Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 75

Chapter 75

A group of Little Bitter Gourds slowly gathered around. Cabbage carefully counted them—there were eight in total.

Adding the Little Bitter Gourd leading the way, there were nine.

Nine Bitter Gourds!

Even the well-traveled Lettuce was stunned. Mutated plants of the same species rarely exceeded three in number, and they weren’t always born together.

In all its wanderings, Lettuce had only encountered two Winter Melons and two Little Pine Trees.

Beside it, Carrot stared wide-eyed, silent.

So many Bitter Gourds!

What will Durian say when it sees this…?

The Little Bitter Gourds were roughly the size of a palm, their bodies about a hand’s length tall. They were similarly colored, with slender leaf-like hands and feet, and a single leaf sprouting from the top of their heads.

Their expressions and movements were strikingly similar. They gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on Qian Hui and the other plants, including Nan Tingjin in the rear.

Those without weapons immediately picked up stones from the ground, their gazes a mix of vigilance, fear, and timidity.

So many special-grade mutated plants… Are they from the base on the wooden chip?

But why are there two more…?

The Little Bitter Gourd, who had been leading the way, let out a series of “woo woo” sounds, explaining the situation.

It pulled out the half-eaten pack of dried meat and shared it with the other Bitter Gourds.

At the sight of the meat, the Little Bitter Gourds eagerly dropped their weapons and rushed over.

Fearing they wouldn’t have enough, Cabbage quickly produced several more packs of food, including dried rations and other supplies.

The Little Bitter Gourds didn’t hesitate, snatching them up.

They huddled together, the Little Bitter Gourd who had led the way among them. Each Bitter Gourd took a few bites of food before passing it to the next, sharing the meal in this way.

These Little Bitter Gourds were starving and likely had never tasted proper food before. They devoured everything Cabbage offered in one go.

After filling their bellies, they all let out a chorus of satisfied burps.

Then, the Little Bitter Gourd who had led the way approached with its eight companions and introduced them to Qian Hui and the plants.

It pointed to each one, making several “woo woo” sounds.

“This is Big Gourd, this is Second Gourd…” The Little Bitter Gourd called itself Seventh Gourd. They were all siblings who had grown up together.

Little Bitter Gourd explained that they lived here, each venturing out daily to forage for food and returning at set times.

Yesterday, however, it had unexpectedly encountered Pomelo and hadn’t returned that night. The other Bitter Gourds had been waiting for it, and they all happened to be together.

Little Bitter Gourd pointed at Pomelo, who was hiding behind Qian Hui’s heel, and let out a loud “woo woo.”

Thanks to Pomelo’s help, it had successfully located more special-grade mutated plants on the wooden chip. Now they could finally go to the Plant Base!

Pomelo remained motionless, pretending not to hear.

Qian Hui stepped forward, crouched down, and gently patted Little Bitter Gourd’s head.

He could roughly guess what Little Bitter Gourd was saying. “Are you all willing to come back to the base with me?” he asked.

The nine Bitter Gourds nodded in unison, without the slightest hesitation.

Though they didn’t yet know what the Plant Base was like, they had rarely eaten their fill in all this time.

The lead Bitter Gourd let out a soft “woo woo” and took the initiative to hold onto Qian Hui’s fingertip.

Their strength was meager, and they had no possessions. They hoped the base wouldn’t reject them…

If they could just join the base, they would do anything asked of them—even hard labor!

Qian Hui didn’t understand Little Bitter Gourd’s words, but he patted its head reassuringly. “Don’t worry, the base is very safe.”

Big Pea seized the opportunity to approach, sniffing the Little Bitter Gourds’ scent.

Its eyes narrowed in confusion as it leaned closer for another, more thorough sniff.

How can their scents be identical too…?

Big Pea let out a soft “woo,” asking where Second Gourd was.

One of the Little Bitter Gourds quickly raised its hand, and Big Pea continued its questioning.

After going through the entire group, it still couldn’t remember who was who.

Cabbage nudged Big Pea aside, signaling that they could discuss it back at the base.

Each Little Bitter Gourd wasn’t completely identical; with familiarity, they would become distinguishable.

Thus, the return journey saw the group swell in size.

The Little Bitter Gourds were well-behaved, following quietly, occasionally huddling in pairs or threes to whisper among themselves.

Cabbage had asked them, and they confirmed that there were no other plants in the vicinity. There might have been some before, but after the Sky Base was bombed, most had likely fled elsewhere.

Big Pea continued to circle the Little Bitter Gourds, scrutinizing them, still trying to find differences in their leaves.

