Chapter 61
The dictionary contains not only symbols corresponding to characters, but also numbers.
To test the dictionary's effectiveness, Carrot picked a few leaves, wrote a few characters on them with a twig, and then called Potato over to see if it recognized them.
When Potato heard that he had to learn to read, he quickly shook his head: "Waaah!"
No, no, it can't read!
When Potato arrived at Qianhui's side, he stared at a few leaves with a hesitant look in his eyes.
It seems... to really know it?
The characters on a few leaves can form a sentence: Where are you?
Carrot then found apples, mangoes, and bamboo shoots. These plants, which had almost never encountered human writing, could also recognize the characters on the leaves, as if it were an innate ability.
Without a dictionary for translation, these characters are like encrypted messages, and neither humans nor zombies can understand their contents.
Sunflower was standing nearby, and Chili tugged at Qianhui's sleeve, making a few "woo-woo" sounds to express her thoughts.
Once the new base is built, it can begin to accept new plants. In addition to actively searching for and bringing them back, it can also leave information in various places to increase the chances of being seen by more plants.
If some plants are willing to join the base, when they encounter a plant team again, the timid ones may no longer hide, while the bolder and stronger ones can choose to travel to the base on their own.
Most importantly, Bell Pepper told Chili yesterday that of Qian Hui's former heterophytic friends, three are no longer here.
Grapefruit, lettuce, and cat's tail grass.
Bell pepper recalled that it had seen lettuce once two years ago. Lettuce was wandering in the city ruins, greeted it, and then left.
As for grapefruit and cat's tail grass, there are no clues about bell peppers either.
There are still large areas that have not been cleared and are occupied by zombies. The roads in those areas are winding and dangerous at any time. Exploring them would consume a lot of energy, and even human superhumans would not go there easily.
Blindly searching is not a good approach, and... there might be situations similar to the one with the bell pepper, where no one expected that Qian Hui was also there and didn't want to show herself to be discovered by the plants.
It would be best to leave information in some places, of course. If the plants outside know that there is a dedicated base, they may start to communicate with each other and spread the news.
In short, dictionaries are extremely useful.
Qian Hui listened attentively, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.
He picked up Chili and said happily, "Little Chili is so smart!"
Bell pepper chimed in, and in less than two days, the two peppers, who had initially met as hostages, had become very good friends.
Chili was embarrassed by the praise and happily hugged Qianhui's hand.
Potato was still studying the dictionary, recognizing this one, and even this one…
It looked up at the bell peppers and chili peppers, feeling a little envious.
In the past, the durian longed to find its own kind. Later, everyone drank a disguise potion and played with it, which fulfilled its wish.
Later, the little cabbage got cabbage, the chili pepper got bell pepper, and the corn got two beloved weapons.
It...it has a big cherry that's always hungry.
Potato turned its head away, and Big Cherry obediently squatted down beside it.
It casually pinched a landmine and threw it far away, and Big Cherry quickly chased after it, jumping away one by one.
Potato sighed for no apparent reason, then turned his head and caught a glimpse of Nut standing in the grass, feeling the breeze.
When the nut shrinks, it's about the same size as a potato, and at first glance, it does look quite like a second potato.
Potato's eyes lit up, and he dropped the dictionary to run off to play with Nuts.
The dictionary in the grass was temporarily put away by Qian Hui.
The base is not yet ready for new plant adoption as the work is still in progress.
He first bought some wooden bricks from the mall and asked Clover to help him shave them into thick wood chips.
The wooden chips are not easily damaged, and characters can be carved on them, allowing them to be placed in different locations.
Qian Hui also went to Nan Tingjin and asked him to help engrave the characters "Plant Courtyard" on the gate plaque.
The wall has been completed, the well is still being dug, and the lake will be located at the foot of the mountain.
Carrot and the man-eating flower discussed catching some fish outside and also a water-dwelling plant.
It remembered that they had encountered a water hyacinth and a water lily in the woods.
