L1LZDGD Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Qian Hui nodded gently. “Yes.”

Standing close now, he inhaled deeply through his nose, once again catching Nan Tingjin’s scent with unwavering certainty.

Perhaps appearance and voice could be similar—like plants or zombies with nearly identical features—but every being’s essence was truly unique.

However, Nan Tingjin’s aura carried a faint taint, likely from the recent slaughter of zombies.

The man’s face remained impassive as he straightened up, his gaze fixed downward.

Seeing this, Qian Hui’s expression grew even more pained. “You really don’t remember… do you?”

He couldn’t comprehend it. What exactly had happened?

Moreover, if Nan Tingjin had forgotten him, might the Man-eating Flower also have erased its memory?

Qian Hui lowered his head, the shadow of his eyelashes trembling faintly.

Nan Tingjin offered no reply. The suspended brick clattered to the ground, and he turned to leave.

Qian Hui instinctively wanted to follow, yet hesitated.

Nan Tingjin didn’t remember him. Then… then was he still his boyfriend?

Just moments ago, he’d said not to follow him.

As Qian Hui hesitated, movement came from the distant ruins. He couldn’t tell if it was a zombie.

Since entering this area, Qian Hui had encountered twice as many intermediate-level zombies. This place was probably very dangerous.

Feeling a bit scared, he looked at Nan Tingjin’s back.

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but Nan Tingjin seemed to be moving a little slower than before.

Nan Tingjin was strong enough to deal with so many zombies alone. Even though he didn’t remember Qian Hui and looked scary, staying close to him was the safest option.

More movement came from another direction. Qian Hui looked around nervously and quickly followed.

He didn’t follow too closely, keeping a safe distance from the figure ahead. This way he wouldn’t lose him, but also wouldn’t bother him.

On the way, Qian Hui took out the crystal cores again and gave them to the three plants.

There were five crystal cores in total. After thinking for a moment, he gave two to Lajiao, who was injured, and one and a half each to Ruanteng and Xiao Baocai.

After eating the crystal core, Xiao Baocai burped and rubbed its head against Qian Hui’s palm over and over.

[Mini Cabbage loyalty has reached 80%~]

[You’ve passed the beginner phase! Come challenge more tasks and contribute to your faction!]

[Task list updated~]

Qian Hui opened the game. The second task he’d completed earlier had given him 500 balance points.

The new task list interface had changed, now displaying numbers for Faction Points and Prestige Points.

[ Main Quest: Lead plant squad to kill mid-level zombies (0/3)

Reward: Prestige Points +50

Side Quest: Sneak near human faction to see what they’re doing (70%)

Reward: Prestige Points +10

Faction Points: 5 (Based on host and plant encyclopedia comprehensive rating)

Prestige Points: 0 ]

Qian Hui felt a bit dizzy looking at it. Below, it said Faction Points could be exchanged for balance points, and Prestige Points could be used to buy plant strategies. He managed to remember that part.

And because he’d encountered human squads a few times before, the side quest progress was already at 70%.

But… with his current strength, could he kill three mid-level zombies?

Qian Hui looked at the encyclopedia and noticed his total combat strength had jumped from 20 to 100.

“Huh?”

Qian Hui’s eyes widened slightly, but the levels of the three plants remained unchanged, especially the Lajiao’s, which was exactly the same as before.

Ruanteng had gained another branch, and Xiao Baocai’s advanced skill, which was previously marked as (Unknown), now showed (In Development).

Qian Hui looked down at the three plants.

Nan Tingjin’s pace slowed. Ruanteng only occasionally helped Qian Hui overcome obstacles, otherwise coiling around his arm with its branches still thin and delicate.

Xiao Baocai lay in his shirt pocket, its top leaves curled upward as it slept drowsily.

Lajiao was also resting with closed eyes, its body curled into a tight ball. The legs formed from its leaves and branches were hidden beneath, seemingly still unable to walk properly.

Qian Hui wondered which plant had changed to gain so much combat power. Regardless, the increase in combat power meant the plant team had grown stronger, which was a good thing.

He briefly lost focus, and his footsteps slowed, creating distance between himself and Nan Tingjin.

At that moment, a low-level zombie approached Nan Tingjin. Before it could get close, it fell silently to the ground.

Nan Tingjin stopped and glanced slightly to the side.

Qian Hui lifted his head and quickened his pace, hurrying closer to Nan Tingjin.

Moments later, Nan Tingjin resumed walking ahead.

