by N. Heller
Lin Sanjiu shifted her gaze toward Number 47. He was lying listlessly on the ground. "You sure know how to win people over," Lin Sanjiu laughed softly after a few seconds.
Number 46 hesitated for a second. Lin Sanjiu continued before he could say a word, "Thankfully, I don't really care. I don't know what you're planning, but I don't wish to see anyone die in front of me if I can help them without hurting myself. I particularly hate to see another person fall victim to the pests here."
Whether she brought Number 47 along with her or otherwise, made no difference to her. However, her decision was a matter of life and death of Number 47. When 47 heard her words, his expression seemed to immediately lighten quite a bit. However, that deadpan face of his could display only a limited range of expressions.
"I'll thank you on Number 47's behalf," Number 46 seemed relieved. He brushed his glossy hair aside and grinned at Lin Sanjiu. Then, he walked away with Number 48 by his side.
Lin Sanjiu watched their backs quietly as they walked further and further away but she did not move. After waiting for a while, Number 47 finally grew impatient. He forced himself up, quivering.
"Why aren't we leaving?" After he 'switched sides', his voice revealed his awkwardness despite his expression, "If we don't go now, the other pests will come out soon."
"Wait. I need to ask Harry a few questions," the tall woman answered as she lowered her eyes. Next, she raised her voice, "Harry, now that the germination stage is over, have the rules regarding the insect bites changed?"
"What do you mean?" Harry and Number 47 asked almost simultaneously.
"If a pest attempts to bite me, will they definitely be successful? Is it unavoidable?"
"Oh, it isn't like that," Harry suddenly realized that he had neglected to explain about that. "When all of you were seedlings, we were working on the assumption that all of you are planted on the ridges on the field so you can't move. This is why you couldn't evade the beetle's bites. Now that the germination stage is over, all of you can move. This means that you can hide, run away or use any means to impede their movements when they attempt to bite you… Otherwise, no seedling would survive the journey to the greenhouse, but you need to take note of one thing, your attacks are useless against the pests."
"Impede?"
"In other words, it is possible to come into contact with a pest?'
"Yes. If you can prevent yourself from being eaten first."
"Understood," Lin Sanjiu acknowledged and sent Harry away after she thought about his words for some time. Even as Number 47 looked hopefully at her, she did not show any intention to move even after a minute had passed.
"Wh-what's wrong?" he asked, stammering. "Is there something else you need to do?"
"Yes, there is one more thing I have to do." Lin Sanjiu replied casually. She scanned her surroundings a few times. "Once I finish that task, we can leave. Don't worry. We can reach the greenhouse in less than ten minutes at my speed. If you're nervous, you can go over there are hide."
Beggars couldn't be choosers. Despite having a load full of words he would like to bombard her with, he answered with a simple "okay". Looking around, the spot under the soil bridge was the only place where he could fit. The moment he turned around, he suddenly fell, sitting with a plop. Lin Sanjiu immediately swung her body around.
A pair of l.u.s.terless plastic-like eyes on the top of a green caterpillar was fixated on both of them. They didn't know when it appeared.
"Quick! Quick! Quick! Let's go—" Number 47 implored with his weak voice. The scene of this green caterpillar gobbling Number 43 whole made a very strong impression on both of them.
"You're here," a humorless smirk appeared on Lin Sanjiu's face, "I waited quite a while."
The long, green caterpillar wasn't as talkative as the beetle. It wriggled and suddenly lunged at them. However, it did not target Lin Sanjiu who was visibly more energetic and active, but its shadow quickly loomed over Number 47.
"I already figured you out," Lin Sanjiu shouted as she rushed over while Number 47 yelped. Even though Lin Sanjiu was still not in her top form, she landed on caterpillar's prickly head with a single leap. It had only opened its mouth. "You seem to prefer weaker pray!"
The caterpillar halted for a second when it realized that someone was on its head. At the same time, Number 47 slipped out from its mouth. Lin Sanjiu tried her best to ignore the feeling of the prickly hair on the caterpillar's body. Before she fell from its body, a long, black shadow shot from her hand. She quickly wrapped it around the caterpillar.
