PSW - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Yu Yinan found it difficult to refuse Zheng Yi's requests.

However, even on a motorcycle, it was hard to go too fast on a road overrun by tree roots. She circled the sprawling forest, carefully comparing the surrounding buildings. "Are you… planning to set the mountain on fire and destroy it?" Yu Yinan had originally intended to mark their location first, but she wasn't sure how large the forest would become after Zheng Yi went inside.

"Jiejie, I'm only flesh and blood. How could I be that powerful?" Zheng Yi sighed. "It's just that there might be mutated plants hiding in this forest. If another squad were to encounter them, I'm afraid it would be disastrous for them. Since I've come across it, as a Saint, it's only natural that I investigate just how dangerous it is."

"Then let's go take a look," Yu Yinan said. "I'm a fire ability user, so I have some advantage against plants. I can help you."

"Jiejie can wait for me outside," Zheng Yi said softly. "I don't plan on riding the bike in."

"I can help you," Yu Yinan insisted. "If we run into danger, I can cover our retreat."

"Mutated plants… ability users provide more nutrients than ordinary flesh and blood. If it's too powerful, I can at least buy you some time."

"Jiejie, I've never needed any sort of feigned, sentimental sacrifice," Zheng Yi said, looking at her with a smile. The smile was incredibly gentle, but it didn't reach her eyes. "If you die like that, I won't remember you."

Yet Yu Yinan wasn't hurt in the slightest; she was even a little pleasantly surprised. Zheng Yi was actually saying such things to her. Could this also be considered a form of concern? "I know."

But when Zheng Yi prepared to walk into the dense forest, Yu Yinan abandoned the motorcycle and silently followed behind her.

Zheng Yi didn't waste any more words. She turned back to the motorcycle, stored it in her backpack, and then led Yu Yinan into the dense woods.

Sunlight filtered down through the canopy of green leaves that blotted out the sky. Every tree displayed an immense, thriving vitality. The vines clinging to the trees were like emerald green snakes, just waiting for a moment of weakness to strike.

It was too quiet.

So quiet it was almost eerie. There were no chirping insects or birds, as if nothing lived here besides the plants.

Zheng Yi walked forward as if she were on a tour, stepping over the crisscrossing roots and soil. She had to admit, the air here was very fresh.

But if an ordinary person were to walk deep into the forest for a while, amidst this strange silence, and then suddenly look back, they would find that the path ahead and the path behind looked exactly the same. Standing in the middle of the endless greenery, they would feel like a small boat lost in the center of the ocean, unable to find their way.

This sense of getting lost in the silence was perhaps the origin of fear, and the mutated plants lurking among the ordinary ones were the true killers.

The entire mountain, the entire forest, would "come alive" and devour her, not even leaving her bones behind.

Yu Yinan fell in behind Zheng Yi. She didn't want to cause trouble for Zheng Yi, nor did she want to hold her back. But in this silence, the only sound was their footsteps. Yu Yinan could even hear her own faint breathing. Watching Zheng Yi in front of her, she felt the urge to reach out and take her hand several times, but she dismissed the thought each time.

Fortunately, these fleeting thoughts distracted her, preventing her from overthinking and growing tense under the oppressive atmosphere.

[This forest seems pretty normal. Maybe there aren't any mutated plants?] Zero One couldn't help but speak up. [After that heavy rain and surviving the snowmelt, it's normal for a forest to expand.]

Just then, Zero One saw a tree ahead laden with red fruit.

As they drew slightly closer, a fresh, sweet, fruity fragrance wafted into their noses, making their mouths water. The exceptionally plump and luscious red fruits tempted any creature to pick and taste them. Just looking at their appearance, you could just imagine the sweet and sour juice bursting out after your teeth pierced the thin skin, a sweetness that would conquer your entire palate from the tip of your tongue to the back.

"Jiejie, burn it." Zheng Yi stared at the fruit that nearly bent the branches and said with a smile, "Approach it slowly, then unleash your power suddenly. Don't give it a chance to react."

The mutated beasts were all so stupid; this plant, which had been mutated for who knows how long, probably wasn't much smarter.

[What if it's just an ordinary fruit tree?]

'So vibrant and ostentatious. Raging fire and fresh blood are a better match for it.'

The moment Yu Yinan saw this out-of-place fruit tree, she sensed something was wrong. At Zheng Yi's words, she walked toward it. Just as she was about to pick a fruit, the vines on the surrounding trees sprang to life, lunging at her in unison. The fruits on the tree also burst open, their crimson juice about to splash onto her body-

"Boom!" An intense heatwave radiated out from Yu Yinan. Bright flames erupted in an instant! Countless vines were scorched in a flash, and the splashing juice met the fire with a sizzling sound of steam. The moment they were cooked, the sweet scent of fruit filled the dense forest.

Having missed their target, the still-burning vines slammed against the ground, their scorched tips rapidly retreating into the thick woods.

At that moment, countless water elements suddenly condensed, and pure rainwater poured down, extinguishing the flames and coating every tree in droplets.

Yu Yinan instantly retracted her ability. She was about to turn and look at Zheng Yi, but the moment the fire was doused, the fruit tree, still laden with many red fruits, suddenly went berserk, shedding all its fruit and splattering red juice everywhere.

