Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Beneath the rubble of stone, pitch-black darkness reigned, with only faint slivers of light filtering through the cracks.

Inside stood half a corner of a wall, forming a crude little “room” with a thick layer of pomelo leaves covering the ground.

A plump pomelo sat in the center, its hand groping across a wooden chip.

The “room” was too dark to clearly discern the characters on the chip, but Pomelo refused to leave. After fumbling for a long time, it finally deciphered the information from the uneven surface:

Exclusive Base… Plant Little Courtyard…

Fifty plant members, nine special-grade mutated plants, Leader Qian Hui.

Qian Hui!

Nine special-grade mutated plants… Pomelo picked up a leaf from the ground and began counting.

Not enough, not enough… Even with me, we’re still one short.

So… I’m not the last one?

A glimmer of hope lit up Pomelo’s eyes as it carefully felt the coordinates etched into the chip.

Ah…

So far away!

Pomelo silently set down the wooden chip. The short branches on its head began sprouting leaves incessantly, the mature leaves falling to the ground as quickly as they grew.

Pomelo reached out and caught a pile of pomelo leaves, then turned to look at the narrow exit of its “room.”

Should I go?

But it’s so far… I’d have to walk for days.

It’s chaotic outside. Maybe I should travel at night and hide during the day?

But it’s hard to see the road at night. What if I get lost…?

Hesitating, Pomelo lay down with the leaves clutched in its arms, deciding to take a nap first and think about it later.

Just as it closed its eyes, a deafening explosion shook the air.

Boom!

Pomelo’s eyes snapped open. It held its breath, listening intently, its pitch-black, round eyes widening.

The sound was loud, but it seemed to come from far away.

After a while, when everything remained quiet, Pomelo relaxed and closed its eyes again, drifting back to sleep.

Meanwhile, at the Sky Base:

As soon as the base came under attack, the Pharmaceutical Factory immediately halted all operations and dispatched a portion of its Ability Users to assist with the defense.

The combat power guarding the factory was significantly reduced, but a small team remained.

As long as the base remained unbreached, the factory was generally safe.

When the defense barrier and the first energy grid shattered, the squad stationed outside the factory instinctively went on high alert.

The factory was located on the left side of the base, a later expansion that appeared as an additional area on the map.

In the past, some Ability Users had attempted to infiltrate the base to steal medicine, specifically targeting the factory.

However, this time the attackers were mutated plants, and the defense barrier and electric net quickly reactivated, easing the squad’s tension.

The front gate guards reported the situation via real-time communication, urging everyone to hold their ground.

The Main Base’s defense grade far surpassed that of any Branch Base.

Even with the Black Ridge Mountain team’s support, the mutated plants that had easily breached the northern Branch Base would find attacking the Main Base far more challenging.

Yet before the real-time communication could finish, a “woo” echoed from the sky above the factory.

Completely caught off guard, the squad members looked up to see a massive red cherry plummeting toward them.

Several Ability Users reacted swiftly, unleashing their abilities in an attempt to wound Big Cherry before it landed.

But it was already too late.

In an instant, an intense white light engulfed everything around them, blindingly bright.

Boom!

The explosion shook the ground violently.

It was as if a massive nuclear bomb had detonated in front of the Pharmaceutical Factory on the base’s flank.

Yuan Ji, leading the evacuation, froze along with his team, all turning to stare at the source of the blast.

The explosion was off-center, away from the base’s core. Yet an invisible wall of air seemed to block the shockwave to the left, forcing the wind and dust to sweep in from the side, rapidly engulfing the entire base.

The base’s defense systems collapsed instantly, and a towering plume of thick fog shot skyward.

The Black Ridge Mountain Base personnel stood dumbfounded. Yuan Ji slowly inhaled, his expression grave.

So… it’s a mutated plant with controlled explosive capabilities.

Recalling Big Cherry’s usually docile and adorable demeanor, Yuan Ji felt a complex mix of emotions.

Even now, their understanding of mutated plants remained woefully inadequate.

Looking at the devastation, who could have imagined that Big Cherry was merely a high-grade mutant plant? It had single-handedly breached Sky Base.

Just then, Yuan Ji spotted a fresh carrot rain, this time pointing forward, signaling that the area was safe and they could advance.

The explosion had nearly leveled the entire base, but its vast size and numerous structures meant survivors might still be hiding in the rubble.

Yuan Ji issued another order: “Check the area.”

The Plant Squad turned back, with Giant Nut leading the charge, effortlessly smashing through a section of the perimeter wall.

The explosions had ceased. The Pharmaceutical Factory lay in ruins, the smoke gradually clearing to reveal a massive crater in the ground.

A Flyer descended from the sky, its transparent canopy opening as Potato scrambled out.

It hurried to the bottom of the crater and, just as before, found the weakened Big Cherry.

Big Cherry was so exhausted it could barely lift its hands, yet its excitement remained undiminished. It grinned widely.

Potato shoved two landmines into Big Cherry’s mouth, then hoisted it onto its back and carried it away.

But Big Cherry was too weak to grip the Flyer’s hooks. Its bulky frame also made it difficult to squeeze into the co-pilot’s seat.

After struggling for a while, Potato finally managed to force Big Cherry inside, though the cockpit canopy jammed shut, leaving it unable to close completely.

