Chapter 101 – Transaction
Xia the cat was stunned. He couldn’t even talk to Kong Zhi when in his beast form, yet now he could converse with the honeysuckle! His fluffy cat face was filled with bewilderment.
“Has the pepper tree not just mutated but turned into a spirit?” Xia the cat thought. He took a step back, moving his paw cautiously, and raised his head to look at the entire field of honeysuckle. In the morning sun, the yellow and white flowers flowed like a river from one side to the other, covering at least 200 square meters. All this, and it was just a single plant.
Slowly realizing the danger, Xia the cat understood that they had just escaped from a wolf’s den and entered a tiger’s lair. The giant wolf beside him remained on high alert. Noticing Xia the cat’s nervous retreat, with fear evident on his cat face, the wolf quickly grabbed his brother by the scruff and retreated a few steps.
The entire honeysuckle field rippled like waves, creating a rustling sound. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. Xia the cat’s fur almost stood on end from the tension.
The honeysuckle spoke in his mind, “Are you scared?”
“Meow,” Xia the cat meowed at his brother, signaling him to stop. He then turned to the honeysuckle and replied through his consciousness, “Yes, our strength difference is too great.”
The honeysuckle responded, “As a rational being, I don’t attack other living creatures arbitrarily.”
Xia the cat glanced at the numerous white bones scattered within the honeysuckle, hinting at his disbelief. “Your words aren’t very convincing,” he remarked.
The honeysuckle let out a sound resembling laughter but did not deny it. “You’ve retreated to a relatively safe area. I believe we can have a conversation now.”
Xia the cat asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Anything. You’re the first group of living humans I’ve encountered since I awakened, and I’d like to discuss some unique human topics.”
Xia the cat caught a loophole in its words. “You’ve encountered dead humans?”
“Of course, quite a few,” the honeysuckle admitted. “Other mutated animals have brought human corpses here. However, I’ve never actively attacked humans.”
“Forgive me for being skeptical, but I find that hard to believe,” Xia the cat said. “To you, aren’t humans now no different from animals?”
“Not at all. I was planted and cared for by humans before I awakened, and I remember that kindness. You’ve been so close to me, and I haven’t tried to attack you—that’s proof enough.”
Xia the cat fell silent.
The honeysuckle continued, “I don’t attack humans. In fact, no humans have ever entered my territory.”
Xia the cat reluctantly accepted this explanation. “Alright. Let’s have a casual conversation then. Are there many mutated plants in this university town?”
“I wouldn’t say many. Compared to the total number of plants, the proportion of mutated ones is very small,” the honeysuckle replied.
Xia the cat noted, “The proportion might be small, but the actual number is still considerable.”
“Isn’t that obvious?” the honeysuckle said. “There are naturally more plants than animals.”
Xia the cat awkwardly nodded his cat head in agreement.
The honeysuckle seemed pleased and shook its leaves again.
Xia the cat then asked, “Among the mutated plants in this university, how many have gained intelligence?”
“There’s only me.”
Xia the cat’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The honeysuckle elaborated, “Haven’t you noticed? Within a certain area, only one plant can awaken intelligence. Since I’m here in N University, no other plant in this area can gain consciousness.”
Xia the cat hadn’t realized this, though he’d only encountered one other intelligent plant, the little pepper tree.
Without revealing much, Xia the cat replied, “N University is huge. I wouldn’t know.”
“I’m quite large too,” the honeysuckle pointed out. “By proportion, it’s unlikely there will be another plant with intelligence in this entire city.”
Xia the cat was skeptical. “But you can’t move. How do you know this?”
“Plants can communicate through chemical signals,” the honeysuckle said knowingly. “Just like how we’re talking now, even without words.”
Xia the cat felt slightly relieved, realizing that the honeysuckle couldn’t move, limiting its range of attack. As long as they stayed out of its reach, they should be safe.
After a moment of silence, the honeysuckle asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xia the cat snapped back to attention. “Your speech is so articulate that, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d think I was talking to a professor.”
“Maybe that’s because I’ve read a lot of human books,” the honeysuckle replied.
Xia the cat was shocked, his cat eyes wide in disbelief. “I’m curious, how did you learn to read?”
“I’ve seen human corpses, as I mentioned,” the honeysuckle explained. “They’ve become part of my nutrients. From them, I’ve absorbed not just chemicals but something else, something that helped me decipher your language.”
Xia the cat was silent for a long while before saying, “I think I need some time to process this.”