Potato and Nuts enjoyed the breeze together for a while, then went to find Qianhui and asked shyly when she would buy herself an airplane.
Qian Hui hadn't forgotten about this, and bent down to pick it up: "Let me see..."
There were quite a few weapons in the Prestige Points Shop, each costing 400-500 Prestige Points. He glanced through them and bought several in one go.
Once the carnivorous plant had summoned all the plants in the base and led them to a secluded grove, Qianhui mysteriously took out items from her game backpack.
Mechanical objects of various shapes and sizes appeared out of thin air and were placed on a relatively open grassy area to one side.
Two aircraft, a modified vehicle, a tall triple-barreled cannon, and a pile of spikes...
The aircraft is about one meter long and looks more like a flying saucer. The modified car looks similar to a human and is a full two meters tall.
There were also two even smaller convertibles, as big as aircraft.
Upon seeing so many new weapons, Big Pea's eyes lit up, and he ran towards one of the aircraft.
Qianhui quickly stopped it: "DouDou, that's for Tudou, let's look at the others first."
If he still has some prestige points left and finds them useful, he'll buy some more.
"Whoosh!" Potato excitedly rushed over and circled the single-plant flying machine on the ground.
The aircraft's structure looks very simple. It tries to press a button, and the central transparent cover opens automatically, revealing the seats inside.
The big pea didn't compete with the small plants for food, and went to another flying machine.
The second aircraft is a dual-plant type, with a large space under the transparent cover that can accommodate two plants.
Big Pea opened the door and sat inside, curiously exploring the various buttons and steering wheel on the control panel.
The buttons are labeled with characters specific to the plant dictionary, and they look quite simple.
Just as the giant pea was about to try flying, the transparent cover opened again, and another plant sat down next to it.
It turned its head and met Mango's expectant yet innocent eyes.
On the other side, Carrot opened the door of the modified car.
The interior design is simple. Although it is called a "double plant car", it can be driven with just one plant. The passenger seat and the back seat can accommodate at least seven or eight more plants. The seat height can be adjusted at will, and it should be no problem to squeeze in more.
Carrot sat in the driver's seat, adjusted the height, and gripped the steering wheel.
Hmm...it feels pretty good!
It lightly pressed the accelerator, then quickly pressed the brake, and straightened up to look out the window.
The other mini convertibles had cabbage and bok choy in one car and four-leaf clover and cactus in the other.
The three-barreled cannons and ground spikes were temporarily ignored; the plants were all gathered around the aircraft and vehicles, showing more interest in them.
Many plants jumped into the modified carrot truck, and even the carnivorous plant squeezed in.
Potato is quite clever; it has already figured out how to use it. The single-plant flying machine on the ground wobbles as it rises and slowly and low through the woods.
It gradually adapted, and its flight speed began to increase.
Just then, with a "whoosh," another dual-plant aircraft sped past, and Mango's excited cry could be heard: "Whoosh!"
Potato paused for a moment, then suddenly pressed the accelerator and quickly chased after it.
Qian Hui called out anxiously from behind, "Slow down!"
The carrot was the most cautious, and the modified car moved forward at a snail's pace, inch by inch.
The bell pepper in the back seat got impatient, climbed over and pushed it aside, wanting to try it out itself.
Convertibles are the most convenient to use and are small in size. Cabbage took a ride through the woods with her little cabbage.
They stopped midway and let the little bamboo shoots carrying small mushrooms and succulents sit in as well.
Qian Hui was tense for a long time until the two aircraft flew back intact.
The drivers for the modified cars and convertibles have changed again, and the plants seem to be able to use these tools smoothly and quite like them.
Potato's flying machine landed steadily on the ground, and Corn and Cherry immediately surrounded it.
Corn pushed open the transparent cover and squeezed in, clinging to the edge: "Waaah!"
There's so much space inside, we could probably fit another one in!
