L1LZDGD Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The game-provided dagger, though a basic weapon, proved surprisingly effective. Its razor-sharp edge severed nearly half of a low-level zombie’s arm in a single strike.

Qian Hui’s palms tingled with tension as he clutched the green pepper to his chest, fleeing toward the arrowed path visible in his vision.

Since awakening, his pursuit of the man-eating flower and subsequent zombie chases had pushed his body to its limits. Without a visible health bar, Qian Hui remained unaware of his critical condition, forcing himself to maintain clarity and composure.

The injured zombie roared, clutching its mangled arm. Though slowed by pain, it still pursued relentlessly.

As Qian Hui fled, Lajiao temporarily ceased its struggles, curling into a seemingly docile ball. It occasionally glanced up at him while secretly preparing its seeds.

Zombies are villains, humans too. So am I.

Having barely escaped those people’s clutches, Lajiao feared that Qian Hui might be one of them…

The decision came swiftly. Lajiao stared at the dagger in Qian Hui’s hand, its expression resigned to death.

It lowered its head, surveying the scars covering its body and its paralyzed legs. Tears glistened in its eyes.

If forced to return, it would rather die.

However, Qian Hui’s scent was somewhat pleasant.

There was no stench of zombies, nor the foul odor of humans. Though covered in dust, he couldn’t mask a faint, woodsy fragrance.

How strange.

Lajiao’s wariness remained unchanged as he watched the increasingly distant abandoned streets.

Twenty minutes later, Qian Hui entered a forest and found a clear stream.

Having reached his limit, he nearly collapsed at the water’s edge, struggling to catch his breath.

Seizing another opportunity, Lajiao twisted and rolled twice before being caught by Qian Hui again.

“Don’t run around…” Qian Hui scanned their surroundings, his expression still anxious.

The game seemed to confirm its host was a novice, automatically popping up a window with the warning: “Do not linger too long in areas with favorable coordinates.”

Forests were typically where mutated plants hid. Qian Hui’s reckless entry might attract attacks, and there could also be mid- to high-level zombies intent on hunting plants.

But leaving the forest meant venturing into the zombie-infested ruins of the city.

Or perhaps it should be said—in this dangerous apocalypse, nowhere was safe.

The stream’s clear waters, being the game’s designated destination, should be safe to drink.

Qian Hui picked up a leaf, filled it with stream water, and drank several mouthfuls.

With his hydration restored, he immediately felt his breathing grow easier and his energy begin to recover.

Qian Hui opened his status interface, noting that “Extreme Danger” had changed to “Danger,” though he still needed to eat.

He closed the interface, filled a leaf with water, and brought it to Lajiao’s lips.

Lajiao glanced at the leaf, then at Qian Hui, before turning its head away in refusal.

Assuming the plant wasn’t thirsty, Qian Hui didn’t force it. Instead, he wiped his face with a water-dampened sleeve.

He picked up Lajiao again and prepared to search for food nearby.

Back in the plant courtyard, Qian Hui had eaten daily with the plants, their meals typically consisting of ordinary fruits and vegetables.

This forest appeared vast; even a single wild vegetable would suffice.

Qian Hui gazed into the dense undergrowth, tightened his grip on the dagger, and stepped forward.

Lajiao now cowered, its eyes reflecting fear.

The plant could sense this area had once been the territory of another powerful plant, likely a Grade S specimen.

The scent was faint, suggesting the owner might have left some time ago or could return at any moment. Until the scent completely dissipated, timid plants dared not venture here.

Qian Hui, unaware of the danger, walked forward for some distance. Luck was on his side as he soon found a fruit tree.

Just as he picked two orange fruits, Lajiao suddenly made a few “whoo” sounds.

Accompanied by strange “huh-huh” noises, weeds and fallen leaves were crushed under heavy footsteps.

Qian Hui’s heart sank. He turned around to see another zombie.

This zombie had severe facial damage, large ears, and completely bloodshot eyes bulging out. Its physique was much more robust, clearly not the same level as the ones he’d encountered before.

It stared at Qian Hui and Lajiao in his arms, its eyes filled with greedy hunger.

Without hesitation, Qian Hui grabbed the two fruits and ran away.

He knew he couldn’t win in a fight. The dense forest around them might give him a chance to escape.

Seeing its prey flee, the mid-level zombie began to chase.

Its sense of smell and vision were poor, but its hearing was excellent. At the same time, it spat out several globs of sticky green liquid, trying to hit Qian Hui.

