L1LZDGD Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In dense forests, Ruanteng’s vines assistance was minimal. Qian Hui trudged forward alone for what felt like hours.

The woodland stretched endlessly, every patch looking identical to the last. When he occasionally glanced back, even he couldn’t discern his original path.

Mutant plants lurked everywhere. Grasses and treetops rustled intermittently, whispering faint warnings.

Game notifications kept popping up, alerting him to nearby unbound flora.

Most non-combat plants remained small and inconspicuous, their locations nearly impossible to pinpoint without careful inspection.

Qian Hui accidentally stepped on an unknown flower. The delicate bloom shrieked and fled, leaving him scrambling with apologies, “Sorry! I’m sorry…”

He began treading more carefully, avoiding areas with thick undergrowth.

But within two steps, he collided with a horizontally protruding branch. The limb jerked upward, its trunk grumbling in displeasure, “Hm?”

While some mutant plants moved freely, others preferred rooted immobility. Trees, for instance, remained fixed in place from the moment consciousness took root.

Qian Hui hastily sidestepped, bending to avoid the trunk. “I’m sorry…”

Surrounded by so many unfamiliar plants, anxiety began to creep into his movements.

As he held the man-eating flower, the aura of a Grade A mutated plant continuously radiated from it. Even if the surrounding plants detected an intruder, they dared not act recklessly.

They walked forward for quite some time before Qian Hui stopped to rest. Just as he took two sips of water, Lajiao spoke up again, “Woo…”

It pointed to one side, and Qian Hui followed its gaze to see Nan Tingjin again.

He seemed to have come from another direction, and now the distance between them was even closer than before.

I thought I’d lost him… Qian Hui panicked, turning to flee at a faster pace.

Lajiao clutched tightly to Qian Hui’s sleeve to prevent falling out of his pocket, staring in Nan Tingjin’s direction.

We can’t beat him in a fight. I only used my energy attack once last night, and even with medication, it won’t recharge so quickly.

The man-eating flower was also recovering, its eyes tightly closed as it curled up in Qian Hui’s arms, seemingly asleep.

Should we hide Xiaozhi first? But what if Nan Tingjin tries to capture me too... Lajiao’s expression turned serious as it tried to think of a solution.

Qian Hui’s physical condition was already poor, and his forward progress slowed further, gradually closing the distance between himself and Nan Tingjin.

Finally, his body suddenly stiffened, and he found himself immobilized.

The footsteps behind him drew closer as Nan Tingjin slowly approached.

Only Qian Hui was restrained by the ability. The plants could still move. Lajiao leaped from Qian Hui’s shoulder, swung over on Ruanteng, and spat out several pepper seeds.

Nan Tingjin dodged sideways, letting all the seeds fall to the ground.

Lajiao tried to attack again, but its body in mid-air suddenly froze. Both Lajiao and Ruanteng crashed into the grass.

Now none of them could move. Nan Tingjin came to Qian Hui, his gaze sweeping over him.

Qian Hui hadn’t slept all night, and he looked tired. Two faint scratches on his cheek were probably from branches.

But his clothes were intact, he had no other wounds, and he seemed to be in good spirits. His beautiful red eyes glared at Nan Tingjin.

“Why did you run?” Nan Tingjin asked in a flat voice.

Just as he spoke, Lajiao and Ruanteng crawled up from the ground, and Qian Hui felt he could move again.

He quickly picked up the two plants and backed up several steps.

Nan Tingjin stayed in place, showing no sign of moving.

Qian Hui looked at him warily for a while. “Are… are you here to catch Xiaozhi?”

He carefully cradled the man-eating flower in his arms, using his sleeve to shield it, but a hint of its deep purple carapace still showed through.

Nan Tingjin glanced down at it without speaking.

Qian Hui took another step back. “You mustn’t touch it, or I—I…”

He struggled to find the right words, unable to finish his sentence.

“Very well,” Nan Tingjin replied.

Qian Hui hesitated, half-convinced. “Truly?”

Nan Tingjin had agreed too quickly, as if he hadn’t given it proper thought.

In truth, that was exactly the case.

Just a bounty mission, Nan Tingjin reasoned. Failure is failure. Besides, last night’s incident had such severe consequences that even with the leader present, no one would question why the task wasn’t completed.

