Apocalyptic Island - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Wen Yishu naturally picked up the cup of milk from her hand and walked away with casual ease.

The moment she turned around, however, her expression was incredibly awkward. The String of Pearls in her pocket seemed to sense her mood; it ceased its noisy chatter and became extremely quiet. Communicating with her also required a lot of energy for the plant, so Wen Yishu tried to avoid unnecessary dialogue. After all, her supply of nutrient solution wasn’t exactly infinite, and she didn’t know if there would be any refills after these two bottles were spent.

She freshened up, downed the milk in one go, and put on her full set of protective gear. As she changed into her shoes by the door to head out, she felt a gaze fixed upon her.

Looking up, she saw Bai Mi upstairs, already dressed. She was finally properly clothed and no longer shivering from the cold.

“Where are you going?” Bai Mi asked, seeing that she had been noticed.

Wen Yishu pulled on her protective boots. The tight straps made her posture look ramrod straight. She seemed to have grown a bit taller; since awakening her ability, the clothes that used to be loose now fit her quite snugly. The most obvious change was her field of vision; she used to reach only to Bai Mi’s chin, but now the height difference was only about half a head.

Shouldering her small backpack, Wen Yishu said, “Going to check on the rose. The one under the window has mutated.”

As Wen Yishu moved to leave, that gaze remained fixed on her, burning with an intensity that was impossible to ignore. The String of Pearls in her pocket constricted tightly around her finger, as if urging her to hurry up and go.

She had no choice but to ignore the sensation at her fingertip, slowly turn around, and ask, “Why don’t you come along?”

The moment Wen Yishu agreed, Bai Mi ran down from upstairs. Five seconds later, the two of them were standing outside.

The area where the rose was located wasn’t so much a road as it was the apartment’s back garden—a large stretch of asphalt that had mostly been reclaimed as a garden. During the first wave of clearing, the plants here had been ruthlessly exterminated, and even the flower stands had been hauled away, revealing the original asphalt beneath. Perhaps the cleanup in the small flower bed hadn’t been thorough enough; now, a single, barren-looking plant stood there, threatening Wen Yishu’s safety.

They bypassed the somewhat dilapidated front door and pushed aside the white wooden fence, finally seeing where the rose grew behind the house. They walked over the damp, muddy coconut coir soil, maintaining a proper safety distance from the plant.

The human corpses entangled in the thorns were now clearly sucked dry, leaving behind nothing but skins and a few tattered rags of clothing. A wave of nausea hit Wen Yishu. Why had she felt the rose was harmless earlier? That feeling had actually overridden her strong sixth sense. She felt a surge of lingering fear regarding her decision to open the window.

Within the thicket of the rose bush, in the spots where the bodies lay, Wen Yishu saw several pink flower buds ready to burst. Following the vines upward, she saw the highest branch still clinging to the wall; it only descended slowly when it saw them come out. How could a plant covered in such thorns be as fragile as it had acted earlier? Wen Yishu grew even more vigilant. She had a headache just looking at those thorns; if it came to a real fight, she definitely wouldn’t have the upper hand.

Wen Yishu decided to try communicating first. She strode forward, extending an arm to stop Bai Mi from following too closely.

The long branch at the top of the rose bush slowly extended toward Wen Yishu. She observed it briefly; a normal rose bush would take decades to grow this large. A Tier 1 mutated plant usually had half this canopy size; considering it had eaten several people, it had likely mutated to Tier 2. The thorns at the base of the plant had aged to a yellow hue, while the upper thorns were a tender green, making the plant look as if it were wearing a spring dress.

The water droplets she had shaken off earlier had turned into a thin layer of ice that crunched under her boots. She cautiously reached out her hand while gripping a flamethrower with the other, ready for defense at any moment.

However, the rose didn’t show any strong aggression. It merely used a leaf to gently hook Wen Yishu. The moment she touched the leaf, a sickeningly sweet consciousness slithered over, clinging to her mind: “Sister, I really didn’t mean it. Just now, I thought you were one of those stinky things too.”

The voice was exceptionally beautiful. In Wen Yishu’s mind, a complete image of the rose appeared, and its tender new branches began slowly coiling around her waist.

A chill of disgust ran through Wen Yishu. She withdrew her hand instantly and ignited the flamethrower. Everyone was shocked by her move. The rose flailed its other branches frantically to extinguish the fire, and Wen Yishu could sense a feeling of pure disbelief emanating from the plant.

Immediately, the rose’s voice rang out in her mind, screaming a question: “Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong!”

Wen Yishu disgustedlly wiped the rainwater from her fingers. “If you’re sick, get help. Why is a rose pretending to be a dodder plant, clinging to someone’s waist? You’re revolting.”

She felt clearly that this was intentional and was extremely displeased by the act. A plant with no sense of boundaries sent her internal alarms to their peak; there was no longer even a need for contact.

The rose’s voice drifted over again, its tone noticeably deeper: “You truly are the most troublesome human I’ve ever met. Although I sense the aura of a kin within you, eating you would probably be better than peaceful coexistence.”

As it spoke, the thick branch at the top swelled rapidly and lashed out, the wood becoming visibly lignified as it grew at high speed. All of this happened in an instant. From Bai Mi’s perspective, Wen Yishu had approached the rose cautiously, only to start a fight after just one “wordless” exchange.

Wen Yishu was already prepared. She turned the flamethrower to maximum power and aimed it at the base. The scorching air baked the moisture out of the surroundings, and tongues of fire licked at the intricately tangled branches. Under such high-intensity burning, the rose surprisingly didn’t ignite immediately. It brandished its wild branches, condensing them into whip-shadows like snakes tearing through the air, emitting a sharp whistle. They instantly struck the shield formed by the String of Pearls.

