Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

After drinking the Evolution Liquid yesterday, Mimosa felt its abilities strengthen, filled with excitement and curiosity.

It periodically probed its surroundings, trying to determine the maximum range of its perception.

This morning, upon waking, Mimosa tried again. It focused all its energy, and its perception suddenly reached an unprecedented intensity, immediately detecting a massive, chaotic mix of auras in the distance.

Among these auras were a Zombie Horde, a human squad, and a special-grade mutated plant…

The Zombie Horde and the human squad were engaged in combat, and the special-grade mutated plant seemed to be participating as well.

Mimosa was initially startled, almost thinking it had made a mistake. But while the plant’s aura was faint, suggesting it was acting alone, its grade was undeniable.

Qian Hui was both thrilled and anxious. “Which special-grade mutated plant is it?”

Mimosa shook its leaves, indicating it didn’t know.

The mutated plant’s aura was completely unfamiliar. Mimosa could only confirm its grade, unable to determine its species or abilities.

However, Mimosa vaguely sensed a familiar scent within the human squad.

A familiar scent within the human squad… Carrot’s first thought was of the people from Sky Base.

Combined with the presence of an unknown special-grade mutated plant in the area, Carrot immediately grew anxious and wanted to rush over to investigate.

Qian Hui was also deeply concerned. He forced himself to remain calm and made a decision. “We’ll go together.”

Carrot’s sharp thorns allowed it to fly faster, but only Mimosa knew the precise direction. If the group split up, some would have to remain in the forest.

Given the current situation, Qian Hui wanted to go himself but was reluctant to leave either group behind, so he decided to bring everyone along.

Over the past two days, the new plants had grown familiar with their respective “Group Leaders” and were now ready to participate in combat.

Without delay, Potato let out two loud “woo”s, waking up all the sleeping plants.

Little Cabbage scurried to collect the Cabbage Bowl and Cabbage Shell, while Soft Vine swiftly organized all the supplies and zipped up the backpack.

The Carnivorous Flower expanded its size, opening its mouth wide to allow the plants to enter one by one.

Little Mushroom, still confused, clung tightly to Qian Hui’s fingertip, gazing at the bustling plants.

Qian Hui gently reassured it, “Don’t worry, Xiao Fen. We’ll protect you.”

Little Mushroom nodded with a soft “mm” and obediently burrowed into Qian Hui’s coat pocket, hiding itself away.

Once everything was prepared, Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin also entered the Carnivorous Flower’s mouth.

The Carnivorous Flower closed its mouth, its flower stalk sweeping through the grass, creating a gust of wind to disperse any lingering scents.

The forest was an ideal place for the plants to hide and rest, and they might return after resolving the situation. However, caution was still necessary.

Immediately afterward, the Carnivorous Flower turned and swiftly departed, with Mimosa clinging to its eyelid to guide the way.

All thirty plants were brought along, along with Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin, all crammed into the Carnivorous Flower’s mouth.

Before leaving, Qian Hui took a moment to wash his face by the lake, but there was no time for breakfast.

The plants were hungry too, so he opened his backpack and had Little Cabbage and Apple distribute food.

Carrot grabbed two packs of biscuits, squeezed through the Carnivorous Flower’s teeth, and sat on its head, peering into the distance.

Chili Pepper and Little Bamboo Shoot gathered all the new plants with ranged attack capabilities to give them a quick briefing on the battle plan.

In truth, the Plant Squad rarely had detailed plans for combat. Those with ranged attacks would simply hide behind Nut, while melee fighters would follow Little Bamboo Shoot, Cabbage, and Durian.

They made sure nothing was forgotten, took pills to replenish their energy, and if Sunflower was present, they wouldn’t even need to worry about stamina depletion.

Potato fed landmines to Big Cherry, instructing it to stay by Qian Hui’s side. Big Cherry’s energy-charging attack hadn’t recovered yet, so it couldn’t participate in the battle.

Big Cherry nodded obediently, nuzzling Potato’s head.

Hearing they might have to fight zombies or humans soon, the new plants felt a mix of apprehension and excitement. Perhaps influenced by the Plant Squad’s fearless spirit, none of them showed any signs of cowardice.

