Chapter 14
Nan Tingjin stared at Qian Hui for a while, then said softly, "Okay."
The man-eating flower was waiting for Qian Hui to come back so they could have breakfast together. It gradually grew impatient and came closer to see what the two of them were doing.
Even in its shrunken state, the super-grade mutant plant still has a strong presence, and the man-eating flower's recovery speed is incredibly fast.
It glared at Nan Tingjin, then gently tugged at Qian Hui's sleeve.
A hint of impatience flashed in Nan Tingjin's eyes, and he only let go when Qian Hui reached out and pushed him.
While keeping a wary eye on Nan Tingjin, the man-eating flower hummed and nibbled at Qian Hui's hem.
Qianhui knew it was hungry, so she picked it up and carried it back to the tree.
After he left, the communicator inside Nan Tingjin's coat vibrated slightly.
He opened it and saw that it came from the base.
"Traces of the Zombie King have been discovered in the North District, and three assignments have been received."
The appearance of the Zombie King will inevitably lead a horde of zombies to attack the nearby base.
The Blackridge Mountain base is in a very safe location; the smaller bases in the surrounding area are the real concern.
In recent years, the three bases jointly formulated new rules, stipulating that in times of crisis, all ordinary humans and people with superpowers must not harm their fellow humans or ignore their pleas for help; otherwise, they will be judged and punished in order to maintain the precarious order in the post-apocalyptic world.
In other words, Blackridge Base is required to send personnel to assist unless it lacks the capability.
However, the higher the difficulty of any assignment or bounty, the more commission and resources are given, so they don't lose out.
The zombie king was extremely difficult to deal with, so the base contacted Nan Tingjin immediately, hoping he would return as soon as possible.
After reading the message, the four-person team outside the woods also sent a message to Nan Tingjin, asking for his next instructions.
Should we return to base immediately, or continue hunting the man-eating flower?
Nan Tingjin still did not reply and turned off his communicator.
On the other side, Qianhui divided the food, fed the man-eating flower a few bites, and then went to feed the other plants that had quietly come to the vicinity.
To prevent fighting over food, Qianhui placed the broken biscuits in different locations.
As he approached, some of the bolder plants even poked their heads out.
Among them is the familiar Money Tree, whose loyalty has reached 30%. It is a mild-mannered intermediate plant, mainly for defense.
Qianhui touched its leaves: "Hello."
The money tree is quite clever; ever since it was rejected when it tried to please the man-eating flower, it has figured it out.
While the man-eating flower may seem the most powerful, Qianhui is actually the one in charge.
It accepted Qianhui's offer of food and buried its head in his palm, rubbing against him vigorously.
Suddenly, the money tree raised its head, looked around, rolled up the food, and ran away.
With a soft "thud," a potato fell from the tree, and a wisp of smoke rose from the grass beside Qianhui.
Potato flipped over and skillfully reached out to Qianhui for some food.
"It's you again..." Qianhui remembered that it had stolen her cookie last time, and snorted softly.
He remembered that the guide mentioned potato preference, so he bought a piece of fruit candy from the store.
The store basically has all kinds of food that are easy to store. Qianhui tore open the packaging of the fruit candy a little to let the aroma out.
Potato had never seen this before, so he took it, smelled it curiously, and then licked it.
Its beady black eyes immediately lit up, and it buried its head in the candy, licking it vigorously. It even sat down next to Qian Hui.
Qianhui kept a close eye on Potato's loyalty and saw it jump to 30%.
He was secretly pleased and tried to reach out and touch the top of the potato's head.
So easy to coax.
Potato ignored Qianhui's touch and licked off half of the sugar cube in the blink of an eye.
In the distance, a chili pepper perched on a tree observes from the shadows.
It was too far away to see clearly which plants were around Qianhui, but it could roughly guess.
It must be those shameless people who don't find their own food and come here to freeload, but Qianhui is the most soft-hearted.
Chili thought to herself, "Maybe I should watch a little longer, at least until Little Cabbage wakes up..."
Just then, Chili saw Qianhui stand up and quickly run towards the tree where the backpack was placed.
He squatted down, opened his backpack, and carefully took out a bright green dumpling.
