Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

[ Bonded with special-grade mutated plant “Round Nut”! ]

[ Round Nut’s Loyalty has greatly increased, now at 100%! ]

Qian Hui looked up in surprise. “Xiao Guo!”

The Giant Nut’s assistance was timely. A barrage of extinguished fireballs rained down, proving utterly ineffective.

Immediately afterward, it slid forward again, crashing down with a thud against the bushes. Its oval shape maximized the area capable of withstanding attacks, forming a thick, wall-like barrier.

Seeing this, all the mutated plants paused momentarily before unleashing an even fiercer assault.

The Nut had awakened!

Carrot nearly tumbled off the Nut, quickly repositioning itself while brimming with excitement.

It activated its berserk skill on the spot, unleashing a dense rain of orange thorns that pierced through all obstacles, targeting every attacker with unerring accuracy.

[ A mutated plant nearby has entered Berserk State. Please take cover! (From Encyclopedia entry: “Carrot”) ]

Chili Pepper’s berserk skill was temporarily unusable, so it leaped to the ground and joined the fray.

Potato conjured a homing missile, while Corn frantically hurled corn balls, tilting its head back and howling with glee, “Woo woo!”

Little Bamboo Shoot, accompanied by Durian, closed in on the remaining three opponents, slashing with its bamboo blade. Despite its small size, Little Bamboo Shoot possessed remarkable agility. The thin bamboo blade felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and it could instantly summon a duplicate blade, catching its opponents off guard.

Durian doubled in size, its thorns becoming even sharper, and violently rammed into one of the opponents, knocking them down.

Having only recently joined the Plant Squad, Durian had spent most of its time following Carrot around, barely interacting with Qian Hui. Now, fueled by the frenzied atmosphere, it was equally exhilarated.

Witnessing the carrot rain pouring from the sky, Durian’s mind raced, and it unleashed its own charged attack.

[ A mutated plant nearby has entered Berserk State! Please take cover! (From Encyclopedia entry: “Durian”) ]

Durian shuddered, releasing a colorless, odorless gas with a 95% accuracy rate, swiftly locking onto its targets.

Three or four opponents collapsed one after another, still stubbornly resisting. By the time they realized something was amiss, it was too late.

Zhao Xing felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Through the haze, he vaguely saw a swarm of Durians charging toward him.

He forced himself to stay upright and barked orders at the others, “Cover your mouths and noses! Take the antidote now!”

Who could have imagined that a Durian’s charged attack would unleash a colorless, odorless poisonous gas? They had been completely unprepared.

One of the team members swallowed an antidote and tried to disperse the gas with an air current.

Distracted by a tracking missile piercing his comrade’s side, he momentarily lost focus. A Carnivorous Flower, forced into the forest, seized the opportunity and bit off his arm.

The man’s agonizing scream echoed through the surroundings, jolting Zhao Xing’s muddled mind into sharper focus.

Zhao Xing’s ability was a rare physical enhancement type, allowing him to transform his limbs into bulletproof metal. As the team’s strongest member and leader, he had initially estimated their chances of success against Nan Tingjin at at least 70%.

Being in the Restricted Zone gave them an additional advantage. The other members of Black Ridge Mountain Base hadn’t accompanied them, leaving them free to fabricate any narrative about what had transpired here.

Zhao Xing had even prepared a contingency plan: one of his team members carried a small mutated plant hidden on his person. When the time came, they would produce it and claim to have found it at the base.

Before setting out, Zhao Xing believed he had prepared thoroughly, and Wen Jue agreed with his plan.

The last team that tracked Sunflower had returned with photos and fragments of plant attacks. Based on these, they had speculated about the number of mutated plants working together.

However, the fragments mainly belonged to mid-grade mutated plants. Even with the special-grade Carnivorous Flower and Carrot, it seemed impossible for them to repel the Zombie Horde.

Wen Jue theorized that Nan Tingjin must have intervened, assisting them for some unknown reason.

Zhao Xing had also taken precautions against Chili Pepper, warning his team to be extremely cautious and retreat beyond its energy-charging attack range at the first sign of danger.