Countless red droplets, large and small, froze in mid-air before falling in a sheet right in front of Yu Yinan, corroding pits into the soil. It was as if an invisible barrier stood before her, preventing the juice from getting any closer.

The soft earth suddenly trembled, and the roots buried within were pulled out in an instant. Searing flames erupted in front of Yu Yinan at her command. Just as she thought the roots would attack like the vines, the fruit tree suddenly shot up, as if pulling up its pants from the soil. After yanking out its roots, its many roots squirmed vigorously as it took to its heels and ran.

That method of launching fruit—perhaps besides being an attack, it also served to help it hide among ordinary trees?

Before Yu Yinan's flames could fully erupt, everything around them was instantly coated in a thin layer of ice, including the vines that were trying to retreat.

"Look at you poor things, all burned." Zheng Yi sighed softly. She raised a hand and froze the fruit tree's roots solidly to the soil, then bent down and grabbed a vine that had been frozen and unable to escape. Like gathering a scattered ball of yarn, she began reeling it back into her hand bit by bit.

Yu Yinan clearly heard the sound of thin ice cracking and saw the vine struggling frantically. But no matter how it thrashed, its tip remained firmly in Zheng Yi's hand, being steadily dragged closer.

Suddenly, the captured vine went limp and fell to the ground. Zheng Yi stopped reeling it in. She gently picked up the end and gave it a shake, only to find that the vine had already broken off.

Yu Yinan reacted, quickly grabbing another vine. However, the moment she took hold of it, the vine's life and vitality vanished, as if it had withered and died.

It could actually shed its tail to survive?

In that instant, all the vines that had been frozen and hadn't escaped in time lost their "souls."

Zheng Yi, however, didn't seem angered. She wrapped the dead vine around her fingertip with great interest and then walked toward the fruit tree.

This mutated fruit tree was interesting; it actually knew to uproot itself and run.

It was unclear what the fruit tree used for senses, but as Zheng Yi slowly approached, its frozen roots trembled violently. Cracks appeared in the solid ice from its struggles. Just as it was about to break free, another layer of hard ice formed over it, freezing it solid again.

For some reason, Yu Yinan could see a hint of despair in this otherwise unremarkable fruit tree.

Zheng Yi sensed the moisture within the tree. Concentrating her mind, she could feel a layer of "protection" and "resistance," its strength comparable to that of an ability user. After her last overexertion, Zheng Yi's mental power had increased considerably upon recovery. She placed her hand on the trunk, and in a short while, she established a connection with the water inside the tree.

In that very instant, a faint feeling of "begging for mercy" came from the tree. The feeling was faint not because the tree's will to live was weak, but because this was the most emotion it could convey with all its effort.

Yu Yinan watched as the fruit tree's branches suddenly trembled. Its green leaves gradually dimmed and turned yellow, while on its branches, several ping-pong-ball-sized fruits grew at a visible rate. The fruit was initially green, but with the tree's continuous effort, the green was gradually replaced by pink and white, and the fruit grew to the size of an adult's fist.

Trees couldn't speak, even if they became mutated plants.

But its actions of running away and begging for mercy gave it a distinctly different kind of spiritual intelligence.

Mutated plants were also beginning to develop wisdom. And they would continue to grow and mutate.

Zheng Yi picked a fruit, sniffed its aroma, and took a bite. It was crisp, juicy, sweet, and delicious.

"Zheng Yi?" Yu Yinan was a little nervous. She only relaxed after seeing Zheng Yi swallow it without any discomfort.

The solid ice melted into water and seeped into the soil. The tree's roots seemed eager to move, but for some reason, it didn't run away again. It waited as Zheng Yi leisurely finished the fruit in her hand. Then, the tree's branches drooped slightly, offering the other few fruits to Zheng Yi.

"Jiejie, come here." Zheng Yi beckoned to Yu Yinan. "This fruit is very sweet~ And it's not poisonous. Jiejie should like it, right?"

Yu Yinan approached the fruit tree, picked the remaining four fruits from the branches, and painstakingly stuffed them into the pockets of her down jacket. Meanwhile, Zheng Yi gently stroked the rough bark and said with a smile, "It's true that good deeds are rewarded~ Even plants know how to show gratitude~"

"Yes," Yu Yinan softly agreed. She looked at the fruit tree. "If only it could talk, then it could understand that you're a Saint."

'?'

[?]

Zheng Yi looked at Yu Yinan, only to see her staring intently at the fruit tree, the regret and pity on her face looking genuine.

Zheng Yi suddenly lost interest in tormenting the tree any further. She withdrew her hand and watched coldly as the tree tentatively moved its roots. Seeing no reaction from Zheng Yi, it moved its roots more dramatically but stayed in place, not daring to run.

Only after confirming that Zheng Yi truly intended to let it go did it finally lift its roots and flee the forest at top speed.

Honestly, the scene was quite amusing. Just watching the fruit tree's performance in front of Zheng Yi, you might even find it endearingly simple-minded.

"The plants have mutated and gained intelligence," Yu Yinan said thoughtfully, seemingly unaware of the change in Zheng Yi's mood. "If we could tame them and teach them the meaning of a Saint, perhaps we could really make them associate that term with you."

And just from the looks of this tree, the intelligence of these mutated plants probably wasn't very high. Without any convoluted thoughts, they would surely be incredibly devout.

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