Gu Chi obviously also noticed the big, astonishing carrot.
He hesitated for a moment. “This is… a carrot?”
It was already strange enough that humans could mutate into zombies, but now even radishes were mutating?
Yun Ling nodded earnestly.
She had deliberately brought it out from her Lingquan space. This radish was the finest spiritual plant she nurtured—sweet, crispy, juicy—and it even boosted spiritual power.
Though… Chi Ying probably didn’t need the boost all that much.
Meanwhile, Gu Chi was already considering whether he should send this “mutant radish” to the research institute for study.
Cough. Chi Ying hurriedly explained, “This is Yun Ling’s ability.”
She was worried that Gu Chi would get suspicious.
Technically, it wasn’t a lie—Yun Ling did have the ability to cultivate spiritual plants.
Hearing Chi Ying speak, Yun Ling instinctively nodded.
What she said was always right!
“Really?” Gu Chi frowned, still skeptical.
Seeing his reaction, Yun Ling quickly grabbed the leaf on top of the radish. In the next second, the already large leaf doubled in size before his eyes.
Gu Chi: “…”
Chi Ying finally relaxed. She turned to Yun Ling. “Is it for me?”
“Yeah.” Yun Ling, worried that she might dislike it, hurried to explain, “This isn’t an ordinary radish…”
Chi Ying: I can tell.
“It’s really delicious!” Yun Ling added eagerly.
Since it wasn’t convenient to mention the Lingquan space, she could only emphasize its taste.
“But… it’s a bit big,” Chi Ying said, struggling a little with the image of storing it.
“It’s fine! It can be kept fresh for a long time if stored properly,” Yun Ling quickly assured her. “As long as you keep it hydrated, it won’t spoil.”
“…Alright. Thank you.” Chi Ying bit the bullet and accepted the gift.
In the end, it was Gu Chi who helped move the radish to his place.
Chi Ying’s room was too small and had no kitchen. If she tried to stuff something this size inside, she wouldn’t even have space to turn around.
Looking at the giant radish weighing hundreds of catties, Gu Chi also had a slight headache.
“I’m afraid you’ll be eating radishes for a long time,” he said.
“Yun Ling said it stores well. Maybe we can ask Mu Yu to put it in his space ability? That way we can have fresh vegetables even when we’re outside,” Chi Ying suggested.
Gu Chi nodded. “Good idea.”
“Radishes are easy to cook, too. You can boil them, stew them, or even steam the leaves into dumplings. A little trouble is fine if we have time to settle somewhere stable.”
Chi Ying blinked, surprised.
She didn’t expect him to have such domestic experience.
Gu Chi tapped the white, tender radish thoughtfully. “Do you want to eat the leaves or the root first?”
Chi Ying was slightly stunned.
Gu Chi rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll cook.”
When Gu Chi brought out a plate of stewed radish and a dish of fried radish dumplings, Chi Ying was genuinely shocked.
After all, she still remembered the chaotic stew he had made when they were out in the field…
She picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and took a bite.
Delicious!
Not only was the radish itself sweet and tender, but Gu Chi’s cooking skills definitely added extra points.
“When we’re outside, it’s inconvenient to cook properly, so I usually throw things together casually,” Gu Chi explained, sitting opposite her.
Chi Ying silently swallowed her dumpling.
Hmm… Compared to the stews she had tasted before, those really were “casual.”
After finishing dinner, Gu Chi moved on to business.
“By the way, get ready. We’re heading out again the morning after tomorrow.”
Chi Ying nodded.
“Professor Yu’s research on the zombie leader is still ongoing, but so far there’s no definite conclusion. However, what we know is enough—Zhang Bin wasn’t the only leader.”
Gu Chi’s expression darkened slightly.
“Starting yesterday, the headquarters received reports from multiple supply and exploration teams. The zombies they encountered were no longer scattered, but moving in groups… with coordinated attacks.”
【This matches the original plot. In the book, humans discovered the zombie leaders shortly after Ye Wuhan reached level seven.】the system chimed in.
“Our next missions might be extremely dangerous. It’s not the leaders themselves that are the biggest threat, but the organized hordes they command.”
Gu Chi stood up and went inside. When he came out, he was carrying a silver pistol.
He handed it to Chi Ying.
“Your ability is strong, but it’s better not to expose it lightly. Use this when you’re in public.”
Chi Ying took the gun, running her fingers over the smooth, textured surface, and nodded. “Got it.”
She still remembered the pistol she had borrowed before… and given away. She promised herself she would return a brand new one.
Opening the system shop, she glanced at the firearms section—still locked. She needed 100,000 Holy Mother points to unlock pistols, but she was still about 30,000 short.
Almost there, she thought.
__
The next night.
Gu Chi finished packing the weapons and tools he would need. Then, he headed to the kitchen and pulled out several large glass jars from a cabinet.
There were still plenty of lemons left from their earlier harvest. Yesterday, he had borrowed sugar, and he had honey from the greenhouse’s beehives.
Carefully, he sliced the lemons and layered them into jars—one with sugar between the slices, and one with honey.
After sealing the jars, Gu Chi stared at them quietly.
When I come back next time… they should be ready to eat.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door. Gu Chi snapped out of his daze, hurriedly stuffed the lemon jars into the cabinet, and only left an empty glass jar on the counter before opening the door.
“Professor Yu?” he said in surprise.
Professor Yu glanced down at his rolled-up cuffs and laughed, “Why did it take so long? Were you cooking?”
Cough. “No.”
Professor Yu leaned in and glanced at the kitchen—nothing but an empty glass jar.
He muttered suspiciously but got back to business.
“I wanted to confirm something. In your report about the leader zombie, you mentioned it had low body temperature, irregular breathing, and seemed to be sending signals to other zombies, right?”
Gu Chi nodded.
“I dissected the leader’s brain today and extracted its crystal nucleus. Its structure is definitely more complex than that of normal zombies. That’s probably what allowed it to command a zombie group.”
He continued, “As for the low body temperature and breathing irregularities… I don’t think they’re sufficient identifiers for leaders.”
Gu Chi frowned. “You mean they might not be reliable indicators?”
Professor Yu shook his head. “It’s just a hypothesis. We need more samples to be sure. Based on years of research, I can tell you this—”
“The zombie crystal nucleus functions much like a human brain, controlling body movement. Zhang Bin’s nucleus was only partially evolved. That’s why he could maintain some human traits—but it wasn’t perfect.”
Gu Chi’s expression turned grim.
“You’re saying if a leader evolves further, and perfects its control, it could pass as human?”
Professor Yu sighed heavily.
“Exactly.”
“If such a zombie exists, even in a place like this headquarters filled with experts, it could remain completely undetected. And if that happens…” He looked at Gu Chi seriously. “Humanity’s chances of survival are zero.”
Author’s Note:
Gu Chi, who perfectly infiltrated the headquarters in the original book: Huh? Are you talking about me?
Next chapter: preparing to leave headquarters~
(Handgun wording was tweaked because of blocking issues, sorry QAQ!)
Loveguy On CFRFGC Chapter 12