Doomsday Grocery Store – CH81

Chapter 81

As the exit was sealed, light was also cut off from the swimming hall, plunging Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi into pitch-black darkness.

In the almost completely lightless swimming hall, besides the eerie sounds of creatures in the water gnawing at the giant lizard’s corpse, there seemed to be other strange noises of vines and plant roots writhing.

These sounds came from all directions, gradually growing louder, surrounding them like a tidal wave, as if to drag them into an endless abyss.

Both boys’ breathing became rapid.

“Brother Qi…”

Under the immense pressure, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but hold Zhou Qi tighter. Fortunately, a shred of rationality remained, preventing him from throwing away the Shadow-Hiding Umbrella in his hand.

They were submerged in darkness but had not been attacked yet.

With a soft “pop,” a small flame ignited in Zhou Qi’s hand, illuminating the space under the Shadow-Hiding Umbrella.

At this moment, they were a few meters away from the blocked exit. Although trapped inside the swimming hall, thanks to the Shadow-Hiding Umbrella, they were temporarily safe.

The appearance of the light source made Tang Yu’an feel a bit more at ease.

He tightened his arms around Zhou Qi, the warmth from Zhou Qi’s body helping him overcome the fear in his heart.

It’s okay… With Brother Qi here, there’s nothing to fear.

Tang Yu’an glanced at the red dot on the map and whispered, “Brother Qi, that dangerous creature… seems to be the mutated vine.”

Since the red dot hadn’t moved since it appeared, and with the exit being sealed by rapidly growing vines, it was basically confirmed.

Tang Yu’an hadn’t expected that in this world, besides animals and fungi, even plants could be dangerous!

Now that he thought about it, before they entered the swimming hall, the vines at the hole seemed denser than they were yesterday.

Zhou Qi nodded, his face serious as he stared at the exit.

Since the mutated vine appeared as a red dot on the map, it must be dangerous. Perhaps the death of the mother lizard had alarmed it.

Zhou Qi remembered that yesterday, it was also after the mother lizard turned into a mouse that the red dot appeared…

Could there be some connection between the two?

Regardless, they had to leave here as soon as possible!

“Rumble—”

Suddenly, Zhou Qi felt the ground beneath his feet shake slightly. He hurriedly jumped away with Tang Yu’an on his back.

The Shadow Umbrella enclosed the light from the small flame, making the surroundings even darker; they couldn’t see anything.

Zhou Qi carried Tang Yu’an and floated in mid-air, like a feather slowly descending.

Although they were descending slowly, they would eventually land on the ground. If they fell into the pool, that would be disastrous…

Looking at the seemingly bottomless darkness below, Zhou Qi gritted his teeth and threw the small flame in his hand outward.

A faint light appeared in the swimming hall.

Under the light of the flame, they saw a thick vine rapidly shooting up from the ground, covering the spot where they had just been standing.

With the light from the flame, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi finally managed to see the situation inside the swimming hall.

They saw that the ground was covered with plant vines and roots. The scene didn’t look like newly grown plants; perhaps after they left yesterday, the mutated vine had already erupted once.

With a “slap,” the flame that had fallen on the ground was slapped out by the vines.

The swimming hall plunged into darkness again, filled with the violent sounds of vines and plant roots thrashing around. Who knew what had provoked it; it was raging like a frenzied animal.

Floating in mid-air, Zhou Qi once again extended his hand and ignited a small flame.

Tang Yu’an clung to his shoulder, watching the small flame slowly burning in his hand, finding it magical.

Without fuel, how was the flame burning?

“An An, exchange some fuel.” At this moment, he heard Zhou Qi say in a low voice.

“Plants are afraid of fire. We’ll splash fuel on the vines at the exit and then ignite them,” Zhou Qi explained his plan. “Once they’ve burned down enough, we’ll charge out!”

Although during this process, the mutated vine might struggle even more fiercely, possibly causing the entire swimming hall to collapse, as long as they acted quickly, it should still be safe.

Besides that, they could only look for another exit…

Zhou Qi glanced at the door they had come through yesterday. Recalling the mutated mushrooms they had encountered along the way, he frowned.

That route required passing through narrow corridors into rooms, significantly increasing the danger.

Moreover, the exit in that room might no longer be accessible, so unless absolutely necessary, Zhou Qi didn’t want to take that option.

But to his surprise, Tang Yu’an had another idea.

“Brother Qi, do you think… we could try to make the mutated vine into a pet?”

Hearing the boy’s suggestion, Zhou Qi was stunned. “A pet?”

“Yes, the task of clearing the giant lizard’s nest is completed, and we have a new pet slot available,” Tang Yu’an said.

Since mutated plants are intelligent life forms, why can’t they be made into pets?