The honeysuckle replied politely, “That’s understandable.”
Both remained quiet for a while.
Then the honeysuckle asked, “Could you tell me about the outside world?”
Xia the cat thought for a moment. “I’ll try. But just so you know, my language skills are lacking, so what I describe might not be as detailed or vivid as the books you’ve read from the library.”
“No problem, the books in the library only describe the world before my awakening. I have no knowledge of the world after awakening.”
“Then I’ll try to explain.”
Xia the cat organized his thoughts and began telling the honeysuckle about the mutated animals and plants, the tsunami, and the flooded lands.
After patiently listening, the honeysuckle said, “No wonder I sensed a strange atmosphere during the earthquake. It must have been when the tsunami arrived.”
“Perhaps.”
Xia the cat remained cautious of the honeysuckle. He couldn’t tell it everything, but he also couldn’t avoid sharing some information. They exchanged a few bits of information back and forth, but Xia the cat found there wasn’t much worth sharing, and the information he got in return was also limited.
With the crisis still unresolved, Xia the cat wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter. After a brief conversation, he steered the topic back to the matter at hand. “Are you familiar with this herd of cows?”
“Familiar, in a sense,” the honeysuckle replied. “To be precise, we have a grudge. These cows have eaten many of my vines and branches, and in return, I’ve taken down a few to use as fertilizer. If you’re willing, we could work together to eliminate this herd.”
“You mean, we lure the cows in, and you kill them?”
“Yes, if you’re willing to cooperate,” the honeysuckle said. “I’ll take the cows I kill as my reward, but I’m willing to trade something else in return.”
“Like what?”
“How about honeysuckle flowers?” the plant suggested. “I recall that humans brew tea from my petals. The flowers I produce now have even stronger effects. If we collaborate, I can offer you some of my flowers.”
Xia the cat gave the vast field of honeysuckle a strange look. Flowers are essentially the reproductive organs of plants. For the honeysuckle to offer its flowers was akin to a plant version of self-castration, wasn’t it?
The honeysuckle seemed to sense his thoughts and corrected him, “You can’t apply human experiences to me. These flowers fall off naturally when the time comes. They don’t hold much value to me, and I don’t rely on them to reproduce.”
“I need to discuss this with my brothers,” Xia the cat said. “Originally, I was hoping to exchange my abilities for your protection.”
“You’re too small,” the honeysuckle replied. “Your abilities wouldn’t have much effect on me. A few cows as fertilizer would benefit me far more. It’s also advantageous for you—without the mutated cows, you won’t need my protection.”
Xia the cat nodded.
The honeysuckle continued, “Then, I wish us a successful partnership?”
Xia the cat asked, “If we drive the cows here, are you sure you can kill them?”
“Absolutely,” the honeysuckle said. “It’s only a few dozen cows. If you’re not confident, you can drive them over in small batches.”
“I’ll give it a try.”
After the conversation, Xia the cat signaled his brother to retreat. The giant wolf carried the cat back slowly to the truck.
During the entire process, the honeysuckle remained calm, showing no signs of aggression. The herd of cows, standing just outside the honeysuckle’s attack range, remained vigilant and refused to leave, as if waiting for Xia the cat and his group to wear out and make a run for it.
Xia the cat glanced at the herd. Their truck was now positioned between the honeysuckle and the cows, creating a precarious balance of safety.
Once placed down by his brother, Xia the cat transformed back into human form and said, “I just communicated with the honeysuckle. It has intelligence, and its IQ is no less than that of a typical college student!”
Xia Lu Nong repeated the conversation he had with the honeysuckle to the others.
Aside from Yan Xi Nian, who remained in his beast form, the rest of the group stood in human form, listening intently. After hearing the story, their expressions grew strange.
Ba Niu, holding a gun, couldn’t help but ask, “Is that for real? How could a mutated honeysuckle be so powerful? It can even gain knowledge by consuming human corpses. Can something like that really be harmless?”
Xia Huo Qu transformed back into human form, frowning. “I was wondering about that too. Xiao Nong, during your conversation with the honeysuckle, I didn’t hear any sound. Could it have been your imagination?”
“Uh?”
Xia Lu Nong was incredulous. “Brother, you think I imagined the entire conversation?”
“It’s possible, isn’t it? We all smelled the strong scent of honeysuckle. That fragrance might cause hallucinations.”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head, unwilling to agree. “The conversation was too logical. I couldn’t have come up with something like that.”
