Chapter 42

The aura of a top-grade exotic plant was domineering and powerful, flooding into the narrow room.

Not a superhuman from the base... but a plant species?

The plants were confused, bewildered, and terrified, shrinking back timidly.

Only two or three of the bolder ones were warily watching the carnivorous plants at the entrance.

At that moment, a small leaf fell from the carnivorous plant.

The leaves grew rapidly, transforming into a mimosa plant, which excitedly swayed its branches.

The nearest pumpkin, witnessing this scene, widened its eyes and exclaimed, "Huh...?"

The mutated plants behind them also recognized the mimosa and peered incredulously at the edge of the iron cage.

After the mimosa was taken away by the human with superpowers, it didn't return for a long time. All the plants here thought something had happened to it and were sad for quite a while.

Seeing it again now fills me with both joy and curiosity.

How could a mimosa be with a top-tier exotic plant? Could it be... that this top-tier exotic plant was also captured by humans?

It did indeed have a human scent, mixed with a strong smell of blood.

The pumpkin next to it used to be closest to the mimosa; it kept making "whooshing" sounds, its slender leaves reaching out from the gaps in the iron cage.

The mimosa plant approached, its branches gently taking its hand.

Before the mimosa could figure out how to open the iron cage, hurried footsteps echoed from the stairwell outside.

Originally, there were two subordinates responsible for guarding this place. After the base wall was breached, one of them was called up to help, while the other was so worried about the situation that he couldn't help but leave halfway through.

When he returned, he saw that the main gate above was damaged, clearly having been forced open.

The subordinate panicked and rushed in to check the situation.

He had just stepped down the stairs when a thick flower stem lashed out from the darkness, coiling around him like a python's tail.

The man-eating flower exerted its strength, easily crushing the subordinate's defensive abilities, then wrapped him up and slammed him against the wall. He stopped breathing after a few blows.

Then, it discarded the corpse of its subordinate and turned back to look inside the door.

The atmosphere suddenly froze. The plants were stunned by the carnivorous flower's actions and couldn't express their feelings in any way.

Immediately afterwards, the carnivorous plant used its leaves to push the mimosa plant behind it.

It looked around, then lowered its head and growled a few times, the air from its mouth sweeping through the entire room.

“Pah-pah—”

The electronic locks outside the iron cage were damaged and became ineffective.

In the corner by the door, a large cherry suddenly opened its eyes.

It moved, its eyes growing increasingly excited, and it tilted its head to forcefully bite off the wires on its body.

All the cages could be opened directly. With the help of the mimosa, the pumpkin was the first to emerge and then went to help urge the other plants to grow.

There was no time to explain further. The carnivorous plant lowered its head, opened its mouth, and let them all in, making it a quick and safe way to take them away.

However, the plants were not familiar with the carnivorous plant and were naturally afraid of super exotic plants.

With such a big mouth... what if it accidentally swallows itself?

Even with the soothing touch of the mimosa, only the pumpkin and the other two plants voluntarily burrowed inside, while the rest huddled in a corner, too afraid to approach.

The man-eating plant didn't have much patience; it immediately lowered its eyelids and made a fierce expression: "Ugh..."

It threatened the plants to come quickly and not waste their time.

This trick worked. The plants trembled in fear and rushed over to the carnivorous plant's increasingly low growls, burrowing into its mouth.

The mimosa plant stood guard by the teeth, counting each plant one by one. All the plants it had previously memorized were there, without missing a single one.

There were twelve in total, two of which were mimosa plants I had never seen before; they must have been captured later.

After counting the number of plants, Mimosa went back inside to check carefully and confirm that all the plants had been saved.

The carnivorous plant was still standing there with its mouth open, waiting, when it suddenly caught sight of a red shadow darting out from the corner by the door, pushing aside its leaves and rushing out.

Why is this one hiding and not coming in!

The battle outside is not completely over yet. These plants are being kept in the basement, so their overall condition must be poor. If they wander off, they could easily run into danger.

The carnivorous plant quickly grabbed the mimosa and its mouth full of plants, then turned and chased after it.

As it descended the steps to the ground, in the darkness, it saw a large, red cherry.

The cherry tree doesn't have long legs; its arms are thin branches, and a short, thick cherry stem stands atop its head.

Upon seeing the situation outside, its eyes were filled with shock, yet also a hint of excitement.

