Chapter 80: Chapter 69: Departing for Azuregard City

After resting for a while, Flora Bloom and her group returned to the strange forest. They looked at the expanse of scorched zombies, intending to gleefully dig out the Zombie Crystal Cores, but discovered that the zombies burned to death in the strange forest didn’t have a single one.

Flora Bloom frowned at the zombies covering the ground, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand. Ignoring the wound, her reflexes were lightning-fast as she snatched a tender green cluster from the ground.

The wound on the back of her hand had been caused by this little, vibrant green thing.

Lifting it for a closer look, she saw it was a miniature foxtail grass with two or three rootlets. Coiled around these rootlets were several Zombie Crystal Cores. On the back of her hand, she could just make out two needle-like bristles from the tip of a foxtail. ’So it was this little foxtail grass that attacked me?’

It was trying to make off with the goods, looking both ridiculous and infuriating.

"Such a huge fire destroyed the entire patch of foxtail grass. How did a little thing like you not get burned to a crisp?"

Flora squeezed the miniature foxtail grass and discovered that its stem had evolved tiny thorns. As she squeezed it, the thorns pricked her finger and the plant began to frantically absorb her blood.

Furthermore, the thorns had some kind of paralyzing agent, which made Flora instantly realize she couldn’t underestimate it. She tossed the plant into her space, gulped down some spiritual water, and healed the wound on her finger.

As soon as the miniature foxtail grass entered the space, it was forcibly branded, becoming her exclusive possession.

The moment it entered the space, it planted its roots by the river and made itself at home. The little foxtail, which had only two or three broken rootlets left, immediately experienced explosive root growth upon taking hold in the soil. The stalk of the once-miniature foxtail instantly grew to two or three times its original size.

Not only that, but Flora saw the foxtail’s roots spread from the soil where it had planted itself, extending all the way to the other side of the river. From these rhizomes, tiny, emerald-green shoots were visibly sprouting.

If Flora’s guess was correct, these tiny shoots would all grow into new foxtail grass plants.

’Well, I’ll be. This miniature foxtail grass is the true core of this evolved plant. As long as the main body survives, it can find the right opportunity and grow an entire forest of foxtails.’

Flora reined in her thoughts, concealing her inner joy. After one last check of the razed forest with the others, they decided it was time to leave.

"Flora, hurry! Something’s wrong with Old Monroe."

Caleb Bloom’s anxious voice called out from nearby.

Flora frowned, turning and hurrying over to Ethan Monroe’s side, with Cynthia Grant and Neal Wallace right behind her.

Neal Wallace was a cardiologist, and while Cynthia Grant was young, she was a military doctor. The Azuregard City Naval Base was a key national military installation; anyone who belonged there was bound to be exceptional. True to their medical instincts, the two began examining Ethan Monroe even faster than Flora could.

"His pulse and breathing are normal, but he has a bit of a fever."

Neal Wallace motioned for Ethan Monroe to show him where he’d been injured. His back, which had nearly been riddled with holes, had already healed without a scar thanks to the spiritual water Flora had given him earlier.

Seeing this, Flora suddenly burst out laughing, provoking a protest from Ethan Monroe.

"Hey! I have a fever and you’re laughing! Is there something wrong with me? Am I going to be okay?"

Flora materialized a bottle of spiritual water and gave it to Ethan Monroe. Then, she pulled him up with an exasperated look on her face.

"Get up, get up, stop playing dead! You’re wearing my dad out! Didn’t you want to awaken a superpower? You probably will once this fever breaks."

"Huh? Are you serious?"

Flora nodded seriously. "Absolutely. It’s the real deal. But there are exceptions, like my mom. She was injured by a zombie, and even after she healed, she didn’t awaken a superpower. But that’s a rare case. You should be fine."

Flora’s words were the reassurance Ethan Monroe needed. Awakening a superpower was important to him, but not as important as staying alive. As long as he wasn’t going to die, he could handle anything.

"It’s getting late. We have to get going."

Flora looked at Cynthia Grant and asked, "Cynthia, how long will it take to drive to Azuregard City from here?"

"If we don’t run into any trouble, we can make it to Azuregard City in less than a day. But..."

Cynthia Grant trailed off, looking uncomfortable. But she forced herself to continue, "Azuregard City is crawling with zombies now. If we go back, we might..."

