Chapter 105: Destination: Bliss! p2
[Extracting: 7.9]
Seeing the extraction timer, Lin Jiayao relaxed, and after the countdown ended, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Safe!
The familiar settlement interface appeared.
She expertly transferred the blood crystals into the warehouse. As the warehouse filled, a sense of satisfaction grew.
She now had sixty blood crystal stones!
This last haul alone, not including the B-rank Awakened, had yielded thirty-six!
It seemed the Awakened had been carrying a lot of blood crystals, and combined with the ones from the giant insect, it had been a massive windfall.
Jackpot!
Besides the unanalyzed blood and gore from the B-rank Awakened, she also noticed another item hidden within it.
It hadn’t been damaged, even by her grinding maw.
A bone necklace with various bones attached.
She instantly recognized it.
The Awakened’s weapon, the one she’d found so terrifying during her initial encounter as the green bird zombie.
In a fair fight, that Awakened would have been a formidable B-rank opponent, her numerous and varied summons incredibly difficult to deal with.
But she hadn’t been facing just Lin Jiayao; she’d been facing an entire urban jungle.
And against such an unknown, seemingly invincible force, weakened by her crash, she’d been easily defeated, crushed like an insect in a meat grinder.
Although also human, Lin Jiayao felt no sympathy.
After witnessing the Voodoo Cult’s atrocities, she had no compassion for this tyrannical organization.
Although she didn’t know the situation in northern and northeastern China, the Voodoo Cult’s influence was strongest in the central and southern regions.
They all deserved to die.
She transferred the bone necklace to the warehouse; it took up nine slots, a 3×3 space.
The added items finally made her warehouse look less empty.
The 10×10 space might not be enough for much longer.
So many blood crystals… it would take a long time to use them all…
Smiling, Lin Jiayao exited the settlement interface and slowly opened her eyes.
She felt a sense of relief, having just eliminated a major threat to her and her sister.
A B-rank Awakened who had been coming for them!
And now that threat was gone, significantly hindering the Voodoo Cult’s plans for purging the camps in Guangdong Province, unless they sent another B-rank Awakened.
Without a B-rank’s rapid mobility, even with many cities flooded, they couldn’t effectively encircle the fleeing survivors.
Before she could even look at the available evolutions, she heard her sister talking to Huayibai.
“You can’t say that! Who taught you such things?!”
“Um… the book Mommy gave me…”
“Which book?”
“One Hundred Years of Solitude…”
“Who would give a child such a book?!”
“You can’t say that anymore, understand? Be good.”
“Okay…”
Besides the engine’s hum, Lin Jiayao heard her sister scolding Huayibai.
It seemed Huayibai had said something inappropriate again while she was logged in.
She was familiar with this.
“What happened?” Lin Jiayao asked, amused, seeing her sister’s exasperation. “What did Yibai say?”
“Yibai said she wants to take Mommy on a thrilling ride to a realm of pure bliss!” Huayibai said proudly, puffing out her small chest.
She had practiced that sentence for so long; she could even write it from memory! She’d been waiting for this moment!
“I can even write it!” she added, smiling smugly.
And then she received a knock on the head.
Lin Jiayao slightly regretted giving her those books.
She’d calculated that twenty books would perfectly fill her 4×4 safehouse, five books per slot.
She’d chosen a dozen or so and then, realizing the empty space in the sack would still take up four slots, had added a few random classics to make it twenty.
And One Hundred Years of Solitude had been among them.
She only remembered Remedios the Beauty, the angel, everything else forgotten.
Hearing Huayibai quote the book, the memories returned.
Oh no, have I corrupted her?
“Ow…”
Huayibai rubbed her head, looking at Lin Jiayao with a slightly hurt expression.
“It’s okay, Yao,” Lin Xiwan said, looking at the road ahead. “Children say silly things. Her… irresponsible mother didn’t teach her properly. We’ll just have to educate her.”
Lin Jiayao opened her mouth to speak, then closed it.
Sister, that irresponsible mother… was me…
Of course, she wouldn’t say that out loud.
And Lin Xiwan wouldn’t connect the “Mommy” in Huayibai’s words to her sister.
