L1LZDGD Chapter 24

Chapter 24

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Qian Hui was initially delighted, then grew skeptical.

“What kind of plant is it?” he asked.

“It’s quite large,” Nan Tingjin replied. “I’ve seen it once before, but I’m not sure about its species.”

Qian Hui muttered quietly, “Then how do you know it’s a Grade A…?”

He’d never heard Nan Tingjin mention this matter before. But considering they’d only recently reunited, it made sense that Nan Tingjin hadn’t known about his desire to find all Grade A mutant plants.

Qian Hui leaned against Nan Tingjin’s chest, looking up at him. “Is it true? You’re not lying to me?”

A faint sense of caution stirred in his heart. Besides, the base was human territory—he couldn’t simply enter without permission.

Nan Tingjin lowered his gaze. “When have I ever lied to you?”

Qian Hui fell silent, carefully considering. The Nan Tingjin from before would never have deceived him.

Even since coming here, Nan Tingjin… hadn’t lied to him either.

That time they’d sought Xiaozhi nearby—he hadn’t concealed anything from him.

Nan Tingjin murmured softly, “Why would I lie to you?”

“I…” Qian Hui mumbled, “I don’t know either.”

In truth, even after Nan Tingjin’s memory loss, Qian Hui still trusted him more than any other human.

His companions had once tried to capture the man-eating flower. When Nan Tingjin later found him in the forest, he agreed not to harm the plant.

Whenever they were together, Qian Hui never hid his purchases from the game Shop from Nan Tingjin, and the human even warned him to avoid being seen by others.

In short, though Nan Tingjin was the leader of the human base, he had consistently followed Qian Hui’s lead, showing no signs of being an “enemy faction.”

Qian Hui pondered for a moment, nearly convinced.

His eyes glinted slightly as he asked, “So… how do we get there?”

He used the word “we,” meaning he intended to bring the entire plant team along.

Nan Tingjin remained silent for a moment before responding, “Promise me you’ll come, and I’ll arrange everything.”

Qian Hui still hesitated. “I’ll ask Luobo and the others first.”

Nan Tingjin replied patiently, “Of course.”

The plants were still bathing. Zhusun, hidden behind a tree, had been agonizing over its decision for a long time before slowly making its way to the lake’s edge.

It kept its distance from the other plants, deliberately choosing a spot further away, planning to quickly wash itself and return to its night watch position on the tree.

However, just as it touched the water, Yumi and Tudou swam over with a splash.

Tudou waved in greeting, “Woo!”

They had all witnessed Zhusun helping kill zombies earlier. Having fought together, they considered themselves friends now.

Zhusun nodded reservedly, peeled off another layer of its shell, and submerged it in the water to wash.

Yumi’s eyes widened as it leaned closer to examine the shell, then reached out to touch it.

Tudou also crowded in, snatched the shell away, and tried to put it on itself.

But it was a bit too plump, and the shell wouldn’t close properly.

Yumi turned to see Zhusun pulling out the bamboo knife from its back, then peeled off another layer of its shell.

Moments later, Zhusun was dragged into the lake. Yumi and Tudou circled around it, examining it to see if they could peel off another layer.

But Zhusun clutched its third layer of shell tightly, refusing to let go.

Xiaozhi, having heard the commotion, came over to tell Yumi and Tudou to behave. If Zhusun got angry, they might not be able to beat it.

The two plants obeyed, immediately stepping back. Zhusun picked up its shell and bamboo knife from the water, climbed ashore, and ran away.

When all the plants had returned, Qian Hui handed the sleeping sunflower and apple to Xiaozhi. He then used a towel to dry each plant one by one.

He took the opportunity to mention what had happened earlier, asking if anyone had heard of any special-grade mutant plants in Black Spine Mountain.

Xiaozhi was the first to shake its head, indicating it didn’t know.

Luobo also shook its head. Apart from that time it wanted to fight the Zombie King, it rarely approached human bases on its own, let alone ventured to Black Spine Mountain.

Even Lajiao, the most well-informed plant, was clueless. The rest of the plants were even less likely to know.

Qian Hui said, troubled, “I want to go check it out…”

Nan Tingjin’s description of the plant was sparse—only noting its large size, with no further details.

Based on this alone, Qian Hui couldn’t possibly guess which plant it was, or rather, any plant could potentially be the one.

When Xiaozhi was in the small courtyard, it had only reached his waist. It was only after coming here that it could change its size.

Luobo thought for a moment, then made a soft “woo” sound, feeling that they could go.

Xiaozhi still shook its head. It didn’t trust Nan Tingjin that much. If this was a lie, Qian Hui would be in danger.

