Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

With the Zombie King gone, the remaining Zombie Horde immediately descended into chaos.

But Carnivorous Flower and Carrot pursued them, with the Plant Squad close behind, abandoning the Zombie Horde where it stood.

Only the human team remained, utterly bewildered by the unfolding events.

Seeing this, two high-grade zombies roared loudly, driving the Zombie Horde to scatter.

Without the Zombie King present, they could take command of the horde. Given the dire situation, they needed to retreat immediately to ensure the survival of the remaining zombies.

Obeying the command, the Zombie Horde dispersed in a tidal wave, surging in all directions.

The two high-grade zombies then departed together, heading in the direction of the Zombie King.

Having long served by the Zombie King’s side, they had been specially cultivated and possessed higher intelligence than other zombies of their grade. They understood the need to preserve the horde and instinctively followed the Zombie King.

Within minutes, both zombies and mutated plants had vanished.

Nut lingered behind, taking a deep breath. It glanced down at the wound on its abdomen, assessed it as minor, and rumbled off.

The remaining human Ability Users were all but ignored, exchanging bewildered glances.

One of the team members asked Qi Yue, “Should we evacuate?”

Although they didn’t know what was happening, if they were going to leave, now was the time.

Otherwise, once the zombies and mutated plants settled their conflict, they would likely be the next targets.

Qi Yue gazed into the distance, his expression conflicted.

Everything had happened so suddenly—the appearance of the mutated plants, the team being forced into the battle.

But they had chosen to stay yesterday for the sake of their mission, and they hadn’t made any progress yet. Moreover… the Zombie King’s escape couldn’t be as simple as it seemed.

“Let’s follow them first,” Qi Yue said. “See what’s going on.”

He assigned several team members to rush to the modified car’s location, start it up, and bring it over, preparing for both possibilities.

The team members acknowledged his orders and moved into action. Qi Yue led the rest, cautiously advancing in the direction the Zombie King and mutated plants had fled.

Meanwhile, Qian Hui stood before the low building.

As the torn wall above gradually shifted aside, a deeper space was revealed—a basement-like area.

A foul, stagnant odor wafted out, like sewage-filled ditches or long-rotted flesh.

Hidden in Qian Hui’s pocket, Little Mushroom couldn’t contain its curiosity. It poked its head out, parted the sunflower petals shielding it, and peered around.

Little Succulent was with it, clinging to Little Mushroom in nervous fear.

The Mimosa pressed against the back of Qian Hui’s hand twitched, carefully sniffing the air.

Something was wrong… There seemed to be another zombie below, but its aura was peculiar, smelling unlike any other zombie. Earlier, the Mimosa had classified it as human.

As the deeper space was fully revealed, Qian Hui gasped softly, utterly shocked.

[ Hidden Mission Completed! Gained current Plot Point. ]

[ Doomsday, mid-October of the sixth year. A southern base was overrun by a Zombie Horde and fell. Nearly twenty ordinary human children were captured alive. Zombie King 03 secretly hid these humans and fed them the flesh of a high-grade zombie (Number 2489/Special) until, six months later, eleven ordinary humans successfully evolved abilities and were transformed into high-grade zombies with immense Combat Power. They subsequently assisted Zombie King 03 in four devastating raids, causing catastrophic losses for the Human Faction. ]

[ Obtained high-grade zombie (Number 2489)’s original ending. ]

[ During a battle between the Human Faction and the Zombie Faction, high-grade zombie 2489 was captured alive by humans. Its special ability was discovered, but its subsequent whereabouts remain unknown. Some suspect it was taken by a base and secretly used to increase the probability of ordinary humans developing abilities, but there is no concrete evidence to support this. ]

In the underground chamber, its ceiling sheared off, over a dozen humans huddled together.

None of them appeared to be older than sixteen or seventeen, with most between twelve or thirteen. The youngest was estimated to be only six or seven years old, all dressed in tattered clothing.

Suddenly exposed to sunlight again, they huddled in a corner, trembling, their faces a mixture of confusion and terror.

The underground chamber was cramped but had a window. The floor was covered with a layer of bedding, and several cloth sacks lay piled against one wall, with scattered grains of rice and flour around their edges.

