Chapter 105: Mutation
Xia the cat was cautious about the honeysuckle’s request.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “I need to discuss this with my brother and the others.”
“Of course,” the honeysuckle replied. “Compared to us, your mobility is a significant advantage, isn’t it? No need to be overly anxious.”
Xia the cat glanced at the honeysuckle bush and hinted, “Most mutant plants seem to move as well, so I’m not sure that ‘absolute advantage’ is the right term.”
The honeysuckle shook slightly, as if shrugging with resignation. “Only some can move. Plants cannot leave the soil for long. No matter what, animals have more convenience.”
“Animals don’t have the resilience of plants,” Xia the cat countered.
The honeysuckle responded, “That’s not necessarily true. It depends on the type of animal or plant. Moreover, most animals can live as they wish, while plants depend more on their environment. It’s not easy for a plant to thrive.”
“Each has its challenges,” Xia the cat agreed.
The honeysuckle rustled its leaves but didn’t argue further.
Xia the cat meowed at his brother, signaling for him to carry him back.
The large wolf understood, his eyes flashing as he gently picked up Xia the cat and retreated.
The honeysuckle made no move to attack, and they safely returned to the truck.
Xia the cat transformed back into his human form, quickly pulling on a pair of shorts before explaining the honeysuckle’s request.
Ba Niu’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s quite an offer!”
Xia Huo Qu looked toward the honeysuckle. “Maybe, maybe not.”
They had all seen how powerful this honeysuckle was. It had no trouble strangling a giant bull weighing several tons. If they planted it at their base, it could potentially take over.
Even though the chance of that happening was slim, they had to consider the possibility.
Yan Xi Nian turned to Xia Lu Nong and asked, “What do you think personally?”
Xia Lu Nong said, “I’m actually quite willing to raise it, but there is some risk involved. I need your opinions, especially from Xia Hua Jiao.”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “I think it’s feasible.”
He then glanced at the small pepper tree but, finding it difficult to communicate with the tree, poked Xia Lu Nong instead. “It’s your tree, you ask.”
Xia Lu Nong gently placed his hand on the pepper tree’s trunk, explained the situation, and asked softly, “What do you think?”
With a snort, the small pepper tree moved its canopy away, clearly displeased.
It had only just arrived, and now they were already talking about raising another plant.
Xia Lu Nong looked at it with gentle eyes, seeking its opinion. “I really want to raise it. Won’t you consider it? If you don’t like it, we won’t do it—you’re the most important.”
The small pepper tree sulked for a moment but didn’t answer.
Xia Lu Nong patiently waited for a few minutes, gently tapping the tree’s branches. “If you don’t respond, I’ll take it as you giving up your vote.”
The small pepper tree twisted in place, clearly conflicted.
Xia Lu Nong waited quietly.
After about three to five minutes, the small pepper tree shook its branches and chose to abstain.
“One vote for abstention,” Xia Lu Nong said.
He turned to his brother. “What about you, brother? What’s your opinion?”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “I’m not familiar with plants, so I’ll abstain.”
Yan Xi Nian didn’t wait for Xia Lu Nong to ask and spoke up. “I already said I agree.”
Xia Lu Nong then turned to Kong Zhi. “What about you, Kong Zhi?”
Kong Zhi said calmly, “We’re not going to be beaten by a single mutant honeysuckle.”
That was a vote of agreement.
Yan Xi Nian tallied the votes. “Three votes in favor, two abstentions. Xia Nong, you can tell the honeysuckle that we’re willing to raise it, and ask if it has any other requests or suggestions.”
Xia Lu Nong swallowed nervously. “So, I’ll go? Should I take one vine or two? The honeysuckle said we could take a few back to raise.”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Personally, I’d prefer just one. Greed isn’t a good thing. Besides, honeysuckle can be propagated through cuttings. If we want to grow more later, we can always take cuttings.”
They planned to plant the honeysuckle vine outside the library because it had mutated significantly. Cuttings from it could grow into powerful new plants.
Given honeysuckle’s ability to survive from cuttings, they could propagate as many as they wanted in the future.
Xia Lu Nong agreed after considering this. “Then I’ll ask for one vine.”
Xia Lu Nong shifted back into his beast form, and his brother carried him back to the honeysuckle to ask for the vine.
They began their conversation again.
The honeysuckle’s voice was calm. “Aren’t you relying too much on your brothers? I’ve observed that it seems like you wait for your brothers to handle all the big decisions.”
Xia the cat hadn’t expected it to say this and immediately became wary, his cat eyes widening. “That’s nonsense! Don’t try to sow discord!”
The honeysuckle paused. “Let’s change the subject. Have your brothers made their decision?”
“You can hear our conversation, can’t you?”
“But I can’t be sure if your thoughts align with the conversation,” the honeysuckle said, shaking its branches. “I believe humans have a term for this—‘paying lip service.’”
“I have no reason to go against my brothers. If I really didn’t like the idea, they wouldn’t force me to follow their decision,” Xia the cat sighed. “Will the new honeysuckle from the cutting really not inherit your memories and personality?”
