Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

As a special-grade mutated plant, Pea didn’t actually need crystal cores; it just ate them as snacks for fun.

They were crunchy and helped fill its stomach.

Pea finished the core in a few bites, patted the crumbs off its leafy hands, and continued to peer around.

In the distance, under sustained ranged attacks, the Zombie Horde’s advance slowed, allowing the human team to retreat safely behind a low building.

Pea’s eyes narrowed with disdain. There are so many humans, probably all Ability Users, and they still can’t handle a bunch of zombies?

As it observed, Pea considered causing some mischief to stall the human team. Once the Zombie Horde caught up, the two sides would clash.

Besides, these humans were probably responsible for yesterday’s explosions. Acting so arrogant in zombie territory…

Big Pea stirred restlessly, then suddenly tensed, tilting its head to sniff the air.

That scent… it smells like a Zombie King.

Which Zombie King is it? Big Pea grew wary, temporarily abandoning its earlier plan and quietly hiding in a corner of the ruins.

If a Zombie King is here, I can’t approach recklessly. It would be bad if the human ability users and the Zombie Horde ganged up on me.

Big Pea calmed down and patiently observed for a while longer, watching the human team gradually retreat toward another intersection.

Several modified cars were parked at the intersection. The humans piled in and sped away immediately.

After the humans left, the Zombie Horde stopped, showing no intention of pursuing them.

The leading high-grade zombie let out a guttural roar, and the Zombie Horde slowly dispersed, retreating back into the shadows.

Throughout the entire encounter, the Zombie King never revealed itself.

Big Pea was puzzled, finding the situation odd.

In a distant area it had visited before, Big Pea had encountered a Zombie King and even fought it.

Upon evolving to the Zombie King grade, a zombie’s intelligence reaches its peak. They lose their low-grade desires for mindless slaughter and consumption, instead focusing all their efforts on expanding their Zombie Horde.

If those human ability users were converted into zombies, they would likely become mid-to-high-grade zombies with abilities. Yet the local Zombie King showed no interest, making no attempt to stop their escape.

Although the Doomsday had been raging for years, many humans now chose to end their lives or take zombies with them in their final moments to avoid becoming undead. Without that last breath, they wouldn’t turn into mindless walkers.

But the Zombie King was clearly present. Why wouldn’t it be tempted by so many human ability users trespassing on its territory?

Unless it had other urgent matters, guarding something even more important.

Big Pea’s eyes lit up with excitement. Suppressing its aura as much as possible, it followed one of the high-grade zombies from a distance.

It wanted to see exactly what this Zombie King was up to.

Maintaining caution, Big Pea kept its distance as it watched two high-grade zombies enter a collapsed building through the rubble.

It quietly hid nearby, casually plucking two blades of grass and chewing on them.

Inside the building, the two zombies clawed through the debris to reach a more spacious area at the back.

The Zombie King was there, its pitch-black skin nearly blending into the shadows along the wall.

The two zombies knelt before it, bowing their heads and growling out reports on the situation outside.

The human team had likely stumbled in by mistake and quickly retreated, fleeing immediately.

As for the mutated plant that attacked the Zombie Horde yesterday, it had yet to reappear.

Those mutated plants had killed some wandering zombies in the surrounding area yesterday, leaving behind a familiar scent on the corpses.

It was the same group of mutated plants that had stolen Sunflower, successfully resisted the Zombie Horde’s siege, and even injured Zombie King 03.

Now that they had arrived, they brazenly detonated a large number of zombies, leaving a conspicuous crater before swiftly retreating.

The Zombie King was furious, yet remained calm, choosing not to pursue them.

The mutated plants, like the human teams, likely had no knowledge of the situation here.

The Zombie King raised a hand, issuing commands to two high-grade zombies.

“Lead the remaining zombies to continue guarding the outer perimeter and conceal yourselves as much as possible.”

The high-grade zombies acknowledged the order and turned to leave the low building.

Outside, Big Pea spotted the nearby Zombie Horde gradually disappearing into the ruins.

Three or four zombies, each carrying something on their backs, also burrowed into the collapsed half of the low building.

What are those? Human corpses? Do zombies actually stockpile food?

Completely dead bodies would rot over time, but the zombies probably wouldn’t mind.

Big Pea felt increasingly nauseated by the thought, slapping its head to shake off the gruesome image.

