Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

When Carrot heard Qian Hui’s voice, it immediately assumed something was wrong.

It glided over using its carrot thorn, cautiously scanning its surroundings. “Woo?”

Carnivorous Flower also rushed over, crouching low on the grass and tilting its head to look up at Qian Hui. Seeing his trembling breath and barely concealed excitement, it vaguely guessed what was happening.

Its eyes slowly widened as it reached out with a leaf to tug at Qian Hui’s hem, letting out a soft “woo woo” from its throat.

Qian Hui crouched down and pulled Carnivorous Flower and Carrot into a tight hug, then called over the remaining three special-grade mutated plants.

As the five plants gathered around, Chili Pepper and Corn, curious about the commotion, leaned in to observe, eager to know what was happening.

Sunflower, with its keen senses, had already picked up on Qian Hui’s emotions, but Nut and Cabbage remained clueless.

Finally, at Qian Hui’s prompting, Carnivorous Flower lowered its head and regurgitated a small bundle wrapped in withered leaves.

Cabbage, sitting beside Nut, sniffed gently at the bundle, its expression puzzled.

Then it saw Qian Hui carefully unfold the leaves, revealing a tiny, lifeless figure.

Cabbage froze, then abruptly stood up, its clenched gauntlets creaking.

Nut froze, rooted to the spot like a stone, its eyes slowly shifting away and then back, as if refusing to believe what it was seeing.

Fortunately, Sunflower’s explanation and reassurance quickly calmed Cabbage down.

Cabbage’s emotions surged wildly, plummeting from shock and anger to elation and impatience, momentarily overshadowing the grief of learning about Little Mushroom’s fate.

Nut remained stiff, unmoving even when Cabbage accidentally bumped into it.

Qian Hui cradled Little Mushroom in his hands, murmuring as if comforting the plants or speaking to himself, “It’s okay now… finally…”

After all this time, the accumulated balance of 300,000 credits felt like every previous effort had been leading to this very moment.

Qian Hui gently placed Little Mushroom on the Carnivorous Flower’s leaf and retrieved the Resurrection Bean from his Game backpack.

The Resurrection Bean was tiny and vibrant green, its shell radiating a faint, ethereal glow.

Its usage was simple: place the bean on the target’s body, and it would automatically activate.

Following the Game instructions, Qian Hui carefully placed the green bean on Little Mushroom’s chest.

The surrounding plants watched his every move with rapt attention.

Moments later, the Resurrection Bean emitted a dazzling light that completely enveloped Little Mushroom’s body.

As the light gradually faded, the small mushroom on the Carnivorous Flower’s leaf transformed into a palm-sized egg.

Simultaneously, a notification popped up in front of Qian Hui:

[ Resurrection Bean activated. Current progress: 1%. Estimated time remaining: 23:59:59. ]

The instructions had mentioned that the Resurrection Bean’s activation time would vary depending on the target’s condition, including time of death, size, and ensuring the body remained intact.

A full day… that didn’t seem too long.

Qian Hui gently picked up the egg to examine it. The shell was translucent white, revealing a shimmering liquid inside that glowed crystal-clear in the sunlight.

Through the shell, he could see Little Mushroom nestled within the fluid. Its withered body rapidly plumped up, regaining its faint pink hue.

With its eyes closed, Little Mushroom swayed gently inside the egg, appearing to be asleep.

The progress bar suddenly jumped to 20%, then slowed again, likely indicating the initial restoration of its physical form.

“We’ll have to wait a bit longer,” Qian Hui murmured, stroking the eggshell. “It’s almost done.”

When Little Mushroom woke up and found so many friends around, it would surely be overjoyed.

The plants were all deeply moved, each taking turns to touch the Resurrection Egg containing Little Mushroom.

Nut, lacking hands, leaped into Qian Hui’s arms and nestled against the Resurrection Egg, gently nuzzling it.

Carnivorous Flower spun happily in place, while Cabbage, having learned the full story from Sunflower, secretly wiped its eyes with its boxing gloves.

Carrot, slightly more composed, still flew half a circle in the air, its excitement palpable.

The other plants crowded closer, eager to catch a glimpse of the egg.

