Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 16
From the beginning of the appearance of abilities, humans discovered that some abilities were closely related to the fairy tales in human culture.
The origin of these abilities and the methods of awakening them were no different from other abilities. In the end, experts could only attribute the awakening of these abilities to the influence of cultural conditioning on the direction of awakening. Although there was not enough evidence to indicate a correlation between a person’s personality or past and the ability they awakened.
An Guoguo’s ability came from the fairy tale “The Little Match Girl”. She could have three matches a day, and each time she lit a match, the sparks that appeared could materialize the objects she imagined in her mind.
As the intensity of her ability increased, the limitations became smaller. From initially being able to create only a gun out of thin air, she could now create an entire cannon.
Og’s eyes pleaded as he turned to Ji Jiu. “Where did you find this matchstick?”
Ji Jiu pointed to a small crack beside him. “Here.”
The matchstick had fallen outside the crack, like a distress signal left by the girl in her last moment of clarity.
Si Yin Yuan stopped Og, who was about to dive into the crack, and said, “We’ll go in with you.”
Og wanted to smile gratefully, but his mouth twitched instead. His mental state was already deteriorating, but he still refused, “Thank you, but I’m enough to bring Guoguo back on my own. I won’t forget her this time. How can I forget my sister, whom I’ve depended on since we were young… There should be others lost in the ‘Dream Garden.’ Please continue the search.”
As an S-rank hunter, even in such a situation, he couldn’t shed the sense of responsibility on his shoulders and couldn’t forgive himself for delaying the rescue time of others due to his own mistakes.
Si Yin Yuan nodded, handed him a nutrient liquid, and patted his shoulder, his gaze intense. “You’ll be fine.”
Og bit open the seal of the nutrient liquid and drank it all in one gulp, then resolutely entered the small crack.
Ji Jiu watched this scene with a slight confusion. Human bonds and emotions were a bit too complicated for a little grass like him.
Whether there was one more person or one less made no difference in Ji Jiu’s eyes. He simply followed behind Si Yin Yuan, fulfilling his duty as a loyal follower.
However, this little follower occasionally sneaked a handful of flowers to eat.
Si Yin Yuan suddenly turned his head.
Ji Jiu innocently met his gaze.
“…,” Si Yin Yuan rubbed his forehead. “You didn’t wipe your mouth.”
The once fair face was now stained with flower juice.
Ji Jiu wiped it with his sleeve, showing a very apologetic attitude.
When Si Yin Yuan turned away, Ji Jiu resumed plucking flowers, but this time he learned his lesson and promptly wiped his mouth after stealing a snack.
They found several long-dead bodies in the “Dream Garden,” including hunters who had failed in this mission and others who had mistakenly entered. They all had satisfied smiles on their faces, as if they were trapped in an eternal dream from which they couldn’t wake up.
They couldn’t bring back the bodies, so Si Yin Yuan hastily covered them up, taking the identification cards and medals that proved their identities.
The lion on the medal still held a rose in its mouth, and after wiping away the dust, the metallic brilliance shone once again.
Heroes rest eternally, glory remains.
Their understanding of the “Dream Garden” was still limited. Apart from the pink pollen and this flower field, they couldn’t find anything that could explain why people entered the dream.
Finally, they found Feng Chuyao in one of the cracks.
More accurately, Feng Chuyao had voluntarily revealed her location.
This fiery beauty always had her unique ways, even when entering the dream.
Her roar directly pierced through the crack into reality.
Ji Jiu looked down at the crack. “Should we go in?”
No one could guarantee that they would remember everything if they voluntarily entered the dream for the second time.
“Hmm.” Si Yin Yuan’s expression turned serious. “Did you eat flowers again?”
Ji Jiu was taken aback, instinctively reaching for the corners of his mouth. Did he miss wiping away the flower juice?
Si Yin Yuan reminded him, “Your sleeve.”
Ji Jiu froze and looked down, realizing that because he had used his sleeve to wipe his mouth multiple times, the once-white sleeve had been stained with different colors from the flower juice.
He felt very wronged. “I only ate a little bit.”
He extended his finger and made a gesture indicating a tiny amount.
Si Yin Yuan looked back at the path they had taken. It was evident that there were fewer flowers in this area compared to others, and the tiny amount in Ji Jiu’s mouth didn’t match the words.
But this gave him a completely new train of thought.
He had always thought, due to his inertia, that the essence of the “Dream Garden” should be hidden within these flowers, and that the pollen was the possible cause for people entering the dream. However, even though Ji Jiu had been eating the flowers from the “Dream Garden,” there had been no interference. This greatly reduced the possibility of the flowers being the essence.
