Chapter 57
Silence reigned all around; no one dared to breathe.
Although the base has two doors, the inner door is the most crucial, but opening the outer door also allows the alien plants to move freely in and out of the base.
But they also knew that without the help of the alien plants, the base simply couldn't be defended.
Moreover, they had already witnessed the power of the giant nuts; if these alien plants tried to force their way into the base, they wouldn't be able to stop them.
Now that they saw Nan Tingjin with Yi Zhi, and that they were safe and sound, they were finally somewhat relieved.
But the one standing next to him...
Silver hair and red eyes are the physical characteristics of a zombie, but apart from that, Qian Hui looks more like a human.
Is he the same boy that Nan Tingjin personally brought back to the base last time?
At that time, he blindfolded himself with a strip of cloth, and his hair color was rather unusual...
Looking at the various exotic plants, large and small, they were all gathered around Qian Hui, more like protecting him than Nan Tingjin.
Nuts was behind Qianhui, and Carrot took off his helmet and squatted on one of Qianhui's shoulders.
There was also a cabbage and a large pea, guarding Qian Hui closely. These exotic plants had powerful auras and were all of the highest grade.
Yuanji quickly realized that Qianhui must have used a disguise when she first entered the base.
He also exchanged a few words with Qian Hui...
A human who can control alien plants and possesses zombified characteristics?
Having suffered a huge cognitive shock, Yuanji took a deep breath and stepped forward to open the door himself.
Once the inner door was opened, Big Pea was the first to act.
It rolled forward a bit, stopped in the middle of the road, raised its head, and looked around.
Cabbage and durian followed closely behind, while corn and potatoes swaggered in, looking around as they went.
Cherries followed potatoes, and mangoes followed cherries.
As Mango passed by Yuanji, she sensed that this human must be quite powerful, so she kicked him hard.
Yuan Ji, without looking to the side, called out, "Leader..."
Seeing that he wasn't fighting back, Mango pouted and ran away quickly.
Yuan Ji's tone was complex, yet he feigned ease as he asked, "Do you need us to arrange accommodations for the guests?"
Nan Tingjin turned to look at Qian Hui, who quickly replied, "No need... they can just follow me."
As if sensing Yuanji's deliberately concealed tension and unease, Qianhui added softly, "They are very well-behaved and won't hurt people randomly."
Yuanji's real-time communication was still active, and the conversation was transmitted to the rear, where many people heard it.
Very... well-behaved?
The group stared intently at the large peas and cabbages, while holding two spiky carrots in their hands.
The nut had shrunk considerably, but there was still a giant carnivorous plant inside, its sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Not to mention the group of alien plant squad members wearing exquisite helmets, each one brave and ferocious, with extremely high combat power.
Yuan Ji smiled and said, "Okay."
“Go inside first,” Nan Tingjin said. “Prepare a carriage.”
Qian Hui hugged the sunflower tightly and followed Nan Tingjin into the inner gate.
The remaining plants followed, with the carnivorous plant and nut falling at the very back. The nut bounced up and down, its heavy body slamming into the ground, making the hearts of those around it pound uncontrollably.
The carnivorous plant's thick stem slid past, its dark eyes scanning continuously.
A modified car drove up, and Yuanji told the people inside to get out, while he got into the driver's seat.
Qianhui and Nantingjin were in the back seat. The base was very large, and the plants didn't know the way, so they got on the bus together to prevent them from wandering off.
Those who are small can squeeze into Qian Hui's arms, or squeeze in next to Nan Tingjin.
Some people couldn't fit in the seats, so they had to go to the front row or simply climb onto the roof.
Yuanji remained calm throughout, when suddenly a large red cherry jumped in through the open car window beside him.
It looked around and saw a mango, a cactus, and a four-leaf clover following closely behind.
Several plants huddled in the passenger seat, and shrunken carnivorous plants and nuts also arrived.
Nuts skillfully jumped into Qian Hui's arms, while the carnivorous plant stared at the passenger seat. Several plants quickly moved aside to make room for it.
The carnivorous plant slowly slid in, and Yuanji gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to regulate his breathing.
Mango was pushed aside, so she simply jumped onto the platform in front of her and found a spot to squat down.
It was very curious and reached out to touch everything. Yuanji hesitated to speak when he saw this.
Just then, a small bamboo shoot jumped in.
Finding that there wasn't enough room in the passenger seat, it opted for the front bench seat.
