Chapter 45

Qian Hui stared blankly: "What..."

He didn't expect Nan Tingjin to suddenly bring this up; it had been several days since the last time the topic of "boyfriend" was mentioned.

Nan Tingjin's gaze was deep: "Don't want to talk?"

Qian Hui lowered her eyelashes and remained silent for a while before saying in a somewhat awkward tone, "I don't have a boyfriend."

This is the conversation the two couldn't continue last time, if that's what Nan Tingjin wants to hear.

"No?"

“The first time I saw you, you came over and hugged me,” Nan Tingjin said, his eyes dark. “Tell me we were lovers.”

He reminded Qianhui that, all along, whether it was right or wrong, it was Qianhui herself who made the statement.

Qian Hui stammered, "I...didn't I say I had a dream..."

But Nan Tingjin hadn't recalled any of his past experiences. To him now, it was indeed Qian Hui who had taken the initiative to provoke him.

He later took Nan Tingjin away from the base a second time, and after waking up, he denied their relationship.

But Qian Hui also felt wronged. He had suddenly regained some of his memories at that time and hadn't thought that much about it.

As a result, Nan Tingjin was unhappy and did not believe that she liked him.

Nan Tingjin still held Qian Hui's chin, watched her quietly for a moment, and then leaned closer again to kiss her.

Qian Hui reached out to push his face, but he turned his head away and whispered, "You don't believe me anyway..."

Nan Tingjin grasped Qian Hui's wrist and coaxed her patiently, "Okay, I believe you."

His tone softened, but his actions remained forceful as he firmly kissed Qian Hui's cheek.

“I believe you,” Nan Tingjin repeated, pausing slightly, “but we need not concern ourselves with the past.”

Qian Hui looked at him, her expression blank again.

Nan Tingjin continued kissing him, saying, "I am your boyfriend."

"Then..." Qian Hui thought for a moment, then hesitated, "Do you want to date me?"

After regaining some of his memories, in his subconscious, he realized that the two of them had never confirmed their relationship before, so everything that followed was a misunderstanding and didn't count.

If you want to become lovers again, you need to ask clearly to avoid any misunderstandings.

Nan Tingjin smiled, gently stroked Qian Hui's hand, and replied, "Yes."

He couldn't resist kissing her again, but Qian Hui didn't dodge. Instead, she said, "I... need to think about it."

Qian Hui felt she couldn't agree too quickly, since Nan Tingjin had always tricked him when he had amnesia.

Moreover, a few days ago, he hoped that Nan Tingjin would not leave, and Nan Tingjin also said that he would consider it.

At the very least... I'll agree first thing tomorrow morning.

Nan Tingjin stared at Qian Hui and said slowly, "Okay."

His expression remained unchanged, seemingly genuinely willing to give Qian Hui serious consideration, and he released her hand.

Qian Hui quickly stepped back a little, sitting half a step away, and took out a mini cabbage lamp from the grass.

With the help of the lamplight, he finally had time to examine the "little cabin" he was in, and got up to walk to the edge of the row of tree trunks.

Qian Hui raised her hand and carefully touched it, hearing a noise outside.

"Huh?" It sounded like the money tree and little apple. They noticed the unusual situation and didn't know what had happened.

Sunflower said Qianhui was fine, but several other plants were still worried. The little succulents ran around the trunk, trying to find a crack to crawl into and take a look.

New plants also gathered outside; the pothos climbed up the tree trunk, but was stopped halfway by an invisible force.

The four-leaf clover tried to forcibly separate the trees that were connected together, but failed after a long time.

Qian Hui crouched down, holding the cabbage lantern close to the gap in the tree trunk, and reassured her, "Is Xiao Kui there? Don't be afraid, I'm alright..."

Then, a sliver of sunlight shone in.

Hearing his voice, the plants felt much more at ease and remained outside the treehouse.

Not long after, a group of durians arrived.

They were playing so enthusiastically by the lake that they jumped into the water to swim, scaring away two shrubs that had come to drink water.

Carrot wanted to chase after them and bring back the two dwarf trees to give to Thousand Fennel. It didn't know what the game and the encyclopedia were, it only knew that Thousand Fennel needed more new plants now.

When it turned its head, it found that Qianhui was "gone".

Carrot quickly brought the durians back to see what was going on.

Worried that Qian Hui would be bullied if she stayed alone with Nan Tingjin, Jian Guo and Juan Xincai were a bit impatient and started bumping into each other.