Qian Hui didn’t dwell on it, assuming Nan Tingjin had noticed him trailing behind and grown displeased again.

He bit his fingertips, pursed his lips, and followed at a slightly greater distance.

Qian Hui himself felt disheartened. He’d never imagined their reunion with Nan Tingjin would unfold like this.

He tried to console himself. If he can’t remember, then it’s fine. If there weren’t so many zombies here, I wouldn’t follow him at all.

Moreover, Qian Hui still hadn’t asked whether Nan Tingjin and his companions were also searching for the Man-eating Flower.

And… there was the mission—to quietly approach humans.

Once that task was completed, he’d leave.

But after spending so much time together—though they couldn’t meet daily before—Nan Tingjin had always treated him well. He found himself reluctant to part.

Qian Hui wondered if Nan Tingjin might be sick, which could explain his behavior.

Would discussing past events help him remember?

Qian Hui gazed at the familiar figure ahead, deciding to wait for the right moment to act.

Before long, it was nearly noon, and they had long left the previous area behind.

At the peak of sunlight’s intensity, Nan Tingjin paused to rest.

Qian Hui hid behind the ruins, munching on biscuits while stealing glances.

Nan Tingjin showed no intention of eating or drinking, remaining seated in quiet contemplation.

He had companions, yet traveled alone—perhaps his supplies had run dry.

But Qian Hui’s own provisions were meager too…

The boy lowered his head, three plants awaiting nourishment cradled in his arms.

After hesitation, he reluctantly divided a portion.

Xiao Baocai, capable of invisibility, was entrusted with this critical task.

Summoning courage, its expression growing solemn, the plant accepted the offering from Qian Hui’s outstretched hand.

Silence enveloped the ruins as Nan Tingjin leaned against a stone wall, eyes half-closed.

Suddenly, faint “click-clack” footsteps approached from a distance, stopping beside him.

With a soft “thud,” a packet of biscuits and a water bottle landed on the ground.

The biscuits’ wrapper lay open, revealing two remaining halves. The water bottle, small in size, held roughly a third of its contents.

Nan Tingjin remained still for a moment before picking up the food and drink.

Each base’s supplies bore distinct markings, but this packaging was unfamiliar to him.

Xiao Baocai dropped its items and fled, not daring to linger a moment longer. It raced back to Qian Hui’s side.

From a distance, Qian Hui saw Nan Tingjin accept the food and water, finally feeling relieved.

Even if for no other reason, the delivered items could serve as compensation for his indirect protection.

Qian Hui picked up Xiao Baocai and patted its head.

Midway through their rest, a zombie caught their scent and lumbered toward Qian Hui.

Qian Hui instinctively wanted to flee, but then remembered the combat points accumulating in his interface.

The zombie before him appeared to be the lowest level; he should be able to kill it.

Qian Hui raised his left hand, and Ruanteng climbed up his wrist.

As the zombie closed in, a pepper seed struck it head-on. The creature’s arm was then ensnared by the vine’s branches.

It struggled violently, its movements pausing for a crucial one or two seconds.

In that moment, Qian Hui drove his dagger into the zombie’s forehead with all his strength.

1000 points were added to his balance. He wiped clean the dagger, kicked aside the zombie’s corpse, and took cover in another direction.

Lajiao in his pocket poked half its body out, glancing toward Nan Tingjin’s direction.

Was it just my imagination…?

Still, my attacks are much stronger now, and Ruanteng is a great helper. Dealing with a low-level zombie is like a child’s play.

In the afternoon, the squad sent a message to Nan Tingjin:

[Reported sighting of Man-eating Flower. Proceed immediately?]

The message included coordinates, awaiting Nan Tingjin’s orders.

Armed with the zombie head Nan Tingjin had provided the previous day, the squad made significant progress.

They retraced the Man-eating Flower’s known territory, and as expected, detected fresh traces of its presence.

The four squad members concealed themselves in the shadows. The Man-eating Flower appeared more cautious than before, remaining hidden without spotting any zombies.

The squad first reported to Nan Tingjin and inquired if he wished to join them.

A fully matured Grade A mutant plant could rival even a Zombie King in strength. Though this particular specimen was wounded, Nan Tingjin would undoubtedly be interested—even if not for the mission itself.

Moreover, they had found the Man-eating Flower later than expected, and it was unclear how much of its injuries had healed. The team couldn’t be certain.

A few minutes later, Nan Tingjin sent a reply, “Wait here.”