The little bamboo shoot sat down next to the mango, took the thing from its hand and put it back in its place, and gently "woofed" to signal it to be careful and not to touch it carelessly.
Mango was being quite obedient this time, sitting still quietly.
Yuanji couldn't help but look over, and his eyes met those of the little bamboo shoot.
The little bamboo shoot nodded politely to him, then sat upright and looked away.
Cabbage and peas climbed onto the roof of the car, along with carrots and durians.
The roof offers the best view. Carrot looked around and tapped the roof with the carrot thorns in his hand to indicate that everyone had come up.
Nan Tingjin said, "Let's go back to my residence."
Yuan Ji carefully turned the car around and drove towards the base's residential area.
On the way, cacti and four-leaf clovers peered out of the car window, and little mushrooms popped out of Qianhui's pocket.
Lights were lit up everywhere in the base, and many plants, seeing a normal human dwelling place for the first time, looked on with great curiosity.
Although the plants don't like humans very much, this is Nan Tingjin's base, and Nan Tingjin is a human belonging to Qian Hui.
They didn't know what a "boyfriend" was, but since Nan Tingjin and Qian Hui were close, that's roughly the idea.
In short, the base was safe, and the plants became bolder. The cactus caught sight of several tall buildings in the distance and let out a gasp of amazement.
Yuanji deliberately slowed down the car while talking to Nan Tingjin.
He spoke of the recent situation: "Those people listen to the secrets too much; I'm afraid they'd be willing to go and die."
Perhaps because the Blackridge Mountain base has the least need for medicine, its contact with the Sky Base is limited to some assignments, and it doesn't need Wen Jue's special ability to help with anything, it can't quite understand why other bases support Wen Jue.
Previously, the Sky Base branch was attacked, and Wen Jue's superpower research was exposed. Such a shameless thing was actually suppressed by him by threatening with drugs.
“I suspect he has a backup plan,” Yuanji continued. “This man looks upright, but he’s actually very cunning.”
But he couldn't understand it either. Wasn't Wen Jue's ability to foresee the future? If he wanted to take over the Black Ridge Mountain base, he couldn't possibly be without thorough preparation.
There were also strange occurrences that happened during the evacuation of the outer teams...
As Yuan Ji was pondering, he suddenly heard Nan Tingjin ask, "Are you also feeling unwell tonight?"
“Yes, a little,” he replied. “My powers suddenly stopped working and only returned a few minutes later.”
Yuanji was near the base gate at the time. He rested briefly and could no longer feel anything unusual.
Nan Tingjin's gaze lingered on Yuan Ji's face for a moment through the rearview mirror: "Pay more attention to him lately."
Yuan Ji replied, "Okay."
Qian Hui listened silently to their conversation, and couldn't help but reach out and tug at Nan Tingjin's sleeve.
He looked worried and whispered, "You too..."
Compared to Yuanji, Nantingjin needs to pay more attention to his physical condition.
Nan Tingjin didn't speak, but held Qian Hui's hand.
Yuan Ji, observing the situation, changed his tone: "But now they won't dare to come, otherwise they won't even know how they died."
Regardless of Wen Jue's true intentions, the Black Ridge Mountain base suffered minimal losses.
Once those people outside realize what's happening, they'll definitely question his abilities.
With Nan Tingjin back and so many exotic plants arriving at Black Ridge Mountain, a second siege is unlikely in the short term.
Even assuming the worst, the anomaly that occurred tonight will only affect human ability users and will not harm the alien plants.
The nut in Qian Hui's arms opened its eyes, feeling as if the words were a compliment.
It stirred and quietly hummed in agreement.
Qianhui touched the nut and fed it another pill.
Upon arriving at the low-rise building where Nam Ting Jin resided, the modified vehicle was parked on the roadside.
The plants jumped out one by one, the carnivorous plant quickly circled around, and the cabbage stalk Qianhui opened the car door.
There was still some cleanup work to be done at various parts of the base. Nan Tingjin escorted Qian Hui upstairs, intending to leave with Yuan Ji and return later.
Nan Tingjin said in a low voice, "Get some rest, don't wait for me."
Qian Hui hugged him and nodded obediently, "Mmm."
Yuanji was waiting downstairs at the door when he suddenly saw a green chili pepper running towards him, holding something in its hand.
Chili came up to Yuanji and handed him an open communicator: "Woo."
Yuan Ji hesitated, then tentatively asked, "You... want my communication frequency?"
Chili nodded and then made a "whoosh" sound.
