Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The dark clouds suddenly dispersed, and the sky “brightened.”

The abandoned streets fell silent, all the clamor vanishing without a trace.

The protective stone blocks shielding the modified car slowly retracted. Qian Hui lifted his head from Nan Tingjin’s embrace, his expression dazed and uneasy.

A faint rustling came from the human teams on either side, but they made no further attacks.

The plants were confused and tense, unsure what had happened.

Just moments ago, they had been in dire straits, the walls of lightning and fire closing in. Yet now, both had vanished completely, and the enemy’s defensive barrier had shattered.

Cactus, at the wheel, peered out and saw several humans lying motionless on the ground.

It launched a few missile thorns, which exploded in the rubble, but there was no sign of retaliation.

Carrot, observing from high above, had the clearest view. It urgently descended in its Flyer.

A sudden shockwave had clearly erupted, repelling all attacks. And at the epicenter of that shockwave lay Pomelo.

Big Peanut, in the other car, reacted instantly, leaping out the door.

Pomelo lay motionless on the ground. Big Peanut gently called out to it, then carefully reached down to help it up.

Pomelo lay motionless, its eyes tightly shut and its shell burning hot to the touch. Big Peanut, panicked and anxious, whimpered, “Woo?”

Pomelo had several small cuts, likely from being slashed by wind blades and struck by flying debris when it forced its way out of the vehicle during the storm.

The other plants in the vehicle gradually gathered around. Immediately afterward, the sound of a car door opening echoed from behind.

“Youyou!” Qian Hui rushed forward anxiously, taking Pomelo from Big Peanut’s arms.

The Flyer landed nearby, and Carrot hurried over.

While checking Pomelo’s condition, Qian Hui retrieved several pills and gently placed them in its mouth, confirming that it had merely fainted from overexertion after using its Berserk skill.

He breathed a sigh of relief, gently wiping the dust from Pomelo’s shell with his sleeve. “It’s alright now. It should be fine…”

The small cuts on Pomelo’s body rapidly healed, and its body temperature began to drop, but it remained unconscious.

Qian Hui held it close, feeling both heartache and lingering fear.

Beside them, Carrot’s expression was grave as it scanned the surroundings.

The sudden surge in the human team’s strength and Pomelo’s critical outburst had both caught it off guard.

This time, its carelessness had nearly led to disaster, even though they had been prepared.

If Mimosa hadn’t detected the humans’ ambush in time, the consequences could have been far more severe.

Fortunately, Nut and Carnivorous Flower were absent, and Pomelo was there to help.

With Nan Tingjin’s intervention, he forcibly manipulated and delayed a significant portion of the attack.

Carrot quickly scanned the area. The plants had sustained minimal injuries, and the two modified cars remained largely intact.

It let out a “woo” sound, instructing some plants to remain on guard while it led the rest, along with Cabbage, to investigate the human teams’ positions on either flank.

As they approached the ruins, Carrot immediately detected the overwhelming stench of blood.

The humans’ modified cars were nearly totaled, and several figures lay motionless on the ground, their fates uncertain. Only two or three still showed signs of life.

Severely wounded and their faces contorted with terror, they still tried to flee, but Four-Leaf Clover blocked their escape after only a few steps.

At that moment, familiar footsteps approached.

Carrot turned to see Nan Tingjin.

His icy gaze swept over them, and the stone fragments beside him trembled slightly.

Since these humans were still alive, Nan Tingjin, as the squad’s sole human ability user, was best suited to interrogate them.

Carrot thoughtfully stepped aside, making way for him.

Nan Tingjin strode forward, a sharp stone hovering in the air pressed against the throat of one of the Ability Users.

His gaze swept over them, and he asked coldly, “What have you done?”

The earlier attacks were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary Ability Users.

The man trembled, his expression filled with terror. “I-I…”

He pulled out an empty potion vial and revealed the team’s entire plan, including which base they came from, when Wen Jue had escaped, the potion he had given them, and its effects.

Up to that point, their mission had proceeded smoothly. Even when the plants accidentally discovered them, reinforcements had arrived in time.

The potion Wen Jue provided had played a crucial role.

Following their plan and instructions, all team members had consumed the potion and simultaneously “erupted,” their attacks amplified several times over, combining into a terrifying force.

Even though Nan Tingjin’s intervention hadn’t been anticipated, the mutated plants were relatively few in number. By all accounts, they should have had a high chance of victory, or at least a safe return to base.

Yet…

The sudden turn of events had shattered the human ability users’ understanding of reality. They couldn’t comprehend where things had gone wrong, their thoughts gradually unraveling. Terrified of uttering even a half-truth, they spilled everything.

“I don’t know…” the man stammered, his eyes gradually glazing over as he inadvertently revealed the base’s plan to launch a surprise attack on Black Ridge Mountain.

Carrot, furious, kicked the man and rummaged through his pockets, finding a communicator. But it was broken and wouldn’t turn on.

Lettuce surveyed the scene. The corpses lying on the ground showed varying states of decay: some were charred as if burned alive, while others had their bones shattered.

Witnessing this, Lettuce formed a rough idea of Pomelo’s abilities.

The potion the humans had used… it essentially transformed all Ability Users into mutated plants with the berserk skill.

One of the reasons special-grade mutated plants were so powerful was precisely this berserk skill—a trait many ordinary plants struggled to evolve, and humans likewise found difficult to develop.

No wonder they seemed so formidable… but their current fate was well-deserved.

Lettuce shook its head and turned to leave, intending to check if Pomelo had awakened.

