Chapter 67

"Bang--"

The stone struck the nut's shell, sending up a burst of cracking dust.

Staring at the towering nuts, the lettuce stared in disbelief, its eyes wide with disbelief.

Since leaving the courtyard, the only plant it hadn't encountered in all that time was a nut.

Although often it is the other party that "encounters" the other party, and after finding that the other party is fine, it turns around and quietly leaves.

Before the lettuce could react, another string of plants flew down from high above...

Carrot found its mark, and the fully equipped plant team, wearing helmets, landed on the ground together.

The big pea was the first to jump over, hands on its hips, glancing sideways at the lettuce: "Huh?"

Why does this "leader" look so disheveled?

Not long ago, the plants were still in shock and confusion.

Carrot just came out of the base, Qian Hui was perfectly fine at the cabin, and Nan Tingjin had also returned to normal. With his protection, Qian Hui was perfectly safe, so how could she be in danger...?

Next, the big pea smelled the scent on the leaf ball and asked the rose what their "leader" looked like.

After confirming that it was lettuce, the plants were both delighted and even more puzzled.

Wait a minute... When the flight squadron went out to scatter wood chips, they never encountered lettuce.

Moreover, when did it become "leader" or "Qian Hui"?

But there was no time to delve into these matters. According to the roses' description, they were attacked inexplicably when separated from the lettuce.

We're almost at our destination, so the situation must be extremely dire forcing the lettuce to abandon them and leave.

Carrot quickly gathered the team, and just to be on the safe side, he also brought along the mimosa.

They rushed in the direction the rose had indicated, and the mimosa, with its superhuman senses, detected the scent left by the lettuce as it fled, and finally arrived just in time.

...

The lettuce was still sitting on the ground, looking up at the big pea and a group of plants surrounding it.

Carrots, cabbage, bell peppers... and other unfamiliar peppers, durian, potatoes, corn, four-leaf clovers, cacti, cherries...

Because he was unsure of the situation, Carrot wanted to bring all the plants from the attack team to ensure that their combat power could crush all creatures.

Especially the big cherry, it has eaten a lot of landmines recently, and its energy-accumulating attack is ready, ready to explode at any time.

Lettuce was still in a daze, remaining silent and not answering Big Pea's question.

Carrot grabbed it and pulled it behind it, then turned its head to look around: "Huh?"

Where are the enemies? Where are they hiding? I haven't seen them at all.

The shrunken mimosa plant pressed itself against the carrot's face, trembling as it raised its leaves and pointed in one direction.

At the same time, several broken short steel bars came flying from a distance. Seeing this, the nut changed to a harder shell, tilted its body and swayed, blocking these sharp objects.

Lettuce chimed in at the opportune moment: "Ooh."

It's the Zombie King.

Following human custom, this zombie king has a simple and easy-to-understand name: Giant Corpse.

It stands four or five meters tall, possesses extraordinary physique and strength, and also has extremely keen senses.

Moreover, the giant corpse was very clever. Remembering that lettuce had the ability to release sleeping gas, it deliberately kept its distance while chasing after it, trying to wear it down with ranged attacks.

If the plant team hadn't arrived in time, the lettuce would probably have been in grave danger.

Giant corpse... Big Pea frowned.

It knew about the zombie king, but wasn't the giant corpse always staying in the high-risk area that hadn't been cleared? How could it suddenly come here?

Could it be because they killed the zombie king Black Reef a while ago...?

The number of zombie kings is extremely small. In the years since the apocalypse, only four have appeared in total. Black Reef is already dead, and another one was killed by human superhumans in a previous attack.

They can summon and command hordes of corpses at any time, and perhaps they also have unique ways of sensing each other.

Carrot's eyes were serious. Zombie kings were usually followed by a large horde of zombies. It roughly estimated the team's overall strength and hesitated whether to run away first.

Just then, the mimosa plant shook its leaves again.

Lettuce tilted its head back and sniffed lightly, surprised: "Huh?"

It ran away?

So timid, you're scared already?

The carrot blocked the cabbage and peas that wanted to follow, fearing there might be a trap.

It pulled out the radish thorns, flew into the air alone, glided in a short circle, and then landed again.

They slipped away so fast...

The mimosa could no longer sense the giant corpse's location; it had indeed left, and there were no other zombies nearby.

Now that it was finally safe, Lettuce lay down on its back on the ground.

This journey was really tiring...

It sighed inwardly, while secretly observing the plant team again, its dark, round eyes darting around.

Chili took out a communicator from her small backpack and shared the information about the giant corpse's appearance with Yuanji.

The nut suddenly shrank, jumped closer, and tilted its head to examine the lettuce.

Big Pea leaned closer and continued to stare at the lettuce with a subtle look: "Huh?"

"Leader," where is your base? Shall we send you back?"

Lettuce covered the wound on the side of her face, closed her eyes, and pretended that she was too weak to hear.

However, the pea had already noticed the small piece of wood it was wearing around its neck and looked at it closely.

