vrcanaries Chapter 408 Little Stone and Little Ginseng
Chapter 408 Little Stone and Little Ginseng
Upon seeing a car, Little Ginseng immediately imitated the people he had seen stopping cars before, waving his arms in hopes that the car would stop.
However, the military green truck did not slow down; in fact, it appeared to speed up.
Clearly, the driver had no intention of stopping.
The little ginseng was a bit troubled. It continued to wait, not knowing if it could catch another bus today. If it wanted to take this bus, it would have to find a way to make it stop.
As the truck approached the ginseng, just as the truck was about to pass by, suddenly the vines that had sprouted from the ground intertwined together, like human arms, and abruptly blocked the front of the truck.
The two forces collided, uprooting many of the vines and breaking many of the remaining ones, before finally bringing the vehicle to a stable stop.
The car was forced to stop, the engine made a whirring sound, and suddenly stopped working.
Now, even if they wanted to restart the car and leave, they couldn't.
The people on the bus had no choice but to get off.
The truck had a canopy, with two people sitting in the driver's seat at the front, but more than a dozen people were being transported inside the canopy.
These people seemed to be a team. After struggling in the apocalypse for so long, their eyes had long lost their compassion, and they looked at the little ginseng with indifference.
"Tell me, what do you want to do?"
The little ginseng hurried forward, wanting to ask if he could get a ride, only to be met with a gun pointed at his head.
He didn't panic. Instead, he curiously looked at the back of the truck and asked, "I'd like to ask if you have any room left? My companion is injured. Could you give us a ride?"
"No." The man with the gun said coldly. "Get out!"
The other party's attitude was very cold. Seeing that the little ginseng was about to say something, he directly stretched out his other hand, activated his superpower, and a ball of flame rose from his hand.
"I don't want to hear your nonsense. Quickly retract the vines you've forced to grow and get out of my sight, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Seeing that there was no fear in the little ginseng's eyes, he added, "Burning you and your vines to ashes is easy for me. Don't try any tricks, get out!"
As he spoke, he pressed the gun against the little ginseng's forehead with one hand and brought the flame in his hand closer with the other.
The little ginseng frowned uncomfortably. As a plant spirit, he usually hated things like fire. Moreover, he also disliked the other party's arrogant words, so he simply stopped talking and clenched his left hand into a fist.
The vines sprouted from the ground.
This time, the vines were not the harmless ones used to stop the truck before. They were covered in sharp thorns, and their wide-open tips were incredibly sharp. To the astonishment of the other side, the vines fiercely pierced through the truck's body.
One of the vines even put its mouth on the head of the person holding the gun.
This is a clear threat.
The other person's face turned ashen, and he stiffly lowered the gun he was holding.
Although he hadn't made a move, he already understood that he was no match for the person in front of him.
The apocalypse has indeed become a place where hidden talents abound, and even gentle plant-based ability users should not be underestimated.
He couldn't help but glance at the back of the truck. It seemed that Xiao Wu in his team... also had the potential to become a strong person.
While his mind was wandering, he remained outwardly calm and said, "Remove the vines, and I'll let you ride in the car."
The little ginseng had no intention of harming anyone. It reached out to the vine, and the menacing vine obediently returned to the ground, as if it had never existed.
"Wait for me here. I'm going to fetch my companions. If you dare to leave while I'm away..." The little ginseng stretched out its hand again, and the vine's large mouth broke through the soil, revealing a head, before returning to the ground.
"I understand, but you need to come back quickly. Although there aren't many zombies here, they are still quite troublesome to deal with."
"Oh, don't worry, it'll be quick."
When Little Ginseng returned to the truck with Jade Willow, the group of people were still there.
Little Ginseng helped Yu Liu onto the back of the truck. The small space was crammed with eight people in total, plus the two of them, making ten. It was somewhat crowded, but no one dared to object. They had all witnessed the strength Little Ginseng had displayed earlier, so naturally they didn't dare to protest.
