Chapter 28
Yun Chuan Base does not study mutated plants; this advanced alien plant was most likely brought back to Sky Base.
They have a good relationship with Sky Base and often help them out, including with tasks such as capturing alien plants.
Or rather, the vast majority of bases have a good relationship with the sky bases.
Wen Jue's precognitive abilities are too unique, and he never uses them to satisfy his own selfish desires. Instead, at the beginning of the apocalypse, he helped other bases overcome several crises in succession.
Gradually, his status in the major bases rose higher and higher, almost becoming a prophet or a guide.
Many base leaders, when faced with difficulties or uncertainties, choose to seek his help, even if they don't get a definite answer.
Blackridge Mountain Base is unique in that it only recruits people with superpowers. Its overall combat strength ranks first, and its style of doing things is different from other bases. It seems that it does not need Wen Jue's superpower assistance.
The iron cage containing the exotic plant was sturdy and wouldn't break easily, but the subordinate still took out a new tranquilizer dart and inserted it through the small hole at the top.
He carried the iron cage as he and another companion went to the car behind.
This advanced exotic plant is mostly aggressive, and the aura it releases when it is angry or uneasy is very strong.
Fortunately, the plants in the backpack were all trying to conceal themselves, and the energy captured by the detection instrument was in a delicate balance, so the camouflage potion could be temporarily not used.
Hearing the commotion from the iron cage, Qian Hui glanced sideways and unconsciously tightened her grip on Nan Tingjin's hand.
Qi Yue quickly adjusted the back seat and stepped back, saying, "Please, both of you."
The modified car was quite tall, and Qian Hui, who had difficulty seeing, was helped up by Nan Tingjin.
Once on the bus, he groped his way to a seat, took off his backpack, and held it in his arms.
Nan Tingjin was right beside him. The car door closed, and after a moment, it slowly turned around and headed towards the Black Ridge Mountain base.
Qi Yue was the only one in the front seat. He focused on driving and didn't say anything more.
The car window was slightly ajar, and the faint smell of fuel lingered, making Qian Hui feel somewhat uncomfortable.
He quietly lowered his head, clutching a section of the backpack strap.
With that advanced alien plant around, we can save on camouflage potion; we can use it when we arrive at the base entrance, which will be much safer.
Once it's captured and sent to a human base... who knows what it will encounter next.
Inside the backpack, the sunflower emitted a faint glow, and the plants seemed to be communicating quietly.
Carrot clenched the medicine bottle in his hand. These despicable humans! They're still relentlessly capturing alien plants.
Potato was so angry that he started making bombs, wishing he could blow up all three cars immediately.
The chili peppers and the carnivorous plant remained silent, while the corn vigorously clenched its fists into the air.
Beat them up! Beat them up! Snatch that superior alien plant!
The mimosa plant was also in the backpack, and it was now pressed tightly against the back of the carnivorous plant's head, moving nervously.
The plants were restless, and someone gently bumped into her backpack. Qianhui quickly pretended to straighten her clothes.
Qi Yue, who was in front, remained unmoved and probably didn't notice.
The sunlight from the sunflower shone through the gap in the zipper and touched Qian Hui's fingertips, conveying his emotions as well.
Qianhui reassured the plants, telling them not to worry and that she would think of a solution.
Now that he'd run into them, he couldn't just sit idly by.
But how can we rescue that advanced alien plant?
Qian Hui thought that she could wait until Qi Yue delivered them to the Black Ridge Mountain base, and then have the Plant Team secretly follow them on their way back to the base in the modified vehicle, looking for an opportunity to attack them along the way.
There are three modified vehicles in total. The number of human superhumans can be estimated, so there shouldn't be any problem.
However, this would separate Qianhui from the plants, which might cause more trouble later.
Qianhui was a little worried, but couldn't think of a better solution for the time being.
He turned his head: "Xiao Jin."
The modified car swayed slightly, but Qian Hui ignored it, groping her way closer to Nan Tingjin and calling out softly again, "Xiao Jin..."
