L1LZDGD Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Qian Hui crouched down as the cabbage suddenly leaped into his arms.

The cabbage was surprisingly strong and much heavier than other plants, nearly knocking Qian Hui over.

“Xiaojuan!” Qian Hui hugged the cabbage tightly. “It’s you!”

Xiaojuan, the cabbage, whimpered softly, its wide eyes fixed on Qian Hui, rims glistening with moisture as if it still couldn’t believe it.

It loosened its gauntlets, its leafy hands gripping Qian Hui’s hem tightly. Leaning closer, it sniffed him repeatedly, then gently touched his cheek and hair.

Qian Hui looked exactly as Xiaojuan remembered, his scent unchanged. Only his silver hair had turned a pale orange.

Upon closer inspection, Xiaojuan noticed the uneven patches of color in his hair, which even carried a faint carrot-like aroma…

Seeing Xiaojuan’s curiosity about his hair, Qian Hui explained, “Luobo helped me dye it. It’ll all fall out in a few days.”

Dye it?

Xiaojuan’s eyes widened with curiosity. Only then did it notice the unfamiliar plants surrounding Qian Hui.

Xiaokui was there too, along with a money tree, an apple, and a succulent.

A vine was wrapped around Qian Hui’s wrist, a slender branch peeking out from his sleeve. A nail-sized mimosa leaf clung to it.

Waaah, it’s been so long! Qian Hui is still so beloved by plants…

Xiaojuan felt a pang of inexplicable sadness and frustration. If only I had met Qian Hui sooner… It was sure Qian Hui had been through a lot since leaving the Plant Courtyard.

It clung tightly to Qian Hui, burying its face against him and rubbing vigorously.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Qian Hui reassured it, still shaken. “Thank goodness we rushed over… Why were those humans attacking you?”

The Plant Squad, who had been trailing behind, returned and gathered around Qian Hui.

Xiaojuan whimpered, and Xiaokui, who had been pushed aside, helped translate and relay its words.

All the plants listened intently. Xiaozhi, the man-eating flower, raised its head, scanning the surroundings to ensure their safety.

At that moment, Xiaokui’s leaves rustled. Xiao Baocai, almost completely buried beneath them, quietly peeked out.

It gazed at Xiaojuan, its eyes gleaming faintly.

Xiao Baocai and Xiaojuan looked remarkably alike.

The main difference between the two plants was their color. Xiao Baocai’s head was a deeper shade of green, resembling a plump little ball. Xiaojuan, on the other hand, was a paler bluish-green throughout, with a slightly flattened body.

Their sizes also varied greatly. Xiaojuan, when standing upright, reached the height of an adult’s lower leg, while Xiao Baocai was only the size of a palm, incredibly tiny.

Despite these differences, their leaf patterns and the way their leaves wrapped around their bodies were identical, even down to the slight upward curve of the leaf edges at the top.

Plants with such similar appearances, even if not of the exact same species, were generally related. For example, Lajiao and Luobo came in different colors, and Duorou the little succulent, who had once lived on a human balcony filled with succulents, claimed that the other succulents there were his older siblings.

Xiao Baocai wondered if Xiaojuan might be…

But Xiaojuan was so powerful, a Special-Grade Mutant Plant, while Xiao Baocai was at the lowest level and couldn’t even fight…

The light in Xiao Baocai’s eyes dimmed slightly as it instinctively hid behind Xiaokui, continuing to observe Xiaojuan.

After hearing the full story of Xiaojuan’s attack on the Base, Qian Hui frowned. “That was too dangerous. Don’t ever do that again.”

Xiaojuan had always been reckless, despite its fragile leaves and poor defenses. It insisted on being at the front lines, fighting zombies.

Fortunately, its strength was sufficient, allowing it to escape unscathed after its first attack on the human base.

The Plant Squad’s timely arrival was also a blessing. Had they been delayed, even Xiaojuan’s forced breakthrough would have resulted in severe injuries.

Luobo stood nearby, scoffing. “Hmph.”

Daring to infiltrate a human base alone? Quite the feat… You should thank me! I didn’t sleep all night. Any later, and things would have turned ugly.

Xiaojuan didn’t retort, too lazy to deal with Luobo for now. It nestled deeper into Qian Hui’s arms, whimpering softly.

