Nanting Jin stared at Qianhuan for a moment before softly saying, "Alright." The carnivorous flower, still waiting for Qianhuan to return for breakfast, grew impatient and crept closer to see what the two were doing. Even in its shrunken state, the advanced mutant plant exuded a formidable presence. It glared at Nanting Jin and nibbled on Qianhuan's sleeve. A hint of impatience flashed in Nanting Jin's eyes, but he finally let go when Qianhuan pushed him away. The carnivorous flower, now wary of Nanting Jin, grumbled and nibbled at Qianhuan's clothes. Knowing it was hungry, Qianhuan picked it up and headed back to the（Under the tree）. After he left, Nanting Jin's communicator buzzed faintly. Checking the message, he saw it was from the base: "Zombie King spotted in the northern district. Three missions have been assigned." The appearance of the Zombie King would inevitably lead to an onslaught on nearby bases. While Black Ridge Base was secure, smaller neighboring bases were at risk. A few years earlier, the three major bases had established new laws: in times of crisis, humans and mutants were forbidden from harming or ignoring their own kind, under penalty of judgment and punishment. In other words, if Black Ridge Base received a mission, they were obliged to send help unless they lacked the capability. However, the higher the difficulty of the mission, the greater the reward in terms of bounty and supplies—and they wouldn't lose out. The Zombie King was notoriously hard to defeat, and the base had immediately contacted Nanting Jin, hoping he would return quickly. After reading the message, the four-person team outside the forest sent a follow-up inquiry: should they return to base or continue capturing the carnivorous flower? Nanting Jin didn't reply and simply turned off his communicator.
Meanwhile, Qianhuan had prepared the food, feeding the carnivorous flower a few bites before scattering biscuits for other nearby plants. To prevent fights over the food, he placed the broken pieces at different spots. A familiar (Money Tree) peeked out, its loyalty now at 30%, a gentle(mutant plant) specializing in defense. Qianhuan patted its leaves and said, "Hello." The Money Tree had learned its lesson after being snubbed by the carnivorous flower last time; it now knew Qianhuan was the one in charge. It eagerly accepted the food, rubbing its head against Qianhuan's palm. Suddenly, a potato rolled down from the tree, followed by a puff of smoke from the grass. The potato flipped over and reached out a hand for food. "It's you again…" Qianhuan remembered it had stolen his biscuits before and snorted. Recalling the previous guide about the potato's preferences, he bought a piece of fruit candy from the store. The potato had never seen such a thing and curiously sniffed it before licking a bite. Its beady eyes lit up, and it sat down next to Qianhuan, its loyalty instantly rising to 30%. Happy with the result, Qianhuan gently touched the potato's head.
Farther away, Chili perched on a tree, secretly observing. Too far to see clearly, it guessed that Qianhuan was being bothered by freeloaders again—plants that didn't hunt for themselves but shamelessly begged for food. Yet Qianhuan was always too soft-hearted. Chili decided to watch a little longer, at least until Little Cabbage woke up…
At that moment, Qianhuan stood up and hurried toward the tree where his backpack lay. He carefully lifted out a glowing green ball. The ball stretched and unfolded its leaves as Chili climbed higher to get a better look. Was Little Cabbage really awake? Qianhuan received a game prompt: "Mini Cabbage has unlocked advanced skills!" Opening his backpack, he confirmed Little Cabbage had awakened. Its size remained the same, but its leafy shell had turned greener, and it yawned before recognizing Qianhuan, hugging his finger affectionately. Qianhuan touched its slender leaf-arms: "How do you feel? You slept for so long." Little Cabbage tilted its head, then suddenly spoke. It jumped onto the grass, swaying its body. Then it shed its "cabbage shell," which looked almost identical to its body but lacked limbs and was hollow inside. Little Cabbage proudly presented its shell to Qianhuan: "What's this…" Qianhuan carefully examined it, referencing his guidebook:
Species: Mini Cabbage
Level: Low (Household Assistant)
Status: Healthy
Loyalty: 90%
Basic Skills: Stealth (50 seconds)
Advanced Skills: Invisibility (50 seconds)/Invisible Fortress (8 hours while safe)
Rage Skill: Unknown
Career: Support
Career Level: Beginner
Skill Points: Attack 0 Defense 10 Speed 0
The suffix on Little Cabbage's level changed from "cute and docile" to "household assistant," and its suggested career no longer included "assassin." The "invisible fortress" puzzled Qianhuan until Little Cabbage approached, patted its shell, and caused it to expand. Within minutes, a 1.5-meter-diameter giant cabbage stood before them. Qianhuan marveled, circling the shell and touching its hard, leafy surface. Little Cabbage followed, proudly leading him inside. The interior was clean and cozy, with leaves forming a seamless roof and a soft, white-furred lining. There was enough space for a person to sleep, and Qianhuan spent a while exploring before Little Cabbage emerged, inviting him inside with a wave.