Not capturing the man-eating flower won’t harm the Black Spine Mountain Base. We can simply take another bounty mission later.

Nan Tingjin patiently answered, “Truly.”

After a moment of silence, Qian Hui murmured, “I don’t believe you…”

If Nan Tingjin wouldn’t harm the man-eating flower, then why had he pursued them? And…

The humans who had injured the flower were Nan Tingjin’s companions.

Qian Hui hadn’t witnessed Nan Tingjin’s actions, so he didn’t know the exact nature of their relationship. But he had spent the previous night with the four-member squad.

Nan Tingjin probably didn’t remember Xiaozhi either; Qian Hui had mentioned it to him many times before.

In this situation, Qian Hui didn’t dare to fully trust Nan Tingjin.

But the man-eating flower in his arms hadn’t fully recovered yet, making escape even more difficult.

Hearing this, Nan Tingjin’s brow furrowed slightly.

He took a step forward, but Qian Hui hastily retreated, weakly glaring at him. “Y-you… stay away from me.”

With that, Qian Hui turned and fled again.

Nan Tingjin’s expression turned stormy as he followed.

Qian Hui still couldn’t get far. Every time he looked back, he saw Nan Tingjin not too far behind.

Soon, he realized Nan Tingjin was indeed keeping a distance from him.

The game warned twice about his poor condition. Exhausted and drained, Qian Hui leaned against a tree trunk for a moment before collapsing onto the ground in defeat.

The footsteps behind him stopped. Qian Hui turned around.

Nan Tingjin stood under the tree, maintaining the same distance. His cold features were obscured by the tree’s shadow.

Qian Hui awkwardly looked away, finally feeling somewhat relieved.

The man-eating flower in his arms stirred awake at that moment, slowly opening its eyes and nuzzling against his palm.

“Are you hungry?” Qian Hui whispered to Xiaozhi. “Want some more medicine?”

The potions from the game shop seemed to have no usage restrictions or side effects. Qian Hui bought a little of each type, then purchased an expensive beef loaf. He tore it into small pieces, feeding some to Xiaozhi and sharing a few with Lajiao and Ruanteng.

Xiaozhi slowly finished the bread, swallowed several pills, and closed its eyes to sleep again.

Qian Hui stuffed the remaining potions into his pocket and leaned against the tree trunk, head tilted. He ate some food while opening the game to check the plants’ statuses one by one.

[ Species: Man-eating Flower—Xiaozhi

Status: Wounds not fully healed ]

[ Species: Green Pepper—Qing Lajiao

Status: Slightly fatigued ]

[ Species: Soft Vine—Ruanteng

Status: Slightly fatigued ]

[ Species: Mini Cabbage—Xiao Baocai

Status: Sleeping ]

The moment Xiaozhi saw Qian Hui, its loyalty bar filled instantly. The game’s encyclopedia entry provided detailed information:

It’s an output-type plant with exceptionally high attack power, requiring no additional skill points. It can freely control its size at any time.

Beneath the Berserk Skill section, a small line read: [ Charge Progress: 20% ]

The Green Pepper’s Berserk Skill had been updated last night, also showing charge progress at 2%.

Its Berserk Skill was: [ Deactivates human abilities within 100-meter radius for 3 minutes (100% accuracy) ]

Qian Hui’s eyes widened slightly. This sounded incredibly powerful…

No wonder Lajiao had helped Xiaozhi escape from four people’s clutches last night.

Unfortunately, plants’ skills were fixed, and additional points could only enhance attack, defense, and speed.

Qian Hui hugged Lajiao tightly, rubbing the leaves on its head. “Thank you for last night.”

He casually bought several dozen skill points, distributing them across all available enhancements.

Lajiao feigned indifference as it pushed Qian Hui away, then unceremoniously devoured all the skill point spheres.

Qian Hui then allocated more points to Ruanteng. Though not an offensive plant, increased attack power would strengthen its vine bindings.

As for Xiao Baocai, it remained unconscious, temporarily unusable.

Only then did Qian Hui notice the balance display above.

He hadn’t checked earlier, having impulsively purchased items. Now, the remaining balance showed…

18,039!

Qian Hui stared blankly, counting the digits repeatedly to confirm the five-figure sum.

There were no transaction records. Struggling to recall, he finally remembered the barrage of game notifications that popped up when he found Xiaozhi.