On Qian Hui’s side, he followed Nan Tingjin throughout the afternoon as usual. The progress of the side quest slowly increased to 72%.

At noon, Nan Tingjin accepted the food and water. He must have known Qian Hui was still there, but he chose to ignore it.

This made Qian Hui feel slightly less unhappy. At least Nan Tingjin wasn’t forbidding him from following anymore.

Along the way, there were a few scattered zombies, all low-level. With the help of the plants, Qian Hui killed them all.

Familiarity breeds courage. With Nan Tingjin nearby, Qian Hui felt braver than before.

Among them was one zombie nearly reaching intermediate level, moving faster with razor-sharp fingertips longer than its fingers.

Lajiao used two scorching pepper seeds along with Ruanteng to subdue the zombie.

Qian Hui didn’t forget to dig at the zombie’s forehead, but found no crystal core.

This time, the plant team was injured. Ruanteng’s branches had been slashed open in several places by the zombie’s nails.

Since it could now grow new branches, its senses and touch had become more acute. The injuries hurt even more now, and it clung to Qian Hui’s fingertips seeking comfort.

Qian Hui’s heart ached as he specially bought a pill that added 5 points of defense for Ruanteng, then fed it to the plant.

Night fell swiftly. Nan Tingjin stopped again, likely preparing to rest for the night.

Qian Hui found a suitable hiding spot nearby and opened his game.

After killing several zombies during the day, his balance had surged back to over 5,000.

He purchased new food and a few pieces of jerky.

At that moment, Xiao Baocai—still unfed—was so drowsy it could barely keep its eyes open.

Refusing Qian Hui’s attempts to feed it, the little cabbage burrowed into his shirt pocket to sleep.

A game notification suddenly popped up:

[Mini Cabbage is about to develop a new advanced skill. Please monitor its condition at all times!]

Curious yet anxious, Qian Hui watched Xiao Baocai for a while. Seeing it was merely asleep with no apparent changes, he relaxed.

But… how to deliver tonight’s food?

Lajiao was immobilized, Ruanteng was injured, and neither could hide effectively. Both were wary of Nan Tingjin.

Remembering how Nan Tingjin had ignored him all afternoon, Qian Hui hesitated briefly before taking the food and water himself.

He hurried over like Xiao Baocai from noon, dropped the items on the ground, and retreated.

Nan Tingjin sat on a rock with his outer robe draping to his feet. He looked up at the sound.

Qian Hui tensed and took a step back, fearing the man might press another stone against his throat.

“It’s for you,” Qian Hui said softly. “It’s not bad.”

There were more biscuits than at noon, along with a piece of dried meat and half a bottle of water.

Nan Tingjin remained silent, his gaze fixed on the food. His thoughts were unreadable.

After waiting a while, Qian Hui turned and fled.

Some time later, the food was finally picked up.

The body of an ability user had long since diverged from that of an ordinary person. Even days without food or water wouldn’t affect him.

Nan Tingjin stared at the biscuit packaging for a long time before finally taking one out.

Night fell. Qian Hui found a barely tolerable place to sleep, clutching three plants to his chest.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Xiao Baocai opened its eyes in a daze.

Half-asleep and clearly uncomfortable, it wriggled and turned restlessly until it accidentally rolled out of Qian Hui’s arms.

Under the night sky, Xiao Baocai lay motionless with its eyes closed. Its body pulsed with light, suddenly expanding dozens of times in size before shrinking back to normal in an instant.

When it opened its eyes again, as if unaware of what had just occurred, it crawled back into the ruins.

Lajiao opened its eyes briefly, glanced around, then turned over to continue sleeping.

Meanwhile, in a more distant area, a six-member team slowly navigated through the ruins.

Leading the group was Liang Jie, who held a chain in his hand. At the end of the chain was a Mimosa plant standing as tall as a human’s calf.

The Mimosa kept using its leaves to sense the surroundings. Exhausted, it occasionally stopped to rest.

After a few minutes, when they resumed moving, Liang Jie took out a small branch of pepper leaves and placed it in front of the Mimosa.

The Mimosa didn’t dare to ignore this, sniffing the scent on the branch before continuing its search.

Half an hour later, the Mimosa entered a forest and stopped in front of a zombie corpse.

Liang Jie handed the chain to a subordinate and bent down to examine the body.

This was a mid-level zombie that had died some time ago. The fatal wound was at the back of its head, caused by a dagger-like blade. There were also marks of strangulation around its neck.