Nan Tingjin responded softly and took his hand.
"I..." Qian Hui stammered, afraid that Qi Yue in front of her would hear her, so she simply took Nan Tingjin's hand and slowly wrote words in his palm.
"When we get to the door, please wait a moment."
He needed time to let the plants in his backpack slip out and hide. At least a few of the strong fighters had to go, and the carnivorous plants could come into the base with them.
Worried that Nan Tingjin might not understand, Qian Hui added, "It will be over soon, I think."
As she wrote further, Qian Hui became increasingly hesitant, unsure whether to tell Nan Tingjin about her plans.
Nan Tingjin promised to take him to find a top-grade exotic plant, referring to the one from Black Ridge Mountain, not any other plants.
He is, after all, human, and only humans are his companions. Perhaps he doesn't want the alien plant captured by this team to be released.
Just as Qianhui hesitated, the modified vehicle arrived at the entrance of the Blackridge Mountain base.
The guards on duty recognized the base markings on the modified vehicle and came to ask what was going on, only to be caught off guard by Nan Tingjin in the back seat.
"The...the leader!?" The guard was both shocked and overjoyed, and immediately used his real-time communicator to notify everyone, "The leader is back!"
The heavy iron gate opened, and the modified vehicle continued forward, traveling a considerable distance before finally arriving at the inner gate of the base.
A group of subordinates who had received the news were already waiting at the door when they saw Nan Tingjin get out of the car.
He appeared completely unharmed, as if he weren't the one who had been kidnapped by several exotic plants and disappeared for several days.
Just as several subordinates were about to step forward to greet him, they saw Nan Tingjin turn around and help someone out of the car.
It was a boy, rather thin and frail, carrying a large backpack with him.
His hair color was unusual, his eyes were covered by a strip of cloth as if he had an eye disease, and his pale skin seemed bloodless.
Even so, it's clear that the boy is exceptionally handsome.
Who is this...?
I've never seen this before.
The fact that Nan Tingjin was so close to him was particularly unusual.
Since becoming leader, or even before that, Nan Tingjin has always been alone, cold and aloof as if he had abandoned all emotions, and has never had any contact with anyone.
Everyone was filled with doubt and suspicion, staring intently at Qian Hui.
Nan Tingjin supported Qian Hui, his displeased gaze sweeping over her, containing a hint of warning and hostility.
Everyone immediately looked away, not daring to look any longer.
Qian Hui, however, had no time to pay attention to others; she was still preoccupied with the mutated plant in the iron cage.
According to the plan, he was supposed to put the plants out of his backpack at the first door, but there turned out to be a second door inside.
The modified car stopped for too short a time for him to react.
Now that we're inside the Blackridge Mountain base, with so many people around, there's no way to open my backpack.
Qian Hui looked worried and furrowed her delicate eyebrows.
At this moment, Nan Tingjin approached.
He bent down slightly and whispered in Qian Hui's ear, "Want some exotic plants?"
Qian Hui was taken aback, but then her hope was rekindled.
He quickly nodded slightly: "Yes."
Qi Yue saw the two off and was about to lead the team back.
He tactfully waited for Nan Tingjin and Qian Hui to finish their conversation before stepping forward to say goodbye.
“Captain Qi,” Nan Tingjin looked at him and said first, “Why don’t you leave tomorrow morning? I have something that I need your help to take to the Sky Base.”
Qi Yue was surprised, but immediately agreed: "Okay, thank you, Chief Nan."
They had been working hard for several days on this trip to capture the exotic plants, and they still had to travel back tonight.
It would be great to be able to stay overnight at the Black Ridge Mountain base, especially since Nan Tingjin personally invited him to stay, so he couldn't refuse.
Upon hearing this, his subordinates immediately went to arrange rooms, while Qi Yue instructed his team to drive the car to the back and park it properly.
Qianhui quietly observed and heard that the iron cage on the car had also been taken out.
