Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The faint light, like sunlight, warmed even the darkest corners of the basement.

Sunflower stood in the center of the iron cage, surrounded by several curled-up small plants.

Each small plant bore varying degrees of injuries, slowly healing under the radiant glow.

Deep in the night, as the basement zombies slept soundly, Little Bamboo Shoot quietly opened its eyes.

It rolled over, peeled off its camouflage shell, and found its wounds completely healed.

Little Bamboo Shoot approached Sunflower, gently touching its leaves to express gratitude.

Then, it moved to the front of the cage and began prying at the bent steel bars, trying to widen the gap enough for Sunflower to escape.

However, the bars had been reinforced by a high-grade zombie’s Ability, making them not only exceptionally strong but also corrosive.

Little Bamboo Shoot’s hands were quickly burned. Sunflower’s leaves reached out and pushed it away just in time.

Sunflower intensified its glow slightly, healing Little Bamboo Shoot’s burns before nudging it backward, as if urging it to leave.

Little Bamboo Shoot understood Sunflower’s meaning, its eyes filled with reluctance and worry.

But it had a mission to complete and couldn’t afford to delay.

Little Bamboo Shoot returned to its sleeping corner and pushed aside a loose tile.

Beneath the tile was a hole it had painstakingly dug over several days, leading to the outside world.

Unfortunately, its limited strength and the need to avoid detection by zombies meant the hole was too small to take Sunflower along.

With no time to waste, Little Bamboo Shoot woke the other plants and prepared to escape through the hole.

Including itself, there were four small plants that could squeeze through the opening. Apple, however, was too large and severely injured, making it better to stay behind for another night of healing.

Originally, Little Bamboo Shoot had planned to wait until Apple recovered before leaving, hoping to enlarge the hole in the meantime.

But Apple feared being discovered if they lingered too long and insisted that Little Bamboo Shoot take the other small plants and leave immediately.

Apple’s insistence left Little Bamboo Shoot with no choice but to agree.

Before leaving, it approached Sunflower one last time, mustered its courage, and hugged its leaves, nuzzling against them.

The zombies remained dormant, and Little Bamboo Shoot dared not make a sound. It conveyed with its eyes to Sunflower that it would return to rescue it.

Finally, the four plants slipped into the cave one by one, and Apple slowly pushed the tile back into place, sealing the entrance.

As the night receded, the basement zombies gradually awoke from their slumber and quickly discovered the plants’ escape.

Only Sunflower and Apple remained in the cage. The high-grade zombie, enraged, flung open the iron bars, dragged Apple out, and slashed deep wounds into its body with its claws before tossing it back inside.

The zombies had repeated this ritual daily. The small plants imprisoned with Sunflower were repeatedly injured, forcing it to heal them. During these healing sessions, the nearby zombies absorbed the continuous flow of light and energy.

Apple, still recovering from previous injuries, collapsed again from the fresh wounds. Sunflower shielded it with its leaves, protecting it behind its back.

Recognizing Sunflower’s usefulness, the zombies refrained from attacking it directly. Instead, they snarled menacingly and ordered the other zombies to give chase or capture new specimens.

In the morning, Carrot caught a fish in the lake.

It scrambled ashore, clutching the fish excitedly, and dashed away, ignoring the Water Hyacinth pursuing it with bubbling “glug-glug” sounds.

The Water Hyacinth muttered angrily, claiming the fish was one it had been raising.

Carrot paid no heed, carrying the fish to Qian Hui, intending to cook and eat it.

However, the Game Shop didn’t sell cooking tools; all the food items were easily preserved snacks like biscuits. Qian Hui examined the fish, unsure how to prepare it.

Several plants gathered around to study it. They gutted the fish, discarding the entrails, and Chili Pepper contributed chili pepper seeds. After much effort, they finally managed to roast the fish.

Carrot tore off the most intact and appealing piece, offering it to Qian Hui. Qian Hui took a small bite and found it unappetizing.

The remaining fish was divided among the plants, who devoured it without complaint, even licking the bones clean.

Corn even collected some of the fish bones, stuffing them into its corn ball to use as hidden weapons.

The Water Hyacinth continued to bubble at the shore. Attracted by the commotion, Qian Hui went to investigate and casually tossed it some bread crumbs.

