Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Extra 5

Extra 5 – The Old “Job”

Nut hopped closer, and the surrounding plants immediately gathered around.

Taro exclaimed in surprise, barely recognizing it, thinking it was a new plant that had just arrived at the base.

Cactus touched Nut’s little grass-woven outfit, then touched its own armor.

I like it… I wonder if making it thicker would cover my thorns.

The grass-woven outfit fit perfectly, clearly custom-made for Nut. A row of delicate grass-woven buttons, also detachable, ran down its chest.

Nut stood upright, eyes fixed ahead, accepting the plants’ scrutiny.

Nearby, Cabbage praised Little Cabbage’s craftsmanship, noting how its skills were constantly improving. From simple grass-woven blankets to Lettuce’s several lounge chairs, it could now even make clothes.

Little Cabbage scratched its head sheepishly. In truth, it hadn’t made everything alone; Soft Vine and Morning Glory had helped.

Timothy approached, scrutinizing Nut’s new outfit with interest.

Nut glanced sideways and silently edged backward, looking slightly nervous.

Fortunately, Timothy merely circled around once before turning and walking away, showing no intention of snatching the outfit.

White Hydrangea followed behind, asking solicitously, “Woo?”

Boss, this looks simple! I can do it too!

Timothy wagged its tail and nodded.

But I don’t want such an ugly color. We can use strips of cloth for headbands, and it would be even better if we sewed some flowers onto them.

White Hydrangea carefully noted the instructions. “Woo!”

Durian led the Little Bitter Gourds on their morning run, and they stopped together to wait for a while, but the Small Wooden Cabin showed no signs of opening.

Since their run wasn’t finished, they prepared to leave again. Durian waved goodbye to Carrot.

The nine Little Bitter Gourds lined up in three rows, wearing miniature hats made from Durian thorns, chanting slogans as they followed behind Durian.

Last time, the Little Bitter Gourds had unleashed a stored-energy attack, clearing away massive piles of corpses and filth in one go. Exhausted, they had needed a long period of rest and recovery.

Durian had taken charge of caring for them, even obtaining many pills and Evolution Liquid from Qian Hui.

However, the Little Bitter Gourds were still low-grade. Although their defense Skill Points were maxed out, their bodies remained frail, possibly due to their previous diet of nutrient-poor food.

In the end, Durian decided on the simplest approach: eating meals with the Little Bitter Gourds, waking up early and going to bed early, and exercising together daily.

Before long, Durian and the nine Little Bitter Gourds had drifted further apart. The Little Bitter Gourds’ vibrant green bodies blended seamlessly with the grass, leaving only nine tiny yellow caps visible.

Mango strolled around, accepted a half-eaten biscuit crumb from Little Mushroom, and chewed thoughtfully while scanning the surrounding plants, wondering who would make a good sparring partner today.

The base now housed over a hundred plants, and Mango hadn’t even learned all their names yet.

Plus, Little Mushroom and Little Succulent were always dragging it away from fights, so it had only managed to…

Mango lowered its head and began counting on its fingers.

Midway through its calculations, footsteps echoed from the Small Wooden Cabin, and the door finally swung open.

Whoosh—

Sweet Pepper arrived just in time, and Nut leaped forward, positioning itself where Qian Hui was sure to see it.

Qian Hui stood in the doorway, his gaze immediately drawn to Nut’s new outfit.

He exclaimed in surprise, then crouched down for a closer look, as if recognizing Nut. He reached out and gently touched Nut’s exposed forehead with his fingertip.

Nut froze, then leaned closer. Qian Hui scooped it up and stroked the leafy garment.

Seeing this, the other plants quickly gathered around.

They all noticed that Qian Hui was different from yesterday. He no longer wanted to “eat” plants.

Pineapple and Strawberry, who had made a bet earlier, exchanged glances. Neither of them had guessed correctly, so they swapped the snacks in their hands.

Seeing Qian Hui had recovered significantly, Carrot breathed a sigh of relief. Sunflower raised its leaf and gently brushed the back of Qian Hui’s hand with concern.

