She didn’t know when the rain stopped.
The blood-stained seedlings had begun to bloom. In the August sky, a strange chill set in, and the shadow of death loomed, shrouded in mist.
It wasn’t until the guard team forcibly used firepower to clear a path that everyone on the mountain could escape. Cries echoed continuously from the base of the mountain. Some were filled with gratitude for escaping death yet overwhelmed by fear; others, injured and in pain, screamed. Some knelt on the ground, while others banged frantically on the bus doors, shouting that they wanted to go back.
Zhao Linong tightly gripped her wet handkerchief, standing silently in the crowd, staring at the mutated plants on the mountain.
The rain had ceased, but the gunfire had not.
After the guard team from the mountain descended, they regrouped with those at the base, surrounding the area. Rows of guards, rifles in hand, alternated positions, and fired in succession.
One by one, the plants withered. But the mutated Elata, stained with blood and flesh, grew significantly faster than the others. The mutated Elata that escaped the guards’ bullets had begun to form seeds, which burst and scattered.
The seeds of the mutated Elata were also mutated.
Zhao Linong witnessed these seeds fall to the ground and grow at a speed dozens of times faster than the original plants.
It seemed impossible to eradicate all the mutated Elata on the mountaintop.
“Everyone, get on the bus!”
An Elata planter in blue work clothes shouted from the bus door.
The bus doors at the foot of the mountain opened simultaneously, and the crowd rushed in. Zhao Linong lingered, and just as she was about to board, she glanced back at the mountain. But the planter pushed her onto the bus.
Inside, everyone was soaked, water dripping from their clothes, pooling on the seats, and flowing to the floor.
No one spoke, but the sound of heavy breathing filled the bus.
Zhao Linong stepped onto the bus, her body still damp with mist. Her wet shoes squeaked against the soaked floor as she walked past rows of seats. In the middle aisle, she spotted the little girl she had pulled along earlier.
The rain had drenched the girl, her yellow hair now tangled and matted against her forehead. She huddled in her seat, shivering like a small, stray cat.
She glanced at Zhao Linong briefly but quickly looked away, lowering her head in fear.
Zhao Linong withdrew her gaze and continued walking to the last row by the window, where she sat down.
The bus quickly turned around and started moving back. At the same time, two helicopters swooped in, spraying dark green liquid in the air.
A strange smell spread and the surging mutated Elata began to wither rapidly. As the liquid dispersed, not only the mutated Elata but all the plants on the mountaintop lost their vitality.
In an instant, the once lush mountaintop became barren.
…
The bus pulled into a parking lot, and everyone disembarked.
Zhao Linong noticed that another group had returned, equally disheveled, silent, and terrified.
It was clear they had also encountered the mutated plants.
“Are you hurt?” Zhao Linong asked, spotting He Yuesheng in the crowd. Though it hadn’t rained where he was harvesting tiao, leaving him dry compared to her, his upper body was covered in blood.
He Yuesheng shook his head, weariness etched on his face. “It’s someone else’s blood,” he whispered.
The two silently avoided discussing the mutated plants.
“Your ear.” He Yuesheng pointed to Zhao Linong’s right ear. “It’s bleeding.”
Zhao Linong touched her ear, glanced at her fingers, and saw a bit of blood. “It’s just a scratch, nothing serious,” she said calmly.
“…There are six more days. Do you want to continue?” He Yuesheng asked unexpectedly.
Zhao Linong didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I’ll continue.”
“Alright, I’ll stay too,” He Yuesheng nodded. “Be careful for the next six days.”
…
When Zhao Linong returned to the room, someone was already showering in the bathroom. The little girl had changed into clean clothes and was sitting on the bed, staring blankly. Upon seeing Zhao Linong enter, she instinctively turned her back to her.
Not long after, the water in the bathroom stopped, and the woman inside emerged, saying to Zhao Linong, “You can take a shower now.”
Zhao Linong grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. She pulled out the handkerchief from her pocket, washed the bloodstains off, and hung it up to dry.
There was a cartoon character printed on the lower right corner of the handkerchief, but its original design was barely visible, likely due to being washed too many times, causing the print to peel off. Zhao Linong stared at it for a long moment before turning away.
…
After coming out, Zhao Linong sat on the bed, lowered her head, and logged into the official website of the fifth base. The homepage displayed a notice, detailing the areas with mutated plants and urging planters to avoid them as guards worked to clear them out.
Her eyes lingered on the word “notification” for a while.
“C-level mutation group”—this was a phrase her teacher from the Ninth Agricultural Base had never mentioned. From what she had witnessed, Zhao Linong could probably guess its meaning.
She opened her mutation plant observation diary, paused in thought, and then picked up a pen to write:
— August 10, the 41st year of the mutation, heavy rain.
Mutated plant: Black-red Gastrodia elata, C-level.
Mutation time: 4:34 PM
Observed characteristics: Seedlings sprouted first. After a brief pause, the stems rapidly grew taller without thickening. A collective mutation or C-level mutation group. The plants grew straight upward, not attacking actively, but piercing through anything obstructing their growth. After contact with blood and flesh, they quickly produced flower stalks, matured, and dispersed seeds. The seeds, upon contact with soil, repeated the same mutation.
