After leveling up to 2, Lin Chen stayed home for two days, diligently practicing Create Water, Thorn Whip, Burning Hands, and Expeditious Retreat.
With these Spells, he felt a bit more secure, and it was time to figure out how to repay Xiao Mu for his help.
To obtain a large number of plant seeds, it was naturally more convenient to go to the seed market.
However, the seed market was in the Southern Suburbs of Binhai City, and getting there required crossing the entire Green Mountain Town.
Before the apocalypse, this distance was a two-hour drive, but now, all transportation was gone, relying solely on two feet, with dangers along the way. A round trip could take several days.
This was also why, after he posted the location of Qingshan Camp on the Forum, not many people had arrived yet. As of this morning, the territory residents had only just reached over forty people.
Lin Chen had not set any screening conditions for residents; anyone who paid the daily entrance fee was considered a resident.
However, these forty-plus people had contributed a good number of Copper Coins to him in the past few days. Including what was left before, he had a total of 8 Silver Coins and 80 Copper Coins.
He converted all this money into energy and set the territory shield to auto-recharge, so he wouldn't have to monitor its energy daily; it would automatically draw from the territory's stored energy.
Before leaving, Lin Chen specifically added more spring of recovery to the water Old Yellow Ox drank. He stroked Old Yellow Ox's increasingly sleek and shiny fur, knowing it would be working hard in the coming days.
"Lin Chen, are we planting trees this morning?"
At the entrance of Treehouse No. 3, a group from the Mountaineering Club gathered to rest. The new arrivals from Binhai University from a few days ago were also with them.
"No, I have something to do in the Southern Suburbs," Lin Chen swung himself onto the ox's back. Their rapport had grown considerably these past few days; he could almost ride it like a horse, though it moved very slowly.
"Southern Suburbs? That's a bit far!"
"It's too dangerous. Many things from before the apocalypse have rotted away, and there's nothing good left in the city."
Lin Chen nodded at their words, "I know, but I have a reason I must go. Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'm off now," he said, waving goodbye to them with a smile. He tugged on the rope in his hand, and Old Yellow Ox ambled leisurely out of the camp.
Watching the figures of one person and one ox disappear into the distance, Liu Luoluo murmured, "I always feel like he's playing a different game than us. We're playing a thrilling apocalypse survival, and he's playing a leisurely pastoral life..."
Si Qing heard his girlfriend's words and teased her with a laugh, "Maybe we're playing an apocalyptic romance?"
"..." Liu Luoluo gave him an annoyed side-eye, "What apocalyptic romance? More like doomed lovers!"
"You two, that's enough! Are we others only fit to be called doomed single dogs?" the others said, speechless.
"It's not that pessimistic, is it? From what I've observed, these zombies' strength is very stable, with no signs of leveling up. But we're getting stronger and stronger. If the danger of the apocalypse is only this much, leveled-up players will quickly wipe out the zombies," Li Wei had adapted very well. He treated the apocalypse as a high-difficulty online game with only one life.
"That's true. Let's head out quickly too. The more we kill, the better. When more people arrive later, we might even have to fight for monsters!"
...Lin Chen, who they perceived as leisurely and content, was not having such an easy time. Not long after he left, he encountered a small group of wandering zombies.
With limited Spell Power, adhering to the principle of avoiding if possible, conserving Spell Power, and reaching his destination quickly, Lin Chen had no choice but to turn from the mountain path into the forest. He used his Woodland Stride skill to clear the way, leading Old Yellow Ox.
Relying on his familiarity with the mountains and forests and the Woodland Stride skill, Lin Chen left the Forest Park without incident.
Outside the Forest Park, trees became noticeably sparse, and traces of human activity covered the entire land. But compared to the lively and vibrant pre-apocalypse, it was considerably quiet and desolate.
The cars that once crowded the roads were gone. The brightly colored, haphazard plastic advertising signs seemed to be covered with a hazy filter; a light poke would create a large hole, already severely decayed.
Lin Chen used to think the air in the forest was better than outside, but now, without car exhaust, the air outside the forest was also good, and the sky was an unusually clear blue.
However, he still felt uncomfortable, and this discomfort stemmed from a lack of security.
With fewer trees, the Sense Nature was naturally thinner, which would affect the rate at which he recovered Spell Power.
Additionally, the solid concrete hindered plant growth, weakening the effectiveness of Entangle and Thorn Whip in such places.
Therefore, Lin Chen still abandoned the shortest route through Green Mountain Town and chose to walk along the pedestrian path by the Shimizu River, bypassing Green Mountain Town from the outskirts. At least there were artificially planted landscape trees and small lawns by the river.
Although this would make his journey several times longer, it was much more comfortable.
He moved extremely slowly. Most of the landscape trees by the lake were varieties not found in the forest, and he would "touch" each one, sensing the form of the Nature energy within them.
The different tree species brought him immense gains; almost every type of tree gave him at least 1 point of professional experience.
Fortunately, Old Yellow Ox and Rollo had both been trained. When he was in a Sense Nature state, one would shield him with its body, and the other would closely monitor the surroundings.
At the slightest sign of trouble, Lin Chen would be stumbled by Old Yellow Ox and simultaneously bitten by Rollo, a double safeguard. For example, now, Lin Chen hissed, quickly controlled his body, and used the momentum to squat down, looking in the direction the ox's head was facing.
Across the road, above the noodle shop's sign, a narrow window was half-open.
Two small arms held out a white cloth from the window, on which two words were scrawled crookedly in crayon: "HELP!"
To attract his attention, he was also throwing bits and pieces out the window. The sound attracted the surrounding zombies, who gathered at the shop's entrance, an estimated five of them, perhaps more were gathering, and any more might lead to him being discovered too.
"Old Yellow Ox, go wait for me up ahead," Lin Chen patted Old Yellow Ox, and it obediently walked forward.
Lin Chen tiptoed to a rather thick tree and climbed up in a few quick movements.
Once steady on the tree trunk and having caught his breath, he cleared his throat and shouted across the road, "Stop throwing! I see you!"
The figure inside the window moved the cloth up and down as if nodding.
Lin Chen's voice also attracted the zombies. They all turned around and shambled towards him.
Once they had all gathered at the base of the tree, scratching at the trunk, Lin Chen activated the power of Nature. The grass and bushes beneath the tree quickly quickly twisted and elongated, pulling down the zombies and tightly wrapping around their legs and arms.
Then, holding a hoe enhanced with Shillelagh, he leaped down from the tree, aimed at the zombies' heads, and with each swing of the hoe, a head was cracked open.
The boy behind the window watched this scene, his eyes wide. This big brother was even more formidable than the badger in the melon patch!