Wen Yishu held the String of Pearls with one hand and the flamethrower with the other, feeling as if the entire world were shaking. A heavy thud sounded from above as the branch-whip exploded upon contact with the shield’s surface, generating countless tiny twigs that wedged their thorns into the indentations of the String of Pearls, trying desperately to flip it over. Wen Yishu gritted her teeth, veins popping on her arms as she struggled to maintain her balance.

“Is this all you’ve got?” The rose’s voice sounded like it was in significant pain itself. Within its trembling voice was a madness twisted to the extreme. Abandoning all defense in a suicidal gambit, more branches erupted from the ground. The whip made of thorny vines acted like a living creature, tracing a bizarre arc in the air before lashing down again with a vengeance!

The whip struck the shield like a lightning bolt. The String of Pearls let out an ear-piercing creak. Its round leaves were pierced by countless tiny thorns. Wen Yishu didn’t even want to imagine the “grand spectacle” if those thorns had pierced her own skin.

“Master, I feel like my butt is a bit itchy,” the String of Pearls’ excited voice rang out. The serious atmosphere instantly dissolved, and even the rose’s poised branch paused for a moment. Wen Yishu didn’t have a free hand to rub her forehead, but she felt utterly speechless. How could a plant have a “butt”? And the sharp thorns weren’t even stuck in its roots.

Taking advantage of this one-second gap, Wen Yishu grabbed Bai Mi and retreated rapidly to the opposite side. The String of Pearls in her hand shook, and the dense tiny thorns fell limp to the ground. It had clearly withered a bit, and even the soil at its roots had become somewhat dry.

Yet, the String of Pearls continued stubbornly: “Does this count as putting a warm face against a cold butt? I feel like my butt is really burning.” Its pierced leaves didn’t heal immediately; instead, the shredded skin slowly gathered and began to relink bit by bit.

The shield’s duration was limited. Wen Yishu’s face went cold; she was furious at her own carelessness. Even if the String of Pearls didn’t mind, she truly felt the sting of using up the precious little nutrient solution she had left.

On the other side, the rose was still shouting: “What ‘butt’ are you talking about? Don’t think you can be lawless just because you have a mobile soil ball! If you have the guts, come forward and fight me for real! What kind of skill is retreating?”

It relied on its natural advantage to recklessly defy humans. Of course, it wasn’t without weaknesses; it was an iron law that plants almost never moved. Moving a body this size would require an immense effort. Furthermore, roses are plants that are heavily dependent on fertilizer and soil; it was impossible for it to leave the ground entirely in its adult stage.

Countless ways to kill it flashed through Wen Yishu’s mind. She retracted the String of Pearls, but her hand was suddenly gently pulled. Wen Yishu looked down and realized that the heavy pressure from earlier had pressed two bloody gashes into the back of her hand. Now that the String of Pearls was gone, droplets of blood were about to drip onto the ground.

Bai Mi said nothing. She simply processed the wound on the back of her hand quickly, wrapping it with gauze and tightening it. Wen Yishu felt a sharp sting, but when she raised her hand, the aching pain from before had vanished.

“Thank you. Wait for me here. I’ll take care of this in a moment.”

She stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the rose. From this distance, she could still hear the rose’s hysterical screaming and arrogant laughter: “You can’t touch me! You coward, lock your windows tight tonight, because I will definitely eat you! I definitely will!”

Wen Yishu put away the flamethrower and continued to advance. Both the String of Pearls in her pocket and the rose in front of her were stunned.

Then, the String of Pearls began wrapping frantically around Wen Yishu’s arm: “Master, what’s wrong? Are you enchanted by it? Don’t go up! Team Leader, come here! Team Leader!”

Unfortunately, the person behind her couldn’t hear the silent screams of the plant. Wen Yishu continued forward.

The flower bud at the top of the rose had opened at some unknown point, emitting a mesmerizing fragrance. The scent was like the musty, old smell of the attic study in the house where Wen Yishu lived before she moved as a child—a smell that made her feel safe and drew her in unconsciously. The pink petals grew outward in a messy fashion, looking like a child’s haphazard handicraft project, as if the petals had been glued on randomly. The black stamens were also glaringly obvious, growing out of order on the outside of the petals like a genetic mutation. It was truly not a beautiful sight.

Behind her, Bai Mi also caught the scent. Her previously clear eyes became somewhat hollow, and she took two steps forward instinctively.

The rose in front of them was no longer noisy. Instead, it switched to a softer method—a low murmur. All its preparations were for this moment of blooming. Over the course of a single night, it had already killed six people. Its “harmless” blooming lured people in, allowing it to swiftly strangle those immersed in sweet dreams. The rose’s fragrance was almost too faint to smell without getting close, but it had evolved a unique ability: a flowering plant that could use scent to execute all animals.

Wen Yishu felt as though she were walking down a path, only to find herself back at her old house in the countryside. She had lived for over a decade in a remote small county in Rong City, in a self-built house in the suburbs where the entire second floor belonged to her. Inside the log-colored room were off-white curtains and old furniture—not so many smart appliances. Everything was a warm and beautiful memory.

Wen Yishu seemed to have reverted to her childhood self. Her height barely reached the top of the wooden handrail. She ran to the third floor and stood at the door of the old attic study, not quite daring to open it. Her breathing was a bit rapid. Just like before, she clenched her palms tightly to calm her emotions.

Suddenly, the door in front of her opened. The handle turned, and a sliver of sunlight fell diagonally across her feet. She looked up and saw two young, bright, smiling faces: “Back from school? Come in quick, we’ve finished the preparations for the experiment.”

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