PSW - Chapter 142
Chapter 142
This casual cleanup of their route naturally included a return trip to the forest on Sugui Mountain to pay another visit to the mutated plants, lest they forget the terror of the great demon lord and entertain any ideas of expanding their territory.
Leaning back leisurely in the passenger seat, Zheng Yi feigned sleep with her eyes half-closed, her mental power extending outward in waves, keenly searching for any mutated beasts that might have "strayed" into Pujie. Meanwhile, Yu Yinan maintained a comfortable temperature inside the vehicle as she drove toward Sugui Mountain.
Mutated creatures… whether plants, beasts, or the zombies that had run rampant in the early days of the apocalypse, it seemed their traces were becoming harder and harder to find. The mutated plants were an exception; they had difficulty migrating and generally didn't change their locations on a large scale. But mutated animals and zombies… they were now extremely difficult to locate.
Perhaps mutated beasts struggled to survive the extreme weather, and those that did were beings that had adapted and undergone some form of evolution. As for zombies… finding the common fodder zombies from the early apocalypse was now a difficult task, unless a normal person was infected and transformed on the spot. After all, eight months had passed, and they had endured so many periods of extreme weather. It was practically a fantasy for a "corpse" to have been preserved until now and still be able to move freely.
During periods of extreme cold, zombies would generally enter a state of hibernation, completely frozen in ice and snow. They would only resume activity after the cold subsided and the ice melted.
As she drove, Yu Yinan wondered if most mutated beasts also possessed the ability to hibernate. The period immediately following the end of the extreme cold would always become a time of frequent appearances and hunting for them.
"Zheng Yi, do you still want to tame a mutated beast?" Yu Yinan thought of the large metal dog they had encountered during the first period of extreme cold. So much time had passed, and she wondered if Zheng Yi was still interested.
…She hoped Zheng Yi was.
Zheng Yi was growing stronger and stronger. Even though Yu Yinan's understanding of her was still superficial, she could still keenly sense that Zheng Yi had completely lost interest in some of the things she once found fascinating and amusing. Was she starting to feel a hint of boredom and monotony in these days?
That included faith and recognition.
In the beginning, Zheng Yi would personally grant salvation, tormenting people over and over with great interest, causing them to completely break down amidst repeated and hopeless suffering. They would deliver their bodies, minds, and souls to her, frantically shouting, "Zheng Yi is the Saint."
But now, Zheng Yi hadn't done anything like that for a long time.
If it weren't for the fact that Zheng Yi's daily interactions with her hadn't changed much, and the intimacy they should have on certain nights was still there, Yu Yinan would have been scared to death.
"If we come across a suitable one, raising it wouldn't be a problem." Zheng Yi's attitude toward these things was extremely casual. However, after answering, she turned to Yu Yinan and asked curiously, "Do you prefer cats or dogs?"
"Me? Well… I like both cats and dogs." Yu Yinan thought for a moment and realized she didn't have a particular preference. Whether it was a cat or a dog, as long as it was fluffy, even a rabbit or something similar wasn't entirely out of the question as a pet.
Besides, it was the apocalypse now… the variety of mutated pets didn't need to be so limited. "If you can tame it, cats or dogs are both fine. Even lions, tigers, jackals, wolves, leopards, and foxes wouldn't be impossible, right? If possible, a panda too…"
"You really dare to dream," Zheng Yi chuckled, but she didn't dismiss Yu Yinan's idea. Instead, she said, "Then let's see… what we run into."
"Okay!"
Ideals are always perfect, but unfortunately, even with Zheng Yi scanning with her mental power, they didn't find a single trace of any mutated beasts along their drive. Even when Zheng Yi detected a faint sign on the outskirts of Pujie and sent her mental power to investigate, she discovered it was a massive, powerful goshawk. However, the goshawk was extremely sharp, or perhaps even Zheng Yi's far-reaching mental power exerted too much pressure on it. The instant Zheng Yi detected it, the goshawk immediately fled in the opposite direction.
Zheng Yi fell silent for a moment, then withdrew all of her extended mental power and stopped actively probing.
[Are those mutated beasts really that sharp and timid?] Although Yu Yinan was oblivious, Zero One was one with Zheng Yi and had seen everything clearly. It couldn't help but sigh with emotion, then chuckled with schadenfreude. [Looks like you won't be catching anything. With your mental power sweeping through Pujie, those mutated beasts would probably rather starve to death in other cities than dare to take a single step in this direction.]
Zheng Yi ignored Zero One, but the more Zero One thought about it, the funnier it became, and it couldn't help but laugh out loud in the system space.
As the modified vehicle neared Sugui Mountain, even before they reached the small town where they usually rested, Yu Yinan saw a wisp of emerald green spreading from the distance. It stained the horizon with incredible speed, followed by a boundless carpet of green that rolled and spread toward them, countless vines creeping low to the ground! She was stunned and quickly slowed the car, but the speed of the spreading green showed no signs of decreasing. On the contrary, as if afraid of slighting them, it grew faster and more frantic, rushing toward them with overwhelming momentum.
