Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Before deciding to return to Black Ridge Mountain, Qian Hui consulted the new plants.

Chili Pepper, Potato, and Little Bamboo Shoot had been with him for a long time, but the dozen or so new plants rescued from the base had only recently joined the group, and their Loyalty was still relatively low.

The morning’s events had unfolded suddenly, leaving little time for preparation. Fortunately, thanks to Qian Hui and Carrot’s instructions, the new plants had received special care and suffered only minor injuries.

This return to Black Ridge Mountain would inevitably involve combat.

Qian Hui considered that any new plants uncomfortable with fighting could choose to leave the squad; he wouldn’t force them to stay.

Since they were currently in a forest, those who left could simply remain behind.

Once their dedicated base was established, he could return to retrieve them.

However, reality proved Qian Hui’s concerns to be entirely unfounded.

All thirteen plants brought back from the base were willing to continue following him.

Big Cherry would never leave, and Pumpkin, Watermelon, and Mimosa, being close friends, also wanted to stay.

Four-Leaf Clover, Dragon Fruit, and the other offensive plants were naturally combative and unafraid of danger.

The remaining plants hesitated slightly, but their affection for Qian Hui and the Plant Squad outweighed their doubts. They didn’t want to be separated from him.

Having been captured and imprisoned by Sky Base, the plants harbored deep resentment toward its members. Now that they had a chance for revenge, they were determined not to miss it.

Cactus, clutching its helmet, waved its branch vigorously, signaling its eagerness to crush their enemies. “Woo woo!”

Since acquiring the helmet, Cactus had visibly become more lively. Its performance in battle had also improved, earning it a couple of compliments from Carrot, which made it especially excited.

The other plants raised their hands in agreement. Pothos and Tulip nestled against Qian Hui, rubbing against his clothes.

There was another reason they wanted to go to Black Ridge Mountain…

Qian Hui offered them protection and never forced any plant to do anything it didn’t want to.

Several special-grade mutated plants were his friends. The combat prowess of Carnivorous Flower, Carrot, and Cabbage was undeniable. Nut and Sunflower also possessed unique and exceptional abilities, and now they had Pea as well.

Add Chili Pepper, Potato, Corn, Little Bamboo Shoot, Durian…

The Plant Squad’s combat strength was evident to all. With Sunflower’s nearly limitless supply of pills, there was little to worry about.

Even the seemingly frail Little Mushroom, with its adorable and lively nature, was beloved by all the plants.

In the end, not a single plant left the squad. They would all journey together to Black Ridge Mountain.

The plants gradually gathered around Qian Hui. Upon learning of his decision, Carrot and Carnivorous Flower discussed dividing the group into smaller squads.

Carrot counted its carrot thorns, proposing a light attack squad, a heavy attack squad, a reserve attack squad, a support squad, and a logistics squad.

As for Nan Tingjin, he would be Qian Hui’s personal bodyguard—and boyfriend!

Durian, due to its special abilities, was assigned to the heavy attack squad under Carnivorous Flower’s command, no longer following Carrot.

It grumbled about this, but fearing Carnivorous Flower’s displeasure, it sidled up to Carrot, whimpering softly.

Carrot sighed and patted its head. “Woo!”

That was just the combat assignments; they could still be together during downtime!

Durian pondered this and brightened up again.

Little Mushroom, perched on Carnivorous Flower’s flower stalk, gently patted Durian’s arm to comfort it.

Midway through the assignments, Carrot suddenly noticed Cabbage and Big Pea were missing.

Qian Hui looked around and spotted two familiar figures sitting by the lake.

He entrusted the remaining tasks to Carrot and rose to investigate.

As he approached, Qian Hui heard Cabbage softly “woo woo,” wiping its eyes with a leaf.

Big Pea trembled violently, clutching handfuls of grass so tightly it was nearly tearing the nearby patch bare.

“Xiao Juan? Dou Dou?”

Hearing footsteps, both plants froze, quickly composed themselves, and turned to look behind them.

Qian Hui stood nearby, sighed softly, and stepped forward to gather them both into his arms.

“It’s all right now,” he reassured them. “Everyone’s safe.”

Cabbage must have told Pea about Little Mushroom. Though Pea had always been mischievous and loved to tease other plants, it had always been exceptionally kind to Little Mushroom.

Little Mushroom had been successfully revived, but the memory of its death still filled everyone with grief and anger.

Big Pea buried itself in Qian Hui’s embrace, its “woo woo” sounds growing softer and gradually turning into a clenched-jawed growl.

It tilted its head back, its eyes blazing with fierce rage, as if it longed to tear those responsible to shreds.

Qian Hui stroked Pea’s head. “Okay, I understand… Don’t be sad anymore.”

Cabbage also nestled against Qian Hui’s chest. After the two plants had regained their composure, they followed him back to the group.

Once the squads were assigned, Carrot appointed squad captains and instructed the plants to familiarize themselves with their captains whenever they had free time.

