Chapter 63: Hunting Mutants and Extreme Cold
Qiao Qiao appeared at the entrance of the botanical garden, with a two-meter-tall giant cat nestling obediently on his left hand side, with a one-meter-long dark green vine wrapped around its body.
On the right side, Yueying stood tall with a cold expression, as if nothing caught his eye.
The botanical garden in front of me is completely different from what I remember. The original green and lush scenery seemed like a dream, and now only a scene of decay remains.
The world's largest plant treasure house that the Northeast Federation once boasted of has long disappeared, and there are few trees to be seen in the huge botanical garden.
Although we had expected the extreme cold to come and many people would cut down trees to survive, we were still shocked when we saw the empty botanical garden with our own eyes.
No matter whether it is a rare species at the protected level or an ancient tree that is hundreds or thousands of years old, in the eyes of humans at this time, they are no different from weeds on the roadside. They are just things for keeping warm.
She has no right to comment on right or wrong. There is nothing wrong with wanting to live.
"Let's go."
As soon as I entered the botanical garden, I received a system prompt.
[Mission: Eliminate the juvenile mutant plant - pine tree]
[Difficulty: D]
[Mission successful: Power Fruit*1, R-level card pool draw ticket*1, SR-level card pool draw ticket fragment*1 (10 fragments are combined into one card)]
[Mission: Eliminate the mutant animal in the growth stage - the gnaw squirrel]
[Difficulty: C]
[Mission successful: Power Fruit*1, Constitution Fruit*1, SR-level card pool draw ticket*1]
[Physical Fitness Fruit: After consumption, physical fitness will be improved (only one fruit per person)]
Qiao Qiao raised an eyebrow. Theoretically, the system would only react when approaching a mutant creature within a certain range, but this time, it received two tasks at the same time.
She still remembered Qiao Man’s reaction before. The mutant creatures were hostile to each other, so why did this happen?
pine……
squirrel……
Is it because they have a symbiotic relationship?
Before Qiao Qiao could think carefully, countless "bullets" arrived in front of him accompanied by the sound of machine guns.
Looking up, it was like a dragnet, with no possibility of escape.
If anyone else were here, they would probably have no choice but to retreat with serious injuries, but she was different.
Yueying took a step forward, twisting his body and opening his mouth wide.
The "bullet" hit the shadow like a stone falling into the water, causing only a few ripples before disappearing without a trace.
Qiao Qiao looked in that direction and found that there was a short pine tree in the distance. It was half the size of a normal one and was almost completely buried in the snow. If it hadn't attacked actively, it would have never been discovered.
If you look closely, you will find that although the pine tree is small, its branches are dense and covered with pine cones. It looks more like a giant mushroom than a pine tree.
After the first round of attack, Xiao Qiao and Qiao Man took the opportunity to rush over.
"Meow!"
Xiao Qiao hit the pine tree with one claw with such force that it broke half of the trunk directly, and the poor pine cones fell to the ground.
Young mutant plants have no power to resist adult mutant animals.
"This is the bullet." Yueying returned to human form and handed it over with his palm facing up.
Qiao Qiao took it with both hands. It turned out to be a pine cone. Normally it was only 6-10 centimeters in size, but now it was as big as a basketball.
She weighed it and said, "It feels like there are quite a lot of pine nuts. I wonder if they are edible."
This question stumped Yueying, even though he knew most of the things.
"That should be possible..."
Qiao Qiao smiled and put it into the system backpack, then looked up at Him expectantly, "There were so many just now, did you destroy them all?"
Moon Shadow...
“There are still some left.”
Her eyes lit up. "That's great. Keep them all. Pine nuts are too expensive. I didn't stock up much at the beginning. This is a good opportunity to replenish them."
Unlike Jojo's imagined happiness of being surrounded by pine nuts, an accident happened on the other side.
Just as Xiao Qiao was about to use her skill "Cat Shadowless Kick" to solve the problem in one go, a shadow jumped down from the pine tree.
