Chapter 19
Qian Hui froze: "W-what..."
He understood what Yu Mi meant; he guessed that because they had stolen the mimosa so easily last time, they wanted to do the same thing again this time.
Corn didn't understand the relationship between Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin. In its eyes, Nan Tingjin was no different from a handbag; it could just steal him if it wanted him.
Besides, with the addition of carrots, the team now has two top-tier mutated plants. They can go anywhere with impunity.
Yumi gestured a few more times to indicate that she would also help, as long as Qianhui nodded.
The chili peppers and carnivorous plants remained silent, and the other offensive plants seemed to have no objections.
“No, no,” Qian Hui shook her head, “It’s too dangerous, and besides… Xiao Jin seems to be someone else’s leader.”
Infiltrating the safe zone and kidnapping a leader... that's not really appropriate...
Carrot tugged at Qianhui's sleeve, her eyes showing disapproval.
Does that mean Qian Hui wouldn't be in danger if she sneaked in? If Qian Hui wanted to see Nan Tingjin, the quickest way would be to just kidnap her.
And what about the leader? The leader is the one who's been tied up!
It would be best to let those humans see the power of plants and not think they are easy to bully!
Qian Hui still hesitated: "Let me think about it some more... I'll rest tonight."
He knew in his heart that even if he used a disguise potion to sneak in a second time, he would only have two hours left.
From the entrance to the inner circle to the tree at the bend, the distance is not short.
If the security zone really increases patrols, anyone who approaches Qian Hui with a detection device will be detected.
However, upon learning that six years had passed before she awoke, Qian Hui's longing for Nan Tingjin intensified.
He was eager to know what Nan Tingjin had experienced in the past six years and how he had forgotten the past.
Although Qian Hui was unwilling to admit it, Nan Tingjin had changed a lot since the time he was in the plant courtyard.
He stared blankly for a while, trying to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and then looked down to check the wounds on the carrot.
Its injuries weren't serious. After taking a lot of pills, it was almost fully recovered, and its energy and strength quickly returned.
It was quiet outside the cabbage shell, so the surroundings should be safe. Qianhui fed the plants some more food and water and then prepared to go to sleep.
He took out a small plastic basin and a towel he had bought from the mall, and then poured in two bottles of water.
After Qianhui washed his face first, the plants lined up one by one, asking him to help wipe their leaves and bodies.
Seeing this, the carrot also joined the queue and squeezed in front of the carnivorous plant.
It was injured that night, so the man-eating flower didn't bother with it and silently retreated.
Carrot had only recently met Qian Hui, and with the little mushroom potentially reviving, he was so excited he couldn't calm down and couldn't sleep.
It wandered around inside the cabbage shell, occasionally getting close to examine the unfamiliar faces like chili cabbage, before bothering the sleepy carnivorous plant.
The carnivorous plant grumbled in dissatisfaction, and the carrot reached out to pinch the sharp thorns on its head, when suddenly it felt a chill on the back of its neck.
Qianhui grabbed it and held it in her arms.
The carrot instantly became docile, its black bean eyes still shining.
The mini cabbage lamp inside the shell cast a soft, dim light. Qianhui wasn't asleep either. She patted the top of the carrot's head and whispered, "Carrot, do you know where the cabbages are?"
Previously, Qianhui's closest friends included cabbage, sunflower, red pepper, peas, nuts...
Moreover, the silhouettes in the illustrations look familiar. If I'm not mistaken, the plants that came out of the plant garden all seem to be top-grade exotic plants.
The carrot shook its head, offering no silent reply.
Unlike humans, plants do not have various methods of communication and are not willing to seek out companions or exchange information.
Unlike other zombies, there is no special class relationship among them, where lower-level zombies will instinctively follow higher-level zombies.
Mutant plants never have the idea of unity or cooperation, and no one has ever taught them these things.
The plants in the courtyard seem to know each other; those that get along well might become companions, like the carnivorous plant and the small mushroom.
But the world is too big, and blindly searching for companions is too difficult. Plants don't have much of this idea, and they feel that living alone is more convenient.