However, he seemed to have only recovered halfway. The constant hunger of a zombie was gone, but he still didn’t seem to remember the plants.

Carrot looked over again and saw Qian Hui holding Carnivorous Flower in his arms, carefully feeling its teeth and curiously examining its mouth.

Carnivorous Flower opened its mouth wide, not daring to move.

It wasn’t until Nan Tingjin walked out that he rescued Carnivorous Flower from Qian Hui’s grasp.

Nan Tingjin took the wooden box Little Cabbage offered, fed Qian Hui half a piece of pastry, and led him to the dining hall.

During breakfast, the plants discovered that Qian Hui could now speak, though his reactions were still slow and he only spoke to Nan Tingjin.

Nan Tingjin asked if he wanted water, and Qian Hui mumbled, “No…”

When he saw the red bean cake in Big Pea’s hand, he turned his head to look at it several times. Nan Tingjin asked again, “Do you want to eat that?”

Qian Hui nodded obediently. “Mm.”

Qian Hui still needed Nan Tingjin to feed him, nibbling small bites of pastry from Nan Tingjin’s hand.

Remembering Qian Hui’s fondness for fried egg pancakes, Sweet Pepper offered him half a piece, which Nan Tingjin also fed him.

Sweet Pepper watched from the side, feeling a twinge of displeasure. But given Qian Hui’s current condition, Nan Tingjin was better suited to care for him.

It turned back to its seat, just in time to overhear Big Pea and Lettuce whispering.

Big Pea suggested they couldn’t play yesterday’s game anymore. Maybe they should tell Qian Hui about their past together. That might help him remember them and recover faster.

Carrot, who was also present, stroked its chin thoughtfully.

“That could work,” Carrot said. “Back at the Plant Little Courtyard, Qian Hui spent the most time with us.”

And before that…

Wait, why did that thought suddenly come to mind?

Wasn’t the Plant Little Courtyard where we first met Qian Hui?

Carrot was puzzled but temporarily dismissed the thought.

Sweet Pepper immediately chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically. “Excellent! Especially if it keeps Nan Tingjin out!”

Lettuce sat nearby, stroking the leaf on its head. “Woo.”

This is easy! Just leave it to me!

After the meal, several plants gathered together, whispering among themselves.

Timothy, having eaten and drunk his fill, prepared to return to the mountain when Lettuce rushed over to stop him.

Hearing Lettuce’s plan, Timothy’s tail swayed back and forth. “Hmph.”

Qian Hui followed Nan Tingjin out of the dining hall, accompanied by several other plants, for a stroll around the base before returning to their cabin to rest.

About two hours later, Nan Tingjin’s Communicator beeped.

He pulled it out and saw a message from Chili Pepper.

Qian Hui leaned against him, peering over his shoulder.

After a moment’s consideration, Nan Tingjin took Qian Hui’s hand. “Want to go out and take a look?”

He added, “Just outside the base. Not far.”

Qian Hui looked puzzled, thought for a moment, then nodded. “Mm…”

Nan Tingjin led Qian Hui to the base gate, where Four-Leaf Clover’s modified car was already waiting. They climbed in, and the car drove off.

Several other plants were in the car. As they left, Qian Hui noticed many more gathered along the perimeter wall, but Carnivorous Flower and Carrot were conspicuously absent.

Sitting by the window, Qian Hui gazed outside. The modified car didn’t venture far from the base, stopping in an open area just around the corner.

The car door swung open, and Sweet Pepper leaped in excitedly, nuzzling Qian Hui’s hand.

Behind them, the remaining ten special-grade mutated plants were all present. Big Pea waved from the back, “Woo!”

Qian Hui, led by Sweet Pepper, stepped out of the car and saw a large group of zombies standing motionless in the open space.

Over twenty zombies stood with their heads bowed, their limbs occasionally twitching.

