicated to explain in a short time.

"Oh." Ye Ouyang nodded and scratched his head again.

Zhou Zihui glanced toward the end of the corridor.

"I need to find a place to stay," he said. "How do I get around... this base?"

Ye Ouyang immediately perked up.

" I'll take you!" He stepped forward. "I happen to have nothing to do right now. If you want to tour the base, I can show you around. Interested?"

Zhou Zihui looked at him, thought it over, and nodded.

"Sure, that works."

So, Ye Ouyang began leading Zhou Zihui on a tour of the base.

He pointed one way and said, "This is the Training Area," pointed another way and said, "This is the cafeteria," and then took him to the residential area to handle the paperwork and drop off his things. Zhou Zihui didn't talk much, just followed along, occasionally nodding or asking, "What's this area?" to which Ye Ouyang would rattle off a long explanation.

After a large circuit, they had seen everything they needed to, and the two headed back.

Just as they turned a corner, they ran into an acquaintance.

Chen Xing.

He was holding a folder, head down as he walked and read, nearly bumping into them.

"Chen Xing!" Ye Ouyang raised a hand in greeting.

Chen Xing looked up, saw it was him, and his lips twitched slightly.

"Ye Ouyang." He nodded, his gaze falling on the person beside him.

Ye Ouyang stepped aside to introduce him: "This is Zhou Zihui, just transferred from another base."

Zhou Zihui nodded toward Chen Xing.

"Hello."

Chen Xing also nodded.

"Hello."

Ye Ouyang turned his head, looking at the folder in Chen Xing's hand.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Chen Xing, where are you headed?"

Chen Xing brandished the items in his hand.

"The research and experiment side came up with some Algaecide," he said. "I'm going to try it out on that purified Algae. It'll be great if it works; if not... we'll really have to manually scoop it out every day."

He let out a sigh.

"We're already controlling that river, it's been dammed up, and we've been scooping constantly. That Algae reproduces too fast. This agent's effect isn't to kill it, but to inhibit it—it can suppress its reproduction for a certain period, preventing it from spawning 'baby' Algae. We'll use that time to scoop up as much as we can."

He looked at the folder in his hand, then back at Ye Ouyang.

"I have to get going."

Ye Ouyang nodded: "Oh, okay then. See ya."

"Mm."

Chen Xing walked away quickly, soon disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

Zhou Zihui stood nearby, watching Chen Xing's back vanish, then turned to Ye Ouyang.

"Since the tour is over anyway," he said, "how about we go for a walk outside?"

Ye Ouyang blinked: "Outside?"

"Yes." Zhou Zihui nodded. "Could you introduce me to this city?"

Ye Ouyang smiled.

"Of course! Let's go!"

The two left the base and walked slowly along the streets outside.

The afternoon sun felt warm on their bodies. Small shops along the street were open, and occasionally an electric scooter would pass by. Zhou Zihui walked very slowly, his gaze sweeping over the buildings on both sides, the trees by the road, and the passing pedestrians.

After walking for a while, he suddenly spoke.

"This city... what has it been through?"

Ye Ouyang was taken aback: "Why the sudden question?"

Zhou Zihui thought about it.

"Because... I always feel like there should have been some battles or things like that around here."

Ye Ouyang scratched his head.

"I don't really know much about that," he said. "If you really want to know, you'd have to ask Senior Lu or Senior Shen. Those two are the ones who have truly experienced many battles."

Zhou Zihui nodded.

"I see."

The two continued forward. As they passed a street corner, a large screen in front of an appliance store was playing something quite loudly. Ye Ouyang glanced at it casually, and his pace slowed.

On the screen was a news program. The footage showed a Wetland Reserve, with the camera panning over a flock of flying birds—their feathers were incredibly vibrant, some blue, some green, shimmering in the sunlight.

"Recently, our city has welcomed a group of very rare protected animals," the host's voice came from the screen. "According to preliminary identification by experts, this migrating flock belongs to a brand new species. Prior to this, there have never been any related records."

The scene switched to an expert in a white lab coat, talking eloquently in front of the camera.

"It is extremely rare, extremely rare. Their feather structure, calls, and migratory habits are different from any known bird species. Currently, we have only discovered this one group, and their numbers are very small. This has already drawn the attention of several domestic ornithologists..."

Ye Ouyang stopped in his tracks.

Zhou Zihui also stopped, his gaze fixed on the large screen.

The two looked at each other.

"Hmm?" Ye Ouyang raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Zihui didn't speak, but his eyes clearly said: something is wrong.

"A new species?" Ye Ouyang whispered. "Where would a new species come from now..."

"Let's go take a look," Zhou Zihui said.

Ye Ouyang nodded.

The two immediately turned toward the roadside and waved down a taxi.

"Driver, the Wetland Reserve outside the city—can you take us there?"