Although it was small in size, it was able to repel the two-meter-tall Xiao Qiao, and even left a bloody mark on its body. Fortunately, the wound was not deep.
“Squeak!”
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a mutant squirrel.
Like Xiao Qiao, it is a mutant animal in the growth stage, but its evolutionary direction is completely different.
It sacrificed size in favor of sharp teeth, claws, and a massive tail.
The already protruding incisors have now become exceptionally large and can no longer be covered by the mouth. The four incisors are exposed, covered with the flesh and blood of other prey, emitting a disgusting smell.
The originally cute little claws were flashing with cold light under the sunlight, and it seemed that they could easily penetrate steel. Once touched by it, a piece of flesh would definitely be taken away.
The big furry tail was several times larger than the squirrel's body at this moment. It was like a thick and flexible whip, making a "snapping" sound when it was swung on the ground, and the accumulated snow was splashed all over the sky.
"Meow!"
Xiao Qiao roared angrily. He had never been injured except for vaccinations since he was a child. Now he was injured by a mouse. If the news got out, where would the dignity of a cat be?
The claws of a cat and a mouse touched. The white cat nimbly dodged the gnawing teeth, approached the other party like a boneless person, opened its mouth and bit it, eating half of the tail.
He even spat on the ground in disgust, making a few "Pah" sounds.
“Squeak!”
The squirrel screamed in pain, then its cheeks puffed up and it vomited countless nuts and seeds.
[Skill: Cheek Attack]
The attacks that humans cannot avoid are just play to cats.
Xiao Qiao dodged flexibly, and even though his body was huge, he was not stained by the dust.
Unfortunately, the pine tree on the side assisted it, making it and Qiao Man unable to get close.
If the stalemate continues, Xiao Qiao's strength will soon be exhausted, and Squirrel Cheek seems to be a bottomless pit, attacking non-stop.
Yueying looked calm: "Do you want my help?"
Qiao Qiao clenched her fists and said, "No need. This is their fight. They are all juvenile mutant animals. With Manman helping them, it would be a problem if they still can't win."
If Xiao Qiao had always been an ordinary cat, she would hold it in her hands. But now it is a mutant animal and must face danger. Flowers in a greenhouse cannot survive the apocalypse.
Xiao Qiao lost his patience and meowed twice at the mutant vine.
Qiao Man understood immediately, and seeing a flash of silver light, she rushed to the front and took all the attacks. The "bullets" only left a mark on her body.
Then the vines flew and entangled the squirrel. The squirrel realized something was wrong, but it had no time to react.
While the pine tree and the squirrel's attention was diverted, Xiao Qiao took the opportunity to rush forward and activate his skills.
【Cat Shadowless Kick
The cat can throw ten punches per second, and the damage is multiplied by the number of punches, up to 10 times.
“Squeak!”
In the blink of an eye, all ten punches hit the squirrel, immediately tearing its skin and flesh. Qiao Man took the opportunity to strangle it.
[Congratulations on completing the C-level mission: Eliminate the mutant animal in the growth stage - the gnaw squirrel]
[Task Rating: Excellent]
(The contribution of the mutant creatures belongs to the card drawer)
[Rewards: Power Fruit*1, Constitution Fruit*1, SR-level card pool draw ticket*1]
"Meow?"
Xiao Qiao felt an itchy butt, and when he turned around, he found that he had an extra tail.
[Congratulations on completing your first C-rank mission, Tail +1]
The two golden tails swayed unconsciously in the air, shining brightly under the sunlight.
Once the gnawing squirrel was dealt with, the pine tree was easy to deal with. Qiao Man easily entangled and destroyed it with one vine.
[Congratulations on completing the D-level mission: Destroy the D-level juvenile mutant pine tree]
[Rewards: 1 Dali Fruit, 1 R-level card pool draw ticket, 1 SR-level card pool draw ticket fragment (10 fragments are combined into one card)]
All the rewards appeared in Qiao Qiao's system backpack, but she did not use them immediately.
Instead, go up and touch the cat and the vine. Children who do well need encouragement.
"Good boy."
