Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

[ A mutated plant near you has entered a Berserk State. Please take cover! (Encyclopedia entry not yet unlocked; source unknown) ]

Qian Hui looked up in confusion, gazing at the distant area outside the base.

The Giant Nut lay prone on the ground, not daring to move.

Feeling the weight on its back and hearing a slightly familiar voice, Nut cautiously glanced upward.

!!

Both bases froze in shock. What was happening?

The attacks that had been simultaneously targeting both bases had all missed their mark, and now so many mutated plants had suddenly appeared.

Carrot held a Communicator, through which Yuan Ji’s voice crackled: “Is… is this your doing?”

His first thought was that the Plant Little Courtyard might have recruited new mutated plants again.

Just like when Big Cherry had intervened, Carrot had once again kept this part of the battle plan hidden from him.

Carrot let out two “woo woo” sounds, indicating it wasn’t responsible.

Perplexed, it picked up its binoculars for a closer look, then its eyes widened.

Wait… no, these were their plants!

Recognizing the familiar pink bandana, Carrot immediately ordered its squad to cease fire, to avoid accidentally harming Timothy and the group of unfamiliar plants.

Immediately after, Qian Hui also approached the wall to investigate.

“That’s…” he exclaimed in astonishment, “Maomao?!”

Seeing the small shadow on Nut’s back, the Timothy entry in the game’s Encyclopedia finally lit up.

However, due to the distance, no Bonded status was displayed.

Simultaneously, a large group of Floral Mutant Plants that had rushed to the scene launched a fierce attack on the Ability User team.

These were clearly experienced combat plants. They had strategically positioned themselves among the roadside ruins, their roles clearly defined and their coordination seamless. In an instant, they breached a gap in the protective net.

The Ability Users scrambled to repair the breach, but the sudden appearance of these mutated plants had caught them completely off guard. The close proximity left them flustered and overwhelmed.

Most critically… for some reason, their attacks kept veering off course as if blown away by the wind.

No matter how they dodged or defended, the plants’ attacks always struck their targets with unerring accuracy.

From atop the Giant Nut, Timothy continuously projected transparent “air” bubbles.

It crouched low, its fluffy tail swaying vigorously as it launched a barrage of Tail Needles.

Both bases quickly adjusted their tactics, using only smaller, less likely-to-cause-collateral-damage ranged attacks.

The dense barrage of Tail Needles, mixed with other attacks, shattered the white defense barrier with a crisp crack.

The opposing side reacted swiftly, parking their modified cars around the perimeter for cover as several Ability Users emerged.

Having consumed potions to amplify their abilities, their muscles bulged, and some grew to over two meters tall.

The four or five members of the defense squad, their abilities exhausted, lay unconscious on the ground, unable to raise the barrier again.

With no defense left, they decided to take the offensive.

The Ability Users charged toward the Floral Mutant Plants in the ruins, while others approached Timothy, attempting to capture it alive.

Timothy vanished in a flash, reappearing instantly to the side.

Leaving the Giant Nut, it prepared to assist its subordinates.

The Nut finally righted itself, its massive body lumbering toward the enemy.

With close-quarters combat imminent, ranged attacks ceased. Both bases fell silent as Carrot continued observing through binoculars.

Bang! Bang! An Ability User shattered one of Peony Flower’s defense barriers. Moving with lightning speed, he reached out to seize Jasmine.

Jasmine couldn’t dodge in time. At the critical moment, a chili pepper seed dart flew past, slicing the Ability User’s wrist.

Though thin and small, the dart’s attack power was formidable. The Ability User recoiled in pain, withdrawing its hand.

As it turned its head, another red blur flashed before its eyes.

Sweet Pepper, masked and with a cold, stern gaze, arrived first, its dagger aimed at the Ability User’s throat.

Several bamboo blades followed closely behind. Little Bamboo Shoot sprinted forward, flanked by Cabbage and Big Peanut, who clenched its fists tightly.

Behind them, several more figures surged forward.

The Giant Carnivorous Flower’s roar echoed through the area. Durian, equipped with magnetic blast weapons, rolled forward with crackling energy. The enlarged Watermelon and Pumpkin, along with other “heavy” mutated plants, joined the fray.