The Water Hyacinth ate the bread and immediately quieted down, slowly swimming toward the center of the lake.

After cleaning up the fish remains and traces of their overnight stay, the Plant Squad set off again.

The Carnivorous Flower didn’t enlarge in the forest, so Qian Hui walked alongside it, reviewing the Game information on the interface.

The delay at the safe zone had slowed down both his Main Mission and Side Mission progress.

He still needed to eliminate three mid-grade zombies to complete the Main Mission, and the Side Mission was even further behind.

He needed to raise the Loyalty of three high-grade mutated plants to 40% and six mid-grade mutated plants to 50%.

He was two mid-grade plants short, and the only high-grade plant in his Plant Squad was Mimosa, whose Loyalty wasn’t high enough.

Qian Hui wondered if he should linger longer in this forest, where mutated plants were abundant. If he fed enough plants, surely some would be willing to join him.

But the real challenge lay in securing the three high-grade mutated plants. High-grade plants ranked just below special-grade and seemed to be quite rare.

Since Qian Hui had awakened, the Encyclopedia had mostly lit up with low-grade and mid-grade plants, with Mimosa being the only high-grade entry.

Perhaps high-grade plants were simply more cautious and rarely revealed themselves.

Qian Hui deliberately slowed his pace, stopping to check every Game Notification. He fed any nearby plants he found, and if none were present, he left food in the undergrowth.

Potato grew slightly disgruntled and tried to sneak back to retrieve the food, but Chili Pepper stopped it, picked it up, and tossed it to Qian Hui.

Qian Hui hugged Potato and slipped it a piece of candy. The little plant perked up, humming contentedly as it nuzzled against Qian Hui’s hand.

With two special-grade mutated plants—Carnivorous Flower and Carrot—by their side, their domineering auras had already driven many plants into hiding as soon as they entered the new environment.

Carrot went ahead to scout, sitting bored on a tree branch while waiting for Qian Hui to catch up.

At this rate, how long would it take them to gather all the plants from the Small Courtyard?

Kidnapping one Leader hadn’t been enough. Should they try completely conquering a Human Base and then fighting a Zombie King?

Creating a big commotion might attract the attention of other plants.

But… Carrot turned to survey the plants around Qian Hui, shaking its head inwardly.

Even with Carnivorous Flower and itself, their chances of conquering a Human Base were slim. At best, they could sneak in and kidnap someone.

Carrot shifted its gaze to Nan Tingjin, staring at him for a moment before looking away.

Around noon, the Plant Squad stopped in the forest to rest.

After lunch, Qian Hui followed his usual routine of spending some time alone with Nan Tingjin. The plants were used to this and wisely avoided disturbing them.

Nan Tingjin sat beneath a tree, massaging Qian Hui’s hands.

Qian Hui leaned against him, flipping through the Encyclopedia and examining the newly illuminated plants from the morning. He didn’t take a nap.

Nan Tingjin asked softly, “Not sleepy?”

Qian Hui mumbled an affirmative response and closed the game interface.

He wasn’t sleepy at all today. After a moment of quiet contemplation, he noticed the wooden tail ring on Nan Tingjin’s hand.

Qian Hui touched the ring and said, “Next time… I’ll make you a new one. This one’s gotten old and doesn’t look as good anymore.”

Nan Tingjin paused slightly. “You made this?”

Qian Hui had mentioned it once before, but hadn’t elaborated much. Later, when he wrote Nan Tingjin a letter, the character “Hui” in his name was written almost identically to the one carved on the tail ring.

“Mm-hmm,” Qian Hui replied. “If I make a new one and give it to you again… maybe you’ll remember.”

Nan Tingjin remained silent, massaging Qian Hui’s fingertips.

Sensing his silence as disbelief, Qian Hui tilted his head up slightly. “I know you’ve been here for a long time. Even the ring has withered…”

Qian Hui couldn’t resist reaching out to hug Nan Tingjin, whispering, “I’ll stay with you forever now. I won’t leave again.”

“If… if you never remember, it’s okay,” Qian Hui continued, his voice faltering slightly. “We can just do everything we used to do again, and you can fall in love with me all over again…”

His thick, light-colored eyelashes fluttered, his expression earnest yet tinged with anxiety.