Qianhui lowered her thick eyelashes, hiding the disappointment in her eyes.
“Okay…” he said to himself, trying to comfort himself, “It’s okay, we’ll find it eventually.”
Carrot nodded and nuzzled Qianhui's hair.
It finally quieted down, closed its eyes, buried its head, and fell asleep quickly.
Qian Hui was still wide awake, checking information in the game.
When the carrot was found, just like with the carnivorous plant, the game popped up a notification that a bond had been formed and the loyalty level had quickly reached 100%, rewarding the player with 20,000 coins.
With the addition of carrots and the potatoes previously taken from the forest, the plant team's estimated combat power soars to 6000, and their faction value reaches 1200.
Compared to the initial combat power of 5,000, 6,000 is an incredible leap forward...
However, a line of small print appeared below the combat power value, which read, "There is a significant disparity in the level and strength of the team members. It is recommended to provide balanced training and multi-faceted development to improve combat synergy."
Qianhui looked at the information in the encyclopedia. Carrots and man-eating plants are the strongest and do not require additional skill points or evolution. Chili potatoes, money trees and corn are intermediate. Mimosa is the only advanced mutated plant. The remaining plants are low-level cabbage and soft vine.
However, the level is only a comprehensive assessment of skills and does not represent true ability. Any plant has the opportunity to maximize its usefulness, such as the small cabbage after its self-evolution.
I haven't been feeding the plants skill points much lately.
Qianhui checked the loyalty ratings again. Excluding carrots and man-eating flowers, chili vine cabbage was about to reach 100%, money tree 60%, potato 40%, corn 30%, and mimosa 30%.
Although a few have loyalty rates below 50%, they are all quite obedient and well-behaved. As long as they are kept by my side, it's only a matter of time before their loyalty increases.
Even more surprisingly, Qianhui also discovered that the loyalty of two or three unfamiliar plants in the encyclopedia had increased slightly.
Those were the animals he used to feed when he was still in the forest; they probably missed him after Qianhui left.
Qian Hui glanced at her balance again: 39,458.
If it weren't for needing to save money to buy resurrection beans... he could squander so much money for a long time.
But the plant team has been with him and helped him a lot along the way, so he can't just focus on one side.
The team's strength continued to improve, making it easier to deal with any situation and allowing them to find other plants more quickly.
So Qianhui did some calculations and bought a lot of skill points and two bottles of evolution water early the next morning.
He had it all planned out: potatoes and corn for attack, money trees and mimosa for defense... he wanted a share of everything.
The two bottles of evolution water were given to Chili and Soft Vine, who had followed Thousand Fennel the longest and had the highest loyalty.
The remaining cabbages have already successfully evolved on their own and no longer need this.
Qianhui distributed the skill point pills, and Potato and Money Tree ate them directly. Corn sniffed them and ate them too.
Chili peppers, still curiously examining the small bottle filled with green liquid, were immediately greeted by a game notification as the soft vine on the other side finished drinking from the liquid with its leaves.
[The Soft Vine is about to develop a new advanced skill; please keep an eye on its progress!]
"[Soft Vine] Advanced Skill Updated!"
After drinking the evolution water, the speed was hundreds of times faster than autonomous evolution, with only two seconds between the two messages.
The soft vine trembled slightly, and the color of its leaves became a little lighter.
Qianhui opened the encyclopedia, and a new "Hard Armor" skill appeared in its advanced skill bar.
Sensing the change in its body, the soft vine swayed its branches, and a small section of its leaves suddenly flashed with a cold light.
Potato carefully touched it; it was hard, like a razor blade.
Then, Chili also drank the evaporation water and scratched the back of his neck.
My body feels a little itchy, and it's a bit prickly and uncomfortable...
The chili pepper twisted and turned, and when the strange feeling completely disappeared, it turned around and found that everyone was looking at it.
Chili let out a puzzled "woof," and suddenly realized that the view in front of her seemed to have risen a little higher.
It touched the top of its head, then looked down and slowly opened its eyes wide.
Chili was originally rather thin and small, barely reaching the height of Qianhui's arm.