It still longed to hear about Qian Hui’s past experiences, but the ruins were too close to the base and unsafe.

Moreover, the base had just lost a squad. Knowing the plants were coming, they would undoubtedly be on high alert.

Rescuing the imprisoned plants required a more detailed plan.

Xiaozhi enlarged its form, allowing Qian Hui and the plants to enter. They prepared to retreat to a safer distance.

Xiaojuan refused to leave Qian Hui’s embrace. Qian Hui lifted it up, patting its head. “Xiaojuan seems heavier now.”

Hearing this, Xiaojuan shyly looked up and pointed to its stomach, indicating it was very hungry.

Qian Hui quickly pulled out half a pack of dried meat from his pocket and fed it to Xiaojuan, sighing with pity.

The surrounding area was filled with urban ruins, making food scarce. Xiaojuan had likely been guarding the Base for a long time.

If it hadn’t tried to help those two plants, it might never have encountered Qian Hui again.

Qian Hui hugged Xiaojuan and climbed into Xiaozhi’s mouth. Once Nan Tingjin and the other plants had also entered, Xiaozhi turned and swiftly departed.

Xiaokui intensified the glow of its petals, replenishing the energy of the plants after the battle and illuminating the surroundings.

Ravenously hungry, Xiaojuan wolfed down the dried meat, followed by four or five packs of biscuits and dried fruit.

Qian Hui offered him water and stroked its head tenderly. “Slow down, slow down. I have plenty more.”

To show friendship to the new companion, Tudou even offered Xiaojuan a piece of candy.

After giving the candy, Tudou scurried back to Yumi and whispered to it. Why does Xiaojuan look so much like Xiao Baocai? Could they be related?

Yumi glanced left and right, then shook its head.

It didn’t think they were related, but Xiao Baocai might be one of Xiaojuan’s old boxing gloves that had fallen off!

Tudou let out a soft “Ah” and fell into thought.

Finally full, Xiaojuan drained the entire bottle of water in one gulp and lay back for a moment.

It scratched its face and vaguely sensed a gaze upon it, instinctively looking over.

A small plant was hiding beneath a sunflower leaf, only half its body visible.

Noticing Xiaojuan’s gaze, the little plant quickly retreated further into hiding.

Standing in shadow and darting behind the leaf, Xiaojuan couldn’t make out its appearance.

It racked his memory and assumed it was that red apple, Pigguo.

Xiaojuan turned its head again and glanced at Nan Tingjin.

It remembered this was Qian Hui’s boyfriend, whom it had seen two or three times when driving Qian Hui to the forest cabin.

Nan Tingjin looked over, and Xiaojuan waved casually in greeting.

Ten minutes later, Xiaozhi found half a building. It selected a clean, spacious room and opened its mouth wide.

The plants who had participated in the battle had mostly recovered. Qian Hui gathered everyone and introduced them to Xiaojuan.

The plants lined up one by one, approaching Xiaojuan to exchange scents as a form of introduction.

When it was finally over, Qian Hui suddenly noticed Xiao Baocai was missing.

He looked around. “Where’s Xiao Baobao?”

Xiao Baocai should have been more eager at times like this.

Qian Hui called out again, nearly thinking he’d left Xiao Baocai behind, until Xiaokui, the sunflower, lifted its leaves to reveal the tiny figure.

“Come on!” Qian Hui waved Xiao Baocai over.

Xiao Baocai hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached.

It looked timid, its gaze toward Xiaojuan filled with a mix of anticipation and longing.

Xiaojuan took a closer look and exclaimed in surprise, “Huh?”

How could this little plant resemble iit so closely?

As the two plants drew near, Qian Hui paused in surprise.

Earlier, when he’d found Xiaojuan, he’d been too preoccupied to notice anything else. Now, looking again… when he first encountered Xiao Baocai, he’d briefly thought they looked alike.

Xiaojuan was large and flat, while Xiao Baocai was round and small, about the size of Xiaojuan’s boxing glove.

Xiao Baocai stood nervously, its slender leaf-hands fidgeting awkwardly.

When Xiaojuan moved closer, Xiao Baocai tensed even more, closing its eyes and barely daring to breathe.

