The two of them were on their way back.
As they passed a residential building, something on a balcony caught Wen Lan’s eye.
Inside a flowerpot was…
A bright red cucumber seedling?
A mutated vegetable!
It immediately drew her attention.
“There’s a mutated plant over there!”
She had no interest in the other mutated plants she had encountered.
But this one…
According to her perception ability, it contained a tiny point of light.
Extremely faint.
A mutated plant with a point of light was different from all the others.
The two of them climbed up to the balcony.
The balcony was badly cracked. Several flowerpots were scattered about, though every ordinary plant inside had long since withered.
It seemed the owner had enjoyed growing vegetables on the balcony.
“It’s a cucumber seedling… a mutated one.”
The first mutated plant Wen Lan had ever found with a point of light was the fleeceflower root.
Although it looked withered, its light had been much brighter.
This cucumber seedling looked vibrant and healthy, but its light was considerably weaker.
Without hesitation, Wen Lan decided to take it with her.
She searched the apartment until she found a child’s insulated bottle, filled it with some soil, and carefully transplanted the cucumber seedling into it.
Then she placed it inside her storage space.
The mutated cucumber seedling wasn’t aggressive.
It merely looked rather unusual.
The reason Wen Lan wanted to bring it back was to verify a theory she had been forming.
Su Han simply stood nearby and waited in silence.
…
After returning to the house…
Their search that day had still turned up no trace of Zhang Ye, Zhou Wen, or Ji Feng.
“We should head back to the safe zone.”
They had made an agreement beforehand.
If they ever became separated, everyone would regroup at the safe zone.
When Xia Mo saw Su Han and Wen Lan returning together, a flicker of restrained emotion flashed through her eyes.
Wen Lan frowned slightly.
She still couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Xia Mo was wrong.
“Lan Lan!”
Xia Mo called out to her.
Her tone sounded exactly the same as before.
Yet…
Something still felt off.
“Xia Mo, it’s great that you’re awake. I thought your fever would last another three days and three nights like last time.”
“That’s right. You were the one who stayed with me for IV drips and injections back then.”
Wen Lan continued chatting with her.
Every response Xia Mo gave matched her memories perfectly.
But…
Something still wasn’t right.
It was her emotions.
Something was wrong with her emotions.
Wen Lan didn’t expose her suspicions.
Her perception alone couldn’t prove anything.
If she misunderstood Xia Mo, it would only damage their friendship.
The rain had finally stopped.
They decided to return to the safe zone.
Without any transportation, they had no choice but to walk.
Wang Hui’s leg was still injured.
Among them, there were only two men capable of helping.
Su Han.
And Wen Che.
Wen Lan clearly sensed that both of them were reluctant.
If the injured person had been Wen Lan instead, they probably would have fought over who got to carry her.
But since it was Wang Hui…
Neither of them seemed eager.
“It’s alright. I can walk.”
Wang Hui gritted her teeth.
“Isn’t there a wiggle car over there? Why don’t you sit on it? I can pull you.”
Wang Hui looked at the children’s ride—on toy sitting in the corner, covered in a thick layer of dust.
“…”
“Fine.”
In the end, she accepted helplessly.
“Plants outside have already started mutating, so everyone needs to be extra careful.”
“What? The plants have already started mutating?”
Xia Mo exclaimed in surprise.
“…?”
Realizing she’d reacted too strongly, Xia Mo quickly added,
“I just mean… if even plants are mutating, things are only going to become more dangerous.”
The soul inside Xia Mo’s body came from the future.
To travel back in time, she had needed to rely on the bloodline of a distant relative.
Strictly speaking, she and the original Xia Mo were related within three generations.
But in the future…
Xia Mo had died young.
Now that she had returned, she could rewrite her fate.
As long as she secured Su Han’s support…
She could completely escape the destiny she once faced.
She had paid an enormous price to come back.
“Xia Mo, are you really alright? Ever since your fever broke, you’ve been getting startled over everything.”
“No… it’s just that the apocalypse has changed me too.”
Xia Mo brushed it off.
“Isn’t it perfectly normal? Xia Mo used to be such a gentle young lady. A little change is only natural.”
Wen Che didn’t think anything of it.
To him, Xia Mo seemed exactly the same as before.
“Mm.”
Just like always, Xia Mo linked her arm through Wen Lan’s.
“Let’s go.”
The movement was as familiar as ever.
Inside, however, Xia Mo was thinking—
This Wen Lan is far too perceptive.
If I want to gain Su Han’s trust, I’ll have to find a way to get rid of Wen Lan.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously.
There was still one portion of memory she hadn’t completely absorbed.
Her gaze drifted toward Wen Lan’s stomach.
The identity of the baby’s father…
That secret was hidden within those missing memories.
Perhaps because she had only recently entered this body, her memories remained fragmented.
If she could discover who the father was…
She might be able to use that information against Wen Lan.
Suddenly, Xia Mo noticed the fleeceflower root hanging around Wen Lan’s neck.
Her heart began pounding wildly.
Could it be…
The future’s SSS—rank mutated fleeceflower root?
Eating just one of its leaves could instantly heal wounds.