Cactus unbuckled the strap beneath its helmet, freeing its arm to swing its thorns. Four-Leaf Clover closed its leaves, their edges pressed together, sliding against each other like a sharpening blade.

Watermelon and Pumpkin, whose abilities were similar to Durian’s, sat down close beside it.

All the damage-dealing plants joined the squad, while the remaining support plants stayed behind to guard Qian Hui, as usual.

Carnivorous Flower would act opportunistically, and Nan Tingjin remained to protect Qian Hui as well.

By the time they had barely finished breakfast, the Plant Squad’s arrangements were mostly finalized.

Qian Hui moved to the edge. Carnivorous Flower slightly opened its mouth, revealing a wider gap.

He pulled out his binoculars and tried to look ahead.

But the location Mimosa sensed seemed to be still some distance away. Through the binoculars, he could only see ruins stretching across the landscape.

Qian Hui lowered the binoculars, his expression worried.

There were still five special-grade mutated plants they hadn’t found… Which one had Mimosa discovered?

Before they left, Carrot had told Qian Hui that the Plant Squad had once visited that direction to help it recover its strength, and they had indeed encountered many zombies there.

Qian Hui had just glanced at the Game Interface and noticed that the progress bar for the hidden mission about zombies had advanced, though he didn’t know when.

Since leaving the Sky Base Branch, they hadn’t encountered any zombies, likely due to Carrot leading the squad on their previous expedition.

Regardless, they needed to investigate this time.

Their primary goal was to find special-grade mutated plants, followed by killing zombies to accumulate credits and Prestige Points, and completing Missions.

Given the Hidden Mission’s connection to zombies, the Zombie Horde’s appearance might be more significant than it seemed.

Qian Hui recalled Carrot from atop the Carnivorous Flower’s head and gathered the newly formed Plant Output Squad, giving them careful instructions.

Meanwhile, the Carnivorous Flower maintained its relentless pace, hurtling toward their destination.

Meanwhile, half an hour earlier…

Big Pea had spent the night hiding in the ruins and woke up hungry.

It poked its head out and rummaged around, only to find that all the edible weeds had been plucked clean.

Big Pea wasn’t picky about food; months ago, it had even eaten charred tree bark. As long as it filled its stomach, it didn’t mind.

But this area was nothing but ruins, with sparse vegetation—mostly just rocks and dirt.

Big Pea scanned the surroundings and decided to do what it had done the previous night: sneak up on a couple of zombies, extract their crystal cores, and dispose of the corpses quickly to avoid detection.

It left its hiding spot and cautiously roamed the area, spotting two wandering mid-grade zombies.

Seizing the opportunity, Pea grabbed a piece of broken tile from the ground and charged forward, slashing the zombies’ throats to silence them before swiftly extracting their crystal cores.

The entire operation was executed with fluid precision. Pea wiped the cores with its hand, looking slightly disgusted, and didn’t immediately eat them.

Just as it was about to drag the corpses away, it heard movement nearby.

Pea quickly ducked back into hiding, catching a glimpse of a high-grade zombie emerging from a low building.

The zombie was carrying something heavy, which it threw to the ground before letting out a guttural roar that summoned several nearby zombies.

The zombies swarmed forward, their excitement palpable, and the air instantly filled with the stench of blood.

Pea sniffed carefully. It was definitely a human…

The zombie being devoured hadn’t made a sound, likely having fainted or already been near death.

But something was strange. The high-grade zombie had emerged from the low building and hadn’t been out hunting.

Moreover, the figure it was carrying didn’t look very tall…

Pea frowned, searching through its memories.

About three months ago, a small base in the south had fallen to a Zombie Horde.

Pea had been nearby at the time and, drawn by the commotion, had sneaked a peek. It overheard humans who had come to clean up the aftermath saying that most of the base was destroyed, buried under rubble, and few were willing to bother digging out all the corpses.

It was also because of that incident that the number of zombies in the area had surged, rapidly evolving into mid- and high-grade types. The “safe zone” signs on the outskirts of the area were replaced with “high-risk zone” warnings.