Anyway, these zombies are acting strangely. They must be plotting something.

Big Pea’s curiosity grew. Feeling a bit hungry again, it peered around, hoping to find a lone zombie to kill, dig out its crystal core, and take a few bites.

Meanwhile, several modified cars were parked in a hidden corner.

The zombies didn’t pursue them. After confirming their safety, Qi Yue contacted the base via communicator to report their mission progress.

Their mission was to search for a missing team.

Two days prior, the team had been transporting supplies to another base. They vanished without a trace on the day they were scheduled to pass through this area.

Similar incidents had occurred several times recently. The most puzzling aspect was that not only did the human team members disappear, but the supplies they were carrying vanished as well.

Initially, some traces suggested a zombie attack, but zombies couldn’t possibly be interested in the supplies.

Suspicion then fell on ability users from another base, accused of stealing the resources.

In the Doomsday era, supplies were paramount, especially food, which had become one of the most valuable commodities.

With environmental conditions deteriorating across the globe, only two or three bases maintained stable food production. These bases regularly shipped supplies to other settlements.

The recent incidents had affected multiple bases, causing transport commissions to skyrocket.

Soon, all major bases received urgent requests for assistance, including Cloud River Base. Qi Yue, eager to avoid further entanglement in the conflict between Sky Base and the mutated plants, accepted the mission to investigate.

“It’s almost certain this was caused by zombies,” Qi Yue said into the communicator. “The exact reason is still unclear, and a Zombie King is present, though we don’t know which one.”

Based on their distinct appearances, all recorded Zombie Kings had been assigned code names, each possessing unique abilities.

Hearing that a Zombie King was present, the person on the other end of the communicator grew anxious. “Then you should return immediately. The mission isn’t essential.”

Moreover, Qi Yue’s discovery of the Zombie Horde and the Zombie King’s presence was already a significant breakthrough. They could return now and later bring a larger team to investigate further.

Qi Yue acknowledged the order and disconnected the call.

He gazed into the distance, his brow furrowed.

The Zombie Horde showed no intention of pursuing them, and the Zombie King hadn’t even revealed itself. This was highly unusual.

Qi Yue had a gut feeling they shouldn’t leave just yet. After a moment’s deliberation, he made his decision. “Let’s go back and take another look… This time, we’ll be more cautious and keep our distance.”

As the captain, his decision was unquestioned by the others.

For added precaution, the modified cars circled around, preparing to approach from a different direction.

In the forest, Qian Hui was helping Cactus remove its helmet, wiping it clean with a thick towel.

Cactus had been playing by the lake earlier when it accidentally fell in. Fortunately, Morning Glory reacted quickly and pulled it out in time.

But Cactus got wet, and the plush lining of its helmet was soaked. Feeling miserable, it ran to Qian Hui for help.

Cactus had many thorns, so after wiping it dry, Qian Hui told it to bask in the sun.

Chili Pepper came over to help, using its heated chili pepper seeds to dry the helmet.

Cactus sat obediently nearby, waiting. It had grown particularly fond of its helmet and insisted on wearing it at all times.

Once the helmet was completely dry, Cactus eagerly put it on, nuzzling Qian Hui’s hand and giving Chili Pepper a hug too.

Qian Hui watched it scamper off happily. Just then, Carrot returned from the other side of the forest.

It leaped swiftly through the branches before landing gracefully in front of Qian Hui, holding up two unfamiliar mutated plants: “Woo!”

Qian Hui: “…Let them go immediately!”

This time, Carrot had brought back a Mango and an Asparagus. The Asparagus, held by its leaf, remained motionless, looking dazed.

The smaller Mango was completely restrained by Carrot’s grip around its neck, thrashing its limbs wildly in a desperate attempt to break free.

Carrot obediently released its grip. The Asparagus immediately sat down on the ground, looking around in confusion.

Mango, brimming with bravado, charged at Carrot, landing a solid punch on its waist.

But Mango’s grade must have been low; the attack had no effect on Carrot. Carrot pointed into the distance and gestured emphatically, “Woo woo!”

It was clearly impressed by Mimosa’s evolved abilities. Sure enough, two mutated plants were fighting near a flowering shrub in the direction Carrot indicated, their bodies indeed carrying the shrub’s floral scent.

