Chapter 209
Emily gulped, eyes wide. “Chloe, don’t tell me this giant cactus is the same one you were carrying around before?”
When they first met Chloe, she was carrying a pot of cactus. They couldn’t help but wonder how any plant could survive in such freezing weather.
After that, the cactus disappeared from sight, and they just forgot all about it.
When Chloe confirmed it, a wild idea popped into Emily’s head.
“Wait, are you planning to surround the whole base with cacti?” Emily blurted out.
Chloe blinked, her eyes sparkling. “Smart. From now on, these cacti will be our base’s first line of defense.
“But these mutant cacti need blood to grow, so it looks like we’ll have our hands full.
“And one more thing, these mutant cacti are poisonous, so everyone, be careful when you go out hunting.”
Filip asked, a bit uncertain, “So, if I go out hunting, will those mutant cacti attack me?”
loe shot him an approving look and booped his nose. “That’s a great question. So I got something ready for that.”
Everyone stared in confusion as she pulled a green bracelet out of her spiritual space.
She explained, “This is something Liana just invented. It’s made mostly from cactus sap. Just wear it on your wrist, and the Cactus King won’t see you as a threat.”
Everyone was thrilled. They strapped the bracelets onto their wrists and checked out the cactus again.
Just as expected, the Cactus King, which had been bristling with poisonous spines and looked ready to attack, suddenly had all its spikes vanish like magic.
“Alright, for now, this is all we’ve got. Once Liana makes more, we’ll make sure every powered human in the base gets one,” Chloe said.
Mutant plants were insanely resilient. Just toss their seeds on the ground and boom, new mutant plants would pop up everywhere.
And every single mutant plant was loaded with thousands of seeds. It felt endless, like a never–ending battle to wipe them
out.
Luckily, the fresh sprouts weren’t all that strong. They got chopped down and used to nourish the mutant cacti.
So all those mutant plants pouring out of the Botanic Gardens got wiped out fast, while the mutant cacti started growing at a speed that could actually be seen.
After a tough fight, the dozen or so powered humans finally made it to the entrance of the Botanic Gardens.
Molly suddenly stopped in her tracks. “Chloe, it’s way too dangerous in there. Seriously, it’s a death trap.
“If Noah and Spotty were here, maybe we could risk going in. But right now, it’s just too much for us.”
Chloe nodded. The plants inside had been mutated since the very beginning of the apocalypse, and there were so many different kinds. If they just rushed in, it would be like walking straight into a trap.
“Alright, everyone, listen up. We stick to the perimeter. Nobody goes past Emily,” Chloe ordered.
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Chapter 209
“Got it.” Everyone nodded solemnly.
Suddenly, with a sharp whoosh, a long ivy shot out from the Botanic Gardens.
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Emily’s face fell and she yelled, “Heads up, everyone! That’s the same ivy that trapped our place before!”
Reaching out with her spirit–powered sense, Emily tried to track the vine, but she couldn’t even find where this thigh–thick monster ended.
Chloe had explained before: the tougher a mutant plant was, the farther it could stretch out–and every part of it, trunk, branches, roots, even leaves, could go after people.
Everyone instinctively stepped back, giving the ivy plenty of space.
Everyone went after the mutant plants they could actually handle, but when it came to the toughest one, fire was the only thing that could deal with it.
Mindy’s fire and wood abilities came in handy.
With a blast of flames, the thigh–thick vine, writhing like a snake recoiled as if it had been electrocuted.
But then it tried pushing forward again, and after several more attempts, it actually built up some resistance to Mindy’s flames.
Suddenly, countless thin tendrils sprouted from the main vine, completely tangling up Mindy’s arms, legs, and body, making it impossible for her to unleash any fire attacks.
Frank swung his massive blade at the ivies with all his might, but the blade that could usually slice through anything could hardly make a dent.
It was like slashing at rubber, barely any damage at all.
Chloe’s eyes hardened with resolve as a 6–foot ice blade materialized in her grip. She brought it down with a fierce swing. aiming straight for the thick main vine.
As the razor–sharp ice blade smashed into the vine, the air rang with a sharp metallic screech like steel crashing against steel.
After two heavy strikes, the ivy split clean through, and everyone watched as that same bright red, semi–transparent blood spilled out from the severed end.
Everyone turned to Chloe. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her eyes flashed with shock and a trace of fear, as if she’d just put something together.
“Everyone, head back,” Chloe said, her voice steady but urgent.
She took the severed ivy from the mutant ivy and brought it back with her.
Liana had given up cooking altogether. She was totally hooked on plants now.
She’d developed all sorts of plants that could handle drought and other tough conditions, and had already planted them out.
When Chloe showed up, Liana was laser–focused on studying the mutant cacti, her excitement practically bursting out like she’d finally found her dream gig.
“Liana,” Chloe called out.
Her clear voice snapped Liana out of her thoughts. When she saw Chloe carrying a section of vine, her eyes narrowed.
“Is this a branch of the ivy?” Liana asked, sounding unsure.
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TUTU FRI, FED 13 BDB.
Chapter 209
It did look like an ivy, but it was way too thick, and the leaves and branches were this weird semi–transparent red color.
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Chloe nodded. “Liana, could you do me a favor? I suspect this iv is the most powerful mutant plant in the Botanic Gardens. Maybe you could study it when you get a chance?”
Before Chloe could even finish, Liana came running over, all excited, waving her magnifying glass as she inspected the mutant ivy from every possible angle.
She looked like she’d just found the rarest treasure in the world, absolutely enchanted by it.
Chloe’s lips twitched in disbelief.
Ever since Liana awakened her plant research powers, she’d been acting like she was totally possessed.
As long as there was food at home, she’d happily hole up in the plant research lab all day long.
The plant research lab was something Chloe had built just for Liana. It was packed with all kinds of equipment for studying plants, and there was even a small greenhouse where Liana could grow her new creations.
After a while, Liana let out a regretful sigh. “Man, if only we could snag that state–of–the–art research gear, things would be so much easier.”
She shook her head, muttering under her breath, but then her tone turned confident. “Eh, whatever. As long as my powers keep leveling up, I’ll definitely crack this sooner or later.”
Liana was now recognized as a botanist, and her powers allowed her to analyze the properties of any plant she came across.
But her ability was tied to her level, and this ivy was clearly a top–tier mutant plant.
Her advancement had nothing to do with combat. It was all about plant research. Whenever she managed to develop a new plant, her powers would get a boost.
“If I crack this, my powers are totally gonna level up again!” Liana laughed, her eyes shining with excitement.
“Liana, that high–tech machine you mentioned–do you know exactly where it is? Any idea on its exact location?” Chloe asked.
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