Big Pea wasn’t good with directions and didn’t know how far that high-risk zone was from here.

A bold hypothesis formed in its mind, and it urgently needed confirmation.

Ignoring the corpse on the ground, Pea waited until all the zombies had devoured the “food” and gradually dispersed. Clutching the two crystal cores in its hand, it stealthily approached.

Climbing onto a low wall, Pea had just poked half its head over the edge, not yet having time to examine the skeletal remains on the ground, when a sudden roar erupted from the side.

The high-grade zombie that had retreated earlier returned, spotting the sneaky Big Pea.

It leaped onto the ruins and charged forward in a furious attack.

As it roared, another high-grade zombie emerged from the low building.

Big Pea knew it was in trouble. Reacting swiftly, it spat out two green peas, each striking a zombie and causing them to stumble.

Simultaneously, lower-grade zombies in the vicinity, drawn by the commotion, began to converge.

Big Pea retreated slightly, its round body swaying as it unleashed twenty to thirty clones.

Unlike the playful clones from before, these new clones each contained a green pea that would pierce a zombie’s body upon destruction, boasting 100% accuracy.

The clones successfully distracted the Zombie Horde, but the two high-grade zombies, more cunning, circled around from the flanks, attempting to encircle Big Pea.

One was a hulking brute with immense physical strength, while the other wielded a fire-type ability. They coordinated their attacks seamlessly.

Yet as a special-grade mutated plant, Big Pea possessed exceptional combat prowess, excelling in both ranged and close-quarters combat.

Its clones temporarily held back the remaining zombies, while a barrage of green peas struck the high-grade zombies’ arms and legs.

For a moment, the two high-grade zombies were unable to advance even a step closer to Big Pea.

Realizing they had underestimated the plant’s combat capabilities, they threw back their heads and roared in frustration.

The zombies’ howls echoed through the surroundings, broadcasting a clear message:

A special-grade mutated plant has infiltrated the area—isolated and emitting an unfamiliar scent.

Big Pea couldn’t understand the zombies’ communication, but its fighting spirit only grew stronger. In an instant, it unleashed another barrage of clones.

This time, however, the clones were different. They didn’t require the zombies to attack; they detonated upon landing.

With a hiss, a green pea shot out like a bullet. Some zombies couldn’t dodge in time, their skulls pierced, and they collapsed, utterly dead.

Faced with this relentless assault, the high-grade zombies immediately ordered the Zombie Horde to retreat.

Seeing this, Big Pea smugly thought, Just a few more crystal cores, and I’ll be out of here.

It had only been hiding nearby, intending to watch the commotion and satisfy its curiosity about what the zombies were up to. Now that it had been discovered, there was no point in sticking around.

Big Pea buried its head, searching for a suitable tool to dig out the crystal cores, when it suddenly sensed a wave of murderous intent, along with… the aura of a Zombie King.

Its body reacted faster than its mind. With a swift dodge, Big Pea leaped back several steps, the ground it had just occupied now riddled with deep craters carved by wind blades.

Steadying itself, Big Pea looked up and saw a pitch-black figure standing atop the low building.

It was an unfamiliar Zombie King—one with a Wind-Type Ability.

Pea had never encountered it before, but the moment it appeared, its overwhelming presence sent a clear signal of danger, putting Pea on high alert.

Damn… I think I accidentally provoked it.

The Zombie King lowered its head and gazed down, then casually raised a hand, unleashing another barrage of wind blades.

Big Pea continued to dodge, twisting its body as it fled.

Before it could take more than a few steps, a thump echoed through the ruins as the Zombie King leaped from the low building, landing directly in front of Pea.

Immediately afterward, two new high-grade zombies materialized, flanking the Zombie King.

Big Pea remained calm and collected, unleashing a swarm of clones in a desperate attempt to break through the encirclement.

Damn it! I haven’t even had breakfast yet!

The crystal core it had dug up earlier fell to the ground. While evading the Zombie King’s attacks, Pea charged straight into the Zombie Horde to its side.

Its choice of direction proved wise. Using the other zombies as shields, it successfully blocked the wind blades and fireballs. Leveraging the explosive force of its clones’ disintegration, Pea leaped dozens of meters away, leaving the Zombie Horde in its wake.

