Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The lively celebration finally came to an end, and I took Hanchuan's arm and strolled along the tree-lined path of the planting base. The afterglow of the setting sun cast mottled light and shadows through the gaps between the leaves, adding a touch of tranquility and peace to this land where we have poured countless efforts.

"I'm so happy today. The base is finally on the right track." I turned my head to look at Hanchuan, a happy smile on my face.

"Yes, all this is inseparable from your efforts." Hanchuan gently squeezed my hand, his deep eyes full of pampering.

We walked quietly, enjoying the rare tranquility. Suddenly, a blue-gray shadow flashed by the edge of the woods not far away, successfully attracting my attention.

"What is that?" I stopped and looked in that direction curiously.

"It looks like an old house?" Hanchuan followed my gaze and couldn't help frowning.

With a lot of questions in mind, we walked through the dense bushes and came to the building. The scene in front of us surprised us: it was an old greenhouse built of blue bricks and glass! The traces of time left clear marks on the mottled walls, and vines covered half of the wall, like an old man who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, quietly guarding the secrets of this land.

Curiosity drove us to approach the greenhouse and gently pushed open the heavy wooden door.

"Squeak--" A harsh sound broke the tranquility of the forest, as if protesting against our disturbance.

Walking into the greenhouse, a moist and warm breath hits you, mixed with the fragrance of soil and plants. The sunlight shines through the glass roof, illuminating the entire greenhouse like a dreamlike green world.

This is actually a paradise for plants! Various exotic flowers and plants grow wildly here, competing for beauty. The tall Monstera stretched out its huge leaves, like giant green umbrellas; colorful orchids hung from the sky, as if showing us their beauty; there were also many exotic plants that I had never seen before, with different shapes and exuding a mysterious atmosphere, which made people dazzled.

"Oh my God, these plants..." I was stunned by the scene before me, and for a moment I couldn't find the right words to describe the shock in my heart.

"There must be an unknown story here." Hanchuan looked around with a deep gaze.

Just then, my eyes inadvertently fell on an old wooden table in the corner of the greenhouse, where a thick notebook was placed with the words "Plant Diary" written on the cover.

I hurriedly walked over and opened the notebook, and found that it was densely packed with records of the growth habits, cultivation methods, and some observation diaries of various plants. Judging from the handwriting, this diary should have existed for a long time.

"Hanchuan, look at this!" I pointed at the contents of the diary and said excitedly, "The owner of this diary may know the origin of these plants!"

Just as I finished speaking, a slight sound of footsteps came from outside the greenhouse... "Who?" I closed the diary vigilantly, looked at Hanchuan, and walked towards the greenhouse door at the same time.

"Jinli, why are you here?" The person who came was Lin Xiao. She was holding a basket full of fresh vegetables. "I just picked some cucumbers and thought of sending some to you..."

She stopped talking and looked at the old greenhouse behind us. Her mouth opened in surprise. "W-What is this place? Why is there such a place in the base?"

"We discovered it by accident, too. You came just in time," I took Lin Xiao's hand and pulled her into the greenhouse. "Come and take a look at these plants. They're incredible!"

Lin Xiao looked at the strange plant world in front of him with an expression of disbelief.

I turned to look at Hanchuan, "How about we invite Mr. Li and Professor Fang over as well? They are knowledgeable and may know the origins of these plants."

Mr. Li is a gardening master who was re-employed by us after retirement and has rich experience; Professor Fang is an expert in botany and has extensive research on various rare plants.

An hour later, Mr. Li and Professor Fang also came to the greenhouse. As they looked at the scene in front of them, their expressions gradually changed from initial surprise to confusion.

"These plants... are very strange," Professor Fang pushed up his glasses and carefully observed a plant with blue flowers. "I have never seen such a variety, and it doesn't look like it was produced by natural hybridization."

"Could it be a new variety?" Lin Xiao asked.

"No," Mr. Li shook his head. "If it is really a new species, there would be no record of it at all."

I was silent for a moment, walked to the wooden table, and picked up the yellowed diary. "I found a diary here, maybe I can find some clues."

I opened my diary and showed everyone a few pages that recorded the contents of the plant genetic modification experiment.

"Genetic modification?" Professor Fang took the diary and read it carefully, his brows furrowed more and more.

"This..." Mr. Li also showed a shocked expression, "Who is the owner of this diary?"

