Chapter 349: Forced Home Stay
The white vines that were wriggling flexibly in the snow were now like an ordinary "rope", lying motionless on the table, allowing Xia Xiaoman and the others to manipulate them.
Li Yu'e saw Luo Menglin coming over and handed the vine to her, "Menglin, do you recognize this thing?"
Luo Menglin took the vine and looked at it carefully. The outer layer of the vine felt like waterproof cloth, and the inside was crystal clear and had some mucus. "I don't know. Where did you get this thing from?"
Xiao Zheyu took over and recounted how they had just escaped death from these vines. He pulled off his collar, revealing the purple bruises on his neck. "Look, these vines are incredibly strong. They almost broke my neck."
Luo Menglin saw the shocking bruises on his neck and frowned, "Are you sure this thing is a plant and not an animal?"
Li Yu'e was stunned when she heard this, and turned her head to look at Xia Xiaoman. She heard Xia Xiaoman call this thing a vine, so she subconsciously thought that this unknown creature was a plant.
Xia Xiaoman said, "It's confirmed. I pulled one out and left it at home. At the end of these vines are some dense roots."
When she grabbed the vine and forced it into the space before, she accidentally put the whole vine into the space. It was then that she was sure that these milky white "ropes" were actually plants.
"How could a plant have such great power to strangle you like this?" Luo Menglin frowned. "Among the plants I know, there is no such plant."
As far as she could remember, the automatic plants she knew included common ones like mimosa and Venus flytrap.
The Venus flytrap can close automatically because when an insect touches it, it generates an electrical signal, which is transmitted to the pulvinus, causing changes in turgor pressure and movement of the leaves. The principle of Mimosa's closure is similar to that of the Venus flytrap.
But the premise for these plants to close automatically is that they are touched by something outside. But Xiao Zheyu's description just now clearly showed that these vines actively attacked humans. Therefore, Luo Menglin suspected that these vines might be animals.
"Xiao Zheyu, are you sure you didn't step on any vines when you approached the greenhouse?"
Xiao Zheyu said, “I can’t guarantee the others, but I definitely didn’t guess this broken vine.”
Li Yu'e frowned, "Not necessarily. The color of these vines is exactly the same as the snow. You might not even notice it when you stepped on it." And the vines are not necessarily on the surface of the snow. They may also be hidden under the snow. When they step on the snow, it is the same as stepping on the vines.
Zhou Qiuyang said, "Professional matters should be left to professionals. Sister Yu'e, I'll have someone send these vines to the Agricultural Affairs Office. They should be able to find out where these vines came from."
Li Yu'e shook her head. "Don't go out yet. There's no telling how many vines are hidden in the snow outside. Figure out how to deal with them before going out."
Then, she looked at Xia Xiaoman and said, "Xiaoman, can you bring the vine from your house over here?"
She only had a small section of vine in her hand, and it was dead and useless. Xia Xiaoman's home had a vine with roots, and she could bury the vine in the snow to revive it, and then study how to restrain these vines.
Xia Xiaoman nodded and said, "I'll go back and get it now."
"I'll go with you, Xiao Zeyu, Zhou Qiuyang, you guys come too." There are dangers everywhere outside. Although her home is not far from Xia Xiaoman's home, who can guarantee whether there will be vines in such a short distance? If she brings two more people with her, they can help each other if something happens.
Xia Xiaoman did not refuse. These white vines were a bit difficult to deal with. With two more helpers, if she encountered vines again, at least someone would be able to help her distract them.
Walking on the street, Xia Xiaoman found that the street was deserted and there was no one.
Xiao Zheyu felt a little uneasy, "Sister Yu'e, why is there no one on the street? Could they have been killed by the vines?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several figures walked out from the intersection. One of them pointed at Xia Xiaoman and the others and shouted, "Stop, where are you going?"
Xiao Zheyu blurted out, "None of your business!"
The other party took a few steps closer and said in a deep voice: "We are responsible for the public security in this area. Do you think it is none of my business?"
Seeing that the other person was a security guard, Li Yu'e quickly pulled Xiao Zheyu and said with a smile, "Brothers, I'm sorry, my brother is young and hot-tempered and doesn't know much. Please don't argue with him."
The other party was in no mood to argue with Li Yu'e and the others, so he asked, "Where are you going?"
Li Yu'e pointed at Xia Xiaoman and said, "Send my friend home. My friend is a girl and I'm worried that it will be unsafe for her to go home alone."
The security captain glanced at Xia Xiaoman and said, "It's not safe outside. Where does your friend live? Let's send her home. You guys should also go home quickly. Don't go out unless necessary."
"This..." Li Yu'e looked at Xia Xiaoman hesitantly.
Xia Xiaoman said, "Brother, what happened outside? Why is there no one on the street?"
"Don't ask about things that you shouldn't ask about. Just listen to us. If you don't want to die in vain, just stay at home and wait for notification."
The security team took a tough attitude and arranged two people to send Li Yu'e and others home, and the rest to send Xia Xiaoman home.
Xia Xiaoman guessed that the higher-ups might know about Teng Man’s murder, so they forced them to stay at home.
After returning to the yard, Xia Xiaoman went to the greenhouse to find Zhang Can first. Only after seeing that Zhang Can was safe and sound did he return to his own home.
As soon as she entered the door, Maodan rushed over and rubbed against her feet. Xia Xiaoman grabbed its head and checked its wound.
The wound medicine made from red worm powder is really effective. The wound has scabbed over so quickly. "Does it hurt?"
Xia Xiaoman touched Maodan's head lovingly. Maodan whimpered and acted coquettishly, and nudged his big head into Xia Xiaoman's arms. His clumsy and cute look melted Xia Xiaoman's heart.
Just then, Xia Xiaoman discovered something wrong. One of the braziers in the living room was turned over, and the wooden beams above the brazier were pitch black. There was a burnt smell in the air in the room.
Xia Xiaoman looked down at Maodan who was still acting like a spoiled child in her arms, and asked with a straight face, "Maodan, have you gotten into trouble?"
"Ao, aowu~" Maodan swung his tail to please others and licked Xia Xiaoman's face with his tongue.
Xia Xiaoman pushed it away, walked to the overturned brazier, and turned it over. The coal in the brazier had been burned to ashes, and there was nothing unusual. But judging from the wooden beams above the brazier, Maodan, the wolf cub, was probably playing with fire.
She kicked Maodan's butt, "What on earth did you do? Tell me now!"
"Aoao~Aowu~" Seeing that his bad deeds were discovered, Maodan drooped his ears, carried the extinguished brazier back to its original place, then carried a vine and threw it into the brazier, and then immediately kicked the brazier over.
Xia Xiaoman watched Maodan's situation replay itself, thinking that this wolf cub's IQ was really getting higher and higher, he was just short of learning how to speak.
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