Presumably because these humans were the Zombie King’s prized “cultivation” subjects, the room where they were confined had been cleaned, though the stench remained overpowering.

In a corner, a zombie lay motionless. The flesh had been torn from its right arm, leaving only blackened bone exposed. It had been trying to crawl through a hole in the wall to escape.

Halfway through its escape, its body suddenly froze. It was yanked back with brutal force, slammed to the ground, its throat bone snapping instantly. The zombie’s life force flickered out.

Nan Tingjin’s face darkened. Even without knowing the exact Plot Point Qian Hui had witnessed, he could guess its general nature.

Beside him, Qian Hui’s breath trembled. “Xiao Jin…”

Snapping out of his shock, he immediately tried to free the human children.

Sunflower, sensing his intent, radiated a golden light that spread outward, enveloping the underground chamber.

Before the words could leave his lips, several powerful wind blades slashed toward them.

Mimosa, sensing the danger, shook its leaves in warning. A section of broken wall rose from the side, intercepting all the wind blades.

A familiar pitch-black shadow landed heavily nearby—Zombie King 03 had arrived.

It roared, its mouth stretching into a grotesque grin, crimson eyes bulging as rage washed away its rationality. It lunged at Qian Hui and Nan Tingjin.

However, having endured prolonged attacks from the Plant Squad earlier, its combat strength was diminished, and it bore fresh wounds—far from its peak condition.

As the Zombie King leaped into the air, the levitating wall slammed it back down. When it regained its footing, more debris and rubble swirled around, trapping its body securely.

It struggled violently, shattering the debris, but new fragments immediately filled the gaps.

Nan Tingjin’s gaze swept across the scene, and a slender steel bar rose from the ground, piercing deep into the crevices of the rubble-encased Zombie King.

Seeing the Zombie King temporarily immobilized, Qian Hui hurried to the edge of the underground shelter.

He crouched down, placing Sunflower beside him, and softly called out to the human children inside, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out right away.”

The underground shelter was over two meters high. Qian Hui extended his right hand, and the Soft Vine coiled around his wrist slid down the wall, transforming into a rope.

The Soft Vine’s tendrils swayed, signaling the children to grasp it.

Sunflower’s light had a calming effect, but the group of human children remained terrified.

Combined with Qian Hui’s silver hair and crimson eyes, they huddled together, too frightened to move or react.

As the light gradually intensified, curious small plants began to emerge from Qian Hui’s coat pockets, peering cautiously around.

Little Mushroom and Little Succulent clung to the edge of the pocket on his left chest, side by side, cautiously observing the outside world.

In the lower pockets, a Mini Cabbage and an Apple peeked out from the left side, while a Peach and a Morning Glory peered out from the right.

Qian Hui’s backpack, slung over his other shoulder, unzipped. Big Cherry, unable to contain itself any longer, leaped out, causing the backpack to deflate instantly.

Bolder than the others, Big Cherry approached the wall and peered around. “Woo?”

Seeing these moving plants, a flicker of curiosity lit up the eyes of the younger children.

Before their confinement, they had likely never ventured beyond the base, let alone encountered mutated plants.

Sunflower continued its efforts to reassure them, radiating a constant stream of friendly signals through its luminous glow.

Qian Hui waited patiently, repeating, “Don’t be afraid…”

Finally, the eldest of the human children stirred.

She rose to her feet and slowly approached the wall, summoning her courage to reach out to Soft Vine’s tendrils.

Soft Vine immediately coiled around her shoulders and waist, pulling her upward with a steady tug until she stood safely on the ground above.

With the ice broken, the rest followed smoothly. One by one, the human children approached.

They were all frail and thin, posing no strain for Soft Vine, which could even lift two or three at a time.

Just as half the children had been rescued, two high-grade zombies arrived.

Upon discovering the injured and trapped Zombie King, they instinctively lunged forward to help, only to be seized by Nan Tingjin’s ability and hurled into the rubble behind them.

Hearing the commotion, the Zombie King unleashed a burst of power, shattering the stone fragments that bound it and forcing a brief escape. It aimed to distract Nan Tingjin.

A low growl rumbled in its throat as it ordered two high-grade zombies to kill Qian Hui.

Obeying the command, the zombies scrambled to their feet and charged toward Qian Hui.