Before entering the outer gate, Qi Yue explained the source of the energy in the vehicle. He then personally carried the iron cage and followed Nan Tingjin into the inner gate.
Once you get through the inner door, they'll hardly probe inside anymore, so you can save on the disguise potion for now.
Carrot was still clutching the medicine bottle in his backpack, just in case.
Qian Hui couldn't see, and was being led slowly by Nan Tingjin, while feeling many probing gazes directed at her.
With Nan Tingjin by his side, these human superhumans restrained their thoughts, cautiously observing him and looking away as soon as their eyes met.
Before coming here, Chili had secretly told Qianhui that the humans at the Black Ridge Mountain base were not to be trifled with, and were particularly fierce, so he must not let his guard down.
Qian Hui was indeed very nervous, but the current situation seemed to be better than he had expected.
Apart from a few occasional calls of "Leader" along the way, there was little conversation and the atmosphere was relatively peaceful.
As Qi Yue and his team were led to the prepared guest rooms, a subordinate stepped forward and hesitantly asked, "Boss, should this person also be arranged..."
Nan Tingjin said, "No need for now."
This means that Qianhui will go to his room first.
The subordinates retreated in response, and Nan Tingjin led Qian Hui forward, turning several corners, and the surroundings became increasingly quiet.
Upon arriving at the low building where the leader resided, Nan Tingjin immediately picked up Qian Hui, carried him over a large flight of steps, and then led him further inside.
The low building had two intact floors. The lower floor contained the council hall and living room, while the upper floor contained the bedrooms. When they reached the stairs, Qianhui was carried up again.
He put his arm around Nan Tingjin's neck and whispered, "Actually, I can walk by myself..."
It will definitely be slower. Qianhui practiced walking blindfolded, but she had never tried going up stairs.
Nan Tingjin remained silent, and Qian Hui quietly asked again, "Is anyone else here?"
A moment later, he was put down, and Nan Tingjin replied, "No."
Qian Hui carefully pulled the strip of cloth aside a little, and sure enough, only he and Nan Tingjin remained.
He took off the strip of cloth, looked around curiously, and was then led into a room.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, the backpack zipper was opened from the inside, and several plants that had been holding back all the way poked their heads out.
The carrot was the bravest, jumping off the ground and looking around, followed closely by the corn and the pepper.
Qian Hui told them to be careful, and asked Nan Tingjin, "Where did that locked-up plant go?"
Nan Tingjin pointed in a direction outside the window: "Go along the path, next to the tallest building."
That area is usually used for storing miscellaneous items, and there are two or three empty rooms left. This is the only place that can be used as a guest room.
The carrot jumped onto the windowsill, cautiously peered out, and roughly noted the route.
Seeing that it seemed eager to go immediately, Nan Tingjin said again, "Not now, wait until it gets dark."
The path has no streetlights, making it easier to hide.
Carrot gave a reluctant reply and returned to Qianhui's side.
Qianhui put her backpack on the coffee table, and the plants discussed how to steal the exotic plants from the cage.
We still need to bring camouflage potion as a backup. Corn remembers that Qianhui can buy that kind of spray that makes people fall asleep, just like the time we stole the mimosa. It should be very easy.
But actually, the most crucial thing is to rescue the plants. They are not familiar with that advanced exotic plant, and if they don't cooperate, it would be bad if they caused any trouble.
Corn waved his fist, indicating that there was no need to worry and that if things got really bad, he could just knock him out.
Qian Hui didn't participate in the plants' discussion. He walked around the room, reaching out to touch the coffee table and curtains.
This was the first time he had ever seen a place where humans lived normally, unlike in the plant garden where the rooms were used to store things and people had to sleep under the trees in the backyard.
Qianhui had been inside Nantingjin's stone hut in the forest a few times before, but the space inside was very small and quite different from this place.
The window offered a clear view outside, and occasionally a few human figures would pass by in the distance. Qianhui, fearing being discovered, quickly moved away from the window and did not linger for long.