Taking a single bite from its root could replenish blood and vitality to an astonishing degree—even someone on the brink of death could be revived immediately.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
If she could obtain the fleeceflower root…
It would be like possessing countless extra lives.
In the apocalypse, death could come at any moment.
Xia Mo forcefully suppressed the urge to snatch it away.
Because she remembered…
Zhang Meng had once touched the fleeceflower root and had been badly injured by it.
Wen Lan…
She was actually the one raising the fleeceflower root?
Xia Mo’s thoughts became increasingly complicated.
Knowing such a priceless treasure was right beside her…
Yet being unable to take it…
It was pure torture.
…
By evening, they finally returned to the safe zone.
Since Xia Mo had nowhere else to stay for the moment, she was temporarily assigned to Wen Lan’s room.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ye and the others had already returned.
With Zhang Meng’s ability, avoiding zombie hordes had been relatively easy.
Still, taking care of Zhang Meng had been a tremendous burden.
After enduring that terrifying night of rain and zombies, she had been left psychologically traumatized.
The safe zone immediately gathered all the captains of the special squads for an emergency meeting.
Most likely…
It was because mutated plants had begun spreading everywhere.
Supplies inside the safe zone became even scarcer.
Food was now more precious than gold.
“Xia Mo, you can’t stay here permanently. We’ve already arranged another room for you.”
“Why? Didn’t we agree we’d stay together?”
“This room is registered under my brother’s name. Only family members are allowed to stay here, and the administrative department regularly conducts inspections.”
“You’ll be staying with Zhang Meng. It’s not far away—just upstairs. I’ll come see you whenever I have time.”
“Mo Mo, you never used to care about things like this.”
“…”
“Of course I don’t care! I just wanted to stay with you.”
Xia Mo replied unwillingly.
“I’m pregnant now, and I haven’t been sleeping well lately…”
“Alright. Then I can come visit you anytime, right?”
“Of course! You’re already a member of our team now.”
Wen Lan smiled warmly.
Hearing that she officially belonged to the team, Xia Mo finally smiled.
Not living with Wen Lan wasn’t a big problem.
She would have other opportunities.
After seeing Xia Mo off, Wen Lan finally returned to the bedroom.
“Lan Lan, why aren’t you letting Xia Mo stay with you anymore?”
Wen Che frowned.
“I’m pregnant now. I’m just not used to sleeping with someone else.”
Wen Che nodded.
The two girls had once been so close they were practically inseparable.
Maybe after some time adapting to the apocalypse, everything would return to normal.
A trace of sadness flashed through Wen Lan’s eyes.
Of course she could have shared a room with Xia Mo.
But…
She felt that something was wrong.
Her speech, memories, and mannerisms were all exactly the same.
Yet the emotions Wen Lan sensed…
Were completely different.
That wasn’t Xia Mo’s emotional state.
True best friends didn’t become strangers just because they hadn’t seen each other for a while.
Even if there was a brief sense of unfamiliarity upon reuniting, it disappeared quickly.
When they had first met again, everything had seemed perfectly normal.
Wen Lan trusted her perception ability.
Until she figured out exactly what was happening with Xia Mo…
She would not allow herself to grow close to her again.
“Brother, when Su Han gets back from the meeting, remember to have him come over.”
She had already fulfilled her promise.
Su Han hadn’t started fulfilling his yet.
“I know.”
Wen Che answered, sounding rather unwilling.
“You two little troublemakers!”
He looked at Wen Lan’s stomach and sighed.
“Just wait until you’re born. Your uncle’s going to teach you a lesson.”
What was so great about Su Han?
Other than being just a little more handsome…
And just a little taller…
After Wen Che left, Wen Lan took the mutated cucumber seedling out of her storage space.
She quickly pulled out a small knife and made a tiny cut on her fingertip.
Otherwise, her wound would heal before she had the chance.
The fleeceflower root immediately sensed the blood.
In an instant, it pounced forward and greedily absorbed a single drop.
Gulp…
Through their connection, Wen Lan could actually feel its delight.
It was like drinking an ice—cold cola on the hottest day of summer.
“So greedy.”
She couldn’t help smiling.
Wen Lan placed the fleeceflower root back into her storage space.
The cut on her finger had already healed completely.
With no other choice, she sliced her finger open again and hurriedly squeezed another drop of blood onto the cucumber seedling.
Just as she expected.
The cucumber leaves immediately absorbed her blood.
Soon afterward…
The entire pattern of veins running through the cucumber plant began to change.
It really was her blood.
Her blood possessed unique properties.
It could transmit energy.
It could also absorb energy.
That meant the cucumber seedling could absorb energy itself…
Then feed it back to the baby.
After the baby absorbed it…
The baby would, in turn, nourish her.
Closing her eyes, Wen Lan carefully sensed the cucumber seedling.
She took several energy crystals out of her storage space and buried a green one beneath the soil around its roots.
The cucumber plant immediately began absorbing the energy contained within the crystal.
Cucumbers were rich in various vitamins.
They nourished the skin and improved roughness.
As the baby absorbed the mutated cucumber seedling’s energy and returned part of it to her…
Wen Lan could already feel her skin becoming softer, smoother, and more hydrated.
When the baby was finally born…
It definitely wouldn’t be a wrinkly little newborn.
It was going to be absolutely adorable.