A game prompt popped up in time: “Please avoid unknown projectiles.”

Hearing the sounds, Qian Hui darted back and forth through the forest, deliberately choosing narrow paths.

The zombie’s repeated attacks were blocked by tree trunks and branches. Gradually losing patience, it let out a muffled growl while maintaining its relentless pursuit.

Lajiao peered out from Qian Hui’s arm, feeling somewhat conflicted.

Truth be told, it didn’t want to die so soon. For now, staying with Qian Hui seemed like the best choice – at least he wouldn’t eat it.

Strangely, ever since waking up, its body had been steadily recovering. The wounds no longer hurt.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lajiao focused on the zombie’s movements behind them.

It puffed out its cheeks, timed its move precisely, and suddenly spat out a pepper seed.

The seed, as large as a palm, struck the zombie’s face with pinpoint accuracy. Instantly, a sizzling sound of burning flesh erupted.

Hearing the zombie’s scream, Qian Hui didn’t dare relax for a moment. He swiftly darted into the dense forest.

He kept running until a message interface suddenly popped up before him.

[Congratulations! You have successfully escaped from ten zombies! Obtained the title “Beginner Survivalist”! Rewards have been delivered to your account~]

Qian Hui stopped, slightly panting. After cautiously scanning the surroundings, he hid behind a nearby shrub half his height.

He sat down and carefully read the new message again.

There are already ten of them… Qian Hui thought. But it shows a successful escape, so we must be safe now.

After confirming the zombie hadn’t followed, Qian Hui relaxed.

He hugged Lajiao tightly and said gratefully, “Thank you.”

Without Lajiao’s help, he probably wouldn’t have shaken off that zombie.

Lajiao, feeling Qian Hui’s soft cheek brush against it, closed its eyes and stiffened, refusing to respond.

Its pepper seed had originally been saved for attacking Qian Hui or using itself. Never did it imagine…

Unaware of the pepper’s thoughts, Qian Hui took advantage of their safety to peel open a fruit.

The wild fruit’s flesh resembled that of an orange. He first ate two segments himself, finding them barely sweet.

Lajiao secretly opened its eyes, watching as Qian Hui picked up another segment and moved to feed it.

Feeling annoyed, Lajiao widened its black eyes and let out a threatening “woo woo.”

It can talk, gets attacked by zombies, so Qian Hui must be human, Lajiao thought. I won’t eat food from humans…

The fruit segment was brought to its lips, its aroma wafting through the air. Despite its protests, Lajiao couldn’t resist licking it first, then “woo woo”ing as it swallowed the whole piece.

Seeing it eat, Qian Hui beamed with delight and took the chance to pat the pepper’s head.

In the past, the plant courtyard’s warehouse had many illustrated books. Qian Hui had once seen a timid stray cat that he thought looked very much like Lajiao.

He then looked at the scars on Lajiao’s body, feeling deeply concerned. He fed the cat two more pieces of fruit.

At that moment, the game sent another notification:

[Unbonded mutated plant discovered. Waiting to unlock the field guide.]

An unbonded plant?

Before finding Lajiao, the game had given similar notifications. Qian Hui straightened up to check, noticing a slight movement in the bushes behind him.

He didn’t see anything, but his gaze swept over the dense patch of weeds.

Qian Hui wasn’t afraid of mutated plants, and this one seemed particularly timid, not daring to show itself.

He circled around the shrubbery, still unable to find the creature.

After some thought, Qian Hui placed two pieces of fruit on the grass a short distance away. He then returned to sit behind the shrubbery.

He waited patiently, eating the remaining fruit while storing the other piece in his pocket as emergency rations.

A few minutes later, rustling sounds came from the grass.

Qian Hui immediately looked over. The two pieces of fruit he’d left on the ground had disappeared, and a small pale-green mass had darted out before hiding again in the weeds.

Lajiao also noticed, but showed no reaction, simply turning away.

In an area with limited resources, unfamiliar plants are all considered competitors.

The fruit tree Qian Hui found had been in the territory of a super-grade mutated plant. No other plants dared to enter, which is why food remained there.

Leaving that territory and trying to find food elsewhere wouldn’t be so easy, especially for some weaker mutated plants.

Qian Hui couldn’t clearly see the plant’s appearance. He opened the field guide, and as expected, there was no new glowing label.

Afraid to scare the plant, he gave up and began studying the recently received title reward.

In a hidden corner of the bushes, a mini cabbage wolfed down the fruit flesh.