Watching Big Pea’s retreating figure, the Zombie King let out a series of low growls from its throat.

At its command, the entire Zombie Horde surged forward in pursuit.

This special-grade mutated plant was operating alone, making it uncertain whether it was connected to the Carnivorous Flower group.

Since it had trespassed here, they had to seize the opportunity to capture it and prevent it from alerting the other mutated plants.

Moreover, devouring a special-grade mutated plant would provide the zombies with an immense boost of “nutrition.”

The Zombie King slightly bent its legs and leaped forward with explosive force, covering dozens of meters in a single bound.

Big Pea glanced back and saw the Zombie King and the Zombie Horde closing in. Startled, it nearly lost its footing and hastily continued flinging out clones as it fled.

If it weren’t for the Zombie King, Big Pea felt it could have held its own. But facing the Zombie King-led Zombie Horde, along with four high-grade zombies, its chances of victory seemed slim.

Big Pea now regretted its curiosity. If only it hadn’t gotten involved in this mess!

Never good with directions to begin with, it now had no time to worry about its bearings, weaving haphazardly through the ruins.

About ten minutes later, just as the Zombie King was about to catch up, Big Pea caught a familiar scent nearby.

Humans! It seemed to be the same group from yesterday—they hadn’t left yet!

Its eyes lit up, and it began scanning the area, following the scent.

A wind blade hurtled past, narrowly missing Big Pea’s head.

The pea rolled across the ground until it finally spotted a small scrap of human clothing tucked into a corner of the ruins.

Overjoyed, it charged forward without hesitation.

At the same moment, the team members beside Qi Yue looked panicked. Lowering their voices, one whispered, “Captain…”

They hadn’t left the previous day, splitting into two small squads to remain nearby and continue observing the zombies’ behavior.

But today, barely after dawn, as the zombies began to awaken, they encountered an unexpected development.

A strange mutated plant had suddenly appeared, followed by a considerable Zombie Horde, rapidly closing in on them…

What’s going on? What does it want?!

Qi Yue frowned deeply, sensing that the mutated plant had likely detected them.

He gripped the Energy Detector, its trembling needle suddenly spiking upward.

This was a… special-grade mutated plant.

Qi Yue’s heart sank. Then, within the Zombie Horde behind Big Pea, he spotted a tall, pitch-black figure.

His pupils constricted. He immediately alerted everyone via real-time communication: “Black Reef detected! Prepare defenses!”

“Black Reef” was the codename for the Zombie King, who possessed not only Wind-Type Ability but also formidable physical strength, making him an extremely dangerous opponent.

Before the warning could fully register, Big Pea had already positioned itself atop the ruins where the squad was hiding.

It let out two soft “woo woo” sounds and lowered its head to look at Qi Yue, who surprisingly detected a hint of apology in its eyes.

Before anyone could react, two fireballs hurled by a high-grade zombie in the distance struck the ruins where the squad was hiding, forcing Qi Yue and his teammates to reveal themselves.

Glancing at Big Pea, Qi Yue continued through the comms, “Retreat!”

In a matter of moments, the Zombie King led the Zombie Horde to close in.

Fortunately, both squads had maintained full vigilance and were able to respond swiftly to the crisis. They immediately raised their defense barriers and began to withdraw.

Big Pea shamelessly squeezed inside the barrier, recognizing Qi Yue as the squad leader. Tears welled up in its eyes as it gazed pitifully at him.

Qi Yue, who also possessed a Wind-Type Ability, waved his hand, attempting to drive Big Pea away.

But Big Pea clearly refused to leave. It dodged back two steps, then nudged closer again.

Just then, a high-grade zombie lunged from the side, its claws shattering the defense barrier. Big Pea immediately retaliated, its counterattack indirectly protecting the nearby teammates until the barrier was reestablished.

Witnessing this, Qi Yue weighed his options and decided to let it be.

With the overwhelming number of zombies, including the Zombie King, survival was paramount. They needed to focus on defending against the Zombie Horde together.