Zhou Qi thought what he said made sense, but the problem was…

“Would the cat teaser and dog frisbee work on a plant?” he asked.

Huh?

“Probably not, right?” Tang Yu’an tried to imagine it but couldn’t.

Turning a plant into a cat or dog… How could that be possible!

“If that’s not possible, then how can we make it a pet?” Zhou Qi frowned. “I remember you need to touch it to make it your pet, right?”

Now the mutated vine was in a frenzy; touching it rashly would be too dangerous.

Tang Yu’an scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said, “The vines and roots are everywhere here. If I gently touch a thin vine or a leaf, maybe it won’t notice?”

Of course, mainly because they had the Shadow Umbrella for cover. If anything went wrong, they could quickly escape. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare take the risk.

Zhou Qi pressed his lips tightly, not speaking for a moment.

Until they gradually floated down to the ground again, he tapped his toes and jumped into the air with Tang Yu’an on his back.

“Then let’s give it a try.”

In the end, Zhou Qi nodded, not stopping Tang Yu’an from attempting something so bold.

“If it doesn’t work, we’ll retreat immediately!”

Tang Yu’an quickly nodded, promising repeatedly.

So after briefly discussing their plan, Zhou Qi threw out clusters of small flames, illuminating the entire swimming hall brightly.

The mutated vine indeed seemed afraid of fire. The frenzied vines began to wave around, constantly slapping out the small flames.

Because the environment inside the swimming hall was dark and damp, these flames didn’t cause large-scale fires, which Zhou Qi found a bit disappointing.

Perhaps due to the deterrence of the mutated vine, the commotion in the swimming pool had long since quieted down, leaving only the mother lizard’s corpse floating in the filthy, foul-smelling pool water.

Taking advantage of the gap while the mutated vine was busy extinguishing the flames, Zhou Qi quietly landed on a protruding piece of rebar with Tang Yu’an.

“An An.”

“Mm!”

At his signal, Tang Yu’an carefully reached out and grabbed a thin vine hanging down from the wall.

Then, he clicked on the panel to make it a pet.

[This creature is in a frenzied state and cannot be made into a pet. Please soothe its emotions before trying again.]

Ah… It failed?

Tang Yu’an was a bit disappointed. Just as he was about to let go, he faintly heard a sharp, irritable voice full of frenzy.

“So smelly! So smelly!”

Tang Yu’an blinked.

That voice was…

He looked at Zhou Qi. Zhou Qi was frowning vigilantly, his whole body tense, ready to escape with Tang Yu’an at any sign of movement from the green vine.

So the voice he heard was…

Tang Yu’an slightly loosened his grip and then grasped again. Holding the green vine, he once again heard that somewhat childish yet irritable voice.

“Stinky bugs! So smelly!”

“Stinky bugs! So smelly!”

This time, he felt the voice was even clearer.

It was a strange feeling. It wasn’t that the mutated vine was speaking human language, but when he heard the voice, he automatically understood its meaning.

So… the mutated vine was angry because the swimming hall was too smelly?

Tang Yu’an let go of the green vine, tried several times, confirmed that he hadn’t misheard, and then told Zhou Qi the latest information he had obtained.

“The mutated vine is making sounds?”

Zhou Qi was surprised. He also tried to grab a vine, but before he could listen carefully, the green vine that had been fine when Tang Yu’an grabbed it started writhing wildly in his hand.

He quickly let go and jumped away with Tang Yu’an on his back.

After they dodged, the thin vine Zhou Qi had grabbed had grown to the thickness of a wrist. It thrashed violently in place, whipping around as if venting its anger, raising clouds of dust.

“If we let it continue like this, the swimming hall won’t last long!”

Even though they knew the reason for the mutated vine’s frenzy, they couldn’t solve it, and the mutated vine didn’t seem to be able to communicate.

Zhou Qi said in a deep voice, “Since we can’t make it a pet, let’s burn it!”

They had to escape as soon as possible; otherwise, if the swimming hall collapsed, they would be buried underneath.

Zhou Qi began to exchange for fuel.

Tang Yu’an was a bit unwilling but couldn’t think of a good solution…

Just as Zhou Qi was about to splash fuel on the mutated vine, Tang Yu’an suddenly had a flash of inspiration and spoke again, “Brother Qi, wait a moment!”

Zhou Qi paused.

“Let me try something first…”

As Tang Yu’an spoke, his hand was already glowing with a white light. As he finished speaking, he threw the ball of light toward the exit.

Purification Spell, activate!

Yes, the Purification Spell could remove filth; perhaps it could be effective!

As Tang Yu’an threw the ball of light, the swimming hall, which had plunged into darkness due to the extinguished flames, once again had light.

In this filthy and foul environment, the Purification Spell’s light appeared bright and holy. During its flight, it seemed to purify the foul aura along the way.