Yet… he had severely underestimated their opponents.

The plants coordinated seamlessly, displaying combat prowess far exceeding their grades. For instance, Zhao Xing had encountered Mutated Chili Pepper many times before and considered himself familiar with it.

But in such a short time, its strength had at least doubled, and it had even learned group attack tactics.

And then there was that Giant Nut…

It had been wandering here for years, frequently falling into deep slumbers, to the point that even Wen Jue had abandoned the idea of bringing it back to the base for research.

But… how had it awakened? And so quickly aligned itself with the plants?

Maintaining its massive size for years, it showed no signs of depletion. Its hardened shell could withstand anything, far surpassing the strength of ordinary energy defense barriers.

As two more team members fell, the remaining ones sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Zhao Xing’s hands trembled as he barked into the real-time communicator, “Retreat immediately!”

Fleeing back to the Black Ridge Mountain Base offered a chance to gather reinforcements or devise a new strategy later.

Zhao Xing had no time to ponder why the Black Ridge Mountain Base personnel hadn’t arrived yet. The Giant Nut had moved, and they should have noticed.

Leading the remaining team members, he fought off attacks while attempting to retreat in the direction they had come from.

Noticing their escape attempt, Carrot let out a loud cry: “Woo!”

But the plants were on the other side, and their ranged attacks couldn’t intercept them in time.

In the next instant, the Giant Nut abruptly rose to its full height and, with a single effortless leap, blocked the human squad’s escape route.

Caught off guard, Carrot tumbled to the ground.

Durian, who happened to be nearby, rushed over to help it up.

The Nut swayed menacingly, preparing to crush the humans beneath its massive weight.

Zhao Xing’s arms transformed into metal, bracing against the Nut’s colossal body to hold it back.

The other squad members reacted swiftly. With the Nut having left its original position, they could now target other plants and force it to retreat.

At this moment, Corn could no longer contain itself.

An inexplicable urgency surged through it, a fiery pressure building in its core, desperate to erupt. It pounded its chest forcefully.

Seeing this, Potato quickly stepped back, fearing Corn might have accidentally inhaled Durian’s toxic fumes and become disoriented.

But then, Corn’s size instantly multiplied tenfold, and it expelled a massive, yellow mass.

[ A mutated plant nearby has entered a Berserk State. Please take cover! (From Encyclopedia entry: “Corn”) ]

It was a colossal ear of corn, its outer layer translucent and jelly-like, that slammed into the human squad.

The corn jelly exploded into fragments, its viscous, corrosive goo splattering across them, severely hindering their movements.

After vomiting this massive mass, Corn reverted to its original form, patting its belly.

“Finally, I feel much better…”

Meanwhile, Chili Pepper approached the group, its gaze fixed on Zhao Xing and the other humans.

Chili Pepper recognized Zhao Xing; several members of the team had participated in its capture.

The time after its capture had been the most agonizing period of its life. It had been imprisoned for research, its abilities forcibly stimulated with drugs. Afterward, the humans had attempted to tame it, subjecting it to immense suffering.

When it finally escaped, Chili Pepper secretly vowed to avenge itself against these humans.

Its eyes burned with fury, casting long shadows across the grass beneath its feet.

The Carnivorous Flower emerged behind it, emitting a series of low growls from its throat.

Seeing them appear together, Zhao Xing realized what was coming, his expression turning to despair.

[ A mutated plant nearby has entered a Berserk State. Please take cover! (From Encyclopedia entry: “Chili Pepper”) ]

[ A mutated plant nearby has entered a Berserk State. Please take cover! (From Encyclopedia entry: “Carnivorous Flower”) ]

Two powerful shockwaves swept through the area. Nut leaped forward, shielding Qian Hui and the other plants.

The forest was ravaged by the gale, with countless snapping branches crashing to the ground and fallen leaves swirling skyward.

Nan Tingjin held Qian Hui tightly in his arms, the latter closing his eyes and clutching at Nan Tingjin’s sleeve.

When the chaos finally subsided, an eerie silence descended.