Everyone except Flora was stunned. The worry on Caleb Bloom and Jade’s faces grew even heavier. ’Azuregard City had the nation’s largest Naval Base, excellent in both offense and defense, yet it ended up like this? Then what about Morhaven? Isn’t our son in even greater danger?’

There was no time to waste. With Cynthia Grant leading the way, it took them just over an hour to take an exit on the other side of the highway. The few zombies they encountered were quickly dispatched by Neal Wallace and Caleb Bloom, who also harvested their Crystal Cores. Flora cleaned all the Crystal Cores and put them away for safekeeping.

The on-ramp wasn’t wide, but at least it wasn’t blocked by other vehicles. Seeing the sky grow dim, Flora took the military off-road vehicle Lex Cross had given her out from her space.

The moment she pulled out the vehicle, Cynthia Grant’s eyes went wide. She circled it three times, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"Wow, Flora, where did you guys get this thing? It’s so cool!"

An image of Lex Cross flashed through Flora’s mind. She smiled faintly and replied, "A gift from a friend." Then she led the others into the vehicle.

Caleb Bloom was driving, and since Cynthia Grant had to give directions, she took the passenger seat.

The ramp was lined with vegetation, so they kept the windows shut the whole way to guard against mutated plants. It was clear that Caleb Bloom was taking a route that led to a restricted-access road for the Naval Base.

Curiosity got the better of Cynthia. She asked Caleb, "How did you know about this route?"

Caleb Bloom puffed out his chest with pride. "Well, I used to be a military instructor," he said. "Only retired after an injury."

Cynthia nodded in understanding, but then she reminded them.

"Even though the military access road will get us to the Naval Base quickly, the entrance is guarded by my people. It’ll be very difficult for outsiders to get in."

Flora and the others knew this, of course. In normal times, a civilian couldn’t enter a military base without filing a report and getting official approval. It was even more difficult now, during the apocalypse.

"Is there any way for us to get in?"

Cynthia’s serious expression suddenly broke into a mischievous grin. "Ordinary people can’t get in, of course," she said. "But you guys are different."

"How are we any different?"

"I’m talking about your vehicle. Its military plate is from Argent’s Central Military Command. It grants free access to all sorts of places, and our Naval Base is no exception."

Cynthia glanced back at Flora with a knowing, teasing look. "Alright, Flora, fess up. Which handsome soldier is showing you his devotion during the apocalypse? He’d have to be pretty brave to just give away a vehicle like this. He’s definitely in for punishment when he gets back."

A faint blush flashed across Flora’s face before she quickly concealed it. But upon hearing the word "punished," her brow furrowed once more.

"Punished? What kind of punishment?"

Jade also chimed in anxiously.

"Cynthia, it wouldn’t be a very severe punishment, would it?"

Cynthia nodded. "It is. Loaning out a vehicle like this requires filing a report for approval. If it was an unauthorized loan, he’ll likely be investigated. The lightest punishment would be getting stripped of his post. If it’s considered serious... well... Sigh. The politics in the City of Argent are complicated, so I don’t know the exact details."

Hearing Cynthia’s explanation, Flora showed no reaction, but Jade’s face was filled with guilt and worry.

"Oh dear, why didn’t that young man Lex tell us? If he gets punished and loses his job because of us, how could we ever face him again!"

Caleb Bloom remained silent, listening to the conversation in the car. As a former military instructor, he was well aware of the regulations. He hadn’t refused when Lex offered them the vehicle. For one, he was being selfish—his family’s safety was more important than anything. For another, he could tell Lex and his companions had special status, so he figured the punishment for losing a vehicle wouldn’t be too severe.

But hearing Cynthia mention it again made him a little worried. ’Don’t tell me that kid has actually fallen for Flora. Why else would he risk punishment by just handing over the vehicle like that?’

’In this apocalypse, it’s more of a gift than a loan. The City of Argent is a long, long way off; it’s not like we could make a cross-country trip just to return it.’

"Dad, Mom... Mom, please don’t worry so much. Since Lex and his group gave me the vehicle, they must not be afraid of the punishment. From the looks of them, they’re the troublemaker types, and they clearly have special status. They won’t get punished that easily."

Cynthia Grant repeated the name to herself, murmuring, "Lex Cross... Lex Cross?"