Qian Hui wasn’t sure if his method would work. He’d even considered what would happen if Nan Tingjin never remembered.

Would he stop liking me?

Nan Tingjin lowered his gaze, his question seemingly unrelated: “I’m your boyfriend?”

Slightly confused, Qian Hui nodded. “Yes.”

“And when you’re with your boyfriend,” Nan Tingjin continued, “you just do… this?”

Qian Hui paused, realizing what Nan Tingjin meant. He hesitated before nodding again. “Mm-hmm.”

Nan Tingjin had been held captive for five days. Qian Hui had initially promised to teach him about his past, but so far, he’d only taught him how to massage hands.

Moreover, Qian Hui insisted Nan Tingjin only listen to him, and even the hugs couldn’t last too long, lest Soft Vine threaten him with its leaves.

Having played along for so long, Nan Tingjin’s patience was wearing thin.

He leaned closer, guiding the conversation again. “Have we kissed?”

Qian Hui nodded. “Yes.”

“How did we kiss?”

Without much hesitation, Qian Hui obediently pressed a kiss to Nan Tingjin’s cheek.

Nan Tingjin remained silent for a moment, the emotion in his eyes unreadable. “Just like that?”

Qian Hui hummed in agreement, not sensing anything amiss.

Nan Tingjin held Qian Hui’s hand and said slowly, “Being boyfriends isn’t just about this.”

Qian Hui asked, puzzled, “What else is there?”

Nan Tingjin studied him for a moment, then tightened his grip and pulled Qian Hui into his arms.

His entire demeanor shifted, his movements becoming more forceful, completely different from the past few days.

Unaccustomed to this, Qian Hui instinctively turned his head to avoid the kiss, which landed heavily on his cheek.

Nan Tingjin then gripped his chin, his oppressive breath hot against Qian Hui’s face. Flustered and panicked, Qian Hui pushed against him, stammering, “You—”

Sensing Qian Hui’s distress, Soft Vine immediately extended its leaves, pressing them against Nan Tingjin’s throat.

Nan Tingjin’s gaze darkened, but he patiently released Qian Hui.

He sat down beneath the tree, suppressing his aura and reverting to his seemingly gentle, harmless demeanor.

Qian Hui stared blankly for a moment, as if frightened, touching the cheek where he had been kissed.

Just then, the midday break ended, and Corn rushed over to urge them to set off.

Snapping out of his daze, Qian Hui picked up Corn and stood up. “Okay… let’s go.”

The Plant Squad cleared their tracks and continued in their original direction.

Far away on the other side, several modified vehicles sped through the city streets.

Nan Tingjin had been missing for days. The safe zone hadn’t given up, sending even more personnel to search every corner.

But the residual energy of the special-grade mutated plant had long since vanished. Without a specific trail or direction, their search was like looking for a needle in the ocean.

The longer the delay, the more anxious the people of Black Ridge Mountain Base became.

They feared something had happened to Nan Tingjin. With the Mutated Chili Pepper around, humans who had lost their Abilities stood no chance against such a powerful mutated plant.

Eventually, dissenting voices began to surface within the base.

“Just in case, shouldn’t we elect a new Leader?”

“Do you want to die? We don’t have confirmation yet. The Leader might return tomorrow.”

Though few in the base were truly virtuous, it was Nan Tingjin’s terrifying strength that kept the others in line.

But electing a new Leader now? It was too soon. They should at least wait longer.

Each person harbored their own thoughts, but outwardly, they continued to search for Nan Tingjin’s trail.

In the afternoon, the Plant Squad reached the edge of the forest, nearing the area of the city ruins.

Carrot suddenly cried out. Corn and Chili Pepper, being the fastest, rushed ahead to investigate.

The forest’s edge bore the marks of a recent battle. Two human corpses lay on the ground, their faces mangled beyond recognition and emitting a foul odor.

They appeared to have been attacked by zombies, their injuries so severe that they died before zombification could occur, likely five or six days ago.

Qian Hui approached, but Carrot, wanting to shield him from the gruesome sight, hung from a branch and tried to cover Qian Hui’s eyes.

However, after seeing so many zombie corpses along their journey, Qian Hui’s tolerance had grown considerably.