When Lin Sanjiu jumped on the caterpillar and used her [Female Slave Bondage Rope] to tie the green caterpillar, she intentionally reduced the force she used significantly because she didn't want her actions to be nullified just because it was misjudged as an 'attack'. While the green caterpillar struggled to escape from the ropes, Lin Sanjiu shouted at Number 47 who was lying on the ground. "Come here!"
She picked him up the next second and threw him over her shoulders. Holding the other end of the rope with one hand, Lin Sanjiu finally sprinted toward the greenhouse with her maximum speed.
As the soil in the farm was soft, the caterpillar wasn't hurt despite being dragged along the ground as she ran.
However, Number 47 felt very uncomfortable being carried by Lin Sanjiu, on her shoulders. As he was too weak, he couldn't move. He could only watch as the green caterpillar snapped its large mandibles just inches from him. His face turned white, "What the hell are you doing? Ahhhh!"
"You will find out very soon," Lin Sanjiu was starting to feel a little exhausted pulling such a large caterpillar behind her. "Look!"
"It's just as I expected. There had to be more than one beetle in this farm!" Lin Sanjiu chortled. When the beetle was just about to reach them, she stopped. Using her brute strength, she flung the green caterpillar out with her [Female Slave Bondage Rope]. While it flew up into the air, the ropes disappeared from its body and from Lin Sanjiu's palm.
"Mr. Beetle, this is a treat from me!"
Chapter 440 - Flowers In The Greenhouse
"Hey, are you crazy?" Number 47 was still trembling violently after he had been put down from Lin San's shoulder. He gulped for air as he wiped his wet face— who knew if that was sweat or the bodily fluids of that long, green caterpillar. "How could someone be so reckless? What if you couldn't tie it with your rope? What if the beetle ignored the caterpillar and came after us instead? What if…"
"That's too many what-ifs," Lin Sanjiu remarked indifferently, interrupting him. She leaned her body against the doors of the giant-sized feet-shaped greenhouse. The door was one of the shoelaces. The girth of that 'shoelace' could fit two people standing shoulder-to-shoulder. "Besides, if something unpredictable happens, I'll just think on my feet."
Number 47 placed his hands down and stared at her blankly for two seconds.
He coughed a few times awkwardly because he probably figured that he couldn't reason with her. He gazed into the distance and murmured, "Where are the others? Were they eaten by other pests on the way here? Why hasn't Harry open the door to let us in?"
"Not everyone in your batch is here yet," Harry's voice rang up from above. His voice didn't sound like thunder from the sky this time, instead, he sounded like he was just close by. "They're still alive, so I will open the door once they arrive."
Lin Sanjiu and Number 47 looked at each other before they sat down by the door.
The distance between the soil bridges and the greenhouse was neither near nor far. After they waited for another twenty minutes, they saw a cloud of dust in the distance. It was heading in the direction of the greenhouse. The black spots on the horizon soon came into sight. They were Number 45, 46 and 48. For some reasons, they were now running in a group. "Open the door! Quick!" Number 45 screamed at the top of her lungs while she sprinted like crazy toward the greenhouse.
At that moment, Lin Sanjiu and Number 47 noticed the innumerable cl.u.s.ter of insects that made up the cloud of dust behind them
.
The exoskeletons of the densely packed insects gleamed slightly under the dusky sky forming an undulating sea which was about to engulf the small group of humans. Lin Sanjiu stood up immediately. The moment the door slowly open with a creaking sound, she picked Number 47 up by his collar, threw him into the greenhouse, and quickly rushed in after him.
Bang!
The beetle that was closest to him slammed into the door. Everyone saw its flattened insectile face through the glass door. Following the squeaky sound that the door made as the beetle rubbed its body against it, Harry's delighted voice rang out, "Good job, everybody! Everyone reached the greenhouse successfully! I built this greenhouse specifically to protect all my maturing plants from the pests outside. It's not bad, right?"
