How to Raise a Baby in an Apocalypse - Chapter 405

After eating too much, the thorny plant’s roots in the soil begin to fall off on their own. Each separated root absorbs nutrients independently from the soil. The thorns emerge from the ground and devour the mutant snakes slithering by, leaving behind crystal cores among the discarded snake skins and bones.

Little Mint collects the crystal cores and hands them to An Ran.

An Ran stays in the car, distributing “candy” in all directions. Since the energy is being fed to mutant thorn plants, only a little is needed each time—just enough to coax them, like comforting a child. Her energy isn’t consumed much at all, so plenty of crystal cores are left over.

Watching Zhan Lian and the others fighting and collecting crystal cores at the same time looks exhausting. An Ran hands Doll to Little Mint, picks up a small bucket full of cores, opens the car door, climbs up, and places the bucket on the roof at Zhan Lian’s feet.

“Take them—hurry up and get back inside the car!” Zhan Lian growls, eyes filled with frustration. “It’s chaos out here!”

“It’s fine. I won’t run around,” An Ran replies calmly.

She stands beside the car, looking up at him with a smile. The cool breeze blows her short hair back, her expression bright and composed.

Zhan Lian looks down at her, his anger fading. He bends down and reaches out his hand.

She takes it, and he pulls her up onto the roof.

Standing beside him, she surveys the chaos outside the car.

Several spinning rings circle the vehicle, emitting a low hum. Beyond the large ring, flying blades zip through the air, slicing the mutant snakes crawling across the ground.

Behind their car, Yun Tao drives a truck, followed by Liang Ziyu and several others, and finally Luo Feifan. Luo Feifan also stands on his car roof, launching fireballs in every direction. When they land on the sides of the highway, the flames spread out and continue burning, incinerating the mutant snake corpses.

The snakes are tough opponents—their skin is like that of mutant cats and rats, not something ordinary weapons can pierce. But Luo Feifan and Zhan Lian are hardly ordinary. Yun Tao and Liang Ziyu aren’t average ability users either.

Their abilities have clearly leveled up. Once they target a mutant snake’s weak point—the seven-inch mark—they can snap the snakes’ necks with bare hands. The snakes’ heads, soft with cartilage, can be torn straight from their bodies.

An Ran sees clearly that the Strength-Type Ability Users are, in fact, very powerful.

If only they had protective armor to shield themselves from snake bites, they’d be even stronger.

Looking out at the survivors near Xiangcheng, An Ran notices they’ve already been fighting the snakes when she and her group arrive. Now, with Zhan Lian and the others joining the fray, the battle between humans and snakes intensifies. Some people are covered in snakes, screaming as they run. Some tear the creatures off with their bare hands, showing no fear. Others hide in their cars, sobbing, too scared to step out.

All the different sides of human nature are on full display here.

And what can An Ran do?

She continues to hand out candy to the mutated thorny plants. Gradually, the plants multiply, forming a defensive patch that can hold a corner for her and Zhan Lian.

Zhan Lian, standing on the roof, looks down at An Ran sitting at his feet, then turns to glance at the patch of cactus-like mutant plants behind them. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he adjusts his defense formation, placing his back to An Ran so she can cover the rear. His flying knives now focus their attack on the front and both flanks.

Because An Ran’s mutant plants are growing so well, soon a whole patch of green thorny balls spreads across the roadside. With their support, Yun Tao, Liang Ziyu, and the others gradually gain breathing room.