Elimination method: The stems are too thin. Large volumes of gunfire temporarily suppress them. The final solution is spraying an unknown liquid from helicopters, which kills all plant life (both C-level and normal). Its effect on higher-level mutant plants is unknown.
“I didn’t mean to,” a sudden voice interrupted Zhao Linong, making her close her diary.
She looked up and saw the little girl standing near the bed, hands clenched, eyes red, and voice trembling. “At that time… I couldn’t see anything. I was too… too scared.”
Zhao Linong watched her silently, saying nothing.
“I didn’t mean to! She could have gotten up! She’d be fine if she got up!” The little girl’s speech quickened, her voice rising sharply, “We were so close to safety, she just needed to hold on a little longer.”
Zhao Linong abruptly cut her off, “Why are you telling me this?”
The little girl froze, clearly not expecting that response.
She looked at Zhao Linong, seated calmly on the bed. Though they had both escaped the mountain, Zhao Linong didn’t appear disheveled like her.
For reasons unknown, the girl’s heart stung.
“Do you regret pulling me up?” she asked hoarsely.
Zhao Linong looked at the girl standing at the foot of the bed. “You should ask that question to her, not me.” It was the woman with the mole who had kept pulling the little girl. She should ask her if she regretted running away with her.
The little girl met Zhao Linong’s cold gaze, noticing how different she seemed from herself. Emotions surged within her, and in the end, only anger remained.
“I wasn’t wrong! It was those mutant plants that killed her!”
“You only helped me. I could’ve escaped without you. Who asked you to interfere in my business?”
Zhao Linong, uninterested in arguing further, lowered her head and scrolled through the light-brain device. The fifth base’s official website posted another update, confirming that the mutant plants had been completely eradicated.
“Stop shouting in here; it’s so noisy,” the woman on the middle bed suddenly cursed.
The little girl shot a jealous glare at Zhao Linong before sulkily returning to her bed.
Some people start with guilt, but after shifting the blame long enough, that guilt morphs into anger. It seems that only through this process can they carry on with a clear conscience.
…
The belongings of the injured and deceased would soon be collected by the base staff. The base would then deposit any earned points into the emergency contact’s account. In addition to the points for working a day, there was a 100,000-point death compensation. This was what Zhao Linong learned from He Yuesheng via the light brain.
She asked He Yuesheng if he knew where the luggage would be taken.
He replied, [It will be sent to the address their emergency contact provided.]
The next day, when everyone went downstairs for breakfast, Zhao Linong stayed behind and found the black mole woman’s suitcase under the bed. It was small and worn out, containing only one set of clothes and nothing else.
Zhao Linong placed the washed handkerchief inside the suitcase and then left.
By the time she returned at noon, the suitcase was gone.
In the following days, at least in the area where Zhao Linong worked, no more mutant plants appeared. However, every day at the fifth base, one could see convoys of guard teams rushing by and helicopters hurrying off to handle outbreaks of mutant plants.
The planters at the base seemed accustomed to this constant state of alert.
No one asked Zhao Linong to conduct any investigation. Mutations were too common, and her discovery of the C-level mutant plant hadn’t drawn much attention. Besides, the events of that day were seen as a mistake shared by several planters. They kept quiet, only admitting that the mutant Gastrodia elata had appeared too suddenly.
…
On her fourth night at the Fifth Base, Zhao Linong received a video call from Wei Liting.
“Junior sister!” Wei Li appeared to be squatting in some cramped space—likely the corner of a cabin. “I’m running low on feed for my chicken coop! Can you buy some for me and refill the automatic feeder? I’ll transfer the points to you!”
“I’m not at the Ninth Agricultural Base,” Zhao Linong replied. “I won’t be back for another four days.”
It takes nine hours to travel between the two bases, and with a seven-day work schedule, she would only be able to return on the eighth day.
Only then did Wei Li realize Zhao Linong wasn’t at her usual base.
“Where are you?” Wei Li asked curiously, “Are you back home?”
Zhao Linong shook her head. “I’m at the Fifth Base, doing some harvesting work.”
“Harvesting?” Wei Li was shocked and speechless for a moment, then sighed. “Junior sister, you’re really brave when it comes to making money.”
Zhao Linong: “…”
“It’s fine. The chicken coop still has enough feed for a few days. You can help me out when you return,” Wei Li said, grimacing. Leaning closer to the camera, she whispered, “I was supposed to go back to the Ninth Agricultural Base tomorrow, but my mom sent me to my cousin’s place. Now, I have to go to Feeding City.”
Wei Li grumbled, “Feeding City is full of mutant plants above level B. Even though most are harmless, what if I encounter something dangerous…?”
Zhao Linong interrupted her, “Senior sister, stop.”
The power of moldy gas tanks should never be underestimated.
Wei Li chuckled nervously. “It’s okay, my cousin’s really strong. But you should be careful at the Fifth Base; this is the month when mutant plants appear the most.”
They continued talking for a bit until Wei Li noticed more people entering the cabin. She ended the call.
“Are you talking to Yan Jingshui?” A cold, clear male voice suddenly sounded behind Wei Li.