Yuanji took the communicator from its hand: "Okay..."
After exchanging communication frequencies, Chili noted down Yuanji's name and turned to go back upstairs.
Yuan Ji looked at the "mutated chili pepper" that had appeared in his communicator, and his feelings were quite complicated.
—
Soon after, some subordinates came to deliver some food and dry rations, and Nan Tingjin left with Yuan Ji.
All the food is laid out in the lobby downstairs. Qianhui and the plants can go upstairs after they finish eating, and someone will come to clean it up without disturbing them.
The lights were on in the hall, and there were no outsiders. Several plants jumped onto the table and picked through the dishes.
"Don't make too much of a mess, bring me a towel." Qian Hui was feeding the little mushrooms soup with a spoon, giving them a few instructions as she did so. She couldn't really control them anymore, so she just let them be.
The plants were used to being free outdoors and had never eaten much human food.
Although the biscuits and jerky that Qianhui usually feeds her are simple, they taste good and are more than enough to replenish her energy.
He tasted every plate of peas, then walked away with a look of disgust.
Potato ate a few meatballs, fed Cherry landmines, and listened to Corn describe his new weapon, the sprayer, while nodding perfunctorily.
The four-leaf clover shook its head, cut a vegetable pancake into smaller pieces, and distributed them to the other plants.
The little cabbage picked up the chopsticks from the ground, waved them around like a bamboo shoot, and tried to break them in half. She tried for a long time but failed, so she quietly put them back on the table.
After all the plants had eaten their fill, Qianhui wiped their leaves with a towel and took them upstairs.
It was getting late, and several plants, having eaten their fill, were feeling sleepy and crawled into their open cabbage shells to prepare for sleep.
The little mushroom was also sleepy; it could barely keep its eyes open and whimpered as it clung to Qianhui's fingers.
The sunflower was over there on the cabbage shell, replenishing the energy of the exhausted plant team. Qianhui touched the little mushroom's cap: "What's wrong?"
He casually opened the little mushroom's encyclopedia information, but the skill bar was still grayed out.
Qianhui was worried that coming to an unfamiliar place would make Little Mushroom feel uneasy, so she asked him a few questions carefully.
Little Mushroom shook her head to indicate that she was fine, stared blankly for a while, and then kissed Qian Hui on the cheek.
The carnivorous plant waited beside him, taking the little mushroom to sleep in its cabbage shell.
Qianhui looked up and saw Jian Guo standing alone by the window, quietly looking outside.
He got up and walked closer, looking in the direction they were pointing.
In the distance, under the hazy night sky, the tall mountains and forests stretched into a vast expanse of shadow.
That was a restricted area at Blackridge Mountain Base, and also the place where Nuts had spent a long time.
Qianhui picked up the nuts: "Do you want to go back and take another look?"
Nuts hesitated for a moment, then hummed in agreement.
That place was its original home.
Then things took a turn for the worse. Suddenly, they encountered so many zombies, the plants in the forest all fled, and their former companions were no longer by their side...
If Qianhui hadn't found it, it might have remained asleep there until it completely lost consciousness.
“Okay,” Qianhui patted the top of the nut’s head, “we’ll go tomorrow.”
Not just nuts, you can bring other plants along too. The area is lush with vegetation, which is exactly the kind of place plants would love...
Thinking of this, Qian Hui suddenly realized.
The restricted area of the Black Ridge Mountain base... that's an environment that plants love, it's very large, and it's protected by a wall on the outside.
Qianhui had tried using the previous forest as a base site, but it showed a low safety index.
In comparison, the mountains and forests in front of us seem to meet the requirements more.
Qian Hui was secretly excited, but didn't say it out loud for the time being, wanting to go and see it tomorrow first.
Moreover, although no one has set foot on the back mountain, it still belongs to the Blackridge Mountain Base...
He thought silently for a while, then took the nuts back into the room to continue keeping the plants company.
Yang Tao caught a cold after being exposed to the wind at night, and sneezed several times in a row.
Little Apple pulled a new towel out of her backpack and used it as a separate blanket.
Big Cherry ate landmines all night and is still eating them now, one bite at a time.
Mango sat to the side, also trying to eat the flatbread she had brought back from downstairs, until she was so full that she ran to find Big Pea and wanted to fight with it.
Pea lay down by the bed and waved.
bring it on!
—
Meanwhile, inside the base's prison.