Now it has not only grown taller, but also become much "fatter". Its green shell color is more intense, and its tail is slightly curved. It has turned from a small chili pepper into a large chili pepper.
The Pokédex shows that its evolved advanced skill is called "Exploding Chili Seed Ball," which explodes and attacks multiple targets simultaneously with a 95% hit rate.
Chili, however, paid no attention to her new skill and used the water bottle as a mirror to admire herself for a long time, very satisfied with her new appearance.
Corn watched with envy, secretly touching the chili pepper's tail before running over to stick close to Qian Hui and helping him organize his backpack.
After using up all skill points and evolution water, the team's combat power increased by another 500, for a total of 6500.
However, Qian Hui did not yet have a concrete understanding of what a combat power of 6500 meant.
After breakfast, he left the cabbage shell, took all the plants with him and hid them, and prepared to go to the outside of the safe zone again.
The cabbage shell was not far from the safe zone wall. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, the carnivorous plant led Qianhui up half of the abandoned building.
Qian Hui stood on a high place, looking into the distance.
There seem to be several more patrol cars on the outer edge of the safe zone, most likely equipped with detection equipment. The situation on the inner edge is still unknown.
Qian Hui took out the disguise potion from her pocket, looked at it for a while, and then put it away for the time being.
Carrot peeked out from the other pocket and saw what he was doing.
The building is too high up; it's easy to be spotted if you're not careful, so you can't stay there for too long.
Just as Qian Hui was about to go down, the shrunken man-eating flower next to her raised its head and whimpered softly.
Carrot immediately popped out of his pocket and stood by the wall, peering out.
Qian Hui looked in the direction indicated by the carnivorous flower. In the distance, on the other side of the safe zone, figures moved about like flowing liquid, shuttling between the ruins and quickly approaching the safe zone wall.
“That’s…” Qian Hui’s pupils contracted slightly, “a horde of zombies?”
The carrot let out a "whoosh," its eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement.
The zombie king, whose whereabouts have been known for so long, has finally commanded his horde to attack the nearest human base.
That's why it came; it originally wanted a good fight, but...
Carrot looked at Qianhui, obediently waiting for his instructions.
The number of corpses was enormous, densely filling the gaps in the ruins and gradually covering most of the ruins' color.
Qian Hui had never seen so many zombies before. Just as he was in shock, information from the game popped up.
[Hidden quest triggered! Successful completion may reward you with detailed story points.]
[Hidden Mission]: Sneaky approach the zombie camp and see what they're doing (0%)
[Quest Reward]: Prestige Points +10
This mission is almost identical to the previous one that involved approaching the human faction, but one is a side quest and the other is a hidden one.
Looking at the horde of corpses in the distance, Qian Hui hesitated for a moment: "Let's go take a look."
The man-eating flower nodded, its size began to grow, and it leaped off the building carrying Qian Hui.
Ten minutes later, Qianhui quietly approached the horde of corpses.
The horde of zombies appeared on the east side of the safe zone. It included low, medium, and high-level zombies, with the fewest high-level zombies but the fastest advancing. They quickly broke into the outer circle of the safe zone, clearing the way for the zombies behind them.
Human superhumans also discovered the zombie attack and responded immediately.
Qianhui hid in a distant location for the time being, observing from the shadows.
The mission is progressing slowly. Two or three high-level zombies collided with the patrol vehicle and chased after it, trying to overturn it.
Behind the high-level zombie, there were at least a dozen mid-level zombies, but they were still lingering outside and did not directly enter the outer circle, seemingly waiting for orders.
Carrot couldn't resist asking Qianhui if he could go over and fight the zombies.
Qian Hui asked with a stern face, "Is your injury healed?"
The carrot straightened its back, patted its chest, and indicated that it was ready long ago.
Qianhui checked the information in the encyclopedia and found that there was nothing seriously wrong. With the medicine he had given her, Carrot was now almost at its peak.
He was still worried and instructed, "You can only go to the back, and it's best not to be discovered by humans. Come back as soon as possible."