The cabbage also ran over worriedly: "Waaah! Waaah?"

What exactly happened? Did Lettuce already meet Qianhui beforehand? But that doesn't seem right...

Upon hearing Qian Hui's name, Lettuce immediately sat up, hesitatingly uttering, "Huh?"

Is Qian Hui really here?

Even with names written on the wooden pieces and seeing the plants in the yard, Lettuce still couldn't quite believe it.

The carrot noticed something in the lettuce's reaction, snorted, and stopped the cabbage from speaking for the time being.

It told Lettuce to first tell the truth about the dozen or so unfamiliar plants that came to the base, and what exactly happened with the "leader".

Lettuce was silent for a while, scratched her uninjured cheek, and honestly told the whole story of what happened.

Two minutes later.

Cabbage clenched her fist: "Whoosh!"

Don't stop me, I'm going to beat it up!

No wonder that on their second outing, they searched the entire surrounding woods but only brought back four plants...

Turns out they were all fooled by the lettuce!

With that lazy, lettuce-like appearance, I wonder how long it took it to get there!

The carrot was still blocking the cabbage, so I quickly tried to appease it.

Oh well... the result is good after all, all the plants arrived at the base safely.

Although we went a bit astray, we ended up on the Black Ridge Mountain.

Bell peppers and peas watched the spectacle with glee, squatting down to observe.

The lettuce looked a little guilty, yet also defiant: "Ooh!"

It didn't do it on purpose; it was a misunderstanding. Besides, it hadn't taken a nap for several days while protecting the plants, and it even lost its little recliner...

Lettuce got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and went back to find the small recliner.

The carrot quickly stopped it again.

Why bother looking? We'll just make a new one when we get back to base!

Having figured out what happened, they should go back.

The carrot pulled out a sharp thorn, and the plant team skillfully lined up, ready to fly away together.

The cherry cut in line and hung on the potato's other hand, the nut jumped into the cabbage's embrace, and the last one was the big pea.

Pea turned her head, reached out to lettuce, and grinned, "Woo!"

Come on, "Chief"! I'll take you home!

—

Back at the base, after Carrot and the team set off, the carnivorous plant brought back more than ten plants.

They were excited and curious, constantly looking around.

This is actually the plant base. As far as the eye can see, it's all green, with tall forests and lush grasslands. The walls smell of wood, and even the cement on them is green. There are also some mini cabbage-shaped string lights hanging on them.

The wooden gate is simple, with a sign above it engraved with characters that plants can understand, which reads "Plant Courtyard".

From an environmental perspective, this place already meets the plants' expectations, even more perfect than the lettuce described.

Then they saw a silver-haired, red-eyed boy who quickly came to greet them.

The carnivorous plant shrank in size, and a small mushroom and a mango sat on its head. The mango introduced the plant to the others, saying that this was the leader of the base.

leader……

This is the real leader of the base, and that lettuce...

The plants were bewildered and somewhat timid, huddled together and cautiously eyeing Qian Hui.

Qian Hui bent down and squatted down, extending her hand gently, "Don't be afraid, it's safe here."

He was covered in a strong plant scent, unlike any other human or zombie.

Rose and Lychee were the first to muster up their courage and approach, nuzzling Qian Hui's hand.

The other plants also approached one after another, greeting Qianhui in their own way.

They were willing to join the base; otherwise, they wouldn't have abandoned their home and followed the lettuce here.

Now, everything before them is a pleasant surprise.

The base is very large, with several top-grade exotic plants that are not aggressive at all, and many native inhabitants that seem to be living quite well.

The cabbages and apples also brought some food for the plants to eat as much as they wanted.

The only difference from what was expected was that the leader had changed.

The rubber tree was at its most dejected at this moment, bowing its head and kicking its right foot with its left foot while muttering to itself.

Little Cabbage stealthily ran over, then ran back, tugged at Qian Hui's clothes, and pointed to the distance outside the base.

Qianhui already knew that lettuce and these plants had been together before, and guessed that the rubber tree was talking about lettuce.

He stood up and went forward, touching the rubber tree's broad leaves: "Don't worry, Cai Cai will be back soon."

Even so, Qianhui was still very worried.

He handed the new plants over to the logistics team, including Xiao Baocai, and waited anxiously by the wall.

The carnivorous plant and the little mushroom followed along, and not long after, Yuanji also sent the sunflower and the little bamboo shoot back to the base.

Finally, the chili peppers sent a message saying they were rushing back at full speed.

In less than ten minutes, a long string of plants appeared on the horizon.

As the plants drew closer, the lettuce at the bottom squinted and spotted a familiar figure.

Qian Hui waved happily: "Cai Cai!"

The lettuce was so excited that it started shouting "woof woof" while still in mid-air. If the pea hadn't been holding it back, it would have jumped right off.

After the carrot landed safely, the lettuce rushed straight to Qian Hui and threw itself into his arms.