Among the notifications, one seemed to congratulate him on successfully bonding with a special-grade mutated plant and rapidly increasing its loyalty to 100%. The system had awarded him a substantial amount of balance.

He originally had a few thousand, and after purchasing several items, the additional balance amounted to at least 20,000.

Killing a low-level zombie earned 1,000, while a mid-level one yielded 2,000.

Yet finding Xiaozhi directly granted 20,000.

Moreover, with a powerful mutated plant joining their ranks, the squad’s combat strength surged to 2,000, and their Faction Points jumped to 500.

However, Qian Hui’s mission remained incomplete, leaving his Prestige Points still at 0.

He quietly rejoiced for a moment before browsing through the shop again.

Nearby, Nan Tingjin leaned against a tree trunk, his gaze fixed calmly on Qian Hui.

Occasionally, small plants passed by. Some completed their reconnaissance and fled swiftly, while others lingered nearby to observe covertly.

This forest was a high-risk zone, with zombies frequently entering to hunt. Even lower-level plants here possessed abundant combat experience and were bolder in nature.

A large corn plant detected the man-eating flower’s scent but couldn’t locate its source. After lurking for a long time, it decided to attack Qian Hui, who appeared weaker.

It pulled out a ball made of sticky corn kernels, just about to hurl it, when Lajiao scared it away.

Lajiao wanted to chase after it, but Qian Hui called him back.

Looking at the thick grass, Qian Hui bought a pack of biscuits and crushed them in his hands.

He got up and walked around, scattering the biscuit crumbs everywhere.

After returning to the tree, the grass was quiet for a moment before rustling sounds began.

Game notifications about connected plants kept popping up. Qian Hui saw the corn from earlier, along with a four-leaf clover, a small daisy, a white radish…

There was a money tree and a kiwi fruit, fighting over a larger piece of biscuit.

The kiwi fruit was much smaller, but the money tree couldn’t win. Its leaves got covered in sticky fruit flesh, and it took a long time to shake it off.

Qian Hui’s heart softened. He bought another pack of biscuits and waved it at the tree. “I have more here.”

The money tree hesitated, not daring to come forward, and turned to slip away.

Qian Hui was about to put the biscuits away when a familiar potato fell from the branch above his head, landing in the grass in front of him with a “plop.”

The potato rolled over and crawled up, reaching out to Qian Hui with a pair of pea-sized eyes.

Qian Hui had never seen such a bold potato before and hesitated slightly.

Is this the same potato from last night…

The potato snorted, jumped up, and snatched the biscuit from Qian Hui’s hand before slipping into the grass and disappearing in an instant.

Qian Hui’s eyes widened. “You…”

Lajiao chased after it for a few steps but couldn’t catch up, angrily returning to Qian Hui.

Qian Hui picked up the pepper. “Never mind…”

Xiaozhi in his arms opened its eyes at that moment, scanning the surroundings.

What plants feared most were high-level members of their own kind. The grasses swayed continuously before gradually settling down.

Then Xiaozhi closed its eyes and continued sleeping.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves. Qian Hui yawned and slowly lay down in the grass.

Nan Tingjin was nearby. With his eyes closed, Qian Hui could vaguely sense the man’s gaze upon him.

As long as he didn’t take away Xiaozhi, his mere presence there brought a sense of security.

Qian Hui drifted off to sleep. When he woke up again, it was to the sound of zombies.

He opened his eyes to see two mid-level zombies attempting to attack Nan Tingjin.

The two mid-level zombies had emaciated bodies and moved with surprising speed. They could spit out web-like substances from their mouths to immobilize prey.

All nearby plants had already fled. Nan Tingjin stood guard before the grass where Qian Hui was sleeping, raising his hand to control the zombies’ movements.

Just as he was about to lead the zombies away to kill them, he heard Qian Hui’s voice: “Wait…”

Qian Hui ran up from behind, holding his dagger.

The zombies stood stiffly upright, their bloodshot eyes constantly moving, faces twisted in grotesque snarls.

Qian Hui felt a bit afraid and pressed close to Nan Tingjin. “Can I… kill them?”

Nan Tingjin was silent for a moment. “Yes.”

The two zombies remained motionless. Qian Hui circled around behind them and forcefully stabbed the dagger into the back of their heads.

