Chapter 16
Several modified vehicles from the Black Ridge Mountain base quickly drove away, and the intersection returned to normal.
Qian Hui also went inside, and taking advantage of the guards' inattention, she quickly left alone.
He had no idea which direction the White Bird Base was in; it wouldn't be good if he were exposed.
Moreover, the disguise potion only lasts for two hours, and he can't afford to waste time.
Qianhui stood at the crossroads, looking around.
Those cars had long since vanished without a trace, and it was impossible to chase after them now.
There are also road signs at intersections, and the directions are more detailed, with area divisions and the location of each base.
Qianhui opened the game map and noted down some directions and routes according to the road signs.
This information is also partially displayed on the outer edge of the safe zone; it's not a secret. Strangers need to undergo strict identity checks before they can enter a base.
Therefore, the guards stationed at the intersections are only responsible for energy detection, keeping an eye out for zombies or mutated plants coming into the vicinity.
Once inside the inner circle, the security is more relaxed, with at most two or three patrol teams on rotation.
Probably no one could have imagined that Qian Hui would sneak in so openly, carrying a backpack full of mutated plants.
After recording the map, Qianhui walked in the last direction the modified car had disappeared in.
Judging from the words of the human guard earlier, Nan Tingjin must have come here specifically for some reason.
Qian Hui didn't dare to ask any more questions, for fear of revealing her identity.
But now that we've confirmed that Nan Tingjin is here, there's no need to search blindly everywhere.
Qian Hui was also very curious about everything in the human safety zone. She felt like she had never seen anything like it before, and she would even stop to take a look at a perfectly good street lamp.
Compared to the abandoned cities outside, the roads here are wider and more spacious, and everything is very clean. There are no tall buildings, and you can see far into the distance.
The advantage is that you can find a quiet corner, put the cabbage shells there, crawl inside and sleep for a night, and probably won't be discovered.
Qianhui also saw a vegetable garden with a sign and a simple fence around it, which should belong to some base nearby.
There was no one else by the roadside. Qian Hui had never seen a vegetable garden before, so she couldn't help but walk closer to take a look. She squatted down and reached out to touch a small seedling inside.
Plants are undergoing massive mutations, and for ordinary humans without superpowers, every blade of grass and tree outside is becoming dangerous. Fortunately, normally grown fruits and vegetables are still edible.
Qian Hui withdrew her hand and looked down to see a slender leaf hand emerge from the zipper of her backpack and quickly pull away the nearest seedling.
"No!" Qian Hui quickly snatched it back, hurriedly placed it into the small hole that had been torn open, and pressed the soil down. "This belongs to someone else..."
A soft "whoosh" came from the backpack, sounding like corn.
Of the three newly added mutated plants, corn has the lowest loyalty, at only 5%.
However, it is usually quite obedient, and it followed Qian Hui obediently all the way without running around.
Qianhui guessed that the plants were hungry, so she got up and quietly left the vegetable garden, bought some food and stuffed it into her backpack and pockets.
As he continued walking, he encountered three or four people.
The relationships between different bases are not necessarily good, and the people inside don't know each other. The few people they met didn't pay much attention to Qian Hui because he was focused on getting on his way.
Soon, the disguise potion had only half an hour left to run.
Qianhui pulled up her hood and stopped to rest for a while.
The area here is much larger than I imagined...
There are only two doses of the medicine. Once they're used up, that's it. The remaining dose must be kept and not used unless absolutely necessary.
Once his hair and eye color have returned to normal, we must be even more careful.
Fortunately, Qianhui had already gained a general understanding of the environment here after traveling all this way.
He wasn't as nervous as he had been at the beginning; in fact, he felt a sense of excitement at exploring the unknown.
While the potion was still working, Qianhui passed by a small house at a roadside corner.
The small house has two signs hanging next to the door: "Medical" and "Shop," indicating that it can provide services to everyone for a fee.
The door was open, and Qianhui walked quickly past with her head down, when she heard someone talking.
"The people from Blackridge Mountain have arrived?" a voice said. "Contact them for me, anyone will do."
Upon hearing the familiar place name, Qian Hui paused slightly.
At the same time, the chili pepper in his pocket stirred restlessly.
Its eyes were filled with doubt as it resisted the urge to peek out and investigate.
That voice sounds so familiar...
Immediately afterwards, a game notification popped up.
[An undeveloped mutant plant has been discovered, awaiting completion of its encyclopedia entry]
This is the inner circle of the safe zone, so why are there unfamiliar plants here?
Qian Hui frowned slightly, but there were people not far away, so he dared not show anything unusual and kept walking.
Qian Hui, who was passing by, went unnoticed. The shop owner, with his head down, replied, "I'm sorry, we don't offer that service, but if there's a chance, I can ask for you."
