166

The brown shell opened, revealing a solid, milky white substance...like coconut meat. Luo Xun touched it only to find that it quivered like jelly before flowing downwards...So what was this?

The two men put the fruit into a metal bowl. Yan Fei used his knife on the other fruit where thick white liquid slowly flowed out.

This was also put into a separate bowl and the two compared them – the two fruits had different colored seeds and the only difference between the insides was consistency. The gray one had almost completely condensed while the other was still flowing.

"This stuff seems like...milk? Coconuts?" Luo Xun uncertainly looked at Yan Fei.

The latter pulled down his mask for a sniff before turning to Luo Xun. "You smell."

The couple took off their masks that were supposed for avoiding 'poison'. Luo Xun smelled and immediately said, "It not only looks but also smells incredibly similar! This actually has the smell of milk...wait a minute! I remember hearing about special plants producing milk, but never seen!"

This was obviously legends and rumors. After all, after the end, ordinary people had no fruit at home, not to mention sweet strawberries. Luo Xun had not seen with his own eyes, only heard people speak about it during the apocalypse so it was likely misinformed. But he did not expect that this thing was actually a variant strawberry?!

Yan Fei looked at the fruit carefully while frowning, "We can't test it now..."

Yes, they could only judge by appearance and scent. They could only experiment on living things since they were not sure if it was as Luo Xun thought.

Three porr quails were caught by Luo Xun and placed in a small cage. He mixed the thick juice of the fruits together with a certain ratio of boiling water before feeding it to the little quails...They were not sure that quails needed milk, but this thing was from a strawberry. In general it was still a plant, so it should not be a problem?

Their heart was not as sure and could only wait for the results to appear. The two men moved the experiment to the table and packed up everything. They returned to the living room with the crib.

Inside the baby was still weak, could not open his eyes, even waving his arms was very rare. At this time he was asleep while weakly breathing.

Luo Xun reached out and poked the baby's cheek. "If that fruit can used for milk, we'll have food for..."

If the fruit was really what he had heard about, a fruit with milk...then the baby would have the perfect food. After all, they were not lacking rice soup, but the nutritional content was worse than any type of milk.

Yan Fei stood on the sidelines and looked down at the crib. He honestly felt that the boy's luck was surprisingly good. It was his misfortune to be abandoned by his parent, but he met Luo Xun while crying. After coming here, the strawberry mutations had matured and the fruit had milk inside. If Luo Xun was correct about the fruit being a replacement for milk...what baby would grow up as well as him?

But when it came to this, Luo Xun was his and the child's savior.

He lifted a hand and started to rub Luo Xun's hair. The latter who was poking the child's face was surprised. Why was Yan Fei rubbing his hair? Wasn't it the time to play with the child?

Luo Xun accidentally put more force behind his poke so the baby's face wrinkled up as he snorted. Luo Xun quickly lifted his hand to see the baby continued to sleep after tilting his head away...

"This baby is easy to care for..." Luo Xun checked the diaper before busying himself with other things.

After one night, the three hapless quails who were used as experiments were still alive and seemed to enjoy the strange 'dairy product' and drank a lot in one night. After Luo Xun confirmed the situation, he went to the 15th floor with the little ones. Song Lingling was left behind this time, after all there were children and a dog at home, it was best to leave housekeeping to someone experienced.

Yan Fei was also carrying a cage containing quails as well two new fruit. Luo Xun explained the fruits to Song Lingling and the test with the quails. "If this thing can replace milk, it can support the baby's and Yu Xinran's nutrition."

The yield of the fruit was less than regular strawberries but the growth period was the same. Once grown, the variant fruits would continue producing each month!

So there were greenhouses at home, the only problem was that they were afraid that there was not enough space to plant these things.

"It would be great of this can take the place of milk!" Xu Mei and Song Lingling nodded their heads in support. "Leave these quails to me! I'll put all my effort towards their care these next few days!"