Lajiao helped too, digging out the crystal cores.

The plant sneakily glanced at Nan Tingjin, then hid the crystal cores behind its back.

With the successful elimination of two mid-level zombies, the main quest was more than half completed, earning them a 4000 balance reward.

Though their balance was already substantial, Qian Hui never refused extra rewards.

He returned to Nan Tingjin’s side and said, “Thank you.”

Nan Tingjin looked down at him, but didn’t ask why Qian Hui had done this.

With zombies having died nearby, the smell was unpleasant. Qian Hui picked up Xiaozhi sleeping under the tree, and took Lajiao and Ruanteng to another place.

Nan Tingjin still followed behind, but this time he stayed a bit closer.

After walking further, Qian Hui found a small stream that stretched for a long way.

The stream water was clean and clear. He looked carefully, but there didn’t seem to be any mutated plants inside.

Qian Hui had slept for a while, and now it was late afternoon. He sat by the stream, dipping his hand into the icy water to feel it.

The sun quickly set, and wind began to blow through the forest.

Qian Hui wasn’t afraid of the cold, but he worried Xiaozhi might catch a chill. He bought a small blanket from the mall.

While picking out the blanket, he also bought new clothes and a jacket for himself, along with a backpack to carry the remaining food and water.

Qian Hui pondered for a moment before purchasing an additional small towel.

As night descended, he delivered a piece of bread to Nan Tingjin as compensation for eliminating two mid-level zombies.

Nan Tingjin accepted without protest. Seated with legs bent beneath him under a tree, he opened his mouth to speak, but Qian Hui had already turned and departed.

When darkness fully enveloped the forest, Qian Hui deliberately distanced himself from Nan Tingjin, approaching the babbling brook instead.

He undid his shirt’s fastenings, scrubbed his body with a water-soaked towel, then donned fresh garments.

Having completed this ritual, Qian Hui hurried back to his designated sleeping tree.

The man-eating flower remained dormant, safely stored in his backpack. Lajiao took up the night watch.

Unlike the city ruins, the forest offered no natural concealment. Under the starless canopy, Qian Hui guided his plant companions closer to Nan Tingjin’s position.

The hunter observed every movement, his gaze eventually dropping to the ground as if lost in thought.

The next day, Qian Hui woke up early.

The forest was shrouded in mist, the air thick with moisture between the undergrowth. He clutched his backpack tightly, feeling the man-eating flower stir inside.

Instantly alert, Qian Hui opened the pack and lifted the swaddled flower bundle.

“Feeling better?” He stroked Xiaozhi’s crown, then uncapped a water bottle to feed it.

After nearly a full day of rest, Xiaozhi’s vitality had finally improved.

It tilted its head, nuzzling Qian Hui’s palm with soft whimpers, its leaf-tongue gently licking him.

“I still have plenty of medicine here,” Qian Hui said, “and if you’re hungry, just let me know. Don’t be afraid—I’ll protect you.”

Though still weak himself, all he could do was buy medicine for Xiaozhi to help it recover faster.

Yet Xiaozhi seemed to appreciate this care, persistently licking Qian Hui’s chin like an affectionate puppy.

Qian Hui smiled, straightening the flower’s stem and leaves. “By the way,” he asked, “have you seen Xiaofen?”

Xiaozhi hadn’t answered this question yesterday.

But the mark above the tree hollow was undoubtedly the little mushroom’s, and the man-eating flower had been hiding inside.

Hearing this, Xiaozhi’s raised leaves quickly wilted, its expression turning deeply sorrowful.

It leaned closer, continuing to nuzzle Qian Hui’s cheek, as if seeking comfort or perhaps offering solace.

A sense of foreboding welled up in Qian Hui. He asked blankly, “What’s wrong?”

Xiaozhi nuzzled him again, then buried its head in his palm. From the thicker upper part of its throat, it expelled a small object.

The object’s surface was dry, wrapped in withered yellow leaves that had clearly been stored there for some time.

Qian Hui stared at it for a moment, gradually piecing together the truth.

A stinging sensation filled his nose as tears rapidly welled in his eyes.

If not for his unique physiology preventing him from crying like humans, he would already be wiping away tears.

Slowly, Qian Hui peeled away layer after layer of leaves to reveal a pink little mushroom inside.