Who else could ever personally experience such a spectacle?
It was breathtaking.
Yu Yinan brought the car to a stop. She looked at the shimmering green grass and interwoven vines that had already paved the ground up to the front of the car and couldn't help but look at Zheng Yi. "This…"
"…They sensed my presence," Zheng Yi explained with a deadpan expression, then raised a gentle smile. "Since it's a gesture of their goodwill, let's get out and have a look."
Perhaps this second visit had triggered the memories and fears buried deep in the souls of these plants. This bunch of "forgetful" fellows began frantically spamming Zheng Yi's mind, every notification a contribution of Saint Points from them.
Even without connecting to the plants' local network, Zheng Yi could guess what these guys were chaotically communicating to each other in their panic.
The moment she stepped out of the car, a vine wrapped around a large leaf and presented it to Zheng Yi as if offering a treasure. The vine held the leaf up high, and without even needing Zheng Yi to reach out, it eagerly unfurled the leaf to reveal the round, plump, crimson fruits within.
Zheng Yi glanced down at the fruits but made no move. It wasn't until Yu Yinan came closer and exclaimed in slight surprise, "They actually all remember you. What a grand welcome this time… we're still so far from the forest, yet they came out to greet you and offered you their fruit directly."
"Yes, they've contributed quite a few Saint Points," Zheng Yi nodded slightly and added, "It seems there's no need for any cleansing here."
The mutated plants of this forest were almost too sensible. Their reverence and respect for Zheng Yi seemed to have been carved into their very bones; the moment they sensed her presence, they immediately submitted.
[You bet! You could totally connect to their local network and see how they're crazily praising you, revering you, believing in you, and calling you the one true god!] Zero One was about to be driven mad by the noise from these plants. The moment it was passively connected upon arrival, it had to face the same brainwashing routine as before. [They can clearly sense that you're much stronger and more terrifying than before. Every single one of them is being incredibly attentive! Last time, I had to do a bit of mental work and persuasion, but this time, it's completely unnecessary.]
Unfortunately, Zheng Yi had no desire to experience it.
She accepted the large pile of fruit and watched the vine obediently retreat. Then she looked at Yu Yinan. "Want to take a stroll inside? Or should we leave directly?"
"If everything is normal here and there are no creatures that need to be cleared out… then should we continue on our way?" Yu Yinan always prioritized Zheng Yi. She knew that Zheng Yi's main interest right now was the meteor fragments, and since those were related to Chi Heqing's squad, it was naturally better to get to Changping as quickly as possible. "Also, about this trip to Changping… since we're mainly looking for meteor fragments, why don't we also make a trip to Yongdu to have a look?"
Although they had only spent a few days together, Yu Yinan had a strong impression of the two anime-loving siblings. They were just too memorable, and also very innocent and friendly. They had agreed to meet again in Pujie, but they never came to Humanity's Light. She didn't know what kind of trouble they might have run into.
They had been heading home to find their parents, and their destination was Yongdu. Although a long time had passed… what if?
That pair of siblings? It was only when Yu Yinan mentioned Yongdu that Zheng Yi remembered them. She hadn't expected that Yu Yinan, who seemed indifferent, had actually remembered them for so long. It had only been a chance meeting. "Then let's go have a look." It was a city they hadn't been to anyway. If the two transformation users never made it to Humanity's Light, and it wasn't because their family held them back, they might have run into trouble in Yongdu.
Either Yongdu had another base or shelter, or some other crisis was lurking there. Or perhaps… there was a meteor fragment?
Of course, she couldn't rule out the possibility that they had encountered danger on the road. Or that they had died during the extreme heat or cold. For wandering ability users like them, the apocalypse with its extreme temperatures and scarce resources was still a great threat.
"It's good of you to still remember them." Zheng Yi pulled open the car door and mentally ordered Zero One to warn the mutated plants not to forget their monthly faith and prayers. Only then did she get into the driver's seat, letting Yu Yinan rest in the passenger seat.
"With abilities like theirs… it's hard to forget," Yu Yinan said, a little embarrassed. She sat obediently in the passenger seat, watching Zheng Yi start the car. After a slight hesitation, she spoke again. "Actually, it's not just the two of them. I also remember… the first people we met."
"Oh?"
"You know, the two people you suddenly jumped down to save during the zombie horde," Yu Yinan said. "I was so desperate in the car back then. I never would have thought you were such an impulsive… Saint." It was embarrassing to admit, but at that moment, she had even had the thought of abandoning Zheng Yi and leaving.
"I think their names were Li Yunhan and Wang Youfei? They only had enhanced physiques. I wonder… what happened to them later." In the early days of the apocalypse, to venture into the hospital with the highest concentration of zombies for the sake of an infant and an elderly person… those two were truly unforgettable. Of course, the faces of the other people in that survivor alliance were also quite unforgettable.
"Them," Zheng Yi remembered the two as well. "If they were lucky, maybe they awakened abilities and are still alive."
Separation and death were all too common in the apocalypse. No one could ever know if the farewell before them would be the last.
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