Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 11
The black, massive modified car stood like a silent beast, quietly waiting in place.
A sneaky little grass peeked its head out from beside the tire.
The car was too big for Ji Jiu’s current size.
There are no difficult tasks, only brave little grass!
Ji Jiu rolled up his leaves and waved his thin white roots as he climbed up bit by bit.
The black mist opened a gap in the car window, and Ji Jiu fell onto the steering wheel with a soft thud, motionless.
Only when he heard voices did he crawl with his two small roots acting as legs and hide in a corner of the car.
His three-centimeter figure was so small that it was hard to be found once he hid.
As the voices got closer, the conversation became clearer.
“Chief Si, I’m here on behalf of the institute to deliver something to you,” a young man with thick black-framed glasses approached with a bunch of nutrient solutions.
Ji Jiu heard Si Yin Yuan respond with a low voice.
He secretly adjusted his posture to a more comfortable one inside the car.
Yu Fei Chen scratched his head. “Thanks, you’re Hu Yan’s assistant, right? What’s your name…”
An embarrassed expression appeared on his face, and in the end, he couldn’t recall it and could only show an apologetic expression.
Chen Ke smiled and said, “I’m Chen Ke. It’s okay, I’ve always been quite unnoticed.”
The institute director’s health had been deteriorating day by day, and Hu Yan had begun taking over some of his tasks. Recently, he was busy to the point of not touching the ground, and the day he helped Ji Jiu check his memories was the least busy day. It was only then that everyone noticed this assistant who had always been helping around Hu Yan.
Rumeng, who was on this mission with them, asked curiously, “Why is chief Si’s nutrient solution pink?”
She looked at the very girly nutrient solution with envy and astonishment.
Si Yin Yuan put the nutrient solution into the car’s trunk and his golden eyes flickered slightly as he replied, “It’s for the little one at home.”
Due to the unique nature of her awakened ability, Rumeng spent fourteen hours of the day in sleep, leaving little time to pay attention to other trivial matters. Naturally, she hadn’t heard the latest gossip within the Association—the one about Ji Jiu.
She exclaimed in shock, “Chief Si, you have children?”
Before anyone else could react, she lowered her head and murmured to herself, “Could it be that I slept for half a year, and it’s already 2026?”
She was abruptly awakened in the middle of her sleep this morning and called for the mission.
The “Dream Garden” was a very special mission. It had been an A-rank mission half a year ago, but it was urgently upgraded to an S-rank mission after a powerful high-ranking awakened individual and his companion disappeared inside and never returned.
Si Yin Yuan had called her along with the hope that her ability, “Dream Invasion,” would be helpful at critical moments, but he didn’t rely entirely on her.
No one could catch a glimpse of the true nature of the Dream Garden. Its edges were blurred, as if covered by a layer of pink smoke. According to the only hunter who had escaped from the Dream Garden half a year ago, once someone entered, both mutants and humans would fall into a deep sleep, their faces showing relaxed and happy expressions as if they were having a sweet dream. Slowly, they would transform into nutrients. The passage of time within the Dream Garden was also slower than the outside world, but the exact ratio was unknown.
Unfortunately, although that hunter had barely managed to use his ability to stay awake and escape, he committed suicide shortly after due to mental issues. His suicide note contained only one sentence: “I want to return to the world in my dreams.”
He still couldn’t escape the Dream Garden.
If that were the only problem, they could simply designate the area as a dangerous zone and prohibit entry. However, this Dream Garden that appeared from an unknown source was far more complex than they imagined. It expanded and grew every day. Its current size had already grown from a small garden to the size of a football field. The base feared that it would continue to expand until it surpassed the size of a city, which is why they sent out this mission to the Hunter Association.
Almost every S-rank mission was discussed and released by the council and had a reward that could sustain a person for a lifetime without any effort.
Danger and opportunity intertwined to form the symphony of a hunter’s fate.
Yue Chengren smiled and said, “No, chief Si just has a boyfriend.”
Rumeng suddenly realized, “Oh, I see… Huh? Huh? A boyfriend?!”
She couldn’t catch her breath and stood there with her mouth agape, unsure how to react.
The rumors were getting more and more absurd.
Si Yin Yuan said concisely, “… No.”
After his brief explanation, he got into the car without much intention to continue the conversation.
Feng Chuyao touched her chin. “Ji Jiu is so cute…”
Yu Feichen, being a straightforward guy, rolled his eyes at her words. “Chunhua, it’s enough that you changed your own name. You don’t need to change Ji Jiu’s name too.”
Feng Chuyao angrily punched him. “Weren’t you supposed to be absent from the mission this time? What are you doing here?”
There was a hint of disdain in her words.
The nature of their three abilities was helpful for this mission, and it was clear that Yu Feichen had joined midway.
In a carefree and straightforward manner, he said, “I want to use this S-rank mission to upgrade to a high-ranking hunter.”
To upgrade to a high-ranking hunter, one needed to assist in completing three S-rank missions or complete one S-rank mission as the main force, along with a recommendation from a high-ranking hunter.
Although anyone could accept an S-rank mission, there was a difference between being the main force and assisting.
Yu Feichen had never led an S-rank mission himself, but he had only one assist left.