The zombies behind are mostly low-level zombies, so there's not much pressure fighting them. You can sneakily kill some of the high-level zombies and humans in front of you when they're not paying attention.
Qian Hui currently has no intention of helping humans. Humans and zombies belong to the opposing camp, but for every zombie a mutated plant with a loyalty of 70% kills, it receives a bonus.
Carrot knew what was going on and nodded seriously in agreement.
As a result, once Qianhui agreed, Yumi and Lajiao also wanted to go.
Chili pepper has just acquired new skills and a new appearance, and feels that its attack power has increased significantly. It can't wait to find an opportunity to try it out.
Qian Hui looked at the three of them, hesitatingly saying, "Okay... come back soon!"
Then, the three plants excitedly set off together.
They are all small in size, allowing them to move quickly and hide among the ruins, quietly approaching the horde of corpses.
The remaining plants stood guard around Qianhui, who kept an eye on the progress of the hidden quest while looking around anxiously.
Soon, a notification popped up that 1000 yuan had been credited to the account, followed by a second, a third...
From a distance, Qian Hui could see faint ripples on the side of the horde of zombies, but the human ability users' attention was entirely focused on the high-level zombies in the front row, and they couldn't pay attention to anything else.
Seeing her balance gradually increase by 10,000, Qianhui suddenly realized that this method could also make money quickly.
However, it is rare for zombies to gather in such large numbers, and only those who reach the level of a zombie king can amass such a large horde of zombies.
Soon, a high-level zombie ahead seemed to notice something amiss and turned to look.
Then it looked at Qian Hui and let out a few roars.
Qian Hui was startled, thinking that it had discovered her, and hurriedly hid.
Immediately afterwards, a message popped up in front of him.
[Traces of the Zombie King have been discovered, ID 03.]
[A large number of members from the other two factions have been detected around you. Please remain vigilant!]
Qian Hui seemed to sense something and raised her head.
In the distance at the edge of his vision, atop an abandoned high-rise building, a figure could be vaguely seen.
It appeared out of nowhere, and even from a great distance, its unusual physique and elongated head were quite bizarre.
Qian Hui felt inexplicably uneasy, staring intently at the shadow on the high-rise building, while using the combat readiness function to send instructions to Chili and the other two to come back quickly.
When the command was successfully sent, the figure in the distance flickered and disappeared in an instant, as if it had just been Qian Hui's illusion.
But with the shadow gone and the invisible pressure removed, Qian Hui immediately felt much more relaxed.
He turned around and saw several high-level zombies quickly abandoning the human ability users they were fighting and leaving, while the horde of zombies behind them also began to retreat.
The human with superpowers didn't know what had happened and tried to chase after them for a short distance, but the horde of zombies continued to surge forward without hesitation.
Soon after, the three plants returned.
Qianhui checked each person to make sure they were not injured, and quickly left before the humans came to patrol and search the area.
Once back in a safe area, Qianhui poured water and wiped the faces of the three plants. They had been hiding and fighting zombies, and had rolled around in the ruins countless times.
Chili shook her head, picked up a pebble, drew a little person on the ground, looked at Qian Hui, and then shook her head again.
They approached the horde of corpses and were closer to the humans, but they did not see Nantingjin.
Presumably because the attack ended so quickly before it even began, the people at Blackridge Mountain base didn't need to intervene.
Qian Hui touched the chili pepper leaves: "Okay, I understand."
The horde of zombies arrived suddenly and retreated just as suddenly. The hidden plot hadn't been completed yet, and Qianhui wasn't sure if it was related to the zombie king.
He didn't tell the plants the specifics of seeing the Zombie King, only saying that they should be more careful, as the Zombie King might be nearby.
Carrot scratched its head, having a different idea.
It had encountered a zombie king. At this level, zombie kings are not only highly intelligent and cautious, but also very cunning. Once they launch an attack, they are sure to be well-prepared and will not retreat easily.
Either some unexpected situation has occurred, or it's just a feint; the real purpose isn't there.
In short, the horde of zombies is unlikely to return in the short term after this retreat.