Upon discovering that the carnivorous plant was chasing after her, Cherry picked up a shard of glass from the ground to defend herself, turned around and ran away, hopping and skipping away.

The surroundings were chaotic. Most of the people in the base had been eliminated, but a small group of people were still putting up a stubborn resistance and managed to retreat to the side where the basement was located.

They were all superhumans, and they carried firearms with them. The burst of firepower prevented the plant team from getting close for the time being, and the ranged attacks they threw were intercepted midway.

At the crucial moment, Nut shrunk its size and rolled in with a "gurgle gurgle," lying down in the middle.

With it there, the plant team swarmed forward again.

Cabbage and bamboo shoots were clearing away the lone people a little further away, and Durian was there too. Taking advantage of its huge size and thick skin, it withstood the lightning attack of a superhuman and rolled over.

A human with superpowers was injured by a durian, and then a rain of radishes fell from the sky.

The radish spikes, powered by an electromagnetic cannon, exploded upon landing. Behind him, several ordinary humans, researchers from the base's laboratory, were being protected. They were frantically scattering in all directions when they too fell under the radish spikes.

Big Cherry barged into the battlefield, bearing several unhealed wounds, and also wanted to attack the humans on the other side.

However, it wasn't stupid; knowing it might not be able to win, it chose a researcher without any special abilities.

Cherry bared her teeth, gripped the shard of glass in her hand, rushed over and pounced on the other person, stabbing the sharp end of the glass directly into his forehead, finishing off the human in the same way she would a zombie.

The carnivorous plant chased after it, and Cherry quickly scurried away, clearly resisting being put into its mouth.

But it was injured, and the surrounding area was a resource-poor wasteland. Even if it managed to escape, it would be very dangerous, so it couldn't be left unattended.

Meanwhile, the surviving humans also saw the cherry and recognized it as one of the exotic plants that had been locked in the basement.

This cherry tree is the most stubborn of all the plants, refusing to cooperate no matter what methods are used. Many people recognize it, but the researchers at the base still don't know its abilities.

It actually escaped... Did the other plants escape as well?

One of the subordinates stared blankly at the miniature nuclear bomb he was clutching tightly in his hand.

This was given to him by the base leader before his death, instructing him to use it promptly so that all items in the base could be destroyed.

The nuclear bombs were specially made by the superhumans at the main base and are extremely valuable. Once one is detonated, the other nuclear bombs buried throughout the base will also explode immediately, leveling the place to the ground.

No reinforcements have arrived yet; they simply cannot hold on on their own.

The subordinate's expression gradually turned serious, and he quietly retreated to the back.

The battle was nearing its end, with everyone cornered by the plant team and nowhere to retreat.

While they were gathered together, Chili stood on the nut and unleashed a charged attack.

"Splash—"

An invisible airflow spread instantly, stirring up sand and blowing away debris such as broken stones and glass from the ground.

A barrage of radish thorns followed, hitting each target precisely.

Having lost their superpowers, these humans were no different from ordinary people, and they all collapsed and died.

Cabbage, who was not far away, swung his fist and took down the last two.

It turned its head and saw that among the fallen people, one of them threw the object in his hand forcefully before he died.

The miniature nuclear bomb fell to the ground and rolled a short distance outwards.

Not only the cabbage, but many of the plants present sensed the energy contained in the nuclear bomb and that it was about to explode.

The potato smelled the familiar aroma and shouted, "Woo!"

It's a bomb!

At the critical moment, the cabbage called for the bamboo shoots and durian to leave the vicinity, while the carnivorous plant closed its teeth to protect the plants inside.

The carrot led the rest of the plants to retreat, and the nut grew a little bigger, squeezing into the narrow passageway, trying to use its body to block all the power of the nuclear bomb.

It was the closest, and the nuclear bombs on the ground were already enveloped in a layer of light.

As the nut mentally assessed the level of danger, its shell transformed into another material.

It was fully prepared, and the next second it suddenly saw a big cherry excitedly jump over, pick up the nuclear bomb on the ground and stuff it into its mouth.

nut:"??"

The other plants that witnessed all this: "!!!"

It ate it! It ate it!

The plants waited quietly for a few seconds, but the cherry blossoms were completely unharmed.

It glanced at the nuts a few times, then turned and jumped away.

Three minutes later.

The little bamboo shoot used a knife to hold the big cherry's back and pulled it back.

The big cherry was reluctant and made a fierce, threatening sound, but when more and more plants approached it, it shut up.