Finally, the light gently landed on the ground.

The floor of the swimming hall, which had accumulated who knows how much sludge and dirt, instantly became clean as new. The change centered on where the light landed, expanding outward for about two meters before stopping.

Thus, the floor of the swimming hall now had a clean circle with a diameter of four or five meters.

The commotion inside the swimming hall suddenly stopped.

Then, in the “circle” cleansed by the Purification Spell, a thin green vine cautiously emerged from a crack in the floor.

The green vine quickly sprouted tender leaves.

Seeing the changes before their eyes, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but be stunned.

The Purification Spell actually worked?

However, as the light from the Purification Spell dissipated, the foul odor quickly invaded the “circle” again, and the previously calm vines began to agitate.

Seeing this, Tang Yu’an quickly cast another Purification Spell.

As the ball of light landed in the circle again, the agitated mutated vine quieted down. Its vines and leaves grew peacefully within the circle, the thin vines happily making small circles, appearing somewhat obedient and cute—

Of course, if you could ignore its main body that covered the entire swimming hall.

But Zhou Qi obviously couldn’t ignore it.

“Shall we go now?” he said in a low voice to Tang Yu’an.

The Purification Spell’s light lasted for about ten seconds. If the mutated vine had been soothed, perhaps they could use this time to exit through the hole.

“But the hole is still blocked,” Tang Yu’an said.

The hole in the swimming hall wall was still tightly covered with dense vines. If they wanted to go out, they would have to pass through the body of the mutated vine.

Whether they used knives to cut or fire to burn, it would definitely anger the mutated vine again.

“Let’s try again.”

Tang Yu’an struggled to get down from Zhou Qi’s back. He stood on the ground and cast another Purification Spell.

This time, he didn’t throw the ball of light but held it in his palm, letting the light of the Purification Spell envelop his entire hand.

Then, the boy extended his hand outside the Shadow Umbrella and reached down to grab a vine on the ground.

Zhou Qi watched nervously, his nerves taut.

However, he found that after Tang Yu’an made his move, the mutated vine remained quiet, unlike earlier when it became frenzied upon being grabbed.

Some tender leaves sprouted from the vine at their feet.

As Tang Yu’an cast the Purification Spell again, the light spread outward from them, purifying the air. More and more soft tender leaves sprouted from the vines, emerging one after another.

In the filthy darkness, the boy was the only light.

He was enveloped in a holy glow, amidst the freely growing plants, like an angel who had descended to the mortal world.

Zhou Qi watched this scene, unable to help but be mesmerized.

Tang Yu’an didn’t feel anything unusual. He held the vine tightly and felt a sense of joy and closeness continuously transmitted from the vine.

It should be okay now?

Tang Yu’an called up the panel and chose to make the mutated vine a pet.

[Do you want to adopt it as a pet?]

[Yes]?[No]

As Tang Yu’an chose [Yes], the system prompt changed.

[Pet adoption successful. Please name it.]

It really worked!

Seeing the system prompt him to name the pet, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Great! I really made it a pet!

He thought for a moment and entered the name: Green Gem.

After successfully naming the pet, a plant icon appeared on his pet panel.

Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but grin and said to Zhou Qi, “Brother Qi, it worked! I made Green Gem my pet!”

Then he noticed that Zhou Qi seemed to be in a daze.

“Brother Qi?”

“Ah, um…”

Zhou Qi came back to his senses and nodded, “Green Gem? You mean this mutated vine?”

“Yes, I just named it.”

Then, Tang Yu’an bravely walked out from under the Shadow Umbrella.

In the light of the Purification Spell, the mutated vine didn’t make any move to harm him. Instead, it used a thin vine to gently touch his cheek affectionately.

Zhou Qi: “…”

He withdrew the hand he was about to use to pull Tang Yu’an back and put away the Shadow Umbrella.

But as soon as the Shadow Umbrella was put away, Zhou Qi felt the floor beneath his feet start to rumble, as if something was about to break through.

“Green Gem! You’re not allowed to hurt Brother Qi!”

As Tang Yu’an’s words fell, the ground under Zhou Qi’s feet instantly returned to calm, allowing the boy who had broken into a cold sweat to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although the mutated vine was temporarily obedient, Zhou Qi hadn’t forgotten that the Purification Spell had limited uses. For safety’s sake, they still needed to leave as soon as possible.

Tang Yu’an climbed onto Zhou Qi’s back and turned on a flashlight for illumination.

Zhou Qi carried him and once again jumped to the hole blocked by vines.

Tang Yu’an reached out and touched the thin vines.

“Green Gem, we want to go out.”

Then Zhou Qi watched as the thin vines that had sealed the hole layer upon layer began to part from where Tang Yu’an touched, creating a gap.