Liang Jie sat on a chair by the door, rolled up his sleeves, and asked the shop owner to help him bandage his wound.
His face was grim, but he reluctantly replied, "Okay."
At that moment, the black handbag beside his feet swayed slightly.
Liang Jie looked down; his bag had a small opening, and inside was a mimosa plant kept in a cage.
Sensing Liang Jie's gaze, the mimosa immediately quieted down, as if nothing had happened.
As Liang Jie withdrew his gaze, the mimosa quietly peeked out a tiny leaf, looking at Qian Hui who had already left.
That human... no, the aura was... strong, very familiar.
Liang Jie, unaware of the mimosa's unusual behavior, took out some common currency from his person and paid the shopkeeper.
The wound had been treated with medicine, but his expression remained gloomy.
That night, during the chase for the man-eating flower and chili peppers, an unexpected incident occurred. Liang Jie managed to escape in time, becoming the only survivor in the entire team.
His communicator was lost, and even if it were still there, he wouldn't have the face to contact the base, let alone dare to go back directly.
Despite being absolutely certain of success in this mission, Liang Jie failed so miserably that he couldn't understand it at all.
Even if they misjudged the man-eating flower's recovery speed, Chili was just a hair's breadth away from catching it when so many mutated plants suddenly appeared.
Liang Jie's arm was injured by a corn cob. The skin that came into contact with the corn kernels had to be peeled off by hand, and it was still bleeding for two or three days.
Fortunately, he escaped in time and took the mimosa with him; otherwise, they would not only have suffered heavy losses and returned empty-handed, but they would also have lost a "hunting dog".
After escaping with the mimosa, he encountered a group of kind people outside and was brought here. Because the mimosa was bound with iron rings and kept in a cage, it was brought in successfully.
Once he meets the people at the Blackridge Mountain base, he must ask them what exactly happened the night the man-eating flower escaped, and whether there is anything they are hiding.
No matter how Liang Jie thought about it, something felt off; the whole thing was strange.
First, there was the chili pepper that they searched for days without success, and then the man-eating flower that escaped with serious injuries but quickly recovered.
There are also chili peppers that help the carnivorous plants, and other plants in the forest that hinder them...
He had never heard of these mutated plants being so united before.
On the other side, Qianhui left the corner, and the hut disappeared from sight.
The chili pepper finally couldn't hold back any longer and poked its head out to look behind it.
Qianhui asked it softly, "What's wrong?"
Chili's eyes were somewhat serious. She pointed in the direction of the hut, then pointed to herself.
It made a fierce expression, pounded its chest twice, and then closed its eyes and pretended to be dead.
Perhaps it was because her loyalty had increased that her communication with the plants became smoother. After pondering for a while, Qianhui actually guessed what the chili pepper meant.
"That guy just now," he lowered his voice, "was he a bad guy?"
Chili nodded vigorously, and even lifted up Potato, who was fast asleep beside her, to show that it was the one they had met in the woods that night.
There were too many humans and plants at the time, and then I was busy going back to find Nan Tingjin, so I didn't have time to confirm. That scoundrel leader must have taken the opportunity to escape.
Chili wouldn't forget his voice; it was exactly what he said that made her come out on her own, and that she could eat any crystal core she wanted from now on.
Pooh!
Who cares about a few stinky crystal cores!
Qianhui turned her head and looked in the direction of the cottage.
The carnivorous plant in his backpack stirred, indicating its agreement with his judgment.
The man-eating flower sensed the scent, but fearing that making too much noise would cause trouble for Qian Hui, it held back.
Qian Hui glanced at the remaining time of the disguise potion and temporarily climbed over the nearby wall to hide.
He then asked, "Was there any plant around that human?"
Chili thought for a moment, nodded, and sighed.
There was a mimosa plant that saw it, but it was chained up... How pitiful.
The encyclopedia wasn't lit up, so Qianhui racked her brains and remembered the bag Liang Jie had placed at her feet.
Was it packed in a bag?
It was almost dark, and the night made it easier to hide.
Qianhui had to go and check on the human who had harmed Little Mushroom and was accompanied by another mutated plant.
He quietly returned to the vicinity of the cottage, waited patiently for a while, and saw Liang Jie come out with a backpack and follow the shop owner to the back.
Behind the cabin were two other single-story low buildings with the word "hotel" written on the wall, specifically for people passing through the safe zone or those who wanted to join the base but had not yet been approved to stay temporarily.
Qian Hui watched Liang Jie enter the hotel and stay in a room on the side by the window.
He hid himself to the side and opened the game store to browse.
This is, after all, a place where many human superhumans live. If an accident were to occur, even the plants around them would be in danger.
Qian Hui decided not to kill Liang Jie for the time being, and to find an opportunity to have the man-eating flower do it later. For now, she wanted to see if she could steal the bag containing the strange plant.
