Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System

Chapter 100: Fourth Wave Cleared (Dragon Bonus)

Big thanks to DarkShadow1 for the amazing Dragon 🐉 and to BearOfCinder for the Golden Ticket! Your support means a lot and keeps me motivated to keep writing. Appreciate it! 🙌🔥

While most of the fight was under control, the pressure wasn’t the same everywhere. Some teams were still struggling, especially where numbers overlapped. But for the majority, it was manageable.

At the center of it, Isha stood, facing both Apex Zombies, the Hulking and the Plague Bringer.

A translucent green shield formed around her body, and a mask materialized over her face. Yet even through that, the decaying smell reached her.

It was unbearable to smell, but even then no one can complain.

The Plague Bringer exhaled slowly, and a faint dark mist leaked from its body, spreading outward like an infection. The ground beneath it blackened and corroded, and even the air felt heavier.

Isha’s brows tightened slightly. “…Annoying.”

Meanwhile, Arjun had done his job perfectly. Around the two Apex Zombies, all the normal zombies were gone. Even stray elites had been eliminated.

They had no distractions, it was a clean area, and just three figures stood: Isha, the Hulking, and the Plague Bringer.

But even seeing a human near them, both Apex Zombies didn’t move.

The Hulking’s chest rose slowly, while the Plague Bringer tilted its head slightly, its hollow eyes fixed on Isha. Even knowing that if Isha’s team would come, she would gain upperhand, but they didn’t move.

There was no mindless charge, no random roar, no reaction to their fallen army. It was as if they didn’t care about the normal zombies, and elite zombies.

Vikram, watching from the wall, narrowed his eyes. “They’re… different.”

Sana nodded slowly. “Apex Zombies are not like the others. They have instincts. Some even say… they can think.”

—

After all the elite zombies had been cleared and nearly all the remaining zombies were wiped out, the battlefield around the Apex finally opened up.

Pooja landed first, flames still dancing around her arms. Raghav and Imran followed, their breathing heavier now but their eyes sharp. Neha slid into position instantly, already scanning the surroundings, while Vikrant stepped in, gathering force into his stance.

Arjun was already there, waiting, watching and calculating everything.

Isha didn’t turn back. Her eyes remained locked on the two Apex.

Then she spoke. “Arjun, Imran, Raghav, Neha, Vikrant, Pooja, handle the Plague Bringer. I’ll take the Hulking.”

“Yes, Captain!” They moved instantly.

The moment they stepped closer, the Plague Bringer reacted. Its body expanded slightly, and.

“FSSSSSSSS—”

A thick wave of black-green mist burst outward.

“Back!” Arjun shouted.

Everyone shifted instantly, but even then, the mist spread fast, too fast. The moment it touched the ground, the earth began to rot, corrode, and bubble.

“This thing is toxic!” Neha warned. “Don’t let it spread!” Raghav said.

“Too late for that,” Pooja smirked. “Then we burn it.” She stepped forward.

“Flame Curtain!”

A wall of fire rose in front of them, clashing directly with the incoming mist. For a moment, fire and decay collided, and steam hissed into the air.

The mist slowed, but didn’t stop.

“It’s pushing through!” Vikrant shouted.

“Then we push back harder,” Imran said.

He stepped forward with his shield raised.

The mist hit him, but his reinforced body held. His shield began to corrode slightly, but he didn’t move.

“Raghav—!”

“I see it!” Raghav rushed in from the side, targeting the Plague Bringer directly. He jumped and punched.

“BOOM!!”

The hit landed on its bloated torso. But instead of breaking, the body absorbed the impact. A ripple spread through it, like hitting liquid.

“What—?” The Plague Bringer released a burst of gas at point-blank range.

“FSSSHHH!!!” Raghav was forced back immediately.

“Don’t hit it blindly!” Neha shouted. “Its body isn’t solid!”

“Then where do we hit?” Imran asked.

“Wait—” Neha narrowed her eyes and fired.

“BANG!” The bullet pierced into a swollen node on its shoulder.

“SPLOOSH!”

It burst, and black fluid spilled out. The Plague Bringer twitched violently.

“That’s it!” she shouted. “Those sacs, those are weak points!”

“HAHA—now that’s fun!” Pooja laughed.

Flames surged again. “Blazing Burst!”

Fire struck directly onto multiple sacs, one, two, three, and they exploded in rapid succession, forcing the Plague Bringer to let out a distorted, gurgling scream.

“SKRRRRAAAHHH!!” Its mist intensified, wilder, more unstable.

“Vikrant, now!” Arjun shouted.

A shockwave blasted forward, disrupting the expanding mist and pushing it back momentarily.

“Keep breaking its rhythm!” Arjun commanded.

Neha fired again. “BANG! BANG!”

More sacs burst apart. Imran charged through the weakened mist, ignoring the corrosion, and slammed his shield into the creature.

“THUD!!” Raghav followed.

“BOOM!!” This time, they targeted the ruptured areas.

The Plague Bringer staggered, but still, it didn’t fall. Instead, it began expanding. Its body is swelling, unstable.

“Something’s wrong!” Neha warned them again.

“It’s going to explode—!” Arjun shouted.

“BACK!!” Everyone jumped away just in time.

“BOOOOOOOM!!!” A massive burst of toxic gas erupted outward. The ground turned black instantly, and even the air warped.

