Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 302: Mutated Tree (2)

"Do you know something, wife?" Ethan asked, noticing she had fallen deep into thought again.

Elena quickly snapped back to reality when Ethan called her. She then looked at them seriously before explaining.

"It’s a double-edged creature," she said slowly.

"It can be both bad and good. It all depends on how we utilize it to our advantage."

The others looked at her in confusion.

To them, there were only two possibilities — the creature was either an enemy or a friend to humanity.

"Wife, we’re a little confused. Mind explaining further?" Ethan asked.

"Of course. Well you know that creature preys on everything, right?" Elena continued.

"Humans, aliens, mutated beasts — even its own kind. It will kill anything that crosses its path. That’s why we can use it... perhaps by guiding it to clash with our enemies. As I said, it all depends on how we turn it into an advantage."

Just like in the past.

Yes, that mutated tree had once been used by both aliens and humans to destroy one another.

The aliens were the first to use it, directing it toward a government base and wiping it out.

That incident sent shockwaves across City A and became the catalyst for the first great war between humans and aliens.

And how did humanity learn that the aliens were responsible? Well, the aliens themselves proudly announced their actions.

At first, humans panicked, believing the aliens had a way to control the mutated tree. But later, they realized the truth — no one could truly control it.

They could only guide it — using bait and leading it toward specific targets to unleash destruction.

Since humans couldn’t eradicate it, then why not use it for retaliation instead?

This was how Elena had managed to win despite their overwhelming disadvantage in numbers during her past life.

Whenever they clashed with the aliens, she made sure the battles took place within the mutated tree’s territory.

And it worked. The mutated tree killed more aliens and mutated beasts than she ever did.

"Wouldn’t it be dangerous if this thing grows stronger? Shouldn’t we kill it?" Oslo asked, believing it would be more beneficial to eradicate this creature rather than allow it to rampage freely.

"Kill it? Impossible. That’s already a Tier 2 creature. You’re lucky you managed to escape from its grasp," Elena retorted.

That was why no one had ever been able to control it — even high-level plant ability users were helpless against such creatures.

She continued, "Don’t worry. Once it becomes sentient, it will tone down its killing spree. It will start feeding only on pure spiritual energy around it and will no longer bother with consuming leftovers."

Elena knew very well that this tree would survive for another five hundred years.

In fact, it would become one of the main reasons a small group of humans would manage to endure into the distant future.

For this mutated tree would shelter them amidst the ruined and nearly unlivable world.

Well, it produced food that humans could safely consume, and for some unknown reason, the aliens never dared to provoke it.

They seemed afraid of the creature.

There was even a rumor that the tree was the physical manifestation of the planet itself — though no one had ever been able to prove it.

"For now, with humanity’s numbers dwindling, we are at a disadvantage. We need something that can distract the aliens, and this mutated tree can serve that purpose. We just have to make sure the aliens never turn it to their advantage."

Everyone still looked unconvinced, but Elena didn’t press further. She believed time would prove her right.

"So, let’s avoid confronting it directly. Try to evade it as much as possible," Elena warned.

"A Tier 2 mutated creature... that’s a first," Ethan replied, feeling pressured by the presence of such a powerful and unknown threat.

But since his wife had already decided that they should avoid it, he simply nodded believing she might already know something important or have a plan regarding the mutated tree.

So he chose not to dwell on it further and instead focused on the update from Oslo and Xander about the situation in City A.

"By the way, where are you now on your journey toward the military base?" he asked.

"Actually, we’re already very close to the Military main base now. But the problem is that the mutated tree lies along our path, so we have to change direction," Xander explained.

He then continued reporting their next route. "We’ll head toward the western side and try our luck there."

Ethan nodded. For now, he had no better ideas to offer, as the pathways they once knew had already changed.

So, he allowed Oslo and Xander to proceed with their plan.

Soon after, Xander also reported everything they had encountered — newly formed private bases, people struggling to survive, and how many had grown cruel as morale continued to collapse.

Hearing this, Elena was not surprised. She already understood how people’s mentality changed during the apocalypse.

Things had become far worse.

Rules and laws no longer held meaning, and with survival of the fittest dominating the world, few cared if others committed heinous acts just to survive.

"Did any military officers from the main base arrive after the extreme heat began?" Elena asked, wanting to understand the military’s current situation.

During this period in her previous life, they had already been inside the main military base, so she didn’t know whether any rescue operations had taken place outside.

But judging from their reactions, it seemed no one had come.

"Nothing... So far, there’s still no news from them," Ethan replied.

General Mason had visited once before, trying to secure more supplies using promissory notes as their resources dwindled.

He told them that the main military base had yet to send anyone for updates, and with the ongoing disasters, it was possible they simply lacked the capacity to do so.

Instead of waiting, they deployed ability users to scout for alternative routes, but every previous path had already become impassable.

The worst part was that communication devices were still not functioning, and the satellites remained unavailable after the extreme cold, leaving General Mason with a severe lack of information.

"General Mason even tried sending someone by helicopter," Ethan added.

"Unfortunately, mutated birds have become the kings of the sky. They attack anything they see, so air transport is completely impossible."

"I see... Since you guys planned to take the route on the western side, don’t ever try to cross the river there. Trust me, you might find something dangerous. So stick to the land-based route, and be careful."

Elena suggested, as much as they needed to leave this area now—as the sighting of mutated creatures had been constantly increasing—her team’s well-being was still her priority.

The duo nodded, making sure to remember her warnings.

"Then, we’ll leave now. We’ll continue scouting the area, then move as we planned," Xander said.

"Go ahead. Just be careful," Ethan replied, giving them each a pat on the shoulder.

Soon after, they left the house, leaving Elena and Ethan along with the triplets who were playing with their trinkets.