It slowly licked its hand, then couldn’t resist peering out from the weeds to observe Qian Hui sitting nearby.

Qian Hui was still checking the game interface. There were no new items in his backpack, but the account balance below the main status bar had changed from 0 to 100.

However, when he clicked on the balance, a message popped up saying “The shop is not yet open.”

The shop required two plants to be connected before it could be opened. He had seen the man-eating flower, but there had been no interaction between them.

The small plant hiding nearby had accepted his feeding, but since he hadn’t seen its full appearance, the field guide couldn’t be activated.

Qian Hui, still bewildered, furrowed his delicate brows and studied the matter for quite some time.

However, he discovered that Lajiao’s loyalty had increased.

Originally it was 0.1%, but now it had risen to 5%.

It’s still quite low…

Qian Hui didn’t dwell on this. He tapped open Lajiao’s info screen, where the skills section had been updated.

[Species: Qing Lajiao – Green Pepper

Level: Mid (Unlimited Potential) 

Status: Injuries Unhealed 

Loyalty: 5% 

Basic Skill: Pepper Seed Shooter (Critical Hit Rate 50%) 

Advanced Skill: Scorching Pepper Seed Shooter (Critical Hit Rate 85%) 

Berserk Skill: Unknown 

Preparation Details: Unlocked at 80% Loyalty 

Suggested Class: Ranged Damage 

Class Level: Novice

Skill Points: Unlocked after Opening Shop]

Since Lajiao had previously attacked both Qian Hui and mid-level zombies, Qian Hui could view its skills even without sufficient loyalty.

Qian Hui struggled to process this information, confirming that the shop was undoubtedly crucial.

He turned his head as rustling sounds came from the weeds.

Qian Hui closed the game interface, rested briefly on the spot, then decided to continue moving forward.

His body required minimal food and water. After eating the fruit, his status changed to  [Marginally Good].

Judging by the sky, it was now around 5 or 6 o’clock in the evening. The forest wasn’t suitable for overnight stays and wasn’t absolutely safe. He needed to find a more concealed place to hide.

Qian Hui stood up, took Lajiao with him, and carefully began walking forward.

He moved slowly, constantly alert to his surroundings. After taking only a few steps, he heard rustling in the bushes behind him.

When Qian Hui stopped, the sound disappeared.

The little plant was still there.

Pretending not to notice, he continued walking.

Sensing Qian Hui’s movement, the game helpfully offered two directions: one leading to the forest, the other to the city ruins. Both paths were available for exploration.

After a moment’s consideration, Qian Hui chose the city ruins.

He planned to find a place to stay at the edge of the ruins and the forest. If he couldn’t find one, he’d return to the forest.

The dagger remained in Qian Hui’s hand, ready for any danger.

His footsteps alternated between fast and slow. The movements behind him kept pace but refused to show themselves, remaining hidden in the bushes.

Not knowing what else to do, Qian Hui kept moving forward, careful not to lose the follower.

After walking for about ten minutes and nearing the city ruins, a new notification popped up:

[Severe weather predicted. Find shelter immediately.]

A muffled thunderclap followed. Qian Hui looked up at the darkening sky.

The wind picked up, leaves swaying. A raindrop hit Qian Hui’s face.

His cheek stung instantly. With a startled cry, he scrambled under a tree for cover.

He touched his face. The fingertips that had come into contact with the rain stung faintly, but thankfully, the skin remained unbroken.

This rain wasn’t normal…

Another muffled thunderclap. Qian Hui dared not delay and quickened his pace toward the city ruins.

He lowered his head to protect Lajiao in his arms, moving at top speed to the forest’s edge. Amidst the rubble, he found a relatively intact wardrobe.

The cabinet leaned against a low wall. Qian Hui pushed aside the stones pressing down on it, then crawled inside through the damaged base.

The space was small, but large enough for him.

The moment Qian Hui hid inside, two muffled thunderclaps sounded in quick succession.

He picked up a wooden board, ready to block the entrance, when soft “click-clack” footsteps came from outside.

A mini cabbage appeared at the opening, peering at Qian Hui with timid eyes.

It was only half the size of a palm, with short, thin limbs that made its body seem even rounder. Two small holes burned through its tender green leaves by the rain.

Qian Hui froze, then carefully extended a hand toward the cabbage. Trying to smile warmly, he whispered, “Hello there…”

The cabbage shrank back, glancing at Qian Hui before slowly inching forward. It reached out to touch his fingertips.