Seeing Qian Hui start to stare blankly again, Carrot rested his chin on his hand and watched him for a while before turning around and quietly finding the man-eating flower, muttering to himself.
Then it went to find corn, chili peppers, and potatoes, and even approached the mimosa plant.
Qianhui didn't pay attention, assuming that Carrot was getting to know a new friend.
With the horde of zombies retreating, patrols outside the safe zone have been increased, and efforts are being made to clear away any traces of the zombie invasion. It is no longer convenient to disguise oneself and go there in the short term.
It was night again, and Qianhui went to bed early.
The mini cabbage lamp went out completely, and in the darkness, Carrot sneaked out of bed.
Without making a sound, it pushed open the cabbage leaf door and slipped out.
The carrots didn't go far; they waited outside the cabbage husks for a while. Then the chili peppers and carnivorous plants emerged, along with potatoes, corn, and soft vines...
Finally, there was the mimosa plant, which had grown slightly larger and stood quietly on the rock.
Under the cover of night, a group of plants secretly huddled together behind Qian Hui's back. Carrot took a twig and gestured, telling the other plants about his detailed plan.
In the middle of the night, Carrot planned to kidnap Nan Tingjin and surprise Qian Hui!
Of course, it can't do it all by itself, so it needs the help of other plants.
Seeing that the other plants were really going to go with the carrots, the carnivorous plant was a little worried and wanted to try to persuade them again.
But Carrot was determined that if it failed, they should pretend it never happened and no one should tell anyone.
Moreover, it felt that its plan was much simpler than Qianhui personally infiltrating the safe zone.
The carnivorous plant glanced at the group of plants and nodded reluctantly.
However, it did not intend to go. Firstly, it had to stay by Qian Hui's side to protect her, and secondly, its size limited it, and it could not exert its strength unless it grew larger.
So, after quickly reaching an agreement, Carrot, with a mimosa plant on its head and soft vines wrapped around its neck, set off with corn and chili potatoes.
They quickly reached the outside of the safe zone. Looking at the high wall, Carrot directed Potato to the other side and pulled out a sharp spike.
When he heard the explosion from the potato side, the carrot waited a while longer, estimating that the time was about right, and then threw the spikes into the air.
It leaped up and grabbed the thorns tightly, the chili pepper followed closely behind, grabbing the carrot's feet, and the corn grabbed the chili pepper's tail.
Inside the walled compound, when the patrolling and guarding humans were drawn to investigate by the sound of the explosion, Potato had already quietly run away and didn't even see the colorful shadow flying across the dark night sky.
Having flown into the safe zone, the mimosa slid onto the carrot's face and raised its leaves to guide it.
The carrot carefully controlled its thorns and flew further away.
Its plan, though seemingly reckless, is actually very well-thought-out.
Potato was responsible for luring the humans away from the wall, while Mimosa could smell the lingering scent of Nan Tingjin on Qian Hui.
The chili pepper's ability is the most important; once they are discovered, the chili pepper needs to unleash a charged attack to escape.
The vines can be used to tie people up, and as for the corn... since it was its initial suggestion, and it's quite capable and clever, the carrots were also brought along.
It has also analyzed that last night humans witnessed two top-tier alien plants leaving, and the horde of corpses mysteriously retreated during the day.
Nighttime is when zombies hide and hibernate, and humans will definitely let their guard down at this time.
Meanwhile, lights were on in the courtyard where temporary accommodations were being provided at the Black Ridge Mountain base.
Several subordinates came out of the courtyard and walked outside.
"Are you sure the horde won't come back?" someone asked their companion. "Does that mean the assignment is over and we can go back tomorrow?"
“Right,” his companion replied, “the message relayed by Sky Base immediately cannot be wrong.”
The old man surnamed Wen at the Sky Base possesses an extremely special ability: precognition.
His predictions of the future have never deviated from the expected path, and he often uses his powers to assist other bases.
This is why Sky Base was established rapidly at the beginning of the apocalypse, becoming the leading one of the three major bases.
As they chatted, another person asked Nan Tingjin, "Isn't the chief going tonight?"