He had never done anything like this before, and he was afraid of failing and being discovered.
Qian Hui carefully browsed through the weapon section of the shop, picking and choosing, and finally bought a bottle of Sleep Spray.
The spray is easy to use; it says it works on all living things, including zombies. Although one bottle doesn't contain much, it should be enough to deal with Liang Jie alone.
Qianhui held the spray bottle and waited patiently until it was completely dark.
The shop owner brought dinner to Liang Jie, who seemed very tired, and the lights in the room were turned off early.
Qianhui munched on a biscuit and waited for a long time before seeing the shopkeeper close the door of the shop and leave.
The roadside was quiet and deserted. Qianhui was about to walk over when Chili grabbed her hem.
The chili pepper snatched the spray, patted its chest, and gestured for it to come.
The mutated plants are smaller, making it easier for them to climb through windows and less likely to be noticed.
Seeing this, Corn excitedly came forward and raised its hand to indicate that it wanted to go too.
Qian Hui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright then... You guys be careful."
Chili nodded, took the sprayer, led Corn over the wall, and quickly ran to the other side.
Under the cover of night, the two plants successfully climbed onto the windowsill of Liang Jie's room.
The window was just slightly ajar. Chili pinched her nose, and with her other hand, she reached in and sprayed the spray bottle vigorously until it was completely empty.
It waited cautiously for a while, knocked on the iron bars on the window, and after confirming that there was no movement inside, it pushed open the window and crawled inside.
Corn followed closely behind, looking around as it jumped onto the bed.
Liang Jie was fast asleep and couldn't wake up. Yumi stood next to his pillow and punched his face twice with her fist.
Chili quickly found the bag under the bed and sniffed it.
It quickly called to the corn, and the two plants, carrying the bag, slipped away through the window.
Qianhui waited anxiously by the roadside.
Upon seeing Chili and Corn return with their bags, he immediately got up to greet them, then led them to a more secluded spot.
After confirming that the surrounding area was safe, Qian Hui asked, "Weren't we discovered?"
Chili shook her head confidently and unzipped her handbag.
In an instant, all the plants gathered around, eager to see what kind of plants were hidden inside.
Under the dim moonlight, a mimosa plant huddled in a corner, trembling.
It was kept in a cage with three tiny iron rings on its body, and it was also tied up with an iron chain.
The sensitive plant was clearly not in good condition; many leaves were wilted and looked very frightened.
Qianhui was both angry and heartbroken when she saw this.
He found the switch on the cage, reached out to pick up the mimosa, and tried to soothe it, saying, "Don't be afraid..."
The mimosa plant kept trembling, but dared not resist, burying its head and shrinking back.
The iron rings on its body seemed to be specially made; Qianhui couldn't remove them. The carnivorous flower took a closer look and exhaled.
The iron ring was struck by the airflow and broke into several pieces, falling to the ground.
Sensing that the restraints on her body had completely disappeared, the mimosa froze.
While Qian Hui was examining its old wounds and buying some medicine from the store, she suddenly noticed that the mimosa plant was rapidly shrinking in size.
It was originally as tall as a thousand fennel legs, then it grew to the size of a palm, and then to the size of a fingernail...
Some weeds grew along the wall, and in the blink of an eye, the mimosa plant in front of me disappeared.
Qian Hui was bewildered and shocked: "Where did it go?"
Chili pointed to the tree stump to the side: "Woo."
The mimosa plant has become very small; this must be its hiding form. It is currently hiding behind a tree stump, peeking out timidly.
Qianhui was afraid that it would run away and be discovered, and she was also afraid of scaring it, so she asked the gentlest vine to send some food and medicine over.
At first, the mimosa was too afraid to touch it, but after smelling it and finding it wasn't poisonous, it quickly ate it all while Qianhui was dealing with the bag and the iron cage, and then went back to hiding.
Seeing that it remained timid and fearful, Qianhui did not force it, nor did he allow other plants to approach. Fortunately, the surrounding terrain was quite good, so he temporarily ignored the mimosa, took out a cabbage shell, and placed it at the edge of the open space.
After the cabbage shell grew larger, Qianhui hid inside with all the plants.
Once the outer shell closes, it disappears completely from its original location.
The mimosa plant witnessed this scene, and its leaves probed the air to confirm that Qianhui was still there.
It lay by the tree stump and watched for a long time, then sneaked away but couldn't resist coming back and guarding the base of the cabbage shell.
As night deepened, a patrol team passed by the area but found nothing unusual.
Chili got up once in the middle of the night, opened the leaf door, and saw that the mimosa was still there, so she was completely relieved.
Inside the shell, Qianhui was already asleep.
He lay on his side, using his coat as a pillow, with a bunch of plants sprawling haphazardly in his arms.