Lin Sanjiu scanned the greenhouse in front of her only after hearing Harry's words.
From the exterior, the building looked like a pair of shoes beneath a pair of legs wearing, but the interior was connected so that the part of the greenhouse that corresponded to the trousers extended upward and resembled a large bird cage. The greenhouse was filled with a variety of plants, vines, seedlings, and various flowers.
Lin Sanjiu would agree that that the place was beautiful— if not for the fact that she was standing under the same leaf with four other people.
The leaf above them was at least ten square meters.
The five of them were like five ants who had accidentally walked into a tropical jungle. They couldn't get used to this perspective yet.
"I want to formally congratulate all of you. Everyone here has finally entered the maturation stage. This is the last stage you will spend on Harry's Farm. At the end of the maturation stage, you will be fully grown. If you do well, you will be fully nourished and you will have a rich store of vitality and energy. You will be able to survive for quite some time without eating or drinking when you exit the pocket dimension. I will brief you on the rules and precautions in this maturation stage."
With the end in sight, everyone looked a little more motivated.
"First, I am sure every one of you is enjoying this comfortable environment here, right?"
Lin Sanjiu looked at the people around her. She certainly couldn't see anyone 'enjoying' this place. It was too hot. Lin Sanjiu wasn't bothered by the heat, but the worst thing about this uncomfortable place was the fact that there wasn't even a single gust of wind. It was difficult to breathe in this sultry, humid and stuffy environment. Sweat dripped from their foreheads even with the slightest bit movement. Their skins felt sticky in just a short time as if their bodies were covered with cling wrap.
"In this warm and humid environment, you will be nourished and you will grow stronger even if you just stand still."
Despite their discomfort, everyone's complexion seemed a little healthier than before just like what Harry said. However, this recovery rate was still too slow.
"But, there is a limited amount of nutrients in this greenhouse—"
Just as Harry said this, the 'ground' under their feet suddenly started to shake. Startled by this sudden tremor, they screamed one after the other so they missed out on what Harry said. When Lin Sanjiu tried to stabilize herself, she realized that they were actually standing on the branch of an unknown plant. As the branch was far too big and wide, they all assumed that they were standing on the ground.
"Stop screaming! Listen to Harry!" Number 46 shouted. At the same time, Number 48 lost his footing. He rolled off the edge of the branch and started falling head-first.
"Save me!"
"Every plant—"
At that chaotic moment, Number 48's terrified cry for help intermingled with Harry's explanation. When Lin Sanjiu launched herself forward, heading for the edge of the branch, she only caught Harry saying "other people". Before she could reach for Number 48, a black shadow leaped down from the leaf above and grabbed Number 48 by his leg.
Everyone was momentarily stunned. All of them stared blankly at the stranger.
Next, they clearly heard Harry's next sentence, "Once you enter the maturation stage, I will gather all of you in this greenhouse so that you can all grow together."
"There are others in our batch?" Number 47 mumbled as he kept his eyes on the stranger, "Is he also a seed?'
"You can't call him a seed now. There are plants from four other cl.u.s.ters here. After all, this is a large farm, isn't it too wasteful to plant only a few of you?" Harry chuckled, tickled by his own words.
"This means that the farm is divided into different areas, the posthumans planted in the same period are all gathered here now?" Just as this thought surfaced in Lin Sanjiu's mind, everyone heard a rip. The sound of fabric tearing pierced through the air. Number 48 slipped further.
"Agh! Agh!" he screamed. Thankfully, his trousers did not continue tearing, so he stopped falling further. "Tell us the rules later! Can't you see we have a situation now?"
Just as he was told, Harry kept quiet.
"Give me your hand!"
Just when everyone was about to go help Number 48, the stranger shouted and stretched his arm toward Number 48. For some reason, there was a large indigo flower sticking out from the back of his singlet. It looked as if he had stuffed it there and was carrying it behind his shoulders. The indigo flower was bigger than a human's head so it prevented Lin Sanjiu from seeing the stranger's face. She only knew that the man had a muscular, well-built body.