It didn’t matter that the cockpit canopy wouldn’t close. The Flyer could still start. After confirming Big Cherry wouldn’t fall out, Potato lifted the Flyer into the air.

Their squad had successfully completed its mission and could now return to rest.

Below, a breach had been blasted in the perimeter wall, and the fully armed Plant Squad poured through in single file.

Cabbage followed closely behind Nut. Having just finished scattering wooden chips, it arrived just in time.

At the edge of the wall, a critically wounded Ability User struggled to rise, only to be knocked unconscious by a single punch from Cabbage.

The Giant Nut rolled through the base, crushing everything in its path. The once-imposing facility had been reduced to half-ruins. Even those who survived were severely injured and easily subdued by the Plant Squad.

Yuan Ji’s team entered from the opposite side, joining the plants in their search.

Their objective was clear: find Wen Jue, even if only his corpse remained.

Some sturdy buildings on the right flank had withstood the destruction, possibly sheltering survivors. Yuan Ji kicked down a door, while Four-Leaf Clover, with a quick turn of its head, sliced another door in half.

Yet after both teams scoured the entire base, examining every corpse for identification, Wen Jue’s body remained missing.

Finally, Sweet Pepper and Chili Pepper discovered a hidden underground chamber in a secluded corner.

The basement connected to a long, winding tunnel. Yuan Ji’s subordinates took over ten minutes to reach the end.

Emerging from the tunnel, they found themselves in a desolate area far from the base, devoid of any human presence.

Wen Jue was known for his extreme caution. It was highly likely he had been escorted away as soon as the mutated plants appeared.

“A pity,” Yuan Ji remarked.

Even he hadn’t known the Plant Squad had kept Big Cherry hidden up their sleeve. The surprise attack had been unbelievably successful, yet they had failed to capture Wen Jue.

Beside him, Carrot glared at the long, pitch-black underground tunnel and snorted coldly.

If only we’d brought Mimosa along too, it thought. But this operation was too risky; any plants unable to fight had been left behind.

No matter. He might have escaped this time, but he won’t be so lucky next time.

They would breach every branch base of Sky Base.

Moreover, Wen Jue’s Pharmaceutical Factory had been utterly destroyed, reduced to nothing but rubble. The potions he used to harm others could no longer be used.

Apart from this minor oversight, the raid had been a resounding success, yielding significant gains.

The two teams immediately began the final cleanup. Yuan Ji’s subordinates were particularly thorough, scouring the base for anything usable and hauling it all away.

They salvaged intact firearms and ammunition from the warehouse, along with some mechanical devices that could be repaired.

In contrast, the plants showed little interest, only loading two bags of dried rations onto the modified car.

During the return journey, the high-altitude Flyer deliberately slowed its pace to escort the Black Ridge Mountain team away from the area and into safe territory before accelerating away.

Meanwhile, just minutes after Big Cherry’s explosion, Qian Hui received a Game Notification.

[ The 17th Faction Conflict has ended. Congratulations to our faction for achieving victory! Reward: 10,000 Prestige Points! ]

[ The Plant Faction’s rank has been raised to second place! ]

[ Main Mission completed. Rewards have been credited to your account! ]

Qian Hui nearly thought he was seeing things.

He immediately opened the Faction Rank and confirmed that the Plant Faction had indeed risen to second place. However, the Human Faction’s rank hadn’t dropped, leaving them tied for second.

Completing the Main Mission awarded an additional 5,000 Faction Points and 10,000 Prestige Points.

The reward for winning the Faction Conflict was also 10,000…

Overjoyed, Qian Hui meticulously reviewed the Encyclopedia to check on the plants’ status.

Chili Pepper immediately sent a message confirming the mission’s successful completion and announcing its imminent return.

In just over an hour, the squad would return to base, with Cabbage among them.

Although Cabbage hadn’t found Pomelo’s trail, it had scattered wooden chips across several nearby areas. If Pomelo hadn’t left, it was bound to be spotted.

Now all that remained was…

Qian Hui shifted his gaze to Lettuce’s Encyclopedia entry.

Lettuce had ventured much farther afield and wouldn’t return until after the rest of the squad.

I wonder if it’s going smoothly on its end…

Qian Hui closed the Game Interface, lowered his head, and gently stroked the Little Mushroom peeking out from his pocket. He sat patiently on the grass, waiting.

In the distance, Lettuce piloted the Flyer over a dense forest.

The transparent canopy was open, and Rose, sitting beside him, tossed wooden chips out the side.

This was the spot where Lettuce had last seen Timothy. To be safe, the Flyer had circled widely, scattering chips both along the forest’s edge and deep within its interior.

Having completed this task, Lettuce hovered the Flyer in mid-air and leaned out to peer below.

He considered going in to search the forest himself. This was a high-risk area, undoubtedly home to other plants.

Spreading the chips wasn’t just about finding Timothy; it was also about expanding the base. Since they were already out here, bringing back a few extra plants would be ideal. They could squeeze them into the cockpit…

Lettuce and Rose discussed the plan. They decided Lettuce would descend alone into the forest while Rose waited in the Flyer.

Just then, something shot out of the forest below and struck the Flyer.

The Flyer wasn’t very high up, so the object hit with a thud, though it caused no damage.

Rose quickly looked down and saw that the object was one of the wooden chips they had just scattered.

Lettuce let out a puzzled woo. Then, more chips began flying from all directions within the forest, pelting the Flyer from below.