The cherry tree on the other side was also pushing and shoving. The three plants pushed and shoved each other for a long time, but in the end, the potato still let the corn in.
The aircraft took off again, and Big Cherry, clinging to the buckle at the bottom, swayed back and forth in the wind.
These means of transportation are also weapons, and they all have slots for aiming and firing.
The giant pea flew high into the sky and spat a green pea into the slot of the control panel.
The aircraft's side protruded a weapon port, launching the green peas, which landed on the roadside outside the base, creating a deep crater.
There is another slot on the console, which also needs to be filled with plant-based attack weapons, which can be converted into varying amounts of fuel.
After confirming that everything was safe, Qianhui bought four more dual-plant aircraft.
The modified car is big enough, the convertible is a bit too small, and the aircraft is the most practical. The double-plant has a large interior space, and even a single plant can drive away.
These tools cost over 6,000 in total, and the usable prestige points were immediately depleted.
The items in the Prestige Shop are unlimited, and there are also some large, portable weapons available for purchase.
I'll need to find ways to earn prestige points when I go out in the future...
The main way to gain prestige is through faction conflict rewards, but finding zombies should be the fastest way.
As for the human side...
Qian Hui raised her head and looked at the wall of the Black Ridge Mountain base in the distance.
Now, you can gain prestige points not only by engaging in conflict with the human faction, but also by becoming an independent friendly faction when Blackridge Base becomes a reward of 1,000 prestige points.
However, Qianhui is not familiar with many humans at present.
Plants don't become friendly to humans for no reason, and conversely, it's not easy for humans to take the initiative to be friendly to plants.
Qian Hui thought silently for a while, then closed the game interface, got up, and walked out of the woods.
On the outside, Nan Tingjin stood under the tree waiting. Qian Hui came to his side and habitually leaned over to hug him.
He buried his head and rubbed against it, a hint of weariness in his eyes.
Nan Tingjin raised his hand and stroked Qian Hui's hair: "Go back to the cabin and sleep for a while?"
The wall had just been repaired, Qianhui had gotten the dictionary, and was busy buying weapons for the plants; she hadn't even had time to take a nap.
Now the plants are exploring new "toys" on their own, and the little mushrooms are being cared for by the bamboo shoots, so there's no need to worry about them for the time being.
Qian Hui nodded obediently and returned to the cabin with Nan Tingjin.
On the way, he couldn't help but ask again, "Have you been feeling unwell these past few days?"
Qian Hui's hand was being held, and the warmth of Nan Tingjin's body was constantly emanating from her.
Nan Tingjin did not stop walking and replied, "No."
—
Two days later, with the help of the Black Ridge Mountain base, the well was finally dug and the lake was being filled with water.
Qianhui provided a complete set of tools, including water pipes and filters. Clean water was piped to the cabin and various parts of the base, and several faucets were installed.
Yuan Ji was somewhat curious, but dared not ask too much due to the relationship between Nan Tingjin and Qian Hui. He guessed that these things might have been stolen from some base.
And those bricks, cement, wooden doors...
Given the size of the carnivorous plant, it's quite reasonable for it to sneak out at night, hide something in its mouth, and bring it back... right?
They don't care about anything else, as long as it wasn't stolen from the Blackridge Mountain base.
Once the water source issue is resolved, the remaining improvements cannot be rushed, such as planting vegetables and fruit trees.
These past two days, the little cabbage has been very busy, constantly spitting out many, many cabbage lamps.
Little Apple and Soft Vine worked hard, twisting grass ropes to turn cabbage lamps into light strips, large light bulbs, and various mountain streetlights.
These lights solved the base's lighting problem and looked very nice. The only drawback was that the cabbage lights were switched on by only the little cabbage.
Either turn them all on, or turn them all off.
Qianhui thought this was a good idea, and thus set a time for turning off the lights at night. After the lights were turned off, the plants had to sleep and were not allowed to play for too long.
