Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

More than a dozen mutated plants had gathered together, their combined aura thick and potent. This group of zombies had likely tracked them here intentionally.

Upon discovering another special-grade mutated plant, the high-grade zombie leading the pack hesitated for a moment, its guard raised.

But hunger ultimately prevailed. In the limited reasoning of a zombie, it couldn’t comprehend that the special-grade plant might be protecting the smaller ones.

The high-grade zombie roared again, and the surrounding dozen zombies immediately launched their attack.

The plants panicked. Though Lettuce hadn’t been constantly guarding them during their journey, allowing them to handle low-grade zombies themselves, the sheer number of enemies—including a high-grade zombie—was overwhelming.

Little Prickly Fruit immediately retreated into its shell, while Rose frantically flung out several spiky leaves. Rubber Tree used its broad leaves to shield the smaller plants nearby.

The high-grade zombie moved too, leaping forward and deliberately avoiding Lettuce to grab Rubber Tree.

The special-grade mutated plant possessed overwhelming power, while the high-grade zombie had slightly higher intelligence, making it temporarily unwilling to provoke Lettuce.

At the critical moment, several enlarged lettuce leaves whipped out, enveloping all the surrounding zombies, including the high-grade one.

Lettuce let out two “woo woo” sounds, urging the plants to run. The base was just ahead.

Lettuce didn’t know how many zombies might still be lurking nearby. If it were alone, it wouldn’t be afraid.

But it had a group of small plants with it, and caution was paramount in this situation.

The plants scurried away. Rubber Tree, the fastest, curled one leaf around Little Prickly Fruit and another around Rose, then carried Gardenia and Lucky Bamboo on its back as it fled in a panic.

Lettuce reluctantly abandoned its beloved lounge chair, resolving to return for it later if the opportunity arose, and followed behind the plants.

Agile and nimble, it scaled a section of broken wall in a few quick moves, flipped over, and landed steadily, scanning the surroundings warily.

The several zombies trapped in the lettuce leaves began attacking each other, but the high-grade zombie regained consciousness almost immediately.

It opened its mouth and spat a thick, acidic liquid that corroded a large hole through the lettuce leaf.

Having freed itself, it sprayed the surrounding area repeatedly, freeing the remaining zombies.

The lettuce leaf fell to the ground, shrinking back to its original size, and the lingering mist dissipated. Over a dozen zombies gradually regained consciousness.

The high-grade zombie roared furiously, leading the Zombie Horde in pursuit. The commotion also drew zombies from the surrounding ruins.

But Lettuce’s strategy proved sound. As the plants fled, they simply flicked a lettuce leaf at any approaching zombie.

The lettuce leaves slowed the zombies’ movements, and the soporific mist clinging to them rendered ordinary zombies utterly helpless.

Lettuce’s only surprise was that the corrosive liquid spat by the high-grade zombie proved to be an effective countermeasure against its lettuce leaves.

The high-grade zombie was also the fastest, its gaunt frame allowing it to leap across three- or four-meter-wide stretches of rubble in a single bound.

As it pursued, it used its acidic spit to free other zombies trapped by the lettuce leaves.

Lettuce remained unfazed, letting out a cold snort.

It pulled out another lettuce leaf, crumpling and kneading it as it ran, then blew into it.

The leaf swelled like a balloon, expanding to a diameter of two meters before Lettuce stopped, lifted the leafy sphere, and kicked it backward.

The massive leafy sphere filled the narrow rubble-strewn path, leaving the high-grade zombie no room to evade. It spat a mouthful of acidic liquid in a desperate attempt to intercept the projectile.

The moment the acid struck the leafy sphere, it exploded with a bang.

A dense cloud of green soporific mist erupted, engulfing the entire stretch of rubble.

The thick, lingering mist soon muffled the sounds within, and no more zombies emerged from its depths.

Lettuce snorted again and turned to rejoin the main group.

However, the soporific mist itself wasn’t lethal; it merely impaired the zombies’ minds and behavior. There was no guarantee it had killed them all.

Still, caution was paramount. Lettuce remained vigilant, constantly scanning its surroundings.

As they drew closer to their destination coordinates, the distant walls of the base became visible even without needing to climb to a higher vantage point.

The plants, simple and cheerful, quickened their pace, convinced that safety awaited them within the base.

Only Lettuce, bringing up the rear, felt a nagging doubt. The base walls… why did they look so much like human-made structures?

But if they have a base, it’s probably fine if it resembles human architecture a bit…

Lettuce hopped onto a nearby rock for a better look, then jumped back down, failing to notice the words “Black Ridge Mountain Base” inscribed beside the base’s main gate.