Green Dumpling stretched and unfurled its leaves in Qian Hui's hands.
The chili pepper quickly climbed to the end of the branch and peered out.
So, the cabbage is... really awake?
When the little cabbage woke up, Qianhui received a notification from the game.
"[Mini Cabbage] Advanced Skills Updated!"
Qianhui opened her backpack and saw that Xiaobaocai was indeed awake.
Its size remained unchanged, but the leaves on its outer shell were a bit greener, and it opened its eyes while yawning.
Upon seeing Qian Hui, Xiao Baocai hugged his fingers and rubbed them.
Qianhui touched its slender leaf hand: "How do you feel? You slept for a very, very long time."
The little cabbage tilted its head and thought for a while, then suddenly cried out.
It hopped onto the grass and swayed its body.
Then, the small cabbage shed its outer "cabbage shell".
At first glance, the outer shell looks almost exactly like the main body, except that it has no hands or feet and is empty inside.
The little cabbage picked up its shell and presented it to Qianhui like a treasure.
"What is this..." Qian Hui carefully took it, looked down to examine it closely, and opened the encyclopedia.
[Variety]: Mini Cabbage
[Level]: Basic (Home Assistant)
[Status]: Good
Loyalty: 90%
[Basic Skill]: Stealth (lasts 50 seconds)
[Advanced Skill]: Invisibility (lasts 50 seconds) / Invisible Fortress (lasts 8 hours in safe conditions)
[Berserk Skill]: Unknown
[Preparation Details]: None available.
[Suggested occupation]: Support
[Job Level]: Beginner
[Skill Point Allocation]: Attack 0, Defense 10, Speed 0
The suffix for the "Little Cabbage" level has changed from "Gentle and Cute" to "Home Helper," and the "Assassin" profession has been removed from the recommended list.
The Berserk skill of low- to mid-level plants requires a special opportunity to be triggered. If the loyalty level is very high and it is marked as "unknown," it means it doesn't exist yet.
What does "stealth fortress" mean?
At this moment, the little cabbage came closer and reached out to pat its outer shell.
The cabbage shell then began to grow larger, and its weight continued to increase.
Qianhui could barely hold it, so she put it back on the grass. The shell continued to grow larger, even surpassing the bushes next to it.
Two minutes later, a giant cabbage, about 1.5 meters in diameter, stood still.
Qian Hui was shocked. She circled the cabbage shell twice and reached out to touch it.
The outer shell is very hard to the touch, and it doesn't feel like a plant leaf at all.
Little Cabbage followed at Qian Hui's feet, head held high with great pride.
After the outer shell grew larger, an additional base appeared at the bottom. It patted itself again, and one of the outer shell leaves slowly opened outward, like a door.
The little cabbage crawled inside first, then the "door" closed again, and the entire shell suddenly disappeared from the spot.
Qian Hui froze, not yet able to react, when the outer shell reappeared.
The door opened again, and Xiao Baocai stood at the doorway waving to Qian Hui, urging him to come in quickly.
Qian Hui understood now, this was... a cabbage shell that could make one invisible!
He carefully held onto the "door frame," bent down, and crawled through the entrance.
[“Mini Cabbage” advanced skill activated. Please ensure the fortress is placed in a safe location. Invisibility will be lost if touched or attacked by other creatures.]
The inside of the cabbage husk is very clean, the leaves are in close contact, and the top can be completely covered, with no gaps and no stuffiness.
The leaves are also covered with a thin layer of white down, which feels cool and comfortable to the touch.
There is plenty of space inside, and the bottom is relatively flat, making it perfectly adequate for a person to sleep and rest.
Qianhui touched and looked around, while the little cabbage rolled around beside her, and then spat out a cabbage that was a little bigger than a finger from her mouth.
The cabbage finger fell to the bottom and immediately emitted light, turning into a cabbage lamp.
Qianhui picked up the cabbage lamp and examined it with great interest.
He scooped the small cabbage into his arms and exclaimed sincerely, "That's amazing!"
Before this, most people could not have imagined that a low-level mutated plant with very limited strength could evolve such a peculiar ability.
Little Cabbage smiled shyly, climbed onto Qian Hui's shoulder, and hugged his hair tightly.