Luobo didn’t agree, pointing at his own neck.

Nan Tingjin was still under Ruanteng’s control. If they had already captured the leader, wouldn’t it be fine to take a look around the leader’s base?

Xiaozhi remained silent. It had never thought that Nan Tingjin could be controlled by a small vine. Being cautious was always better.

In the end, Yumi and Tudou also agreed to go, while Lajiao did not.

The remaining plants could stay or go.

Qian Hui felt even more conflicted. “I’ll ask Xiaokui tomorrow…”

Perhaps they could find a way to ask humans for information, but such risks were not small.

After wiping down the last plant, Qian Hui was about to put away the towel when he spotted the small bamboo shoot nearby.

Under the moonlight, Zhusun hid behind a tree. When it noticed Qian Hui looking its way, it quickly shrank back into hiding.

Qian Hui walked over holding the towel and crouched down before the tree. “Hello?”

After a moment, Zhusun slowly emerged from behind the tree.

Now facing Qian Hui, it felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, it hadn’t chosen to trust him earlier and had desperately resisted, nearly delaying the rescue of Xiaokui.

But Qian Hui didn’t seem angry at all. He waved the small bamboo shoot over. “Come here, let me wipe you down.”

Zhusun wore two layers of damp outer shells, with water droplets continuously dripping from them.

It stood still for a moment, gently twitching its nose tip.

Qian Hui’s scent was pleasant, similar to Xiaokui’s, as if naturally carrying a sense of affinity and power towards plants.

He waited patiently as the small bamboo shoot slowly shuffled closer, finally reaching his side.

Qian Hui first wiped its leaf-like hands. Seeing it didn’t resist, he continued wiping its body.

Yet the more he wiped, the more water droplets seemed to appear. He wrapped Zhusun in a towel, picked it up, and gently shook it with its head downward.

The water hidden in its shell finally poured out. After drying Zhusun, Qian Hui set it back on the grass.

Zhusun still seemed dazed. The towel’s scent was too chaotic, with all plant scents mixed together. Being completely buried in it felt very strange, as if it had been “assimilated.”

Zhusun sneezed and sat on the ground.

Qian Hui couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it. “Do you want to come with me?”

After successfully saving Xiaokui, the small bamboo shoot’s loyalty instantly rose to 50%, even higher than Mimosa’s.

Whether it truly cared deeply for Xiaokui or was just a high-level mutant plant, regardless of the reason, Qian Hui wanted to keep it by his side.

Zhusun sniffed Qian Hui’s fingertip, then looked back at the sunflower and the apple hidden in Xiaozhi’s leaves.

After hesitating, it ran back to the tree, picked up its bamboo knife, and came back, keeping close to Qian Hui’s feet.

Qian Hui picked it up and turned to leave.

The other plants weren’t surprised at all by the small bamboo shoot’s decision to join them.

Xiaokui and the apple returned to Qian Hui’s embrace, with all three new members now cradled in his arms. Xiaozhi expanded its size, carrying the two humans and all the plants as it advanced deeper into the forest, seeking a more distant and secure location to spend the night.

Along the way, Qian Hui opened the game interface. The plant team’s combat strength had already reached 9,000.

[ Faction Points: 2,000 ]

[ Prestige Points: 790 ]

[ Balance: Over 70,000 ]

Among the Prestige Points, 500 had been earned by killing several mid-level zombies that night. With 30 zombies eliminated, the main quest was finally completed.

Purchasing a single high-level mutant plant required only 5 Prestige Points. With this many, he should have enough for quite some time.

Each Faction Point could be exchanged for 20 Balance points. With his current 2,000 Faction Points, his total Balance should now exceed 110,000.

But it still wasn’t enough… He’d only accumulated one-third of the required amount to purchase a Revival Bean.

The side quest remained unfinished. To complete it, he needed to raise the loyalty of two high-level mutant plants to 40% and two mid-level mutant plants to 50%. This would grant an additional 2,000 Faction Points reward.

He still needed four more plants in total… Qian Hui opened the Handbook. Mimosa’s loyalty was stuck at 30%, while the apple he’d brought back with Xiaokui was a low-level mutant plant.

To complete the mission, the team needed new plants to join their ranks.

Qian Hui looked at his backpack. If he got a bigger one, it should fit everything, but…

Ever since more plants started gathering around him, especially after finding Luobo, many plants would flee upon sensing the group’s overwhelming aura. In this forest, he encountered far fewer mutant plants than before.

Qian Hui felt troubled. He couldn’t just leave Luobo and others behind. He needed a solution.

