Chapter 3

Although the dagger given in the game is a basic weapon, its blade is so sharp that it severed most of the arm of a low-level zombie.

Qian Hui's palms felt slightly numb. She clutched the green chili pepper in her arms and fled in the direction of the arrow pointing in her vision.

Since waking up, he has been chasing zombies while trying to get close to the man-eating flower, and his body has already reached its limit.

With no health bar displayed, Qianhui had no idea how dangerous her condition was, and she forced herself to remain calm and composed.

The zombie, clutching its injured arm, roared and slowed its movements, failing to catch up with Qian Hui.

Qian Hui kept walking without stopping, and the chili temporarily gave up resisting, curling up obediently, occasionally looking up at him, while secretly brewing chili seeds.

Zombies are all bad, and so are humans, so Qianhui is too.

It barely escaped from those people's clutches; if Qianhui is in cahoots with them...

Chili quickly made up her mind, staring at the dagger in Qian Hui's hand with a look of resignation.

It looked down at its own scars and its immobile legs, tears welling up in its eyes.

It would rather die than be allowed to go back.

However, Qianhui smells rather nice.

There was neither the stench of zombies nor the stench of humans. His body was covered in dust, but it couldn't mask the faint scent of grass and trees.

That's strange.

Chili remained vigilant, gazing at the increasingly distant abandoned streets.

Twenty minutes later, Qianhui entered a forest and found a clear stream.

He had reached his limit and almost collapsed in front of the stream, struggling to catch his breath.

Chili found another opportunity, turned around and rolled twice, but was caught by Qian Hui again.

"Don't run around..." Qian Hui looked around, her expression still uneasy.

The game seemed to have confirmed that the host was a novice, and proactively popped up a window prompting, "Please do not linger too long in coordinates with good environments."

Forests are usually hiding places for mutated plants. If Qian Hui ventures in rashly, she may be attacked, and there may also be mid- to high-level zombies that intend to hunt the plants.

But far from the forest, the city ruins are also a haven for hordes of zombies.

Or rather, in a dangerous apocalypse, nowhere is safe.

The stream was crystal clear and was the destination indicated by the game, so it shouldn't be poisonous.

Qianhui picked up a leaf and drank several mouthfuls of water from the stream.

After replenishing his fluids, he immediately felt his breathing become easier and his energy returned.

Qianhui opened the status bar and saw that "Extremely Dangerous" had changed to "Danger", meaning she still needed to eat.

He closed the interface, filled a leaf with water, and fed it to the chili pepper.

Chili glanced at the leaves, then at Qianhui, and turned away without drinking.

Qianhui assumed it wasn't thirsty, so she didn't force it and wiped its face with water from her sleeve.

He picked up the chili peppers again, preparing to go find food nearby.

In the past, in the plant courtyard, Qianhui ate with the plants every day, and the food was usually some ordinary fruits and vegetables.

This grove looks huge; even finding a single wild vegetable would be helpful.

Qian Hui looked towards the secluded, dense forest, gripped the dagger in her hand, and walked forward.

The chili pepper curled up again, its eyes filled with fear.

It could smell that this area used to be the territory of another powerful plant, most likely a top-grade one.

The scent wasn't strong enough; it might have left some time ago, or it might return at any moment. Before the scent completely dissipated, the timid plants dared not set foot there.

Qian Hui knew nothing about this. He walked forward for a while and, with great luck, soon found a fruit tree.

He had just picked two orange berries when the chili peppers suddenly made a few "whooshing" sounds.

With a loud "whoosh," the weeds and fallen leaves were crushed by heavy footsteps.

Qian Hui's heart sank. She turned her head and saw another zombie.

This zombie had severe facial damage, large ears, bulging, completely red eyes, and a much stronger physique. Its strength was clearly not on the same level as the ones encountered before.

It stared at Qian Hui and the chili pepper in his arms, its eyes filled with a greedy appetite.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qian Hui turned and ran away, clutching the chili peppers and two fruits.

He knew he couldn't possibly win, and with the surrounding dense woods, there might still be a chance to escape.

Upon seeing its prey flee, the intermediate-level zombie took off in pursuit.

Its sense of smell and eyesight were poor, but its hearing was excellent. At the same time, it spat out several clumps of sticky green liquid from its mouth, trying to hit Qianhui.

The game promptly popped up a warning: "Please be careful to avoid unknown projectiles."

Qianhui also heard the noise and moved back and forth among the trees, choosing narrow spots.