Mini Cabbage's advanced skill activated: Ensure the fortress is placed in a safe location. If touched or attacked by other creatures, invisibility will fail.
Inside, Little Cabbage rolled around, and from its mouth emerged a glowing finger-sized cabbage light. Qianhuan picked it up, enchanted by its brightness. He praised Little Cabbage, who blushed and climbed onto his shoulder. Soft Vine and the carnivorous flower were also inside the shell, with Soft Vine tying the cabbage light to a leaf. The carnivorous flower watched Little Cabbage curiously. When Little Cabbage accidentally rolled into it, it froze in fear, but Qianhuan scooped them both up, reassuring it, "Xiao Zi is an old friend; don't be afraid." Meanwhile, (Chili) nearly panicked while watching from a distance. It couldn't tell what had happened—Little Cabbage had turned into a giant cabbage and then vanished with Qianhuan. Fearing discovery by Nanting Jin, Chili sighed and prepared to leave.
Qianhuan lay in the shell for a while before stepping out, only to see Nanting Jin standing nearby. Excited, he asked, "Want to come in?" Nanting Jin glanced at the wary carnivorous flower and the timid Little Cabbage hiding in Qianhuan's clothes, replying, "No need." Qianhuan sat at the "doorway," flipping through the game interface. He finally understood its mechanics and wished he could evolve all his plants at once to boost their strength and reduce the threat from humans and zombies. However, with so many unfamiliar plants in the forest, he needed a plan. The game mentioned a 30% chance to evolve new skills through feeding, and 100% success required purchasing an "Evolution Water" for 3,000 credits—more than Qianhuan could afford without careful planning. He also needed to save up for resurrection beans and couldn't spend recklessly. After some thought, he decided to focus on completing missions first.
Qianhuan emerged from the shell, which shrank back to its normal size. He packed Little Cabbage and the shell into his pocket and approached Nanting Jin. "I'm going to kill some zombies today," he said, his eyes sparkling. "Will you come with me?" With his delicate features and innocent red eyes, he looked like he was asking to go sunbathe. Nanting Jin was silent for a moment before replying, "Alright." He stepped closer and asked, "Have you thought it through?" "What do you mean…" Qianhuan hesitated, then realized Nanting Jin was referring to their earlier conversation about moving to the human base. In his imagination, Nanting Jin had a new "stone cottage" and wanted to invite him to live there. Curious, Qianhuan asked, "Where is your… base?" Nanting Jin pointed in a direction, and Qianhuan marked it on his map, saying, "I'll think about it and let you know later." Nanting Jin pressed, "When?" "Tonight?" Qianhuan considered the number of zombies in the forest, the time needed to complete the next main mission, and visiting the last known location of Carrot. If things went quickly, he might go in a few days—or negotiate with Nanting Jin for a different time. With a hint of cunning, Qianhuan reached out to take Nanting Jin's hand: "Okay?" Nanting Jin looked down, patiently replying, "Alright."
The two set off together. Qianhuan led the way, carrying the carnivorous flower and with Soft Vine trailing behind, while Little Cabbage nestled in his pocket. Nanting Jin kept a few steps behind. From a distance,(Chili) watched them leave, its mood growing more complicated. It sighed, shouldered its backpack, and glanced back at Qianhuan's retreating figure before turning to leave. It was nearly noon, the time when plants usually ventured out to bask in the sun or hunt zombies. As a newcomer,(Chili) encountered many plants trying to steal its backpack. It growled fiercely to scare them away, protecting its belongings as it fled. After a while, the sunlight grew less harsh, and (Chili) slowed its pace. It had no clear destination, but logic dictated it should stay as far away as possible. However, it couldn't shake the feeling that someone was after the carnivorous flower. If they found it, the humans were well-prepared. And with Nanting Jin—an unpredictable variable—it was too risky. Reluctantly,(Chili) decided to retreat further, ensuring it wouldn't be detected while keeping an eye on the humans' movements.