It rubbed its belly, thought carefully for a moment, and decided not to attack the plants for the time being.

Cabbage and carrots searched the entire base, while the carnivorous plant led the other plants to the entrance.

When the two came out, the big cherry was forcibly stuffed into the mouth of the man-eating flower and taken away with it.

The carnivorous plant crossed the collapsed wall and happened to run into Nan Tingjin, who was returning.

A carrot emerged from between the carnivorous plant's sharp teeth: "Huh?"

It asked Nan Tingjin where he had gone, and the latter seemed to understand, replying, "There was a little trouble, but it's been resolved."

The two teams that came to help were sensible; after leaving, they never appeared near the base again.

Carrot didn't press the matter. Nan Tingjin left midway, but he did help resolve the issues for many people.

It nodded and waved to Nan Tingjin.

The carnivorous plant lowered its head, letting Nan Tingjin sit on the back of its neck, and carried him back, quickly traversing the ruins.

In the distance, a modified car was parked in a concealed location. The captain, holding binoculars, witnessed this scene.

He made a gesture, and the teammate next to him turned the steering wheel and quietly followed.

On the other side, Qianhui was still hiding inside the cabbage shell.

It was quiet outside; it was nighttime, and there were no wandering zombies passing by.

He waited anxiously, constantly checking the plants' condition in the illustrated guide.

Fortunately, everything seemed to be going well. As time went by, the plants' physical strength and energy were depleted, but the pills they carried with them quickly replenished some of their strength, and their overall condition was good.

In the end, several plants suffered minor injuries and, having likely run out of pills, were unable to receive treatment.

Qianhui waited a while longer and saw that Chili had used the berserk skill, and her status had turned into fatigue.

But the game didn't give any notifications about winning or losing in the faction conflict, so he became increasingly worried and wanted to go out and check it out.

The soft vines can help him travel, and he can also deliver medicine to the plants before leaving.

Upon realizing Qian Hui's intention, Xiao Baocai grabbed his sleeve and quickly shook her head.

Cabbage had said that Qianhui had to be hidden well, and that her task was to protect him here.

Qianhui understood what the little cabbage meant and picked it up: "But I'm very worried..."

This was the first time he had been so far away from the plants in the midst of battle, and he knew nothing about their situation, so he was really worried.

Little Cabbage rubbed against Qian Hui's fingers and hugged her with her hands, which were covered in mini boxing gloves, to comfort her.

The sunflower and the money tree also came closer, and Qianhui hugged them together, continuing to wait silently.

Time ticked by, and finally, a commotion was heard outside the low building.

The corn, unable to hold back any longer, poked its head out from between the carnivorous plant's teeth and shouted, "Woo-woo!"

Upon arriving at the low building, the carnivorous plant put down the Nantingjin, and several plants emerged from its mouth one after another.

Potato jumped to the ground, carefully dug out the large landmine outside the entrance of the low building, swatted it a few times to extinguish it, and stuffed it into his backpack for future use.

Qianhui heard the sound of corn and immediately opened the door of the cabbage shell, where she saw carrots and peppers running in together.

They rushed towards Qianhui and threw themselves into his arms, followed closely by cabbage, then corn, potatoes, durian...

The sunflower's rays illuminated the entire room, and Qian Hui quickly checked each of the plants in her arms: "Are they all alright?"

Carrot took off his helmet, beaming with excitement: "Woo!"

It's fine! And everything went smoothly!

Seeing this, Qian Hui breathed a slight sigh of relief and looked up to see Nan Tingjin.

He temporarily put down the plants, got up, quickly stepped forward, and hugged him tightly.

"And you?" Qian Hui asked anxiously, "Are you hurt?"

Nan Tingjin lowered his head and couldn't help but kiss the tip of his nose: "No."

The carnivorous plant stood at the very back, still maintaining its size without shrinking.

Qianhui saw it waiting, released Nantingjin, and came to the man-eating flower.

The mimosa plant on the man-eating flower's eyelid jumped down and landed in his palm. It then grew a little bigger and wrapped its body around Qian Hui's wrist, rubbing against him affectionately with its leaves.

[The Mimosa's loyalty has reached 80%~]

At this moment, the man-eating flower's mouth slowly opened, revealing all the plants inside.

The plants were still unsure of what had happened and were filled with anxiety as they journeyed along.