Light from outside poured in instantly, giving the two boys a feeling of seeing daylight again.

Zhou Qi looked somewhat dazedly at the scene outside the hole. At this moment, he finally felt the reality of “Tang Yu’an made a mutated vine his pet.”

So plants… can really become pets?

“Brother Qi, let’s go,” Tang Yu’an urged.

Zhou Qi responded, carrying Tang Yu’an and squeezing through the gap in the vines.

Fresh outdoor air rushed in, making them feel as if they had returned to the world.

But just as they landed, a thin vine stretched out from the side and wrapped around Tang Yu’an’s calf, forcing Zhou Qi to stop.

He once again stared vigilantly at the mutated vine.

Now that they were outside the swimming hall, his vision and movement were no longer restricted. If the mutated vine really wanted to do something, Zhou Qi was confident he could escape with Tang Yu’an.

“Green Gem doesn’t want us to leave,” Tang Yu’an explained softly.

Feeling the attachment and grievance transmitted from the vine, Tang Yu’an didn’t know what to do.

“Can you put it into the pet slot?” Zhou Qi asked.

If they could store it, then there would be no threat.

“Probably not…”

Looking at the swimming hall in front of him, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but have a new idea. He said, “If we put it away, the swimming hall might collapse.”

After the mutated vine’s frenzy, the entire swimming hall was covered tightly by vines, almost no original wall could be seen.

Zhou Qi nodded. Although the vines added burden to the walls, they also provided support.

If they took away the entire mutated vine, the swimming hall would collapse… But so what?

They had already moved the lizard eggs; what value did the swimming hall have for them?

“Brother Qi, there are fish in the pool.”

“…”

Zhou Qi recalled the filthy, foul-smelling pool and couldn’t help but feel cold sweat trickle down his forehead, slowly sliding down his cheek.

He hesitated and then said, “So, you want to…?”

“Since we have the Purification Spell and now Green Gem to guard, why don’t we clean up the swimming hall and use it to raise fish in the future?” Tang Yu’an shared his idea.

After listening, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as they weren’t going to catch those fish in the pool now…

He began to seriously consider Tang Yu’an’s idea and found that it was indeed a good suggestion.

The main store was in the Desolate city; their foundation was here. No matter how many branches they opened in the future, the Desolate city would still be their base.

In that case, expanding more businesses and enhancing their ability to resist risks became particularly important.

If they could run a fish pond, they would have a stable source of meat… However, Zhou Qi quickly calmed down.

“If there’s a flood, the fish might be washed away.”

“But there will be new fish left behind!”

The swimming hall had stood here for many years without collapsing, proving that floods didn’t pose a significant threat to it. The creatures in the pool were probably brought by the flood.

Zhou Qi found himself convinced.

Tang Yu’an chuckled, “Right! Then let’s use up the remaining Purification Spells today, and then we’ll go back.”

They had used four times earlier, so there were six uses left.

Tang Yu’an didn’t use them casually but asked the green vine, “Green Gem, where is your main vine? Can you take us there?”

Then he extended his hand to the mutated vine.

The thin green vine loosened from his calf and wrapped around his wrist, gently pulling him, guiding them to its main body.

Zhou Qi felt the scene was a bit surreal.

He had originally thought they would have a fierce battle with the mutated vine, but unexpectedly, things had developed this way…

Perhaps this was An An’s charm.

Not only animals but even mutated plants liked him.

Yes, his An An was just that likable.

Zhou Qi followed behind Tang Yu’an. Under the guidance of the mutated vine, they entered the swimming hall from another direction.

As Tang Yu’an had guessed, Green Gem was growing inside the swimming hall; its huge vine body occupied almost half a room.

The room was next to the swimming pool, filthy and messy, piled with sludge and foul-smelling dirty water, as well as the excrement left by the lizard, making the confined space suffocating.

Although the environment should have been conducive to the plant’s growth—otherwise, the mutated vine wouldn’t have grown so large—after it gained consciousness, it became quite tormented.

Feeling the increased grievance from Green Gem, Tang Yu’an quickly extended his hand and cast the Purification Spell on it.

Although he couldn’t clean the entire swimming hall at once, at least he could let Green Gem’s main vine be more comfortable.

After using up the six remaining Purification Spells, the small room of twenty or thirty square meters was finally cleaned up, and the vine tree in the center was renewed.

Even Zhou Qi felt that the mutated vine had noticeably calmed down.

After the light from the Purification Spell completely disappeared, a beam of light shone in from the direction of the window—it was the mutated vine actively retracting the vines outside the wall, allowing light to shine into the room.

At this time, the thin vine wrapped around Tang Yu’an’s wrist loosened, and then it extracted a shiny crystal from its vine body, holding it with its leaves and presenting it to Tang Yu’an.