The car slowly started moving, running over the zombies that had rushed over after hearing the noise.
"Where are you going?"
The man sitting in the front passenger seat, who was clearly the leader of the group, knocked on the rear window and asked.
Upon hearing this question, Xiao Renshen reflexively looked at Yu Liu, and the people in the car immediately realized that the injured girl was in charge of the two.
"We're going to the base in S City."
That is currently the largest base, with well-equipped research institutes, and the scientists hailed by humanity as the most likely to end the apocalypse are located there.
If we want Little Ginseng to end the apocalypse, he must go to the research institute to study.
or……
Yu Liu shook her head, banishing all thoughts from her mind. Before even reaching the S City base, these ideas were impossible to realize, and thinking about them was pointless.
"Is that so?" A thoughtful look flashed in the captain's eyes. "You were also superhumans who heard the broadcast and headed to the S City base?"
"No, we guessed that a base would be established in S City. After all, that's a pretty important place, and we need to find a safe location. It seems you heard the broadcast before?"
Yu Liu casually inquired about it.
“Yes. We also need to get to S City. It seems we’re on the same road. We’ve estimated that it will take about two more days to get to S City from here. That means we’ll be together for the next two days. Let’s get to know each other. My name is Xiao Bao, and I’m the captain of this team.”
The other party calmly accepted the addition of two strangers to the team.
“Yu Liu, this is A Ning.”
A preliminary consensus was reached, and everyone gradually became familiar with each other. Over two days, everyone took turns clearing the zombies in front of the vehicle to ensure its smooth operation.
It was almost the third day when they finally saw the towering city walls of the S City base.
The roads became increasingly difficult to navigate, with some sections even collapsing for reasons unknown. They had to take detours, which took a little longer.
"Stop the car for inspection!"
The zombies around the base had been cleared, and checkpoints were set up on the road far from the towering city walls.
Armed soldiers stood at attention in front of the checkpoint, blocking passing vehicles.
"Are you new here? Have you joined the base?" the soldier asked routinely.
"Yes. Most of the people on the vehicle are soldiers; these are our identification documents from before the apocalypse."
Xiao Bao nodded and handed over several small notebooks.
Many of the people in this squad are soldiers, as Yu Liu and Xiao Renshen already know.
"Okay, once you're inside, turn the car to the left. We need to check you out. Once the check is complete, you can enter the base."
"I understand, thanks, bro."
After thanking the soldiers, the car was driven to the left side of the base's city wall gate.
A large open space has been cleared out here, and a circle of instruments surrounds the open space.
"Stand in the middle of the equipment, and we will inspect you."
Staff members in white coats were directing them.
Yu Liu and Little Ginseng mingled with Xiao Bao's group and stood with them in the middle of the instruments.
The instrument emitted a "beep" sound.
After the scan was completed, the staff member took a look.
"No problem. Take this and go get a temporary accommodation pass for the base, then you can enter the base."
He casually tore off a piece of paper, signed his name on it, and handed it to Xiao Bao.
"Thank you."
After obtaining the necessary documents and registering their names and abilities, everyone can be considered as temporary staff members of the S City base.
At this point, Yu Liu and Little Ginseng will have to part ways with Xiao Bao and the others.
"Now that you're here, what do you plan to do?"
Before parting, Xiao Bao suddenly asked.
"Let's take it one step at a time. I haven't decided yet." Yu Liu didn't intend to reveal anything.
"Alright, we're planning to form a team and take on missions to support ourselves. If you're free, you're welcome to join us."
Little Ginseng's strength is undeniable. While Xiao Bao couldn't simply watch him leave, he would definitely try to retain him. Considering their past two days of acquaintance, the other party might choose them first, and that would be enough.
"Thank you for the invitation, we'll be going now."
With that, Yu Liu pulled the little ginseng and turned to leave.
Her injuries have finally eased in the past two days, and she has the energy to continue fulfilling her wish.