“Rest assured,” the honeysuckle replied with a smile. “I’m not like other honeysuckles. Anyway, here’s the vine.”
With that, the honeysuckle severed a sturdy, dark brown vine with tender leaves near its roots and passed it to Xia the cat using one of its own vines.
“I hope you’ll take good care of it,” the honeysuckle said.
Xia the cat stared with his wide cat eyes at the vine in front of him.
The vine was straight and elegant, with tender leaves that looked especially beautiful. It didn’t look like an ordinary vine—it resembled a scepter.
The honeysuckle patiently held it up, waiting for his response.
After a moment, Xia the cat extended his four paws and gently held the vine in his fluffy paws. He let out a soft “meow” and solemnly said to the honeysuckle, “I will take it back and plant it carefully.”
The honeysuckle replied, “I trust your character.”
After they exchanged these words, a brief silence followed. Neither knew what else to say.
Xia the cat glanced at the ruins of the library behind the honeysuckle. He still coveted the library, hoping to retrieve something valuable from it.
“Could I ask you for a favor?” Xia the cat scratched his neck with his hind paw and asked, “I’d like to collect some books from the library, especially textbooks from various fields. You’ve read so many books—perhaps you could offer some suggestions?”
The honeysuckle’s branches quivered, as if it chuckled lightly. “I never thought the day would come when a human would ask me about human knowledge.”
“We humans have a saying: ‘Out of three people walking, there must be one who can teach me something.’ Your knowledge is good enough to be our teacher.”
The honeysuckle asked, “Are you only interested in textbooks, or would you like more?”
“If there’s anything else, we’d be happy to take it,” Xia the cat replied seriously. “We generally believe the more, the better.”
The honeysuckle sighed, “Greedy yet sincere humans.”
Despite its words, the honeysuckle ultimately dug out a stack of books. “I have multiple sets of some of these books. I can give you one set. If there’s only one copy, I’ll keep it for myself.”
Xia the cat nodded. “That’s fine. This is already very generous.”
The honeysuckle waved its branches and retrieved the books from the ruins, placing them on the ground at Xia the cat’s feet.
“There are 632 books I can give you. The rest either haven’t been sorted or are single copies,” it said.
Xia the cat hadn’t expected there to be so many textbooks, and his face lit up with joy. “Thank you.”
Kong Zhi and the others loaded the books onto the truck.
The honeysuckle asked, “I recall you were also looking for some kind of equipment?”
Xia the cat was surprised by the question, but he answered quickly, “Yes, we’re searching for valuable equipment or electronic devices to try and recover lost human technology. Do you have any?”
“There is. The library has a supercomputer,” the honeysuckle said. “I’ve only read about it, so I’m not sure if it’s really what it seems. But regardless, it appears to be a powerful computer, and it’s still relatively well-preserved. Would you like it?”
This time, Xia the cat didn’t need to consult anyone. He knew they needed it.
He immediately nodded. “Yes, we need it! Thank you! What would you like in return?”
“Come back here next spring,” the honeysuckle said. “Next spring, return and have a conversation with me. If you do that, I’ll give you the computer.”
Xia the cat, cautious, asked, “Can I ask why you want us to come back next spring?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’s loneliness, a desire to talk again next spring. Or maybe it’s for another reason,” the honeysuckle replied. “I don’t need anything right now, but this is my one request.”
Xia the cat thought for a moment. “I can do that, but I’m not sure if my brothers will be willing to come along.”
“I just want to talk to you,” the honeysuckle said. “In your terms, it’s like… becoming friends? I hope you’ll return next spring to fulfill this gentleman’s agreement.”
Xia the cat nodded and promised, “I will!”
The honeysuckle didn’t make things difficult for them. After receiving the promise, it handed over the computer it had been keeping safe.
“I’ve done my best to protect this computer. However, it’s still missing some parts and has sustained some damage. You’ll probably need to repair it,” the honeysuckle said.
“This is already wonderful. Thank you,” Xia the cat replied.
“You’re welcome,” the honeysuckle said, unbothered by the fact that Yan Xi Nian and the others had already started loading the computer parts onto the truck. It continued speaking to Xia the cat. “I have one last piece of advice.”
Xia the cat, holding the vine tightly, replied seriously, “I’m listening.”
The honeysuckle said, “Don’t venture too deep into the cities. If there are too many of a particular mutant animal or plant near your base, either escape or eliminate them as quickly as possible.”
Xia the cat’s heart raced—he sensed something ominous. “Can I ask why?”
The honeysuckle responded with a question: “Do you know about mutations?”
Xia the cat’s face changed instantly.
The honeysuckle explained, “It’s probably what you think. After the great disaster, all animals and plants are facing a massive mutation.”
The honeysuckle continued, “Humans are relatively lucky. Your mutations are mostly atavistic, based on genetic fragments, which turn you into beasts. But other animals and plants might not undergo the same process.”
The honeysuckle concluded, “This disaster is far from simple. Humans must remain cautious.”
Thanks for the chapter! Beloved books!!!