Song Lingling and Yu Xinran looked after the baby...they seemed to have forgotten to let them know that he was Yan Fei's unnamed half brother. Since the baby's body was so weak...his fate after birth was precarious, so the team decided to wait until he grew stronger before giving him a name.

The group of people arrived at the mission hall early in the morning. Similar to the last time, the staff were dressed well and were shocked about the group wearing a mix of styles.

"What kind of business do you have?"

Luo Xun promptly responded, "We are here to do team tasks."

"Did you get a text message on your phone?"

"Yes."

"Over here please."

The group of people quickly accepted the task and rushed towards their destination. There were not many people accepting missions in the mission hall. The Otaku squad only met one team, although they saw some somewhat angry people passing though. There seemed to be two different worlds, one was a snowy winter wonderland while the other was an industrial city in ruins.

Luo Xun and company arrived at their target led by two garbage trucks. They parked their cars in places that would not affect traffic and began to use their shovels in tandem.

A full two days of work, this task seemed to be more troublesome than last time. Their last mission was near their neighborhood and since their response was pretty quick – everyone sent some people to clean the roads. The only thing was the increased amount of rubbish on the road.

Perhaps people were more scattered outside of base, until now no one had offered to come clear out the road. Thus Luo Xun found that the snow had been trampled and frozen – they would need a chisel of something...

Thankfully they had Yan Fei on their team! He transformed the shovels into hoes so that everyone had a tool to use.

Two days later, the group of people with waist and leg pain returned home to rest. As captain, Luo Xun had to report the mission and any news he might hear. Not that he would take initiative to ask but the hall was lively. A lot of people were walking around gossiping about news they heard through the grapevine.

"I heard that a lot of teams have received missions for clearing out snow outside the base and many are protesting. Some teams have been ordered to find certain supplies in the city within a month. Not many have picked up the task and are watching the situation."

Luo Xun rubbed his sore arms, these past two days have exceeded his usual amount of exercise. The rest of the group were slumped in their seats.

"How come the mission is not the same." Li Tie asked in surprise. They thought that everyone was supposed to clear snow, but unexpectedly there are people with missions outside?

Luo Xun shrugged, "We aren't sure either. Some people heard that some teams are protesting the missions of clearing snow and rubbish." They just listened as they walked past and were not clear on the details.

"Maybe the more difficult the task, the more rewards?" Xu Mei said.

"If the tasks were graded, it should be known when you choose at the mission hall. Best to the among the first to choose. The best ones would have long been taken, plus there are mandatory missions." Zhang Yi yawned and went towards the door. "Why think so much? Anyway, we have finished and tomorrow can rest before our next trip...I'm going back to bed first since I have to get up early tomorrow." The man disappeared.

The couple picked up their children. Yan Fei held the quails that ate the milk fruit for two days. There was no sign of any adverse effects. If there was nothing tomorrow, there would be no problem having the adults try some to taste the flavor and decide if it should be fed to the young ones.

167

The next morning, the couple checked their crop growth after breakfast. With the baby wrapped in their arms, they knocked on the nearest door.

A sleepy Zhang Yi came out yawning with Wang Duo behind him holding out a coat, hat and mask. He reluctantly closed the door after seeing the group out in the stairwell.

The backs of the man and dog seemed inexplicably similar, although there was no resemblance in either height or figure.

The weather outside was still cold, but the sun was out so there seemed to ba glimmer of warmth.

Luo Xun carefully held the baby with Yan Fei and Zhang Yi looked like they were out shopping. Zhang Yi did not have a pleasant expression since he had to come out all this way.

The group walked for more than half an hour to arrive at the hospital door. As usual, the place was always busy and filled with people.

The two men waited in the hall with the baby in their arms Zhang Yi went through the back door to find someone familiar.

Soon after, two ladies appeared, one dressed as a doctor while other was in a nurse's uniform.

"Come, I'll see." The doctor came over and took the child.