As the carnivorous plant reopened its mouth, warm light immediately streamed in.

A boy with very distinctive hair and eye color stood outside. He was very handsome, and the aura he exuded was as soft as the light inside the room.

The nearest pumpkin sniffed it gently, its eyes filled with curiosity.

It doesn't look like a human... nor like a zombie.

Qian Hui reached out and patted Pumpkin's head gently, saying, "Don't be afraid, come out."

Pumpkin did not resist. It looked at the mimosa that had grown larger and was wrapped around Qianhui's wrist, and carefully rubbed against it, taking the initiative to show its goodwill.

It's only a little taller than the palm of your hand, and it has several scars on its forehead that look like they've been there for a while and haven't fully healed yet.

Qian Hui felt a little sorry for him, so she took the pumpkin out and fed it half a biscuit.

Having been confined for so long, the alien plant had never eaten any proper food. Pumpkin's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and it ate while making soft "woo-woo" noises.

With the soothing glow of the sunflowers, the close interaction between the mimosa and the fennel, and the sight of the pumpkin being fed cookies, the other plants slowly approached as well.

Cherry crouched in the corner, waiting for the right opportunity to dart out.

It was the boldest of all the plants, and it casually strolled around the room, its gaze landing on the potato not far away, staring at it.

Potato was tearing the candy wrapper when he thought Cherry was trying to steal his candy, so he quickly grabbed his backpack and hid behind Durian.

Plants emerged one after another from the man-eating flower's mouth. Qianhui bent down and squatted down, buying them a lot of food in one go.

Carrot removed the electromagnetic gun from his neck and carefully put it into his backpack.

After placing the electromagnetic gun, it suddenly sensed something was wrong and turned to look at a damaged window on the side.

Carrot turned and leaped quickly to the window, pulled out a few sharp thorns and threw them outside.

There was a soft "snap" sound, as if some iron object in the distance had been struck by a spike.

"Someone's here?" Qian Hui thought the humans from the base had caught up with them, and instinctively shielded the plants around her behind her.

Nan Tingjin also came to the window, frowning as he said, "It's from the surrounding bases."

Carrot opened its eyes wide and looked around, then pointed in one direction, signaling those people to drive away immediately.

Nan Tingjin said with a grim face, "I'll go and kill them."

They learned that those people were originally coming to support the Sky Base, but left because of Nan Tingjin's obstruction, and they did not go far.

They must have followed us quietly, and when they saw light inside the building, they wanted to get closer to observe, but were discovered by Carrot.

"Wait," Qianhui hesitated, "They've already left?"

When the carrots attacked outwards, Qianhui originally wanted the sunflowers to turn off their light so that everyone could hide.

But he hesitated. Since he had already chosen to attack the human base and had made such a big commotion in Blackridge Mountain, there was nothing left to hide.

It doesn't matter if he gets discovered; regardless of his identity, he's already a member of the plant faction.

However, the team that Nan Tingjin mentioned was not from Sky Base, nor did they choose to go to provide support.

Now they've left quickly, clearly not wanting to clash with the plants.

Just like last time when she indirectly saved that team on the road, Qian Hui doesn't want to get into conflict with other humans unless absolutely necessary.

“Never mind,” he said, pulling Nan Tingjin along. “Let’s go quickly.”

Nan Tingjin's expression softened slightly. He took Qian Hui's hand and replied, "Okay."

At this moment, several game prompts popped up one after another.

[The eighth faction conflict has ended. Congratulations to our side for the victory! Reward: 500 Prestige Points]

[Fifty mutated plants have been acquired, and the main quest is complete!]

[Weapon purchased (3/3), main quest completed~]

[You seem to have done something extraordinary that will have a significant impact on the human faction. Reward: 500 Prestige Points, 500 Faction Points]

[The Prestige Shop is now open! Come and explore the new fun!]

More than ten exotic plants were rescued at once, and several new rows of illustrations were added to the encyclopedia, all of which have now been bonded with.

The previous main quest was completed smoothly. The newly released quest is related to weapons. The helmets and two guns that Qianhui bought for the plants are enough to complete the quest.

The two missions rewarded a total of 2,500 faction points, plus an extra 500, for a total of 3,000 more.

And probably because of the sudden increase in the number of plants around them, although their loyalty is generally low, their faction value has automatically increased and is now 8000.

If all of it is converted into the balance... plus the original 140,000+, it's just enough to buy one resurrection bean.