Discovering human ability users hiding nearby, the Zombie King’s crimson eyes blazed with fury.

Its roars summoned more zombies, commanding them to attack the humans.

The human ability users, clearly well-trained and not just a passing group, temporarily halted the Zombie Horde with their “assistance.”

With a wave of its hand, the Zombie King instantly shattered both squads’ defense barriers.

Its gaze remained fixed on Pea, its target still the special-grade mutated plant.

Big Pea was now truly regretting its actions. It considered seizing this opportunity to slip away, leaving the zombies and humans to fight it out.

It had always believed that neither zombies nor humans were good.

But these zombies had been drawn here by it, and the human captain had actually let it hide inside the defense barrier.

Now, abandoning these humans to danger felt wrong.

Having never faced such a dilemma, Big Pea scratched its head frantically, unsure what to do.

Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the sky, landing on the nearby ruins.

Seeing the Zombie King’s sudden approach, the human squad braced for battle, launching an attack.

The Zombie King didn’t flinch. It raised its hand and unleashed a wind blade, targeting not only Pea but also the rest of the human squad.

In a desperate move, Big Pea hurled out a swarm of clones, intercepting the wind blade just in time.

However, this left it no time to dodge, and a gash tore across its side.

Pea clutched its wound, retreating with a pout.

Woo woo… does this even count as even now?

Even without me, these humans would be in danger if they were discovered hiding here!

Gritting its teeth, Pea resolved to leave. But then the black shadow flickered again.

The Zombie King was closer now, raising both hands.

A massive barrage of wind blades was about to be unleashed when a Big Pea clone suddenly flew through the air, striking the Zombie King squarely in the face.

The clone exploded like a popped balloon with a taunting “hee hee” that sounded utterly infuriating.

The Zombie King froze, slowly turning its head.

Big Pea stood on the rubble, glaring fiercely, and hurled another clone.

This successfully drew the Zombie King’s ire. The bones in its clenched hands cracked sharply, and the pent-up rage threatened to erupt.

Big Pea chuckled and turned to flee, deliberately stepping outside the defense barrier.

But it had underestimated the Zombie King’s speed. The dark figure leaped forward in an instant, and more zombies rapidly converged, encircling the humans, Big Pea, and Pea.

Qi Yue’s expression grew grave as he calculated their chances of escape.

At that moment, the Zombie King raised its hands again.

A barrage of wind blades swept indiscriminately across the battlefield. The human squad was too busy defending themselves to help, and Pea had no room to evade.

A second gash appeared on its body, followed by a third, a fourth…

Pea held its breath, roared in fury, and unleashed a charged attack.

Layer upon layer of clones erupted from its body—over a hundred in total—and were precisely launched beyond the human squad’s defense barrier, targeting only the Zombie Horde.

The Zombie Horde instantly collapsed by more than half. As the clones detonated, Pea leaned against the ground, panting heavily, only to see the Zombie King reappear nearby.

Seemingly unscathed, its red eyes burned with hatred. With a single leap, it shattered the defense barrier upon landing, closing the distance to Pea to mere steps.

Qi Yue led his team in a desperate counterattack, but the defense barrier was as fragile as paper against the Zombie King. With a single strike, it shattered completely.

Seeing Pea faltering from exhaustion, Qi Yue hesitated for two seconds before stepping forward to help.

The Zombie King’s bloodthirsty intent intensified, and it raised its hand again.

Just then, a “carrot rain” began to fall from the sky.

Each carrot thorn glowed faintly at its tip, exploding on impact and instantly repelling the remaining Zombie Horde.

Pea looked up, recognizing the familiar scent, and its eyes widened.

Huh?!

Moments later, the ground trembled slightly as a brown Nut rolled into view, growing larger and larger as it flattened the debris in its path.

The Giant Carnivorous Flower followed closely behind, its gaping maw roaring ferociously, its razor-sharp teeth gleaming with a cold light.

The sudden appearance of these mutated plants stunned the human squad, who instinctively sought cover.

Pea, still dazed, saw a string of plants falling from the sky. Among them was a familiar Cabbage. It rushed forward, yanked the Cabbage free, and pulled it behind itself for protection.