Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Smarty
Qin Shen suddenly asked something startling. "What is your superpower?"
Bo Xi froze. ’Have I been discovered?’
He forced himself to calm down and asked in return, "Mr. Qin, what do you mean?"
’I’ve hidden it so well. Could it be that Qin Shen is just like me, one of the same kind?’
A powerful hope for Qin Shen suddenly surged within Bo Xi.
He desperately wanted to find another of his own kind.
When he first boarded the Icebreaker and saw how surprisingly obedient the monkeys were, he’d had his suspicions. But then the monkeys seemed to listen to everyone, which made him feel like he was just overthinking things.
Now that Qin Shen had suddenly asked about his superpower, his gut told him that Qin Shen had to be the one secretly controlling the monkeys.
Qin Shen smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Someone who can’t even be honest... what right do you have to stay?"
"Mr. Bo Xi, we’ve decided to take back the offer we just made."
’Qin Shen’s tone is so certain. He must have guessed.’
Bo Xi didn’t want to lose the chance to stay on the Icebreaker. This place was practically a paradise in the apocalypse, and right in front of him was what seemed to be a very powerful member of his own kind.
He weighed his options, then finally extended his hand to reveal a strange insect. "I’m sorry, Mr. Qin. I didn’t mean to hide it, I was just afraid I’d scare you. To this day, I still haven’t fully accepted that I’m... a freak."
The insect under the skin of his hand scurried about, yet Qin Shen’s expression showed no trace of fear. Instead, he asked for confirmation, "So, your superpower is controlling insects?"
Bo Xi nodded. "Yes. I can control all insects within a radius of half a kilometer."
Qin Shen’s gaze shifted to the snow outside the Icebreaker. "Show me."
It felt like a test. Bo Xi glanced toward the cabin and asked, a little worried, "Is it alright if the others find out?"
The existence of superpower users would be exposed sooner or later, so Qin Shen had no intention of deliberately hiding it. "It’s fine," he said.
Since Qin Shen said it was fine, Bo Xi felt relieved.
He took a deep breath and waved his hand. The insects that had been scurrying through the snow in search of food suddenly swarmed together, forming the English word "YES" right before Qin Shen’s eyes.
Bo Xi thought this would be enough to earn Qin Shen’s trust, but to his surprise, Qin Shen just said, "Is that all you can make them do?"
’It’s like he’s looking down on my ability.’
Bo Xi wanted to display a more powerful ability, but in truth, this was the extent of his current control.
Thinking he’d been rejected by Qin Shen, he said sadly, "I can also make them attack people, but if I control them for too long, I end up in a lot of pain myself."
The more he spoke, the more useless he felt.
But Qin Shen just looked at him and said, "Very good. You can stay."
Bo Xi looked up, his eyes shining like thousand-watt bulbs. "Mr. Qin, thank you so much! I’ll do everything in my power to protect our ship."
Qin Shen nodded. "Good. In fact, I have something for you to do right now."
Bo Xi was a little stunned. ’I just got here, and all I can do is command insects. What could he possibly want me to do?’
Qin Shen pointed to the snow. "Get rid of all these insects. Keep them out of a one-kilometer radius. You can maintain that indefinitely, can’t you?"
’As long as I’m not pushing the limits of my power, it should be possible.’
Bo Xi gave an honest nod. "I think I can do that."
Bo Xi closed his eyes and swept his hands out. The insect tide immediately began to retreat at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Zhang Aihua, who had just been preparing to go fishing and gather seaweed, was scared out of his wits by the sudden insect tide.
Fortunately, Brother Qiu, who was beside him, grabbed him. "President Zhang, run!"
Back in the cave, everyone was shouting and screaming, describing the bizarre scene that had just unfolded.
They feared an insect swarm was upon them.
However, the insects seemed to move with a purpose, rapidly heading for a point one kilometer away without so much as touching the food the survivors had left out.
Zhang Aihua found this strange.
’These insects are being a little too considerate, aren’t they?’
But for most of the others, discovering the insects were gone was a cause for wild celebration.
Without the pests that ate everything in sight, they could finally plant the radish seedlings Jiang Si’s group had given them.
They had been devastated before, watching the seedlings grow a little only to be destroyed by the insects.
Thankfully, they’d been quick enough to salvage a few seedlings, which they had been tending to with great care.
Otherwise, they would have had to swallow their pride and go begging to Jiang Si’s group again.
The most worrying part was that they had nothing of value to trade, leaving them with no leverage to ensure a deal.
Once Bo Xi sensed the insects had retreated beyond a half-kilometer, he stopped and looked at Qin Shen, secretly wondering if he was satisfied.
Qin Shen nodded, then suddenly asked, "Can you control any type of insect?"
Bo Xi didn’t know. He’d come by this ability suddenly and discovered it by accident. Besides, in this frozen world, there weren’t many types of insects to begin with.
He said, "I can control any type of insect I’ve encountered so far."
Qin Shen looked at him, seemingly satisfied. "You can stay."
Bo Xi was overjoyed. "Thank you. Thank you all."
He then wanted to ask about Qin Shen’s superpower—whether he ever experienced frequent, searing pain—but Qin Shen had already turned and walked away, as if he’d never had any intention of revealing it.
Bo Xi shrugged. ’Well, at least I get to stay.’
He finally had a real home in this frozen world.
He wouldn’t have to worry about others seeing him as a monster anymore.
Because Qin Shen was just like him.
Bo Xi returned to the cabin, his heart soaring. He even gave Big Black and Little Black a good scratch as he passed.
Jiang Si was waiting for Qin Shen. The moment he opened the door, she asked eagerly, "So? Can he really control insects?"
Qin Shen nodded. "Yes. He’s sent them all away."
Jiang Si was thrilled. "Wow, we really hit the jackpot with him."
"We won’t have to worry about insects anymore."
Qin Shen gave her a dark look. Noticing his jealous glare, Jiang Si laughed and threw her arms around him. "You’re the biggest treasure, mmm-hmm?"
Satisfied, Qin Shen gave her a kiss before adding, "He only just arrived. We can’t let our guard down."
Jiang Si, of course, knew how treacherous people could be. After all, Qin Shen had observed her for a long time before he’d let her travel with him.
She nodded, musing, "So, what kind of job should we give him?"
Qin Shen thought for a moment. "Raising mealworms? Earthworms? Honeybees?"
Jiang Si laughed, patting the small of his back. "You’re a clever one, aren’t you!"
Bo Xi readily accepted the tasks of raising mealworms and earthworms.
’Put everything to its best use, right?’
At least he was a useful person now. For the first time, he didn’t feel disgusted by his own repulsive superpower.
As for raising honeybees, he was willing to try. If he succeeded, everyone could enjoy fresh honey, and they wouldn’t have to pollinate plants by hand.
But in this extreme cold, it seemed all the honeybees had frozen to death.
There was nothing he could do about that.