Gazing at the tiny pink Mushroom inside, Potato whispered, “Wow,” and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the eggshell before quickly withdrawing its hand.

Just then, Chili Pepper approached Qian Hui and nudged his arm with its head. Noticing Qian Hui’s pale complexion, it assumed he was still saddened by Little Mushroom’s ordeal and wanted to offer comfort.

Clutching the Resurrection Egg, Qian Hui turned his head sluggishly. “I…”

He had been feeling unwell earlier, and now the dizziness intensified.

Before he could finish speaking, darkness enveloped his vision, and he lost consciousness completely.

Chili Pepper cried out in panic, “Woo!”

Nan Tingjin, who was standing nearby, immediately caught the collapsing Qian Hui in his arms.

The plants, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, gathered anxiously around the pair.

The Resurrection Egg was temporarily entrusted to Carnivorous Flower’s care. Sunflower immediately radiated a healing glow and plucked two petals, pressing them into Qian Hui’s palm.

As the light’s healing energy flowed through him, Qian Hui’s complexion gradually improved, though he remained pale.

His skin was utterly bloodless, and the knuckles of his fingers were visibly tinged with a grayish-blue hue.

Nan Tingjin frowned deeply, pressing his hand against Qian Hui’s forehead and palm to check his temperature. He glanced at the Resurrection Egg cradled by the Carnivorous Flower.

Nan Tingjin had never pried into Qian Hui’s secrets, but his sudden collapse and altered physical state strongly suggested a connection to the egg.

If his hunch was correct, Qian Hui was attempting to resurrect a mutated plant. Regardless of the method he used, the cost would undoubtedly be severe.

Several plants grew frantic. Seeing no sign of Qian Hui’s recovery, Sunflower unleashed its skill, enveloping him in a surge of energy.

But the energy was overwhelming; Qian Hui couldn’t absorb it all.

This seemed to be the limit of his body’s capacity. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t improve further.

Helpless, the plants could only continue their anxious vigil.

Fortunately, half an hour later, Qian Hui finally opened his eyes.

Gazing around with a dazed expression, he instinctively asked, “Where’s Xiao Fen…?”

The Carnivorous Flower immediately stepped forward, showing him the Resurrection Egg it was still cradling.

Qian Hui leaned against Nan Tingjin’s chest, reaching out to touch the Resurrection Egg’s shell. Seeing the progress bar in the Game Interface slowly filling, he felt a little reassured.

Carrot, its eyes filled with worry, clung to his sleeve, whimpering softly.

“I’m okay,” Qian Hui reassured it. “I’m feeling much better now.”

I should be… He felt utterly exhausted, with barely any strength left in his body, and his voice was barely a whisper.

Especially when he first woke up, his mind had been sluggish and hazy. It took him a while to remember what had happened.

Little Cabbage brought Qian Hui some food, and Nan Tingjin fed him small bites, followed by sips of water from a bottle.

Grasping Qian Hui’s icy hand, Nan Tingjin asked, “How did you get that egg? What did you trade for it?”

He didn’t know about the Game, yet his question was remarkably precise.

Qian Hui hesitated before answering, “I saved up… I saved up for a long time. Resurrection Beans are really expensive…”

As he explained in fits and starts, Nan Tingjin guessed that the supplies Qian Hui had been providing were also purchased with accumulated currency.

But the currency required for a Resurrection Bean far exceeded that of ordinary supplies.

He had resurrected a mutated plant, seemingly at the cost of his own life force.

This was somewhat similar to the Lost State experienced by human ability users. When their abilities were overused without timely treatment and rest, they would eventually die from their own powers.

Nan Tingjin’s expression remained cold and stern as he asked, “Is there any way to quickly accumulate more?”

In their current situation, their only hope was that Qian Hui’s physical condition was indeed linked to the quantity of currency. Otherwise, he didn’t know when he would recover.

Qian Hui had only spoken a few words and was already feeling fatigued and drowsy again.

He weakly said, “Zombies… kill them.”

With that, Qian Hui closed his eyes and drifted back into sleep.

Hearing this, Carrot immediately waved its hand and exclaimed, “Woo!”

What were they waiting for? They needed to go kill zombies immediately!

