Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The anxiety entangled me like a vine, almost making it difficult for me to breathe.

Bai Hanchuan's calmness infected me, and I tried to keep myself calm.

We decided to buy some from the market and study it first.

In less than half a day, Xiao Li brought back a full basket of "copycat strawberries".

The fruits are bright red and plump. At first glance, they are almost identical to the new varieties bred in our base, but if you look closely, you can still see some differences.

They are slightly lighter in color and have a less fruity aroma.

I picked one and put it in my mouth. It was sweet, but the unique fragrance and rich juice were gone, and the taste was obviously inferior.

"It's a knockoff indeed." Bai Hanchuan's face was terribly gloomy, "It's just that the technology... the imitation is too similar."

At this time, Liu Feng came back, with beads of sweat on his forehead and his face was a little pale.

"Sister Mu, Brother Bo, the situation is not good. Many merchants on the market are selling this kind of strawberries, and the price is nearly half of ours. I asked several wholesalers, but they were all hesitant and refused to reveal their purchase channels. It seems... someone is manipulating them from behind."

"Control?" My heart tightened, "Have you encountered any trouble?" Liu Feng's hesitation made me feel that things were not simple.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"I... I followed a wholesaler and found that he went to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. It was heavily guarded. As soon as I approached, I was discovered by several burly men. They... They warned me not to investigate further, otherwise..." He didn't say anything else, but the fear in his eyes was clearly visible.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. It seems that what we are facing is not an ordinary competitor, but a force hidden in the dark.

I said seriously, "Liu Feng, thank you. You have worked hard during this period. Let's put this matter aside for now. Be careful."

Bai Hanchuan also patted his shoulder and said, "We will take care of this matter. You can go back and have a rest first."

After Liu Feng left, the room fell into silence.

I looked at those "fake strawberries" in the basket, and a lot of thoughts came to my mind.

Could it be that someone really stole the secret of space?

No, not possible!

The existence of space is unknown to me except...

I suddenly looked up at Bai Hanchuan, who was staring at the strawberries thoughtfully.

I opened my mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Could it be... him?

As soon as this thought came to my mind, I rejected it.

I have no doubt about Bai Hanchuan's feelings for me.

But if it wasn't him, then who was it?

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

No matter who it is, I will find out who is behind this!

I stood up and walked to the window, looking at the sky outside which was gradually getting darker, and a sense of inexplicable irritation rose in my heart.

Bai Hanchuan walked behind me and gently put his arms around my waist.

"Don't worry, Jinli, we will face it together."

His voice was low and reassuring, but it made me even more uneasy.

I gently broke free from his arms, walked to the table, picked up a "fake strawberry" and looked at it carefully.

Suddenly, a bold idea came to my mind... I walked quickly into the inner room and took out a delicate little box from the drawer...

"Hanchuan, come and take a look at this..." The exquisite little box contains a special pollen that I cultivated in the space. This pollen is colorless and odorless, almost invisible to the naked eye, but after being soaked in a special potion produced in the space, it will emit a faint blue light under the irradiation of ultraviolet light.

This is the "anti-counterfeiting mark" I specially developed to prevent the secrets of the space from being leaked.

I carefully cut a "copycat strawberry", dripped a few drops of medicine on it, and then irradiated it with ultraviolet light.

The room suddenly became dark, with only the strawberry emitting a strange blue light.

"Sure enough..." I muttered to myself.

Bai Hanchuan also saw this scene. A flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he immediately regained his composure. "It seems that someone has indeed stolen the secret of space..."

I shook my head, "No, it's impossible! I'm the only one who knows the existence of space, except..." My eyes fell on Bai Hanchuan again, and this time, my eyes were full of suspicion and exploration.

He met my gaze, his eyes frank and firm. "Jinli, do you doubt me?"

I bit my lip and said nothing.

Bai Hanchuan sighed, "I know it's hard for you to trust anyone right now, but I can assure you that this matter has nothing to do with me. I understand your concerns, but we should unite now and find out the real culprit behind this."

His words made me feel a little more at ease, but the doubts in my heart were not completely eliminated.

"The composition of this special pollen is very rare," I pointed to the blue light on the strawberry, "I suspect it comes from a small workshop in a remote mountain area, where this rare plant is abundant."

"You mean, someone extracted this ingredient from there and used it to imitate our strawberries?" Bai Hanchuan immediately understood what I meant.

