Chapter 15 [EDITED]
"You have done remarkably well," Duoduo said, his tone solemn and serious, causing Yu Xue to feel as if she were being gently uplifted.
A warmth started to rise within her.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she reached out to hug Duoduo.
"Wow, Duoduo, thank you."
Duoduo, who was practically enveloped by her embrace, was momentarily at a loss for words.
He suddenly realized that this form was quite inconvenient.
However, he didn't push Yu Xue away and allowed her to hold him.
Gradually, Yu Xue's strength subsided, and her body leaned softly against Duoduo's shoulder. But the shoulder was truly too small, causing her to slide down constantly.
Duoduo held onto her shoulder and asked, "Does your hand still hurt?"
"My right hand doesn't hurt much." Yu Xue raised her left hand in distress, saying, "But this hand hurts."
Duoduo examined her hand closely and carefully rolled up her sleeve. The palm of her wrist was becoming increasingly inflamed and swollen, with a few blisters forming, surrounded by red skin.
"It hurts, it's hot, and it stings..." Yu Xue mumbled. "That Xu Feng's touch was toxic."
Duoduo furrowed his brow for a moment and stated, "Master, this is caused by mutated plants. If it feels spicy, I'm afraid it's the effect of capsaicin."
"Capsaicin?" Yu Xue muttered, "The ingredient in the chili pepper?"
She suddenly recalled the video of the pepper incident. The man who laughed behind the mask in front of the camera bore a striking resemblance to Xu Feng.
Could they be the same person?
Looking at her wrist again, she felt the heat intensifying. She took a deep breath, growing slightly panicked, "Can my skin rupture and my blood vessels burst from the toxins?"
"The toxins aren't too severe, and you have your vines. Guide the toxins toward the vines and let them aid in the evolution of the vines, just like with the previous cactus ball. There are multiple ways to handle this."
Yu Xue pondered for a moment and nodded, "Okay."
Duoduo looked at her pale face and said, "You just grew a third vine. This is a vulnerable period for you. It's crucial that you eat and rest more during this time, as the vines and toxins will consume your vitality. There are no suitable conditions here. You should go back to the rental house."
Yu Xue hesitated for a moment.
She was concerned that Xu Feng might have accomplices. Even though he was detained, what if his accomplices were equally deranged and tried to forcefully enter her place?
However, staying at Apartment 404 didn't seem to make much difference. If someone wanted to break in, they could still do so.
Yu Xue sighed, "Thank you for your hard work here, especially for the power generation equipment. It's not easy to come by."
People who live in apartments with stable electricity and no place to install power generation equipment wouldn't have a reason to buy such equipment.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have hurried back to retrieve the power generation equipment.
Duoduo reassured her, saying, "Don't worry about it here."
Yu Xue gently touched Duoduo's head, saying, "Duoduo, you're the best!"
His hair was soft and only he was only about one meter tall, like a two or three year old.
His voices sounded older, but it was actually only about seven or eight years old.
Yet, why did it seem so reliable and comforting?
Yu Xue realized that if she wanted to become stronger quickly, she couldn't rely on others for everything. When faced with setbacks, she shouldn't fall into confusion and seek comfort from someone else.
She felt a little ashamed of her previous decadent and depressed demeanor.
But, if someone were to try to force their way in, she would protect Duoduo.
As an adult, it was her responsibility to protect children, not the other way around.
She playfully pinched Duoduo's green face and said with determination, "Thank you for your help so far. I will become stronger as soon as possible, and in the future, I will protect you."
Duoduo remained silent, looking at Yu Xue who had regained her vigor. Suddenly, he dissipated into a shimmering green dot and disappeared from the ceiling.
Yu Xue leaned against the wall and exclaimed, "Duoduo, you're amazing!"
Even though she couldn't see him anymore, Yu Xue could imagine the child's stunned and speechless expression.
She burst into laughter.
Then, Yu Xue rediscovered the vine, straightened her clothes, found a wet wipe from the pile of supplies, and wiped her face before heading out.
Despite feeling a bit weighed down, she always managed to hide her discomfort when facing others.
The decorators were busy installing the flooring in the master bedroom. Yu Xue approached them and inquired about the estimated completion time for the renovation.
However, the two workers informed her that they were only responsible for the floor installation and were not aware of the overall progress. Yu Xue promptly contacted the decoration company to inquire about the timeline for completion.
"The contract is expected to be delivered by mid-May. Today is May 13th. I hope to be able to inspect the house within the next three days. Is that feasible?" she asked.
The manager assured her that only the installation of sockets, hardware sanitary ware, and lamps remained, and it could be completed within three days.
Feeling relieved, Yu Xue made an additional request. She wanted to install a camera at the door, not just in Apartment 404, but also in the rental house. She was willing to pay extra for the service.
The decoration company readily agreed and even offered it as a complimentary gift to Yu Xue, without charging her any additional fees.
After ending the call, Yu Xue descended the stairs and headed towards the rental house.
On her way, she noticed that some people looked at her with curiosity. After the morning incident, word had spread throughout the community about Yu Xue.