“Damn it…” Pooja muttered. “This one’s not dying easily.”

—

Meanwhile, Isha had already engaged with the Hulking. The Hulking charged, faster than before, and swung his arms.

“ROOOOAAARRR!!”

Isha blocked with her forearm, her white aura flaring brightly. The ground beneath her cracked, but she didn’t move. This Hulking was stronger than the last.

It punched again and again, each hit heavier, faster, and relentlessly. Isha dodged the next strike, stepped in, and countered.

“BOOM!!” A direct hit to its ribs. This time, it reacted slightly, its body bent, but didn’t break.

“Hmm…” Her eyes sharpened. Stronger durability, higher reaction, this one was evolved.

The Hulking roared again and slammed both fists down. “BOOOOOOM!!!”

The ground exploded, and dust rose into the air.

But through it, Isha emerged unharmed, her aura burning brighter than before. A blade formed again in her hand, this time larger, denser, and more refined.

She dashed forward. “SHHHK!!” The blade cut, but it didn’t fully sever. The Hulking caught her wrist.

“GRRRAAAHH!!” For the first time, it countered. Its grip tightened with crushing force.

Isha’s eyes narrowed. Then her aura surged.

“CRACK!!”

She broke free instantly and kicked its chest.

“BOOM!!”

The Hulking was pushed back, but not thrown, not like before. It steadied itself and roared again, louder, angrier, crazier.

—

The toxic explosion settled, but not completely. A thin layer of black mist still lingered on the ground, crawling like a living thing.

“Don’t touch the ground directly!” Arjun warned. “It’s still active!”

The Plague Bringer changed.

Its bloated body shrank slightly after the explosion, but its surface now pulsed unevenly. New sacs began forming across its torso, swelling rapidly.

“It’s regenerating!” Neha said, already firing.

“BANG! BANG!” Two sacs burst, but three more formed.

“…Great,” Raghav muttered.

“Then we don’t give it time,” Imran said. He stepped forward again, shield raised, pushing through the toxic haze.

“Cover me!”

“I’ve got you!” Neha replied. She repositioned instantly.

“BANG! BANG! BANG!” Every bullet cleared a path, destroying sacs before they could fully form.

Pooja stepped in beside them, flames surging wildly. “Let’s turn this into a furnace.”

She spread both arms wide. “Inferno Field!”

“FWOOMMMMM!!!” A wide area of fire erupted outward, completely surrounding the Plague Bringer. The mist hissed violently as it burned, shrinking back under the heat.

For the first time, the Plague Bringer reacted strongly. Its body convulsed. “SKRRRRAAAHHHH!!”

“Now!” Arjun shouted.

Vikrant stepped forward, both hands extended. A massive shockwave blasted through the flames, destabilizing the creature’s body and interrupting its regeneration.

“Raghav, finish it!” Neha called.

Raghav charged without hesitation, leaping forward and targeting the largest sac forming near its chest.

“BOOOOOOM!!!” His punch landed, and this time, it broke through. The sac exploded violently.

A chain reaction followed, multiple sacs ruptured in rapid succession, collapsing the Plague Bringer’s body inward. But it still didn’t die. Instead, it released another wave of toxic mist, larger, denser, more desperate.

“Damn it, it’s stalling!” Arjun shouted. “It’s trying to drag this out!”

“Then we end it now!” Pooja grinned. Her flames condensed and compressed, turning deep crimson.

“Move back!” Even her teammates didn’t argue. They jumped back instantly.

Pooja stepped forward alone, her eyes blazing.

“Hellflare Collapse.” She thrust both hands forward.

A concentrated inferno slammed into the Plague Bringer, engulfing it completely. This time, it was not able to spread and inside the flames, its body writhed and twisted.

“SKRRRRAAAAA—!!!”

The fire burned for a few more seconds, then slowly faded, and there was nothing remained, the Plague Bringer was gone.

—

On the other side, the battle had intensified. The Hulking was adapting, it was reacting and learning.

Isha dashed forward again, with the blade in her hand.

“SHHHK!!” A deep cut sliced across its arm, but this time it didn’t lose balance. Instead, it grabbed her mid-motion. And slammed her down.

“BOOOOOOM!!!” The ground cracked beneath her. For the first time, she was hit cleanly.

From the wall, Vikram’s eyes widened. “Aunt—!”

But before the Hulking could follow up, its body froze for a brief moment.

Its grip loosened. Isha stood up, calm and unshaken. Her aura had changed, brighter, sharper, heavier. Even the air around her felt different.

She didn’t speak or rush, she simply walked forward. The Hulking roared again, but this time there was hesitation, instinct warning it that something was wrong.

Isha raised her hand. The blade formed again, but now it wasn’t just a blade. It extended and condensed into a long, radiant weapon, like a spear of light.

She stepped in, fast, too fast. The Hulking tried to react, but the spear pierced straight through its chest, clean from front to back. For the first time, the Hulking froze completely. Its body trembled, its roar cut off.

Isha twisted the weapon and pulled it out, then followed with a final strike.

“SHHHK!!!” The head separated, clean and instant. The massive body stood for a second before collapsing.

Both Apex were dead. The battlefield was cleared. But everyone knew it wasn’t over yet, one wave still remained.