Express delivery for food? That's not a bad idea, but not right now. It was necessary to whet their appetite first before they could get what they wanted.
With Liao Tao and three others, Wen Qing went to the city hall, the first step in self-rescue during the apocalypse. She planned to restore the government's credibility first.
Wen Qing believed that the government's power was always much stronger than an individual's power, and what one person could do was limited. In critical moments, one needed an organization to rely on. In the original plot, the fall of Ningcheng was not only due to the large number of zombies, but also because the government was in a difficult situation in the early stage, and almost the entire army was wiped out, so they were unable to organize the people to resist the crisis together.
Wen Qing and her companions arrived at the city hall in Liao Tao's car.
"What the hell is this?"
Liao Tao and the others were shocked as they looked at the scene in front of them. The more than ten-story city hall was completely covered by a green plant, with dense, dark green leaves surrounding the building like an impenetrable cocoon. From a distance, it looked like a giant green cocoon.
"This is a mutated plant. Its evolutionary direction should be strong reproductive ability," Wen Qing said casually. "Stay in the car and don't get out. I'll go out and take a look."
Liao Tao nervously swallowed his saliva. "Be careful, boss. This place looks a bit spooky."
The open space in front of the government building was still neat and tidy, just like before the apocalypse, with no wandering zombies or unconscious humans, but it was eerily quiet.
Wen Qing nodded. "I know what I'm doing." Then she pushed open the car door and got out. Even though she tried to be quiet, the sound of the door closing was still very clear in the empty environment. She walked along the path next to the flower bed, and except for her faint footsteps, there was no other sound, as if the whole world had only her.
The sun was already setting, and Wen Qing's shadow was elongated on the ground. Although it was the hottest time of the day, she inexplicably felt a trace of coldness. Wen Qing continued to walk forward, completely indifferent to her discomfort.
When she reached the bottom of the building, Wen Qing looked up at the greenery that almost covered the sky and said to the live camera that had been following her, "Don't you want to see me perform sword flying?"
The audience in front of the camera widened their eyes and held their breath, eagerly watching the screen.
Wen Qing summoned a flying sword, which flew up into the air with a swish. The sword was three feet long, with extremely complex patterns carved on the hilt. The blade was shiny and glittering, emitting a faint cold light. It looked like a perfect work of art that could capture anyone's attention with just one glance. Wen Qing leaped onto the sword, formed several hand gestures, and then the sword carried her into the sky. The whole action was so graceful and elegant that it was hard to describe.
Liao Tao and his friends in the car in the distance were very excited. "It's sword flying!" They saw it with their own eyes and it was even more impressive than when Wen Qing introduced herself. The interstellar audience in front of the screen also exclaimed:
"Amazing, she can fly with just a sword without any external force!"
"Does the sword have an energy device? How can it fly?"
"That sword is so beautiful! How much does the host want for it?"
"I also want a flying sword! No matter how much the person above offers, I'll double it!"
...
"Castro rewarded the primary genetic modification agent*20! I want the flying sword! How much is it?"
"General again!"
"Even the general can't stop my desire for this sword!"
…
Wen Qing didn't have time to look at the barrage, so she flew her sword into the air and circled around the building twice. Suddenly, she dove down from the sky and stabbed the corner of the flower bed with her sword. The sword aura penetrated about three meters underground with a "poof" sound, as if it had stabbed into something. Then, she picked out a dark green, water-bag-like object with her sword and walked towards the four men holding it up.
The giant vines behind her quickly withered without their energy source. The leaves drooped, losing the vibrant energy that Wen Qing had seen when she first arrived.
"You can come out now."
Hearing Wen Qing's words, Liao Tao and the others quickly got out of the car. Song Qingshan curiously asked, "What is this?"
Wen Qing pointed to the giant green cocoon behind her and said, "This is the energy source of this big guy, which hasn't condensed into a crystal nucleus yet."
