Chapter 37
This branch of the Sky Base was built in a relatively remote, low-risk area, surrounded by unrecovered urban ruins. Few other humans approached it, and even zombies avoided it.
After lying down for a while, Cabbage got up and searched around the neighborhood. She managed to find two or three wild berries growing in the cracks between the rocks. They were no bigger than her little finger and tasted very sour.
It ate with its eyes closed, then returned to its original spot and lay down again.
Superior-grade exotic plants are incredibly powerful; they can go without food for one or two months without any problems. However, cabbages themselves are not very resistant to hunger.
Gazing at the cotton candy-like white clouds on the horizon, Cabbage wondered when she would leave.
Let's wait two more days... no, let's wait another day and a half.
The mutated plants were born after the apocalypse and generally didn't have much of a desire to help their kind. The cabbage wasn't familiar with those plants either.
But since it had stumbled upon it, it couldn't pretend it didn't know. Last month, it even helped a winter melon fight off a zombie that was trying to ambush it.
But later, the winter melon was very grateful to it and wanted to follow it, but was ruthlessly rejected by the cabbage.
It still prefers to be alone and doesn't want any companions around. After confirming that the winter melon was safe, it quickly slipped away.
This time, I'll just say I did my best.
Remembering the pitiful state of the two plants when they were captured, Cabbage sighed again.
The plants it recognizes... shouldn't be in such a terrible state, right?
Meanwhile, at the base in the distance.
No one dared to relax, and they checked the base inside and out again to confirm that only Cabbage had broken in.
Aside from several people being injured and some surrounding buildings being damaged in the fight, there were no other losses.
It came for some unknown reason, but probably found there were too many people inside and there was no absolute chance of winning, so it quickly left.
Normally, it's common for human superhumans to clash with alien plants outside, but it's extremely rare for them to directly attack the base.
The branch base leader immediately sent a message to the main base, reporting the situation and inquiring about the next steps and whether defenses needed to be strengthened.
The main base received the message and then relayed it to Wen Jue.
Wen Jue was still at the Black Ridge Mountain base and had not returned. He had taken a lot of medicine and was trying his best to keep himself from falling into a state of confusion.
He took the communicator from his subordinate and pondered, "Another top-tier exotic plant..."
The man-eating plant had only escaped not long ago, and even if it knew the coordinates of the base branch, it wouldn't be able to get there so quickly.
Therefore, this exotic plant was not with them.
Wen Jue slowly closed his eyes and sat motionless in the chair.
His subordinates knew this was his state when he used his supernatural abilities, and quietly retreated.
After a long while, Wen Jue opened his eyes.
“It hasn’t left; it’s hiding in the southeast,” he said. “Don’t disturb it yet; try to capture it alive.”
The subordinate quickly replied, "I will inform them immediately."
Since it's offered to us, there's no reason to let this opportunity slip by.
However, in the scene Wen Jue foresaw, the top-grade exotic plant was found, and the base sent people to quietly surround it. What happened after that was not visible.
Wen Jue pressed his brow, his face showing deep fatigue.
He's been too tired these past few days, which should affect his ability to use his powers.
The carnivorous plant has disappeared without a trace, and no other heterotrophic plants have been found to be cooperating with it. Logically, no accidents should occur.
unless……
Wen Jue glanced sideways and saw a portrait beside him, which was Qian Hui's.
Several bases had never seen Qianhui before, and in the years following the apocalypse, previous records were even less available.
But since he couldn't predict the future or see any useful information, Wenjue had an intuition.
The mutated plants suddenly began to cooperate and team up, all because of Thousand Fennel.
His special ability... must also be very important.
In short, although many people were lost during this trip, there were still some gains.
Wen Jue was even very curious about just how far a team composed of alien plants could go.
Unfortunately, they infiltrated the base to kill people. Whatever their purpose, they must be dealt with as soon as possible to prevent them from posing a greater threat.
Images of Qianhui and several exotic plants were sent to various bases this morning, including the giant nut.