Carrot excelled at these organizational tasks, so Qian Hui felt completely at ease. He sat down beneath a tree and opened the Game Interface.

Having successfully killed a Zombie King, the Zombie Horde near the low building had been largely eliminated. Combined with the reward Pea had given him, his credit balance now stood at 210,000…

Qian Hui had more than enough credits to establish a base, with plenty to spare.

He browsed the Shop and purchased two new weapons: the Sprayer and the Missile Head. Judging by their names alone, their functions were completely unimaginable.

After adding the weapons to his Game Backpack, Qian Hui opened it to inspect them. The Sprayer was compatible only with Corn, while the Missile Head could be used by plants with smaller “bullet” volumes, such as Dragon Fruit and Cactus.

The three Three-Shot Machine Guns he had bought previously were also in the backpack. Now, they finally had a compatible user: Pea.

With his abundant credits, Qian Hui decided to purchase three more Electromagnetic Induction Guns and three more Missile Heads.

He had already given the previous Electromagnetic Induction Gun to Carrot, whose proficiency in group attacks made it an excellent match. The three new guns could be assigned to Chili Pepper, Durian, and Corn.

The four Missile Heads would go to Cactus, Dragon Fruit, Pomegranate, and Starfruit.

Qian Hui summoned the plants and distributed the new weapons.

Corn was the most unique case, receiving both the Sprayer and the Electromagnetic Induction Gun. It curiously touched the two small attachments and wore them both.

Although Durian was part of the heavy assault team, it could also perform ranged attacks. Qian Hui speculated that equipping it with the Electromagnetic Induction Gun might give it an even more distinctive edge in close combat.

The plants happily accepted their weapons and went off to study them in detail.

The Shop still had two or three weapons with unclear uses, but Qian Hui had already spent over 30,000 credits and needed to reserve 100,000 for establishing the base, so he decided to hold off for now.

Potato sidled up and noticed that many plants had new toys, Corn even had two, while it had none.

Feeling dejected, Potato tugged at Qian Hui’s sleeve, whimpering to show it wanted one too.

Qian Hui picked up Potato and soothed it, “You can’t use those. But later… how about I buy you a flying vehicle?”

The Base Weapons section still had many items that weren’t restricted by plant species, so anyone could use them once purchased.

Hearing about flying, Potato’s eyes lit up, and it nodded eagerly.

Qian Hui also bought Potato a large bag of candy, warning it not to eat too much at once.

Potato let out a happy “woo” and scampered off, clutching its candy.

With these newly acquired weapons and Pea’s addition, the Plant Squad’s Overall Combat Power Value surged to 32,000.

Qian Hui flipped through the Encyclopedia, confirming that all the plants were in good condition. Those who had used their charged attacks were recovering rapidly, putting his mind at ease.

He continued calculating his remaining credits, planning to buy Evolution Liquid for a few more plants later.

As dusk approached, some plants studied their new weapons while the rest went to the lake to enjoy the breeze or play nearby.

Little Mushroom played hide-and-seek with Little Cabbage and the others, while Carnivorous Flower and Pea kept watch nearby, glancing over occasionally.

The tall weeds completely concealed the small plants, and Apple further obscured them by exhaling puffs of smoke.

After drinking the Evolution Liquid, Apple’s ability had evolved like Mimosa’s, becoming enhanced. The smoke it exhaled was now denser and lasted longer.

However, its grade display was peculiar, suddenly jumping to level twelve.

Qian Hui had fed it several crystal cores before, but perhaps level twelve was still too low to notice any significant difference.

Qian Hui didn’t press the matter. Apple wasn’t involved in combat anyway, spending its days assisting Little Cabbage with various tasks. As long as it was stronger than before, that was enough.

The weeds were shrouded in gray smoke. Little Mushroom ran back and forth for a long time, eventually tiring itself out and emerging to rest on the grass bed Little Cabbage had woven.

Beside the bed sat a Mini Cabbage Bowl filled with dried fruit and other snacks.

After lying down for a while, Little Mushroom sat up, intending to nibble on some jerky before resuming play, when it suddenly glimpsed a flash of yellow.

Peering around, it spotted a vaguely familiar Mango hiding behind a nearby tree, its head peeking out.

Little Mushroom recognized Mango. It seemed to be the same one Carrot had brought back that day…

Mango stared at the Cabbage Bowl, then glanced at Little Mushroom.

Instead of showing any panic or nervousness at being discovered, Mango fiercely pounded the tree trunk twice, as if demonstrating its strength to intimidate its enemy.

Then, with a flicker, Mango vanished into thin air.

“Huh?” Little Mushroom’s eyes widened. It stood on tiptoe, peering around carefully, and saw Mango had already darted two or three meters away from the tree trunk, fleeing rapidly.

Little Mushroom hopped off the grassy bed and approached the tree trunk, gazing in the direction Mango had disappeared.

Then, it took two pieces of jerky from the Cabbage Bowl and placed them behind the tree trunk.

Having done this, Little Mushroom returned to the grass, resuming its game of hide-and-seek.