Her sister had been with her the entire time; she couldn’t possibly be an Awakened who had lived in Survivor’s Light for years.
It was probably some trauma-induced attachment, a way for the little girl to cope with her insecurity, seeing her and Lin Jiayao as parental figures.
Or… perhaps she’d hit her head when she’d been run over earlier.
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
After all, no normal ten-year-old would ask such bizarre questions.
Earlier, while Lin Jiayao was asleep, Huayibai had even asked, “A person’s last words are called a ‘will.’ What are their words after death called?”
The question had stunned Lin Xiwan, who had asked several times to confirm that she wasn’t joking.
Huayibai had been completely serious.
After a lengthy explanation that dead people don’t speak, Huayibai had only nodded dubiously, seemingly unconvinced, as if she had actually witnessed dead people talking.
Lin Xiwan had shared this with her sister and, seeing her equally bewildered expression, had chuckled.
But her amusement quickly faded.
Thinking about dead people reminded her of the Voodoo Cult’s declaration and then of the Qingzhou University Camp.
Without the Voodoo Cult, not only this camp, but also others, even Survivor’s Light, could have thrived.
Perhaps they could have even eradicated the zombies and restored order.
“Sigh…” She sighed softly.
“What’s wrong, Sister?” Lin Jiayao asked, sensing her sister’s sudden sadness.
“I was just thinking… it would be so much better if the Voodoo Cult were gone,” Lin Xiwan said with a wry smile. “Then you and I wouldn’t have to keep running and hiding.”
“That’s true…” Lin Jiayao nodded, understanding her sister’s feelings.
So Sister also… wanted a stable life, a safe haven…
Unlike before, when she had only thought of running from the Voodoo Cult, Lin Jiayao now considered… how to make her sister’s wish come true.
If the Voodoo Cult was making her sister unhappy, then why not… eliminate them?
If her sister wanted a stable life, then she would give her one.
After killing that B-rank Awakened, and with the blood crystals filling her warehouse, Lin Jiayao’s mindset had shifted.
She no longer felt that B-rank Awakened were invincible.
They were still human, not gods.
If a human is killed, they die.
It was a simple truth.
And killing… was something she was becoming quite good at.
Lin Jiayao had explored Kun City; there were no major threats there. Those building-trees might look intimidating, but they wouldn’t attack unless provoked.
She had even seen uninfected animals roaming the jungle during her run and flight.
And there were only two types of fungus there.
White and green, both parasitic on the building-trees, not infectious to animals, their spores harmless.
As long as she didn’t burn down the trees, Kun City was safe.
And in Kun City, her building-tree guardian form would have home-field advantage. If the Voodoo Cult attacked with rockets and grenades, the entire forest would be on her side.
“Sister, let’s go to Kun City,” she said. “They have the largest seed bank there. We might be able to grow our own food.”
Huayibai chimed in, “Yes! Survivor’s Light was planning to expand to Yun Province. The seed bank there has almost every kind of seed imaginable!”
Perfect timing, mother and “daughter” working together.
Hearing this, Lin Xiwan wavered.
But she was still worried.
“But… wouldn’t there be a lot of… mushrooms there? That province had the most mushrooms before the apocalypse…”
“No, it’s safe.”
Guided by her “mother’s” mental command and pheromones, Huayibai spoke with conviction. “There are only two types of fungus there, and they only infect plants. As long as we don’t harm the forest, it’s safe.”
Lin Jiayao nodded in agreement. “Sizhou Province is above us, the sea below. Yun Province is our only option.”
Southwest Province was too close to the Voodoo Cult. Yun Province was the safest choice.
“Hmm…” Lin Xiwan, still unsure of their destination, hearing their reassurances, felt a spark of hope. “Okay, we’ll go to Yun Province, to Kun City, and see.”
“Okay.”
Lin Jiayao nodded. As long as they didn’t encounter the Voodoo Cult on their way, everything should be fine.
She could then focus on dealing with them.
Thinking this, Lin Jiayao closed her eyes and looked at the evolution options.
