Chapter 69—Rose are Red

by Bocchan13

The large vines parasitically wrapped itself around the claws, preventing it from moving. Another vine gently moved Wang Cheng away from the moles reach. Wang Cheng could feel the vines intent and didn’t hesitate to gently pet the vine. The vine tapped Wang Cheng’s head and move him to where Yu Ci was.

Yu Ci hastily took Wang Cheng, much to the vines dismay. The slice in space opened a little more and a large rose the size of a car emerged from it.

There were a few leaves surrounding the rose, but the majority of its body was vines filled with thorns.

“What the fuck is that thing?!”

The rose was now in front of everyone and standing off the mole, blocking them from danger. The vines that held the claws immediately gripped the mole towards the rose. The mole could sense the danger and wanted to retreat.

It’s other claw swiped, trying to cut the vines. Another thick vine immediately wrapped itself around the mole. The rose suddenly got bigger and bigger, growing faster until it was the size of a trailer. The vines thickened, the thorns had now turned into sharp blade-like barbs.

The rose was not rooted to anything and its flowery plumes unhesitantly moved towards the mole. The flower had felt Wang Cheng’s fear and sadness.

It came just in time to prevent Wang Cheng from dying. The rose could feel its soul hurting. He didn’t know what this feeling was, but he wanted to protect Wang Cheng from the danger.

The rose curled its vines around the moles body. Everyone watched as the rose swallowed the mole with vines. The barbs felt like cotton on the rose, and he didn’t mind the fresh food offered to it.

Everyone watched wide-eyed as the rose entirely obliterated the mole rat. Its thorny vines surrounded and cocooned the giant beast until it could no longer be seen. Song Yu glanced as more vines slithered past them into the darkness of the tunnels.

Decimating everything in its path, it looped through the underground tunnels, annihilating every zombie the vines could touch. Its sharp barbs cut off zombies heads while simultaneously killing the mole. 

You could barely see the bright red rose anymore as the entire scene was awash with gigantic green thorns, soaking in blood. 

“Fuck Wang Cheng! Have you been hiding this thing in your space?”

Wang Cheng gulped, his eyes riveted on the scene of carnage his little baby rose was conducting. The vines were squeezing the mole so hard, fibers of the mole rats hair were shedding through the vines alongside the immense amount of blood.

“I-uh...”

Lan Zhou could feel the immense powers of the rose and since they were smack dab in the center of all of this, they could not move for fear the vines would target them.

“Rose was in my space in both…in both lives. It wasn’t sentient until this one though. I thought it just wanted to be planted somewhere nice so I did, but it must have crept back into my space without me noticing it.”

“Will it hurt us?” Yu Ci was staring as the vines crushed the mole rat until it was nothing but mush.

“NO! Rose is sweet and kind and likes dancing. It only came out because I was in danger!”

Yu Ci looked at the devouring of the mole and continued his doubtful thoughts. Everyone could hear the bones being crushed, innards being squeezed and the overwhelming smell of rotted flesh.

The vines were now in stasis, condensed into a ball, the rose in the center eating the bits of the mole like it was brunch. The vines that had gone into the tunnels had come back delicately, the thorn full of zombie blood.

It slithered back to the source, making sure not to hurt any of the people. Song Yu glanced at Wang Cheng, his heart getting colder.

That feeling that Wang Cheng was off. The way Wang Cheng fought back during the tournament, his evasive nature whenever he was questioned…

Wang Cheng had been lying and harboring a sentient plant in his space this entire time.

Not only bringing him into his home, but not even having a guilty conscious as he planted it into the pure soil. Song Yu wanted to feel anger, but could only summon disappointment in Wang Cheng.

Even if the rose plant had helped them…it couldn’t come back with them.

The crunching eventually died down and the rose had digested the mole. Everyone watched as it shrunk down until it resembled a cute rose in a yellow pot. It waved happily at Wang Cheng, wanting to be picked up.

Wang Cheng picked up the rose and pet its cute leaves. The leaf curled around his finger in happiness, the impression of its horrifying eating completely gone.

Wang Cheng turned to everyone, his smile dimming as everyone’s gaze was on the rose. Lan Zhou had a flame in his palm ready to strike.

“E-everyone! Rose won’t hurt you guys! It helped us just now.”

Song Yu was the most calm as he faced Wang Cheng.

“Wang Cheng…you can’t bring it back with us. If I had known you had it with you, I wouldn’t have let you into my home.”

Song Yu could see the rose getting distressed. The thorns were sharpening right in front of his eyes.