The hall was not cold, but only compared with outdoors, the temperature was still relatively low.

She examined the baby before smiling at Yan Fei. "The baby's condition looks good, let's go to my office first."

The doctor looked around thirty to forty while the nurse was much younger, closer to twenty five years old. While the group went to the doctor's office, the two ladies chatted with Zhang Yi.

"Since you have not visited since you quit, you have not noticed but a lot of people have gone to the hospital."

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering why there were so many people missing? Where did they go?"

The nurse giggled. "The female nurses are the main ones who left."

"Female nurses?" Luo Xun looked over in surprise before staring at Zhang Yi in confusion – did they quit because of the doctor? He was gay...did he have such amazing charm?

The nurse smiled at Luo Xun before looking at Yan Fei. "Yes, the females nurses." She sighed, "There is an unequal ratio of men to women in the base...a lot of people visited to find girlfriends."

The female doctor also sighed, "Some of the young nurses are quite beautiful. A few days ago two people left the hospital for home but they disappeared at an intersection, so far we have not found them...Later the higher ups advised having a boyfriend to support the family is best. The future is bright for those who find a strong boyfriend with an ability..."

She helplessly smiled at Zhang Yi. "In this world, there is nowhere safe for women, unless they have a strong enough ability."

All the people were clear about the meaning, their hearts sighed. The two ladies of their team had also encountered misfortune before joining the team. Although they did not know about Song Lingling's past, they had seen Xu Mei's situation with their own eyes.

Even with her fire ability, Xu Mei was likely to be subject to this sort of thing, not to mention ordinary people. It was impossible to be on guard all the time. There were so many girls in the hospital that they were easy targets.

Zhang Yi squinted at the female nurse. "What about you? Are you going home to have a baby?"

The nurse had become accustomed to bantering, she laughed. "What would I eat at home? I don't have enough to keep someone."

"Then find a bodyguard to pick you up, for peace of mind on the road." Zhang Yi's voice was normal. When there were no beauties left, people would aim for what was left.

"That's what I said!" The female doctor laughed. "Like Zhang Yi before, getting picked up after work everyday, I can't remember how many people envied him!"

Luo Xun bowed his head and smiled. Wang Duo did not just escort his lover, he also stayed near to chase away flies.

When they arrived at the doctor's office, the doctor began to examine the baby. It was premature, born a scant week ago. After a careful examination, she wrote while whispering, "Preterm birth, poor development and a little malnourished. Do these tests to see if there are any problems with internal organs, heart and lungs. If there is nothing wrong, go home and take good care of him...The baby is weaker than average, before we could have taken better measures but now...give him a check up first."

The doctor sighed, she learned the general situation from Zhang Yi. Luo Xun had found the child and so her mind filled in the blanks – the biological parents could not support a baby and was left for dead. The two men were a couple, since they could not have children, they decided to adopt and so on. Due to this she had a good attitude towards Luo Xun along with sympathy towards children born during the end and lost their lives soon after.

So, the two men entered the hospital through the back door and did not pay a cent. During the examination, the baby barely cried. Even the doctors and nurses were afraid to move to fast in fear of hurting the delicate baby.

After the check, the men had a list of precautions to follow. The pair took the report and went back home while Zhang Yi was being swarmed by the remaining nurses.

This task took until noon when everyone returned home after checking the baby. After confirming there were no problems, Xu Mei prepared lunch for them to eat.

"Xu Mei, use a bottle!" When they went to the hospital, they brought back bottle caps for babies.

"Wow, you can find these things on base? At least we won't need to feed him with a spoon." Xu Mei lamented while Song Lingling sterilized the bottle.

"Luo Xun, should we try those milk fruit later?" He Qiankun approached, this man had similar tastes to the child...really, food had no age requirements.

"Wait a bit and you can try." Luo Xun nodded and went to eat dinner first.

After digesting the meal, everyone gathered together to try the new variant fruits.