He glanced at the bodies and noticed their uniforms were nearly identical, each bearing a symbol on the shoulder and cuff.

The bloodstains obscured the details, so Qian Hui stepped closer for a better look. He didn’t recognize the emblem from any of the safe zone markers, suggesting they weren’t from that area.

At that moment, Nan Tingjin stepped forward and declared, “They’re from Sky Base.”

As if to confirm his words, Chili Pepper tossed a rock at one of the corpses.

The Carnivorous Flower approached, sniffed the air, and let out a low growl.

It didn’t recognize the base’s emblem, nor did it remember the name, but it could discern the direction of the scent—the same scent as Liang Jie from earlier.

The Mimosa, hidden in Qian Hui’s sleeve, trembled and shrank further into its hiding place, its leaves curling inward in fear.

It recognized that emblem too. It had seen it countless times on the walls when it and its companions were imprisoned together.

Qian Hui frowned slightly, silently repeating the words “Sky Base” in his mind.

But the man was already dead, so there was no point in lingering. The squad continued onward, with Carrot leading the way, its eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

Ordinary humans wouldn’t dare venture out now, so these two must have been Ability Users. The state of their corpses suggested they had encountered high-grade zombies, making this area potentially very dangerous.

Recalling the scent he had detected the previous night, Carrot focused with heightened alertness, gripping a carrot thorn tightly.

As they entered the city ruins, Qian Hui noticed the absence of any area markers. He planned to hunt mid-grade zombies for the Mission until nightfall, then return to the forest to rest.

The plants had no objections. After walking a short distance, Carrot suddenly let out a low “woo.”

Standing atop the highest pile of rubble, it pointed in a particular direction.

Qian Hui couldn’t see anything. “Carrot, is that a zombie?” he asked.

Carrot nodded and looked in the direction it had indicated.

There were three mid-grade zombies, darting through the ruins as if fleeing.

Wait, they weren’t fleeing…

Carrot narrowed its eyes, scrutinizing the scene. A small flash of green caught its attention.

It was a mutated plant, no larger than half a palm, yet moving with astonishing speed.

The three zombies were clearly pursuing it, relentlessly chasing it down.

In the past, Carrot might have hesitated about intervening. Plants that were too weak and couldn’t hide properly, even if rescued once, couldn’t be guaranteed lasting safety. Moreover, plants tended to prefer solitary existence and weren’t accustomed to traveling with others.

But things were different now. Qian Hui loved all mutated plants and couldn’t bear to see them hungry or injured.

Carrot made a swift decision, launching a thorn to glide toward the scene.

Chili Pepper and the others, who usually joined Carrot in zombie-bashing, followed without hesitation.

Qian Hui, still unaware of what was happening, climbed onto the Carnivorous Flower’s neck and craned his head to look around.

In the distance, the three mid-grade zombies sensed the approaching foreign presence and slowed their pursuit.

As they recognized the four mutated plants charging toward them, two corn balls bristling with fish bones and a potato bomb rained down from the sky.

Among the zombies, one was nearing high-grade and commanded its companions to take cover.

Carrot immediately recognized its superior strength and signaled the other three plants to let it handle this one alone.

Over the past few days, the plants’ teamwork had grown increasingly seamless. Potato launched another chili pepper seed-laden bomb, which exploded into a shower of scorching fragments.

Distracted by the blast, the three zombies abandoned their earlier mutated plant prey.

In a corner, Little Bamboo Shoot gasped for breath, tearing off a strip of its outer skin to staunch the bleeding from its wound. It gripped its two bamboo blades tightly.

After escaping with the other small plants the previous night, it had led them to a safer location.

It could have left then, but Sunflower and Apple were still trapped in the basement. Little Bamboo Shoot couldn’t abandon them.

So it had secretly returned, hoping to help Sunflower escape while the basement zombies were out hunting.

However, the zombies guarding the nearby low building hadn’t strayed far. Sensing its presence, they swarmed after it.

Little Bamboo Shoot fought fiercely, killing two low-grade zombies and one mid-grade. But the zombies were too numerous, and one was on the verge of evolving into a high-grade.