"No... You're the one who came recently, right? Don't ask me questions like that again."
This time, multiple bases jointly prepared a comfort station for them, which was originally scheduled to open after successfully repelling the horde of zombies, but it was opened ahead of schedule.
Humans possessing supernatural abilities is already beyond the realm of common sense, and they cannot be compared to undead beings like zombies.
Once a person uses their superpowers to a certain limit, they are prone to entering a state of disorientation, becoming deeply immersed in their superpowers in different ways.
There was once a person with fire-based superpowers who burned himself to death when he got lost.
The consolation center was created for this reason. It offers various ways to comfort people with superpowers, such as providing medication, psychological counseling, or other ways to please themselves.
Taking medication is the most convenient option, but many people worry about potential side effects, so other methods shouldn't be abandoned.
All those with superpowers need comfort, but Nan Tingjin is an exception.
Or perhaps he simply doesn't like those methods.
As the group walked away, a shadow flew in from high above, approaching the courtyard.
Confirming that Nan Tingjin's presence was over there, Carrot manipulated the spikes to fall, and the four plants landed silently.
They cautiously looked around, found no one else, and quietly sneaked into the yard.
Inside the room, Nan Tingjin opened his eyes.
The detection equipment on the table in front of them was shaking violently.
Soon, a sharp radish thorn pierced through the door and hurtled straight toward Nan Tingjin.
The spikes moved with lightning speed, stopping abruptly just one centimeter from Nan Tingjin's brow.
Carrot and Corn then kicked open the door and rushed forward. Carrot leaped onto the table and pointed another thorn at Nan Tingjin's neck.
At the same time, the soft vines quickly approached, their branches binding Nantingjin together, while the corn watched intently from the side.
With a "thud," the spike fell to the ground, and Nan Tingjin did not resist.
Then, a slightly familiar-looking green chili pepper jumped up and wrote the words "Follow me" on the table.
In case Nan Tingjin didn't recognize her, Chili also wrote the character "茴" (huí), which is the way to write "千茴" (qiān huí).
Nan Tingjin's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Where is he?"
Carrot pointed to the door, signaling him to hurry up and come with him.
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside.
A subordinate needed to see Nan Tingjin. He quickly arrived at the door and looked up, only to be startled to see several mutated plants.
Before he could react, a large, hooked chili pepper spat out a chili seed at him, along with a clump of corn kernels.
The chili seeds, sizzling with heat, burned his skin instantly upon impact, while the corn kernels, heavier than a block of iron dozens of times their volume, knocked him unconscious.
Shortly afterward, Nam Ting-jin went out alone and took a modified car with him.
He was the leader of the Blackridge Mountain base, and even without prior discussion, no one dared to stop him from going wherever he wanted, nor did anyone investigate him.
Unbeknownst to anyone, several plants were hiding inside the car, with a thin vine wrapped around the neck of the Nan Tingjin plant, its leaves sharp and gleaming.
—
Just as dawn was breaking, Qianhui was woken up by Xiaobaocai.
Little Cabbage seemed very nervous, reaching out to push Qian Hui's shoulder and then pointing outside.
Qian Hui sat up groggily and noticed a game notification from the middle of the night, which he had missed while asleep.
[You seem to have done something extraordinary, causing a huge impact on the human faction.]
Not only was there a hint, but there was also a reward of 100 prestige points.
Qianhui was confused and puzzled, then she discovered that the cabbage shell was empty; the man-eating flower, carrots, and peppers were all gone.
He frowned slightly, pushed open the door, and called out, "Little Purple? Radish?"
After walking around to the back of the cabbage shell, Qian Hui suddenly saw a familiar figure and froze in shock.
Nan Tingjin stood not far away, guarded by several plants.
He remained silent and looked up at me.
Qian Hui almost thought she was hallucinating. She rubbed her eyes and slowly walked forward, wanting to confirm that Nan Tingjin was real.
As Qian Hui approached, Nan Tingjin's dark eyes gazed at him, and he spoke softly, "You missed me a lot?"
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