Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The prison cell had been breached, and alarms immediately blared through the corridor and the guardroom outside.

Yuan Ji wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

He immediately contacted the guardroom and ordered them to silence the alarms.

He’d known all along that a single cell couldn’t contain Nan Tingjin, and Qian Hui’s arrival had only exacerbated his emotional state.

Although Nan Tingjin had forbidden him from telling Qian Hui, Yuan Ji couldn’t afford to anger either of them!

Now that the situation had escalated, he couldn’t tell if it was for better or worse… It was true that some Ability Users showed improvement when accompanied by their loved ones.

Yuan Ji cautiously approached, accompanied by the plants that had come with Qian Hui, all of them on high alert.

Cabbage fidgeted, while Carnivorous Flower stood poised to expand and shove Nan Tingjin aside.

They didn’t know what was wrong with Nan Tingjin, but they could sense a faint aura of danger emanating from him.

Qian Hui took a half-step back, his voice trembling as he called out, “Xiao Jin…”

Nan Tingjin stood before the damaged cell, his figure blocking the light from the corridor wall lamps, casting most of his face into shadow.

Having forcibly broken free, the lingering effects of his confinement were rapidly dissipating.

Qian Hui’s wrist remained firmly gripped. Nan Tingjin slowly pulled him closer, bent down, and wrapped his arms around him.

His grip was tight, completely immobilizing Qian Hui. The slightly heavy breaths near his ear made Qian Hui tense.

After a moment, Nan Tingjin made no further moves, simply holding him.

Qian Hui relaxed slightly and murmured, “Didn’t you say… you didn’t need me?”

You said you didn’t need me to stay, yet you won’t let go of my hand, and now you’re hugging me.

Nan Tingjin stroked the silver hair at Qian Hui’s nape and whispered, “Just for a little while.”

Qian Hui tilted his head to look up at him. “You… broke the barrier.”

Does that mean after this hug, Nan Tingjin will have to go back and be locked up again?

Nan Tingjin remained silent. Qian Hui reached up to cup his face, then pressed the back of his hand against his forehead.

His temperature is a little high, but otherwise, he seems okay…

The Lost State could easily cause Ability Users to lose control of their abilities. Yet since Nan Tingjin had been confined, he had only damaged one cell.

Qian Hui leaned in and kissed Nan Tingjin’s cheek.

“Come back with me,” he said. “Okay?”

Qian Hui believed that his presence might help Nan Tingjin recover.

Even if the effect was minimal… they could consider other options later.

Qian Hui even began contemplating the possibility of directly attacking Sky Base to seize the medicine.

However, Wen Jue’s drug couldn’t be guaranteed free of side effects, and the risks remained.

Nan Tingjin remained silent. Qian Hui waited patiently, then kissed him again.

After a long pause, Nan Tingjin finally responded, “Okay.”

Qian Hui smiled and stroked his cheek. “Then let go of me first. I’ll take you back to the Little Courtyard.”

Nan Tingjin slowly released his grip, and Qian Hui took his hand, preparing to leave.

Yuan Ji immediately led the way, unlocking the door at the other end of the corridor.

During the return trip from Black Ridge Mountain to the Plant Little Courtyard, Yuan Ji drove, carefully monitoring Nan Tingjin’s condition.

Nan Tingjin remained quiet and compliant throughout the journey. Yuan Ji escorted them to the New Base, watched Nan Tingjin’s figure gradually disappear from sight, then turned to leave.

Before departing, he stationed several guards around the perimeter wall, instructing them to check on the situation promptly if anything seemed amiss.

If Qian Hui could help Nan Tingjin break free from his Lost State, it would be the best possible outcome.

Compared to the outside world, Black Ridge Mountain Base had indeed been the least affected. Most of its residents didn’t rely on Wen Jue’s medicine and could adapt to conventional healing methods.

However… Yuan Ji still felt something was off.

After returning to the base, he parked his vehicle and pulled out a small medicine bottle from his pocket. It contained a mild stimulant, its effects barely noticeable—better than nothing.

