Chapter 12
Nan Tingjin wasn't wearing a coat, and Qian Hui could smell the scent of the stream and the damp morning mist on him.
The familiar, warm body temperature was so close, it felt as if nothing had changed from before.
Qian Hui hugged his waist tightly, pressed her cheek against his, and rested for a while.
Once his emotions had finally calmed down, he felt Nan Tingjin stroking his hair, from his forehead to his ear, with very gentle movements.
Qian Hui was slow to realize that when he suddenly did this, Nan Tingjin not only didn't reject him, but actually hugged him.
Just a few days ago, he said he wanted to kill me.
For a moment, Qian Hui almost thought that Nan Tingjin had regained his memory.
He looked up and met Nan Tingjin's gaze.
Nan Tingjin's expression was indifferent, revealing little emotion. His dark eyes were lowered, still carrying a hint of scrutiny, as if this embrace was devoid of any feeling.
Qian Hui calmed down immediately, but Nan Tingjin still couldn't remember anything.
He tried to get up from Nan Tingjin's embrace, but when he reached out to push him, he couldn't budge him.
Qian Hui was stunned and numb. She pushed him again, and this time Nan Tingjin let go.
He stepped back onto the grass, where the carnivorous plant approached, staring warily at Nan Tingjin.
Qian Hui still had a hint of grievance in his eyes. He picked up the man-eating flower and lowered his eyelashes: "Aren't you... going to kill me?"
Nan Tingjin was silent for a moment, then answered irrelevantly, "What happened?"
Before he arrived, Qianhui's condition was already off, which was most likely related to the man-eating flower.
Nan Tingjin looked at the man-eating flower, completely ignoring its hostile gaze.
This mutated plant, with its ferocious and manic nature that terrifies countless superhumans and zombies, was now as docile as a pet in Qian Hui's arms.
Moreover, none of the other plants around Qianhui showed any signs of being forced into enslavement.
Even the unfamiliar plants in the woods wouldn't attack him on their own.
The initial assessment was very likely wrong; Qian Hui probably has no connection with the Sky Base.
However, it cannot be ruled out that he was a specially trained individual, or that he was very good at disguising himself.
Qian Hui hesitated for a moment: "It was...it was my and Xiao Zi's friend who was killed by other humans..."
He was both sad and angry, and couldn't continue talking.
Nan Tingjin had a rough idea of what was going on and asked, "Who?"
Qian Hui lowered her head: "I don't know."
The carnivorous plant looked up at him, then at Nan Tingjin, and pointed in a direction with its leaves.
Nan Tingjin glanced in that direction but remained silent.
As a super-grade mutant plant, the man-eating flower can distinguish the scents of different origins, but it is unclear which base it is from or what the base is called, as the range is quite wide.
However, once it encounters those people again...
The carnivorous plant sharpened its fangs fiercely, determined to avenge the little mushroom.
Behind them, Chili, who was crouching in the grass, also turned her head to look.
It does know the locations of several large bases, over there...
That's where it escaped, one of the branches of Sky Base.
Chili suddenly turned around and grabbed a handful of grass from the ground.
Many humans hunt mutated plants, but the one most likely capable of harming a carnivorous plant is that place.
Chili was furious, but then sighed silently.
It saw how sad Qian Hui was just now, but before it could find a chance to comfort her, Nan Tingjin intercepted it.
It turns out that there really are humans... no, or maybe zombies, who have a very good relationship with plants.
The chili pepper was also envious, wondering if anyone would be saddened by its death and withering.
The soft vine vaguely sensed the chili pepper's emotions and quietly peeked out.
Chili casually grabbed a branch of the soft vine and hugged it, looking at Qianhui ahead with mixed feelings.
Qianhui also made up her mind: "I will find them."
He looked at Nan Tingjin and pursed his lips: "You can't stop me."
Nan Tingjin is human, and according to the game's mechanics, he belongs to the human faction and is Qian Hui's adversary. It seems he should rightfully stand on the side of humans.
If only Nan Tingjin could help me, but he doesn't remember anything, so how could he easily abandon his companion?
I wonder if there's a more direct way to add humans to the plant kingdom...
Qianhui couldn't understand anything too complicated, but the faction divisions in the game were easier to understand, so her thoughts were quite simple.
Although he still doesn't know what to do after finding those people.
Lock them up, or kill them like zombies...
