Chapter 7: Pulling Up the Radish, Heave-ho, Pull the Radish

Chu Xiuyan declared his intention to attack.

The Vine pondered with its nonexistent brain.

IQ -1-1-1, Cowardice +1+1+1.

It finally reached a conclusion.

‘Danger! Run!’

In that instant, Chu Xiuyan never expected that the terrifying-looking Vine would decisively break off its tail and flee for survival.

The tendril that had fallen into his and the Yiren Leader’s Gray Mist hands snapped off, and the black-green Vine vanished into the dark forest like the wind, escaping without a trace of its previous ferocity.

Chu Xiuyan: “???”

“Ahhhhh, you have no sense of honor…”

Still fuming, he dashed after it, shouting incoherently.

The Vine moved incredibly fast, and he almost lost track of it several times.

But because the system wasn’t present, he couldn’t determine the pollution level or estimate how long he could maintain the Gray Mist state, so he could only chase desperately on two legs.

Still, something felt odd.

Why didn’t the Vine burrow underground to escape?

A flicker of confusion flashed through Chu Xiuyan’s mind.

The dark forest was eerily silent.

A black figure leaped between the trees, moving so quickly that only a faint afterimage could be seen.

Moonlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows and illuminating the figure’s face.

Stranger Settlement, Hei Ya.

His appearance was twisted and menacing, Blood Crystal on his skin glimmering with a sinister light.

From his left shoulder down to his waist, a black-green Vine writhed, its base deeply rooted in his flesh, while the tip of the tendril thrashed violently in the air behind him, stretching far away.

[There’s an esper in the Human Camp. I’m no match.]

“Damn it! Wasn’t this team supposed to have only three espers? Didn’t Shi Gu already lure all three away?!”

Hei Ya gnashed his teeth and cursed.

A few hours earlier, he had been patrolling outside by order of the Settlement Chief, but at the same moment a rain of arrows lit up the sky, he was ambushed by Humans.

Though he later escaped with Shi Gu by using other Mutants as bait, the anger wouldn’t subside.

He chose to fuse with an alien plant and launch a night assault on the Human Camp.

[Maybe one was left behind? Black hair, looks about eighteen or nineteen by Human years… Crap! He’s catching up!]

“Then just abandon those duplicates!”

Hei Ya shouted, his eyes filled with malice.

If it weren’t for his severe injuries, he wouldn’t have let this alien plant hesitate so much.

The Vine was annoyed too: [If I’d known, I wouldn’t have listened to that gray-haired one… Hei Ya! He’s here!]

The sudden spike in volume reverberated in the Mutant’s mind, making his head buzz in pain.

Hei Ya’s eyes reddened.

He turned, and saw a black-haired boy crouching on a branch a few meters away.

Their eyes met.

In an instant, shock and anger surged in his chest.

Crimson eyes, blood-red crystals faintly visible at the neck, a cold and eerie aura—everything pointed to the boy’s identity.

A being like himself—a Mutant!

And that familiar face belonged to “Huga” from the same Settlement.

“You were in the Human caravan… You’re protecting Humans?!”

He muttered in disbelief, then quickly sneered.

“Though I don’t know why you’re at the Human Camp, you’re just a fool who thinks himself strong because of a bit of cleverness. If not for the Chief’s sake, do you think you’d still be alive?”

The black-haired boy squatting in the tree dug at his ear.

“Ah, I think I hear a fly buzzing. So annoying.”

“By the way, do Mutants have a habit of eating each other?”

He pinched his chin, sizing up Hei Ya thoughtfully, then seemed to give up, sighing.

“Forget it. Feels like Uncle would scold me… Hei Ya-bro, long time no see, I missed you so much!”

Hei Ya’s anger exploded.

“Are you looking down on me?!”

Chu Xiuyan spread his hands.

“Relax, Hei Ya-bro, I look down on every Mutant.”

“Anyway, before we get into a boring fight, let’s have a friendly arm-wrestling match! Winner takes all. How about it?”

He smiled, eyes curving.

“By the way, you know, I’ve never lost an arm-wrestling match.”

Clouds drifted across the sky, blotting out the moon.

The forest sank into darkness. In the silence, Hei Ya coldly assumed a battle stance, sneering.

“You’re just a mere—”

His words cut off.

His breath became ragged.

What’s happening?

Why can’t I move?

Is it because I’m too injured?

No, wait.

This feeling!

This feeling..

Hei Ya’s pupils trembled.

Panic gripped his heart.

Something’s wrong!

Something’s very wrong!

Why is danger emanating from all sides?

Why does instinct scream that I can’t possibly defeat this opponent?

This “Huga”… Isn’t he just a newcomer who talks big because he’s a bit clever and strong?

Until now, Hei Ya still believed that being sent flying in their previous arm-wrestling match was due to his own carelessness.

