Chapter 54 - 53: Bedside Vase

Chapter 54: Chapter 53: Bedside Vase

The Alien Plant Defense Army arrived at Zone 37 of the Rose Corridor five minutes later.

It was barely past nightfall. The roar of vehicles approached from a distance. The silent and chilling atmosphere grew increasingly tense amidst the hushed, almost inaudible voices.

Military boots stepped soundlessly on the still-damp earth. Only when sweeping beams of bright light illuminated the quiet, motionless silhouette of the Rose Corridor did the soldiers finally relax their stealth formation.

However, the closest Mutant Value detector continued to blink with a dangerous red light.

Zhou Qian raised his hand. Someone beside him held up the device and reported, "The Mutant Value spiked by twelve points within a single minute. It must be extremely unhappy."

But there was no reason for that. This exact thought echoed in the minds of everyone present.

The Rose Corridor was known for its emotional stability, which was exactly why the Defense Army had managed to establish a cooperative relationship with it. Even the continuous, highly contaminated rain hadn’t upset it this much. Now that the rain had stopped, why would it—

"Did a fight break out nearby? Or..."

Or someone had shed blood. A chill went through the group. Zhou Qian looked especially stern and tense, a faint trace of worry in his eyes—he remembered that Huai Yu lived right here in Zone 37.

At that thought, he didn’t hesitate any longer. "Let’s go take a look."

However, as the squad drew closer to the Rose Corridor and their lights illuminated a wider area, the sight before them left everyone in stunned silence.

It was just... how could someone build a house this close to the Rose Corridor?

Though the structure was haphazardly thrown together and their trained eyes could pick out countless flaws, it was still a genuine, functional shelter capable of keeping out the wind and rain.

On high alert, the team cautiously advanced toward the treehouse.

Under the glare of their flashlights, they saw a whimsical cluster of wisteria flowers tucked into the doorway, swaying gently in the night breeze, as if the owner had a real flair for living. Below it, a yellow curtain woven from dried grass hung neatly and meticulously, further proving the inhabitant’s knack for homemaking.

"Captain Zhou!"

The yellow grass curtain rustled, and a small head poked out from inside. The young girl’s face was a bit pale, looking as though she had been frightened.

Zhou Qian breathed a sigh of relief. How could he not have been frightened? In the middle of the night, there was first the Rose Corridor’s warning alarm, and then this inexplicably placed treehouse so dangerously close to it...

Wait! He was dumbfounded. "Huai Yu?! Why are you living here?!"

"This is my home!" Huai Yu stepped out from behind the curtain, her hands still stained with mud. She pointed at the treehouse behind her. "Look! The waterproof tarp is the one you gave me!"

"I didn’t give it to you! You traded for it," Zhou Qian retorted instinctively, before growing even more bewildered.

He knew this girl was quite capable of surviving on her own. He knew she had figured out a way to build a house, and he knew her living conditions were steadily improving. He had even seen her around this area during the last rainstorm... But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that her house would be less than twenty meters away from the Rose Corridor!

Twenty meters! Even their Zone 69 camp wouldn’t dare set up this close to the Rose Corridor!

Zhou Qian took a deep breath. Huai Yu had been present during two consecutive anomalies involving the Rose Corridor. His expression gradually calmed down, turning deadly serious as he said, "Huai Yu, I need to ask you a few questions."

Huai Yu’s face was a little pale, her frail frame seemingly swaying in the night breeze, but she nodded anyway. "Okay, Captain Zhou. Ask whatever you need to."

"Why are you living so close to the Rose Corridor? I remember warning you against it several times."

Huai Yu hesitated for a moment. "I live alone, and I don’t really know how to fight. If I stay close to it, other people won’t dare come near. It makes me feel safer. Besides..." She slowly raised her hand. "I have a little bit of Wood Ability... just a little bit. It’s very weak."

Aside from Lin Xuefeng, she hadn’t met any other Superpower Users, so she didn’t know if everyone was as powerful as him. But the way he had effortlessly subdued his enemies that night had left her thoroughly amazed. As a result, the excuse she was spinning now was laced with an absolute, unwavering belief in his words.

Lin Xuefeng had said he could sense a faint Wood Ability within her, though he didn’t know a single thing about her Purification Ability. Given that, revealing just a fraction of the truth seemed perfectly reasonable.

A hint of surprise flashed across Zhou Qian’s brow, but he quickly relaxed and instructed the soldier beside him, "Test her."

The soldier holding the device that had just measured the Rose Corridor’s Mutant Value immediately approached Huai Yu, his fingers rapidly adjusting a few buttons on the scanner. Before the device even touched her, it let out a sharp BEEP.

"Wood Element. Mutant Value: 7."

Zhou Qian let out a breath of relief.

A Mutant Value that low basically meant she was powerless. No wonder Huai Yu had never mentioned it. However, with this Superpower—specifically her Plant Affinity—the Rose Corridor genuinely would be much safer for her than unpredictable strangers. Assuming, of course, that the corridor wasn’t currently upset.

But there was still another question to address. "What were you doing right before the Rose Corridor’s anomaly alarm went off?"

Huai Yu paused, her eyes clear and innocent. "I bought a few small ginseng roots at the trading market today. Some of them were still alive, so I wanted to see if I could plant them...

"Before it got angry, I was just planting ginseng."

She didn’t seem to be lying. Zhou Qian could more or less read her honesty, and his shoulders dropped further in relief. It was just... buying ginseng at the trading market and actually trying to cultivate it herself? You couldn’t exactly call it being scammed; it was more like a momentary lapse in judgment.

Zhou Qian nodded, then pointed to the treehouse. "We need to go inside and take a look."

Huai Yu nodded. "Okay."

She turned sideways, clapping the dried mud off her hands, and took the initiative to pull back the grass curtain.

The first thing that caught their eyes inside the treehouse was a simple, roaring fire pit in the very center, encircled by gray bricks. Beside the hearth, a kitchen knife, cutting board, and pots were arranged in an exceptionally orderly manner. Next to that, resting on a makeshift gray-brick cabinet, was a familiar, standard-issue Defense Army solar lamp. It was the source of the bright light spilling through the room.

The space was incredibly cramped. Zhou Qian and his men stepped inside in a loose triangular formation. In the corner, they noticed a large patch of dried thatch spread across the floor, securely insulating a simple folding camp bed.

Directly opposite the bed, across the flickering flames of the hearth, a heavy-duty black vintage bicycle stood propped up. Clothes and towels hung from the thick vines overhead. Down below, washbasins, buckets, and various woven baskets were lined up neatly.

On the gray-brick cabinet by the head of the bed sat a delicate, tall white porcelain vase. A single, slender pink-and-white rose had been placed inside.

Zhou Qian was speechless.

Was the Plant Affinity of a Wood Ability User really this high? The Rose Corridor was actually willing to let her pick its flowers?

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto something. Right beneath the vase, gleaming brightly under the lamp’s light, was a line of tiny, glittering Ice Sculpture characters.