However, they are now "durians," and after using the disguise potion, their original skills are greatly limited, and they are unable to use durian skills.

The carrot slapped its forehead several times, only to see strangely shaped, miniature yellow carrots. Frustrated, it punched the durian.

Durian doesn't hurt at all; at this moment, I'm still immersed in the joy of having an "army of durians."

It rubbed against the carrot, growing larger, and then crashed into the treehouse.

Qian Hui stepped back and looked around. She heard several loud "bangs" and the treehouse shook slightly, but it remained incredibly sturdy under the control of her superpower.

"Don't crash," Qian Hui quickly stopped her. "Don't worry about me."

He turned to Nan Tingjin behind him and asked, "Can't this door be opened?"

Qian Hui remembered that at the Black Ridge Mountain base, Nan Tingjin's ability could restore moved trees to their original positions.

"Can."

Nan Tingjin stood up and slowly walked towards Qian Hui.

He gradually approached, and Qian Hui felt inexplicably nervous. She tried to hide to the side, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her over.

Nan Tingjin said, "We'll open it when you agree."

Qian Hui was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant: "You..."

He struggled slightly, almost dropping the cabbage lantern in his hand, but Nan Tingjin caught it.

Nan Tingjin lowered his eyes and handed him the cabbage lantern: "What about me?"

Qian Hui snatched the small, glowing lamp away. He couldn't say anything, only staring at Nan Tingjin with his beautiful red eyes.

If he keeps refusing... will Nan Tingjin keep himself trapped like this?

Outside, the durians' ramming had stopped, and they were observing from the sidelines.

They stopped playing, but the durian was even more excited than before, peeking out half its head from the thick grass and asking the carrot when it would launch another attack.

Inside the treehouse, Qian Hui couldn't break free from Nan Tingjin's grasp and was held tightly in his arms.

Nan Tingjin bent down and kissed the tip of his ear: "Open it if you agree."

Qian Hui's cheeks were kissed several times. The number of times Nan Tingjin kissed him that night was probably more than in the previous half month.

He couldn't resist, and since he originally wanted to agree, he had no choice but to compromise.

"Okay...I agree!" Qian Hui's voice rose a few decibels. "Hurry up and open it!"

Nan Tingjin's breath hitched, and his breathing suddenly became heavy.

He hadn't let go of Qian Hui yet, and said in a half-coaxing tone, "Give me another kiss."

Now that they've confirmed their relationship, Qianhui has become much more obedient, and they've already kissed many times before.

He soothed Nan Tingjin by giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Nan Tingjin, however, seemed unsatisfied, gently stroking Qian Hui's chin with his fingertips: "Can you kiss?"

Qian Hui looked up blankly and replied, "No..."

Even before the apocalypse, Qian Hui was already quite different in age from Nan Tingjin, and probably had never been in a relationship before.

He hadn't recovered many memories, and due to the effects of his body becoming zombified, he was still like a blank sheet of paper.

Moreover, with his silver hair and red eyes, he didn't seem human at all. Qian Hui remembered that when they were in the plant courtyard, she was afraid of accidentally biting Nan Tingjin, so she would only kiss his cheek each time.

Qian Hui was still trying to think when Nan Tingjin lowered his head and kissed her.

His touch wasn't light, and he probably didn't have much experience; it was just a simple kiss.

But even with just a simple touch, without going any deeper, Qianhui's cheeks quickly flushed red.

This level of intimacy had never happened before; the two were so close that he could hardly breathe and his heart was pounding.

Nan Tingjin kissed her again, but Qian Hui couldn't help but push him away.

He looked confused: "I...I don't feel well..."

Sensing Qian Hui's tension and unease, Nan Tingjin refrained from continuing and said in a low voice, "Okay, no more kissing."

He gently stroked Qian Hui's silver hair, and after a while, kissed the corner of her reddened eyes and asked, "Why did it turn out like this?"

"I don't know... I forgot," Qian Hui buried her face in his chest, then looked up and whispered, "Can we go out now?"

Nan Tingjin remained silent for a moment, then replied with a "Okay".

Finally, the entire treehouse began to move, the trees were moved one by one, and the damaged lawn was barely restored to its original state.

Before the disguise potion's effect wore off, a large group of durians rushed over upon seeing Qian Hui appear.

Qian Hui couldn't recognize anyone at all, and casually picked up the two: "Okay...it's alright now."

A faint blush lingered on his face, and his body temperature had risen slightly. Carrot quickly moved closer to examine him, touching Qian Hui's palm to confirm that he was unharmed.