The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the glass, cutting the light in the greenhouse into light and dark, and everyone's face is full of solemnity. The discovery of this diary casts a more mysterious veil on the origin of this ancient greenhouse, and also reveals a deep secret for us...

I looked at the diary in my hand, and suddenly I had an uneasy premonition in my heart, as if something was about to happen... Hanchuan put down the diary in his hand, frowning, and the setting sun cast a shadow on his face, making him look more serious. "If the contents of this diary are true, then the existence of this greenhouse is not just as simple as opening our eyes."

He paused, his eyes sweeping across each of our faces, "Once genetic modification technology is used by people with ulterior motives, the consequences will be disastrous."

I understand his concerns. This base is the hard work of all of us, and we must not let it fall into crisis because of this unexpected discovery.

"You mean, we shouldn't make it public for now?" Lin Xiao lowered his voice and asked worriedly.

"It's best to keep it secret for now." Professor Fang nodded in agreement. "We need time to figure out the identity of the diary's owner and the purpose of his experiments."

Li agreed: "Besides, we know nothing about the properties of these plants, and making them public rashly may cause unnecessary panic."

After reaching an agreement, we decided to keep the existence of the greenhouse a secret and not tell anyone except ourselves.

However, some things are like seeds in a sealed container. Once they sprout, there is no way to stop them from breaking through the soil.

A few days later, I found some strange faces appearing near the base. They always kept their distance from us on purpose, but secretly observed our every move.

"I saw the man in the gray Mao suit again near the greenhouse today," Lin Xiao said solemnly, "He seemed to be observing the plants in the greenhouse with a telescope."

My heart sank suddenly. Hanchuan's premonition came true. Our secret had been leaked and attracted uninvited guests.

"It seems that we underestimated the sense of smell of those who are interested in genetic modification technology," Hanchuan said with a hint of chill in his tone, "They must be coming for the diary and these plants."

In order to protect the base and ourselves, we decided to strengthen the security measures of the base. At the same time, I began to organize the contents of the diary, trying to find more information about the diary owner and these plants.

Late at night, I was sitting in the study. Under the dim light, the handwriting on the diary looked particularly clear. Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, and Lin Xiao's panicked voice came from outside the door: "Jinli, it's not good..."

My heart tightened, and the pen in my hand fell on the table, making a light "click" sound, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting my heart. Without bothering to sort out the scattered documents, I hurriedly got up and rushed to the door and opened it.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Lin Xiao's panicked expression came into view. She said breathlessly, "The base... outside the base..."

"Don't be anxious, speak slowly." I held Lin Xiao's shoulders and tried to keep myself calm.

"A group of people came outside the base. They... they seemed to have bad intentions!" Lin Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and finished speaking intermittently.

My heart sank. It seemed that those who were eyeing the genetic modification technology had come to me. I turned my head and looked out the window. The night was dark, like a huge black curtain, covering up countless unknown dangers.

"Where is Hanchuan?" I asked.

"He has already taken people to the front." Lin Xiao looked out the window worriedly, "Jinli, what should we do?"

"Don't worry, we won't just sit there and wait for death." I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm. "Go and inform Professor Fang and Mr. Li first, and let them get ready. We will go together to meet these uninvited guests."

After that, Lin Xiao and I hurried to the gate of the base. Before we even reached the gate, we heard a noisy sound, mixed with shouting and cursing.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into private territory!" Hanchuan's cold voice was particularly clear in the night sky.

I pushed through the crowd and saw Hanchuan standing at the front. Behind him were the workers in the base, all of them staring at the people opposite them with vigilant expressions.

Opposite them was a group of burly men in black clothes. The leader was a burly man with a hideous scar on his face. It was obvious that he was not a good person.

"Stop talking nonsense and hand over the old guy who is doing genetic modification in your base!" The scarred man said viciously, "Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"

I was startled. It seemed that they had already got some information about the diary and the mysterious plant. I walked to Hanchuan and said in a deep voice, "It seems that a fierce battle is inevitable."

Hanchuan held my hand tightly, his eyes firm: "Don't worry, I will protect you and our base."

In the night, I saw a determined light flashing in Hanchuan's eyes, like two burning flames, illuminating this dark world. I took a deep breath and made up my mind that no matter what, we must protect this hard-earned peaceful life.

"It seems that we need to invite those friends out..." I whispered, with a flash of determination in my eyes.