Chapter 197: Chapter 164: Just Keep Being Stubborn
Zhou Qian didn’t know what to say anymore. She was raising mutant creatures—two of them, in fact. From the looks of it, she had been raising them for quite a while, yet she still couldn’t tell which was which... She had every negative buff stacked against her, yet his dear sister Huai Yu was miraculously still alive. He could only rub his face and silently shut his mouth.
He watched helplessly as the mutant goose paced around the hospital room, looking left and right, moving as sluggishly as an old grandpa. Looking closely at its mutated physique, he wondered if its attack method was like a porcupine’s, shooting out its sharp spines. The spines didn’t look very long, and he wasn’t sure how much combat power the creature actually possessed.
Though he remained silent, Huai Yu had a bellyful of words to share. Her first question was, "Did you change your blanket? Isn’t this one a bit too thin?"
Zhou Qian’s expression soured. "It’s not thin. It’s just right."
He remembered changing the bedding last night just in time for the nurse’s shift change. The nurse who had previously tugged at his blanket saw the soaked sheets, pillows, and duvet. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions, brimming with sympathy and understanding.
"I told you that you were blushing from the heat today, didn’t I? And you kept claiming you were physically weak... Come on, it’s already May. Let’s quickly get you a thinner blanket. If you’re still hot, just let me know, and I’ll request a fan for you.
"The medical cold storage warehouse just hired someone with a Water Ability, leaning toward the ice and snow mutation. How about I get a basin of ice for you?" she whispered conspiratorially.
Her words couldn’t be described as anything less than considerate; one wouldn’t treat their own relatives or friends any better. Deeply moved, Zhou Qian firmly refused with polite courtesy, "Thank you, but there’s no need."
As the nurse left, she shot him a glance filled with maternal exasperation that seemed to say, "Suit yourself, you stubborn fool." However, there was no way he could tell Huai Yu any of this.
Thus, Zhou Qian changed the subject. "It’s true that mutant creatures become restless at night. You don’t have any ability to protect yourself right now. If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait a few more days. Once I’ve recovered, I can go with you to the highway station."
Huai Yu shook her head. "I want to hear more stories about the Wilderness! Besides, Uncle Zaozi doesn’t have any Superpower either, and he can go. I’ll just obediently follow him." After all, Uncle Zaozi looked very frail and easy to beat up.
Zhou Qian nodded. The Defense Army was stationed at the highway entrance as well. Even if there was an occasional disturbance, it would be quelled very quickly. It was fine if Huai Yu wanted to go take a look.
Moreover, he stared at his leg. After drinking those two pots of ginseng tea yesterday, he could clearly feel that his Boston ivy prosthetic limb had grown much stronger. Whether it was the strength required to move his body or its overall toughness, the feedback felt entirely different from when it had first been connected to his nerves. However, his own physical fitness had not improved. Thus, if he wanted to utilize the prosthetic perfectly, he still needed to train hard, break it in, and adapt to it.
He looked at Huai Yu. "That ginseng tea you brought yesterday..."
Huai Yu suddenly remembered and quickly pulled her water bottle out of her basket. "I brought another cup for you—a concentrated version this time!"
Zhou Qian was speechless. Was yesterday’s incredibly potent dose actually the diluted version?
Seeing that Huai Yu was already enthusiastically unscrewing the lid, ready to pour the water into a cup, he hurriedly refused, "No need, you drink it." He thought for a moment before adding, "I’ve heard that ginseng is a powerful tonic. My body has just recovered. What if it’s too weak to handle such a potent supplement?"
In truth, the moment Huai Yu unscrewed the lid, the Boston ivy on his leg seemed to sense something. It rustled beneath the blanket, crawling and spreading forward. If he hadn’t tried his best to suppress it, it probably would have rapidly sprouted new vines from his nerves by now, heading straight for that water bottle!
Yesterday, he had forced himself to drink so much water because he sensed it could make him stronger. But now, since he had yet to observe any potential side effects of this newfound strength, Zhou Qian had no intention of drinking any more for the time being.
Huai Yu had no idea what Zhou Qian was thinking, but she wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of a body being too weak to handle strong tonics. She thought about the dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of slashes she had inflicted on him before, and how he had needed a blood transfusion to be saved. If he drank a concentrated version now and ended up getting a nosebleed from the over-supplementation... That would be such a waste!
Huai Yu stared at the deep yellow ginseng water in the bottle. Smelling the overpowering medicinal scent that rushed straight to her head, she pondered for a moment and silently screwed the lid back on. She was still young, and she had to stay up late tonight to go to the highway entrance. She would drink it then. After all, this smelled incredibly bitter. Maybe it could act as a stimulant to keep her awake?
The smell in the room quickly dissipated, and the Boston ivy on his leg gradually quieted down. Meanwhile, Huai Yu stared at the blanket covering him, her expression full of curiosity.
Zhou Qian’s face tightened in slight nervousness. He wondered if she had noticed something.
"Brother Zhou Qian, the biological material bricks at your house are green. Is your leg green right now too?"
Zhou Qian was speechless once again. "How do you know my leg is made of biological material now?"
"You mentioned it before! And the nurse said so too."
Zhou Qian silently breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing her suddenly call him Brother Zhou Qian so sweetly, he decided to just ask, "Do you want to see it?"
"Mhm." Huai Yu nodded, her eyes fixed intently on the blanket. "Why isn’t it bright red? Are there no varieties that can bloom?"
This question stumped Zhou Qian. He thought about it and answered carefully, "If flowers bloomed on my leg, it would probably be inconvenient to wear pants."
That made sense. Huai Yu nodded, seriously pondering the scenario. "If the flowers got rubbed off by your pants, you’d just have to wash them, dry them in the sun, and brew flower tea..."
Zhou Qian was truly at a loss for words. "Can’t you think of something normal for once?"
Huai Yu looked surprised. "What I’m thinking is perfectly normal! Oh, were you worrying that the flowers might be poisonous and inedible? So, will your leg bloom?"
Zhou Qian threw back the blanket in exasperation. Because the biological material was still capable of growth, his pants only reached the point of amputation. At this moment, slender, glossy green vines coiled around the remaining leg in loops—winding down his thigh, knee, calf, ankle, and all the way to the sole of his foot.
"Is there support inside, like a bone?"
"Yes," Zhou Qian nodded. "It has an iron-tree skeleton, paired with mutant rubber to bond the joints. These small green branches are the mutated adhesive claws of the Boston ivy. They can connect to my nerves and muscles. With enough training, I’ll be able to use it just like my own leg."
"That’s so amazing!"
Huai Yu stared without blinking, her fingers itching to reach out and touch it. But remembering her own Superpower, she immediately hid her hands behind her back. At the same time, she asked, "So, is your leg doing well now?"
Zhou Qian thought for a moment and answered earnestly, "Very well. Even better than expected."
"That’s good, then," Huai Yu nodded, her nose feeling a bit sour.
Just as she was about to do something to cover up her sudden emotional reaction, a loud CRASH echoed from the bathroom, sounding like something had fallen. Huai Yu froze for a second before suddenly remembering something. She rushed into the bathroom. "Big and Second!"
In front of the sink, right in the middle of the ceramic basin, a flat, smooth, and shiny hole was letting light through. A chunk of broken ceramic shards lay on the floor, while Big and Second stood there, looking completely innocent and obedient.
"HONK, HONK, HONK..."
They felt that this white stuff was incredibly brittle to peck at, and its texture was delightfully crunchy!