He had clearly been affected that night, his ability temporarily unusable, and he’d suffered a headache the next day.

But after taking just one dose of the stimulant, he seemed completely fine.

Yuan Ji was absolutely certain he had no lingering issues, showing no signs of slipping into the Lost State.

That doesn’t make sense, he thought. This stimulant was the most common type, used by many in the base.

Puzzled, Yuan Ji racked his brain. He carefully recalled the past few days, realizing he hadn’t eaten anything unusual. Apart from the diverse group of mutated plants, he hadn’t encountered any strangers.

He had a gut feeling he was missing something crucial, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

The buzz of his Communicator snapped Yuan Ji out of his thoughts. He glanced down to see it was a subordinate from the base, and he pushed open the car door.

Meanwhile, Qian Hui led Nan Tingjin back to the small wooden cabin.

The plants quietly gathered around, but Big Pea, eager to join the commotion, was shut out.

The curtains had been drawn, clearly indicating a desire for no plant disturbances.

Carrot and Chili Pepper urged everyone to leave, but Carnivorous Flower remained, quietly guarding the window.

Little Mushroom was also there, perched atop Carnivorous Flower’s head, standing on tiptoe to peer curiously.

It sniffed gently, faintly detecting an unusual scent, and quickly began rummaging through its umbrella hat.

After searching for a while, it found nothing.

Carnivorous Flower noticed Little Mushroom’s movements and whispered a question.

“Hmm…” Little Mushroom pointed inside the cabin, explaining that it wanted to help Nan Tingjin “clean up.”

However, the new mushroom powder hadn’t been prepared yet, and the last batch had been used on Yuan Ji.

Clean up?

Carnivorous Flower tilted its head curiously, gazing at the brightly lit window of the cabin.

Little Mushroom couldn’t fight. Back in the Little Courtyard, whenever zombies invaded, it simply hid.

Since arriving here, it hadn’t had any opportunities to use its abilities, and now it was even more heavily protected.

Given its unique circumstances, as long as it remained healthy and happy, Qian Hui and the plants didn’t press it to do anything else.

Carnivorous Flower remembered Little Mushroom mentioning its ability to “cleanse” or “purify,” which was usually useless for plants.

Could Little Mushroom actually help Nan Tingjin?

But since waking up, its body hadn’t fully recovered, and it couldn’t use its ability yet.

Carnivorous Flower carefully shielded Little Mushroom with its leaves, urging it not to rush and to take its time.

Little Mushroom nodded earnestly, yawned, and curled up in Carnivorous Flower’s leaves, ready to keep watch together.

Inside the room, Nan Tingjin’s gaze drifted to the window.

Knowing plants were guarding outside, he couldn’t suppress the urge to move the outer trees closer, blocking all entrances and completely sealing the cottage.

Just then, Qian Hui took his hand. “Xiao Jin?”

Nan Tingjin’s attention shifted. He stroked Qian Hui’s slightly cool palm, calming down a little.

The two sat on the sofa in the corner, two clusters of Cabbage Lamps hanging beside them.

“Xiao Jin,” Qian Hui asked, “do you want something to eat?”

“No, thank you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Nan Tingjin couldn’t resist pulling Qian Hui into his arms, settling him on his lap.

Qian Hui thought back to when Nan Tingjin had said “no need” in the dungeon, yet still followed him back.

After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out a half-eaten bag of dried fruit from his pocket, picked out a piece, and fed it to Nan Tingjin.

The dried fruit was cool, carrying the scent of Qian Hui’s fingertips. Nan Tingjin swallowed it.

Qian Hui fed him several more pieces in quick succession, taking a few for himself as well.

After finishing about half the bag, Qian Hui pressed his palm against Nan Tingjin’s forehead to check his temperature. “How are you feeling now?” he asked.

He continued, “If you… if you want to talk or do anything, I’ll stay with you.”

Anything he wanted to do?

Nan Tingjin murmured, “I want to kiss you.”

After buying the Resurrection Bean for Little Mushroom, Carrot led the Plant Squad on a zombie hunt, quickly earning enough credits for Qian Hui to replenish his balance.