"That's the woman who called the police earlier."
"I heard a man came and blocked her at the door."
"Didn't she say she had a misunderstanding about being in a relationship with him, and that's why he blocked her?"
"Who said that?"
"Just Zhang, the matchmaker next door."
With her improved hearing, Yu Xue easily caught wind of these comments, but she paid them no mind. At most, they were just fodder for gossip. After experiencing the apocalypse, she cared very little about the petty affairs these people would face.
Upon arriving at the rental house, the matchmaker saw her, rolled her eyes, and slammed the door shut. Another neighbor who had heard the commotion opened their door, smiled at Yu Xue, and then closed it again.
Yu Xue didn't pay much attention to their reactions. She entered her house and quickly cooked a pot of noodles. She beat several eggs and chopped up a variety of vegetables and luncheon meat.
Afterwards, she proceeded to cook and took out the frozen pig's feet, hooves, pig hearts, chickens, and ducks from the refrigerator to thaw.
She needed to replenish herself, but with only one saucepan available, she decided to order online. She purchased two large stew pots and some beef, fish, fruits, and other ingredients.
She also bought a blender and planned to make rice porridge, mixed grain porridge, and other dishes for herself. Chewing on solid food had become tiresome.
To satisfy her sweet tooth, she ordered a three-layer cake for takeaway.
After finishing these preparations, she cooked the noodles and ate while burying herself in the meal.
After a while, the takeaway arrived. Yu Xue instructed the delivery person to leave the items outside, checked through the peephole, and asked her dog Laifu to confirm that no one was outside before opening the door to retrieve the food.
Unfortunately, she was still spotted by the matchmaker aunt. The aunt clutched her grandson and muttered, "I see how she spends money so casually. Who dares to spend money like that?"
Annoyed, Yu Xue retorted, "If you could get married, I wouldn't have to worry about it."
This infuriated the aunt even more. "What do you mean 'like me'? What am I?"
An argument ensued, but Yu Xue closed the door and proceeded to enjoy her cake, ignoring the aunt's shouts from outside.
In the afternoon, the decoration company sent someone to install the surveillance cameras. They first installed the camera in the rental house, and the process was completed quickly. The camera feed was then directly transmitted to Yu Xue's mobile phone.
With this setup, she could monitor the area outside her door at any time and avoid falling for any potential ambushes.
If she had pretended to have this installed earlier, she wouldn't have been so easily fooled.
Soon, the cameras were installed in Apartment 404 as well, allowing Yu Xue to monitor both doors simultaneously.
Throughout the day, Yu Xue stayed at home, eating, drinking, and resting. As evening approached, the community became bustling with people returning from work or school.
As night fell and darkness enveloped the surroundings, Yu Xue closed all the doors and windows, locked them securely, placed a doorstopper behind the entrance, drew the curtains, turned on a small light, set up the monitoring screen on the coffee table, and kept a knife within reach.
In the dimness, Yu Xue sat silently on the sofa, with Laifu lying beside her, his stomach gently rising and falling.
She raised her hand and looked at her three vines.
By the end of the day, the vines had grown significantly, reaching a length of nearly 2.5 meters each and becoming thicker in diameter.
When she focused her mind on one vine, it responded accordingly. However, controlling them individually and simultaneously to perform different tasks proved to be a challenge. It was easy to become disorganized and make mistakes.
She glanced at her left hand again. The palm prints were becoming redder, and more blisters appeared. The spicy, burning sensation had spread up to her upper arm, and the skin had turned as red as if it had been cooked.
If things continued this way, she feared her arm would truly be cooked. She could barely feel anything in her left arm now, and she wondered if the nerves had been burned beyond repair.
"Forcing toxins onto the vines..." Yu Xue muttered to herself. She had attempted it multiple times, but there seemed to be no pattern or method to successfully "force" the toxins.
Rolling up the sleeve of her right hand, she retrieved the vines she had previously extended, contemplating the idea of guiding the three vines into her left arm.
She picked up a marker and drew three lines on her arm, tracing them all the way up to her right shoulder, then along her collarbone, and finally converging on her chest. These lines represented the path the vines would take when entering her body, and there was a slight sensation of pain along these lines.
Attempting to force the toxin up her arm by tightly clenching her left hand proved futile. After some consideration, she began gently rubbing her left arm. The skin, already warm, grew even hotter under her touch. She noticed that the heat started spreading rapidly from the upper part of her upper arm, extending to her shoulders and neck.
It seemed that the toxin was being stimulated.
"I-I can do this!" Yu Xue's panic started to rise, but she quickly reminded herself, "Don't be afraid, stay calm, just guide it to the vines."
The redness expanded, covering the lines drawn by the marker. Yu Xue took a deep breath, employing various techniques. She used the strength of her mind and focused on the sensation of heat and spiciness, willing it to spread quickly.
Then, at a certain moment, she couldn't pinpoint which method worked, but the intense spiciness surged into three dark lines, swiftly traversing the corresponding paths within her arm and reaching her fingertips.
