Bai Yaoyao spoke to the Crooked Neck Tree: “How about I give you a name? We’ll be good partners from now on. You also have an older brother named Gouzi—I’ll introduce you tomorrow.”
The willow tree waved its branches in agreement, shaking its leaves in anticipation.
Bai Yaoyao thought for a long time. Gouzi’s name had been too hastily chosen; this time, she wanted something more sophisticated.
“If you hear one you like, shake your leaves,” she said.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle!”
“Xiaoshu?”
“Rustle!”
“Xiaoliu?”
“Rustle rustle!”
“Xiaolu?”
“Rustle rustle rustle!”
Bai Yaoyao gradually lost patience: “Then it’s settled—you’ll be called Xiao Wai! I’m in a hurry to get home and sleep!”
Xiao Wai really wanted to whine and protest again, but Bai Yaoyao had already left the space, unwilling to pay attention to its silent cries.
Whatever. It’s still better than that brother called Gouzi.
Accepting the name Xiao Wai, it obediently took root by the spring, slowly digesting the energy within its body.
……
Bai Yaoyao drove back in high spirits. Although taking Xiao Wai away might deprive it of the opportunities and strength it had in her previous life, no matter what, humanity had one less powerful opponent.
“Lovely spring scenery, better to dream a dream, where green grass smells sweet~”
Humming the song all the way, Bai Yaoyao sped along, occasionally hitting a zombie, finding it rather entertaining.
Halfway through the journey, Bai Yaoyao sensed something wrong and quickly stopped. For safety, she got out and stored the car in her space.
Her Mental Power had been constantly scanning the road ahead, detecting a powerful energy fluctuation.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her mind—a Psychic Zombie, at least Tier-1, or possibly even Tier-2!
Bai Yaoyao felt that too many things in this life were diverging from her memories. Special Type Zombies weren’t supposed to appear until at least half a year later, yet here it was, only the first day of the apocalypse, and not only had Enhancement Types appeared, but Special Types as well.
Fortunately, her space ability had leveled up, allowing her to perform short-distance Teleports. After being attacked, Bai Yaoyao quickly moved toward the Psychic Zombie.
But the Psychic Zombie…
Actually ran away!
Since when do low-level zombies have consciousness? This is ridiculous!
Even though she knew it might be a trap, Bai Yaoyao chased after it. Not figuring out what was going on would itch at her mind too much.
She chased it to a clothing factory, where Level Zero Zombies surrounded her from all directions, and the Psychic Zombie leaned against the wall by the factory entrance. Bai Yaoyao initially thought about setting a bomb and Teleporting back to her space.
But a bomb powerful enough to destroy the zombies would likely vaporize their crystal cores too. Unwilling to lose so many crystal cores, she pulled out a large machete instead, preparing for a tough fight.
Although Level Zero Zombies were weak, their numbers were overwhelming. Bai Yaoyao went from needing three strikes per zombie to one strike each, until her hands felt numb from the vibrations.
Xiao Wai had been constantly communicating with Bai Yaoyao, wanting to be let out. After getting enough practice, Bai Yaoyao tossed Xiao Wai out.
For the rest of the battle, they fought in perfect sync: Xiao Wai used its branches to restrain the zombies, while Bai Yaoyao chopped them down with her machete, more than doubling their efficiency.
No matter how intense the fight, Bai Yaoyao kept her Mental Power fully active, staying vigilant against the Psychic Zombie. Being able to control so many Level Zero Zombies meant it had to be at least Tier-2—it shouldn’t have only this much capability.
“Xiao Wai, can you handle this yourself?” Bai Yaoyao wanted Xiao Wai to restrain the Level Zero Zombies while she went to eliminate the source. Otherwise, he’d keep summoning endless reinforcements, and no matter how strong she was, her stamina would eventually run out.
“Rustle rustle rustle!” Xiao Wai responded enthusiastically.
Bai Yaoyao noticed that Xiao Wai had grown significantly larger, and even its crooked neck had straightened somewhat. She guessed it might be due to the spring water’s effect.
Bai Yaoyao subtly moved closer to the Psychic Zombie. Once within ten meters, she dashed forward rapidly, combined with a Teleport, and flashed right in front of the Psychic Zombie.
Just as she raised her knife to attack, she sensed danger from behind. Immediately abandoning her strike, she evaded the rear assault. This thing had no honor—bringing minions was one thing, but damn, it even had bodyguards! Even celebrities weren’t this high-maintenance!
Turning around, she cursed inwardly—another Tier-2 Zombie!
And it was an Enhancement Type Speed Zombie!
While engaged in combat with the Speed Zombie, Bai Yaoyao used her Mental Power to block the Psychic Zombie’s attacks. Before long, she clearly felt her stamina dropping severely.
She kept missing her strikes—the zombie was too fast, wasting much of her energy. Eventually, she had to divert a small portion of her Mental Power to fully confront the Speed Zombie. Finally seizing an opportunity, she plunged her knife into the Speed Zombie’s eye and swiftly twisted it.
Without wasting a second, she Teleported directly in front of the Psychic Zombie and forcefully decapitated it.
Seeing Xiao Wai still tangled up with the “minions,” she returned to assist. Working in perfect harmony once more, they finally ended the battle.
The moment all zombies fell, both the human and the tree collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted!
It was the kind of fatigue where one more minute would have been unbearable. Bai Yaoyao drank some water and rested for a while before regaining some strength.
If she truly couldn’t win, she would have retreated into her space. But when there was a chance to fight, she had to take it. Ability users who relied solely on crystal cores to advance were weak—many were defeated by those of lower tiers who had honed their skills in combat.
That’s why Bai Yaoyao chose to fight head-on.
Seeing how exhausted Xiao Wai was, she felt a pang of heartache. This was only the first day of the apocalypse, and it wasn’t yet the mighty Willow Emperor. Without Xiao Wai today, she could have escaped but not won.
Considering them partners now, Bai Yaoyao wouldn’t be stingy with a companion. She directly moved it beside the spring water in her space, letting it drink all the newly emerged water.
Xiao Wai trembled with excitement, once again extending all its branches into the spring.
In less than five seconds, it was empty again!
Bai Yaoyai had already started collecting the crystal cores. Looking at the corpses of zombies everywhere, she felt an impulse to summon help—a happy burden, indeed.
“Rustle rustle rustle rustle!”
“Why come out?” Though curious, Bai Yaoyao still released Xiao Wai.
Xiao Wai immediately controlled all its branches to rapidly harvest the crystal cores—scooping, digging, and tossing—landing them right at Bai Yaoyao’s feet.
Bai Yaoyao laughed excitedly with her hands on her hips: “Bro, you’re awesome!” Giving you a like, old iron 666!”
“Rustle rustle rustle!”
Bai Yaoyao personally dug out the crystal cores from the two Tier-2 Zombies, then sat down on the spot and pulled out a Yuxiang Rousi Rice Bowl. She ate while waiting for Xiao Wai to collect the remaining cores.
Never mind the unpleasant environment affecting appetite—she was used to it. It tasted quite delicious. One portion wasn’t enough, so she also ate a bowl of Braised Beef Noodles.
After Xiao Wai finished digging out the crystal cores, Bai Yaoyao had also eaten her fill. She stored both the crystal cores and Xiao Wai in her space, then took out the car and drove home!
Bai Yaoyao used her consciousness to check—222 cores, almost matching the team’s daily harvest. It was exhausting, but the rewards were absolutely worth it. Time to go back and level up!
A true “mother” knows to distribute blessings equally—her Mental Power was ready to reach level two.