As long as he performed well in this assist, Si Yin Yuan promised to recommend him for promotion.
Not everyone could be recognized by the Chief, so Yu Feichen was eager to be at the forefront.
This time, there were two modified cars used for the mission. Ji Jiu hid in the car with Feng Chuyao, Rumeng, and Yue Chengren as the drivers, while Yu Fei Chen and Si Yin Yuan were in the other car, responsible for leading the way.
Ji Jiu counted the number of people and realized that his owner would rather bring four companions than bring him along. He was so angry that he shrank even more inside.
Fortunately, he had already hidden a small wisp of black mist on his idiotic owner, and when he learned that they would be taking these two cars out of the base, he came over early and hid.
He wanted to stay close to his owner and prevent him from getting lost again.
There were two large gates at the entrance and exit of the base, and the automated female voices at each checkpoint were different.
The voice at the exit was softer, with a touch of inorganic tenderness. “Travel safely, we await your return here.”
…
Yue Chengren drove the car while wondering, “Why do I feel like there are fewer mutants along our route?”
He had been prepared to shoot each mutant in the head, but the usual mutants that would hit the car window didn’t show up.
Si Yin Yuan lifted his gaze. “Drive properly and don’t get distracted.”
He also noticed that the activity of mutants nearby was lower than usual. He released golden flames to sweep around but didn’t find anything suspicious.
These mutants simply didn’t want to approach them, and their numbers had even decreased. If mutants could speak, they would definitely be furious and point fingers at a certain little grass for knowing their inner thoughts.
The black mist that Ji Jiu released along the way secretly devoured numerous mutants! How dare they come close!
Having consumed a large amount of energy, Ji Jiu’s mood improved significantly. He even discreetly moved himself to the car’s trunk while nobody noticed.
After the modification, the space inside became quite large.
Aside from the nutrient solution, he also saw two large white pods. Curiously, he extended his small leaf and patted them, but quickly lost interest and plunged his head into the nutrient solution.
He inserted his root into the bottle of nutrient solution and absorbed it. He drank the entire bottle in one gulp.
After finishing, he shook his leaf, still wanting more. This nutrient solution wasn’t his favorite strawberry flavor.
He cast his gaze towards the other car, where the person named Chen Ke had just handed the owner a large box of strawberry-flavored nutrient solutions. Ji Jiu knew all about it!
Coincidentally, the car stopped in front of a building in Area 77 of the “Abandoned City.”
Taking advantage of everyone’s lack of attention, Ji Jiu slowly extended a small leaf from the open car door.
Si Yin Yuan, sensing something, turned his head back, only to see an empty car.
The honest Yue Chengren busied himself by setting up a bonfire.
The bonfire could ward off some toxic mutated insects, providing some protection.
Rumeng rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I’m going to sleep now.”
After eating some dry rations, she crawled back into the car and peacefully closed her eyes in the back seat.
Feng Chuyao had somehow caught a mutated double-disc suction worm.
Wherever her ability, “Fire Whip,” struck, it left behind burn marks and a scorching sensation.
This plump double-disc suction worm, as thick as a baby’s arm, had been hit and bore a charred mark on its body. It writhed in pain, and its bifurcated eyes became unnaturally elongated and slithered like a water snake after mutation.
Before the apocalypse, the double-disc suction worm could control snails by invading their brains. Unlike controlling the undead with parasitic spines, its distortion direction was more malicious.
Any living creature parasitized by it wouldn’t immediately die or feel any pain. They would return to their original location and find their companions, unaware and unconscious, while the double-disc suction worm controlled them to unknowingly lay its eggs inside their companions’ bodies.
In the end, they would helplessly watch their companions become nourishment for the double-disc suction worm’s offspring.
The double-disc suction worm opened its distorted mouth, revealing three large teeth, and forcefully wriggled, trying to burrow into Feng Chuyao’s eye.
Si Yin Yuan glanced at the hideous creature and turned his attention away. He thought it was a good thing he didn’t bring Ji Jiu along. Ji Jiu would definitely be terrified if he saw this extremely ugly giant worm.
Feng Chuyao wanted to put it into a cube as a living specimen to take back, but she almost got bitten.
Meanwhile, Ji Jiu, who had moved to the other car, raised his head and made eye contact with the struggling double-disc suction worm.
Double-disc suction worm: ?
It keenly sensed a terrifying aura, an instinctual fear, as if an ant had encountered a giant that could easily crush it. The split eyes of the double-disc suction worm tightly closed together in fright.
This was their symbol of submission to fear.
Ji Jiu paused and realized that he had unintentionally released a hint of pressure because he was so eager to drink the strawberry nutrient solution.
He retracted the pressure, once again becoming a good little grass.
However, the double-disc suction worm was already terrified, wishing to voluntarily hide in the cube.
Feng Chuyao shook her head at the double-disc suction worm, which had just struggled fiercely but now only knew how to play dead. Curiously, she said, “Why is it suddenly scared of something?”
Yue Chengren frowned. “I’ve never seen a double-disc suction worm like this. Could there be a natural enemy nearby?”
Half-jokingly, Yu Fei Chen remarked, “It can’t be that there’s some advanced mutant nearby, right?”