Qian Hui, supporting a human child he had just pulled to safety, instinctively shielded the child behind him.

Before Nan Tingjin could intervene, dozens of carrot thorns erupted from the ground, forming a wall that blocked the zombies’ advance.

The Giant Carnivorous Flower followed closely behind, clamping its jaws around half of a high-grade zombie’s body and flinging it away.

The rest of the Plant Squad arrived in succession, encircling Qian Hui to protect him.

Soft Vine rescued the last human child. Once on the ground, the children remained huddled together, dazed and frightened, too afraid to move.

Big Pea also arrived, “Woo woo”-ing loudly as it raced toward Qian Hui.

Seeing it, Qian Hui’s face lit up with joy. “Pea!”

Big Pea sprinted closer and leaped into Qian Hui’s arms.

[ Bonded special-grade mutated plant “Big Pea”! ]

[ Big Pea’s Loyalty has increased dramatically, reaching 100%! ]

Qian Hui hugged Big Pea tightly, noticing the still-healing wounds on its body. “What are you doing here…?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

He didn’t know what had started the conflict, assuming it was a clash between the human team and the zombies, with Pea accidentally getting caught in the crossfire.

Big Pea whimpered pitifully, nuzzling Qian Hui’s hand and clinging tightly to it.

Suddenly, it felt a touch on its head. Looking up, it saw Little Mushroom.

Little Mushroom waved cheerfully, “Ang!”

Pea was equally excited, leaning in to rub against it.

Outside, the two high-grade zombies were quickly dispatched, leaving only the trapped Zombie King.

The Zombie King proved remarkably resilient. Despite the numerous wounds inflicted by the steel bars Nan Tingjin controlled, it still struggled fiercely.

Carrot let out a soft “woo,” and Nan Tingjin seemed to understand. He shifted the boulder atop the Zombie King’s head, revealing an opening.

Several plants stationed nearby unleashed a barrage of ranged attacks through the gap, filling the air with explosive sounds.

Having recently used its energy-charged attack, Carrot still had some reserves. Gathering its remaining strength, it split its electromagnetically charged carrot thorn to its maximum extent, sending the segments raining down on the Zombie King’s head.

The Zombie King roared in agony, its struggles gradually weakening.

Yet the plants showed no mercy, their relentless assault continuing unabated.

After what seemed like an eternity, the boulder encasing the Zombie King began to tremble violently, then suddenly shattered.

The Zombie King’s shattered remains scattered outward, carrying final wind blades.

This was the Zombie King’s dying wave of attacks. The plants swiftly dodged, while Giant Nut rolled forward, using its massive body as a shield.

Moments later, the surroundings fell silent.

Nut, having reached its limit, shrank down and leaped into Qian Hui’s arms, squeezing in beside Big Pea and closing its eyes to rest.

Qian Hui lifted his head, surveying the scene.

Is it… over?

Zombie King 03’s body had been blasted into fragments, its head rolling nearby, red eyes still wide open.

A few mournful howls echoed from the distance, perhaps sensing its demise.

So, how many credits do you get for killing a Zombie King…?

The thought had barely formed when a system notification appeared:

[ Congratulations on successfully eliminating Zombie King (Number 03)! Rewards have been credited to your account! ]

Qian Hui checked his balance and saw it had increased by a full 100,000 credits.

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

[ You appear to have accomplished something extraordinary, one that will have a profound impact on both the Zombie Faction and the Human Faction. Reward: 500 Prestige Points, 500 Faction Points~ ]

Two more notifications popped up, granting a total reward of 1,000 Prestige Points and 500 Faction Points.

Qian Hui, cradling Pea and Nut in his arms, stood up. Sensing something, he glanced sideways and met Qi Yue’s gaze.

Qi Yue also saw Qian Hui, his expression one of utter shock.

He and his team were positioned near the ruins, witnessing the entire battle against the Zombie King.

They had also seen Qian Hui, surrounded by mutated plants, clearly under their protection—a silver-haired youth with crimson eyes, exhibiting signs of zombification.

Qian Hui’s hair color had changed, and his eyes were no longer hidden behind bandages. Qi Yue recognized him instantly.

But he wasn’t human? And he could command so many mutated plants?

Qi Yue’s mind reeled, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he looked behind Qian Hui.

