Cultivation Partner Reborn in the Apocalypse

After listening to Lu Shang's analysis, Park Su also felt he should give up on this vine. He had sensed from the beginning that this would be the choice.

However, in the post-apocalyptic world, encountering plants with high attack capabilities wasn't common, and letting go of one that he could potentially use felt wasteful.

It was just unfortunate that he had only broken through to the first tier; if he could jump to the fifth tier, he could keep both. There wouldn't be this dilemma.

Seeing Park Su's regretful expression, Xu Nuo consoled him, "It's only been less than a year since the apocalypse; plant mutations seem to be slower than those of humans and animals. But once they mutate, there are plenty with strong attack powers.

You see one now and want to keep it, but how do you know you won't encounter something better in the future? You might regret this decision then.

So don't be disappointed. The plants we can collect are limited, so we should only choose those that truly deserve you."

Park Su sighed after hearing Xu Nuo's words, "Alright then, so we're just going to burn this vine here?"

Xu Nuo nodded, "Leaving it here would only accelerate the development of the surrounding forces in this town. It's better to destroy the source, making things easier to handle and preventing anyone from using it to develop drugs against espers."

Park Su agreed; in the wrong hands, this could lead to greater chaos, especially since espers were the main fighting force in this apocalypse. Even future production relied on them. If their abilities were compromised or controlled, it would cause a massive upheaval.

In Park Su's eyes, humanity couldn't endure another major upheaval; another one might truly lead to extinction.

Looking at the already wounded vine, Park Su thought to himself that to prevent such scenarios, they had no choice but to burn it.

However, seeing this mutant plant go to waste, Park Su felt a pang of regret, and then he heard Green Vine's clear voice in his consciousness, "Do you really like this vine, Master?"

Park Su didn't know why he was asking but answered sincerely, "I just feel sorry for its abilities. If we destroy it like this, who knows when we'll see another one like it? It's just a pity. But don't worry, no matter what, I prefer you."

Green Vine giggled at his words, then said, "If you really like it, Master, why not collect its seeds? You can cultivate the same vine from its seeds later. Though the tier might not be as high, the effects would be the same!"

This suggestion opened a new avenue for Park Su, but he then said somewhat dejectedly, "The problem is, even if I wanted its seeds, it probably can't produce any now!

I heard from the person who raised it before that even with many wood esper's efforts to stimulate growth, it only grew this much. To make it flower and produce seeds would be very difficult!"

Green Vine tilted its head and said, "If you want it to grow quickly and also heal the wounds on its vines, and make it sprout thorns, of course, it would be slow.

But this plant is only a peak tier-two mutant vine, two whole tiers below you. Controlling it isn't that hard for you.

Moreover, your goal is just to make it flower and produce seeds, not to heal its body, so focusing on one task might just work.

Although it doesn't have thoughts, it can sense danger. It knows this might be its only chance to leave descendants, so it should cooperate, making it easier than you think to produce seeds.

Master, you can give it a try. Even if it fails, you lose nothing, but if it succeeds, you'll have many seeds of this vine."

Park Su was intrigued, "Many seeds?"

Green Vine continued, "I've guessed what plant this is, so I say if you make it produce one bunch of flowers, there should be plenty of seeds. Before mutation, this vine was quite common and had strong vitality. So, Master, be careful with its seeds; if one or two fall, they could grow into more, potentially causing big trouble."

Park Su nodded in agreement and then looked at Xu Nuo. Xu Nuo, seeing Park Su fall silent, guessed he might have come up with another idea. He thought about communicating with him but knew Park Su was likely talking to his pets when he was lost in thought.

Now, with Park Su's gaze on him, Xu Nuo asked, "What's up? Have you come up with something else?"

Park Su nodded and shared the conversation and suggestion from Green Vine with Xu Nuo.

Xu Nuo thought it was a good plan and supported it, also advising since Green Vine hadn't revealed the plant's species but mentioned it was common, they shouldn't know its name to avoid unnecessary trouble.