After cleaning up the mess, it was almost noon.
On the way back, I happened to pass through the main city road and was able to complete a C-level task.
Qiao Qiao was thinking about his next move in the shadow space.
Many people only know that dodder must parasitize other plants, otherwise it cannot survive, so they think it is weak and can be bullied.
If you hold this thought, you may not even know how you died.
Dodder relies on absorbing nutrients from its host to sustain life. Once you are entangled by it, you will die.
Qiao Qiao tapped the table with his fingers. Close combat would definitely not work, so it would be best to attack from a distance.
In the distance, Xiao Qiao and Qiao Man were having fun.
The C-level task can only make Xiao Qiao grow an extra tail, and Qiao Man is a plant, so she is completely restrained by Dodder.
It seems that she needs to do it herself this time and play with the fully charged □□.
All you need to do is remove all the plants near where the dodder is parasitic so that it can't find a host and will naturally destroy itself.
The success rate is not low, you can try it.
Half an hour later, Qiao Qiao was standing at the 10th floor window of a building with more than ten floors next to the main street in the city center, using a telescope to check the situation of the dodder flowers.
[Mission: Eliminate the mutant animal in the growth stage - Dodder]
[Difficulty: C]
[Task success: Constitution Fruit * 1, SR-level card pool draw ticket fragment * 1, SR-level card pool draw ticket * 1]
There was no one around, as all residents had gone to the shelters long ago.
A blizzard was raging on the streets, and there was no sign of any living creature.
Only the area around the island is special, still full of greenery, adding a strange color to the white ocean.
Through the telescope, I saw a century-old tree in the middle of the island. The northeast area was built around it. I don't know what kind of tree it is, but I know it never withers in winter and is still full of vitality after so many years.
Today, the ancient tree is parasitized by dodder, and the whole tree has lost its former lushness.
The leaves are yellow, the trunk is wrinkled, and it has shrunk like an ordinary small tree.
On the contrary, the dodder tightly wrapped around the ancient tree has lush branches and leaves, and its body is about the same size as the vine, and it does not look weak and pitiful at all.
There are still a few surviving pine trees around, but I'm afraid they won't last long and will soon become nutrients for the dodder.
Qiao Qiao took out his pistol, aimed at the spot where the dodder was parasitic, and kept pulling the trigger.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
As the □□ hit, the ancient tree parasitized by the dodder shook violently under the impact. The already shaky trunk was even more dangerous, and it only needed the last straw to collapse.
The dodder seemed to be awakened by the sudden attack. The vines began to tremble violently, and several dark red flowers turned towards Qiao Qiao, staring at her like a pair of resentful eyes.
Then, the moment the ancient tree fell, the dodder quickly crawled to the nearest pine tree and tightly wrapped around it.
Qiao Qiao narrowed her eyes. In just a few seconds, the dodder seemed to shrink a little, but then recovered immediately.
Is it an illusion?
"It's not an illusion." Yueying said, "Even if it mutates, a living thing cannot go against its nature. It cannot escape from the parasite."
Just as she thought, Qiao Qiao thought.
Since it was as expected, there was no need to hesitate. She aimed at the few remaining trees and kept firing.
He didn't stop until all 100 rounds of bullets were used up.
When the smoke cleared, all the plants on the island disappeared.
The dodder stood up shakily, looking miserable, with none of the dark red flowers left on its body, and green liquid flowing from its vines. Every few seconds, its body shrank a circle.
It stared at Qiao Qiao's direction fiercely, but there was nothing it could do. The distance was too far, and there were no green plants around, so it could only release its last skill unwillingly.
[Skill: Spore Parasitism
The seeds of dodder will parasitize you if you touch them, and you can survive for up to 24 hours.
Green seeds splashed everywhere, but unfortunately there was nowhere to parasitize.
[Congratulations on completing the C-level mission: Eliminate the C-level growth-stage mutant plant dodder]
[Rewards: Mission successful: Power Fruit*1, Constitution Fruit*1, SR-level card pool draw ticket*1]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com