At this moment, Nan Tingjin emerged from the shadows behind him, and Carrot glared at him fiercely.

If I and the cabbage hadn't all turned into durians and couldn't unleash our true power, how could Nan Tingjin have been so arrogant...

Qianhui sat on the grass, put down the durian in her arms, and picked up the other two.

Through certain movements and sounds, he discerned the subtle differences between durians, touching one and asking, "Is this a potato?"

The potato-flavored durian's eyes lit up, and it nodded repeatedly.

The chili-flavored durian next to it quickly came over, pointed to itself, and said, "Huh?"

Qian Hui recognized the voice and said with certainty, "It's Xiao Jiao."

The chili pepper was happy too, but was pushed aside by another durian.

The durians seemed to have discovered a new fun, taking turns being picked up by Qianhui to guess who they were.

Qianhui tried several times, but she didn't make a mistake.

Finally, Corn deliberately put his hands on his hips and mimicked Potato's usual posture: "Huh?"

Qian Hui hesitated, "Yes..."

Potato, who was standing nearby, was not happy to see this and punched the two durians. The two durians immediately started fighting in the grass.

Two hours later, the camouflage potion wore off, and the plants gradually reverted to their original forms.

The carrot picked out a radish thorn and looked at it, while the little bamboo shoot ran to the tree to retrieve its bamboo knife.

The little cabbage had shrunk in size and was a bit dizzy, walking unsteadily.

Durian was still a little unsatisfied and snuggled up to Qian Hui, hugging his hand.

Even though it knew it wasn't a real durian, it was still very satisfied, and when it closed its eyes, all it could see in its mind was a group of durians playing.

After playing for so long, the plants were hungry, so they ate some late-night snacks.

It was getting late, and the sunflowers had already led the new plants to rest. There might not be enough space in the cabbage husks, so the new plants simply slept in the grass.

Qianhui quietly went over to take a look. Just then, the carnivorous plant returned to relieve the carrot. It cuddled with Qianhui for a moment and then lay down next to the sunflower.

Not far away, the little cabbage opened its shell, and all the plants went inside, waiting for Qianhui.

Cabbage peeked out and waved to Qian Hui, only to see him go to Nan Tingjin's side.

Qian Hui came to Nan Tingjin's side, hesitated for a moment, then hugged him and said indistinctly, "Xiao Jin, I'm going to sleep... Goodnight."

Nan Tingjin lowered her head and kissed his forehead: "Okay, goodnight."

Qianhui let go of him and quickly returned to the cabbage shell.

The carrot might come back to sleep in the middle of the night. The neighborhood is safe. The cabbage shell door wasn't closed tightly, leaving a crack, and it didn't go into stealth mode.

The little cabbage even thoughtfully opened a cabbage bowl lined with a soft towel, so that if a new plant wakes up in the middle of the night and feels cold, it can sleep in the cabbage bowl.

After doing all this, it patted its body, turned off all the cabbage lights in the woods, and finally crawled into a cabbage shell.

Silence returned to the surroundings, with the leaves occasionally rustling in the breeze.

The eggplant in the grass rolled over, hugged the tulip next to it, and mumbled a few words in its sleep.

Meanwhile, inside the Sky Base.

It was already late at night, but the attic was still brightly lit.

Dozens of guards stood watch on the outside, while subordinates kept passing by in a hurry.

On the top floor, Wen Jue sat on the sofa, looking exhausted.

He had just woken up from his disorientation at noon when he received devastating news.

—The base branch in the low-risk zone 3 was breached, and all the alien plants imprisoned inside disappeared.

And for some reason, the base's final self-destruct plan failed to be carried out successfully. The surrounding teams that were supposed to come to its aid were a step too late. Not only did the rescue fail, but some documents were also found in the base.

The team immediately took the documents back and reported them to the Yunchuan base as soon as possible.

Soon, the other larger bases also learned of the matter, and several leaders joined together to question it.

Wen Jue once said that no research would be conducted on humans, let alone something as absurd as transplanting superpowers.

The only saving grace is that the data found indicates that this research has been difficult to progress and that very few humans are involved, only a handful.

However, this also gave Sky Base an opportunity to defend itself. One of the main base's administrators replied that the participants were entirely voluntary and that the research was originally intended to be terminated.

As for the imprisoned alien plants, the branch bases lacked sufficient funds to provide them with a better environment.

These words failed to convince the others, so the Yun Chuan base immediately dispatched a team to see Wen Jue in person.

Just then, Wen Jue woke up.