The Plant Squad responded instantly, quickly gathering together.

However, with the increased number of plants and Qian Hui’s weakened state, bringing everyone along would be too cumbersome.

To save time, Carrot decided to take only the original squad members: Carnivorous Flower and Sunflower would stay by Qian Hui’s side, along with the remaining plants and Nan Tingjin.

Without delay, Carrot pulled out its carrot thorn, ready to fly. Nut, being unable to move easily, was scooped up in one hand by Chili Pepper.

Seeing Potato about to leave, Big Cherry rushed over, eagerly expressing its desire to go too.

Carrot glanced at it, hesitating for a moment.

Big Cherry’s diet was unique, and it had likely never been properly fed before. After being nourished by Potato, it had become much more docile, and its Loyalty had surged to 80% after breakfast that morning.

Carrot, unaware of the concept of Loyalty, simply noticed Big Cherry’s newfound obedience and sensed its considerable strength. Nodding in agreement, it lifted Big Cherry with one hand as the cherry happily hopped closer.

The remaining plants gathered together: Cabbage, Chili Pepper, Nut, Potato, Corn, and Little Bamboo Shoot. With Carrot and Cherry leading the way, they swiftly flew out of the forest.

This forest was a high-risk zone infested with mutated plants, but the zombie population was still too sparse. They needed to search the city ruins…

Soaring through the air, Carrot surveyed the surroundings and chose a direction.

Back in the forest, the remaining plants stood guard around Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin.

Carnivorous Flower curled up nearby, clutching the Resurrection Egg.

Little Succulent and Tulip nestled into Qian Hui’s arms, instinctively finding comfortable spots.

Nan Tingjin sat on the grass, holding Qian Hui in his arms, and gently stroked his soft hair.

Meanwhile, the Plant Squad quickly reached the city ruins. They deliberately made some noise to attract the wandering zombies nearby.

Cabbage took down each zombie with a single punch, while Nut grew to two meters tall and crushed them underfoot with leaping stomps.

However, these zombies were too scattered and low-grade. Though they were quick to kill, they wouldn’t accumulate enough “currency” for Qian Hui’s needs.

But where can we find a large Zombie Horde…?

Carrot suppressed its growing anxiety and led the Plant Squad to search even further afield.

Time ticked by, and before long, it was afternoon.

The squad stopped to rest. Cabbage removed its backpack and took out food and universal medicine.

Fortunately, Qian Hui had prepared these supplies in advance, allowing them to replenish their resources on the go.

Carrot perched atop a high point in the ruins, munching on a biscuit while scanning the surroundings.

So far, the squad had killed twelve low-grade zombies and four mid-grade zombies.

This was the opposite side of the high-risk zone, and the air smelled even more stagnant. There should have been more zombies here.

The surroundings were eerily silent. It wasn’t yet the zombies’ hibernation time, so why weren’t any emerging?

Carrot sensed something was amiss and, instead of being alarmed, grew invigorated, urging the squad to press on.

After navigating around several abandoned buildings, they weaved through the ruins, finally spotting two zombie figures.

Cabbage questioned them closely, its eyes gleaming with excitement: “High-grade zombies!”

Typically, high-grade zombies never operated alone; they were always accompanied by mid- and low-grade zombies under their command.

Carrot and Cabbage exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to follow discreetly, intending to scout the situation first to avoid alerting the zombies prematurely.

Carrot waved for the rest of the squad to follow, then shot Cabbage a pointed look: “Woo woo…”

Don’t eat so much next time! You’re heavy as hell flying all the way here!

Cabbage snorted, casually picking up a brick and snapping it in half with ease.

The squad’s plants suppressed their auras as much as possible, tailing the zombies in the shadows.

The two high-grade zombies remained oblivious to their pursuers, leaping through the ruins with relentless momentum.

A few minutes later, the zombies reached a ruined street.

Carrot stopped and peered into the distance, spotting a large group of zombies—at least twenty or thirty—gathered at the street’s entrance.

They seemed to be carrying something, and further down the street, two heavily damaged human modified cars were parked.

The cars were battered, clearly having been in a collision, and stained with dark red blood. The humans inside were likely in dire straits.