Is it over?

Qian Hui looked up, only to see Carrot charging past the human corpses on the ground, heading in another direction.

Durian followed closely behind, the two plants vanishing into the forest in an instant.

“Carrot!”

Qian Hui hurried after them, spotting Carrot and Durian just down the mountain path, attacking another group of humans.

There were five of them, dressed in Sky Base uniforms.

They hadn’t been traveling with the earlier group and seemed oddly arranged, with one man being heavily guarded by his companions.

The man had silver hair, but his face looked younger, perhaps around fifty, and he wore a light-colored jacket.

As Qian Hui glanced over, his eyes met Wen Jue’s gaze.

Despite being a stranger, Wen Jue’s intense stare inexplicably filled Qian Hui with dread.

He began to struggle for breath, his shoulders trembling slightly.

The five humans must have witnessed the battle earlier, as they were far enough away to avoid the energy waves from Chili Pepper and Carnivorous Flower’s charged attacks.

Carrot spotted them first, mistaking them for Zhao Xing’s team’s reinforcements or survivors. It thought it could quickly eliminate them all.

But it soon realized that these five… no, these four humans were incredibly strong.

Carrot had just unleashed its charged attack, leaving it with a limited quantity of carrot thorns. However, Durian could still launch ranged attacks.

It leaped into the air, spun around, and shed layers of its spiky husk, sending the thorns flying outward in all directions.

The remaining plants rushed forward as well. With Sunflower’s support, they still had the energy to continue fighting.

However, the humans reacted swiftly. One of them raised a hand, and two massive boulders erupted from the ground, forming an impenetrable barrier that blocked all the attacks.

His ability was similar to Nan Tingjin’s, but he could only manipulate inanimate objects like rocks.

Immediately afterward, two of them hoisted Wen Jue and another companion onto their backs, while the remaining three—all physical enhancement Ability Users—showed no hesitation.

Their leg muscles bulged as they leaped off the mountain slope.

After landing firmly, they jumped again, directly reaching the modified car parked at the foot of the mountain.

The group was well-trained and moved with lightning speed, escaping in a flash.

Giant Nut, itching to intervene, suddenly heard Little Cabbage’s startled cry.

Qian Hui’s face was deathly pale, on the verge of fainting.

Nan Tingjin frowned deeply and helped him sit down beneath a tree.

The other plants quickly gathered around. Little Cabbage peeked out from Qian Hui’s pocket and clung tightly to the hem of his shirt.

Sunflower’s radiant glow remained steady, while Potato frantically rummaged through its backpack for the unfinished universal medicine.

Giant Nut shook its massive body, then shrank with a whoosh and rolled over with a clunk-clunk-clunk.

Qian Hui swallowed the medicine Potato offered, his body still trembling uncontrollably. “I don’t know…”

Ever since seeing Wen Jue, he had felt intensely unwell.

A mix of loathing, fear, and other negative emotions churned within him, accompanied by fragmented, blurry images flashing before his eyes, making it hard to breathe.

After a moment to recover, he forced himself to rally. “I’m probably just tired… It’s okay, I’m not hurt.”

Carrot leaned in and touched Qian Hui’s icy hand.

Its eyes filled with worry as it glanced in the direction Wen Jue had fled. It quickly made a decision.

“Woo woo!” Carrot waved its hand, summoning the Carnivorous Flower to prepare to transport everyone away.

The five humans looked treacherous. Despite their companion being in danger, they hadn’t lifted a finger to help, instead lurking in the shadows to observe for who knew how long.

Even if they had given chase immediately, it would likely have been too late. The modified car was parked very close to the iron gate.

But let’s not forget—they were still in a base teeming with human ability users.

Successfully eliminating Zhao Xing’s squad had already far exceeded Carrot’s expectations.

It had originally anticipated reinforcements from the Black Ridge Mountain Base arriving halfway through the battle.

Carrot had planned to take Nan Tingjin hostage in that scenario… but this contingency plan proved unnecessary.

Urged by Carrot, the plants hurriedly gathered their belongings.

