The black spiked ball expanded in mid-air, transforming into a ring that, by some stroke of luck or misfortune, looped perfectly around a duck’s neck. It then constricted, tightening until it was firmly lodged; no matter how much the duck thrashed and shook, it couldn’t dislodge the ring.
The surrounding ducks scattered instantly. The ensnared duck let out a series of wretched cries and began running aimlessly, forcing the others to stay far away, terrified of touching whatever was on its neck.
“What on earth is that?” Yan Hong frowned, watching the bizarre scene below with confusion.
The others gathered around to watch as well. After running for a short while, the duck wearing the black ring suddenly collapsed, falling stiffly to the ground. The other ducks didn’t dare check on it; they all scurried back to their nests in a somber retreat.
Only after confirming the ducks were gone did the group feel safe enough to climb down from the roof and approach the fallen bird.
The duck’s beak was open, foaming at the mouth, and its eyes were fixed in a wide, dead stare. It looked as though it had died in extreme agony.
Yan Hong poked the black ring firmly attached to the duck’s neck with her long blade. The thing merely wriggled twice and then constricted even tighter, showing no intention of letting go.
“This thing just… killed a duck like that?” Shao Xingyang’s voice carried a note of astonishment.
“No wonder those ducks didn’t dare come near. It’s because these things are hanging all over the houses.”
Tang Zeyu walked toward the building to investigate and found several more black spiked balls clinging to the exterior walls. It was likely that the ducks stayed off the roofs out of fear of these creatures.
While Tang Zeyu was observing, one of the spiked balls above quietly coiled itself and suddenly launched toward him like a projectile, though it ended up merely Tangled around his long blade. Tang Zeyu had noticed the restless ball early on and had intentionally let it land so he could examine it.
By the time Tang Zeyu returned with the ball, the duck on the ground had visibly shriveled, looking as though it had been dead for days.
“Captain, look at this,” Chen Yunliang pointed to the neck of the desiccated duck. “This thing is drinking its blood.”
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the black “spikes” weren’t actually spikes, but dense, stiff black bristles. Where the creature was in contact with the duck, there were no bristles, only a slightly lighter shade of black flesh. From this flesh, several tiny red “straws” protruded, piercing into the duck’s body to relentlessly drain its blood until it was completely dry.
The duck likely couldn’t shake it off because these red straws were embedded deep in its flesh. Chen Yunliang also noticed that the more the prey struggled, the tighter the creature would constrict, even to the point of crushing bones, until the prey died and could no longer resist.
Just as the group thought the event was over, the black-bristled ring suddenly split open, becoming a long strip. It wriggled its way off the duck’s neck, finally allowing everyone to see the clear constriction marks and the several puncture holes left behind.
The black strip crawled slowly toward the house. It climbed from the ground to the wall, found a crack in the stone, tucked a portion of its body inside to secure itself, and then curled into a ball, returning to the spiked-sphere form they had first seen.
“I didn’t expect these ducks to be its food,” Yan Hong glanced at the shriveled duck. “Nature truly has turned on its head.”
None of them had expected to see an insect-like creature preying on ducks.
Tang Zeyu tried to remove the spiked ball from his blade, but as soon as he touched it, it began to constrict. The more it tightened, the more it was cut by the blade’s edge, leaking green blood. Eventually, Tang Zeyu realized that once this thing latched on, it would never let go, so he had no choice but to finish it off directly.
The group quickened their pace to leave the residential area, hoping to avoid any more sudden attacks from the black spiked balls. Beyond the cluster of houses lay a patch of farmland—or what used to be farmland. It had long been abandoned; not only had the crops been crowded out by competitive weeds, but even the once-fertile soil now looked no different from ordinary dirt.
Just as they were about to move further away, they suddenly heard the sound of something whistling through the air.
“Is someone nearby?” Shao Xingyang frowned, tightening his grip on his sword hilt.
Yan Hong searched for the source of the sound and led the group toward it. Their destination was a vegetable garden enclosed by a fence, and the noise was coming from inside.
The group pushed aside the vines that were growing wildly everywhere and entered the garden. They didn’t see a single person, but they did witness a very theatrical scene.
Inside the garden, two groups of plants were in a standoff. One side was the pumpkin camp—big pumpkins, small pumpkins, yellow ones, and green ones. The other side was the vine melons hanging in mid-air—long ones, short ones, thick ones, and thin ones.
The two sides were clearly demarcated, separated by a no-man’s land in the middle. The atmosphere felt incredibly tense.
“Strange. How can a bunch of melons create such a strong sense of tension?” Shao Xingyang commented on the indescribable scene before them.
Suddenly, the pumpkin side launched an attack. A vine lashed out toward the vine melons opposite them. The hit vine melon spun in circles before finally falling to the ground.
The vine melon side was not to be outdone and immediately retaliated. A vine coiled around a stone and hurled it at the pumpkins below. One pumpkin, which was likely overripe, had a large hole smashed into it, revealing the tender yellow flesh inside.
The two sides fought tooth and nail, suffering heavy casualties, until neither side had the upper hand and they reached a temporary truce.
Hiding by the fence gate, the group watched the animation-like plot, still unable to believe their eyes.
“Do plants fight each other too?” Even though they had been warned that the mutated organisms they encountered would become increasingly strange and illogical, Lu Shiyu still found it difficult to comprehend something that so completely defied science.