“I trust you. But I don’t trust the rose. Look at it right now. It’s already preparing to hurt me.” Wang Cheng looked down and saw the rose’s thorns gleaming sharply.

Wang Cheng bit his lips, “But Rose helped us.”

Song Yu could understand. Squinty and Derpy were sentient animals, and he would kill anyone who harmed them. But this was a plant.

A plant that could help Wang Cheng and talk to him, but could also potentially kill everyone. Song Yu couldn’t trust that the rose wouldn’t harm them.

“I’m not saying to throw it away. But, you can’t plant it in my base. It has to be outside.”

Song Yu’s voice got colder.

“This is the only compromise I can make. I can forgive you lying to me, but I will not condone a threat to our family. Especially one that is capable of such carnage.”

Wang Cheng wanted more support, but looked at everyone. Yu Ci could only shake his head, Xiao Zi and Lu Jingxiu also showing that Song Yu’s compromise was sound.

Wang Cheng looked down at Rose, its leaves wilting. It understood that it couldn’t come with Wang Cheng. Wang Cheng felt it unfair…however if he were in everyone else’s shoes, he would have wholeheartedly greed with Song Yu.

He sighed, “How far can he be from the base?”

Song Yu nodded his head, “The area surrounding the base has pure elements. It probably didn’t like it too much being in that soil. The area down the mountain is better. You can check on it, but I don’t want it in the base.”

The rose could feel Wang Cheng’s distress. Seeing that Song Yu was the culprit, it wanted to hurt him. Wang Cheng could feel the rose’s intent and quickly put it away in his space.

“I-I-I’m sorry Song Yu. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It’s just…this rose had been with me for so long. It used to be just a normal rose, and surprisingly, it came back in this life.”

Song Yu could only acknowledge the bond between Wang Cheng and the rose.

“I know. I forgive you.”

All of the zombies in the tunnels had been killed by the rose, so they got onto the platform and walked up the stairs. They were greeted with the sunset of N City. Some straggler zombies who were able to escape the underground were now walking around, waiting for something.

The mole was at least a Level 8 zombie animal, and had unconsciously hypnotized the zombies to go underground during the day and now they were set free.

Yu Ci was the least tired and easily dealt with them.

“What should we do now? The car is still underground.”

Yu Ci and Wu Ding volunteered to go back and get the car. Song Yu fished out the keys and gladly gave it to them. Everyone sought shelter in a shop and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

“I seriously thought we were going to die down there.”

Lu Jingxiu rubbed Xiao Zi’s head in comfort.

“I know. Even 20 years into the future, I never heard of a level 8 animal zombie. They seem to be getting stronger and stronger.”

Song Yu took out some more purified water and made Lan Zhou drink some.

“Are you okay? Does your head still hurt?”

Lan Zhou smiled gently at Song Yu and took a sip. Before, he didn’t know what he had drank, but now he could tell that the water was extremely pure. It has a slight sweetness to it that parched his thirst.

“I’m fine. I overused my ability. I wish there was a way we could replenish our energy, but even 20 years into the future, nothing had been developed.”

Song Yu nodded. It was true. Once exhausted, abilities took time to recover. Unlike those stallion novel books where nuclei existed in zombie heads, there was nothing like that in real life. People leveled up through using their abilities over and over again. Like a muscle, the more you stretched and strained it, the stronger it became.

Song Yu wiped Lan Zhou’s sweaty forehead and kissed his cheeks.

“It’s okay. Just get some rest.”

Lan Zhou nodded and slumped on his shoulders.

Wang Cheng held Rose in its cute yellow pot, his eyes staring at it. The rose could only communicate with him in his space, but outside it could only use its body language to comfort Wang Cheng. It swished left and right, trying to cheer Wang Cheng up.

Touching its cute petals, Wang Cheng sighed.

“Rose, I’m sorry. I can’t bring you with me anymore.”

The rose wilted and coquettishly tried to hug Wang Cheng’s finger. Wang Cheng smiled sadly.

“If only you were a person, we could communicate like normal people.” The rose tilted its head in confusion, but didn’t mind Wang Cheng’s affectionate tone.

Wu Ding and Yu Ci came back with the car, the car perilously balanced on Yu Ci’s shoulder. Yu Ci gently put the car down, making sure the tires were okay. Song Yu checked the car and saw it was still drivable. The least exhausted Xiao Zi took charge and drove the car back to the safe house.

N City that used to be desolate was now growing with zombies, becoming like any other abandoned city.