As Little Bamboo Shoot passed the corpses of the human squad members, it suddenly stopped.

Turning its head, it noticed a small pink object peeking halfway out of one of the humans’ pockets, timidly peering into the open air.

Beneath the tree, Qian Hui leaned against Nan Tingjin’s chest. When he finally looked up, he saw Nut standing alone a short distance away.

Now shrunken to roughly the size of a palm, Nut lacked the leaf-like limbs of other plants. Its pitch-black eyes were small and round, and its mouth was pressed into a thin line.

Probably still groggy from its recent awakening and having been thrust into a battle against unfamiliar plants, Nut seemed bewildered and hesitant, not immediately approaching.

Qian Hui’s nose stung with emotion as he reached out to it. “Xiao Guo…”

Nut’s eyes lit up, and it hopped into Qian Hui’s arms in a few quick bounds.

Qian Hui held it tightly. “Don’t be scared… Did Xiao Guo hear us coming?”

Nut rolled happily in Qian Hui’s palm before finally murmuring a soft “Mmm.”

It had heard Qian Hui’s voice, and possibly Sunflower’s too…

But Nut’s true form had been trapped inside its shell for so long, it was nearing its breaking point. It couldn’t be sure if what it heard was real or just a hallucination brought on by desperation.

Then the sounds of fighting erupted nearby, stirring memories of its days in the Plant Little Courtyard.

At first, Nut was sluggish, but when the fireball came hurtling toward it, a reflex kicked in, and it moved aside, fully awakening.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Qian Hui said, stroking Nut tenderly. “We’ll take you away from here.”

Nut hummed in response, the corners of its mouth curving upward slightly.

Qian Hui held Nut close, then turned to Nan Tingjin.

“Xiao Jin,” he said, leaning closer to Nan Tingjin and asking anxiously, “will you come with me too?”

Qian Hui had initially planned to hide, avoiding detection by the Sky Base and staying clear of the “conflict” mentioned in the Plot Point description.

But things hadn’t gone as planned. The deaths of these humans would bring trouble for Nan Tingjin.

And then there was his original, tragic ending…

Qian Hui was deeply worried. Only by having Nan Tingjin stay with him could he feel even a little at ease.

His eyes filled with hope as he repeated, “Please… I can protect you too!”

Nan Tingjin looked up, and after a moment, he replied softly, “Okay.”

Just as the Giant Nut awakened, someone outside the iron gate spotted it from afar.

“Am I seeing things… Did that mutated plant just move?”

“I think I saw it too…”

“Look! It’s really awake!”

“What’s going on?” the captain frowned. “Could they be after that mutated plant? But that doesn’t make sense.”

The Giant Nut had been there from the beginning, and all the other bases knew it wasn’t from Sky Base.

Could Zhao Xing and his team have done something to deliberately awaken the Giant Nut?

The captain was surprised that Wen Jue had come personally, but since Nan Tingjin didn’t want to show himself, he and the other captain had decided to just get rid of these people as quickly as possible.

Now, this unexpected development…

Soon, someone pulled out a pair of binoculars and saw the continuous rain of “carrot rain.”

His voice grave, he quickly said, “Something’s wrong. There are other plants involved.”

“Let me see.” The captain immediately took the binoculars and scanned the mountainside.

The Giant Nut had indeed moved, collapsing into the mountain forest and crushing numerous trees.

A torrential rain of Carrots cascaded down, and a flash of purple flickered across the camera’s view.

Carnivorous Flower?

The captain’s heart jolted with alarm.

What’s going on now? How could a Carnivorous Flower appear in the base’s Restricted Zone?

Beside him, Shan Jun said gravely, “They might be in danger. Let’s go check on them.”

A small group echoed his sentiment, moving to reopen the iron gate.

“Wait,” the captain blocked the gate. “What’s the rush? They came here on their own. Let them go wherever they want. Why should we clean up their mess now?”

The captain had been simmering with resentment. No matter how high Wen Jue’s rank was, he was abusing his authority, treating their base like his personal garden.

Besides, everything was fine before they arrived. The mutated plant that invaded the Restricted Zone might even be their doing.