When opened, there was the aroma of milk. There was enough in the two fruits for everyone to have a bit.

The group of people sat around the table spoons at the ready. Luo Xun intially said that only one or two people needed to test it. In the end everyone decided it was best for everyone to try, food poisoning would look different among them anyway. So with the exception of the children who were sleeping guarded by Puppy, all the adults sat at the table.

They took some, licked and smacked their lips.

"It's really milk!"

"And strawberry! Strawberry milke!"

"But its not sweet."

"I think it's a bit like coconut juice, too."

"It's more like milk though?"

"Like fruit milk, but not as sweet."

"It's pretty strong, will it be hard for the baby to drink? What it he chokes?"

"Add water, this thing has concentrated flavor. There's no way for children to have some without diluting it."

"Yes! Add some water, mashed strawberries and sugar, Yu Xinran can have some strawberry milk to drink!"

Luo Xun regretfully looked at the empty bowl. "Unfortunately, there is no way to test the nutritional components, whether it is suitable for a baby to eat."

Xu Mei said, "Now is not like before the apocalypse, we could only feed him rice soup which is not as good..." She suddenly stopped, the baby was Yan Fei's brother, so the two had the final say.

Yan Fei had little to say due to his knowledge of child rearing...it would be easier for him to build an amusement park with metal.

Luo Xun lowered his head, he was not sure if this thing was what he heard about in his last life. He flipped through the information he brought back. He did not understand everything but knew the child's situation. Although nothing was wrong, the baby was malnourished. His body would be affected in many ways, even intelligence.

If there was no guarantee of his future health and survival, it would better to have not brought the baby. Raising children and keeping pets was somewhat similar. If one was not fully prepared, one should not bring one into their lives.

"Okay then." Luo Xun smiled at the crowd. "Does anyone know the approximate concentration for infant formula?"

The team looked at each other...infant formula? Even if it had been drunk as children, how old were they? Who would remember?

"Um...I sometimes used milk powder to cook food before the end, perhaps I can try?" Song Lingling uncertainty raised her hand.

Good thing Luo Xun brought back those bottles and information sheets. There was a nursing manual, according to the proportion shown, they substituted a ping pong ball sized portion of fruit. The white seed fruit needed three time the water while the brown seed fruits needed 4.5 times the water.

168

Luo Xun carefully filled the bottle with diluted fruit milk and brought it to the baby's mouth. Before when he was drinking the rice soup, although the baby's body was weak, he still had the basic instinct of drinking up.

The baby was much smaller than average and did grow much during the past few days. So the amount of food was less than usual, they only fed him half a bottle of milk when he was full.

As for if eating this would have any adverse effects...Luo Xun and the others were not really sure. They could only carefully monitor the situation.

When the child fell asleep after eating, the team got together to discuss the matter of their next base excursion.

"Going out of base...what about the kids?"

Yu Xinran was older so there was no problem following Luo Xun out of base. Puppy has an ability so there were no issues either and she could gain experience using her ability. The dog has had a cushy life so far, since the end, she has never been outside of base.

But the question now was, who would stay home to care for the baby at home? Or would he come along?

Bringing along a young child was not something easy to do. As adults they had no problems, Yu Xinran's physique was also good but as for the baby...no way!

But if someone had to stay behind...who would stay? How would it work out?

The ability users in the team were not the same as the others, fewer people would reduce everyone's fighting strength. But if regular people were left behind, if something happened and they could not come back, what would they do? Besides, the two ladies and Luo Xun were the ones who knew how to take care of children...there was no way to leave them!

Luo Xun looked at the children asleep on the bed, then at the people sitting in the room before clapping his hands. "Wait a day, we'll go out together with the children."

This time, the team would spend at least a week or more outside the base. No matter who was left to stay at home, both sides would not be rea.s.sured about the other's safety. The size of the Otaku squad was too small. It was best to stick together whenever they acted so they could watch over each other.

As for the baby...