The wind stilled.

A pair of crimson eyes appeared before him in an instant.

“Gotcha~”

The black-haired boy grabbed Hei Ya’s right hand, pretending to use force.

“Arm-wrestling starts now! Let’s finish this quick! Three, two, one!”

Hei Ya’s pupils shrank.

The sound of bones breaking echoed in his hand, making his scalp tingle, but his body remained paralyzed, pinned by a terrifying pressure.

Whoosh!

A shrill screech erupted.

The black-green Vine transformed into a sharp blade, slashing at the boy’s face and leaving a bloody scar.

Blood trickled down, then solidified into Blood Crystal, sticking to his cheek like a bizarre mask.

“A Substitute? Not bad.”

“I have one too, you know?”

The boy smiled mysteriously.

The next moment, under Hei Ya’s horrified gaze, a mass of ominous Gray Mist condensed in the air.

A gigantic hand emerged from the mist, gripping his head tightly.

On the verge of death, terror and despair overwhelmed him.

The Vine twisted behind him, trying to attack, but another hand shot from the mist and seized it firmly.

“Come to think of it, Hei Ya-bro, you’ve been so cold since just now. I’ve said so much, but you haven’t replied once. I’m so lonely…”

Hei Ya was about to explode.

He couldn’t move at all!!

His vision blurred, but he could vaguely see the boy’s smiling face, blood splattered yet bright as sunlight—a dissonance that sent chills down his spine.

He looked like a Mutant, but the sense of wrongness was overwhelming… like a Monster in Mutant’s skin, impossible to comprehend or imagine.

At that moment, Hei Ya finally remembered when he was Human, the horror of seeing a Mutant covered in Blood Crystals devouring flesh in the night.

Those crimson eyes brought blood and death.

This boy… would bring endless terror and despair to the land—and take pleasure in it.

A Monster who had learned to disguise itself, far more savage and fearsome than Mutants!

Realizing this, Hei Ya finally managed a hoarse, desperate scream from his throat:

“Help——”

Chu Xiuyan shook Hei Ya by the collar in shock.

“Wait, why are you the one screaming for help?! Doesn’t that make me look like a supervillain? Apologize now!!”

At the same time, as Hei Ya’s scream pierced the night, the teams on the other side of the forest became alert.

“That sound came from the Camp! Were they attacked?”

The Chief of Huishi Settlement stepped on the back of a Mutant corpse, pulled out a two-meter-long broad sword, and flicked her hair, frowning.

“With Old Black Stone there, there’s still trouble?”

Not far away, Zhang Chun squatted, studying another Mutant corpse.

The face was unmistakably Hei Ya’s.

“This one’s a fake.”

Zhang Chun stood, hands in his pockets, looking drained.

“It’s a feint. They’ve grown a brain. Strange.”

“Oh right, the old man seems to be constipated. He sat for too long, legs went numb, and fell. Still hasn’t gotten up.”

The Huishi Chief looked disgusted.

“That old man… Never mind, forget it. Let’s hurry back. Which idiot dared leave the shielded vehicle?!”

“Ah, let me check first.”

Zhang Chun said, “Don’t worry. This is still within a hundred miles, within my attack range.”

As he spoke, his “sight” sped into the distance, reaching the Camp in a breath.

The ground was pitted, trees snapped and scattered—clear signs of a recent fierce battle.

But the Caravan remained where it was, with no casualties.

No blood either.

So where did the scream come from?

His “sight” drifted further.

Soon, he found the answer.

At the center of the dark forest, pale moonlight shone down.

A black-haired boy, back turned, seemed to be tugging at something while humming.

Zhang Chun, curious, changed angles for a closer look.

And was instantly stunned.

A headless, bloody corpse lay on the ground.

The black-haired boy, covered in blood, stood on one leg atop the corpse, pulling on a black-green Vine embedded in the body with a bright smile, cheerfully tugging—

“Pull the radish, pull the radish, heave-ho, pull the radish…”

The motion was full of rhythm, lively, and energetic—overflowing with vitality!

Yet the uprooted black-green Vine screamed in terror.

“Help ahhhhh——”

The shrill cry was especially chilling in the silence.

A mouse with glowing red eyes strayed into this bizarre scene, saw the moonlit “pulling radish,” and fled in terror.

As if it had seen a ghost.

Zhang Chun: “……”

He closed his eyes.

Beside him, the Huishi Chief asked anxiously, “What’s happening at the Camp? Why are there repeated screams?”

“Ah, well…”

Zhang Chun struggled to answer.

“They’re playing a game.”

“?”

“Don’t ask.”

He said heavily.

“If I look any longer, I’ll have nightmares tonight.”

At the same time, on a distant hillside.

“So it really appeared.”

A lazy voice echoed from a tree several meters high.