The zombies' attacks were blocked by the tree trunk and branches several times in a row. They gradually lost patience, let out a muffled growl, and continued to pursue relentlessly.

Chili peeked out from behind Qianhui's arms, looking somewhat conflicted.

It didn't actually want to die so soon. At present, continuing to follow Qian Hui was the best option, at least he wouldn't eat it.

Strangely enough, since it woke up, its body has been recovering and its wounds no longer hurt.

Chili hesitated for a moment, keeping a close eye on the movements of the zombies behind her.

It puffed out its cheeks, waited for the right moment, and suddenly spat out a chili seed.

The chili seeds, each the size of a palm, landed squarely on the zombie's face, making a sizzling sound as the flesh burned.

Hearing the zombies' screams, Qian Hui didn't dare to relax for a moment and quickly disappeared into the dense forest.

He kept his head down and kept moving forward until a message popped up in front of him.

[Congratulations on successfully escaping from ten zombies! You have earned the title of "Beginner Survival Expert"! The reward has been credited to your account.]

Qian Hui stopped and breathed slightly. After looking around warily, she hid behind a bush about half a person's height.

He sat on the ground and read the new message carefully.

There are already ten... but it shows they escaped successfully, which means they're safe now.

Qianhui relaxed after confirming that the zombies were not chasing her.

He hugged the chili pepper tightly and said, moved, "Thank you."

If it weren't for Chili's help, he probably wouldn't have been able to shake off that zombie.

Chili was brushed against Qian Hui's soft cheek, her eyes closed and her body stiffened, not wanting to respond.

It had originally saved that chili seed to attack Qian Hui, or to use it itself, but unexpectedly...

Unaware of its thoughts, Qianhui took advantage of the safety of the moment and peeled open a fruit.

The flesh of the wild fruit was similar to that of an orange. He ate two segments himself first, and they were reasonably sweet.

Chili secretly opened her eyes and saw Qianhui pick up another petal, about to feed it to her again.

It was a little annoyed, its black bean eyes widened, and it made a threatening "woof woof" sound.

It can talk, and it gets attacked by zombies. Qianhui must be human, right? It wouldn't eat anything given to it by a human...

The aroma of the fruit was irresistible as it was brought to my mouth. I couldn't resist licking the chili pepper while making a "whoosh" sound, and then swallowed it in one gulp.

Seeing that it had eaten, Qianhui was overjoyed and took the opportunity to pat the top of the chili pepper's head.

There used to be many picture books in the warehouse of the plant courtyard. Qianhui once saw a timid stray cat and always felt that it looked a lot like a chili pepper.

He looked at the scars on the chili pepper and felt a pang of heartache, so he fed it two segments of fruit.

Then, the game revealed new information.

[An undeveloped mutant plant has been discovered, awaiting completion of its encyclopedia entry]

Plants that have not yet formed a bond?

Before discovering the chili pepper, the game had given a hint. Qianhui straightened up to check, and the bushes behind her moved slightly.

He didn't see it; his gaze swept across the large patch of lush weeds.

Qianhui is not afraid of mutated plants, and this plant seems to be very timid and dares not show itself.

He walked around the bushes, but still couldn't find it.

Qianhui thought for a moment, placed the two halves of fruit on the grass a little further away, and sat down after returning to the bushes.

He waited patiently, ate the remaining fruit, and temporarily stuffed the other fruit into his pocket as a food reserve.

A few minutes later, a rustling sound came from the grass.

Qian Hui immediately peeked out, and the two halves of fruit that were originally on the ground disappeared. A small clump of light blue object quickly darted out and hid again among the weeds.

Chili peppers also saw it, but indifferently looked away.

Resources in a region are limited, and unfamiliar plants are all competitors.

The fruit tree that Qianhui found was in the territory where the super-grade mutated plant had lived. No other plant dared to go there, so food was left there.

Once you leave that territory, finding food elsewhere becomes much more difficult, especially for some weaker, mutated plants.

Qian Hui couldn't make out the appearance of the plant. He opened the encyclopedia and, as expected, there were no newly lit signs.

Fearing he might frighten the other party, he gave up and began studying the title reward from not long ago.

In a hidden corner of the grass, a miniature cabbage wolfed down the fruit.

It slowly licked its hand, then couldn't resist parting the weeds to quietly observe Qianhui sitting not far away.