“Think about your conversation,” Xia Huo Qu said calmly. “You didn’t exchange any verifiable information.”
Both Xiao Tang and Ba Niu nodded in agreement.
Now questioning himself, Xia Lu Nong scratched his head and muttered, “When you put it like that, maybe…”
Kong Zhi spoke in a low voice, “If you want to determine whether the conversation really happened, it’s simple. Ask the honeysuckle to give you some flowers as a deposit. If it does, then the conversation was real.”
“Good point.” Xia Lu Nong turned to his brother. “Should I go ask again?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “Be careful.”
Xia Lu Nong transformed back into his beast form and was carried by his brother once again to the honeysuckle.
“Hey, I’m back,” Xia the cat said to the honeysuckle. “I’m not sure if our earlier conversation was real or just a hallucination. Can you give me some proof, like a few flowers as a deposit?”
“I heard everything,” the honeysuckle responded. “Your brother made a valid point, and I can indeed give you some flowers as proof.”
Xia the cat didn’t expect such a straightforward answer, his green cat eyes widening in surprise.
Without hesitation, the honeysuckle’s branches began to shake, creating waves of green. Soon, white and yellow honeysuckle flowers started falling from the branches, gathering together in a pile. The branches, moving like waves, delivered the flowers to Xia the cat’s feet.
The honeysuckle flowers gathered together, forming a thick wave of blooms.
They were delivered by the vines to Xia the cat’s feet, piling up into a wall of flowers in front of him.
The rich, refreshing fragrance of the honeysuckle wafted over, invigorating Xia the cat and bringing him back to full alertness.
The honeysuckle had really sent out its petals!
The earlier conversation wasn’t his imagination!
Xia the cat was stunned.
The honeysuckle said, “I’ve shown my sincerity. You can take these flowers back to your truck, and then drive the cows over.”
Xia the cat swallowed, “Alright.”
He turned to shout at Ba Niu and the others, “Meow!”
Ba Niu nudged Xiao Tang with his elbow, “Xiao Tang, go grab a sack and collect the honeysuckle flowers.”
Xiao Tang, surprised at how things had turned out, stammered, “We’re really collecting them?”
“Yes,” Kong Zhi said calmly, “I’ll help you.”
Kong Zhi went to the truck to fetch the sacks.
The little pepper tree in the truck bed, feeling restless from being cooped up, wrapped its roots around his legs, nudging him softly in a plea to go outside.
Kong Zhi looked down at it. “Stay here. If the cows see you and go wild, we won’t be able to control the situation.”
With a disappointed “whistle,” the little pepper tree retracted its branches and stayed still.
Kong Zhi grabbed some sacks and, with Xiao Tang, began gathering the honeysuckle flowers.
The flowers had a special fragrance, and the mutated honeysuckle’s blooms smelled particularly fragrant. It wasn’t an overpowering scent, but rather a light and concentrated one.
Xiao Tang took a deep breath. “This flower really refreshes the mind.”
Kong Zhi warned, “Watch your words, the honeysuckle can hear you.”
Xiao Tang, suddenly tense, didn’t dare say more. He hurriedly helped Kong Zhi bag the flowers and carried them back to the truck.
Once they were back, the honeysuckle said to Xia the cat, “It’s your turn now.”
“Alright!” Xia the cat promised, “Wait a moment while I discuss with them.”
The honeysuckle said, “I trust you will keep your word.”
Xia the cat felt there was a subtle hint of threat in that statement.
He had no intention of breaking his promise, but hearing that made him even more cautious. He reminded himself that the honeysuckle wasn’t as harmless as it seemed.
The giant wolf carried the cat back to the front of the truck, and the group gathered again for a meeting.
Even Yan Xi Nian reverted to human form this time.
Yan Xi Nian said, “It’ll be hard for us to drive out of the cow herd’s encirclement with the truck, but we can escape if we provoke them. I’ll go rile up the cows. Huo Qu, you guard the rear and stay alert. We’ve only just started dealing with the honeysuckle, and we don’t know its true nature. We can’t trust everything it says.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded, “No, I’ll go with you. Xiao Tang, Ba Niu, you two get in the truck and be ready to drive out at any moment. Kong Zhi, take Xiao Nong and stay on aerial watch.”
Kong Zhi said, “I’ll go with Captain Yan. Brother Huo Qu, you stay on watch with Xiao Nong. I work better with Captain Yan, and it’s safer.”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t argue. “Alright.”