There stood a group of young children, likely ordinary humans.

Qi Yue’s team had arrived late, cautiously keeping their distance. Yet they had witnessed the scene of the human children being pulled up from underground.

Coupled with recent anomalies—the Zombie Horde’s bizarre behavior…

After a moment’s thought, Qi Yue instructed his team to hold their positions and stepped forward alone.

Several plants glared at him menacingly, as if poised to attack at any moment.

Qi Yue remained calm and took a few more steps forward, stopping about two or three meters away.

Qian Hui tensed, his eyes fixed warily on Qi Yue.

Earlier, with his eyes covered, Qian Hui hadn’t recognized Qi Yue, but he remembered the base insignia on the man’s uniform.

I’ve seen that somewhere before… What was his name again…?

Carrot hopped onto Qian Hui’s shoulder, let out two soft “woo woo” sounds, and subtly pointed at Durian.

Qian Hui suddenly remembered: Durian had been stolen from these people…

His anxiety surged. He immediately moved Nan Tingjin, who had come to his side, behind him, his protective instincts flaring.

In contrast, Nan Tingjin’s expression remained cold, completely dismissive of Qi Yue and his group.

Qi Yue took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Leader Nan, and… you. Hello. We’re here on assignment from another base to investigate the disappearance of supply transports. We happened to encounter the Zombie Horde…”

He spoke in a friendly tone, stating his purpose directly.

“We originally planned to leave immediately,” Qi Yue continued, glancing behind Qian Hui again. “May we take these children with us? Name any conditions you wish.”

Regardless of the circumstances, these dozen or so children should be returned to their base.

Qi Yue wanted to negotiate with Qian Hui. After their earlier confrontation, he sensed that Qian Hui and the mutated plant beside him weren’t as savage and terrifying as the rumors claimed.

If Qian Hui agreed, they could offer supplies or other resources in exchange, as a gesture of gratitude.

Qi Yue knew that without the mutated plant’s help, even if they had discovered the hidden human children, they likely wouldn’t have been able to rescue them so quickly.

But this approach carried immense risk. A single misstep could not only jeopardize the children’s safety but also lead to the annihilation of his entire team.

Qi Yue waited anxiously for Qian Hui’s response, while his earpiece crackled with a teammate’s voice reporting that the modified car had been driven nearby.

Qian Hui hesitated, turning to Nan Tingjin and whispering, “Should we let them take them?”

Ideally, these rescued human children should be entrusted to the Human Faction. But he didn’t know Qi Yue or his team.

Nan Tingjin’s gaze swept over Qi Yue before he replied, “Yes.”

Qian Hui nodded, finally relieved. “Alright.”

Hearing their exchange, Qi Yue finally exhaled a long breath and immediately contacted several team members to come over via comms.

He couldn’t help but glance at Nan Tingjin again, his emotions complex.

Though he had long suspected an unusual connection between Nan Tingjin and Qian Hui, that was before.

Now that Qian Hui was exhibiting signs of zombification, standing beside Nan Tingjin only deepened the mystery.

Moreover, apart from his silver hair and crimson eyes, Qian Hui appeared indistinguishable from a human.

Why is that…? Qi Yue was intensely curious, but wisely refrained from asking further questions or lingering too long.

As the team members approached, Cabbage and Chili Pepper led the human children over and handed them all over.

Thanks to Sunflower’s continuous soothing, the children’s emotions had stabilized considerably. Seeing the group of human ability users, they realized they were safe and behaved very obediently.

The negotiation had gone so smoothly that Qi Yue, eager to show his goodwill, proactively offered, “Feel free to make any requests. As long as we can fulfill them…”

Qian Hui hesitated. “Let me think… Wait a moment.”

He turned and whispered something to the plants beside him. The Giant Carnivorous Flower remained stationed nearby, its massive form looming protectively, its cold gaze fixed intently on Qi Yue.

Soon after, Qian Hui raised his head and said to Qi Yue, “Tell the others to come forward.”

Though puzzled, Qi Yue complied.

He wasn’t worried about the plants’ intentions at this point. If they had wanted to attack, they wouldn’t have waited this long.

At Qi Yue’s request, all the team members stepped forward, including the few who had returned after driving the vehicles back.