He opened the quest panel again. A new main quest had been issued:

[ Main Quest: Use the Shop’s Evolution Water to successfully evolve your plants (2/5) ]

[ Rewards: Faction Points +300 ]

This was simple. Qian Hui had already used Evolution Water for Lajiao and Ruanteng, so he only needed three more bottles.

Coincidentally, Yumi, Tudou, and Facaishu’s loyalty had reached 70%, making them recommended for cultivation.

Qian Hui bought three bottles of Evolution Water, storing them in his game inventory for use the next day.

He closed the game, leaning against Nan Tingjin’s chest as he gazed at the dark night sky.

Mimosa attached to his sleeve lifted its leaves, observing the three new plants in Qian Hui’s arms.

Qian Hui had said Xiaokui was his friend, but the apple and small bamboo shoot seemed different.

Especially the apple. Its rank wasn’t high, and in Mimosa’s view, it was considered a “useless” plant. If humans captured it, they would most likely discard it rather than take it back and keep it captive.

But Qian Hui was different. He brought the little apple along. Perhaps it was just a casual act when saving Xiaokui, but he even fed the apple food and pills.

Then… then does that make me Qian Hui’s friend?

After helping find Xiaokui, Qian Hui quietly praised Mimosa for a long time that night, saying it was particularly amazing.

Mimosa uneasily shifted, its leaves gazing in a distant direction.

That place had once been where it was imprisoned, not just it, but many other plants as well.

Plants usually don’t have friends, but during the days of being imprisoned together, all the surrounding plants became Mimosa’s friends.

Now it had finally escaped, no longer needing to return to that place.

The plants around Qian Hui were all very strong and willing to protect it.

But its friends were still there.

If only Qian Hui would be willing to save its friends too… Mimosa looked at Qian Hui, its leaves quietly drooping.

The forest was quiet, with occasional movements in the grass and branches as mutant plants detected their scent and fled into the distance.

Xiaozhi deliberately chose a path with sparser trees and stopped after half an hour.

They were now far from the ruined low building, and all encountered zombies had been eliminated. They should be safe now.

Qian Hui took out the cabbage shell, and all the plants, including Zhusun, crawled inside.

Tonight, it was Xiaozhi’s turn to stand guard. It patrolled the area once before returning to lie down beside the cabbage shell.

Nan Tingjin was also outside, sitting under a tree, his entire body shrouded in the tree’s shadow.

At the same time, a high-level zombie appeared in the forest.

It was very short and emaciated, looking like it had little combat strength, but its limbs were long, and its nose almost occupied a quarter of its face.

The zombie slowly advanced, its head buried in the ground, sniffing residual scents everywhere, searching for traces of its target.

The sky brightened in an instant. Qian Hui had stayed up late last night and didn’t wake until nearly ten o’clock.

When he opened his eyes, the cabbage shell’s door stood slightly ajar. Most plants had slipped out to play, leaving only the three new members beside him.

The sunflower’s petals glowed with a faint light, while the small bamboo shot and the apple crouched obediently nearby, too timid to wander.

Qian Hui hugged Xiaokui, then patted Zhusun and Pingguo, the apple. “Are you hungry?”

He got up to wash and prepare breakfast, opening his backpack as the roaming plants returned.

After feeding them, he produced three bottles of Evolution Water.

Yumi caught sight of this and hastily shoved the jerky in its hand into its mouth before shoving itself against Qian Hui.

“Woo…” It pointed at the Evolution Water, eyes brimming with anticipation.

Qian Hui picked it up. “Yes, it’s for you.”

The corn’s loyalty surged by 10% on the spot.

It swallowed the jerky, then cradled the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.

Tudou and Facaishu also perked up. Evolution Water meant the chance to grow stronger—few plants could resist that.

After finishing the water, Yumi let out a burp.

It patted its belly, then urgently asked Lajiao to check if it had grown taller.

Lajiao shook its head coldly, indicating no change.

Yumi let out a snort and produced another cluster of corn balls, seemingly unchanged from before.

Qian Hui opened his Handbook to examine its new advanced skill: “Upon landing, explodes to disperse corn smoke with illusionary effects…”

The smoke served as a group attack, capable of inducing an illusionary state in enemies. In severe cases, this could even cause them to attack their own allies, with a success rate of 99%.

Yumi finally sensed the effects of its evolution. Feeling this must be truly impressive, it grew excited again, eager to test its new ability on a target.

Tudou and Facaishu’s skills had also been updated. Tudou’s bombs transformed into flying missiles with three different sizes and power levels.