Anyone who discovers their whereabouts must report it immediately. The primary objective is to capture Qianhui alive. Other alien plants can be killed on the spot if necessary.
This is a task assigned by Skybase to all bases; even just providing clues is very rewarding.
As for Nan Tingjin, the Black Ridge Mountain base insisted that he was kidnapped by the alien plants, and he was not added to the list of appointees until there was concrete evidence, but this was only temporary.
On the table, next to Qian Hui's portrait, there was a small red device.
This is exactly what Zhao Xing used before, intending to target Nan Tingjin. Judging from the situation at that time, it should have been effective.
The bloodstains on the device have been cleaned off and are ready to be taken back to base to make more.
—
Qianhui woke up too early in the morning and sat inside the mouth of the man-eating flower, yawning one after another.
He was so tired that he wanted to take a nap.
Nuts grew a bit bigger, intending to use it as a pillow for Qianhui, but although it was warm, it was a bit too hard. In the end, Qianhui used it as a body pillow and slept against her backpack.
In the past, when he wanted to rest, he would go to Nan Tingjin's side, and Nan Tingjin would hold him.
Today, however, the two were far apart; to be precise, Qian Hui deliberately kept her distance from Nan Tingjin.
Carrot looked at the two of them and recalled the scene before they set off.
Did they really have a fight?
Carrot looked around and began to estimate the probability of the team successfully beating up Nantingjin by joining forces.
That's how it used to be in the plant courtyard; there was nothing that couldn't be resolved with a fight.
If so, then let's have another fight.
However, I have important matters to attend to now and cannot afford to waste time on the road.
In a corner, Qianhui was holding the big nut in her arms, seemingly already asleep.
In the dim light, Nan Tingjin gazed quietly.
After a while, he got up and came to Qian Hui's side.
The surrounding plants, accustomed to the two's closeness, readily gave up their space.
Nan Tingjin gently picked up Qian Hui and let him lean against his chest.
Startled, Qian Hui opened her eyes groggily.
Upon realizing that it was Nan Tingjin in front of him, he instinctively moved closer, hugged the other tightly, and continued sleeping.
Carrot secretly observed this and was somewhat relieved.
The carnivorous plant kept moving forward, and one of the leaves of the mimosa plant grew to its largest size, guiding the way while trying to detect the outside world and choose the best route for the carnivorous plant.
Suddenly, the leaves of the mimosa plant shook violently, indicating that there was movement ahead.
The carnivorous plant sensed something amiss, stopped what it was doing, and looked around.
In order to reach their destination as quickly as possible and rescue the mimosa's friend, the plants originally decided to speed up their journey and avoid everything they encountered.
But it seems there's only one road in this area, and going around it would take even more time...
Upon learning of the situation, Carrot glanced at the sleeping Qian Hui and did not wake him.
It popped its mouth out with the durian in its mouth, intending to go and see what was going on.
So the man-eating flower lowered its head and hid behind a high wall that had not yet collapsed, waiting for the time being.
The carrot plucked out a radish thorn and glided into the sky, while the durian held onto its feet and hung below.
After flying forward for a while, the two plants landed on the ruins high up and observed from the shadows.
Carrot took a closer look and realized that it was a human squad being attacked by several zombies.
The team was probably out transporting supplies. There were three modified cargo trucks parked by the roadside, one of which had a broken wheel and was lying on its side.
The six or seven humans in the team put up a fierce fight, but they also needed to protect the supplies. There was one high-level zombie on the other side, and the remaining five or six were all mid-level.
Advanced zombies possess fire-based abilities and are extremely powerful in combat. Their entire skin is burning, and the flames they spew can reach a distance of two meters.
Having roughly understood the situation, Carrot first took the durian and returned the way he came.
Returning to the carnivorous plant, it told the other plants everything it had seen.
Furthermore, the human team is clearly at a disadvantage and will likely be surrounded and killed by zombies soon.