……
Yu Liu was trying her best to establish a connection with the research institute. She wanted to get Little Ginseng into the institute as an assistant so she could observe the production of the zombie virus vaccine up close.
Although these scientists were unable to create a real vaccine, the process itself is a valuable asset.
For the little ginseng, this is the most urgent need.
However, the research institute is the most important building in the base, and the scientists inside are the most valuable assets in this post-apocalyptic world. The base protects them very well, and unauthorized personnel are completely prohibited from approaching them.
Most of the scientists' assistants at the research institute had worked in this field before the apocalypse, while others had gone through rigorous selection processes to get in. Yu Liu quietly inquired and learned that one of the selection tests tested students' knowledge of chemistry, physics, and other subjects learned in school before the apocalypse.
This one factor alone is enough to eliminate Little Ginseng. He has never received any education and doesn't understand any of this. Even if he took the exam, he would only get a zero.
I spent four or five days gathering information, but to no avail. I couldn't find a way to join the research institute without alerting anyone else.
Just as Yu Liu was troubled and Xiao Renshen was worried about her health, trouble came knocking.
That day, Yu Liu went out to inquire about news as usual, while Little Ginseng was left alone at his residence, idly tapping on the table.
Then there was a knock on the door.
His and Yu Liu's temporary lodging was a single-story house with two rooms on the east and west sides, and a courtyard in the middle. The other two rooms were occupied by other strangers, and the courtyard was shared.
This was the first time someone had knocked on the door since we rented the house.
"Who?"
The little ginseng asked somewhat impatiently. The stone has the key; it would never knock.
"it's me."
Xiao Bao's voice came from outside the door.
The little ginseng went to open the door. "Why did you come looking for me?"
Xiao Bao didn't have any bad intentions towards the little ginseng. They got along quite well these past two days, their relationship was neither too close nor too distant, it was alright.
He looked flustered and didn't go inside: "I just came to tell you that you might be in danger. If possible, you should hide quickly."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
The little ginseng blocked his way, and the grass in the yard stretched out its leaves, waving in the air at waist height, silently exuding a threat.
"Explain yourself clearly, what do you mean?"
The little ginseng frowned. He couldn't let the stone be in danger, so he had to find out the situation clearly.
"I can't say."
Xiao Bao regretted his act of tipping them off. He sighed and suddenly moved closer to the little ginseng, his lips moving slightly. From a distance, it was almost impossible to tell what he was saying: "Someone is watching you. It's someone from the research institute."
Seeing that the little ginseng still had something to say, he quickly interrupted: "I don't know much. People from the research institute came to me a couple of days ago to inquire about your situation. Brother, let me give you some advice. In this world, people's hearts are unpredictable. Those scientists at the research institute are a bunch of lunatics. I heard they're doing human experiments. You don't seem like someone who could be associated with them. The only possibility that they've approached you is that they want to use you for research. This is just my guess. That's all I have to say. Be careful."
Xiao Bao didn't know much, but he had a vague sense of the purpose of the group of people at the research institute.
Human experimentation was strictly prohibited before the apocalypse. But in this world, no one cares if others experiment on people. Besides, the people at the base are now relying on the research results of those scientists and practically worshipping them like gods. How could they possibly care about their behavior?
Xiao Bao was just a squad leader and couldn't be of much help. He had already done his best by coming to inform them.
After he left, Little Ginseng was still pondering the situation at the research institute when the door was knocked on again.
This time, Little Ginseng was more cautious and did not open the door for the other party, nor did she make a sound.
However, after waiting for a while, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock came from the doorway.
The little ginseng paused for a moment, thinking it was Yu Liu returning, and stood up. But then it thought again, something didn't make sense. Stone never knocked when he came back; he just opened the door. Why did he knock before, and wait for a while after knocking?
This only proves that the person outside the door is not a stone.
But if it's not a stone, then who is it? The person who possesses the key...
The little ginseng suddenly remembered someone.
The person who rents the property to them must have kept the key.