On the zombie’s face, there were clear burn marks.

Liang Jie could tell at a glance that this was the work of the mutated pepper.

Moreover, mutated plants don’t use human weapons. There must have been someone else with it.

Someone had taken away the pepper using some unknown method.

In this area, apart from their team and the Black Spine Mountain squad, were there others?

Liang Jie’s expression turned grave as he stood up.

The Mimosa’s condition was worsening. He gave the order, “Rest for two hours before continuing. Give it some medicine.”

His subordinate acknowledged the command and took the Mimosa away.

The next day, Qian Hui woke up early.

Xiao Baocai was still asleep. He was about to bring breakfast to Nan Tingjin when he saw the man had already left.

As Nan Tingjin’s figure was about to disappear among the ruins, Qian Hui panicked and tried to chase after him.

He shoved half-eaten biscuits into Lajiao’s mouth and used Ruanteng to speed up.

But today, Nan Tingjin seemed determined not to let him follow. He moved too quickly.

Even with Ruanteng’s help, Qian Hui couldn’t close the distance between them.

Fortunately, his path was clear. He could always see Nan Tingjin from afar, knowing which direction he was heading.

After half an hour, Qian Hui leaned against a low wall, catching his breath. He patted Ruanteng’s leaves. “Good work.”

Nan Tingjin had finally stopped, with several people standing around him.

Qian Hui peeked cautiously. He thought it was the human team he’d seen two days ago—Nan Tingjin’s companions.

He hesitated briefly before slowly approaching, careful to hide himself.

Everything around Nan Tingjin now felt unfamiliar. He didn’t dare reveal himself, afraid of being discovered by strangers.

He planned to just listen in, nothing more.

Lajiao was hidden in his pocket, and Xiao Baocai was still asleep.

Ruanteng coiled around Qian Hui’s neck and arm, ready to move at any moment.

He’d barely started walking when something unexpected happened.

Within the team, the short man held an instrument and noticed the needle twitch, indicating low-level energy.

He looked up just in time to see a figure flash by the broken wall opposite them.

“Who’s there?” the short man demanded sharply.

He couldn’t make out much detail, but thought he saw white hair. Low-level energy could only mean a basic zombie, which wouldn’t know how to hide itself.

The short man’s body reacted faster than his brain. He scrambled up the highest pile of rubble, easily lifted a large section of wall, and hurled it toward the figure.

For some reason, his throw went wide of the mark.

The wall section crashed into the ground to the right with a thunderous *boom*.

Dust and debris flew everywhere. The short man squinted through the cloud and spotted a figure fleeing into the ruins behind.

This time he could see clearly—it was a zombie, perhaps on the verge of evolving to mid-level, moving with surprising speed.

The short man wanted to chase after it and finish the job.

His leg muscles suddenly bulged with power, but then he found himself frozen in place.

A sharp fragment of broken brick whizzed past him, following the zombie’s escape path.

The short man froze in shock, his muscles returning to normal.

If the leader had made a move, there was no need for him to act.

Everyone in the base knew Nan Tingjin’s object manipulation ability was downright terrifying.

The intensity, which seemed to transcend all rules and constraints, had never failed.

The “zombie” was still within striking distance—there was no chance of survival.

The short man leaped down from the ruins. When he turned back, he met Nan Tingjin’s gaze, which held a hint of gloom and malice.

“Get back,” he said coldly.

Nan Tingjin’s moods were unpredictable, his actions governed entirely by whim and fancy, making him difficult to read.

The short man lowered his head in submission. “Yes.”

Meanwhile, Qian Hui hid behind a column fragment.

His breathing trembled, still shaken by the lingering fear.

The flying brick had struck the exact spot beside him, burying itself deep into the stone.

Soon after, the team divided the area into several small sections, predicting where the Man-eating Flowers might appear.

At that moment, one member looked up and noticed Nan Tingjin’s absence.

He asked his companion, “Where did the leader go?”

None of them had seen which direction Nan Tingjin left in. The companion scanned the surroundings and shook his head. “Don’t know. Let’s wait here for now.”

Elsewhere, Nan Tingjin approached the stone column.

The brick remained, but Qian Hui had vanished, leaving only a faint trace of his presence.

Nan Tingjin waited at the spot for a while, but there was no sign of the boy.

He might have been frightened away, or perhaps injured himself.

Nan Tingjin stared at the stone column for a moment, then turned to follow the lingering trace of Qian Hui’s presence.

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