Seeing this overwhelming force, the humans’ faces turned grim.

Almost forgot… even in close combat, they can’t beat these plants.

Cabbage, who had been itching for action, shielded a Windbell Flower and a Gardenia behind it. Its punches were swift and brutal, knocking an Ability User to the ground in a few blows.

The Ability User tried to retaliate, but a cluster of Gardenia’s blossoms struck it, rendering it unconscious.

Though the two Plant Squads had just met, they quickly coordinated, jointly repelling the relentless advance of the Ability Users.

From the side, Giant Nut rolled around, crushing everything in its path. Carnivorous Flower snapped its jaws around a car, lifting it bodily and hurling it into the distance.

Durian spun to dodge a flying wind blade, then charged forward, blasting two or three Ability Users apart.

Lettuce had quietly arrived, hiding at a distance and launching leaf-shaped balls filled with Bewitching Mist. The mist induced hallucinations in Ability Users while also obscuring their vision.

Initially, the Ability User team managed to hold their ground, relying on potion-enhanced strength and Healing Potions to barely stay afloat while retreating.

But as their modified cars were destroyed one after another and team members fell, they could no longer maintain their defense.

Before long, Chili Pepper and Carrot silently appeared.

Confirming that the humans had no reinforcements and the area was sufficiently cleared, the two plants simultaneously unleashed their charged attacks.

With an invisible wave of energy, countless carrot thorns rained down from the sky like raindrops, striking with 100% accuracy.

Explosions erupted in rapid succession. Giant Nut retreated slightly, while Carnivorous Flower and Cabbage swiftly led nearby plants to safety.

When the carrot rain finally ceased and the swirling dust settled, the surrounding area fell into an eerie silence.

Amidst the ruins pockmarked with craters from the explosions, two or three figures still showed signs of life, struggling to rise but lacking the strength.

Sweet Pepper darted forward, pulled out pre-prepared hemp ropes, and bound the survivors—useful for later, perhaps.

Big Peanut pressed close to the Giant Carnivorous Flower, peering around with barely concealed excitement.

Had they… won?

After a moment of silence, a triumphant roar erupted from all the plants, including those back at the base.

Simultaneously, Qian Hui received a game notification:

[ The 19th Faction Conflict has concluded. Congratulations to our faction for securing victory! Reward: 10,000 Prestige Points, 8,000 Faction Points. ]

[ Faction Rankings have been updated! ]

Qian Hui opened the game interface and saw that the Human Faction had plummeted from its previous second-place tie to third, while the Plant Faction remained unchanged.

His heart finally settled, and he eagerly looked toward the plants outside.

Most importantly, Timothy had returned. If Nan Tingjin hadn’t restrained him, Qian Hui would have already slipped out of the base.

“Wait a moment,” Nan Tingjin cautioned. “No need to rush. They’ll come back.”

Meanwhile, the Black Ridge Mountain Base dispatched two teams to clean up the aftermath.

Timothy stared at the newly arrived humans, suppressing the urge to beat them up.

Ah, so the Plant Base is behind the Black Ridge Mountain Base. No wonder they guarded the wrong entrance at first…

Now that the battle was over, the gathered plants automatically dispersed, and over twenty Floral Mutant Plants returned to Timothy’s side.

The Carnivorous Flower maintained its size, while Nut shrank considerably and hurriedly rolled over.

Cabbage and Sweet Pepper were overjoyed. Sweet Pepper tore off its mask and rushed forward to hug Timothy, “Woo woo!”

Timothy dodged disdainfully, flicking out a Tail Needle.

The Tail Needle moved slowly and vanished before reaching Sweet Pepper, showing no intention of harming it.

Sweet Pepper, understanding Timothy’s temperament, wisely stopped in its tracks, feeling slightly wronged. “Woo…”

Lettuce and Carrot also hurried over. Lettuce asked curiously, “Woo?”

When did you arrive? Timothy said last time it would consider it, so I thought…

Timothy snorted, its tail swishing back and forth. “Woo.”

I knew those blockheads at the base couldn’t handle this. I had to come help myself.