The little mushroom lay quietly within the leaves, its eyes tightly closed. Half of its body had dried up, now sharing the same color as the surrounding foliage.

The man-eating flower let out a low mournful cry, leaning against Qian Hui’s hand.

Qian Hui’s breath came in ragged gasps, his throat feeling as if it were clogged with mud—an unbearable sensation.

He clutched the leaf, bewildered, refusing to believe this was happening, yet too afraid to touch it.

“How could this be…” His voice choked with emotion.

Suddenly, Qian Hui remembered something and hurriedly opened the game.

Forcing himself to calm down, he scrolled to the special items section of the shop: “Wait, I…”

[ Revival Bean

Sale Price: 300,000

Usage: Can be used by any species, regardless of time since death. Requires complete body integrity. Simply place the Revival Bean in the mouth and wait. (Note: High-value items will consume the host’s positive status. It is recommended to have a balance of 600,000 or more before purchasing.) ]

Ignoring the last part, Qian Hui clutched the man-eating flower. “I have a way.”

Xiaozhi, not understanding, looked up at him.

“We can revive it, but… but…” Qian Hui stammered, “we need to wait…”

300,000. How could he possibly gather that much?

Killing a mid-level zombie only yielded 2,000… But when he found Xiaozhi, it had given him 20,000. Perhaps if he found the other friends in the plant courtyard later, they might give him the same amount.

Moreover, the item’s description stated there was no time limit for its use. Even if he accumulated the currency slowly, he would eventually reach the required amount.

Qian Hui’s mind raced with random thoughts. Rubbing his eyes, he carefully wrapped the leaf and handed it back to the man-eating flower.

“Xiaozhi,” he said earnestly, “I have a way to revive Xiaofen, but we’ll have to wait… We need to protect the little mushroom.”

Realizing Qian Hui spoke the truth, hope sparkled in Xiaozhi’s eyes.

It nodded and swallowed the wrapped leaf, hiding it in its throat.

After completing this, Xiaozhi threw itself into Qian Hui’s arms, emitting continuous soft whimpers.

Qian Hui remained deeply saddened. The possibility of revival didn’t erase the little mushroom’s tragic fate.

He held Xiaozhi tightly. After a long moment, he asked, “When did this happen…?”

“Who did it?” Qian Hui’s eyes reddened. “Was it… humans?”

Zombies typically consumed plants they captured, leaving no remains.

Though unwilling to dwell on it, Qian Hui knew zombies rarely left intact corpses after an attack.

Xiaozhi lifted its head and gave a slight nod.

Qian Hui pressed further, “Was it those… from last night?”

Xiaozhi considered briefly before shaking its head.

The killer of the little mushroom came from a different place than the attacker from last night. The man-eating flower could tell by the scent.

Qian Hui felt inexplicable relief. If it wasn’t the human from last night, then this had nothing to do with Nan Tingjin.

He sniffed the air and gently stroked Xiaozhi’s head.

When Qian Hui’s emotions had stabilized somewhat, footsteps approached from the side.

He turned to see Nan Tingjin standing there.

Xiaozhi recognized Nan Tingjin’s scent—this was Qian Hui’s former boyfriend.

It never trusted any humans. Its eyes remained wary, the flower stem tense and ready to strike, but it endured the presence out of deference to Qian Hui.

Nan Tingjin ignored the man-eating flower and crouched down. “What’s wrong?”

Qian Hui looked like he’d been crying—his eyes were red and swollen, his expression fragile and pained.

Seeing Nan Tingjin now, the slight calm he’d regained flooded back into turmoil.

But Nan Tingjin had forgotten everything. He didn’t remember Qian Hui, and of course he didn’t remember Xiaozhi and Xiaofen.

Even if told, he probably wouldn’t understand.

In the end, Qian Hui’s sorrow turned into resentment, and a plaintive accusation. “Why…” He looked at Nan Tingjin, his voice barely above a whisper. “Why don’t you remember me?”

Qian Hui felt tears welling up again, the moisture glistening in his eyes.

Nan Tingjin frowned and reached out a hand.

Encouraged by this gesture, Qian Hui lunged forward. He buried his face in Nan Tingjin’s collar, arms clinging tightly. “Wuu… hug me…”

Nan Tingjin looked down, his movements both awkward and instinctive as he pulled Qian Hui onto his lap.

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