Curious, Xiaojuan leaned closer, circling Xiao Baocai. Iy extended his boxing glove to compare sizes and sniffed the little cabbage’s scent.

Xiao Baocai couldn’t resist opening its eyes and looking up.

Seeing that Xiaojuan didn’t seem disgusted, its eyes lit up. It eagerly ran to Xiaojuan and hugged the boxing glove.

Xiao Baocai gazed up in adoration, “Uu…”

Xiaojuan froze, suddenly feeling a strange tension.

Though powerful and skilled in combat, whether in the Plant Courtyard or since arriving here, other plants had always expressed gratitude and praise.

But this little plant, so similar in appearance, evoked a different sensation.

It was the subtle feeling of suddenly encountering another version of himself—both familiar and distinct—offering absolute acceptance.

Xiaojuan lowered his gaze to Xiao Baocai, growing more fond with each look. It opened its boxing glove and gently scooped the little cabbage up.

Xiao Baocai was overwhelmed with joy. In its excitement, it accidentally spat out a mini Xiaojuan Light.

The finger-sized light rolled onto the ground. Xiaojuan picked it up and exclaimed, “Uu!”

So tiny! And it glows!

Xiao Baocai spat out several more mini cabbages on the spot, eager to offer them as a welcoming gift to Xiaojuan.

Xiaojuan accepted them without hesitation, tucking them into the gaps between its leafy head.

After holding its breath for a moment, Xiaojuan removed one of its gauntlets and presented it to Xiao Baocai.

Xiaojuan’s gauntlets naturally shed their shells periodically, requiring replacement. By removing this one early, Xiaojuan ensured it remained intact.

Xiao Baocai carefully accepted the gauntlet, nearly fainting with joy. “Waaah…”

Seeing the two plants getting along harmoniously, Qian Hui decided not to disturb them.

He opened the game. Xiaojuan’s entry in the Handbook had already been unlocked. With the addition of this new Special-Grade Mutant Plant, the squad’s combat power surged to 19,000.

His balance stood at 150,000, with 4,000 Faction Points, totaling 230,000.

Only 70,000 more to go.

If possible, after rescuing the plants from the Base, they might attempt to locate a Zombie Horde.

And then there was Zombie King No. 03.

How much reward would killing a Zombie King yield…

Qian Hui glanced at Xiaojuan playing with Xiao Baocai and closed the game interface.

The plants shared a deep understanding, and none of them brought up the little mushroom’s condition.

We’re getting closer… Just 70,000 more, and the little mushroom will be revived. Then we won’t have to be sad anymore.

Luobo had been waiting impatiently nearby. It coldly interrupted Xiaojuan and Xiao Baocai with a sharp, “Woo?”

Time was running short. They still needed to discuss their battle plan and figure out how to rescue the plants at the Base.

Xiao Baocai, ever the responsible one, hopped down from Xiaojuan’s head.

It gave Xiaojuan one last affectionate nudge, picked up the boxing gloves, glanced around, and scurried away.

The boxing gloves felt soft when pressed firmly. Afraid of damaging them, Xiao Baocai peeled off a layer of his hard cabbage shell.

As long as it didn’t grow any larger, it could keep two spare shells. Xiao Baocai opened the outer shell and stored the gloves inside—a perfect fit.

After finishing, it cracked the shell open slightly and touched the gloves inside.

If only I could be as strong as Xiaojuan someday…

Meanwhile, the plants gathered in a circle.

Qian Hui asked Xiaojuan to describe what it had seen during its last infiltration of the Base.

Xiaojuan scratched its head. “Woo?”

The situation had been too chaotic for it to see clearly. All it remembered was that there were a lot of humans, and they had a lot of weapons.

Luobo punched Xiaojuan in the arm in frustration. That’s obvious!

Lulian sat beside Luobo as usual, its mind wandering. It glanced at Xiao Baocai, then back at Xiaojuan across from it.

Xiaojuan looked innocent; it hadn’t known what was coming. Still, it had probably memorized the patrol patterns outside the wall, which might come in handy.

But breaching a base was far more difficult than dealing with an equivalent number of Human Ability Users.

Luobo considered a direct assault. Maybe they could have Xiao Guo grow huge and smash through the wall.

The Plant Squad had won every battle so far, so it was confident in their strength.