But Carrot had no time to dwell on this; its attention was entirely focused on the massive zombie horde.

After assessing their overall combat power, Carrot concluded they could win and called out to Cabbage, “Woo!”

The two plants immediately prepared to lead the charge, but Big Cherry suddenly grabbed Carrot’s arm.

Its face lit up with excitement as it glanced at Potato, then pointed at itself and Carrot, “Woo!”

Big Cherry felt its moment to shine had finally arrived, insisting that one cherry was enough to handle the situation.

Carrot remained skeptical, looking at Big Cherry, “Woo?”

Just you?

Big Cherry patted its belly, its eyes gleaming.

Carrot remembered Big Cherry swallowing a nuclear bomb whole and devouring so many of Potato’s bombs, and a thoughtful expression crossed its face.

The Plant Squad held its position while Carrot, following Big Cherry’s instructions, carried it alone through the air.

The two plants rapidly approached the street from above, descending toward the Zombie Horde below.

The high-grade zombies immediately spotted them, letting out a series of roars.

Carrot seized the opportune moment, grabbed Big Cherry’s hand, and flung it downward before quickly turning and flying away.

Big Cherry plummeted, closing its eyes and shouting, “Woo!”

Its body swelled to twice its original size, and just before impact, it unleashed a blinding white light from its mouth.

BOOM—

A deafening explosion erupted, as if a nuclear bomb had detonated within the Zombie Horde.

The shockwave tossed Carrot in mid-air, nearly sending it crashing down. Regaining its balance, it twisted around, its carrot thorn steady, and stared wide-eyed.

…

Holy crap!

Big Cherry had apparently regurgitated all the nuclear bombs it had swallowed in one go, while somehow managing to control the blast’s range.

When the smoke cleared, a massive crater scarred the street.

Nearly all the zombies that had been massing there were annihilated. Only one high-grade zombie, having dodged the blast, remained, wounded and attempting to flee.

The Plant Squad, which had been hiding, quickly caught up. The zombies were pummeled by Nuts and had their necks twisted by Cabbage’s hammer blows.

Potato rushed to the giant crater and found Big Cherry, exhausted, at the bottom.

Big Cherry’s eyes were tightly shut, its body covered in dust. Potato tenderly fed it two landmines, then hoisted it onto its shoulders and carried it out of the crater.

Cherry’s abilities required significant energy reserves; after this exertion, it would need to consume many more explosives to recover.

Thanks to Cherry’s assistance, the battle was swiftly concluded.

Chili Pepper and Little Bamboo Shoot dug out all the crystal cores, while Carrot, Corn, and Cabbage flew to a more distant location and eliminated two or three stray low-grade zombies.

As dusk approached, the squad, estimating they had done enough for the day, prepared to return to the forest.

On the way back, Chili Pepper counted the crystal cores in its backpack, still anxious.

Over forty zombies… I wonder if that’s enough.

Following the path they had taken earlier, the string of plants hanging from Carrot’s thorn swiftly flew away.

Shortly after the Plant Squad departed, a gaunt high-grade zombie arrived at the scene.

It approached the giant crater, sniffing around, and detected the lingering scent of mutated plants. Raising its head, it let out a piercing howl.

Two high-grade zombies had transmitted distress signals before their deaths, but the mutated plants had escaped too quickly, and the reinforcements arrived too late.

On a distant skyscraper, an unusually tall figure stood silhouetted against the darkening sky.

Familiar black skin, crimson pupils, and an elongated skull marked it as Zombie King 03.

Its lips moved slightly, emitting a low, guttural growl that summoned the high-grade zombie back. Then, it turned and vanished into the shadows.

At the moment the explosion echoed, a Big Pea in another high-risk area nearby heard the commotion and turned to look.

It was currently fighting a high-grade zombie, playfully creating numerous duplicates of itself—a full twenty massive peas, all identical in size, scattered across the ruins.

The zombie lunged at one of the peas, swiping its claw. The fake pea burst open like a popped balloon, accompanied by a mocking “hee hee.”

Though the exploding peas caused little actual damage, the “hee hee” sound was infuriatingly irritating.