The plants pressed on. Little Sapling accidentally dropped half of its precious fruit rations, and Lettuce swiftly picked it up.

Just then, a slender black shadow plummeted from the sky to their side.

It was a broken piece of rebar, hurtling through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow, aimed precisely at Lettuce’s position.

Lettuce reacted swiftly, dodging to the side just in time. The rebar grazed its back, burying itself deep into the ground.

The sudden attack startled the plants anew, and they crowded around Lettuce in concern.

Lettuce scrambled to its feet, shoved the fruit into Little Sapling’s hands, and urged the others forward with a sharp Woo!

Move!

The plants were still stunned when the second piece of rebar came hurtling through the air.

Lettuce shoved the plants around him aside, but this time he couldn’t dodge in time, and the rebar sliced a gash across his cheek.

He shouted again, urging the plants to flee immediately.

If he wasn’t mistaken… this was the Zombie King he had encountered in the high-risk northern zone.

Lettuce had crossed paths with this Zombie King before, even using smoke bombs to make its Zombie Horde slaughter each other.

They had a score to settle, a grudge between them.

It was indeed here… Lettuce touched the wound on his face and urged the plants to leave for the third time.

The base was just ahead, and the surrounding air felt relatively clean, suggesting there were no other zombies nearby.

The Zombie King hadn’t revealed itself directly, its caution likely stemming from some lingering fear.

Moreover, the Zombie King’s attacks were clearly aimed at Lettuce. The plants following him would only be a burden and put themselves in danger.

Still uneasy, Lettuce quickly crafted several small leaf-shaped balls filled with sleeping gas and distributed them to the plants.

In case of further danger on the road or trouble at the base, the sleeping gas could at least help them escape.

Rubber Tree, always the most obedient to Lettuce, curled its leaves around a few plants and bolted away.

The remaining plants, confused and hesitant, lingered for a moment before gradually following Rubber Tree.

Rose, bringing up the rear, swayed its leaves with a mournful “woo woo.”

“Leader! I’ll go to the base for reinforcements!”

Rose immediately turned and fled. Lettuce sighed, then dodged two flying steel bars and a sharp stone hurled through the air.

It evaded the attacks and glanced at their source before fleeing in the opposite direction.

This Zombie King was too powerful for a direct confrontation. I need to put some distance between us first, Lettuce thought. Once I’ve shaken it off, I’ll rush back to the base.

Lettuce’s small figure darted through the ruins, dodging relentless attacks from behind.

Meanwhile, the Carnivorous Flower followed Yuan Ji to the Black Ridge Mountain Base.

This time, too many Ability Users had been affected, resulting in numerous casualties. Apart from the severely injured who were carried away unconscious, the remaining survivors simply stayed on-site to assist with treatment.

The once-abandoned park had been transformed into a makeshift medical facility. It was then that the Giant Carnivorous Flower appeared, accompanied by Sunflower and Little Bamboo Shoot.

Sunflower slid down the Carnivorous Flower’s leaf and landed gracefully. Its petals glowed with a warm, healing light that enveloped nearly the entire park, while Little Bamboo Shoot stood guard beside it.

Yuan Ji stood beside the Carnivorous Flower, surveying the crowd. “You all felt it when the Lost State vanished simultaneously, didn’t you?”

He paused briefly before continuing, “That was the Carnivorous Flower’s ability. It saved us.”

Saved them? The Carnivorous Flower…?

The crowd’s reactions varied: some were stunned into silence, while others expressed gratitude and curiosity.

The situation had been too chaotic for most to notice the exact source of the light. By the time they regained consciousness, the Plant Squad had already departed.

Still, the Carnivorous Flower’s arrival at the base provided a plausible explanation.

But…

That gentle, soft pink light—was it actually the Carnivorous Flower’s ability?

The Giant Carnivorous Flower raised its head, its cold, piercing gaze sweeping across the crowd, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Yes, it was me. Believe it or not.

The crowd glanced up, then quickly lowered their heads again.

No one noticed the tiny pink Mushroom hidden among the leaves near the Carnivorous Flower’s neck.

The Little Mushroom pushed aside the leaves, peeked out, sniffed the air gently, then retreated back into its sheltered spot, once again protected by the surrounding foliage.

Yuan Ji surveyed the wounded, then returned to the Giant Carnivorous Flower. “All done.”

He had brought the plants here to announce this to the base personnel. Once all the wounded recovered, they could proceed with their plans.