Yu Xue exhaled, feeling as if three lines of fire were burning within her arm.
She tightly hugged her right arm, causing it to turn red as well. She observed that the three vines gradually took on a reddish hue, especially the leaves, which emitted a red glow from their veins. The inverted thorns seemed to be stained with blood.
The red light was momentarily obscured by the plant's original color, but in the next moment, it surged forth again, scorching the leaves and burning the thorns. The main vine itself was charred black.
However, new leaves quickly sprouted, fresh thorns emerged, and the vines generated new layers of protective tissue.
It felt as though two opposing forces were locked in a fierce battle.
The three vines were undergoing rapid evolution.
Death, rebirth, reinforcement, and further mutation.
The air became saturated with a potent aroma of capsaicin.
Yu Xue tumbled off the sofa, collapsing onto the floor.
Laifu barked and leaped around, trying to get closer to Yu Xue, but the intense capsaicin forced him back. His fur even turned yellow from the smoke, displaying his distress.
With great effort, Yu Xue rose from the floor, supported by the coffee table. Her body burned red, and her teeth trembled uncontrollably.
The vines thrashed about wildly, lashing across the room. Tiles cracked under their force, the coffee table was swept away, the computer crashed to the ground, and they reached up to the ceiling, shattering the chandelier and causing cracks to form on the floor.
Yu Xue stumbled into the bathroom.
Frantically, she turned on the faucet, and water immediately cascaded down from the showerhead.
The cold water hit her body, as if pouring into a red-hot pot. The water vapor evaporated, turning white. Yu Xue drank several mouthfuls of water desperately until she gasped for breath, feeling the heat dissipating throughout her body.
She slumped against the bathroom wall, a sense of relief washing over her as if she had been granted a second chance at life.
This is insane, utterly insane! She had nearly been cooked alive!
She thought, her head throbbing in pain.
She remained seated under the running water. Whenever she moved away from it even slightly, she felt as if she would start cooking again. The three vines also absorbed the water eagerly, growing thicker and larger as if they had been soaked.
Unbeknownst to her, Yu Xue drifted into sleep.
Laifu ceased his barking and stood silently by the bathroom door, watching over Yu Xue.
Time passed, perhaps an hour or two, or maybe even longer. A green figure emerged from the dog, transforming into a child that approached the shower area.
Yu Xue, in front of the child, slept soundly against the wall. The water continued to sprinkle over her, while four vines wrapped around her.
Yes, four vines—her little finger also sprouted one.
The thick reddish-brown vines, adorned with large red-green leaves the size of a child's hand, enveloped Yu Xue in a protective embrace, forming a cocoon-like structure.
After observing for a while, the figure suddenly grew in size, transforming into a tall and upright human form within a few seconds.
The adult man stood before them, his shoulders broad and his legs slender. Although he still had a light green and transparent appearance, the increase in size and lightness of his green hue hinted at his distinct features. His eyes, narrow and beautiful, were partially concealed by his thick eyelashes.
Squatting down halfway, the man inadvertently triggered the vine's defensive instincts. One of the vines lunged at him, but he swiftly evaded, causing the vine to collide with the back wall and create a shallow indentation.
Another tile broke.
In a calm tone, the man said, "Calm down, or you'll harm her."
The vine seemed to understand and gradually relaxed, revealing the damp figure of Yu Xue within.
Her skin had returned to its normal color, her body temperature had dropped, and her wet hair clung to her face in disarray, portraying her fatigue and fragility.
The man turned off the water, took a bath towel from the rack, wrapped it around Yu Xue, and effortlessly lifted her into his arms before stepping out of the bathroom.
The four vines hung in the air, dancing autonomously. Two of them continued their struggle, but as they moved along with Yu Xue's body, the area connecting with her fingers remained particularly tranquil, neither vine disturbing her.
Placing Yu Xue gently on the bed, the man observed as she shivered and instinctively curled up.
With a gentle wave of his hand, Yu Xue's body dried.
He pulled the quilt over her, examined her pale face, and suddenly reached out to gently pinch her cheek.
"Ah..."
Yu Xue frowned and protested in her sleep.
The man felt a sense of relief. She was faring better than he had anticipated.
The man's lips curled into a smile as he stood up and switched on the air conditioner. Warm air blew out, and he set the timer for an hour. He then turned his gaze toward the four vines by the bedside and whispered, "Companionary spirit plants, no wonder they're so troublesome."
"If I had known it was a companion spiritual plant, not just an ordinary wood power, I would have simply cut it off from the start."
The four vines suddenly trembled, intertwining and twisting around each other, seeking refuge under the quilt, even tucking their tail ends.
With their relatively simple minds, they believed that under the quilt was the safest place to be.
The man, sensing something outside, slightly turned his head, disregarding the four rather foolish entities, and left the bedroom.
The laptop lay on the floor, displaying a surveillance feed that showed two dark figures outside the door. One figure was positioned in a vent, while the other quietly tampered with the door lock.
A delicate sound emitted from the lock.