More peas rolled forward, and the zombie frantically slashed its claws, soon surrounded by the taunting “hee hee” chorus.

The explosion instantly drew the attention of both the zombie and the Big Pea.

The Big Pea instinctively turned to investigate, and this very movement betrayed its position.

The zombie spotted the moving pea in the distance and immediately charged.

The Big Pea nimbly dodged, retracted all its duplicates, and slammed its leaf-like foot into the zombie’s head.

Surprisingly adept at close combat, it casually grabbed two brick fragments and swiftly slashed at the zombie’s legs, then spat out a green pea.

The green pea, as heavy as a thousand pounds, smashed the zombie to the ground. The Big Pea leaped onto the fallen creature and dug out its crystal core.

The zombie immediately went limp. The Big Pea wiped the crystal core disdainfully before pocketing it without eating it.

It glanced back at the source of the explosion, its expression sour.

Who’s making such a racket? I could have played a bit longer.

Kicking aside the zombie at its feet, the Big Pea hummed a tune as it turned and walked in the opposite direction.

By the time the Plant Squad returned to the forest, it was already night.

Spotting the faint lights by the lake, Carrot dove down, its speed too great, causing the squad to tumble into the grass.

The plants scrambled to their feet and saw Qian Hui sitting under a tree, now awake.

Qian Hui’s energy had clearly recovered. “Carrot! Xiao Juan!” he exclaimed in delight, rising to greet them and embracing the returning Plant Squad warmly.

Chili Pepper whimpered worriedly, “Woo?”

Qian Hui patted its head. “I’m really feeling much better now.”

He had regained consciousness after receiving a Game notification: the ninth Faction Conflict had ended with their victory, instantly adding over sixty thousand credits to his balance.

Only then did Qian Hui learn that the Plant Squad had ventured out to kill zombies for him.

They must have been successful, as their Encyclopedia entries showed no injuries, except for Big Cherry, who was exhausted and urgently needed replenishment.

Thanks to Potato, after consuming some landmines, Big Cherry’s condition improved somewhat, though its skills remained temporarily unavailable.

Carrot touched Qian Hui’s palm and, finding his temperature gradually returning to normal, finally felt relieved.

Next, the Plant Squad went to check on the Carnivorous Flower, who was guarding the Resurrection Egg containing Little Mushroom.

The Resurrection Egg had reached 60% completion. The shell was no longer transparent, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

Carnivorous Flower was the most anxious of the group, frequently asking Qian Hui for updates on Little Mushroom’s condition.

Qian Hui held both Carnivorous Flower and the egg in his arms, reassuring it, “Don’t worry. Little Mushroom will wake up by tomorrow morning.”

The other plants stood quietly nearby, their curiosity and anticipation palpable despite not knowing Little Mushroom personally.

That night, Carnivorous Flower nestled into the Cabbage Shell with the egg early. It wasn’t its turn to patrol, so Carrot and Cabbage took over the duty temporarily.

A Cabbage Bowl lay nearby, offering the plants a choice of sleeping arrangements.

Only Qian Hui was absent. He had gone a short distance away to be with Nan Tingjin.

Nan Tingjin had insisted on this arrangement to monitor Qian Hui’s condition closely and prevent any further discomfort. Keeping Qian Hui by his side provided him with greater peace of mind.

Qian Hui lay curled up in Nan Tingjin’s arms on the soft grass, his cheek pressed against Nan Tingjin’s chest. He murmured sleepily, “Xiao Jin, good night…”

The next morning, Qian Hui and the plants woke up early, gathering around the Resurrection Egg to watch over it.

In the corner of the Game Interface, the countdown timer reached its final minute, the progress bar showing 99%.

Qian Hui held his breath, and the other plants, sensing his tension, waited anxiously alongside him.

Finally—

The progress bar filled to 100%, and a notification popped up:

[ Resurrection Bean successfully used! ]

Qian Hui cradled the white egg in his hands. With a crack, a fissure appeared on its surface.

The crack widened rapidly, and with a plop, a large piece of shell fell away.

A small pink mushroom stood inside, yawning.

It rubbed its eyes beneath its cap, tilted its head, and looked up. “Huh?”