Afraid of startling the unfamiliar plants, Qian Hui quickly offered them some food. “I told you not to just grab them…”

Carrot shook its head vigorously, indicating it hadn’t simply grabbed them.

It had first asked Mango and Asparagus if they wanted to come along, promising them delicious treats.

The two plants were initially skeptical, but Asparagus was eventually tempted. Mango, however, refused to let it leave, insisting on continuing their fight.

Only then did Carrot bring both plants over, taking great care not to harm them during the journey.

Asparagus’s eyes lit up at the sight of the biscuits. It eagerly rubbed against them, grabbed three, and scurried away.

Mango tried to chase after it, but Qian Hui stopped him. With a punch, Mango dented the biscuit in its hand before sniffing it cautiously.

Recognizing it as food, it accepted the biscuits, glancing warily around before retreating into the dense foliage to hide while munching.

Regardless, the Encyclopedia successfully illuminated two new entries. Qian Hui picked up Carrot and said, “Next time… be a little gentler.”

Carrot nodded and reached out to feel the pocket of Qian Hui’s jacket.

The pocket rustled, and Little Mushroom woke up just then.

Carrot let out a soft “woo.” Qian Hui looked down as Little Pink Mushroom poked its head out of the pocket, yawning widely.

It was already three or four in the afternoon. Qian Hui patted Little Mushroom’s cap. “Awake now?”

Little Mushroom hugged Qian Hui’s fingertip and kissed it, then climbed onto his palm.

Carnivorous Flower, who had been waiting nearby, quickly retrieved the prepared food: crushed biscuits, shredded jerky, and dried fruit.

Little Mushroom ate a bit of everything. The dried fruit was too large to break into small pieces, so it picked up a piece, took a big bite, and gave the rest to Carnivorous Flower.

Noticing Little Mushroom was awake, the other plants gradually gathered around.

After its nap, Little Pink Mushroom was in much better spirits, leaping nimbly from the grass.

Carnivorous Flower watched anxiously, ready to catch it with its leaves. Only when Little Mushroom landed safely did it breathe a sigh of relief.

Apple and Little Succulent hurried over. Little Succulent circled Little Mushroom, eager to play.

Little Mushroom turned to Qian Hui. Qian Hui said, “Go ahead.”

With Qian Hui’s approval, Little Mushroom was led away by Little Succulent, the two plants running off together.

Carnivorous Flower and Nut would guard Little Mushroom’s side, and Chili Pepper and the others were nearby, ensuring the surrounding area was safe.

Even so, Qian Hui remained uneasy, secretly observing them for a long time.

Little Mushroom first wandered around the vicinity, watching Little Cabbage practice boxing with Cabbage, then crawled into the un-enlarged Cabbage Shell to play.

Later, Corn took it to the lakeside to watch Four-Leaf Clover and Pumpkin catch fish.

The adorable Little Pink Mushroom greeted everyone with eager hugs, and none of the plants could resist its charm.

After that, Potato put on a show, demonstrating how to feed Big Cherry. Two Landmines were tossed into the air, and Cherry leaped up to catch them perfectly.

Little Mushroom clapped enthusiastically, then ran over and climbed onto Cherry’s head, clinging to its stem and swaying back and forth.

As night fell, Little Mushroom sat on Tulip’s leaf, burying its face in a pile of crumbled cookies.

Having seen how quickly it had grown comfortable with the plants in just half a day, Qian Hui finally relaxed.

Chili Pepper even gifted Little Mushroom a stored crystal core, but after only two bites, it stopped eating, and there was no sign of its skill bar replenishing.

Still, as long as it was safe and unharmed, it didn’t matter if it couldn’t use its skills.

Qian Hui handed over the bottle cap filled with water while feeding Starfruit and Dragon Fruit in his arms. Potato lay beside him, whimpering softly.

Earlier that afternoon, it had fed Cherry too many bomb-like Landmines, nearly draining its energy completely.

Qian Hui picked up Potato and fed it two mana medicines.

That night, as they prepared for bed, Little Mushroom followed Carnivorous Flower into the Cabbage Shell.

Having napped in Qian Hui’s coat during the day, it now slept with the plants.

Cabbage had peeled off its softest outer layer to create a cozy nest, just right for Little Mushroom and Little Succulent to snuggle into.

Before settling down, Little Mushroom yawned, padded to the edge of the Cabbage Shell, and waved goodnight to Qian Hui. “Mmm-hmm!”