Qianhui had no experience with this and planned to hand it over to the carnivorous plant to deal with.
Nan Tingjin remained silent for a long while before replying, "I will not participate unless someone pays a commission."
Black Ridge Mountain Base has always been a rather unique entity.
The base only recruits capable superhumans. They usually select assignments and bounties from other bases to earn commissions and resources.
Commonly known as "taking money to do things," they do not interfere in the struggles and disputes between other bases.
Qian Hui looked confused: "What...what do you mean?"
Seeing his innocent and naive expression, clearly showing his lack of worldly experience, Nan Tingjin stopped explaining.
However, Nan Tingjin did not say that the amount of the commission was actually secondary.
He is the leader, and can do whatever he wants, however he pleases.
For example, even when the carnivorous plant he was demanding to capture alive was right in front of him, he remained unmoved.
It was around eight or nine in the morning. The mist in the woods had not yet dissipated, and the sun was gradually rising.
Qian Hui felt that Nan Tingjin was fooling her, and was not happy. She buried her head and muttered to herself, "Humans are all bad guys..."
This is what Carrot taught him before, from a picture book.
Many words in the album have been cut out, and there is even a page with only two words left.
Qian Hui flipped through several pages before finally piecing together the sentence, "Humans are all bad guys."
He didn't understand before, but now he finally does.
Whether Nan Tingjin heard it or not, he seemed to chuckle.
The coldness that had always been in his eyes had dissipated considerably, and he looked somewhat as gentle as before.
Qian Hui's displeasure vanished, and she slowly took out bread and dried meat from her backpack, sharing some with Nan Tingjin.
The small plants lurking nearby smelled the scent and approached, causing the grass to rustle several times.
There are many plants in the woods, and some of them are familiar to me. Yesterday, Qianhui fed them biscuits, and the word quickly spread to more plants.
They mistook the fennel for the man-eating flower's pet, thinking it was the flower showing them friendliness.
However, given that the powerful and intimidating superhuman Nan Tingjin is nearby today, he dares not show himself for the time being.
Qianhui fed the man-eating flower some food, including chili peppers and soft vines, while there was a constant rustling sound behind her.
He turned his head, and the sound disappeared again.
Finally, Nan Tingjin took the initiative to get up and leave, heading towards the stream, where several plants quickly surrounded him.
Among them was the money tree, which hadn't managed to snag any cookies yesterday, swaying its leaves as it tried to rub against the stem of the man-eating flower.
The carnivorous plant got impatient and flipped itself over to shake it off.
Qianhui doesn't dislike them, which is why it allows these plants to approach; otherwise, it would have scared them away long ago.
The money tree, having been turned away, wandered around in confusion. Seeing Qian Hui holding food, it tried to rub against him.
Qianhui tore off a piece of bread and handed it over, but the money tree quickly rolled it up with its leaves to hide it and ran away.
There were also some small plants that came over, and Qian Hui accepted them all, feeding each one a bite.
During the meal, the game notifications beeped several times.
Many of the characters in the encyclopedia have already been lit up, and most of them have been bonded, but their loyalty is very low.
They haven't followed Qianhui's ideas yet, like a kitten you casually pet on the street that you can't take home.
Qian Hui didn't insist. Compared to unfamiliar plants, he wanted to find the plants from his old plant garden as soon as possible.
“Little Purple,” he asked the carnivorous plant again, “do you know where Little Sunflower, Little Roll, and Radish are?”
The man-eating flower shook its head, then nodded hesitantly.
It drew a carrot pattern in the air with its leaves, pointing in a direction.
The man-eating flower has seen carrots, and only carrots.
It was in an area teeming with zombies back then, but a long time has passed, and it's unclear whether it's still there.
Aside from the small mushrooms, the carnivorous plant and the other plants in the yard have a so-so relationship; they used to be barely considered colleagues.
Later, they inexplicably arrived in this world. They had many places to go, and they were all very strong, capable of surviving on their own, so they had no intention of forming companions.
Qian Hui silently opened the map and marked a direction on it.
Once the man-eating plant has fully recovered, he will go and take a look over there.
There are also missions to complete: kill all the zombies you can and accumulate enough balance as soon as possible.
Just then, a mid-level zombie was wandering nearby and caught a whiff of the scent of a lot of plants.
Nan Tingjin was still on the other side of the stream. Qian Hui quickly took out her dagger and tried to call for Chili.