Then he approached Nan Tingjin and said, "Thank you."
If Nan Tingjin hadn't allowed Qi Yue to stay, that high-level exotic plant probably wouldn't have been able to be rescued.
Qian Hui's eyes sparkled, and she couldn't help but reach out and hug Nan Tingjin.
Nan Tingjin glanced at the plants on the coffee table, then reached out to stroke Qian Hui's hair: "Are you hungry? I'll have someone bring dinner over."
It was almost 7 p.m., and the sky outside was gradually getting dark.
Qian Hui had never eaten human "dinner" before, and upon hearing this, she became even more curious and nodded: "Mm."
A communicator was placed on a low cabinet by the wall. Nan Tingjin contacted his subordinates, and just over ten minutes later, a whole box of food was delivered.
Qianhui put the bandage back on and sat down at the table, where the backpack on the coffee table sat quietly.
Two people came to deliver dinner, and after setting the plates, one of them hadn't left yet.
He stood by the door with his arms crossed and asked, "Chief, what exactly happened that night in the safe zone?"
His name is Yuan Ji. He is one of the main captains of the base. He has strong overall superpowers and holds a relatively high position. Compared to most of his other subordinates, he was more relaxed when talking to Nan Tingjin.
Nan Tingjin sat next to Qian Hui, as if he hadn't heard anything.
He was serving food to Qian Hui, and thoughtfully included a spoon in the tableware he brought. Qian Hui slowly scooped up a spoonful of rice, waited for Nan Tingjin to put the food on it, and then ate it in one bite.
He carefully tasted it, but perhaps because he wasn't human, it didn't taste very good.
With even more curiosity, Qianhui took a few more bites.
Yuan Ji stood at the door and saw everything Nan Tingjin did.
He tried to hold back, but couldn't: "Chief..."
Nan Tingjin raised his eyes indifferently before answering the previous question: "It's nothing. After leaving the safe zone, those alien plants gradually escaped."
This was similar to what the people at the base had initially guessed. Given Nan Tingjin's strength, it was impossible for him to be easily controlled by a few mutated plants.
Even with that supposedly very special chili pepper present, the charged attack cannot be sustained for long.
They just couldn't understand why Nan Tingjin had disappeared for so long if he was alright.
But now it seems... we may have found the reason.
Yuanji looked at Qianhui and was still very surprised, even though he had heard about her before coming.
He almost thought that Nan Tingjin had been possessed, that a different person was inside the body, but he dared not say it aloud.
Was it kidnapped by a mutated plant, went out for a trip, and then changed its nature?
Yuan Ji smiled and tentatively asked, "And this gentleman is...?"
Qian Hui quickly put down her spoon and looked up at the doorway: "Hello, my name is Qian Hui."
He was a little nervous, and Nan Tingjin said for him, "His special ability is in his eyes, which makes it inconvenient for him to see."
The Black Ridge Mountain base only houses people with superpowers. Since Qian Hui was brought in, regardless of her relationship with Nan Tingjin, she must also be a person with superpowers.
"An eye-related ability?" Yuan Ji became interested. "What is it? Is it very powerful?"
Qian Hui was trying to think of a good answer when she heard Nan Tingjin say, "I encountered a horde of zombies outside."
Nan Tingjin leaned back in his chair, lowered his eyes, and continued, "He saved me."
His expression was indifferent, and his tone was as if he were discussing the weather during the day.
Qian Hui gasped softly, burying her head and not daring to utter a sound.
Yuan Ji twitched the corner of his mouth, not believing a single word.
But no matter how impossible this statement may seem, the fact that Nan Tingjin was willing to take the time to appease him is enough to prove Qian Hui's importance, and no one else should have any doubts about it.
Yuan Ji nodded: "Okay, I understand."
He took his leave from Nan Tingjin, turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Hearing footsteps coming downstairs, Qian Hui breathed a sigh of relief.
He took off the strip of cloth, looked at Nan Tingjin, and hesitated to speak.