The Restricted Zone had been untouched for years. They were the ones who insisted on entering.

If anything went wrong, at most Black Ridge Mountain Base would be blamed for negligence—for letting a mutated plant sneak in unnoticed.

“You…” Shan Jun struggled to find a rebuttal, but some still stood by his side.

The remaining group was split: some agreed with the captain, while others thought it best to consult the Leader first.

Shan Jun, being only a deputy captain, lacked the authority to open the iron gate while the captain was present.

Just as the standoff reached its peak, a modified car sped up and screeched to a halt at the roadside.

Yuan Ji rolled down the window. “What’s everyone standing around for?”

The captain was surprised. “Weren’t you on a mission? How did you get back so quickly?”

Yuan Ji gave a vague reply. “Something came up, so I had to withdraw.”

He glanced at the distant mountains, his keen senses detecting an anomaly. “What’s going on over there?”

The captain stepped forward and whispered a few words.

Yuan Ji’s swift return meant he must already know about the Sky Base intrusion. With Nan Tingjin absent, he was the one in charge, and everyone awaited his decision.

Yuan Ji pondered for a moment, glancing at the communicator in his hand.

Then, he suddenly chuckled. “The Restricted Zone is vast. If they want to search, let them search thoroughly. Just leave one person here to guard the gate. The rest of you, get back to your duties.”

“Captain Yuan,” Shan Jun said anxiously, “but…”

“But what?” Yuan Ji’s gaze swept over him, icy and piercing. “Think carefully before you speak.”

Shan Jun took a deep breath and lowered his head. “Nothing.”

Seeing this, the others voiced no further objections.

They would pretend they hadn’t seen or known anything about the situation in the back mountain.

Yuan Ji assigned one subordinate to guard the iron gate, instructing him to immediately send a message if anyone from Sky Base emerged.

The crowd dispersed.

After an unknown amount of time, only one modified car returned.

The subordinate quickly opened the iron gate. The Ability User responsible for protecting Wen Jue scanned the surroundings, his expression grim. “Where are your people?”

Shortly after the Giant Nut awakened, they had planned to return and notify Black Ridge Mountain Base, urging them to send reinforcements immediately.

But by then, only one person remained outside the iron gate, and Wen Jue refused to leave.

The four Ability Users protecting him each played a crucial role; removing any one of them could jeopardize his safety.

So they had no choice but to wait, stubbornly holding out until now.

“Oh, the captain said the back mountain is too vast, and you’d definitely be delayed,” the subordinate said, looking bewildered. “He told the others to return first.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the communicator in his hand beeped.

He glanced down and exclaimed in shock, “A special-grade mutated plant has escaped from the Restricted Zone?!”

Meanwhile, the Giant Carnivorous Flower shook off its pursuers and effortlessly scaled the perimeter wall.

Agile and sure-footed, it landed gracefully and vanished swiftly into the abandoned street at the end of the road.

As usual, the other plants concealed themselves inside the Carnivorous Flower’s mouth, allowing it to carry them away from the Black Ridge Mountain Base.

Qian Hui, cradling several plants, leaned against Nan Tingjin’s chest.

His mind still felt hazy when he received a notification from the Game:

[ The fifth Faction Conflict has concluded. Congratulations to our side for securing victory! Reward: 500 Prestige Points! ]

This message confirmed their safety.

Qian Hui finally relaxed, closed his eyes, and gradually drifted off to sleep amidst the gentle swaying.

In his drowsy state, he had a dream.

Nan Tingjin was there, but the surrounding scenery felt unfamiliar.

Qian Hui looked around blankly, unable to recall where he was.

Nan Tingjin stood before him, asking softly, “Why won’t you see me? Do you hate me?”

Qian Hui froze, wanting to ask what was happening.

But everything in the dream was beyond his control. Feeling anxious, he hurriedly replied, “No, I don’t…”

Nan Tingjin pressed, “Have you made up your mind? To be with me.”

Qian Hui lowered his head, his heart racing. “It’s only been a day… I haven’t decided yet.”