Now so close to the mutated plants again, they were far less composed than Qi Yue, their heads bowed, barely daring to breathe.

The human child they had recently taken in was brought forward as well, positioned at the back of the group.

A moment later, Carrot and Durian approached together.

Carrot was likely the special-grade mutated plant that had appeared in Sector 5, while the Durian beside it…

Qi Yue had personally participated in its capture and recognized it immediately.

He opened his mouth, unsure what to say, as Carrot and Durian came to a stop before him.

Carrot pointed at Qi Yue and asked, “Woo?”

Durian nodded vigorously, glaring at Qi Yue.

Carrot, looking fierce, put on the boxing gloves it had snatched from Cabbage and leaped up to punch Qi Yue.

The blow knocked Qi Yue back half a step, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Carrot led Durian around him to find the other squad members.

Durian sniffed each remaining member one by one. Whenever it nodded to confirm a match, Carrot would deliver a fierce punch.

The squad members remained silent, not daring to resist.

After a while, Corn and Potato arrived.

They paced around, eyeing a backpack behind one of the members.

The backpack was stuffed full, likely containing valuable supplies.

Both plants had used their energy-charged attacks earlier and were now tired, reluctant to resort to violence.

They approached the member. Corn pointed at the backpack, and Potato extended a hand, “Woo!”

The member understood immediately, quickly removing the backpack and thoughtfully opening it.

Big Cherry hopped closer, and the three plants rummaged through the contents, finding bandages, medical supplies, and food.

Corn took a bite of the hard bread, chewed carefully, then spat it out in disgust.

It gave the human a subtle, appraising look, shook its head, and left with Potato and Big Cherry.

Once Carrot finished punishing the guilty members, it returned to Qian Hui with Durian.

Several faces, including Qi Yue’s, bore large bruises—they were the team members who had participated in Durian’s capture.

Yet after enduring the blow, Qi Yue felt a surprising sense of relief.

The plants then turned their attention away from the humans.

Carrot reorganized a small squad to scour the vicinity for any remaining zombies, eliminating every one they found.

The squad was led by Carnivorous Flower and Cabbage, while plants requiring more energy, such as Carrot Pea and Nut, remained behind.

Taking advantage of the human team’s presence, Chili Pepper and Little Bamboo Shoot secretly returned to the ruins and dug up all the crystal cores.

Among the plants, Nut, who had defended against the Zombie King, was the most severely injured. Even after shrinking back to its normal size, scars from wind blade attacks remained on its body.

Qian Hui, deeply distressed, sat on a rock and fed Nut a generous dose of medicine.

Sunflower’s radiance remained undiminished. Still concerned about the rescued children, it expanded its healing aura to its widest range, enveloping Qi Yue and his team as well.

The humans, sensing the gentle, warm light with its healing properties, were both astonished and curious, their understanding of the world once again reshaped.

Learning from Corn that the human team carried little of value and even their food was unpalatable, Qian Hui pondered for a moment before instructing Big Cherry to deliver some biscuits.

He secretly tore open the cookie packaging in his backpack and transferred all the cookies into a well-worn towel.

Big Cherry, balancing the cookies on its head, leaped over and handed the wrapped towel to Qi Yue.

Qian Hui said, “These are for the others…”

Big Cherry shook its fist, warning Qi Yue not to eat them.

Qi Yue understood immediately and quickly replied, “Okay, I get it.”

He passed the towel to the team member behind him, who relayed it to the rear.

Turning back, Qi Yue sighed sincerely, “I never would have imagined…”

As if talking to himself, he suddenly remembered something and looked at Nan Tingjin, who was standing beside Qian Hui.

“Leader Nan,” Qi Yue asked hesitantly, “were you also added to the Sky Base’s assignment list? Did Captain Yuan tell you about it?”

Before Nan Tingjin could answer, Qian Hui interjected, “What list?”

“The Sky Base’s assignments,” Qi Yue explained truthfully. “Any base or team can accept them. If they encounter a mutated plant or… person listed, they have the option to kill, capture alive, or report their location.”

“Rest assured,” he added quickly, “we would never contact Sky Base. However…”

Qi Yue looked at Nan Tingjin and continued, “Black Ridge Mountain Base may soon come under attack.”