Chapter 20: No One Wants the Child
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Lu Li’s motion of picking up pine cones faltered, leaving her uncertain about what to do next. Unwilling to believe her bad luck, she took the pine cones from the bag one by one to test them. To her dismay, every single one showed high pollution and mutation levels—worthless trash.
Under the imposing presence of the cedar tree, Lu Li dared not act rashly but still tried to evade responsibility. Before she could speak, a sudden “ping” sound rang out. She instinctively ducked, her head buzzing.
Unconsciously, Lu Li shook her head and lightly touched the top of her head.
“Eek…”
The pine cone’s impact was perfectly controlled—just enough to deliver a sharp tap that stunned without hurting.
Holding her slightly swollen head, Lu Li forced an ingratiating smile and no longer dared to show disdain.
“Brother Pine, your mutation levels are really high. No wonder you’re so powerful! Look, these pine cones are completely obedient to you!”
The cedar seemed pleased by her words and then scattered several pine cones at Lu Li with a crackling sound. Looking down at the nearly 20-centimeter-long plump pine cones rolling at her feet, Lu Li felt a flicker of hope.
The pine cones were large, and despite their fall, they remained intact and heavy in her hand. The detector showed a significant rise in mutation but an even greater surge in pollution.
Lu Li forced herself to lift the corners of her mouth into a grim smile.
“Enough, enough! Brother Pine, you really are a great, wonderful tree~”
As hail continued to fall around them, Lu Li’s voice trembled by the end.
This was absolutely a threat—a blatant one.
Frantically stuffing the pine cones into her backpack, Lu Li prepared to rush toward the safety zone with the child.
The young alligator weakly followed at her feet, stirring a pang of pity in her. She had nothing to offer it.
“System, can I buy a bag of snow cakes on credit?”
The interface remained unresponsive.
Forced to carry a heavy bag of useless pine cones, Lu Li turned to leave, when suddenly an empty pine cone struck her forehead, and willow branches were entwined and caught on the cedar’s upper limbs.
“Brother Pine?”
The branches swayed, the pine needles rustling softly. The willow branch wiggled and struck the top of the tree.
“Pruning?”
The willow branch darted back to Lu Li’s wrist with satisfaction, and the cedar delivered another hefty pine cone to her head.
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Lu Li carelessly tossed it into her bag and climbed the tree with the collected items.
With a sharp “crack,” the branch snapped, and the scissors flew, nearly grazing Lu Li’s cheek.
She raised the half-broken scissors in silence. The once sharp blade was now pitted and jagged.
Seeing the cedar’s branches intact without a scratch, Lu Li’s reverence for it deepened.
“Brother Pine, can I use better tools next time?”
She closed her eyes and spoke cautiously.
The cedar remained silent, but the willow branch tugged her away.
Dragging the broken branch aside, she returned to the willow grove, stuffing all the meat except for the snake and porcupine into the alligator’s mouth.
After exchanging a large batch of low-pollution ginger seedlings for the alligator’s help, Lu Li tearfully bid it farewell. The alligator swished its tail decisively—it was determined to grow stronger!
Back at the willows, she returned the branch and dumped all the waste from her bag, selecting some exceptionally luscious pine cones while piling the rest to the side.
“Sister Willow, after drying, these can be composted! Pine cone compost not only improves soil quality and provides nutrients but also inhibits bacteria and pests. That mighty cedar—imagine how powerful the fertilizer made from its cones will be!”
The willow branches swayed as it diligently aired the pine cones. Nearby, Lu Li painstakingly wove the broken branches into a wicker basket to prevent the porcupine from gnawing through the branches and escaping.
After tidying everything, Lu Li hoisted the child, slung the backpack over her shoulder, and carried the basket, ready to head straight for the human safety zone.
The willow branch, still wrapped around her wrist, curled up again. Lu Li gently stroked the place where leaves were missing.
“Sister Willow?”
The willow, busy drying the pine cones, extended a branch to nudge her in return, shaking disdainfully.
“Shall I take her with me?”
Time was pressing, and she had already lingered too long in this forest. Dark clouds gathered, and night was approaching. After the apocalypse, Lu Li dared not let the child spend the night in these woods.
Focusing on the map, Lu Li ran swiftly, her agile figure weaving through the trees.
The trees and underbrush gradually thinned, and signs of human activity began to appear.
The roar of an off-road vehicle sounded. Lu Li placed the child by the roadside and nimbly climbed a tree with her supplies.
A military-green truck came into view, its wild maneuvers shaking the ground. Lu Li hurried to stuff a branch into the porcupine’s mouth, instructing the willow branch to keep watch while she clung to the trunk, holding her breath as she watched below.
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“Damn! Captain, there’s a kid ahead!”
The off-road vehicle screeched to a halt, the grinding sound almost fraying her nerves.
Lu Li’s tension nearly burst.
Though the child’s fever had broken, no one could guarantee the brain wasn’t damaged after such a high fever. Besides, the child had other injuries! He needed to be taken to a hospital—and returned to his parents!
She had accepted a dog on a whim and tolerated an orphaned villain, but a human child? No way.
Especially a sick child needing medical attention. Going to a hospital? Letting a zombie walk into a human hospital was like handing over a lab rat for some scientist’s journal article!
The vehicle stopped abruptly, and the passengers jolted forward from inertia.
“Tsk,” a hoarse, impatient voice sounded harshly, “A kid? It’s the apocalypse, who cares about kids! Do you think you’re a hero?”
“Stay alert! No one gets out, move out now!”
The sound of guns being cocked filled the air, and the man’s voice grew serious.
“Maybe that kid’s a dwarf waiting to kill you in one blow. Or a bait—there could be a whole gang ready to ambush us for supplies! Drive, don’t make me leave you behind!”
“Nowadays, you can’t underestimate human nature. Maybe the people in this safety zone are more dangerous than the mutants outside!”
The truck fell silent for a moment before the driver hit the gas, speeding past the boy and his group and disappearing in a rush.
The serious-looking man glanced at the small figure in the rearview mirror, his expression softening before he bit his lip and accelerated.
Coughing on the exhaust, Lu Li crouched in the tree, waiting a while longer. Several teams passed by, all treating the boy as if facing a deadly threat. Indeed, in the apocalypse, the saints are the first to be killed, and the people left all have a hundred tricks up their sleeves.
She wondered if the original heroine would have saved him, and how she was supposed to get rid of this child!
Glancing at the system panel, the safety zone was about to close. Once night fell, inspections would intensify, and more soldiers would be on patrol. She might not even make it inside during the day, let alone at night.
Resigned, Lu Li scooped up the child and ran toward the distance.