Later in the afternoon, Yuanji personally delivered some thick cotton cloth and various knives and kitchen utensils, so the plants could use them as they pleased.
Qian Hui accepted it without hesitation: "Thank you."
The carnivorous plant grew larger and stepped forward, biting all the cotton cloth and two boxes in one bite, and carried them to the foot of the mountain to store them.
Yuan Ji withdrew his gaze from the giant carnivorous plant and looked at Nan Tingjin beside Qian Hui.
These past few days, Nan Tingjin has also been staying at Qian Hui's base every day.
The base is much more complete now and doesn't need human help for the time being, but it seems... Nan Tingjin doesn't plan to leave either.
"Leader," Yuan Ji tentatively asked, "I...should I go back first?"
Nan Tingjin responded calmly, "Alright."
Yuan Ji nodded, turned around, and left with several subordinates.
Never mind... the Blackridge Mountain base will be safer if the leader stays there.
As soon as they left, a modified car drove out of the woods at the edge and parked by the wall.
The carrot rolled down the car window and waved to the other plants: "Woo!"
Let's go for a drive!
Behind them, several aircraft and two convertibles appeared one after another, darting around the base.
Qianhui did not stop her, but only told her to be careful.
Once the plants are fully familiar with these modes of transportation, they will be ready to go out.
Qian Hui wasn't idle either. He pulled Nan Tingjin to a temporary warehouse at the foot of the mountain, where wood chips cut from four-leaf clovers were piled up.
According to the botanical dictionary, the first piece of wood has already been carved from chili peppers.
The characters translate into a sentence:
"Plant Garden (coordinates included), a base exclusively for plants, providing shelter, food, and healing for all plants. Join us! Or wait at the safe edge of the forest, and we will come to pick you up. — Leader Qianhui"
Every character on the wooden chip is perfectly standardized, ensuring that all plants can recognize it.
Bell pepper then disassembled its own chili seed darts and, with the help of fennel and chili pepper, produced two rubbings.
By pressing the wooden piece firmly onto the pre-printed iron plate, a completely identical copy can be produced.
This task was assigned to Nuts and Nan Tingjin.
Nut is very strong, but it can't drive flying machines or modified cars. It got bored after sitting in one of them.
Nantingjin can manipulate wooden chips with great efficiency.
Qianhui stayed by his side and watched over him and Jian Guo. By nightfall, she had copied a hundred pieces, enough for their first trip out.
Nuts stopped to rest, and Qianhui picked it up and fed it some food.
Little Apple thoughtfully brought him a water cup, which he took and handed to Nan Tingjin.
Watching Nan Tingjin drink the water in his cup in one gulp, Qian Hui took his hand and asked, "Are you tired?"
He wondered if Qian Hui was overthinking it, but he felt that Nan Tingjin had changed slightly in the past two days, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
My body temperature seems higher than before, but not to an abnormal degree.
Nan Tingjin put down his cup: "Not tired."
He quietly lowered his eyes and stroked Qian Hui's slightly cool palm.
At night, the two returned to the cabin to rest.
Inside the cabin, a small partition was built to serve as a bathroom. Qianhui washed up and lay down. Just then, it was time for the base to turn off the lights, and it suddenly got dark outside. The cabbage lamp on the table was also turned off.
He pulled the covers up, snuggled into Nan Tingjin's arms, and closed his eyes to sleep.
Qian Hui woke up once in the middle of the night.
He opened his eyes groggily and felt Nan Tingjin holding him very tightly.
There was some movement outside, like the surrounding trees were moving.
Qian Hui was confused for a moment, and sure enough, she saw the moonlight at the window disappear one by one, completely blocked by several trees.
Warm fingertips gently caressed his cheek, and Nan Tingjin asked softly, "Why are you awake?"
Qian Hui looked up, still somewhat dazed: "You...you're not asleep?"
He subconsciously thought that some plant had come over, so Nan Tingjin blocked the window.