Qian Hui’s weakened state didn’t last long. Now, aside from his silver hair and crimson eyes, he increasingly resembled a human. His fair skin glowed with a delicate luster under the lamplight.

Nan Tingjin stared directly at Qian Hui, his gaze unwavering.

Caught off guard, Qian Hui felt a sudden, inexplicable nervousness, the tips of his ears flushing crimson.

Yet he slowly leaned in and kissed Nan Tingjin first.

One kiss didn’t seem enough. When he tried to kiss him again, Nan Tingjin took the lead.

Grasping Qian Hui’s chin, Nan Tingjin pressed heavy kisses against his cheek, his lips rubbing roughly against the delicate skin.

The kisses grew painful, and Qian Hui pushed him away.

Nan Tingjin retreated slightly, then pressed another kiss, this time on Qian Hui’s lips.

Neither of them had ever truly kissed before; their previous attempts had been brief and tentative.

At first, Nan Tingjin was gentle, coaxing Qian Hui with soft kisses.

Qian Hui, innocent and obedient, stumbled through the practice.

But as Nan Tingjin gradually lost control, his grip tightened, his kisses growing more forceful.

Qian Hui couldn’t push him away, his chin held firmly, leaving him no room to resist.

When the kiss finally ended, Qian Hui gasped for breath, his tongue numb from the intensity.

Looking dazed, he took a long moment to recover before asking softly, “Do you feel better now?”

Nan Tingjin kissed away the glistening moisture at the corner of Qian Hui’s lips, murmuring, “All better now.”

Qian Hui instinctively reached out to feel Nan Tingjin’s forehead, but after the kiss, he realized his own temperature had risen slightly, as if Nan Tingjin’s warmth had permeated his entire being.

He unconsciously licked his lips and buried his face in Nan Tingjin’s chest. “I’m sleepy…”

Nan Tingjin scooped him up and carried him to the bed.

The Cabbage Lamp in the room flickered and went out midway. Qian Hui fumbled to remove his coat and burrowed under the covers first.

When Nan Tingjin lay down, Qian Hui nestled closer and wrapped his arms tightly around him.

The kiss had drained too much of his energy. Exhausted, Qian Hui quickly drifted off to sleep in the warm embrace.

Outside the window, the Carnivorous Flower, seeing no further disturbances, felt reassured.

It quietly curled up in the grass, closing its eyes but remaining awake, determined to stand guard until morning.

All the lights in the base had been extinguished, and the plants settled into their preferred sleeping spots.

The Cabbage Bowls and Cabbage Shells were all laid out. Some plants rested in the open grassy areas, others burrowed into the mountain forests, and a few hung from tree branches.

Big Peanut was also asleep, having been invited by Little Cabbage into the Cabbage Shell. It lay stiffly at the very edge.

In the dead of night, Big Peanut, fast asleep, slowly rolled to the center and embraced the Eggplant beside it.

A cool night breeze swept through the air. Beneath the window, the Carnivorous Flower suddenly opened its eyes and raised its head alertly.

There was a sound coming from the back of the wooden cabin, resembling the noises Nan Tingjin made whenever he used his ability to move objects in the mountains.

Why isn’t he asleep at this hour?

The cabin was pitch-black and silent. The Carnivorous Flower carefully wrapped the sleeping Little Mushroom in a leaf to protect it, then rose to investigate.

However, just as it reached the source of the noise, another disturbance arose outside the cabin.

The Carnivorous Flower hurriedly retreated, but it was too late. All the windows and the door had been firmly blocked by tree trunks.

Nan Tingjin really isn’t asleep. He must have deliberately lured me away.

Is he sick in the head? I wouldn’t have gone inside to disturb him anyway.

The Carnivorous Flower touched its sharp teeth, raised its flower stalk, and kicked the tree trunk. Then it settled back beside the window to continue its vigil.

The next day, Yuan Ji made time to visit.

He brought two bottles of revitalizing medicine but couldn’t see Nan Tingjin.