The Carnivorous Flower nodded slightly. With Little Bamboo Shoot here, it could send the Little Mushroom back first.

Suddenly, Yuan Ji’s Communicator beeped twice.

He picked it up and frowned deeply. “…What? A horde of mutated plants?”

At the same moment, Mimosa rushed urgently to Qian Hui, tugging at his sleeve, as if it had vital information to convey.

But Mimosa couldn’t speak, and Sunflower wasn’t around. Not only did Qian Hui fail to understand its meaning, but the other plants also couldn’t decipher what Mimosa was gesturing with its leaves.

Qian Hui cradled Mimosa in his palm and said patiently, “Take your time… Which direction?”

Mimosa’s leaves pointed. Qian Hui asked, “Is it far?”

Mimosa shook its leaves, indicating it was nearby. Carrot immediately drew its carrot thorn.

Just as it was about to launch itself forward to investigate, Chili Pepper hurried over, holding up its Communicator. “Woo woo!”

Chili Pepper showed the Communicator to Qian Hui. The message from Yuan Ji read:

“A large number of mutated plants have appeared at the base gate.”

At that very moment, Carnivorous Flower had already swiftly arrived at the Black Ridge Mountain Base gate.

Moments earlier, the guards at the gate had spotted over a dozen mutated plants rushing toward them and gathering together, their intentions unclear.

Among them was a Rubber Tree, repeatedly kicking the base gate with its foot.

Given the base’s current “close” relationship with mutated plants, the guards dared not act rashly and immediately notified Yuan Ji.

Since Carnivorous Flower was already inside the base, it was dispatched to investigate the situation.

Just as the base’s Outer Gate slowly began to open, Carrot arrived with several other plants clinging to its carrot thorn.

Outside the door, a group of plants trembled with anxiety.

Since arriving, they had sensed something amiss. This place looked suspiciously like a human base…

Had they taken a wrong turn? Or was there no Plant Base at all?

Rubber Tree continued kicking at the door until several plants pulled it away, urging it to leave quickly and return to the spot where they had separated from Lettuce to see if it was still there.

The plants had barely taken a few steps when the door behind them swung open.

They caught a whiff of a powerful aura and turned to see a Giant Carnivorous Flower standing before them, flanked by several plants gliding down to land.

Carnivorous Flower, Carrot, Cabbage, Big Pea… These were the special-grade mutated plants Lettuce had mentioned, the ones living together in the Little Courtyard, weren’t they?

The plants’ spirits plummeted, only to surge upward again as Rose rushed forward, her voice frantic and urgent: “Woo woo!”

The Leader is in danger! We must save her!

Carnivorous Flower tilted its leaf, tapping its ear as if doubting what it had heard.

It twitched its nose, catching a faint, familiar scent lingering on the group of plants…

Carrot narrowed its eyes, wary. “Woo?”

Who is your leader?

Rose was frantic. “Woo woo!”

Qian Hui! It was Leader Qian Hui!

The group of plants fell silent until a sudden “Achoo!” Big Pea sneezed.

It rubbed its nose and approached Rose.

Big Pea reached out and took the lettuce leaf ball from Rose’s leaf.

It sniffed the ball, then tossed it back to Rose with a dismissive gesture, asking, “Woo?”

Where is your leader?

In the distance, Lettuce sprinted relentlessly, putting more and more distance between itself and its pursuers.

Panting heavily, it paused to rest, twisting its head to glance back.

Damn it… The Zombie King was still hot on its trail, and the rugged terrain made it impossible to shake off.

At least the plants are safe, Lettuce thought. The leaf balls it had sent out remained unused, indicating they hadn’t reached their destination yet.

They should have arrived by now…

Calling for reinforcements?

Lettuce mentally scoffed. Carnivorous Flower? That was all just a story I made up. Who knows if it even exists?

And what if “Leader Qian Hui” is just a coincidence or something…?

Another sharpened stone hurtled through the air. Lettuce abandoned its thoughts and immediately resumed its escape.

The plants have probably arrived by now, it reasoned. I might as well head back to the base myself.

But just as Lettuce oriented itself and took a few steps, a barrage of sharpened stones rained down, as if trying to block its path.

Exhausted and sensing the Zombie King’s presence closing in, Lettuce knew it was in trouble. It rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging the stone attacks.

Looking up, Lettuce spotted a massive boulder hurtling toward it.

Simultaneously, a whistling wind announced another threat from the opposite direction.

A medium-sized Nut, four to five meters tall, plummeted from the sky and landed firmly in front of Lettuce, blocking the boulder with a resounding crash.