Qian Hui was still checking the game interface. There were no new items in her backpack, and her account balance at the bottom of the main status bar had changed from 0 to 100.

However, when he clicked on the balance, the message "The store is not open yet" popped up.

The shop requires two plants to be linked together before it can be opened. He saw the man-eating flower, but had no interaction with it.

The small plants hidden nearby accepted his food, but since he couldn't see their full appearance, the encyclopedia couldn't be lit up.

Qian Hui looked confused and frowned, studying it for quite a while.

However, he discovered that the chili peppers' loyalty had increased.

It was originally 0.1%, but now it's 5%.

It seems there are still very few...

Qian Hui didn't care much about that. He opened Chili's profile and found that the skill panel had been updated.

[Variety]: Green chili pepper

[Level]: Intermediate (Unlimited Potential)

[Status]: Injury not yet healed

Loyalty: 5%

[Basic Skill]: Chili Seed Shooter (50% Critical Hit Rate)

[Advanced Skill]: Scorching Chili Seed Shooter (85% Critical Hit Rate)

[Berserk Skill]: Unknown

[Preparation Details]: Unlocked at 80% loyalty.

[Recommended Class]: Ranged DPS

[Job Level]: Beginner

[Skill Points]: Unlocked after the Shop opens.

Chili had previously attacked Qianhui and also intermediate zombies, so you don't need to have enough loyalty to view her skills.

Qianhui tried her best to digest this information and confirmed that the online store was definitely important.

He turned his head, and the weeds rustled.

Qian Hui closed the game interface, rested for a while, and then decided to continue.

His body didn't need much food or water, and after eating the fruit, his condition became [barely good].

Judging from the sky, it was about five or six in the afternoon. The woods were not suitable for spending the night, nor were they absolutely safe. He had better find a more secluded place to hide.

Qian Hui stood up, took the chili peppers, and carefully stepped forward.

He moved slowly, constantly watching his surroundings. After taking only a few steps, he heard the rustling of the grass behind him.

As soon as Qian Hui stopped, the sound disappeared.

The little plant was indeed still there.

He pretended not to notice and continued on his way.

Upon noticing Qianhui's coordinates shift, the game thoughtfully provides guidance in two directions: one is a forest, and the other is city ruins, both of which can be explored.

After a moment's thought, Qian Hui chose the city ruins.

He wanted to find a place to spend the night at the boundary between the city ruins and the woods, and if he couldn't find one, he would return to the woods.

Qian Hui still held the dagger in her hand, ready to deal with any danger at any time.

His steps were sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and the commotion behind him followed closely, but he never showed himself and remained hidden in the grass.

Qianhui didn't know what to do, so she could only keep moving forward, keeping an eye on the other person so as not to lose them.

After walking for more than ten minutes, just as we were about to reach the city ruins, a new prompt popped up on the screen.

"If extreme weather is predicted, please seek shelter immediately."

A rumble of thunder sounded immediately afterward, and Qian Hui looked up at the increasingly dark sky.

A breeze picked up, the leaves rustled, and a raindrop fell, landing on Qianhui's face.

Qian Hui felt a sharp pain on her cheek immediately and cried out "Ah!" before hurriedly retreating to the shade of a tree.

He touched his face, and his fingertips, which had come into contact with the rain, felt a slight stinging sensation, but thankfully, his skin wasn't broken.

This rain is abnormal...

Another rumble of thunder sounded, and Qian Hui, not daring to delay, quickened her pace toward the city ruins.

He lowered his head to protect the chili pepper in his arms, and rushed to the edge of the woods as fast as he could, where he found a relatively intact wardrobe amidst the ruins.

The cabinet leaned against the low wall. Qian Hui pushed aside the stone pressing down on it and crawled into the broken base.

The space inside wasn't large, but it was enough for him.

The moment Qian Hui hid inside, two muffled claps of thunder sounded in succession.

He picked up a plank of wood, intending to block the entrance, when he heard light footsteps outside.

Immediately afterwards, a miniature cabbage appeared at the entrance, timidly looking at Qianhui.

It was only half the size of a palm, with thin, short limbs that made its body appear even rounder, and two small holes were burned in its tender green leaves by the rain.

Qian Hui was taken aback, then tentatively extended her hand to the cabbage, tried to give a friendly smile, and whispered, "Hello..."

Cabbage stepped back slightly, glanced at Qian Hui, then slowly moved forward and touched his fingertips.