At that moment, several plants darted out of the backpack and jumped onto the table.
Carrot sniffed the food on the plate, wanting to reach out and take a piece to taste, but Qianhui stopped her.
He then stopped the corn that was about to bite into the corn and whispered, "This is someone else's house, you can't do that."
Qianhui stopped them from moving around, picked up her spoon, and fed them one by one.
Potato squatted in front of a plate of potato chips, deep in thought, then pointed and said he wanted to eat this.
Dinner was specially prepared for two people, and the portions were quite generous. Qian Hui fed the plants while Nan Tingjin ate some as well.
There are two other rooms next door: a study for storing belongings and a bathroom.
Qianhui saw something she had never seen before: a water tap.
He lay in front of the sink, playing with the water for a while, then, worried about wasting it, quickly turned it off.
Meanwhile, the plants outside conspired to steal some high-level exotic plants.
The vegetables that wanted to go were carrots, corn, peppers, and potatoes; little bamboo shoots also raised their hands.
To avoid spending too much time searching, they also brought along mimosa plants.
Qianhui bought a bottle of the same sleeping spray as last time, along with a disguise potion. After confirming the plan, Carrot led the team to set off.
The camouflage solution is still on standby; if unfortunately discovered, it can at least be used to hide from detection by instruments.
Under the cover of night, several plants climbed one by one onto the windowsill.
Qian Hui was very anxious and repeatedly urged, "Be careful and come back as soon as possible."
Corn gave a no-questions-asked gesture and was the last to jump to the ground.
The surroundings were quiet and deserted, and no one would have suspected that mutated plants had infiltrated the base.
The team made their way smoothly along the path to the guest room, and found a window guided by the mimosa.
Yumi leaned closer and looked inside. The room was dark, and there was a person lying on the bed.
In order to capture the advanced alien plants, all of them hadn't slept for three days, and went to bed early after dinner.
Chili peppers used the same trick again, quietly opening the window and reaching in to put the spray in.
It should be Captain Qi Yue inside, the strongest one. Just to be on the safe side, Chili sprayed the whole bottle of spray again.
When the time was almost up, several plants crawled inside.
The iron cage containing the plant was placed on the table, and the key to unlock it was also nearby.
Potato acted swiftly, using the key to open the cage door and peering inside.
It greeted us softly, "Huh?"
The holes above the cage were too small, and not much of the previous spray got in.
In the pitch-black shadows, a pair of eyes slowly opened, emitting a low, menacing growl.
It certainly doesn't sound very honest... The corn pushed the potato aside, ready to punch the plant inside, and quickly packed it up and took it away.
Just as it raised its fist, a round object suddenly rolled out of the cage and crashed straight into it.
The corn quickly dodged, and the round object rolled off the table and landed on the floor.
Chili quickly jumped down and examined the plant in front of her.
It is very plump and round, and it looks like it is wrapped in some kind of tin foil. Only the leaves, limbs and eyes are exposed, so you can't tell the variety.
Carrot also came over to take a look, worried that the things wrapped around the plant were some kind of shackles that would cause it pain and discomfort, so it reached out, grabbed it, and tore it off forcefully.
With a "whoosh," a faint, peculiar smell wafted out.
The carrot sniffed and sneezed.
Just then, feeling the restraints on its body lighten, the advanced alien plant opened its eyes wide and twisted its body.
It stared at the plants with a wary look in its eyes, and once again let out an angry, threatening growl, intending to attack.
Just as Corn was about to punch it, the advanced alien plant suddenly jumped out of the foil wrapping, revealing its body full of sharp spikes, and attacked Corn.
This is... a durian!
Corn was caught off guard and was pricked several times. He clutched his chest and backed away.
The chili pepper tried to get closer, but got pricked.
The durian wasn't very big; it curled up its limbs and rolled back and forth on the ground, indiscriminately attacking the plants around it.