The lettuce excitedly made a "woof woof" sound, and of course it also saw the carnivorous plant, the sunflower, and the little mushrooms.

Everyone was there! They were all really there!

Lettuce felt like she was dreaming and held onto Qianhui's hand tightly.

Qian Hui touched the wound on its face with heartache and bought some medicine to feed it.

The lettuce ate obediently and then greeted the other three plants next to it.

The little mushrooms jumped into Qianhui's arms and happily held Lettuce's hand.

A group of new plants couldn't resist approaching the team upon their return.

Watching Lettuce and Qianhui interact, some of the clever ones quickly guessed the relationship between the old and new "leaders".

The rubber tree, still dazed, let out a soft "woof" and called out to the lettuce as its leader.

Lettuce stiffened and started playing dead again.

Big Pea leaned closer and grinned, "Mmm!"

Chief, he's calling you!

The cabbage was a little unhappy and pointed at the lettuce, loudly complaining.

With Sunflower nearby, Qianhui now knew everything that had happened.

The lettuce was still pretending to be dead, its leaves drooping and motionless.

Qian Hui first pulled the cabbage over and coaxed it a few times.

The cabbage then grumbled and stopped arguing with the lettuce.

Qian Hui took the towel from Xiao Baocai and wiped the dust off Shengcai's face, saying, "Shengcai is amazing for bringing back so many plants!"

Lettuce seemed to come alive instantly, obediently burying itself in the towel and rubbing against Qian Hui's hands.

—

We finally managed to find another plant in the yard, and many more new plants have joined us. Everyone is very happy.

The number of members in the base has increased from the initial 33 to 50. The task of lighting up 100 illustrations has been completed, and a reward of 10,000 coins has been given.

New quests are refreshed immediately, and side quests that have been idle for a long time are also released at this time.

[Main Quest]: Raise the plant faction ranking to second.

[Quest Rewards]: Faction Points +5000, Prestige Points +10000

[Side Quest]: Increase the base crew to 100

[Task Reward]: Faction Points +2000, Balance 50000

Both tasks offer substantial rewards, but... they don't seem so easy to complete.

Especially in the main storyline, the plant faction is still in third place.

To reach 100 members at the base, we must continue our recruitment efforts.

Qianhui thought to himself for a while, then Sweet Pepper called to him from not far away.

After settling a group of new plants, the carrot and the carnivorous plant led the lettuce on a tour of the base. It was already noon.

Yuanji brought a group of people and delivered a lot of carefully selected and prepared food, as well as the five fish that Carrot wanted.

The fish weren't very big, but they were fresh and lively, which excited Carrot so much that he put them all into the small lake to raise.

The other plants all came to the cabin, and a new table was set up outside, along with those inside, so they planned to have lunch together.

Lettuce had only been back a short time, but she wasn't shy at all. She circled around the two tables, trying to choose her favorite spot.

It passed by Nan Tingjin and glanced at him discreetly.

Nan Tingjin leaned against the door, his eyes fixed on Qian Hui, seemingly lost in thought.

He only moved slightly when Qian Hui approached, and followed her into the house.

On the other side, at the neighboring base.

Yuanji returned to his residence after delivering the items and picked up the communicator he had deliberately left on the table.

He opened it and found several messages, all from other bases.

Yuan Ji snorted coldly, replied only to the Yun Chuan base, and then abandoned the communicator.

These bases had either been observing or, led by Wen Jue, had ignored the Black Ridge Mountain base's initiative to contact them, or perhaps they dared not.

It's only been a short time, yet everything seems to have been turned upside down.

However, whether or not to accept these people's requests for help depends on Qianhui and the plants' opinions, as well as how much sincerity and reward they can offer.

—

After lunch, Qianhui didn't take a nap. Instead, she stayed under the tree with the plants, listening to Lettuce recount its experiences over the past few years.

Lettuce is probably the most traveled plant of all. Whenever it gets tired of a place, it goes for a walk outside.

It has seen humans fight each other, and it has also seen humans fight zombies. Sometimes, when it happens to see humans or zombies grabbing plants, it will secretly trip them up.

We encountered danger a few times, but we managed to overcome it all. Lettuce has special abilities and its small size makes it easy to hide.

It fears neither human groups nor hordes of zombies; the greater the number of enemies, the more room it has to utilize its skills.

The only thing I fear is what happened this morning... being chased by a giant corpse the whole way and almost getting killed.

Qianhui was still shaken and hugged the lettuce tightly.

The area they were in belonged to safe zone 5. Although the Blackridge Mountain base was located in a remote area, it should be considered a medium-risk zone or lower on the map.

The sudden appearance of the giant corpse was absolutely bad news.

The other humans in Zone 5, Blackridge Mountain Base, and the new Botanical Garden are all here.

The giant corpse's intentions are currently unclear, and it is unknown how many corpses it possesses.

Qian Hui thought for a moment and asked, "Cai Cai, do you know where Youzi and the cat are?"

Lettuce nodded: "Woo!"

Know!