"Okay… Th-thank you…"
Even though Number 48's combat capabilities were abysmal, he did have the strength to curl his body upward using his abdominal muscles with some effort. He reached out his hand and finally managed to grip the stranger's outstretched hand. Everyone was immediately relieved.
"No, I should thank you instead," the stranger said softly, his voice suddenly became gentle. The large indigo flower on his back suddenly snapped open. Numerous petals fell from the flower and disappeared without a trace as if they had buried themselves.
Before anyone could process what had happened, Number 48's body fell straight down.
This time, however, he did not make a single sound. Lin Sanjiu ran to the edge of the branch and peered downward. She watched Number 48's rigid body growing smaller and smaller as he fell through the air. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared into the darkness below. For a few seconds, nothing moved in the darkness. Then, a few large leaves grew out of the ground. That seemed to be the spot where Number 48 landed.
"What happened?" Number 46 was shocked and furious. His face instantly turned white. From the look on his face, it seemed like he was eager to charge the stranger and tear that man apart. Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength right now. It was strenuous for him to even talk, "What did you do? Why didn't you save him?"
"Save? I never planned to do so in the first place..." the stranger looked up and laughed heartily mid-sentence. "Oh dear," he suddenly exclaimed. He somersaulted to the edge of the branch and jumped down. Almost immediately, Lin Sanjiu landed heavily on the spot he had been standing just a split second before. She missed.
The stranger did not fall into the dark abyss below, unlike Number 48. There was a rope holding him. He swung his body and disappeared into the other leaves below them.
"Good job! That is one man down for them!" A faint gruff voice rang out from the plants some distance from them.
"What's going on?" Number 47 asked as he sat on the ground. He was confused.
Number 46 stared helplessly at the darkness below and that young seedling that was gradually growing taller. After some time, he finally roared with rage. He turned his head to the direction where the stranger disappeared. "You f.u.c.k.i.n.g idiot! All you f.u.c.k.i.n.g idiots! Do you know what you did!" he bellowed so loudly, that it almost sounded like his vocal cord was about to tear.
"Is he really Number 48's partner?" Lin Sanjiu speculated when she saw how Number 46 exploded with rage, completely ignoring his image. Then, she heard him shouting, "HE WAS A CONSULAR OFFICER! A CONSULAR OFFICER! YOU F.U.C.K.I.N.G I
DIOTS!"
His words finally stirred up a small commotion among the people hiding in the distant foliage, but nothing else happened.
"Ugh!" Number 46 was so angry that his face had turned beet red. He suddenly took out a piece of paper from his pocket which looked like a visa. After he looked at it, he threw the paper off the edge of the branch in dejection and anger. "Harry! Harry!" He yelled almost maniacally. "What is the meaning of this?! Explain this to me!'
"Didn't you tell me to wait?" Harry replied unhurriedly, he even sounded indignant. "Things wouldn't have turn out this way if you let me finish my explanation previously. There is a limited amount of nutrition in this greenhouse. There are four other cl.u.s.ters here competing with you for the nutrients. If the nutrients are distributed evenly, there really isn't much for every one of you.
"Considering the circ.u.mstances, the problem would be solved if there are fewer people competing for the same amount of nutrients. With the exception of your own group, if there is one less member from another group, the nutrients you can absorb will double. However, if that member is from your group, the nutrients you can absorb will only 1.5x. In other words, right now, your manpower is down by one and the nutrients you can absorb is only 1.5x."
They were all stupefied. For a moment, none of them had the mood to check the state of their current recovery—
"Well, if any of you here fights well, don't celebrate too early. You can't kill a plant in this greenhouse with force." Harry's next sentence caught everyone's attention, "You saw that just now, right? A type of indigo flower is scattered around this greenhouse. It is slightly larger than your heads. After you found one, put it on your body and touch your opponent's right hand. You can only eliminate your opponents in this manner. Once you touch your opponent's right hand, your opponent will immediately become a part of this greenhouse. Or rather, my true harvest as a farmer. By the way, it is useless if your opponent is wearing gloves.