“It’s probably because the leaves of the vine melons on the trellises block the sunlight for the pumpkins below. So, the two sides are fighting for survival space,” Chen Yunliang said, looking at the degraded remains of fruit in the corner. “This probably isn’t the first time they’ve fought like this.”
After all, mutated plants still reproduce. Once the vegetable garden became overcrowded, the two sides would go to war. Once the casualties were roughly equal, they would return to a state of harmonious coexistence, waiting for the next conflict triggered by overpopulation. The smashed fruits would then become nutrients for the survivors.
“They’re just like humans, always starting wars for more living space and resources,” Yan Hong said. “But they look so delicious.”
Perhaps thanks to the biological mutation, these fruits looked much larger than ordinary pumpkins and vine melons. Although their shapes were somewhat distorted, there was no denying they were growing exceptionally well.
“How about we take a few for dinner?”
“Agreed!”
“Sure, but who’s going to pick them?”
Everyone’s gaze instinctively shifted to Shao Xingyang.
Shao Xingyang protested, “Don’t push me out every single time! Am I not a member of this united and loving family?”
“Let’s all go together,” Lu Shiyu said, pointing to the vines that were crawling everywhere and capable of moving at will. “I suspect if one person goes alone, they’ll just be whipped into a spinning top.”
Lu Shiyu was right. Although these melons were just plants, their combat effectiveness had evolved through countless battles. It would be safer to complete the gathering task as a team.
“Shao Xingyang and I will draw their attention. You three be responsible for picking the melons, then run as soon as you’re done.” Tang Zeyu quickly assigned the roles. No one had any objections, and they proceeded with the simple plan.
Tang Zeyu and Shao Xingyang walked boldly into the garden, immediately drawing the attention of both melon camps.
“Ahem,” Shao Xingyang cleared his throat and then made a mocking face. “You bunch of idiots! Morons! Dumb melons! You pumpkins are giant oafs and you vine melons have no brains! You both deserve to rot in the ground!”
Tang Zeyu said nothing, merely rubbing his temples as a headache set in. He didn’t really want to admit the two of them were on the same side.
Whether the melons actually understood him or were simply reacting instinctively to intruders, they all turned to attack Shao Xingyang and Tang Zeyu. A vine lashed across Shao Xingyang, leaving a visible red welt.
“Hiss! Doesn’t hurt!” Shao Xingyang talked tough and beckoned with his fingers. “Come at me if you’ve got the guts!”
Perhaps because Shao Xingyang’s arrogance was so blatant, the melons stopped paying attention to Tang Zeyu entirely. All their firepower was concentrated on the bouncing, taunting Shao Xingyang.
Yan Hong slipped quietly behind the pumpkins. Watching Shao Xingyang yelp as he was whipped by vines, her lips twitched. “I didn’t realize this guy’s ‘ask-for-it’ energy could even affect plants.”
Lu Shiyu compared several options before finally deciding to take a smaller green pumpkin; she was worried she wouldn’t be able to carry a larger one. Chen Yunliang went to the vine melon section on the other side. Since the melons’ attention was entirely on Shao Xingyang, none of them noticed the others for a moment—until the fruits were actually plucked. Only then did the melons take notice.
“Quick! We’ve got them, let’s go!” Yan Hong picked up a large pumpkin and dodged a vine attack, weaving through the dense network of vines to successfully escape. Chen Yunliang swiftly pulled down several vine melons and ran out as well.
Lu Shiyu used her iron pot in one hand as a shield while holding the pumpkin in the other. Although she was hit a few times, it wasn’t serious, and she reached the garden gate without major incident. Just as she was about to step out, the hand holding the iron pot was suddenly ensnared by a vine.
“Ugh! This—” Lu Shiyu had both hands full and didn’t have a spare hand to untangle the vine. She tried to snap it by force, but to no avail. “Why is it so strong?”
The pulling force suddenly vanished as Tang Zeyu swung his blade, severing the vine wrapped around Lu Shiyu’s wrist. He half-embraced her to shield her as they exited the garden gate. Once everyone was out, Tang Zeyu quickly slammed the gate shut and led the group to a spot a safe distance away.
“Is everyone okay?”
“I’m fine, just got whipped a few times.” Lu Shiyu looked at the marks; they weren’t severe and would fade after a while.
“I’m fine too! Hehe.” Shao Xingyang’s face and hands were covered in red welts. Fortunately, these melons usually just bickered with each other, so the vine strikes weren’t incredibly powerful; otherwise, Shao Xingyang would have been flayed alive.
“Luckily, the pumpkin is fine.” Yan Hong examined the large yellow pumpkin in her hands from all angles, making sure it hadn’t been accidentally damaged during the escape. It was a perfect, beautiful pumpkin.
Chen Yunliang weighed the vine melons in his hands. Feeling the weight was right, he performed a quick juggling act on the spot. The three vine melons were tossed into the air in turns and caught, forming a somewhat irregular circle in the sky. After a few rounds, he caught all three steadily. The other four applauded appreciatively.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Lu Shiyu said.
“I like to learn weird things in my spare time,” Chen Yunliang shrugged. “But this is about all I can do. I have a short attention span.”
Lu Shiyu looked at the freshly picked fruits and vegetables, and countless recipes flashed through her mind. Because she had too many ideas, she couldn’t make a decision, and she fell into a long silence.