Qian Hui, who was sitting with Nan Tingjin, watched as Little Mushroom glanced at Nan Tingjin before turning back to sleep.

The Cabbage Bowl nearby was also filled with sleeping plants. Sunflower’s glow faded completely, and the Cabbage Lamps scattered among the grass gradually dimmed.

Leaning against Nan Tingjin’s chest, Qian Hui wasn’t yet sleepy.

The game interface hovered before him, displaying 72 illuminated entries in his Encyclopedia.

Many of these were plants he had discovered in the forest where he found Carnivorous Flower. Back then, with only Carnivorous Flower by his side, it had encountered the widest variety of plants.

Even plants Qian Hui had only seen but never interacted with could be added to his Encyclopedia, leaving him 28 short of completing his Mission.

Having Carrot go out to “catch” plants every time wasn’t a sustainable solution. Qian Hui considered venturing deeper into the forest alone or taking only one or two plants with him.

With more plants in his Encyclopedia, he was sure some would be willing to follow him.

However, caring for more plants would require more credits.

Qian Hui also tried designating this forest as a potential base location, but the system flagged it as having a low safety index, failing to meet the required standards.

Moreover, base locations couldn’t contain any unfamiliar mutated plants, zombies, or humans. In other words, he’d have to drive out all the other plants from the forest, build the base, and then bring them back in.

Noticing Qian Hui’s wandering thoughts, Nan Tingjin murmured, “What are you thinking about?”

Qian Hui whispered, “I want to build a base… a base for plants.”

He looked up, his expression earnest. “Xiao Jin, how was your base built?”

Nan Tingjin answered truthfully, “I don’t know.”

He wasn’t the first Leader of Black Ridge Mountain Base. However, since Qian Hui needed a base, the quickest method would be to select an existing target and seize it directly.

The Sky Base branch could have been used as a temporary solution, but Yuan Ji’s message revealed that the base had been destroyed, leaving no trace of its existence.

“A-attack and occupy?” Qian Hui’s voice grew fainter as he listened to Nan Tingjin. “That doesn’t seem right…”

Human-built bases might not be suitable for plants, but he knew he couldn’t rush things.

Nan Tingjin stroked Qian Hui’s silver hair. “Let’s not worry about that for now.”

Qian Hui mumbled in agreement and wrapped his arms around Nan Tingjin.

For the past two nights, he had stayed with Nan Tingjin instead of the other plants.

Chili Pepper, Corn, and the others grumbled about this, but knowing they couldn’t defeat Nan Tingjin, they reluctantly accepted the arrangement for the time being.

Since reaffirming their relationship, the two had grown even closer than before.

However, Qian Hui didn’t really understand how to be in a romantic relationship, relying entirely on his instincts.

He nuzzled against Nan Tingjin’s neck and whispered, “Xiao Jin, you’re so warm.”

His hand slipped under the hem of Nan Tingjin’s coat, instinctively seeking out the warmth.

Nan Tingjin gently pressed Qian Hui’s hand down and kissed his cheek. “Go to sleep.”

Oblivious to the implications, Qian Hui obediently murmured, “Mm,” and snuggled closer into Nan Tingjin’s arms.

Enveloped in the familiar scent, he quickly drifted into a deep sleep, his breathing even and steady.

The next morning, when Qian Hui woke up, he found Chili Pepper and Little Cabbage nestled beside him.

They must have crept in during the night, completely ignoring Nan Tingjin beside them as they expertly burrowed into Qian Hui’s arms to sleep.

A moment later, Carnivorous Flower arrived with Little Mushroom.

Little Mushroom had likely just woken up too, having missed Qian Hui terribly during the night.

Carnivorous Flower set Little Mushroom down, and the little mushroom immediately nestled against Qian Hui’s neck, clutching a strand of his hair as it drifted back to sleep.

Soon after, Carrot arrived, its eyes slightly urgent. It tugged at Qian Hui’s sleeve, pointed in a direction, and pressed the shrunken Mimosa against its head.

Qian Hui quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sunflower followed closely behind, using its radiant light to convey Mimosa’s message.

Just moments ago, it had sensed a massive gathering of zombies in the distance, mingled with the auras of human ability users.

The scene seemed chaotic, with the Zombie Horde and human ability users locked in combat.

There was also… an unfamiliar special-grade mutated plant, which might be in danger.