“The legend says that a boy with both the heart of a Human and the blood of a Mutant will end this era’s suffering and misfortune.”

“But is it Humans or Mutants that will bring this world to ruin?”

“Is the emergence of Blood Crystals salvation or disaster?”

“No one can prove that the path they walk leads to the right end.”

“What do you think?”

“—Undying One, Fanyi.”

A figure slowly climbed the slope, standing at the foot of the tree.

His gray hair stirred in the breeze, revealing cold eyes.

“Whether the final victor is Human or Mutant has nothing to do with me. I seek only one thing.”

Fanyi touched the red mark on his neck, recalling the moment of death from hours earlier—the crimson eyes and radiant smile of the boy.

“…An answer. I need an answer.”

“Only a [Monster] can give me the answer.”

“So,”

His voice turned icy, his murderous gaze sweeping up to the treetop.

“If you [Wild Dogs] dare lay a hand on him, I’ll kill you all without mercy.”

For a long time, laughter came from above.

“So arrogant, Fanyi. You have no followers left, while we’re scattered across the continent. Stray Wild Dogs are everywhere, and our fangs are at your throats!”

“If you want him, we’ll steal him. If you want an answer, we’ll crush your hope!”

“Undying One, continue to wander alone in this despairing world!”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

A sudden gale swept leaves and dead grass skyward, then abruptly ceased.

A voice rose from the earth.

[If you have the guts, try to take him.]

……

Dawn broke.

By the campfire, Zhang Chun sighed.

Scarface Uncle paced in agitation.

“Chief, that black-haired kid isn’t back yet! It’s morning already!”

Zhang Chun clutched his head, looking utterly defeated.

“Chief!”

“Leader! I’m back…”

Zhang Chun shut his eyes in pain.

Scarface Uncle turned with joy, but quickly regained his cold expression.

“Kid, do you know how dangerous it is to be alone out there? Even if you’re strong, accidents can happen…”

He froze.

A black-haired boy, drenched in blood, emerged from the trees, waving energetically, his face bright with a beaming smile.

But in his hand, he dragged a black-green Vine, which was still attached to a headless corpse.

A blood trail marked their path—a gruesome sight.

Scarface Uncle’s face went blank.

He stiffly turned to Zhang Chun.

Zhang Chun shut his eyes.

“I don’t want nightmares tonight. Old Wang, you handle this.”

Scarface Uncle snapped back.

“No, uh… how do I respond?”

“Just praise him, then coax him to throw those two things away.”

Scarface Uncle turned with difficulty to the black-haired boy, mouth opening and closing.

“Uh…”

“Hey, Scarface Uncle! Clap hands, clap!”

The boy approached, walking briskly, and cheerfully slapped his palm.

The sound rang clear, then he walked past and headed toward Zhang Chun.

“Uncle, uncle, look what I brought back~ It’s a gift! A talking Vine! Super interesting~ Let’s take it home and keep it! Even though there’s a weird Fruit at its root, just plant it in the ground, it’s fine…”

Zhang Chun couldn’t take it anymore.

“What Fruit, that’s clearly a corpse! And it’s headless! If you plant that thing, I’ll have even worse nightmares!! Throw it away! Throw it away! Stop picking up random junk and bringing it home——”

Chu Xiuyan: “What are you talking about, Uncle! What corpse? This is obviously a Fruit! A Fruit nurtured by the Vine with all its collected nutrients! Apologize to the Fruit, you coward!”

Zhang Chun: “Who are you calling a coward?!”

***

In the end, it was thrown away.

Chu Xiuyan covered his head with a jacket, lying atop the caravan like a lifeless corpse.

He didn’t move, even when the Caravan reached Huangshi Settlement.

Finally, Zhang Chun kicked him off.

“That’s enough, I really will get rough.”

Chu Xiuyan: “You already used your foot.”

He rubbed his sore backside and looked toward the Settlement in the distance.

Surrounding mountains rose high.

The Settlement nestled between them like a small village.

Clear streams tinkled by, and every face wore a smile.

It was autumn.

Vegetables and fruits grew abundantly outside the village.

Children chased each other around the trees.

Chu Xiuyan watched for a while.

“Uncle, you’ve protected them well.”

Zhang Chun scratched his head.

“It’s nothing special.”

Chu Xiuyan looked at him.

Suddenly, he began to hum a tuneless song.

“In the high mountains, there’s a happy village. In the happy village live little people. Among the little people, there’s a super cowardly, ghost-fearing uncle—”

He bolted toward the village.

But a sudden mound tripped him a few meters away, and he fell with a yelp.

Zhang Chun strolled past.

“I told you, I’m an earth-element esper.”

“And I’m only twenty-eight. You keep calling me uncle, I’ve tolerated it long enough. Call me big bro, you little brat.”