As dusk fell, Little Mushroom checked under the tree and found the jerky gone.

It buried its face in the grass, sniffing out a faint Mango scent among the leaves, and excitedly ran to find Qian Hui.

Qian Hui was preparing dinner. When Little Mushroom told him it had fed a Mango, he glanced curiously toward the tree trunk and whispered, “Do you think it’s still there?”

Little Mushroom shook its head, hugging his hair, indicating it didn’t know.

The departure for Black Ridge Mountain Base was set for the next morning. That night, Qian Hui went to the lake to bathe.

While Chili Pepper dried his hair, Nan Tingjin was already waiting patiently beneath the tree.

Using his ability, Nan Tingjin manipulated nearby trees to create a small cabin similar to the one from their previous encounter. Inside, Pea had fashioned a makeshift bed from leaves and thick towels.

But Little Mushroom wanted to sleep with Qian Hui tonight, clinging tightly to his fingertip and trying to lead him back to the Cabbage Shell.

Qian Hui hesitated, thinking he might wait until the plants were asleep before sneaking over to the cabin later…

Just then, Big Pea arrived and scooped up Little Mushroom.

It hadn’t given it much thought; making up a bed for Qian Hui was simply habit. Besides, the Cabbage Shell was a bit cramped compared to the wooden cabin.

If they wanted to sleep with Qian Hui, they could just go to the cabin. But Pea also wanted to be with Little Mushroom, and it didn’t want to be with Nan Tingjin…

It scratched its head, glancing back and forth.

The Little Mushroom cradled in its arms pondered for a moment, then obediently chose the recently reunited Pea, waving goodbye to Qian Hui.

“Get some rest,” Qian Hui urged, worried they might stay up playing in the Cabbage Shell. “Dou Dou, you too—no staying up too late.”

Big Pea nodded and led Carnivorous Flower away.

Only then did Qian Hui approach Nan Tingjin and enter the small cabin with him.

An opening remained on one side of the cabin. As soon as they stepped inside, three trees moved in unison to seal the entrance.

Remembering Nan Tingjin’s actions the last time he did this, Qian Hui glanced at him, a flicker of nervousness in his eyes.

Two or three Cabbage Lamps glowed softly around the cabin’s edge, casting the interior in dim light. Nan Tingjin lowered his gaze and said, “Just in case.”

He pulled Qian Hui into his arms, lowered his head to kiss him briefly, and led him to the makeshift bed in the center of the cabin.

The next morning, Qian Hui and the plants woke up early.

After a night’s rest, the plants were in much better condition. Nut’s wounds had vanished, and it was fully recovered.

Little Cabbage continued to feed it breakfast, while Big Pea seized the opportunity to snatch half a piece of jerky, prompting Nut to chase after it for a beating.

The two plants tumbled across the grass, with Nut ramming Big Pea several times before it scrambled up a tree to escape.

Nut glared up from below, then rubbed its reddened back and scurried over to hide behind Qian Hui.

Little Mushroom, still thinking about yesterday’s Mango, wandered around the trees, hoping to find it.

But after waiting for a long time, Mango didn’t appear.

Disappointed, Little Mushroom returned to Qian Hui’s side.

With breakfast nearly finished, Brittle Peach and Soft Vine packed up their backpacks. Carnivorous Flower shook its head, preparing to lead the group away.

Suddenly, Mimosa raised its leaves, sensing something in the distance.

After a moment, it urgently informed Qian Hui and the plants that a human team had appeared at the edge of the forest.

The scent was unfamiliar, not Qi Yue and his team from yesterday.

Qian Hui grew wary. “Could he have revealed our location?”

Mimosa continued to investigate, confirming that the human group was small—about seven or eight people, all Ability Users.

If they were targeting Qian Hui and the Plant Squad, this small group was walking straight into a death trap.

Qian Hui felt a slight sense of relief, but hesitated, unsure whether to leave proactively or investigate what the humans were doing.

This forest was a high-risk area, teeming with mutated plants. An ordinary team should have chosen a more remote, low-to-medium-risk zone.

Mimosa landed, expanding its size and gently trembling its leaves.

It continued observing, transmitting everything it sensed through Sunflower’s light to the others.

Humans are using their abilities in the forest… There’s the scent of unfamiliar mutated plants—about two or three of them. They’re terrified… trying to escape.

Qian Hui immediately realized this team had likely come here to capture mutated plants.

Carrot couldn’t sit still any longer. It activated the Electromagnetic Induction Gun around its neck, pulled out a carrot thorn, and waved it with a woo!

Several plants had received newly purchased weapons yesterday… Now was the perfect time to test them out!

In the distance, a Winter Melon was sprinting through the forest, desperately trying to shake off the humans pursuing it.

But its leg had been injured earlier, slowing its movements. In its panic, it tripped over a tree branch and tumbled to the ground.

Hearing the humans’ footsteps closing in, Winter Melon’s eyes widened in terror as it frantically scrambled to its feet.