He forgot that the man-eating plant had awakened, and the zombies in front of him posed no threat at all.
The carnivorous plant raised its head, its eyes turned cold, and it swayed its stem as it quickly darted away.
The intermediate-level zombie lay on the ground, its long tongue flicking out, but the man-eating plant dodged it.
Just as it was about to launch another attack, it suddenly felt a chill on its neck.
The carnivorous plant bit off the zombie's head and spat it out with a "pui" sound.
This all happened in just a few minutes.
Qianhui stood frozen in place, gripping the dagger, gaining a new understanding of the man-eating plant's fighting prowess.
Chili ran over to dig out the crystal core, while Qianhui silently put away her dagger and took the man-eating flower to the stream to bathe and rinse her mouth.
After defeating this mid-level zombie, the main quest is complete, and the quest log is now updated.
[Main Quest]: Lead the plant squad to kill intermediate zombies (0/30)
[Task Reward]: Prestige Points +500
[Side Quest]: Form a bond with a high-level mutated plant and increase its loyalty to 40% (0/3); Form a bond with a mid-level mutated plant and increase its loyalty to 50% (0/6).
[Quest Reward]: Faction Points +2000
[Faction Value]: 500
[Prestige Value]: 60
The previous side quests have been completed at some point, and they seem to be more difficult than the main quests, but the rewards are also greater.
The message states that 1 faction point can be exchanged for 20 points of balance. The balance will not be deducted after the exchange, but it can only be exchanged once.
Therefore, the faction points awarded as rewards are also considered a balance in Qian Hui's eyes.
He needs to find three advanced mutated plants and six intermediate mutated plants.
No, chili peppers too...
Qian Hui turned her head and looked at the chili pepper that was separating crystal cores from the soft vine.
Chili peppers are at the intermediate level; despite following me for so long, their loyalty is still pitifully low, only 20% at the moment.
Sensing Qian Hui's gaze, Chili looked up and chuckled, appearing to be in a good mood.
Qian Hui had mixed feelings. He tried opening the encyclopedia and used 2 reputation points to buy a guide on chili peppers.
[Green Chili Pepper]: Intermediate Mutant Plant
[Purchased Guide: Bold yet meticulous, daring to take on challenges, and possessing exceptional action-oriented abilities, this small creature harbors boundless potential and is a very emotionally rich individual. They treat all creatures they encounter with caution and hold grudges. They enjoy sleeping in late, listening to music, and yearn for freedom.]
Upon seeing the words "yearning for freedom," Qian Hui hesitated.
Chili peppers are indeed different from cabbages and soft vines. They were initially severely injured, but they insisted on carrying on on their own.
Although Chili's leg injury is now fully healed, she seems to have integrated into the team.
Its loyalty is consistently low, perhaps it doesn't want to stay.
Thinking this, Qian Hui felt a little down.
But I've already bought the travel guide, so I have to give it a try...
Qianhui decided not to wake Chili up when she got up tomorrow morning, so that it could sleep in.
Meanwhile, Chili was also secretly observing Qian Hui.
The man-eating plant had just bitten a zombie and was covered in dirt, so Qianhui was giving it a bath.
A brand new towel was bought, and the carnivorous plant climbed on the rocks by the stream, its eyes closed as Qianhui wiped its face.
Chili also witnessed the carnivorous plant killing the intermediate-level zombie, and it felt that it was time for it to leave.
Should I say hello to Qian Hui, or sneak away in the middle of the night?
After some deliberation, Chili Pepper chose the latter.
At night, Qianhui slept on the soft grass, holding three plants in her arms, and a cabbage that hadn't woken up for a long time in her pocket.
The surroundings were quiet. After confirming that Qian Hui was asleep, Chili opened her eyes.
It slowly slipped out of Qianhui's arm, startling the soft vines, whose branches swayed.
Chili quickly pressed it down, signaling not to wake Qianhui.
The soft vine was puzzled, but having spent so much time with the chili pepper, it instinctively trusted it and wondered if the pepper was having trouble sleeping and wanted to play a little longer.
Chili touched the leaves of the soft vine, then quietly opened her pocket and touched the sleeping little cabbage.
As for the man-eating flower, it dared not touch it, and quietly retreated, intending to leave.
The carnivorous plant raised its eyelids, then closed them again.