Shan Jun and several others knelt on the ground, all of them injured, with Shan Jun being the most seriously injured.
His right wrist was completely broken, with only a small piece of skin and flesh connecting it, and blood soaked through a large area of his clothes.
“Leader,” Shan Jun said, his head bowed and his voice trembling, “I know I was wrong.”
Even when Yuanji imprisoned him, he was not afraid at all, because he knew that the base might be in danger and Yuanji would not easily deal with anyone.
He thought the base wouldn't last until tomorrow night and would definitely be captured.
However, Nan Tingjin returned.
Yuan Ji also informed Nan Tingjin about Shan Jun and his group's secret contact with the Sky Base.
The pain and fear in his body made him tremble uncontrollably, and he tried to beg for his life.
A shadow fell on the ground before him as Nan Tingjin approached.
He slightly raised his hand, forcing Shan Jun to stand up, his entire body almost suspended in mid-air.
"Regarding Wen Jue," Nan Tingjin said coldly, "what else do you know?"
At the same time, a patrol team passed by outside.
The leader suddenly stopped and took out his detection equipment.
The instrument's pointer moved slightly, indicating the presence of zombies or alien plants nearby.
But... tonight, the gates of the Black Ridge Mountain base opened, welcoming a group of exotic plants and a silver-haired, red-eyed boy.
His companion leaned closer for a look: "Why are you still carrying this thing? Turn it off."
Ordinary zombies cannot sneak into the base; what they need to guard against most now are their own kind.
The superhuman holding the detection device hesitated for a moment before putting it away.
After the team left, a shadow flashed by the fence.
Bell pepper, still masked, hid on the other side, cautiously surveying her surroundings.
The stealth skill expired just now, but luckily I reacted quickly.
Back when we lived in the plant garden, the bell pepper had a rather unique ability; it was an "assassin."
For it, infiltrating a human base couldn't be easier.
But why is this place so big? Where did the carrots go?
The bell pepper was extremely annoyed and inwardly scoffed.
Once you find the carrots and nuts, you should first grab the mutated pepper to see how much it weighs.
It looked around, hesitated, chose a direction, and quickly ran away.
—
Nan Tingjin did not return home all night. It wasn't until the next morning that Qian Hui, who was fast asleep, heard a noise.
He sat up groggily and pushed open the cabbage shell door.
Nan Tingjin was right in front of me, his body damp with moisture, as if he had just taken a bath.
Qian Hui looked up and reached out her hand to him: "Why did it take you so long to come back..."
Nan Tingjin wasn't home at night, so Qian Hui slept in a cabbage husk. The plants that couldn't fit slept in the cabbage bowls, some on the beds, and a few even lay directly on the ground.
Nan Tingjin did not answer, but bent down and took Qian Hui out of the cabbage shell.
Qian Hui wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzled against him, and mumbled, "I want to today..."
Halfway through his speech, he realized that Nan Tingjin had just returned and definitely needed to rest.
Nan Tingjin kissed Qian Hui's earlobe and pressed, "What do you want to do?"
Qian Hui, thinking about the back mountain of the restricted area, obediently said, "I want to go to the back mountain, the place where Xiao Guo used to be."
Nan Tingjin replied with an "okay," picked him up, and turned to go to the bed: "I'll take you there."
It's just getting light; there's still plenty of time.
Nan Tingjin said, "Sleep a little longer, and we'll go when I wake up."
Chili peppers and cabbage slept sprawled out, while potatoes lay in the middle of the bed, opening and closing their eyes repeatedly before rolling to the side.
Nan Tingjin paused, ultimately not letting the plants leave, and lay down with Qian Hui.
When Qian Hui woke up again, after breakfast, she confirmed that Nan Tingjin had nothing urgent to do and had time to accompany him to the back mountain.
The path to the back mountain is not complicated; just follow the edge towards the forest. Nan Tingjin did not have anyone prepare a car; the carnivorous plant led everyone there.
Then, more than ten minutes later, the giant carnivorous plant arrived outside the restricted area.
Nan Tingjin helped Qian Hui down from the top of the man-eating flower and opened the gate to the forbidden area.
A group of plants rushed in eagerly, looking around curiously.
This area is truly enormous. The spot where Nuts once stood was just one of two hills, with sparse woods and large grasslands along its edge.
Qian Hui was nervous and anxious as she opened the game interface to try and confirm the base location.
[Please wait...]
[The site selection has been approved!]
[All conditions have been met. Shall we establish a base immediately?]
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