Sensing the warm, pleasant scent, the cabbage mustered courage and darted into the wardrobe, clinging to Qian Hui’s clothes for safety.

Qian Hui blocked the entrance with the wooden board, plunging the cabinet into darkness.

He opened the game, and the shop unlocked.

So it’s just a little cabbage…

The third slot in the field guide lit up, displaying the cabbage’s information:

[Species: Mini Cabbage – Xiao Baocai

 Level: Low (Docile) 

 Status: Good 

 Loyalty: 40% ]

The remaining lines remained blank, as no skills were visible.

40% loyalty?

Qian Hui’s eyes widened as he looked down at the cabbage crouching beside him.

He then glanced at the pepper in his arms, hesitating.

Noticing Qian Hui’s gaze, Lajiao lifted its head, “?”

It glanced at the corner’s little cabbage and snorted inwardly.

So naive—the type that would even clean its leaves before being eaten.

Xiao Baocai was aware of Lajiao’s presence. Being of lower level, it sat obediently, trying to minimize its existence.

Unable to resist, Qian Hui reached out to touch the cabbage’s outer shell.

With two plants successfully bonded, the main status bar’s task was completed. The shop opened, and 100 balance was added.

The new task became: Raise any plant’s loyalty to 80%.

Before Qian Hui could check the shop, Lajiao let out a soft “Woo.”

He immediately tensed, holding his breath.

The rain outside grew heavier, accompanied by several sets of footsteps.

It was humans.

Lajiao also recognized the voices. The leaves on his head stood up nervously as he secretly observed Qian Hui.

The footsteps drew closer, accompanied by fragmented conversation.

“…It must be injured.”

“Definitely hiding. man-eating flower…”

Were these the same people from before? Qian Hui strained to listen, but the voices sounded different.

“Damn, this is exhausting. Once we’re back at Black Spine Mountain…”

Hearing “Black Spine Mountain”, Lajiao relaxed slightly.

The Black Spine Mountain Base—he’d heard of it before. These weren’t the ones who came to capture him. Still, they were all villains anyway.

Outside, some people held umbrellas, others casually used their sleeves to block the rain, while a few relied on their abilities to repel the downpour.

One of them carried a detection device that had beeped repeatedly during their journey, each time indicating extremely low energy levels.

The man-eating flower they sought couldn’t possibly have such low energy levels, even when hidden. As for low-level zombies or mutated plants, they weren’t worth wasting time on.

“That Liang Jie bunch still thinks they can order us around?” a short, black-faced man grumbled. “But that Wen guy’s medicine does work well…”

Before he could finish, his companion’s expression changed abruptly, urgently signaling with his eyes.

The short man also realized his mistake, cutting himself off mid-sentence as he glanced nervously over his shoulder.

Nan Tingjin had been away from the base for some time. While he was gone, many had secretly purchased new drugs from the Sky Base to alleviate the negative effects of their disoriented state.

Nan Tingjin despised all chemical substances and forbade his subordinates from using them, even those originating from allied bases.

In truth, they could have kept their mouths shut and avoided his notice, allowing him to turn a blind eye.

However, Nan Tingjin rarely traveled with this team, and the short man’s momentary slip of the tongue proved fatal.

Forcing a smile, the short man tried to explain, “Boss…”

He was interrupted by a sudden impact that sent his body flying into the rubble.

His umbrella clattered to the ground, rainwater stinging his skin as it erupted into red welts.

Bearing the pain, the short man crawled upright from the wreckage.

Nan Tingjin approached, his voice frosty. “No second chance.”

As dusk deepened, raindrops slid from the hood of Nan Tingjin’s cloak, half his face swallowed by shadows that accentuated his menacing aura.

The short man bowed his head. “Understood, Boss.”

Meanwhile, Qian Hui, hidden in the cabinet, suddenly raised his head.

His expression was a mix of delight, confusion, and hesitation.

Lajiao noticed his unusual demeanor and asked with its eyes.

By then, the footsteps outside had already faded into the distance.

Qian Hui clutched his sleeve, torn between curiosity and doubt.

He desperately wanted to investigate, but couldn’t be certain he hadn’t misheard.

As the footsteps vanished completely, Qian Hui met Lajiao’s questioning gaze and hesitated. “That voice… it sounded exactly like my boyfriend’s.”

Lajiao made a skeptical noise, its eyes narrowing.

When Qian Hui had reacted, it was the leader speaking.

The leader of the Black Spine Mountain Base…

Lajiao closed its eyes, refusing to believe it. What kind of joke was this?

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