NOVPUB
Chapter 86: Chapter 86 Mutant Plant
"Brother Han, where are we heading?" Yan Xiao asked from the car, wiping his hands. 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Pinggu District, can’t you read a map?" The one who answered him was Xiao Jian.
"I was just curious about why we’re going to that district..."
"Lu chose it, it’s all written on the back of the map." Xiao Jian tossed him a map, "Pinggu District is also an emerging development area, developed earlier and faster than Huaihe Development Zone. There are two large, mature hospitals, it’s just that it’s further from the base, so there’s a high likelihood it hasn’t been scavenged yet."
Yan Xiao flipped the atlas back and forth, trying to locate the specific position of the hospitals, when suddenly the car lurched—
"Ouch! Xiao Jian, what crappy driving skills!" Yan Xiao cursed while holding his forehead.
"Might have run over something." Xiao Jian frowned slightly, his expression puzzled. Such a big bump would imply the wheel had run over something quite large, but he had not seen any obstacles in front of them just now.
Yan Xiao was about to seize the chance to tease Xiao Jian when, out of nowhere, the vehicle was lifted into the air! A thick vine had encircled the HUMVEE, hoisting it up!
Yan Xiao’s face turned pale, and he shot a massive flame out of his hand towards the outside!
The vine was instantly burnt through, creating a large hole! It retracted swiftly! The HUMVEE was flung into the air for over a dozen meters before it fell back to the ground with a bang!
"Drive, drive!!" Yan Xiao regained his composure and yelled at Xiao Jian.
Xiao Jian swiftly turned the steering wheel; the vehicle nearly executed a 180-degree turn and sped away from that stretch of road with a slam on the accelerator!
They sped a long distance before everyone finally relaxed, seeing no sign of pursuit.
Han Jiaojiao peeked out from Han Yi’s embrace and touched the back of his head and back, "Brother, are you hurt?"
If Han Yi hadn’t shielded her just now, her head would have definitely smashed against the roof of the car, if not fractured at least swollen into a big lump.
Han Yi shook his head, but his tone was severely grim. "My spiritual power didn’t sense it."
"It’s a Mutant Plant," Han Jiaojiao explained to him. "Mutant Plants don’t have heartbeats or body heat; even if Mental Search detects it, it can’t distinguish it properly and will just treat it like a normal plant."
Sitting beside them, Bai Kairui spoke, still shaken, "Lucky we switched cars. If we were in the previous one, that hit would have smashed it to pieces."
Yan Xiao couldn’t stop looking behind the car; the recent shock was too intense. They had always been acting with a plan and preparations, and even when unexpected situations arose, Han Yi and Lu Changyuan would be in command. However, this kind of sudden attack was a first for them, and one moment of being caught off guard could mean death!
"Don’t worry, it won’t chase us," Han Jiaojiao said with certainty. "Mutant Plants have just become more aggressive and variable than other plants; at their core, they are still plants. They don’t think, they just instinctively attack living things nearby, and once rooted in a spot, they don’t move unless someone digs them up."
"Nobody would be that despicable, right..." Yan Xiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling too weak to retort to Han Jiaojiao’s words.
Han Jiaojiao pursed her lips, her smile ambiguous.
In the previous life, there really were quite a few people who did this kind of thing. Some private bases, due to a lack of armed forces, dug up seedling Mutant Plants and planted them near their bases. They wanted to use them to fight the Alien Species, but they forgot that Mutant Plants grow. The deeper their roots burrow, the further their attack range, and the roots buried deep underground are invisible. Soon, the bases were besieged by the very Mutant Plants they had planted themselves. By then, it was too late for any remedy; they could only abandon their bases and leave.
"Anyway, we just need to be careful in the future," Jiaojiao concluded.
After all, it was an apocalyptic world fraught with dangers. Being cautious was always the right move. Everyone agreed with Jiaojiao’s words and were accustomed to her familiar understanding of the post-apocalyptic world. They didn’t ask further but chose to believe her.
When they were close to their destination, they encountered several wandering Mutant Beasts. Although Mutant Beasts are very aggressive, they’re not stupid. They only attack creatures that are smaller than themselves or not much stronger, such as mutated mice. Seeing humans, Mutant Beasts would still run away instead of attacking. However, if it were a group of Mutant Rats, that would be different.
The several they encountered appeared to be mutants of stray cats and dogs, larger in size. But as soon as the engine of the HUMVEE roared, these Mutant Beasts scattered in fear without the need for them to lift a finger.
Perhaps the recent scare from Mutant Plants was too great because, watching those fleeing Mutant Beasts, Yan Xiao actually found them somewhat cute. He couldn’t help but lament, "Times are tough... Humans mutate, animals mutate, plants mutate, but thankfully insects haven’t mutated. Otherwise, how would we survive?"
Han Jiaojiao leaned her head on Han Yi’s body and pondered for a moment before saying, "Yeah, why haven’t insects mutated?"
Han Yi pinched her soft little face, "Aquatic creatures haven’t mutated either."
"Could it be related to the type of host bodies these microorganisms choose?" Bai Kairui said, scratching his head as if he was onto something. "It’s like, some diseases are only contracted by people and animals. For example... you never see flies or mosquitoes sneezing with colds, and fish don’t catch colds, right?"
"But plants don’t catch colds either, yet now they’ve mutated?" Yan Xiao countered.
Han Jiaojiao thought of another possibility and said, "Is it possible that the microorganisms infecting plants are different from those infecting Mutant Alien Beasts? There’s a theory that viruses can grow and evolve, right? Maybe it’s just a plant disease that underwent a mutation while being transmitted to other life forms?"
Yan Xiao shook his head weakly, "Who knows... Sigh, perhaps in a hundred or eighty years, some great scientist will know the answer. Anyway, I won’t be alive to see that day."
They chatted casually for a bit, not too concerned about the truth. After all, the world had already changed to this state. What mattered most was how to survive better. The secrets of mutation could be left to great scientists.
Xiao Jian started the engine and continued driving.
At the intersection entering Pinggu District, one could see the clear traces of a large troop’s retreat. Various bags and luggage were scattered on the ground. Some bags were torn open by some animal, their cotton fillings pulled out, creating a mess. Mutant Rats searching for food inside the luggage scurried away upon hearing the roar of the vehicle.
Han Yi asked Xiao Jian to stop the car because the urban area was crawling with too many Alien Species. To avoid awakening them, they had to proceed on foot.
This move might be extremely risky, for they were entering a city inhabited by numerous Alien Species without an armored vehicle for protection.
But it might also go very smoothly because from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon, Alien Species were in the deepest part of their sleep and least likely to awake. As long as they didn’t make too much noise, they could make a safe exit.
It would take about twenty minutes to walk to the hospital, their destination. A round trip meant forty minutes. Counting the time to search the hospital for supplies, this meant they would be staying in this place for at least an hour. In such a lengthy period, anything could happen.
——It was mid-November, and yet the sun burnt like it was the peak of summer. Not a single breeze stirred in the silent city. On the empty streets, only five figures slowly made their way forward.