「Please retain your evolution」
「1、【Root Entanglement Lv.1 (Blue): Allows you to extend roots from your feet, anchoring you to the ground, or to ensnare enemies】」
「2、【Vascular Network Lv.1 (Gold): Increases mental strength; allows you to connect to the vascular network of blood crystal-infected plants and Crystal Chain vines, controlling the flow of nutrients】」
「3、【Hardened Bark Lv.1 (Gray): Makes your skin as hard as bark, slightly increasing defense】」
Gold?
Vascular Network? What’s that?
Lin Jiayao only remembered that vascular tissue transported water and nutrients in plants.
But “network”… she suddenly thought of the interconnected vines in Kun City.
Like a… plant-based local area network, using vines for communication and nutrient transfer.
This gold evolution… could it allow her to control the flow of nutrients between those building-trees?
Why hadn’t she sensed this ability while controlling the building-tree guardian? Weren’t retained evolutions supposed to be abilities the zombie already possessed?
「Settlement status is based on the final state at the time of extraction.」
「The host had already connected to the network of building-tree zombies during settlement, so the available evolutions have changed.」
Hearing the system’s explanation, Lin Jiayao finally understood.
It was because of the building-tree zombie’s unique nature.
The immobile building-tree, the Crystal Chain vines, the white and green fungi…
These plants, combined with other elements she hadn’t noticed, formed a vast, interconnected organism, a strategy for survival in this apocalyptic world.
No, calling it a “building-tree zombie” wasn’t accurate anymore.
It was like an Awakened, only… a plant Awakened.
Mindless, but also not a frenzied, aggressive monster like most infected.
An entire city, a vast, interconnected jungle, a single, massive plant Awakened – although the analogy was a bit abstract, Lin Jiayao understood.
That’s why the building-trees hadn’t attacked the B-rank Awakened initially, only creating a guardian after she’d set them on fire.
It was just a survival mechanism, a unique evolutionary path chosen by these immobile plants.
If that were the case, then not just Kun City, but the entire Yun Province, might be relatively safe.
No wonder Survivor’s Light had considered relocating there; they must have sent reconnaissance teams to survey the area.
Without hesitation, Lin Jiayao chose the gold evolution, [Vascular Network]. A chill passed through her mind, and she felt her mental strength increase.
I see…
This evolution also enhanced mental strength, although not as much as [Vigor], still a welcome bonus.
Once they reached Kun City, she could even control the flow of nutrients between the building-trees, draining any guardians they created.
Her advantage against the Voodoo Cult had just increased considerably.
Suddenly, she noticed a “①” on the [Hideout] entry.
Had the slight increase in mental strength unlocked something new?
She opened the Hideout interface.
A “①” hovered above the [Control Center].
She clicked on it.
「Upgradeable」
「Control Center Lv.2: Unlocks two additional login slots; halves evolution and death cooldown time; unlocks constructible unit [Zombie Loot Box Lv.1]」
「Upgrade requires: Blood Crystal Stone x20」
Although she wasn’t sure what a [Zombie Loot Box] was, her gaze was fixed on the “two additional login slots” and “halved cooldown time.”
This meant upgrading the Control Center to Lv.2 would give her six zombie slots, and even if a zombie died, she could log in again after only six hours.
A significant improvement.
And the cost, twenty blood crystals, seemed insignificant compared to the benefits.
Build!
Lin Jiayao upgraded the Control Center.
Two new slots, number five and six, appeared on the login interface.
This was excellent news.
More opportunities for exploration.
And with the reduced cooldown time, she could even dedicate a slot to a specific city with a powerful zombie, repeatedly logging in and dying until she was assigned to that specific zombie.
Brute force evolution!
And she already knew where to find the most powerful and unusual zombies.
Japan, Tokyo.
Even more densely populated than India.
And an island nation, surrounded by the sea.
There were definitely some terrifying evolutions there, unlike anything even the Voodoo Cult had encountered.
Having decided on her next destination, Lin Jiayao felt the car brake suddenly and quickly exited the system, opening her eyes.
Before she could even ask her sister what had happened, she saw a convoy of vehicles stopped ahead.
A roadblock?
Lin Jiayao’s eyes narrowed, activating both Bone Spike Lurker and Blood Crystal Vision, the terrain map and the red highlights merging.
And from the convoy, a young man, holding a rifle, began walking towards their jeep.
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