Chapter 10 Crystal Core: You will recover one day!
When the system first heard this, it thought the cat of unknown origin was talking about itself.
But it realized the next second: Wait a minute, it's not in the host's head.
So... what exactly is this cat saying?
The system, disregarding the brown cat's terrible temperament, hurriedly said: "[Host, repeat after me.]"
Little zombie: "Brain, okay."
The brown-furred kitten looked at the little zombie with a puzzled expression: "Are you out of your mind?"
The system was practically ready to curse.
The little zombie continued stammering, "You, you're not allowed... to say, it's good..."
This sentence was clearly too complicated. The little zombie struggled to pronounce the correct syllable towards the end, only managing a soft "Aww," staring longingly into the air: "Commander..."
[No, no, no, you did very well, really.]
"Huh?"
[Absolutely fantastic!]
"Aww!"
The brown-furred kitten watched the whole thing without saying a word, its eyes darting around.
He didn't dwell on the "not being smart" topic, but instead asked, "You have something growing in your head, don't you feel it?"
The little zombie stared at it blankly.
Feelings? What feelings can a zombie have?
The brown-furred kitten had no interest in bullying silly children. It looked up at the empty space where the little zombie had been staring: "Hey, I don't know what you are, but the stuff in this little guy's head is not good."
Although the scan results consistently showed that the little zombie was in a normal state, the system was still wary of the possibility of something going wrong, so it continued to communicate with the kitten through the little zombie's mouth.
The whole process was difficult, but at least the cause was finally figured out.
The kitten said it felt a very uncomfortable energy in the little zombie's head, like a mass of bloody energy compressed together.
"This little guy doesn't have the five senses, right? But it's all thanks to this anomaly, otherwise he would have gone crazy long ago."
It raised its chin and flicked the tip of its tail: "Thank goodness for me, otherwise you would never have been able to tell that there's something in his head."
Before the system could speak, the kitten opened its round eyes wide and looked at the little zombie, saying, "So, if you can make me happy, maybe I'll take pity on you and ask what to do."
System: [Heh.]
It thought it was something else entirely, just a mere "smell of blood".
Zombies are supposed to eat meat and drink blood, okay?
With the kitten's words and the previous analysis results, the system quickly sorted out the cause and effect.
And so, with the brown-furred kitten's smug little eyes, the little zombie spoke.
"Need not."
Kitten: "Huh?"
[Hmph, dumbfounded now? Come on, host, let's go back to the farmland, and I'll explain everything to you slowly.]
It wasn't until the little zombie disappeared from the brown kitten's sight once again that it blinked as if it had suddenly come to its senses.
Instead of becoming enraged as the system expected, it turned its head to look in the direction the little zombie had left and slowly wagged its tail.
Those jewel-like eyes were filled with curiosity, like a cat seeing a ball of yarn.
Meanwhile, the little zombie being targeted was listening to the system explain the phrase "the red mist has affected this place."
[Do you remember when all the stones turned into white sand? That sand should have disappeared, but because of the red mist, it all stabilized in this form.]
Just like the giant sun in the sky, everything in this spatial rift can be understood as a projection, including the sky and the ground.
The thunderstorm a few months ago completely destroyed these phantoms, and the energy-filled red mist just happened to fill the gaps.
To put it simply, the "rules" within this spatial rift were altered by the red mist.
Therefore, anything existing in the cracks, such as farmland or crops, will change accordingly based on the state of the space.
After the sweet potato was planted, some kind of change must have occurred, but the existing data in the system is insufficient to distinguish it.
The system is not in a hurry. Once the gray fluff ball grows big enough to be scanned and read, the truth will be revealed.
It's regretting something else right now.
It lost consciousness along with the little zombie during the thunderstorm. If it hadn't been struck by lightning, it might have been able to intervene in the "rules" and make some minor changes to the spatial rift.
The system had very few points left at that time, so it certainly couldn't do things like opening a stable spatial channel, but it could at least change the environment and let the little zombie experience what weather changes and the alternation of day and night are like.
But it's too late to regret it now.
Recalling what the brown kitten had said earlier, the system continued: "[If what that creature said is true, there's something in your head...]"
The system let out a long sigh: [That thing is very likely a new crystal core.]
Spatial rifts are inherently empty, yet they are rich in energy. Once a physical object appears, this energy rushes into it like crazy.
Even farmland with buffs will be affected; it's impossible for the little zombies to remain completely unaffected.