Liao Tao opened his mouth wide and asked in surprise, "Boss, are you saying that such a big piece is just a plant?"
"That's right," Wen Qing nodded, "You guys are lucky. This is a rare exotic plant, not a zombie plant, and can be eaten. The leaves can be stir-fried, sautéed, cold-dressed, stewed, boiled for hotpot, or chopped up for dumplings. The taste is similar to the pre-apocalyptic shepherd's purse, but even better and contains a faint energy. When eaten by people with supernatural powers, it can enhance their abilities, though the effect is minimal, it's better than nothing."
*Shepherd's purse is a plant in the mustard family that grows worldwide. It has deeply lobed leaves and white flowers, and its seed pods look like small purses. It has been traditionally used in Chinese and European medicine to treat menstrual disorders, bleeding, and digestive problems. The leaves are also used in salads and soups as a food crop in some parts of Asia.
The fat man instinctively swallowed his saliva, "Shepherd's purse dumplings are the best..."
Wen Qing wholeheartedly agreed, "That's right. Let's make dumplings with it tonight!"
The interstellar audience in front of the screen was confused.
[This style... seems off? Weren't zombies, monsters, and plants taking over the earth, with humans struggling to survive?]
[I thought the host would express deep concern about the proliferation of plants, but I was wrong. My host never plays by the rules!]
[Seeing the expression on the little fat man's face, it seems like he's already seen the future of this kind of vine.]
[I always feel like their faces express regret that this vine is not enough, and they want more!]
[I feel the same!]
…
Wen Qing said, there's no such thing as overpopulation for any species that can eat. If they're not on the verge of extinction, they're doing fine.
Huang Hailiang had been trapped in the office building for three days straight. The giant vines had sealed off the building so tightly that even though they wouldn't attack humans unless provoked, he knew he would eventually starve to death without food. He had watched in horror as the vines slowly absorbed and "ate" Little Wang, who had turned into a zombie. The steel-like vines couldn't be hacked apart even with a firefighter's ax. Trapped in the office with no food, he was already losing hope.
With only half a glass of water left, he tried to conserve it, but it didn't last long. The last drop of water had been consumed a day ago, and now he was dizzy and weak, his vision blurred and filled with stars. He collapsed on the ground.
At that moment, he suddenly heard a horn blaring outside. "Attention inside the building! We have dealt with the danger and are breaking through to rescue you. If you can't hold on any longer, the leaves of these plants are edible..."
He couldn't hear the rest of what was said, his mind was only filled with the words "edible." Huang Hailiang didn't know where he found the strength, but he crawled to the window and pushed open the glass, reaching out to grab the leaves outside and stuffing them into his mouth...
After successfully rescuing the trapped officials from the city hall, Wen Qing expressed her willingness to cooperate with the government in maintaining and developing the city. The city hall secretary was grateful for her support. They had been trapped for three days and didn't know much about the situation outside, but they knew that the world had changed. The government's status in the minds of the people was completely unpredictable. Without the support of the people, the so-called government would be nothing but a mere decoration! So anyone willing to support them was naturally overjoyed.
Wen Qing's first task was to clear the zombies from the hydropower plant and restore the city's water and electricity supply. Water is the foundation of human survival, and electricity is the best way to transmit information. Both are crucial for city development. Her plan was in line with what they had anticipated, so she readily took Liao Tao and the others with her.
In the evening, after a busy day, Wen Qing brought Liao Tao and the others back to her base and cooked a delicious meal of "shepherd's purse" dumplings. The thin skin and big filling of these plump and white dumplings looked very appetizing. Coupled with Liao Tao and the others' ravenous appetite, it successfully aroused the audience's desire for food.
"The host's daily poisonous series."
"This live stream is poisonous, but I don't want to close it at all!"
"Resentment breaking through the interstellar, why hasn't the route to Blue Star been opened yet?!"
"Great, another dish has been added to the menu for when we go to Blue Star!"
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