Lin Chen lingered in the orchard, staying for two or three days.
He not only cleared out the zombies in the orchard but also visited all the fruit-bearing plants, providing a one-stop service of combing Nature's power, watering with the spring of recovery, and harvesting with the Claw of Feedback.
For feedback, there must be an output. The plants he cared for yielded even more desirable produce.
The bottom of the bamboo basket on Old Yellow Ox's back was already covered with a thick layer of seeds. Roughly calculated, he could pay back Xiao Mu's grandfather for the seeds without even going to the seed market.
When he was about to leave the orchard, Old Yellow Ox and Yuan Gun Gun were even more reluctant to part.
The two of them had wreaked havoc on the entire orchard these past few days; any fruit they could get their paws on went into their bellies.
Old Yellow Ox was large but had a small appetite, making him the primary fruit picker. Yuan Gun Gun was small but had a bottomless pit for a stomach, eating most of the fruit.
He visibly rounded out and passed his infancy, awakening a peculiar skill.
[Nickname: Yuan Gun Gun][Species: Iron-eating Beast][Stage: Juvenile][HP: 100%][Talent: Eating][Attributes: Strength 8, Constitution 10, Agility 4, Intelligence 6, Perception 7, Charisma 15][Abilities: Emotional Connection, Loyalty, Fruit Thrower]
Fruit Thrower: Materialize a fruit and hurl it at an enemy, splattering colorful pulp and firmly drawing the enemy's aggro onto yourself.
When Lin Chen saw this skill, he seriously doubted whether he had made a mistake by letting him eat so much fruit.
This was a taunt skill with no offensive power. Given Yuan Gun Gun's current size, the fruits he usually materialized were small ones like peaches or oranges.
After hitting an enemy, it would completely burst open, and the sweet pulp would rapidly rot, emitting a foul stench, then reliably drawing the enemy's aggro onto himself.
Even zombies couldn't stand this insult, becoming much more agitated than usual.
Looking at Yuan Gun Gun's short legs and round body, Lin Chen decisively ignored this skill. Although he had entered the juvenile stage and his attributes had significantly improved, he still couldn't withstand a zombie's claws.
Unable to tank damage and unable to outrun enemies, taunting was a suicidal skill and could only be kept as a last resort.
However, with Yuan Gun Gun's constitution and strength, which were comparable to an adult's even in his juvenile stage, he should be very durable in the future. For now, it was best not to use it.
Leaving the orchard, a white paper posted on a roadside utility pole caught Lin Chen's attention.
"On June 15th, the authorities will organize manpower to clear the zombies on the highway. All citizens are requested to proceed to the logistics center to gather and travel together to Qingshan Camp."
"June 15th?" Lin Chen calculated. Today was the 14th, so tomorrow?
Such papers were ubiquitous, clearly many had been posted. He searched the Forum and indeed found the same notice, and it was even more detailed.
The so-called authorities were the local garrison and some public officials in Binhai City.
In the apocalypse, with transportation and communication systems completely paralyzed and information on the Forum difficult to verify, the state's control had collapsed. Each region was handling things on its own.
Binhai City's logistics center stored a large amount of survival supplies, and without transportation, it was almost impossible to move them in bulk. Therefore, citizens were rallied, each carrying a portion, to migrate towards Qingshan Camp.
For those who had acquired some professional abilities, killing zombies was not difficult. With more people, they could both attract zombies and serve as laborers for moving supplies, so the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
In any case, a large group of people would soon arrive at his camp. After realizing this, Lin Chen immediately decided to speed up his actions, aiming to return to the camp before them and prepare to welcome this group.
The seed market covered a vast area, including seeds and young plants of most common plants, but there were few zombies here, likely because it had been cleared once already.
Although there were many shops here, most of them had similar offerings. Lin Chen directly found the shop with the largest storefront and, without much time, filled the bamboo basket on Old Yellow Ox's back, piling several cloth bags high on top.
Inside the bamboo basket were the seeds he had collected for himself, a varying amount of each kind. The two cloth bags on top were entirely filled with seeds of different plants, which were intended for Xiao Mu's grandfather.
After resting for a night at the seed market, Lin Chen gave all the remaining spring of recovery to Old Yellow Ox, except for a small amount of rations left for Yuan Gun Gun. He needed to be replenished as he had to carry the seeds and Yuan Gun Gun on the journey.
He returned the way he came, still passing through the orchard and entering the forest.
From afar, the highway side was much noisier, with large groups of people, laden with bundles, gathered and waiting for something.
Further ahead, another group of lightly equipped people walked side-by-side, fighting fiercely with zombies.
These people were clearly well-trained, and their combat arrangements were very orderly, with coordinated rotations, healing, and loot collection.
Lin Chen secretly watched for a while with great interest. This kind of fierce frontal combat was too exhilarating!
However, the frequency of injuries was a bit high, as they were facing large groups of zombies.
But none of the injuries were serious; most were just scratches from zombies. After becoming a professional, there was no need to worry about being infected with the zombie virus, and with healing abilities, recovery was quick.
After observing for a while, he led Old Yellow Ox away. With so many people, his territory might not be able to accommodate them all, so he needed to hurry back and expand it.
Although the main group was moving slowly, Lin Chen himself wasn't much faster. Compared to the flat and straight highway, the route through the forest was clearly much longer.
Fortunately, he resisted the urge to "provoke" the flowers and plants along the way, and thus arrived at Anping Driving School that evening.
Nie Ying and Zheng Jing were no longer there. They had left a message in the cafeteria, saying that they had met other survivors and were traveling together to Qingshan Camp.
Lin Chen rested for a night at Anping Driving School and went to the noodle shop to find Dong Xiaogang the next day.
The second floor of the noodle shop was also empty. He didn't know if something had happened or if he had left earlier like Nie Ying and the others.
There were far fewer zombies in the town, and the further south towards Green Mountain Forest, the fewer zombies there were.
Passing a supermarket, Lin Chen heard sounds of fighting.
A group of a dozen people, facing three times their number of zombies, fought and retreated, barely holding their ground.
He was very familiar with the town; although that alley was deep, it was a dead end. These people were probably in a tough spot.
Lin Chen detoured to a nearby civilian house, climbed to the second floor, and looked out the window. Sure enough, the people in the alley were squeezed at the end, their movements restricted, and they were exhausted. There were also several familiar faces among them.
His position was very safe, making it convenient for him to cast spells.
Li Wei and his group accidentally led the zombies into a dead-end alley, becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Many were injured, and in their despair, they suddenly saw thick vines emerge from the ground, instantly immobilizing the snarling zombies.
"It's Lin Chen!" Liu Luoluo, at the back of the crowd, exclaimed, pointing to the window above.
With Lin Chen's help, they finally escaped the ordeal, killing all the zombies.
Although Lin Chen did not directly kill the zombies, he gained a good number of Copper Coins.