After listening to his subordinate's report, he issued two orders with a gloomy face.

One option is to send someone to destroy the captured base; any reason can be made up.

Secondly, I informed all the bases that I have been feeling unwell recently, and the factory staff have accidentally messed things up twice. As a result, the production speed of various medicines will be slow in the next three months, and there may be insufficient inventory.

90% of the medicines sold by Sky Base are used to suppress or alleviate the disorientation state of human superhumans.

This statement is tantamount to a veiled threat. If they persist in this matter and anger Wen Jue, they may not be able to buy a single pill.

Without medication to alleviate the condition, it is estimated that within three months, a quarter of the superhumans will be in a state of depression, their overall strength will decline, and they will be unable to guard the base at all times and prevent any accidents from happening.

The other bases were indeed wary of this, and immediately fell silent upon receiving the news.

But the people from Yunchuan Base are already on their way, led by Qi Yue.

He still chose to enter the base and requested the "Seeing and Hearing Technique".

After the guards went to report, they took Qi Yue to the attic alone.

When Qi Yue arrived, it was already dark. Wen Jue was still in his room having a meeting with other managers. He waited for a long time before finally seeing Wen Jue come out.

Wen Jue closed his eyes and raised his hand to press his temples: "Have you searched everything? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Qi Yue replied, "I didn't search."

He knew that Sky Base would be prepared and would hide the items in advance.

Moreover... Wen Jue has already started using drugs to threaten people, so he's not afraid of any evidence being found out.

Looking at Wen Jue sitting on the sofa, Qi Yue felt complicated.

As one of the main captains of the Yunchuan Base, he has always had a good relationship with the Sky Base, and Wen Jue was someone he respected very much.

However, at this moment, Qi Yue suddenly felt that Wen Jue was somewhat unfamiliar.

Using all the supplies needed by the base as a threat in an attempt to quickly quell the matter, perhaps Wen Jue was unwilling to waste words, or perhaps he simply didn't care about others.

However, the other bases were caught off guard and had not yet come up with a solution. They were worried that Wen Jue would really refuse to sell them medicine, so they could only endure it for the time being.

With the alien plants becoming increasingly active, Sky Base does indeed appear to be the victim.

The other bases are also likely to be attacked by alien plants. Under such circumstances, it seems that the best course of action is for all bases to unite and fight against the alien plants.

Qi Yue frowned, repeatedly recalling the commotion caused by the strange plant on those two separate occasions.

Wen Jue sighed and opened his eyes.

He looked out at the pitch-black night and suddenly asked, "You... saw someone close to Nan Tingjin last time?"

Qi Yue carefully considered his words before replying, "I have met him, but we've had very little contact."

He remembered Qian Hui, the blindfolded boy who was close to Nan Tingjin.

In his memory, Qian Hui was gentle and weak, with a mild and harmless temperament. Before the accident at the Black Ridge Mountain base, Qi Yue could never associate him with the alien plants.

At first, he even thought it was a rumor, but Qianhui's hair color was unique, so it should be hard to mistake her for someone else.

Wen Jue glanced at Qi Yue and said, "I have indeed been feeling unwell lately, and my supernatural abilities have been affected... I don't know why this person can control a large number of exotic plants, I'm afraid that in the future..."

He seemed to be talking to himself, his voice growing softer and softer until he stopped speaking, revealing a hint of exhaustion and deep worry.

Qi Yue guessed Wen Jue's meaning: if the Qian Hui and the alien plants were not dealt with as soon as possible, all the bases would be in danger.

He didn't reply, but cautiously said, "Please get plenty of rest and take good care of yourself."

Wen Jue nodded and gestured for his subordinate to lead Qi Yue away.

Just as Qi Yue turned around, Wen Jue spoke up again: "By the way."

“In the previous assignment,” he said, “one more person was added.”

"Nan Tingjin".

Not long ago, Wen Jue issued two orders to blow up the subordinates of the base branch and, incidentally, inquired about the reason why the surrounding base teams failed to provide timely support.

They arrived so late that any explanation seemed weak, so they recounted their encounter with Nan Tingjin.

At that time, Nan Tingjin was alone, not as if he were being coerced by the alien plant.

Furthermore, he had been missing for a long time and his whereabouts were suspicious. He was considered one of the culprits for the fall of the base branch and was added to the list of those to be assigned.

Now, Nan Tingjin and Qian Hui, along with several distinctive alien plants, have become the Sky Base's primary targets.