Qianhui felt sorry for it having been asleep for so long, so she bought another 20 defense skill points and fed them all to it.
The soft vines and carnivorous plants are also inside the cabbage shell. A section of the soft vine detaches itself, ties a cabbage lamp to it, and hangs it on the leaves.
The carnivorous plant stared at the small cabbage with curious eyes.
At this moment, the little cabbage was surprised to find that there was a mutated plant with a very powerful aura next to it.
It lost its balance and fell off Qian Hui, rolling right next to the man-eating flower.
The little cabbage remained motionless, pretending to be dead. The carnivorous plant lowered its head and touched it with its leaves.
Qian Hui picked them both up together: "Xiao Zi is my old friend, don't be afraid."
Meanwhile, the chili peppers peeking from the trees in the distance were getting increasingly anxious.
It didn't know what happened; it seemed that the small cabbage turned into a large cabbage, and then into a giant cabbage... and finally disappeared with Qianhui.
Chili almost went over to check it out, but when she saw Nan Tingjin nearby, she held back.
Anyway, little cabbage is bound to become even more amazing.
Chili sighed silently and looked at the backpack hanging on the tree.
It seems it really should leave.
Qian Hui lay inside the shell for a while, then pushed open the leaf door and saw Nan Tingjin standing not far in front of her.
Qian Hui asked excitedly, "Do you want to come in?"
Nan Tingjin glanced at the wary man-eating flower and the timid little cabbage hiding under Qian Hui's clothes, and said in a low voice, "No need."
So Qianhui sat at the "doorway" and played the game for a long time.
Now, it seems he finally understands how the game works and the changes it can bring.
Qian Hui wished she could make all the plants around her evolve immediately. If the plants became stronger, the strength of the faction would increase, and they would no longer have to fear being captured by humans and zombies.
But there were too many plants in the forest, and Qianhui was not familiar with them.
Furthermore, the game states that feeding skill points only has a 30% chance of evolving a new skill; to reach 100%, you need to buy evolution potions.
Qianhui opened the store and saw that a bottle of Evolution Water cost 3000 balance.
Qianhui could afford to buy it, but she hadn't decided who it would be for and didn't have a concrete plan.
In addition, he needs to save up enough resurrection beans and can't buy things recklessly.
After struggling with the decision for a while, Qian Hui gave up for the time being and decided to make plans later.
Most importantly, he can't just spend the balance without earning anything. If he can't find carrots or other plants for a while, he needs to complete tasks as soon as possible.
Qianhui emerged from the cabbage shell, which suddenly shrank, pausing the usage time.
He put the small cabbage and its shell into his pocket and went to stand before Nan Tingjin.
"I'm going today," Qian Hui's eyes gleamed, "to find zombies and kill them. Will you come with me?"
He had a delicate and pretty face, with clear and innocent red eyes, as if he were saying that he was going to go outside to bask in the sun today.
Nan Tingjin paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."
He took a step closer and asked again, "Have you thought it through?"
"What……"
Qian Hui was stunned for a moment, then realized that he meant she should go to the human base with him.
He answered honestly, "Not yet."
In Qian Hui's imagination, Nan Tingjin has a new "stone hut" and she wants to invite him to live there with her.
Qianhui asked curiously, "Where is your...base?"
Nan Tingjin raised his hand and pointed in a direction.
Qian Hui looked in that direction and silently marked it on the map: "I'll think about it some more and tell you later."
Nan Tingjin then asked, "When?"
Qian Hui hummed in response: "Tonight...?"
He thought he should first check how many zombies were in the woods, how long it would take to complete the next main quest, and then go to the place where the carrot last appeared.
If things go smoothly, we might be able to go in a few days, or we can discuss it with Nam Ting Jin and reschedule.
Qian Hui also had her own thoughts. Nan Tingjin didn't get an answer, so perhaps she would continue to stay with him.
Qian Hui secretly observed Nan Tingjin's expression and tried to take his hand: "Is it okay?"
Nan Tingjin lowered his eyes and looked over, patiently saying, "Alright."
So the two set off together.
Qianhui walked ahead, carrying the carnivorous plant, with soft vines hanging from her body and small cabbages in her pockets.
