Chapter 123 Squirting Cucumber Mutation

Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Squirting Cucumber Mutation

Early the next morning, Han Ning arrived at the mutation research area as usual, preparing to cast Natural Blessing on the few squirting cucumber plants designated as key observation subjects.

Ever since Natural Blessing broke through to the Middle Level, there were no visible changes on the surface. However, after two days of continuous nourishment, these squirting cucumbers seemed a bit different.

He walked up to the first squirting cucumber. A soft green light glowed in his palm and flowed into the plant. The plant swayed gently, its leaves unfurling as if enjoying this vital nourishment.

[Natural Blessing (Middle Level) Skill Level +1, Current: 27/500]

Then came the second, the third... Han Ning meticulously cast the skill on each one in turn. Professor Ye stood to the side, recording everything just as diligently.

When he reached the fourth squirting cucumber, his brows furrowed slightly. This plant, which had been brimming with vitality just yesterday, now looked rather listless. The edges of its leaves were curling and yellowing. It didn’t look good. Continually casting Natural Blessing had unexpectedly caused withering.

Han Ning harbored doubts but still enveloped it in the Energy of Natural Blessing. As the Energy seeped in, the plant seemed to perk up briefly, but it quickly reverted to its droopy state.

[Natural Blessing (Middle Level) Skill Level +1, Current: 28/500]

He continued to the fifth and sixth plants, but their condition was even worse. The leaves of the fifth squirting cucumber were dotted with scorched spots. The entire sixth plant drooped completely; its stem had lost all structural support and rested limply against the edge of the flowerpot.

Professor Ye carefully observed these abnormal squirting cucumbers and speculated, "It looks like they couldn’t withstand the Energy Shocks, or perhaps some sort of pathology has occurred."

"The Level of Natural Blessing increased, yet we somehow ended up losing two squirting cucumbers," Han Ning said, somewhat surprised. Squirting cucumber plants weren’t particularly rare, but in this environment, every experimental sample cost him and Professor Ye a great deal of effort.

"The process of life mutation is far more dangerous than we thought." Professor Ye’s gaze was focused. "There might be a limit to how much dosage the plants themselves can handle. We can try splitting them into groups and applying different intensities of the blessing to different plants. Or, we could shorten the duration of each single blessing and increase the frequency."

"I’ll leave the arrangements to you," Han Ning agreed.

He made a prompt decision, fetching a few more squirting cucumber seeds from the seed bank and activating Rapid Growth. With Professor Ye’s assistance, he accelerated the growth of several healthy new seedlings to replenish the experimental group’s numbers, specifically marking them for division. He divided the remaining eight squirting cucumbers into two groups:

Group A (4 plants): Received the standard intensity of the Middle Level Natural Blessing.

Group B (4 plants): Received a halved intensity of Natural Blessing.

Simultaneously, the blessing frequency for both groups was increased from once a day to twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening.

The next day, the situation remained grim.

In Group A, the listless plant withered completely. Among the other three, another developed obvious scorched spots. Group B remained relatively stable. All four plants looked slightly droopy, but they sustained no severe damage. The newly replenished experimental group, blessed at Group B’s intensity, was in good condition.

Seeing this, Han Ning replenished the plants once more and expanded the experiment to ten groups, with one marked plant per group. He meticulously recorded the plants’ reactions after each blessing.

On the third day, the losses continued.

Of the remaining two plants in Group A, one suffered worsening scorch marks and neared death, while the other stubbornly held on, though its growth had stagnated. Among Group B’s four plants, two exhibited obvious discomfort, their leaves severely curled. The other two were in slightly better condition. As for the newly replenished group—blessed at varying gradient intensities—a few sporadic anomalies appeared as well.

By the evening of the third day, Han Ning habitually scanned the batch of squirting cucumbers that had held on for five days total.

His gaze first fell on the sole surviving Group A squirting cucumber. It was completely dead, its leaves like charred pieces of paper.

Next was Group B. Of the two in slightly better condition, one had suddenly wilted without warning, its life force draining away. The other plant looked as if it had been twisted by an invisible force. Its vine-like stems were abnormally swollen and bloated, and the small, spindle-shaped fruits it should have borne had become grotesque, looking like balloons that could burst at any moment.

"Damn it, the description for the Natural Blessing Skill said it guarantees a positive mutation. Turns out, anything that isn’t positive just dies..."

Just as Han Ning’s heart sank slightly, his gaze locked onto the final Group B squirting cucumber.

This squirting cucumber was completely different from all the previous plants. Its main stem was nearly twice as thick as an ordinary one’s, and the entire plant radiated a faint, watery-blue hue. The skin of its fruit was slightly transparent, forming a deep blue oval that drooped slightly, taking up a third of the entire plant’s mass. A thick, light-blue liquid could faintly be seen flowing within it. Its skin was smooth and hydrated, while its thick, fleshy leaves featured fine serrations along the edges.

"Oh?" Han Ning and Professor Ye exchanged a glance, their heartbeats quickening slightly.

Han Ning carefully reached out a finger and gently touched the peculiar fruit. A warm, smooth, and elastic sensation transmitted to his fingertip. At the same time, a refreshing feeling of watery mist spread up his arm.

The moment Han Ning touched it, the squirting cucumber trembled slightly. Its main stem swayed, and it affectionately rubbed its plump fruit against his finger, letting out a soft "GURGLE" sound.

This highly spiritual response stunned both Han Ning and Professor Ye.

"It... it recognizes you?" Professor Ye was shocked.

"Maybe it’s because I nourish it with Natural Energy every day, so it remembered my scent," Han Ning speculated.

These Extraordinary Crops were truly on another level—they actually possessed a faint glimmer of intelligence. It was clearly a grade above the dull Red Mist Tomatoes and Jade Potatoes.

"Come on, let’s go test out exactly what kind of abilities it has."

Han Ning picked up the clearly distinct squirting cucumber, pot and all. It was much heavier than an ordinary one—a solid, weighty mass. The bulk of its weight was likely concentrated in the fruit at the top.

They arrived at a relatively spacious, abandoned parking lot behind the office building. The field of vision here was wide open. In the distance were several half-sunken car wrecks and a few broken concrete pillars, serving perfectly as test targets.

"How do you trigger it? It can’t possibly understand your words, right?" Professor Ye looked at the squirting cucumber in Han Ning’s arms with great curiosity.

"Uh... I don’t know either." Han Ning scratched his head. He patted the little plant’s "cucumber head" and hesitantly asked, "Show off your abilities a bit?"

"GURGLE..." The squirting cucumber’s intelligence clearly wasn’t that advanced yet. It remained blankly motionless.

"Try stimulating different areas." Professor Ye, proving to be more resourceful, suggested, "It might have some sensitive spots. A light tap or a forceful press might trigger a stress response, thereby revealing its abilities."

"Makes sense," Han Ning agreed.

The two began carefully touching and pressing different parts of the squirting cucumber with their fingers. Han Ning first tried gently pressing the thick section below the fruit where it connected to the main stem.