—
In a corner of the West District, Carrot was still awake.
It wandered around all day, but failed to find the zombie king mentioned in the human intelligence. It only killed a few mid-level zombies and beat up two or three humans.
The carrot lay flat on a large rock, gazing at the stars in the sky.
Sigh, this is so boring.
The little mushrooms are gone, and I don't know where the other plants went either.
Carrot originally thought the man-eating flower was about to die, but when he encountered it that day, it was still full of energy.
Carrot felt a mix of relief, sadness, and inexplicable anger with nowhere to vent.
It rolled over and got up, staring at the human base in the distance, deciding to find some more fun tomorrow.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
The people at Blackridge Mountain base were also still awake, having just assigned teams and their assigned areas.
Nan Tingjin sat at the very front, stroking the ring on his pinky finger, and said coldly, "Alright, all of you, get out."
The others immediately stood up and left in turn, trying not to make too much noise so as not to displease Nan Tingjin again.
Perhaps because he failed to complete the mission of capturing the man-eating flower, he was visibly in a bad mood ever since he returned, with a sullen face all day long.
After the last person left the room, he gently closed the door, leaving only Nan Tingjin inside.
He lowered his eyes quietly, his whole being like a sculpture, somber and gloomy.
—
The next day, just before the cabbage shells' invisibility period was about to expire, Qianhui found an opportunity to slip out and put away the cabbage shells.
He was still thinking about the mimosa, looking around, when chili peppers pointed out that it was still hiding over the wooden stake.
After a whole night's rest, the mimosa seemed to have grown a little bolder, peeking out half of its leaf tip to examine the fennel.
Qian Hui took a few steps closer and squatted down.
He looked up information about the mimosa plant last night and bought a guidebook while he was at it.
The sensitive plant is a highly mutated plant with exceptional perception and sense of smell. It is gentle, timid, intelligent, and kind, but its combat ability is not high.
Qianhui held a biscuit and a panacea in her hand and slowly handed them over.
He said, "This is a human-inhabited area. It will be very dangerous for you outside... Would you like to come with me?"
Qianhui knew that the mimosa plant could understand and sense her friendly intentions.
He held up his hand and waited patiently until, after a while, a stranger came from a distance.
The mimosa plant suddenly darted to Qian Hui and jumped into his hand.
As the stranger approached, Qianhui pulled up her hood, stood up, and walked while adjusting her clothes.
After returning to a secluded place, Qianhui found that the biscuits and medicine in her hand had been eaten by the mimosa.
The mimosa was still the size of a fingernail, its entire body clinging to his cuff like a tiny embroidered flower.
Qianhui whispered to it, "If you're still hungry, come into my palm."
The mimosa remained still, quietly sensing the scent of the fennel.
On the second day after entering the safe zone, Qianhui continued forward, trying to obtain more information from various road signs and buildings, whether it was about carrots or Nantingjin.
Despite these limited methods, they did yield some results; Qianhui found a safety reminder on a notice board outside a certain base.
It is said that a carrot is wandering on the outskirts of the safe zone. It is suspected to be in a state of extreme agitation and will actively provoke and attack any humans it sees. Moreover, it is of a very high level, and anyone who sees it should try to stay away from it as soon as possible.
Next to the prompt was a picture, drawn with a pen, showing a fierce-looking carrot with a big X drawn on its body.
Qian Hui stared at it for a while, then reached out and touched it.
However, the notice didn't specify the exact location of the carrot, although the previous road signs on the outer ring did mention it was in the West District...
Qianhui opened the map and looked at the markings she had made, wondering where would be the best place to find it.
At that moment, the mimosa on his sleeve stirred, lifting its leaves to examine the portrait of the carrot.
Before leaving, Qianhui noticed the mailbox next to her.
Mailboxes are located at the entrances of several bases. In the post-apocalyptic world, resources are scarce, and not everyone can afford a communicator.
If it's inconvenient to go out but you need to contact a friend or someone else who is elsewhere, you can write a letter to them. As long as you pay a fee, someone will be responsible for delivering it.
Looking at the mailbox, Qian Hui had a sudden thought.
At this rate, he didn't know when he would be able to find Nan Tingjin.
If you write him a letter, tell him you're here first... and maybe you can arrange a time to meet.
Qianhui went to the mailbox, rummaged through the trash can next to it, found a suitable piece of paper, tore off the blank part, found an envelope with nothing on it, and quickly left with it.
Since he didn't have a pen, Chili found a twig and used it to write with mud mixed with water.
The end of the branch was cut very thin, and Qian Hui concentrated on writing the two characters "Xiao Jin".
He sent the letter, but he couldn't receive it himself, so he had to think carefully about the contents of the letter.
Qian Hui thought for a while and wrote down, "I miss you so much."
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