Of course, Timothy had no intention of joining the base and was already planning to return.

“Woo?”

Return? Cabbage couldn’t believe it. After coming all this way, why go back now?

Carrot offered a few words of persuasion, reminding Timothy that Qian Hui was at the base. “At least go see him,” it urged.

Timothy remained silent, casting a furtive glance toward the base as if seriously considering it.

Just then, the communicator in Chili Pepper’s backpack crackled to life with Qian Hui’s voice.

The communicator was set to real-time communication. Qian Hui spoke urgently, “There’s a Zombie King nearby! Get back here now!”

The game interface on his screen displayed a new notification:

[ Zombie King detected, ID: 02 ]

Qian Hui couldn’t spot the Zombie King in his line of sight and couldn’t confirm if it was the same one that had chased Lettuce earlier.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Little Bamboo Shoot, standing guard on the perimeter, sensed a faint whiff of danger and immediately alerted the group.

The plants reacted swiftly. Carnivorous Flower swung its flower stalk, tightly shielding the group.

Timothy’s eyes narrowed with alertness as it unceremoniously leaped onto Carnivorous Flower’s head.

Scanning the distance, it spotted over a dozen zombies converging, their intent to advance toward them unmistakable. It was unclear whether they had been drawn by the commotion or had been lurking nearby all along.

Lettuce frantically waved its leaves and woo woo-ed, urging everyone to retreat to the base immediately.

The battle had drained most of the plants’ energy. Carrot and Timothy had both used their charged attacks.

The base’s defense system offered far greater security than staying outside.

Moreover, any Zombie King appearing in the vicinity was likely a Giant Corpse.

Lettuce still shuddered at the memory of being chased all the way back last time, and it worried the Giant Corpse might have brought a Zombie Horde for a surprise attack.

Timothy hesitated, perched atop the Carnivorous Flower’s head.

The group of Floral Mutant Plants it had brought remained motionless, exchanging glances as they awaited their leader’s command.

Sweet Pepper, however, couldn’t wait any longer. Donning its mask, it stealthily approached from behind.

Seizing the opportunity, it scooped up Timothy and bolted toward the base, shouting, “Woo!”

Hurry!

I’m risking getting beat up! I can’t hold on for long!

Timothy, a head shorter than Sweet Pepper, was pinned tightly in its arms, its tail flailing wildly and slapping Sweet Pepper’s face.

Seeing their leader being “kidnapped” so abruptly, the twenty-odd plants froze in place, stunned.

In truth, they had long suspected that their leader’s relationship with the Plant Base was unusual.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have stolen a human vehicle and driven through the night to come help.

Peony Flower pulled Carrot, pointed in a direction, and said they had another companion over there who needed to be picked up as well.

Carrot nodded and instructed the remaining plants to return to the base.

It pulled out a sharp carrot thorn, took Peony Flower with it, and glided into the air.

The remaining plants followed Carnivorous Flower and Nut, heading back towards the base.

As they approached the base, four Flyers zipped overhead with a whooshing sound.

Potato, with a Mimosa leaf stuck to its face, led the way, heading in the direction indicated by Mimosa to scout ahead.

Seeing the zombies still clustered in the distance, it immediately launched several bombs.

The other three Flyers joined the attack, instantly felling more than half of the dozen or so zombies.

But these appeared to be low-grade zombies, posing little threat.

Potato gazed further into the distance. Beside it, Corn opened the transparent cockpit canopy, faintly detecting an even stronger zombie stench.

Beyond lay a wasteland, part of an adjacent low-to-medium-risk zone, dotted with abandoned buildings that had yet to be cleared.

The dozen or so zombies below were quickly dispatched. Potato was about to turn back when suddenly, a boulder larger than the Flyer’s cockpit hurtled through the air with tremendous force, smashing directly toward the airborne craft.

The Flyer narrowly dodged, but the edge of its side was struck.

With a thud, a small section of the edge caved in. The Flyer wobbled briefly before stabilizing in mid-air.

Corn, shocked and furious, immediately launched several corn balls toward the ground.

However, they couldn’t pinpoint the boulder’s origin, let alone spot the attacker’s hiding place.