Nan Tingjin remained a few steps behind him.
Chili watched them leave from afar, her feelings growing increasingly complicated.
It sighed, picked up its small backpack, took one last look at Qian Hui's retreating figure, and turned to leave.
It's almost noon now, the time when plants go out to bask in the sun and hunt zombies.
Chili peppers are a new plant that has just arrived. As it moves forward, it encounters many mutated plants that try to steal its backpack.
It showed no fear, baring its teeth fiercely, and quickly ran away protecting its backpack.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sunlight became less glaring, and the pace of the chili peppers gradually slowed down.
It doesn't actually know where it's going. Logically, the humans who want to catch it shouldn't give up so quickly; they should hide as far away as possible.
Chili pepper climbed the nearest tree, peered around, and tried to find its way.
At that moment, it vaguely sensed something unusual.
The chili pepper sniffed the air, jumped off the branch, and quietly moved closer in one direction.
A moment later, a group of familiar-looking humans appeared at the edge of their line of sight, led by Liang Jie.
Oh no! They've found us!
Chili instinctively turned and ran, but stopped after a few steps.
There are many mutated plants in the forest. It is being very cautious along the way. As long as it is fast enough, it will most likely be able to leave them behind.
But... this group of people will most likely also be catching man-eating plants.
If I'm not mistaken, it was they who harmed Qianhui's friends.
The man-eating plant is of the highest grade, with a strong aura emanating from it; if it were found...
These humans must have come prepared. Chili is unsure how much the man-eating flower has recovered, and Nan Tingjin is another uncertain factor.
No, it can't just leave like this; it has to find a way to help.
Chili quickly made a decision, retreating further away to ensure she wouldn't be discovered, while keeping a close eye on the movements of those opposite her.
—
On the other side, Qianhui found five mid-level zombies.
These zombies all act alone, and when they encounter the man-eating plant, they have no chance to fight back.
But the man-eating flower was reluctant to act, worried that if it bit a zombie, Qianhui would stop holding it.
So it pretended to be sleepy, and waited for Nan Tingjin to use his superpower to control the zombie and make it fall to the ground, and then Qian Hui killed it with a dagger.
Qian Hui dug out the crystal core of each zombie, cleaned it, and fed it to Ruan Teng and Xiao Baocai.
At that moment, he remembered the chili peppers that had left.
I don't know where it went...
Qianhui opened the encyclopedia, which showed that the chili pepper was in good condition, proving that it was currently safe.
That's good... it should be even happier now.
Qianhui stood up, ready to go further ahead, when the carnivorous plant in her arms suddenly raised its head and began sniffing around.
Qian Hui asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"
The carnivorous plant drew a carrot shape with its leaves and pointed forward.
"Is it a carrot?" Qian Hui exclaimed in surprise. "Is it nearby too?"
The carnivorous plant nodded, jumped off the ground, and chased after the direction of the scent.
Qianhui hurriedly followed, but even though the man-eating flower had deliberately chosen an easier path, Qianhui's speed was still far from enough.
Seeing its breath fading, the man-eating flower desperately grew much larger, standing up to be about the height of a tree.
It allowed Qianhui to sit in the thickest part behind his head, enabling him to travel through the woods.
Qian Hui climbed up and sat down, subconsciously turning her head, wanting Nan Tingjin to join her.
However, the man-eating flower made a soft "woofing" sound, clearly expressing its dissatisfaction.
Qian Hui had no choice but to give up. He got off the man-eating flower and ran to Nan Tingjin.
Qian Hui took his hand: "Wait for me here, okay?"
Nan Tingjin remained silent, his gaze sweeping towards the carnivorous plant.
Qian Hui noticed that he was unhappy again, so she hurriedly kissed him on the cheek: "I will come back when it gets dark."
He will come back even if he doesn't find the carrot.
Nan Tingjin then replied, "Alright."
The man-eating flower urged them on from behind, and Qian Hui hugged him again before rushing over.
He climbed back up the back of the carnivorous plant's neck and gripped a sharp thorn on its head.
Once Qianhui was securely seated, the carnivorous plant suddenly swung its stem and darted out.
At the same time, the mimosa plant sensed the increased aura and raised its leaves to rush forward.