As for the markings on those human clothing, Carrot had never seen them before, so they definitely weren't from Sky Base.
They could ignore the unfamiliar human superhumans, and the plants, who didn't have much affection for humans anyway, discussed whether to wait until the zombies left before continuing their journey.
If they go straight in, the three sides will face each other head-on, and the best outcome would be to eliminate both the human team and the zombies.
Several plants huddled together and started talking. Nut opened its eyes, wanting to listen too.
As soon as it moved, Qianhui woke up.
Finding himself in Nan Tingjin's arms, he was momentarily stunned, then realized that the man-eating flower had stopped.
Qian Hui pushed Nan Tingjin away, looking up in confusion: "Where are we?"
Seeing that he was awake, Carrot came over and used the sunflower's rays to tell him what had happened and ask for his opinion.
“A team of zombies and humans,” Qian Hui frowned her delicate eyebrows, “If it’s not a good time to take a detour, then…”
Killing zombies will earn you a reward, so those few zombies definitely need to be dealt with.
The other human team... according to Carrot, isn't from Sky Base.
Qian Hui had very little contact with other humans. Apart from Yuan Ji, a subordinate of Nan Tingjin, she only spoke a few words with a guard when she first secretly infiltrated Security Zone 5.
The same applies to plants. Without any enmity between them, these humans are not their companions, and there is no question of them hating or loathing them.
However, Carrot also said that the team was probably responsible for transporting supplies, as some flour and cloth fell out of the overturned vehicle.
Qian Hui thought for a moment and quickly made a decision: "Kill the zombies first, ignore the human team for now."
This is tantamount to indirectly helping the human team.
However, Qian Hui felt that there was no need to exterminate those human superhumans at the moment. If they tried to attack, then they would make other plans.
Moreover, the delivery of supplies may also be related to a hidden mission involving zombies.
Carrot nodded and rubbed against Qian Hui's hand.
It knew that Qianhui was kind and soft-hearted, and that was precisely why the plants liked him and followed him.
Then, Carrot waved his hand, signaling everyone to set off.
The carnivorous plants and some non-fighting plants remained, guarding Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin.
Nuts wasn't originally needed, and Carrot didn't even plan to bring the money tree or sunflowers, intending to make things quick.
But Nuts jumped closer and looked at him silently, clearly wanting to come along.
Carrot scratched his head: "Ooh!"
OK!
Once everything was ready, Carrot led the plant team and quickly headed to their destination.
When they arrived, the human team was indeed on the verge of collapse.
There was only one person in the team with defensive abilities. He quickly swallowed a few pills, and the defensive shield he cast was quickly shattered by the zombies.
The advanced zombies breathed flames at us, and two or three people couldn't dodge in time and their bodies burst into flames.
The captain, who was standing nearby, heard the screams but had no time to pay attention.
Sweat rolled down his forehead, and his injured arm bled profusely.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will all die here today...
Initially, only a few mid-level zombies appeared, attempting to steal the supplies they were transporting in their vehicle.
If they had abandoned the car and fled directly, they might have had a chance of survival. However, they made the wrong judgment, thinking they could take care of a few mid-level zombies.
What they didn't expect was that behind the intermediate-level zombie was an advanced-level zombie with fire-based abilities.
They're all trapped here now, and it's too late to escape...
At this moment, a gust of hot wind suddenly blew through the narrow street.
The ground trembled slightly, as if a large horde of beasts was about to surge in.
The attention of several zombies was distracted and they turned their heads.
They sensed danger in the air, and before they could react, a giant nut, as tall as a two-story building, rolled toward them.
The advanced zombie roared and retreated from the middle of the road in time with the other zombies.
The human team was on the outermost edge. The nuts rolled by without crushing anyone, and the wind from their shells extinguished the flames on the humans.
It stopped and then suddenly stood up.
At the same time, a bunch of plants fell from the sky above.
There are potatoes, corn, peppers... as well as durian and a bamboo shoot, all strung together, with a carrot on top.