Smelling the pleasant and warm scent, the cabbage mustered its courage, darted into the closet, and hid by clinging to Qian Hui's clothes.

Qianhui blocked the entrance with a wooden board, and the light inside the wardrobe dimmed.

He opened the game, and the store was unlocked.

It turned out to be a small cabbage...

The third section of the encyclopedia lit up, displaying information about cabbage.

[Variety]: Mini Cabbage

[Rank]: Low-level (Gentle and Cute)

[Status]: Good

Loyalty: 40%

Because the skills are not visible, the remaining rows are not displayed.

etc……

Loyalty level 40%?

Qian Hui opened her eyes wide and looked down at the cabbage squatting beside her.

He looked again at the chili pepper in his arms, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Chili noticed Qian Hui's gaze and looked up: "?"

It glanced at the small cabbage in the corner and scoffed inwardly.

So innocent, it's the kind of animal that would wash its leaves clean even if it was about to be eaten.

The cabbage was aware of the chili pepper's presence. Being of a lower rank, it obediently sat down, trying its best to minimize its presence.

Qian Hui couldn't help but reach out and touch its shell.

Successfully paired two plants, the task in the main status bar is complete, the shop is open, and you'll also receive a 100-point balance bonus.

The new task has become raising the loyalty of any one of the plants to 80%.

Before Qian Hui could even check the online store, Chili let out a soft "woof".

He immediately became alert and held his breath.

The rain outside was getting heavier, mixed with the sound of several footsteps.

It's human.

Chili peppers also sensed it, and the leaves on their heads stood up nervously as they secretly sized up Qian Hui.

Footsteps drew closer, followed by intermittent conversation.

"...Is it injured?"

"They must be hiding, man-eating plants..."

Were they the same people as before? Qian Hui listened more carefully and felt that the voices were different.

"So tired, waiting to get back to Black Ridge Mountain..."

Upon hearing the words "Black Ridge Mountain," Chili relaxed a little.

It had heard of the Black Ridge Mountain base before, but it wasn't the group that came to capture it.

He's a bad guy anyway.

The people outside were either holding umbrellas, casually covering themselves with their sleeves, or using their supernatural abilities to block the rain.

One of them was also carrying a detection device, which went off several times along the way, but the energy was extremely low.

The man-eating plant they were looking for couldn't possibly be this low-level, even in hiding. As for the low-level zombies or mutated plants, they couldn't be bothered to waste their time on them.

"Liang Jie and his gang still want to order us around?" a short, dark-skinned man said. "But that guy surnamed Wen, the medicine he makes is indeed quite effective..."

Before he could finish speaking, his companion's expression changed drastically, and he quickly gave a signal with his eyes.

The short man realized he had made a mistake, his voice stopped abruptly, and he looked back in fear.

Nan Tingjin left the base for quite some time recently. While he was away, many people secretly bought new drugs from Sky Base to alleviate the negative effects of being in a state of disorientation.

Nan Tingjin detests all medicines and forbids his subordinates from using them, even those from the cooperative base.

Actually, as long as you keep your mouth shut and don't let him see it, you can turn a blind eye.

However, Nan Tingjin rarely traveled with their group, and the short man accidentally let slip the secret.

He forced a smile, attempting to explain, "Chief..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the short man was suddenly sent flying and crashed heavily onto the ruins.

The umbrella fell from his hand, and rain poured down on his face, instantly turning his skin red and causing it to peel.

The short man endured the pain and got up from the ground.

Nan Tingjin stepped forward and said coldly, "There will be no next time."

As dusk fell, he wore a long robe, rain dripping from the brim of his hood, obscuring most of his face in darkness and making him appear even more somber.

The short man bowed his head and said, "Yes, Chief."

At the same time, Qian Hui, who was hiding in the closet, suddenly raised her head.

His expression was one of surprise and delight, mixed with confusion and hesitation.

Chili noticed his unusual behavior and looked at him questioningly.

By this time, the footsteps of the people outside had already faded into the distance.

Qian Hui clutched her sleeve, looking very conflicted.

He really wanted to go out and see, but he wasn't sure if he had heard correctly.

The footsteps completely disappeared. Qian Hui met Chili's gaze and hesitated, saying, "That voice just now sounded a lot like my boyfriend."

Chili let out a "whoosh," her eyes filled with suspicion.

When Qian Hui reacted, it was the leader who was speaking.

That's the leader of the Blackridge Mountain base...

Chili closed her eyes. "Are you kidding me? I don't believe you."