Suddenly, a game notification popped up.
[The green chili pepper's loyalty has dropped to 10%. Please pay close attention to the plant's psychological state.]
Qian Hui was awakened by the notification sound and opened her eyes groggily.
He saw the contents of the prompt, and also saw the silhouette of Chili Pepper under the moonlight.
Qian Hui was slightly taken aback, then suddenly sat up: "...Xiao Jiao?"
Chili stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around.
Its eyes darted around, seemingly afraid to look at Qian Hui, and it kicked at the fallen leaves on the ground.
Qian Hui got up and walked over, then knelt down, hesitatingly asking, "Do you want to leave?"
Chili nodded and let out a soft "woof".
Qian Hui opened her mouth, wanting to ask why, but the words caught in her throat, and she changed her question to: "Then... are you unhappy?"
Chili shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion, seemingly wondering why Qian Hui would ask such a question.
Qian Hui breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I understand."
At least Chili wasn't unhappy when she was around, and if she wanted to leave for somewhere else, he had no reason to stop her.
He thought for a moment, then opened the store and bought a bag of dried meat, a bottle of water, several panaceas, and pills that increase attack skill points.
“Take all of these with you,” Qianhui said, having bought a mini backpack, the kind perfect for small to medium-sized plants. “Be careful not to let other plants steal them.”
Chili was surprised and shook her head to refuse, but Qianhui insisted.
It hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted, and tied the bag of the backpack to its body.
The soft vines nuzzled the chili peppers, reluctant to let go.
Chili packed her backpack, let out a soft "whoosh," waved to Qian Hui, and turned to leave without hesitation.
Qianhui watched it run faster and faster until it disappeared into the dark woods.
He waited there for a while, and when he confirmed that Chili was really gone, he looked disappointed and got up to go back to his sleeping place.
But in reality, the chili peppers didn't go very far.
It ran a distance, then quietly turned back.
Chili took off her backpack, hid behind a tree for a while, and couldn't help but peek at Qianhui.
Qian Hui lay down again, but she was not sleepy at all.
He sat up again and bent down to arrange the leaves of the soft vine.
Footsteps approached slowly, and Nan Tingjin came to stand in front of Qian Hui.
“If you don’t want it to leave,” Nan Tingjin said calmly, “you can just bring it back.”
Qian Hui looked up and glared at him: "Don't you dare grab Xiao Jiao..."
In the dim light of night, he kicked Nan Tingjin again to show his displeasure.
Nan Tingjin didn't care and bent down to squat.
"What's wrong now?" he asked in a low voice. "Do you want me to hug you?"
Qian Hui looked at him, her eyelashes trembling.
So he misunderstood; did Nan Tingjin come to comfort him?
Qian Hui hadn't fully accepted Little Mushroom's death, and then Chili left too. He was in a really bad mood all day.
Qian Hui hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved closer: "...Yes."
Nan Tingjin reached out his hand, and he immediately snuggled into the other's arms.
Qian Hui closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and pressed her cheek against Nan Tingjin's neck, feeling his body temperature.
After a long while, he looked up and couldn't help but ask, "Do you remember anything from the past?"
Nan Tingjin did not answer, and after a long while he spoke in a low voice: "Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else."
Qian Hui's current appearance is a mystery; we don't know her origins or what she has experienced in the past.
Nan Tingjin has no memory of the time before the apocalypse. The two may indeed have known each other, or Qian Hui's perception may be flawed.
Or perhaps, Nan Tingjin is just like the person he's looking for, nothing more.
Qian Hui, however, said firmly, "No, that won't happen."
He moved closer, gently twitching his nose to inhale Nan Tingjin's scent.
From the side of her face to her collar and even the strands of hair, Qian Hui checked again and emphasized once more, "I'm not mistaken!"
"Is that so?" Nan Tingjin lowered his eyes and gazed at him. "You like me?"
Qian Hui was taken aback, not expecting him to ask that question.
He nodded: "I like it."
Nan Tingjin then asked, "What do you like about me?"
Qian Hui froze again, and hesitated before saying, "You...you're good-looking, and you're very good to me..."
Nan Tingjin smiled, raised his hand, and pinched Qian Hui's cheek and chin.
The force binding her was not light; Qian Hui was forced to tilt her head back, feeling Nan Tingjin's breath and hearing him ask in a deep voice, "Do you understand me?"
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