They could give this plant a new name since, after mutation, it wouldn't look like its original form anyway.

Secondly, since Green Vine knew that the seeds would be plentiful and could easily fall and grow, the best approach would be to have the vine produce a single bunch of flowers in one specific location. This way, they could ensure no seeds would accidentally fall.

He also reminded Park Su of when they tamed the Hallucinogenic Dandelion; Green Vine had facilitated some basic communication. This vine, too, had developed a bit of consciousness, so Green Vine could do some mental persuasion.

Though they intended to kill it, at least they would leave it with some descendants, encouraging it to cooperate so Park Su could conserve his abilities.

Park Su thought, indeed, his man had a thorough way of thinking.

He quickly summoned his little Green Vine, explaining his intentions. Green Vine was more than willing to help Park Su with this kind of communication. It wasn't the first time, though this vine wasn't as lucky as the Hallucinogenic Dandelion. However, whether it cooperated or not, it was going to die; cooperation at least ensured its lineage would continue, giving it some benefit.

After communicating with some trepidation, Green Vine found it wasn't as hard as expected. Perhaps this vine, having endured the pain of being forced to grow and having its thorns repeatedly pulled in the lab, had suffered enough.

Humans might not feel the pain of plants, but the plant certainly did. Hearing that it was to be killed, the vine was scared but also felt a kind of relief.

More importantly, it knew it was no match for the two espers before it. If they had decided to kill it and it had no power to resist, it could only accept its fate. But if it cooperated, it could leave some seeds behind. This seemed like the best outcome for a plant whose consciousness was still forming, so it agreed quickly.

Park Su didn't know exactly how Green Vine communicated but was impressed that it managed to make the vine agree not to resist its death and even assist in producing seeds swiftly. Green Vine was indeed eloquent, though Park Su felt a twinge of guilt for deceiving the poor plant.

If Zhu Xiao had heard these thoughts, he would have argued vehemently, knowing how deadly this vine had been, killing many in the village and several wood espers. Calling it a 'little plant' would have been an understatement!

But since Zhu Xiao couldn't hear, and no one knew what Park Su was thinking, they only saw that Green Vine had communicated successfully in a short time.

Now everything was ready; with the vine's cooperation and Park Su's ample power, it was simple to induce the vine to produce a bunch of seeds. Park Su carefully collected all the seeds into a small bottle, labeled it, and stored it in his spatial ring.

After Park Su finished, Xu Nuo took out three talismans from his pocket and placed them around the vine. He then told Park Su and the others, "You should leave first; I'm afraid the scene might not be pretty."

Park Su hesitated, looking at the vine, "It was quite cooperative; can we avoid making this so bloody?"

Xu Nuo sighed, "Don't worry, there won't be any blood. It's just that the heat from the burning might be too much for you to handle.

Moreover, this is the quickest way for it to die without feeling pain; it's the most merciful end we can give it. If we used ordinary fire, it would suffer in agony for over an hour before perishing."

Park Su found the words chilling, but he knew Xu Nuo meant what he said, and this was indeed the least painful option. So, he led everyone outside. Just as they stepped out, Park Su heard Xu Nuo quietly utter "Break," and even through the door, he felt a massive wave of heat, which vanished almost instantly.

Without looking back, Park Su knew the vine was no more. His clothes remained unaffected, indicating the heat had no impact on him.

Though the process looked seamless, they had spent about an hour inside, considering that even with the vine's cooperation, growing flowers and producing seeds still took considerable time.

So when they came out, Zhu Xiao and Old Chen had finished their conversation. Park Su didn't beat around the bush and directly asked Zhu Xiao about the situation.

"How many people are coming with us?" Zhu Xiao answered without delay, "Old Chen has agreed to come with us, and there are about 20 more. We'll need both team leaders to look after them on the way."

Park Su nodded, "We don't have enough vehicles. Go and prepare vehicles for them, preferably trucks or container vehicles; they're more convenient for travel in this world."