Carrot also glanced at the Little Bitter Gourds from time to time, its mind clearly elsewhere.

Durian had always longed to find more of its kind, though it hadn’t mentioned it since everyone had played along with its disguise medicine game.

But Carrot knew Durian still harbored this desire in its heart.

When Durian saw this group of Little Bitter Gourds, it would likely be saddened again.

Carrot sighed, wondering how to comfort it later.

Qian Hui walked slowly ahead, cradling Pomelo in his arms.

At first, Pomelo had walked beside Cabbage, but somehow it gradually fell to the back of the group.

Qian Hui simply picked it up, carrying it for a while before setting it down to rest.

As he walked, he spoke to Pomelo, telling it that Little Mushroom and Nut were also at the base, and only Timothy hadn’t returned yet.

Pomelo remained silent, clutching Qian Hui’s sleeve tightly.

So I’m not the last one after all, it thought.

Timothy… The leaves on Pomelo’s head trembled, and one automatically fell off.

Midway through the journey, Qian Hui tried to get Nan Tingjin to help carry Pomelo for a while.

But as soon as Nan Tingjin approached, Pomelo startled and jumped down, hurrying to walk beside Carrot, finally stopping its dawdling.

Qian Hui took Nan Tingjin’s hand and whispered, “It’s a bit timid.”

Nan Tingjin didn’t mind, responding with a curt acknowledgment.

The group walked for over twenty minutes, finally emerging from the ruins and reaching the road where the modified car was parked.

Inside the car, the plants waited anxiously, their eyes strained from watching. Big Peanut even secretly resolved to learn how to use the Communicator from Chili Pepper upon returning to the base.

Through the car window, Four-Leaf Clover was the first to spot the familiar figures in the distance and shout out.

The plants erupted in joy, immediately flinging open the car doors or leaping out of the windows to rush forward and greet them.

Durian was among them, waving at Carrot, but his movement suddenly froze.

By the roadside, Qian Hui led the plants out of the ruins. Beside Cabbage stood an unfamiliar plant, its body completely draped in leaves, obscuring its features—likely the Pomelo that had fled earlier.

And to the side, there was a cluster of vibrant green… Little Bitter Gourds.

All of them were Little Bitter Gourds.

Durian froze, rubbing his eyes vigorously to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

He counted again: one, two, three, four… nine!

What?!

Durian was utterly shocked, unable to believe its eyes.

Carrot spotted Durian’s stunned expression from afar and immediately rushed over.

It tried to block Durian’s view, but lacking the girth to do so, it simply reached out and covered Durian’s eyes.

“Woo…” Carrot murmured earnestly, patting Durian’s head with its other hand.

It’s okay, just a bunch of Bitter Gourds. We’ll find more Durians later. Besides, Qian Hui has the disguise medicine…

Durian remained silent for a moment, then pulled Carrot’s hand away and continued staring at the approaching group of Little Bitter Gourds.

Its gaze felt almost tangible, catching the attention of the two Little Bitter Gourds closest to it.

Confused, the two Little Bitter Gourds huddled closer to their companions.

Carrot watched anxiously, but Durian seemed far calmer than it had expected.

Durian watched as the Little Bitter Gourds reached the modified car and were led inside one by one.

Carrot tried to pull Durian away to another vehicle, but Durian darted off first.

Carrot had no choice but to follow. Big Pea joined them, and the three plant bodyguards trailed behind, squeezing into the back seat of the modified car.

With no room left in the back seat, Qian Hui instructed Cabbage to hurry over and take care of the Little Bitter Gourds, keeping a close eye on Durian.

He then took Pomelo and Lettuce to another car with Nan Tingjin.

Cabbage nodded, clenching its fist discreetly as it walked away.

Many plants at the base knew about Durian’s obsession. If it lost control and frightened the new Little Bitter Gourds, would it be better to knock it out first?

However, when Cabbage boarded the car, it found Durian sitting quietly in the corner, looking perfectly normal.

Having decided to join the base, the Little Bitter Gourds had grown bolder.

Some cautiously touched the seats, others excitedly peered around the car’s interior, and a few crowded forward to examine Four-Leaf Clover in the driver’s seat.

As the modified car prepared to start, Cactus turned around and told them to sit properly.

The Little Bitter Gourds responded in unison, arranging themselves neatly into three rows, squeezing onto one seat.

Next to them sat Durian, who turned its head and greeted them warmly with a “Woo.”

Carrot and Cabbage exchanged relieved glances.