The real problem was that the enemy already knew they were coming and would be prepared. That made things even harder.

Luobo racked its brain, desperate for a flawless rescue plan.

The plants fell silent, their expressions grave.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind them.

Nan Tingjin approached Qian Hui, knelt down beside him, and asked, “Need any help?”

He gazed down at Qian Hui, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather.

The atmosphere around them seemed to subtly freeze, and all the plants turned their attention to Qian Hui.

Qian Hui paused, then hesitantly asked, “Is that… possible?”

Hearing this, Luobo swiftly discarded his previous plans and began formulating new ones. If Nan Tingjin were to assist, their chances of breaching the base would greatly improve.

“It is,” Nan Tingjin replied softly. “But I’ll need a commission.”

Qian Hui blinked in surprise. “A commission?”

The Black Spine Mountain Base thrived on accepting various bounties and commissions. To hire Nan Tingjin to assist the Plant Squad, especially against humans from his own faction, it seemed reasonable to offer payment.

But Qian Hui had no universal currency. The only resources he could offer were those from the game.

After a moment’s thought, he nervously asked, “How much do you want?”

“Not much,” Nan Tingjin said, a faint smile playing on his lips. “You can owe me for now.”

Far within the ruins of the city, at a branch of Sky Base, the confirmation of an entire squad’s demise sent everyone scrambling back to the base, bracing for a full-scale assault.

The base manager activated the perimeter wall’s strongest defenses, stationed several Ability Users to monitor the surroundings, and moved all firearms and weapons from the armory into position.

But the exterior remained eerily quiet. The mutant plants seemed to have vanished.

This was hardly reassuring. Had the plants come all this way just for that one Xiaojuan?

Many had heard of the mutant plants’ formidable combat capabilities. If the reports were accurate…

Their ranks included two Special-Grade Mutant Plants specialized in combat, a sunflower with extraordinary healing abilities, a recently awakened giant nut, and a mutant pepper with a unique supernatural ability.

Combined with several other outstanding mid-to-high-grade mutant plants, their coordinated efforts could unleash unimaginable potential.

The base manager broke into a cold sweat, repeatedly contacting Main Base for operational directives.

However, upon learning that the Plant Squad had arrived and the mutated cabbage had escaped, Wen Jue’s body finally gave out.

He collapsed into unconsciousness, possibly slipping into a state of mental disorientation. Despite his subordinates’ attempts to administer medication, he remained unresponsive.

With this, only the managers at the Main Base remained to deliberate.

Their first thought turned to the plants imprisoned at the Base Branch, speculating whether the mutant plants had come specifically for them.

But secretly moving the imprisoned plants carried even greater risks if discovered.

Holding the Base Branch was likely impossible; the Main Base was too far away to send reinforcements in time.

In the end, the managers issued a second urgent request to all Bases, asking nearby teams to provide support.

This approach also had its risks, but with caution, they believed no one would discover the plants imprisoned at the Base Branch.

Upon receiving the order, the Manager of the Base Branch immediately began preparations.

He urged his subordinates to clear away any unnecessary items and move all the cages containing the plants to a more secure underground basement.

The subordinates hurriedly led their teams to the basement, unlocking the tightly secured door.

Passing through the corridor, they entered a room filled with iron cages of various sizes, each containing a mutant plant.

Most of the plants appeared withered and listless. When they saw the newcomers, they cowered in the corners of their cages, trembling silently.

As the subordinates entered, a cage near the door suddenly rattled violently, emitting two loud bangs.

He looked down and saw an enormous cherry, larger than a basketball.

Several wires bound the cherry, which glared at the human before it, baring its teeth and growling fiercely.

The subordinate frowned. “It hasn’t been tamed yet?”

“No,” the person beside him replied. “It’s incredibly stubborn.”

The cherry had been captured some time ago, but no matter how they treated it, it remained defiant, as if determined to die rather than submit.

If they couldn’t tame and utilize it soon, it would likely be sent to the Main Base to be handled by Wen Jue’s staff.

The cherry slammed against the cage again, its sharp teeth gnawing at the metal bars.

Growing impatient, the subordinate pressed a device on top of the cage. The cherry was instantly stunned by an electric shock, collapsing unconscious.