Carrot took charge and accepted the medicine, pointing toward the distant wooden cabin with a “woo.”

It was nearly ten o’clock, and the two hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet.

Yuan Ji seemed to understand. “Was the Leader alright last night?” he asked.

Nan Tingjin’s current symptoms were different from before, and Yuan Ji wasn’t sure what stage he had reached.

Carrot scratched its head. “Woo…”

He should be fine, right? I didn’t hear any noises last night.

Carnivorous Flower passed by with Little Mushroom, huffing through its nasal cavity.

Yuan Ji vaguely sensed its dissatisfaction. “If anything happens, contact me immediately,” he said carefully.

Chili Pepper, standing nearby, raised its Communicator and shook it to show it understood.

In the distance, Big Peanut hid behind a bush, secretly observing.

How come there are humans at the base…? One in the cabin, and another over there.

Extremely wary, Big Peanut began to consider leaving.

Humans are no better than zombies!

Its gaze turned cold. When it turned its head again, it suddenly met the eyes of Little Mango.

Big Peanut froze, then quickly straightened up, resuming its usual docile demeanor from the day before.

Mango approached and asked what Big Peanut was doing there.

“Woo…” Big Peanut quickly made up an excuse, noticing Mango’s innocent expression, seemingly without suspicion.

Hesitating, it couldn’t resist asking about the human at the gate.

Mango peeked out and recognized Yuan Ji.

It waved a dismissive paw. “Woo!”

Oh, him! My defeated opponent!

And he wasn’t the only human. More were inside the surrounding walls—all of them our underlings!

Big Peanut’s eyes widened at this revelation.

Outside the base gate, Yuan Ji delivered the medicine and left.

Carrot, carrying the medicine, arrived at the small wooden house with Chili Pepper.

Several other plants were present. Potato bellowed twice, and the tree trunks blocking the door and windows slowly moved aside.

After a long wait, the plants saw Qian Hui open the door.

He must have just washed his face; the hair at his temples was still damp, his lips were red, and his cheeks and ear tips were flushed, as if both frozen and overheated.

Carnivorous Flower rushed forward, but Sweet Pepper was even faster, leaping into Qian Hui’s arms.

The other plants gradually approached. Chili Pepper tugged at Qian Hui’s hem, its eyes filled with concern.

“I’m fine,” Qian Hui said. “Have you all eaten breakfast?”

Sweet Pepper nodded, letting out two soft “woo woo” sounds.

Some stored food was in the kitchen. Unable to wait for Qian Hui to wake up, the plants had already helped themselves.

Carrot approached and handed two small medicine bottles to Qian Hui, then glanced at the wooden cabin and asked, “Woo?”

A shadow fell over them as Nan Tingjin stepped behind Qian Hui and took the medicine bottles from his hand.

Qian Hui set Sweet Pepper down from his arms and asked curiously, “What are these?”

“Stimulants,” Nan Tingjin replied, his gaze lowered as he casually placed the bottles on the cabinet by the door.

Carnivorous Flower carefully observed Nan Tingjin, noticing that his aura seemed slightly calmer than when he had first emerged from the dungeon the previous day.

But the change was barely perceptible. Nan Tingjin maintained tight control, his dark eyes hidden in shadow, leaving it unclear whether he had slept at all the previous night.

After a moment’s thought, Carnivorous Flower decided not to tell Qian Hui about Little Mushroom’s plan to “cleanse” Nan Tingjin.

Little Mushroom’s “mushroom powder” hadn’t fully developed yet, rendering its ability unusable. Revealing the plan now might only worry Qian Hui unnecessarily.

It would be better to wait until Little Mushroom was ready before attempting to help Nan Tingjin.

As for the news about the Ability Users outside…

The New Base still needed refinement, and many new plants were waiting to join. They had no time to concern themselves with such matters.

Carnivorous Flower turned its head just in time to see Little Mushroom, having plucked a small flower from somewhere, running excitedly toward Big Peanut, eager to give it the gift.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest…

Lettuce left the mid-grade zombie at the edge of the ruins and wandered into the forest alone, hoping to find something to eat.