The system speculates that the little zombie's body is likely reacting to the red mist, since zombies naturally chase after flesh and blood. This would also explain why the little zombie didn't get hungry after staying in the red mist.
As for why the feeling of hunger arises, it is related to the "resurrection" of the little zombies.
Zombies are moving corpses. Even the legendary zombie king cannot regenerate limbs. The little zombie's body was clearly shattered by lightning, but it recovered later. There must be a reason for this.
The system believes that the reason is still the red mist.
Therefore, this red mist is not only not harmful to you, but is actually the best source of nutrition.
The system's voice was full of joy: [As long as you continue to absorb it, your crystal core and your body will eventually be restored!]
It said a lot, leaving the little zombie bewildered.
But now he's not like he was when he first encountered the system, when he couldn't understand anything. Besides understanding some words, he can also vaguely grasp the key points.
"Oh, oh, good?"
Hearing the little zombie say that, the system was even happier: [That's right! This thing is good.]
The brown kitten hadn't gone far when it ran away, and now that the little zombie was walking back, even if he was clumsy, he had reached the farmland.
The gray ball of fur was still sleeping soundly, but it woke up very quickly, almost to the point that it would eat as soon as it opened its eyes and then go back to sleep.
When the little zombie went back to get the water-soaked food, the fur ball woke up. Seeing it staring at the food paste in its hand, the little zombie fed it the rest of its pet food.
Unlike normal creatures, the fluffy ball doesn't move its body when it sleeps. It lies on the dark brown soil, next to two lush green square farmlands. Even though the surrounding area is filled with blood-red mist, it still makes people feel soft-hearted.
The little zombie moved to the empty patch of soil next to the fur ball and sat down, staring blankly at the pansy bud in front of it.
The fluffy cat has a big appetite, and the brown-haired kitten is also clamoring for food.
I only have 800 points left. If these pansies don't mutate, I won't be able to sell them for many points.
Flower seeds in the shop aren't as cheap as water, so you have to set aside points to exchange for flower seeds before the pansies bloom, instead of exchanging for so much pet food all at once like before.
Fearing the host wouldn't understand so much information, the system only gave one conclusion: two more pieces of pet food would have to be replaced.
The little zombie blinked, and he suddenly realized something clearly.
—I don't have enough points.
No one noticed that the red mist in the air began to move slowly, gradually forming a wisp of wind.
The cloth covering the little zombie trembled, and a slight cracking sound, like the cracking of joints, came from beneath it.
The commotion was very small at first, so by the time the system noticed it, it was too late.
At a certain point, the little zombie's body suddenly slumped down.
"Bang!"
As if pressed down by some unseen heavy object, the little zombie was almost completely embedded in the mud, unable to move.
[Host! ? ]
The fog around the farmland swirled incessantly, and the sky darkened, as if a downpour was brewing.
The commotion was huge, but the gray ball of fur still didn't wake up.
"What's going on!"
A cat-like creature ran toward them while shouting. The wind was so strong that it squinted its eyes, and the beautiful fur around its neck became crooked and twisted.
The system reacted as if it had seen a savior: [Host, quick! Add it to your pet! I only need 200 more points to activate the energy barrier!]
The little zombie replied, but his entire face was buried in the dirt, and only a few indistinct syllables could be heard.
The system heard it, and the little zombie said, "No."
The system is getting really anxious. Something's wrong with this lightning; now is not the time to throw a tantrum!
Suddenly, two crisp cracking sounds came from the ground, and the little zombie actually straightened up against that invisible force.
Just when the system thought he had finally changed his mind, the little zombie grabbed the fur ball next to him with its twisted hand and threw it directly at the kitten!
The cat-like creature with brown fur seemed to realize something. It stared at the little zombie for a moment, then lowered its head and bit the fur ball's big head, lifting the whole thing up before turning and running away.
Almost the instant it turned around, the little zombie crashed back into the mud.
[Host! ! ]
The red mist floated, gradually forming a vortex around the little zombie, and patches of light appeared and disappeared in the sky shrouded in the red mist.
It's lightning again!
The wind grew stronger, and the oval leaves of the pansies next to the little zombie, which were still no bigger than a fingernail, were torn apart by the wind, as if they were about to be pulled out of the soil at any moment.
"Boom!"
A blinding light flashed above the little zombie's head, illuminating the entire spatial rift in a blood-red hue through the red mist.
Thunder is coming.
A note from the author:
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