Even the carrot got pricked, and it tried to explain by making two "woofing" sounds, but the durian was in a frenzied state and wouldn't listen at all.
The bamboo shoot's outer shell is quite hard, so it doesn't hurt much when pricked. It tried to stop the durian with a bamboo knife, but still failed.
The plants couldn't really fight it, so they stood in a stalemate around the durian for a while.
The potato gritted its teeth, wanting to kick it hard, but seeing the sharp spikes rolling towards it, it quickly ran away.
Seeing that the commotion was getting bigger and bigger, and that the sleeping spray was almost gone, Carrot anxiously took out a disguise potion in case he was discovered by other humans.
It unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and wanted to turn into a man-eating plant.
The carnivorous plant has thick skin and isn't afraid of being pricked!
However, as the durian rolled towards him, Carrot's mind was filled with nothing but durian...
Two seconds later, with a "poof," the carrot disappeared, replaced by another durian.
Durian was stunned when it saw durian number two.
It stopped attacking, leaned closer to sniff carefully, and its eyes gradually became clear.
—
On the other side, Qianhui waited anxiously, and finally saw the plants return.
A group of plants moved stealthily, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and instead of climbing walls or windows, they took the stairs.
When Qian Hui opened the door, she was stunned for a moment.
Chili peppers, potatoes, corn, and bamboo shoots are all there, as is the mimosa, quietly clinging to the chili pepper head.
The carrots were gone, leaving only two yellow durians.
The two durians are nestled together, but upon closer inspection, one is actually pressed against the other.
Durian No. 2 stood there blankly, sighed, and patted the durian beside it reassuringly before taking it into the house.
Qianhui almost thought that Carrot hadn't returned. After Sunflower asked, she learned that Durian No. 2 was actually Carrot in disguise.
Potato vividly described the marks on his body to Qianhui, showing him the marks left by the thorns, and he seemed quite excited.
Durians are probably more tolerant of plants of the same species. As soon as it saw the carrot that turned into a durian, it immediately became docile, and it was easy to take it away later.
Chili carefully inspected the room and restored the iron cage to its original state.
Durian calmed down and finally realized that they wanted to rescue it. It even peeled off an identical shell, wrapped it in tin foil, and put it back into the iron cage.
There will be residual scent on the outer shell, so as long as it is quiet inside the iron cage, Qi Yue will not allow his team members to give the durian anesthesia.
When they return to base, they will find that the durian has already escaped.
Durian is a high-grade exotic plant, and it has a very stable control over the body's scent, so it won't accidentally release its smell.
In short, the operation went very smoothly.
Qianhui praised each of the plants, but Durian was still wary of him, hiding behind Durian No. 2 and refusing to come closer.
And it seems to trust only Durian No. 2, remaining wary of other plants.
Its condition is also very poor, and it urgently needs rest.
Qianhui bought some food and pills and gave them to Durian No. 2 to temporarily take care of.
Durian No. 2 received the item, led Durian to the study next door, gave it its medicine, and told it to stay in a quiet place for a while.
Several plants curiously followed and peeked through the crack in the door.
Qianhui was also watching secretly and saw that Durian had eaten food and pills under the comforting care of Durian No. 2, and closed her eyes to prepare for sleep.
He was finally relieved and turned back to his bedroom.
Nan Tingjin stood by the door and took Qian Hui's hand: "Happy now?"
Qian Hui nodded: "Mm!"
Rescuing this advanced exotic plant went more smoothly than expected; it would be even better if we could keep it by our side.
By working hard to increase the loyalty of Durian and Mimosa, you will be one step closer to completing the mission.
Nan Tingjin smiled and pulled Qian Hui into his arms, then lowered his head to kiss her cheek.
Compared to their previous kiss outside the base, his kiss was noticeably stronger, and Qian Hui instinctively flinched.
"What are you afraid of?" Nan Tingjin seemed to sense his slight fear and whispered, "Am I not your boyfriend?"
Qian Hui's eyelashes trembled, and she whispered, "Yes..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