Overwhelmed and wounded, it was about to be captured when—

Little Bamboo Shoot cautiously peeked out, studying the unfamiliar plants.

Are they helping me?

Plants generally harbor little affection for their own kind. Little Bamboo Shoot trusted only Sunflower.

Seeing that the four plants were quite strong and should be able to handle the three zombies easily, it pondered for a moment and decided to slip away quietly.

Little Bamboo Shoot tucked its bamboo blade into its shell, clutched its wound, and turned to flee.

It hadn’t run far when it heard movement in the ruins again.

Human footsteps approached. Little Bamboo Shoot’s eyes narrowed as it quickly burrowed into a pile of debris to hide.

“Is this the place?” Qian Hui asked, his Mimosa sleeve leading the way.

Mimosa had sensed the scent of an injured, unfamiliar plant, reminiscent of its first encounter with Qian Hui. Compelled to help, it guided him forward.

Following Mimosa’s leafy guidance, Qian Hui crouched before a pile of rubble.

A Game Notification popped up: Unbonded Plant detected nearby. He carefully reached out and removed a half-brick.

Beneath the brick, a dirty green tip peeked out, quickly retracting deeper into the debris.

“Don’t be afraid,” Qian Hui whispered. “I’m not a bad person…”

Before he could finish, Little Bamboo Shoot burst from the rubble, brandishing its bamboo blade and slashing at Qian Hui.

Though small and wounded, the tiny plant’s attack packed surprising force.

A powerful green wind swept through the air. The Carnivorous Flower swiftly extended its head, positioning itself in front of Qian Hui and swallowing the gust whole.

The Little Bamboo Shoot froze, startled to see another plant, and one that seemed to be of a high grade.

Injured as it was, it knew it couldn’t win in a fight. It retreated rapidly, its eyes fixed warily on Qian Hui and the Carnivorous Flower.

Zombies… no, wait, that’s not a zombie. Is it a human?

And it’s with a plant?

The Little Bamboo Shoot also noticed a Mini Cabbage peeking halfway out of Qian Hui’s pocket, curiously observing it.

“You’re hurt?” Qian Hui asked, forcing a friendly smile. “I can help you heal.”

He took out several pills, placed them on a relatively clean brick, and slowly pushed it forward.

As he did so, Qian Hui opened his Encyclopedia and discovered that this Bamboo Shoot, roughly the size of a Cabbage, was actually high-grade.

[ Species: Dwarf Bamboo Shoot ]

[ Grade: High-Grade ]

[ Status: Severely injured, healing incomplete ]

[ Loyalty: 0% ]

Scanning the information below, Qian Hui realized it wasn’t just a high-grade mutated plant, but also a damage-dealing type.

Its condition was critical, requiring immediate treatment.

Yet the Little Bamboo Shoot remained motionless, refusing even to glance at the pills Qian Hui offered.

After waiting patiently for a while, Qian Hui retreated further, taking the Carnivorous Flower with him.

Just then, Carrot and its companions successfully dealt with three zombies, returning together, impaled on Carrot’s thorns.

Qian Hui turned to look, and while his attention was diverted, Little Bamboo Shoot kicked open the brick holding the pill and swiftly fled.

Carrot glanced at Little Bamboo Shoot’s retreating figure. “Woo?”

Qian Hui quickly picked up the pill, his voice filled with concern. “Where did it go?”

The Mimosa in his sleeve raised its leaves, pointing forward.

Little Bamboo Shoot was injured, and there might still be wandering zombies nearby. Qian Hui couldn’t shake his worry and decided to go look for it, at least to deliver the pill.

But this was a high-grade mutated plant, its vigilance undoubtedly heightened.

So Qian Hui bought another strategy guide, hoping to learn its preferences and quickly gain its trust.

[ Dwarf Bamboo Shoot: High-grade mutated plant ]

[ Strategy Guide Purchased: Cautious and patient, bold and intelligent. Don’t let its small size fool you—its strength is considerable. Skilled in close combat, it’s a plant that wields a blade. Due to its extreme caution, it often conceals its true power, feigning weakness and rarely trusting anyone. It enjoys tea, fitness, and deeply admires the special-grade mutated plant Sunflower. ]

“Admires… Sunflower?”

As Qian Hui read the final line, his eyes slowly widened.