Overwhelmed by the sight, Qian Hui instinctively hid behind Nan Tingjin, clinging to his back.

Nan Tingjin reassured him, “Don’t be afraid. They can’t hurt you.”

The zombies had been captured by the plants from outside the base. Most were low-grade and controlled by Lettuce’s Bewitching Mist.

Nearby, the plants that hadn’t left the base lined the walls, several even climbing onto Rubber Tree’s head, all eager to see what was happening.

A Zombie Horde, eleven special-grade mutated plants… So…

Lettuce was trying to recreate its old “job”—staging a zombie invasion, but with a twist!

This was what Chili Pepper had mentioned in its message. After hearing Nan Tingjin and Sunflower’s explanation, Qian Hui seemed to remember something, a faint flicker of anticipation appearing in his eyes.

In the open space, Carrot had ringed a large area with its sharp thorns.

The surrounding area had been cleared, and Lettuce had even sprinkled water infused with Peony Flower petals on the zombies to mask their scent.

Little Mushroom was there too, perched atop Carnivorous Flower’s head, waving vigorously at Qian Hui.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Qian Hui followed Sweet Pepper forward. Nan Tingjin remained rooted to the spot, watching silently as he had the day before.

The Zombie Horde had been divided into five groups, each controlled by Lettuce. With all preparations complete, eleven special-grade mutated plants stood in their designated positions.

Little Mushroom hid among Carnivorous Flower’s leaves, while Cabbage and Nut took the front row. Big Pea, Carrot, and Lettuce formed the middle line.

Behind them stood Sunflower and the languid Lazy Cat’s Tail Grass, while Pomelo, draped in leaves, stood alone in a corner.

Sweet Pepper led Qian Hui to the “entrance,” then tilted its head back and wrapped its leafy arms around his hand, letting out soft “woo woo” sounds to reassure him. Don’t be afraid, it seemed to say. The zombies are docile from the Bewitching Mist. Just act as you always do; they won’t accidentally hurt you.

Sunflower had already explained what Qian Hui needed to do, and he seemed to understand.

Qian Hui crouched down, took Sweet Pepper’s leafy hand in his, and nodded obediently. “Mm-hmm.”

Sweet Pepper darted away to join Cabbage.

As the assassin, it had no fixed position, specializing in delivering the final blow wherever needed.

The other plants had agreed to hold back their full strength, just like before. Otherwise, the massive Zombie Horde would be wiped out in seconds.

After a moment, Carrot gave Lettuce a nod, signaling it was time to begin.

Lettuce focused its energy, using the Bewitching Mist to guide the five zombies forward.

According to the original plan, Qian Hui was supposed to join them too. Once he safely reached the plants, he would simply observe from the sidelines.

Seeing the five zombies approach, Qian Hui still felt a twinge of fear, but curiosity and excitement won out. He mustered his courage and stepped into the carrot thorn-enclosed area.

As the zombies entered their “territory,” the plants sprang into action.

Carrot thorns were tossed one by one, Big Pea yawned, Lettuce concentrated on controlling the zombies, and Timothy simply basked in the sun.

Carrot deliberately controlled its aim, trying to prevent the five zombies from dying too quickly.

Qian Hui was safe on his side. He walked slowly for a while, then saw a zombie tilt its head and collapse, seemingly frightened. He panicked and ran to Carnivorous Flower in one breath.

Cabbage hesitated, wanting to say something, but decided against it. Oh well… it’s all the same anyway.

Carnivorous Flower quickly shielded Qian Hui behind it. Little Mushroom popped out from the leaf on its chest and nimbly hopped onto Qian Hui’s shoulder.

By the time the first wave of zombies approached, only two remained. One was blocked by Nut, who had grown several times larger, while Sweet Pepper stabbed it a few times with a small knife.

The other zombie approached Cabbage. With a swift punch, Cabbage sent the zombie crashing to the ground.

Nut stared wide-eyed. Cabbage scratched its head sheepishly.

Ahem, I accidentally used too much force… I’ll be gentler next time.