Furthermore, it couldn’t explain why time flowed much slower in the “Dream Garden” compared to the outside world.
The bodies of those hunters were preserved quite well, showing no signs of being consumed or rotting away into fertilizer.
What did the mutants that created the “Dream Garden” want to achieve…
Ji Jiu tilted his head. “Maybe its food isn’t on the material level.”
Si Yin Yuan was momentarily stunned, realizing that he had unintentionally asked the question.
He quickly focused on Ji Jiu’s statement. “What do you mean?”
Ji Jiu remembered a mutant creature he had once eaten. It was a white, soft thing that resembled a jellyfish. It had foolishly attempted to invade Ji Jiu’s spirit, but he captured it with a black mist and stretched it like a rubber band. He even used it to perform tricks before finally getting tired and devouring it.
Ji Jiu was completely unaware of how cruel his actions were. He felt a hint of regret when recalling the incident because the mutant creature was tasteless, like a flavorless cotton candy. It would have been better to keep it as a rubber band to continue playing with.
Ji Jiu gestured while explaining, “It’s a mutant creature that feeds on spiritual energy.”
Si Yin Yuan was surprised and asked, “How did you come up with this idea? This kind of mutant creature has never appeared before.”
Ji Jiu made a displeased face, feeling that humans really didn’t understand mutant creatures.
Si Yin Yuan pondered for a while and surprisingly found Ji Jiu’s words somewhat reasonable.
After breaking free from conventional thinking, they excluded the possibility of the “Dream Garden” entity hiding in the flowers or the pollen on the periphery. The only place they hadn’t searched were these cracks.
Although the cracks seemed extensive, the likelihood of the entity appearing was more. Assuming it needed to feed on human spiritual energy, it must be hiding within the dream cracks where there was consciousness.
Si Yin Yuan took Ji Jiu’s hand and said, “This time, let’s not get separated.”
He targeted the crack where Feng Chuyao was located.
Ji Jiu obediently responded, “Okay.”
Entering the crack again was not as easy as the last time. They were now considered invaders coming to cause trouble, and although their memories were not tampered with, they felt a strong rejection from the dream upon entering.
The sky was flashing with lightning, and each bolt struck them directly, only to be intercepted by golden flames.
Si Yin Yuan protected Ji Jiu tightly and said, “Let’s go find someone.”
The mutants could sense each other’s presence, as if they were equipped with radar. Ji Jiu felt uncomfortable and had an inexplicable combativeness as soon as he entered.
Normally, only when a mutant intruded into its territory would it have this effect. However, the mutant in the “Dream Garden” was particularly insolent. It sensed Ji Jiu’s arrival and continuously emitted provocative pheromones.
The message it conveyed was: “Come on, if you have the guts, come and catch me. Haha.”
It seemed very confident and assured that Ji Jiu would never find it in its current environment.
Ji Jiu couldn’t resist such a clumsy fishing technique and fell for it instantly. He angrily pulled Si Yin Yuan along and ran towards a place where the pheromones were the strongest.
He thought, “Ha, foolish mutant, little did you know that I have the most sensitive sense of smell for pheromones.”
As a foodie, Ji Jiu had a keen sense of smell.
Si Yin Yuan, who was suddenly pulled into a sprint, asked with confusion, “What’s going on?”
Ji Jiu even snatched an electric scooter from a passerby and was about to ride away, seething with anger.
Si Yin Yuan, very adept at indulging Ji Jiu’s whims, directly knocked out the person who wanted to take the scooter back.
“Can you drive?” Si Yin Yuan asked.
Ji Jiu paused in his actions of getting on the electric scooter, hesitated, and said, “I should… be able to.”
Imitating what he had seen on TV, Ji Jiu twisted the handlebar on the left side but nothing happened.
Si Yin Yuan picked up the safety helmet with a small yellow duck drawn on it and placed it on Ji Jiu’s head. He held him with one arm and changed positions, saying, “I’ll do it.”
Without any hesitation, trusting a companion was the first rule of a hunter.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask why later after they got out.
The mutant finally realized that the intruders who came this time were different from the brainless ones before, and their strength was completely on a different level. It panicked and concealed its pheromones tightly.
Its combat ability was very low, and the reason it could trap so many humans and other mutants in the “Dream Garden” was due to the peculiarity of its abilities and its exceptional hiding skills. Once the entity was found, it would be utterly defenseless.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Si Yin Yuan drove the electric scooter at almost motorcycle speed, following the route pointed out by Ji Jiu. They quickly arrived at the entrance of a massive outdoor concert.
It was also the liveliest and most populated place in this dream.
Several young girls ran over excitedly when they saw them and asked, “Are you also fans of Feng Chuyao?!”