The four Flyers circled the area, encountering no further attacks or zombies.

Confirming temporary safety, all the Flyers returned to base.

After the plants departed, an exceptionally tall figure rose from the ruins in the distance, its gaze fixed intently on the Plant Base.

—

Qian Hui waited anxiously, finally seeing Sweet Pepper and Timothy return first.

Sweet Pepper charged through the base gate, dropped Timothy, and immediately slipped away.

Timothy looked up, only to find that detestable, fat Pepper had already vanished into hiding.

It angrily flicked its tail, then surveyed the base with a critical eye.

Hmm… not bad, actually.

The environment was decent, the walls were neatly constructed, and the ground was quite clean…

The base covered a vast area, surrounded by various unfamiliar plants, all appearing healthy and well-fed, unlike those starved for days.

“Woo!”

Timothy turned to see Sunflower and Little Mushroom approaching.

Little Mushroom stood atop Big Cherry’s head, who bounced forward, while Sunflower trailed a few steps behind.

As Big Cherry drew near, Little Mushroom leaped down onto the grass and pounced on Timothy, wrapping it in a tight hug.

Timothy flicked its tail but didn’t pull away.

Overjoyed, Little Mushroom tried to pull Timothy toward Qian Hui, but they were immediately intercepted by Pomelo.

Pomelo rolled over, pushing aside the leaves blocking its view.

It gazed at Timothy, sniffed, and its eyes grew misty.

Timothy: ?

Why does it look like it’s about to cry just from seeing me? Our relationship hasn’t been great these past few years, has it?

Pomelo approached Timothy with soft whimpers, and Timothy hesitated for a moment before reaching out to pat Pomelo’s head.

“Woo woo…”

Pomelo couldn’t explain how panicked it had been earlier. Its energy-charging attack had suddenly surged to 95% completion, and it could feel it was just a hair’s breadth away from unleashing it. But alas, it couldn’t quite manage it.

“Woo woo…” Thank goodness Timothy was back.

After calming down, Pomelo quietly slipped away.

“Maomao…”

Footsteps approached from ahead. Timothy looked up and was immediately pulled into a warm embrace.

“Maomao!” Qian Hui exclaimed, his voice filled with joy and relief as he pulled out some pills. “How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?”

[ Bonded: Special-Grade Mutated Plant “Timothy”! ]

[ Timothy’s Loyalty has increased significantly, reaching 100%! ]

Timothy wagged its tail in Qian Hui’s arms and tugged at its headscarf.

As if I could ever get hurt!

It buried its face in Qian Hui’s palm, sniffing, before reluctantly swallowing a few pills.

Soon after, Carnivorous Flower and the other plants gradually returned to the base. Carrot and Peony Flower were back too, along with White Hydrangea, who had been retrieved from outside.

Led by Timothy, the twenty-odd plants emerged from the maze mist and entered the base, curiously surveying their surroundings.

White Hydrangea clutched a small bundle to its chest, spotted Timothy, and darted over.

It also noticed Qian Hui, cautiously studying him and his… silver hair.

Huh? White Hydrangea thought in surprise, secretly touching its own white petals.

Sweet Pepper casually appeared, hiding behind Chili Pepper, afraid Timothy would come over and scold it.

Qian Hui sat on the grass, Chili Pepper standing beside him, noticing the Communicator in his pocket.

This mysterious plant had recently shown great concern for the base’s safety, even requesting real-time communication and offering to help.

Remembering this, Chili Pepper thought it would be a good idea to send a message assuring the plant of their safety and subtly hinting at the base’s formidable strength.

It tugged at Qian Hui’s sleeve, let out a few “woo woo” sounds, and successfully obtained the Communicator, pulling Sweet Pepper aside.

Carefully choosing its words, Chili Pepper sent a message: “Mission complete. We’re safe.”

The moment it pressed send, a second later, the Communicator vibrated nearby, signaling an incoming message.

Chili Pepper and Sweet Pepper turned to see White Hydrangea pulling an old Communicator from its bundle.

The two Peppers stared wide-eyed as White Hydrangea held out the Communicator to Timothy, who was nestled in Qian Hui’s arms.