Upon seeing this, Liang Jie immediately turned on his communicator and contacted his subordinates outside the woods: "We have a direction."
He assured Wen Jue that he had completed the mission and made ample preparations.
There was another group of people outside the woods, more than enough, equipped with two modified vehicles, who could take a shortcut from the outside of the woods if necessary to deal with unexpected situations.
His subordinates immediately took action, while Liang Jie gripped the communicator, his brow furrowed.
The mimosa plant suddenly found its direction, most likely because the carnivorous plant had deliberately appeared somewhere.
Wasn't it seriously injured? How could it have recovered so quickly...?
The idea was immediately rejected by Liang Jie.
That's impossible. Even if the man-eating flower appears, it will be at its last gasp and won't last more than half an hour.
—
Following the scent of carrots, the carnivorous plant continued its pursuit.
Twice, just when I thought I was about to catch up, the carrot seemed to recognize me and ran even faster...
The carnivorous plant was very angry. Although it had indeed had some unpleasantness with the carrot the last time they met, because the carrot blamed it for the little mushroom's death.
It wasn't convenient for it to grow larger in the woods, so it chased after the others with all its might until it reached the edge of the forest.
Outside were city ruins, with a relatively empty street.
The carnivorous plant carefully discerned its direction and quickened its pace, traveling a short distance.
However, the scent grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.
The carnivorous plant stopped and exhaled heavily.
Qianhui noticed its low spirits and reached out to touch it: "It's okay, we'll find it... Let's go back first."
The carnivorous plant shook its leaves, then turned back.
About ten minutes later, just as it was about to reach the edge of the forest, the carnivorous plant stopped again.
It stared in one direction, caught a whiff of something, and then gently placed Qian Hui on the ground, its size rapidly shrinking.
Qianhui picked it up: "What's wrong?"
The man-eating flower pointed to the side, letting out low growls, its eyes filled with resentment and fierceness.
"A human?" Qian Hui instantly realized upon seeing its appearance. "It's Little Mushroom..."
In the distance, two modified vehicles drove along the edge of the woods.
Upon reaching a certain point ahead, the instrument readings on the vehicle suddenly spiked, indicating the presence of residual traces of a top-tier mutated plant in the vicinity.
The team immediately took precautions, stopped their vehicle at the intersection, and got out to search carefully.
The streets were relatively empty, with few places to hide. Amidst the ruins, a blurry shadow flashed by.
"Over there!" The figure tried to escape towards the woods, and the group quickly gave chase.
Seeing that the man's behavior was suspicious, the captain raised his hand and unleashed two wind blades.
Just as the wind blade was about to strike the figure, a thin vine emerged from his sleeve, wrapped around the nearest abandoned street lamp, and pulled it to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
However, this caused a slight delay, and the other team members quickly stepped forward and surrounded the figure.
The captain stopped and sized up the person in front of him: "Who is this? Where are your companions?"
Qian Hui's silver hair was covered by the hood of her oversized coat, her face was almost completely hidden in the darkness, and there was a gray backpack behind her.
He remained silent, and the captain was about to lose his patience when he noticed that the pointer on the instrument in his hand had reached its maximum.
This means they were very close to the carnivorous plant.
The captain looked at Qian Hui again, staring at his backpack: "What's inside?"
With no cover to hide in, he suspected that the people in front of him had gotten there first and hidden the carnivorous plant they were looking for.
Qian Hui took a half step back. In the captain's eyes, this action was a sign of guilt, and he guessed correctly.
His expression was hostile, and he slightly raised his palm: "Hand over the man-eating flower, it's ours—"
At this moment, Qian Hui raised her head slightly, revealing a pair of red eyes.
The captain saw it clearly and was astonished, so he immediately took a step back.
At the same time, the backpack behind Qian Hui moved slightly, and a hole was gently opened.
In the darkness, a shadow fell to the ground, its shape rapidly expanding like a dark cloud.
In the distance to the side, an orange carrot was hiding, peeking out furtively.
Meanwhile, inside the woods.
Chili peppers, having been spotted, hid behind a tree.
Several superhumans surrounded the area. Liang Jie stepped forward and said, "Come out. If you behave yourself, you'll suffer less."
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