Nan Tingjin leaned in and kissed Qian Hui, replying, "Not sleepy."
Qian Hui was kissed a few times on the cheek and lips. The two were so close that he could even hear Nan Tingjin's heavy heartbeat.
Qian Hui was very sleepy, so he cupped Nan Tingjin's face and kissed him, coaxing him indistinctly, "Go to sleep..."
—
Another day has passed, and many wood chips have been made. The plants' first outdoor activity is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
This outing was a preliminary attempt. Their primary goal was to scatter the wood chips, take a quick stroll, and return as soon as possible, without having to specifically look for new plants.
Four aircraft will be dispatched in total, piloted by Carrot, Pea, Potato, and Chili.
Because it's inconvenient for a single plant to fly alone to scatter wood chips, the potato's flying vehicle was changed to a dual-plant type, and each plant then chose to bring a companion.
Carrots should be served with durian, peppers with bell peppers, and potatoes with corn.
As the pea was selecting plants, the mango quickly ran over.
It pointed to itself and cried out, "Waaah!"
Qian Hui shook her head: "No, it's too dangerous outside."
Mango suddenly felt a little down, let out a "woof," and her head was patted again.
Qian Hui looked serious and said, "The base also needs protection, so you have to stay."
Mango thought about it carefully and realized it made sense, so she nodded vigorously.
Finally, the pea chose the four-leaf clover.
Eight plants formed a flying squadron, with the carrot naturally serving as the captain.
They gathered together and discussed in advance how to act.
The next day arrived quickly, and wooden pieces were strapped to both sides of the four aircraft.
The plants put on their small backpacks, each carrying its own weapon pendant, and boarded the aircraft.
The aircraft ascended one by one, and the plants waved to Qianhui before flying quickly towards the outside of the base.
Once the aircraft had completely disappeared from sight, Qianhui opened the plant encyclopedia to check the status of the plants.
Chili also carried a communicator that would constantly send out the team's movements.
Looking at the information in the encyclopedia, Qianhui waited anxiously.
Half an hour later, Nan Tingjin's communicator received the first message.
Qian Hui immediately opened it to check, and it said "Arrived".
The plant team's destination was the nearest high-risk forest area, and they scattered wood chips along the way.
Ten minutes later, the second message arrived.
"Safety."
In the next half hour, the message receiver received several more messages.
"Stable." "Safe." "Return."
However, two minutes after the last message indicating that the squad was preparing to return was sent, Qianhui received a new one.
"Something's up."
Qian Hui immediately tensed up and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
A moment later, a reply came.
"New, dangerous, help."
On the other side, outside the base.
Four aircraft hovered in mid-air, motionless.
At the edge of the woods in the distance, where the ruins meet, a large peanut is being attacked by five or six zombies.
Big Peanut looked very powerful and brave, punching one of the zombies away.
However, there were too many zombies, surrounding it completely, making escape unlikely.
Another zombie is about to evolve to a higher level. With a keen sense of smell, it seems to have discovered the existence of the plant team, but after turning its head and looking around for a long time, it still can't find them.
Inside the aircraft, a carrot peered out and waved to the other plants.
—Work is on hold, go and bring that big peanut back to the base!
Meanwhile, in the ruins on the other side, which is farther away.
A mid-level zombie took steps, stretching out its arms as if trying to grab a swaying leaf of vegetable in front of it.
Its ten fingers were incomplete, mostly broken in half, with ropes tied to both sides of its shoulders, and a long branch sticking out from above its head.
The emerald green vegetable leaves hung on the branches, so close to the zombie's hand, yet out of reach, constantly disturbing the zombie and driving it forward.
Below the back of the zombie's neck, something was tied with rope, which looked like a recliner or small bed made of wood and branches.
A mutated plant was lying on top, basking in the sun with its eyes closed.
Suddenly, the zombie stopped moving, its head drooping as it was forced into hibernation.
The plant on the deck chair jumped down and picked up a piece of wood from the ground.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