All nine Little Bitter Gourds tilted their heads in unison, gazing up at Durian.

One of them let out a “woo,” and the others followed suit.

Moments later, the two modified cars drove away from the intersection.

Cactus spread out a map beside him. Having successfully picked up Pomelo, their next destination was the nearest forest, where they hoped to find more plants.

In the other car, Qian Hui used Nan Tingjin’s communicator to send a message to Chili Pepper, informing the base’s plants that everything was going smoothly.

“Little Courtyard is doing well too.”

“Tian is sleeping soundly, being good.”

“Okay,” Qian Hui replied. “We’ll be back soon.”

On the other end of the communicator, Chili Pepper finished chatting with Qian Hui and pulled out another communicator.

Sweet Pepper was napping, so Chili Pepper, after much careful deliberation, cautiously sent a message:

“Good afternoon. Want to come over?”

This sentence was Chili Pepper’s limit—complete words, clear expression.

After sending the message, it waited a full half-hour, nearly falling asleep, before the communicator screen finally lit up.

Chili Pepper quickly picked it up to check.

“?”

Confused, Chili Pepper pondered the meaning of the symbol.

Moments later, a second message arrived.

“What’s the rush? Where’s your Leader?”

Leader… that must mean the base’s commander, right?

Hesitant to reveal the Leader’s whereabouts, Chili Pepper replied with a single word: “Busy.”

Qian Hui was indeed busy, so Chili Pepper had planned to give him the Communicator after he returned.

“Hmph.”

What does that mean…?

Chili Pepper sighed, thought for a moment, and sent another message:

“^^ Not safe. Need to find plants.”

Since Chili Pepper didn’t know some words, it used symbols instead. The message translated to: It’s not safe outside. We need to find more mutated plants.

The base could provide shelter for all plants, protecting them from being captured by zombies or humans.

Chili Pepper explained this to clarify why the Leader was busy and to emphasize that the base warmly welcomed the other plant’s arrival, hoping to convey its sincerity.

Meanwhile, Timothy suddenly sat up.

Its pitch-black eyes widened as it stared intently at the message on the Communicator.

What?! Danger outside the base?

Timothy leaped off its small bed and paced across the grassy floor.

I haven’t even gone there yet! Can those dim-witted plants in the Little Courtyard be relied upon?

After pacing back and forth several times, Timothy jumped back onto the bed and opened the Communicator.

“Alright, let’s keep in touch.”

This time, Timothy used the phrase “keep in touch,” wanting the other plant to report information to it constantly.

Chili Pepper, unaware of Timothy’s true intentions, simply believed that this mysterious plant had finally been moved.

After celebrating briefly, it replied, “Okay.”

—

The modified car sped away, leaving the immediate area behind.

Pomelo sat in a corner, lost in thought, completely ignoring the curious glances from the surrounding plants.

Big Peanut sat beside it, barely containing its excitement.

This is the legendary Pomelo! it thought. Too bad the leaves covering it are so thick. I’ve peeked several times, but I can’t get a clear look at what it looks like.

…It really is extraordinary! Mysterious!

Big Peanut reached into its backpack and pulled out a piece of candy.

This treat had been given to it by Potato on its first day at the base, to comfort it. But Big Peanut didn’t like sweets and had kept it untouched, the wrapper still intact.

With a soft “woo,” it offered the candy to Pomelo.

The pile of pomelo leaves remained still for a moment, then stirred slightly. A slender hand emerged from within, took the candy, and quickly retreated back into the foliage.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the other car was equally harmonious.

Since setting out, Durian had grown quite familiar with the Little Bitter Gourds. They had introduced themselves and were now chatting away.

Big Pea quietly sidled closer and overheard Durian talking about “Third Gourd” and “Fourth Gourd”

Curiosity getting the better of it, Big Pea couldn’t resist asking, “Woo?”

Can you really tell them apart?

Durian nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Big Pea remained skeptical. Pointing to one of the Little Bitter Gourds, it asked, “Which gourd is this?”

Durian answered without hesitation, “Woo.”

Six.

The Little Bitter Gourd raised its hand, indicating that it was indeed Sixth Gourd.

Pea pointed to the next one. Durian replied, “Woo.”

Nine.

Another Little Bitter Gourd raised its hand and nodded.

Undeterred, Pea tested Durian over a dozen times, and Durian answered correctly every time.

Pea was astonished, even suspecting that Durian might have marked the Little Bitter Gourds in some way.

Durian, however, looked even more puzzled, its eyes filled with confusion.

How could anyone not tell them apart? They all look so different!