Cabbage was on the other side with several other plants, where the situation was much the same.

After obtaining the information he needed, Nan Tingjin raised his hand, and several shards of rock flew through the air. The remaining enemies fell to the ground, swiftly and cleanly eliminated.

Carrot rummaged through the overturned vehicles and found a box containing two intact potion bottles, which it temporarily stashed away.

When Nan Tingjin returned, Qian Hui and the remaining plants had already climbed into the car.

Qian Hui leaned against the window, cradling the unconscious Pomelo tightly, still seeming dazed.

Nan Tingjin slid into the car and gently pulled Qian Hui into his arms.

“Scared?” he asked soothingly. “It’s over now. Don’t worry.”

Qian Hui nodded slightly, murmuring, “Mm.”

He was genuinely terrified. If things had gone even slightly differently, or if there had been another oversight…

Unable to relax his taut nerves, Qian Hui retrieved two universal medicines and fed them to Nan Tingjin.

Nan Tingjin wasn’t injured, but this gesture seemed to ease Qian Hui’s anxiety somewhat.

Qian Hui remembered to ask, “Those people… what was that about?”

Nan Tingjin paused before explaining what he had learned.

“I’ve already contacted Yuan Ji,” he said, stroking Qian Hui’s back. “We’re heading back immediately.”

Qian Hui, buried in Nan Tingjin’s arms, responded after a long pause, “Mm.”

His eyes were fixed on the game interface. Just moments ago, a new message had popped up:

[ Hidden Mission Triggered! Successfully completing it will unlock detailed Plot Point explanations. ]

[ Hidden Mission: Find the human who created the mysterious potion (0/1) ]

[ Mission Reward: “The Mystery of Time” Plot Point explanations ]

The human who created the potion… was Wen Jue.

Qian Hui lifted his head. “You said… where is Wen Jue?”

“River-Sea Base,” Nan Tingjin replied, his voice pausing slightly. “He can’t hide for long.”

He lowered his head to kiss Qian Hui’s hair, tightening his embrace. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

“Unless I die,” Nan Tingjin murmured, “no one will harm you.”

Qian Hui’s expression turned anxious. “Don’t say such things…”

Nan Tingjin lowered his gaze, silent, and gently stroked Qian Hui’s cheek.

Outside, the plants swiftly completed their cleanup. Carrot split into numerous carrot thorns equipped with electromagnetic cannons, blasting away all traces of their presence.

The situation was now largely clear, but the timing of Wen Jue’s and the River-Sea Base’s next move remained unknown.

Once they realize they can’t contact the team here, they might not know exactly what happened, but they’ll definitely be on high alert.

The plants each swallowed the prepared pills to quickly restore their stamina.

And Pomelo… Carrot glanced at the modified car where Qian Hui was.

Besides Pomelo, Big Pea had expended the most energy. It was exhausted to the point of nearly collapsing, practically clinging to Cabbage for support.

Cabbage shoved a pill into Big Pea’s mouth while grumbling about its weight.

Big Pea also looked at the modified car and let out two “woo woo” sounds.

This Pomelo! With such a powerful skill, why didn’t it mention it sooner?!

Remembering the despicable humans from earlier, Big Pea gnashed its teeth, wishing Pomelo would recover fully right now so they could lead the charge and wipe out the remaining forces in that base.

Carrot gently nudged it. “Woo!”

Pomelo’s still unconscious!

Besides, Pomelo’s berserk skill doesn’t seem to last long and isn’t a universal solution. We need a detailed plan.

After this experience, we can’t afford to be reckless.

Confirming that all the plants in the squad had regained significant energy, Carrot urged everyone into the cars, preparing to return to the base immediately.

The modified cars had been hastily cleaned, showing no signs of the recent battle.

Cactus and Four-Leaf Clover remained the drivers, the two vehicles silently pulling away one after the other.

Qian Hui gazed out the window at the blurring scenery, finally relaxing a little once they had left the immediate area.

He pulled out his Communicator, wanting to send a message to Chili Pepper, but hesitated, fearing it would worry the plants back at the base.

After some deliberation, Qian Hui simply typed, “I’m on my way back.”

Even without Qian Hui’s message, Yuan Ji had already learned of the situation. He personally visited the base to warn the plants to be vigilant and watch for any anomalies.

Upon hearing that Qian Hui and the squad had been attacked, the plants were thrown into a frenzy.

Carnivorous Flower covered Little Mushroom with its leaf and hurried away, while Sweet Pepper darted around frantically, torn between wanting to rush out and rescue Qian Hui immediately and knowing it couldn’t leave the base without authorization.

Chili Pepper nodded to Yuan Ji, acknowledging the warning.

It was also deeply worried and wanted to message Qian Hui to ask if he and the squad plants had been injured.

But the more anxious Chili Pepper became, the blanker its mind grew, struggling to recall even the simplest words.

It tried sending Qian Hui a real-time communication request, but the Communicator displayed a message indicating poor signal on the other end.

Just then, another Communicator in Chili Pepper’s backpack beeped. It pulled it out to check the message.

“How’s work going?”

Chili Pepper pursed its lips and replied with two emoticons: “:(” and “T,T”.

Two seconds later, the screen suddenly lit up with a real-time communication request.

Over the past few days, Chili Pepper and the sender had been in frequent contact, and with both parties remaining in relatively fixed locations, the signal connection had been stable.

After a moment of stunned silence, Chili Pepper instinctively answered the call.

A deliberately nonchalant voice came through the Communicator: “Woo?”