The powerful breath of the special alien plant hit the zombies, and they realized something was wrong and wanted to turn around and escape.
However, the plants were faster. After standing firmly on Nut's head, they launched a large number of long-range attacks.
The advanced zombie roared angrily, but the flames in its mouth had no killing power against the giant nut.
To prevent them from escaping, the bamboo shoots and durians split into two groups and blocked the rear side.
In the blink of an eye, three intermediate zombies fell to the ground one after another.
Taking advantage of the gap, the human team retreated to the back of the modified vehicle.
Finding that the plants only attacked zombies, they quickly bandaged their companions and took the medicine they carried with them.
One person was the most seriously injured, with his legs burned by flames, making it difficult for him to walk.
He urged his companions, "You guys go first, don't worry about the stuff in the car."
But apart from him, everyone else was also injured, and without a modified car, the group couldn't escape very far.
To drive the car away, you need to go around to the side of the giant nut.
Just as the captain was hesitating, the plants' amazing fighting power killed all the zombies.
Nut lay down again and rolled away with a "gurgling" sound.
A team member peeked out and saw the mutated plants gathered together. A carrot threw a carrot thorn into the air and jumped up to catch it.
The rest of the plants followed closely behind. The durian grabbed the carrot, and the corn grabbed the durian...
A large green pepper hurriedly dug out the crystal cores of all the zombies, landed on the last one, and grabbed the little bamboo shoot's feet.
They flew away in a chain just as they came.
Everyone witnessed this scene, expecting to be attacked by the mutated plants, but unexpectedly...
“These plants,” the captain frowned, “don’t they look familiar?”
They hid behind the car and did not dare to act rashly. Not long after, a huge figure appeared at the end of the street.
The figure moved swiftly, passing by the modified car without even glancing at them.
One of the team members exclaimed in a low voice, "It's a man-eating plant!"
The carnivorous plant's distinctive appearance reminded them of it.
Not long ago, everyone received a message containing descriptions of the shapes of several mutated plants; detailed images would only be available upon returning to the base.
The captain opened the message and compared it with the plants he had just seen.
"Carrots, corn, durian..."
——It fits perfectly.
So, they encountered the plant team mentioned in the mission.
They were all injured and, with their current strength, couldn't even track the plant team, but they could provide the coordinates of the plant team's appearance and earn a commission.
The team members exchanged glances, and one asked the captain, "Should we say something?"
Although... but judging from the results, they were saved by this plant team.
Those alien plants are so powerful that they can easily kill a few zombies, so of course they can kill them as well.
The captain thought for a moment and looked in the direction where the carnivorous plant disappeared.
He put away the communicator and said in a low voice, "Don't say anything. Let's pretend we didn't see anything."
They all knew that Sky Base loved to capture alien plants.
The commission for providing clues is not much, not as much as saving a life, and the commission involves the Black Ridge Mountain Base.
It's better for them not to get involved; they should just consider it as encountering... "a helpful ordinary plant."
The rest of the team members also agreed. They lifted up an overturned car, cleaned up the surroundings, and left the vicinity as soon as possible.
On the other side, the carrot was perched on top of the carnivorous plant's head.
After making sure that the humans didn't catch up, it turned its head and crawled into the gap between its teeth.
Qianhui took a nap and felt much better.
He opened the game and saw that the hidden quest involving getting closer to the zombie faction had indeed increased his progress a little.
A human team delivering supplies... and zombies?
Did the zombies want to steal those supplies? But they couldn't use them.
Recalling that the Black Ridge Mountain base had also received a similar assignment, Qian Hui subconsciously looked at Nan Tingjin, wanting to ask him.
When he met Nan Tingjin's gaze, he remembered the quarrel the two had had before setting off.
Qian Hui turned her head away abruptly, turned off the game, picked up the nuts, and faced away from Nan Tingjin.
Anyway, the task can't be done for the time being... I can ask again when I have the chance.
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