The previous day, the zombie had followed Lettuce’s summons all day, arriving at an area with a large quantity of zombies, but they found no trace of the Zombie King.

Lettuce didn’t approach, instead commanding the zombie to retreat and rest for the night in a safe, distant location.

By morning, the zombie had calmed down, receiving no new summons or instructions. Lettuce decided to ignore it for now and focus on filling its stomach first.

As it entered the forest, Lettuce deliberately didn’t suppress its aura. Any sensible plants would sense it and instinctively move away.

After walking a short distance, Lettuce found a small patch of wild berries beneath a tree.

It plucked one and tasted it when it suddenly heard rustling behind it.

Turning around, Lettuce saw two plants standing nearby: a sapling and a kiwi. They were cautiously observing Lettuce and… the small wooden chip hanging around its neck.

Lettuce had broken off a small piece of wood the previous day, drilled a hole through it, and strung it on a grass cord to make a pendant. This way, it was easier to wear and less likely to fall off.

Kiwi stared at the wooden chip pendant, summoning the courage to ask if it was the leader of the Plant Base.

Lettuce immediately realized what it meant and scratched its cheek.

The ruins nearby were swarming with zombies. If they wandered over here… well, it was going to check out the base anyway.

“Woo…” It pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Woo!”

The two plants immediately grew excited and asked if they could join the Plant Base.

Lettuce nodded again.

Yes!

It waved its hand, signaling the two plants to follow.

Sapling and Kiwi hurried forward, accepting the two wild fruits Lettuce offered.

The Lettuce before them was a special-grade mutated plant, radiating immense power. Combined with the wooden chip pendant bearing its name, they had no doubt about its identity.

The wild fruits were too sour for Lettuce, so it gave the remaining ones to the two plants and continued searching through the forest.

Sapling and Kiwi followed closely, encountering several more plants along the way.

These plants had all seen the wooden chip yesterday and, following its instructions, had gathered at the safer edge of the forest to wait, hoping to see if the rumored Exclusive Base for plants truly existed.

Upon seeing Lettuce’s pendant, nearly all the plants recognized it as belonging to “Leader Qian Hui.”

Lettuce waved its hand, signaling, “Join! All join!”

It told the plants that the Little Courtyard housed several special-grade mutated plants, including a Carnivorous Flower, Nut, and Sunflower.

Lettuce vividly described the Plant Little Courtyard’s layout and environment, making it sound undeniably real.

The plants listened intently. Halfway through its explanation, Lettuce paused to catch its breath and sat down on the grass. “Woo…”

It was feeling a bit hungry…

A Rose understood and scurried over, offering Lettuce several unknown fruits.

Lettuce tasted one—not bad—and took another.

It patted the Rose’s leaf. “Woo!”

Good. I’ll tell the Carnivorous Flower to let you join directly, bypassing the screening process!

The Rose trembled with excitement, its petals deepening to a richer hue.

By the time Lettuce finally finished eating and emerged from the forest, it was followed by no fewer than nine plants.

It instructed them to stay close and not get lost as they slowly made their way along the path bordering the ruins.

Two days later, a plain-looking modified car arrived at the edge of the forest.

The doors swung open, and Carrot and Cabbage were the first to leap out, warily scanning their surroundings.

Once they confirmed it was safe, Nut stayed behind to guard the car while the remaining plants followed closely behind Carrot and Cabbage into the woods.

However, after searching the forest’s edge thoroughly, the squad found no other plants.

Carrot even launched its sharp spines into the distance, but still saw nothing.

The forest wasn’t particularly large. Could it be completely devoid of plants?

Or perhaps they were hiding, having spotted the wooden chips and unwilling to reveal themselves.

Cabbage grew disheartened, but Sweet Pepper offered comfort.

Don’t worry, Sweet Pepper said. Let’s try another place. There must be plants willing to join the base.

Cabbage sighed, nodded, and followed the squad back to the modified car. They set off in a new direction.