I nodded. "That's right. Besides, there is probably a huge business force behind this small workshop."

At this time, Liu Feng knocked on the door and walked in. He looked excited, "Sister Mu, I got some news! The supply channels of those 'copycat strawberries' on the market all point to an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, and the registration information of that factory points to a company called 'Hongyun Trading'. I checked this company and found that its background is very complicated..."

Liu Feng talked incessantly about the news he had heard, his eyes full of admiration for me.

I was delighted. It seemed that we were getting closer to the truth. "Well, Liu Feng, you did a great job!"

I looked at Bai Hanchuan, "Let's go to the abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city now!"

As night fell, a jeep sped along a bumpy dirt road, its headlights cutting through the night and illuminating the winding road ahead.

I sat in the passenger seat, tightly grasping the strawberry emitting blue light in my hand, my heart filled with anxiety and anticipation.

The gate of the abandoned factory was closed and there was silence all around. Only a few dim lights shone through the windows, casting strange shadows.

We got out of the car, walked to the gate, and banged on the iron gate vigorously...

"Open the door! We are here to investigate!"

The rusty iron door creaked harshly and slowly opened a crack.

A man with a ferocious face stuck his head out and looked at us fiercely.

"What?"

"We are here to investigate!" I said loudly, trying to sound strong.

"Investigate? Investigate what?" the man asked in a bad tone.

"Investigate the source of your products!" I said bluntly, holding the strawberry emitting blue light in front of him, "Look at this, do you recognize it?"

The man's face changed slightly, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, and then he pretended to be calm.

"I don't know him! Hurry up and leave, don't hang around here!" He said as he was about to close the door.

"Stop!" I pushed against the iron door. "If you don't explain yourself clearly today, don't even think about closing the door!"

The man was so angry that he pushed me away. "You bitch, don't be so shameless! If you don't get out of here, I will be rude to you!"

I staggered and almost fell.

Bai Hanchuan quickly supported me, and the warmth of his palms passed through the thin fabric to my skin, making me feel a little relieved.

He held my hand tightly and stared at the man with cold eyes.

"What do you want to do?"

The man's momentum was obviously weakened, but he still insisted. "I... I warn you, don't meddle in other people's business! Get out of here!"

"It seems that you are not willing to accept my toast and will have to drink the penalty toast!" Bai Hanchuan said in a cold tone. He pulled me behind him and took a step forward, grabbing the man by the collar.

I grabbed Bai Hanchuan's arm, "Hanchuan, be careful!"

He gave me a reassuring look, then pushed the man aside and kicked the iron door open. "Let's go in and take a look!"

The factory was in a mess and the air was filled with a pungent smell of chemicals.

Several people who looked like workers were gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

When they saw us come in, they immediately stopped talking and stared at us warily.

"Who are you? What do you want to do?" asked a man who looked like the leader.

"We..." I was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from behind us, "I advise you not to investigate further, otherwise, there will be big trouble..."

Hanchuan's hands suddenly tightened, and his knuckles turned white.

I felt the chill emanating from him, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

"Oh? Really? What's the trouble?" His tone was cold, without a trace of warmth.

The voice came from the shadows, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman, nor could the face be seen clearly.

"Knowing too much about some things is not a good thing." The voice was sinister and chilling.

I sneered in my heart, playing tricks! "We just want to know the truth, who cares about this?"

"The truth? Ha..." The voice sounded as if it had heard a joke. "The truth is often cruel. Are you sure you want to endure it?"

I was about to retort, but Hanchuan grabbed me and shook his head slightly.

He took a step forward, standing in front of me, and said in a deep and powerful voice: "We are a couple, and we have seen a lot of storms. We are not afraid of someone like you who hides his head and shows his tail!"

The man in the shadows was silent for a moment, then chuckled.

"Young man, you have courage. However, I advise you to take care of yourself. There are some things that are beyond your control." After that, a gust of wind blew, and the shadow was empty, as if everything just now was just an illusion.

Hanchuan retracted his gaze and turned to look at me. "It seems that someone doesn't want us to investigate further."

I nodded, already having a plan in mind.

"If enemies come, we will fight them; if water comes, we will block it with earth. I want to see what tricks they can play!" As he was speaking, Liu Feng ran over breathlessly with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Sister Mu, I found out that the owner of this small workshop is Lin Qiang, and this is his..." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes and looked behind us. His face turned pale and his lips trembled as he said, "He...he..."