Anyone who discovers their whereabouts and reports it promptly can participate in the encirclement and suppression efforts, regardless of which base is willing to accept the assignment.

Qi Yue was silent for a moment, then replied, "I understand."

He then turned around and left with his subordinates.

Wen Jue watched his retreating figure, then calmly withdrew his gaze and picked up a portrait from the coffee table.

The image depicts a cabbage, a super-grade exotic plant that was not successfully captured, which seems to have joined the carnivorous plant's cooperative team.

Man-eating flower...

He silently recited the incantation in his heart, recalling its appearance.

He had actually guessed long ago that the man-eating flower would seek revenge on the base. There was a mushroom, which was also a top-grade alien plant, that was always inseparable from the man-eating flower. They must have had a very good relationship, which was extremely rare among alien plants.

Unfortunately, Mushroom was later captured and accidentally killed by the researchers, without even figuring out what his abilities were.

Wen Jue casually put down the portrait and closed his eyes again.

Wild grasses can grow endlessly, but top-grade exotic plants can be killed... so there's nothing to fear, all we need to do is find a breakthrough.

—

Qianhui went to bed late the night before and didn't get up until almost 10 a.m.

The plants had already woken up; the baby cabbages and head cabbages had already fed them once to prevent them from going hungry.

When Qianhui woke up, Carrot happened to come back from outside and grabbed two short trees nearby.

The two stunted trees looked exactly alike, a little taller than the bushes. They squatted on the ground, shivering, while Carrot grabbed one of them with each hand and excitedly lifted them up to show Qianhui.

Qian Hui sat at the door of the cabbage shell. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Radish, let go quickly, you've scared them."

The carrot immediately let go, and the two short trees squatted in place, not daring to move.

Qianhui stepped forward to try to comfort her, offering some food, and Sunflower also came over.

Sensing the gentle atmosphere, the two dwarf trees gradually relaxed, accepted Qianhui's feeding, and then quickly scurried away.

Qianhui looked at the carrot again and instructed, "You can't do that again. Be gentler."

However, Qian Hui has too many top-grade mutant plants around her, as well as several powerful combat mutant plants. Now, unfamiliar mutated plants simply won't approach her; they'll run away as soon as they smell her.

If we don't arrest them directly... it'll probably be difficult for Qian Hui to see them.

After thinking for a moment, Carrot reluctantly nodded.

Forget it, we'll deal with it when we encounter it. They don't have a base like humans do... and there's no way to let the plants know this place is safe.

Seeing that the carrot was well-behaved, Qianhui patted the leaves on its head and went to the lake to wash up.

Nan Tingjin waited under a tree behind them. Qian Hui quickly stepped forward after tidying up and accepted the food and water he handed over.

He casually opened the game encyclopedia to check the loyalty of the new plants.

Potato and Cherry were playing nearby. Cherry was a sleepyhead and woke up the latest.

It hadn't even had breakfast yet, and was jumping around on the grass, catching the potato bombs it threw in its mouth.

A mimosa plant was stuck to the pumpkin's forehead, and it sat quietly next to the sunflower, along with a few other new plants.

They have the best relationship with the mimosa plant, and right now, through the sunlight of the sunflower, they are listening to the mimosa plant continue to tell its story of what happened after it was taken away from the base by humans.

Actually, when the new plants first met Qian Hui, they didn't know much about him or his relationship with the plant team. They thought that the few top-tier alien plants were the ones giving orders.

But after spending the whole day together, they realized that the leader of the group should be Qian Hui, a point also mentioned by Han Mi Cao.

It was Qianhui who saved the mimosa, kept all the plants by her side, and saved all the plants in the base.

As Pumpkin listened, her eyes began to well up with tears.

It felt sorry for the mimosa plant working tirelessly for humans, but was also glad that the mimosa plant finally met Qianhui.

"Waaah..." Pumpkin reached out and touched the mimosa, tilting his head to look at Qian Hui with eyes full of admiration.

At this moment, Qianhui received a message that the mission was completed.

He was slightly taken aback, but calmly exchanged the 2,000 faction points he received as a reward for a balance of 40,000, and then bought a resurrection bean.

The total balance is 340,000. The game still prompts for confirmation of purchase, but there is no warning like last time.

This time, Qianhui chose "yes".

The balance suddenly decreased by a full 300,000, and a small green bean appeared in the game inventory, displaying "Resurrection Bean - Pending Use".

Qianhui looked around anxiously, searching for the carnivorous plant.

"Little Purple!" he shouted excitedly, "Radish!"