The money tree—Facaishu, being defensive in nature, could now directly create a protective barrier over a certain area, eliminating the need to enlarge its leaves and wrap them around targets.

Tudou pulled out a miniature missile and nudged Yumi, “Woo!”

It insisted its new ability was superior and wanted to compete with the corn.

Unwilling to engage in competition, Yumi casually took the missile, attached one of its corn balls to it, and presented the modified projectile to Qian Hui like a treasured gift. Qian Hui carefully accepted it, exclaiming, “How clever!”

Tudou watched from the side and asked Lajiao for a pepper seed. He tied it to a piece of grass and a missile, then squeezed through to show Qian Hui.

After praising each plant in turn, Qian Hui finally calmed them down and went to find the sunflower.

“Xiaokui,” he asked, “do you know where Cabbage and the others are?”

Xiaokui’s leaves reached out and rested in Qian Hui’s palm.

This was its unique way of communicating, telling Qian Hui that it didn’t know.

Since arriving here, Xiaokui hadn’t seen any of the plants from the old courtyard until Qian Hui rescued it from the zombies.

It also expressed concern about the little mushroom. The little mushroom wasn’t with Qian Hui, and when Xiaokui had asked Xiaozhi that morning, the flower had refused to say anything.

Qian Hui lowered his eyelashes and forced himself to say, “Xiaofen… Xiaofen will be fine. I’m here.”

Every time he found one of the courtyard plants, he had to mention the little mushroom. This feeling was very unpleasant, but he really wasn’t very good at lying.

Xiaokui’s glow flickered slightly, having already guessed the general situation from Qian Hui’s emotions.

It gently hugged Qian Hui’s wrist, wanting him not to be sad.

Xiaokui had seen what happened earlier. If Qian Hui could evolve the plants’ skills, he could definitely help the little mushroom.

Qian Hui hummed in acknowledgment and turned to glance at Nan Tingjin, who stood not far away. “Xiao Jin mentioned there’s a special-grade mutant plant near Black Spine Mountain. He wasn’t sure who it belonged to.”

Xiaokui recognized Nan Tingjin and advised Qian Hui to go if he wished, but to prioritize safety.

Qian Hui nodded. Suddenly, the small bamboo shoot beside him let out a soft “whoo.”

It had been following Qian Hui closely and had overheard their conversation. Zhusun lifted its head, its gaze somewhat hesitant. It nudged Xiaokui’s leaves, and through Xiaokui, its thoughts were conveyed to Qian Hui.

“You mean…” Qian Hui said, surprised, “there’s really one there?”

Zhusun nodded. This had happened long ago when Safe Zone Area 5 was being expanded. While passing by the outskirts, it encountered several plants preparing to flee. They told it about a strange special-grade mutant plant near Black Spine Mountain. They warned that if one didn’t want to die, it was best to stay far away.

Zhusun wasn’t afraid of the mutant plant, but it had no intention of going there either, so it simply left.

Qian Hui picked up Zhusun and said gratefully, “I understand now. Thank you.”

At least this proved Nan Tingjin hadn’t lied to him.

But how could he enter the human base?

Nan Tingjin had said he would handle the arrangements. Did they really need to sneak in?

Qian Hui opened his backpack to find the last bottle of human disguise potion remaining inside.

He set down Zhusun and went back to find Nan Tingjin.

When Qian Hui explained he had a method to transform into human form, though only for two hours, Nan Tingjin replied, “No need.”

He lowered his gaze, his fingers tracing the edge of Qian Hui’s hand.

Qian Hui’s hands, after days of massage, had shed most of their ashen hue around the joints, his skin now bearing a healthy rosy glow.

Nan Tingjin drew Qian Hui closer, his fingers brushing through silvery hair. “Two hours aren’t enough.”

Qian Hui, perplexed, watched as Nan Tingjin’s expression suddenly hardened. Xiaozhi raised its head and let out a low growl.

In an instant, every plant in the vicinity sensed the rapidly approaching danger.

Thud!

A carrot spear darted through the air, landing in the grass near Qian Hui. Beside it, Luobo crashed to the ground.

Luobo had been out on patrol earlier. Qian Hui hadn’t seen it since breakfast, and it seemed to have ventured further than usual.

Now, the carrot clutched its wounded side, wincing as it crawled upright, looking thoroughly battered.

“Luobo?!” Qian Hui cried out in panic.

At the same moment, a game notification popped up:

[ Multiple enemy faction members detected nearby. High probability of faction conflict. Please respond immediately! ]

Beyond the forest’s edge, a massive horde of corpses was converging on their position.

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