Li Chengyi thought about it—and acted.
But as he passed by the cascading wisteria blossoms near his residential block, he couldn't resist. He turned around, stopped beneath the arch, and reached out gently to touch the flowers.
Without repairing the Flower Scale Armor, he doubted he could even fall asleep.
Hiss...
A cool sensation flowed from the petals into his fingertips.
Within moments, the flowers became lifeless husks, the energy inside them drained away. He could sense the roots still trying to replenish that mysterious power—but too slowly. Whatever energy they regained, he instantly absorbed again.
He moved from bloom to bloom, carefully choosing ones he hadn't touched before.
On the back of his right hand, the dark flower ring flickered—one of its compartments glowing faintly purple, slowly charging.
About thirty seconds later, after he had touched every wisteria blossom on the arch, a new message echoed in his mind:
"Flower Scale Armor fully repaired."
Only then did he reluctantly leave, heading toward his apartment building.
Maybe if he touched more flowers, he could store backup energy for next time...
Apparently not.
Tomorrow—learn everything about the Dead Zones. Then study the armor's evolution and unlock the next Flower Spirit slot.
With this thought, he returned to his empty home, shut the door behind him, and collapsed face-first onto his bed—clothes and all.
The soft scent of laundry detergent on the pillow enfolded him. For once, his mind stopped spinning. He just wanted sleep.
Time passed.
Somewhere far away, a car horn blared. Gradually, it grew louder.
Voices followed—people arguing downstairs over a parking space.
How strange. This mundane noise, once annoying, now felt oddly comforting.
He had only been gone for a few hours, yet it felt like a lifetime.
"...This kid! Sleeping face down with his clothes on," his mother's voice nagged from the doorway.
A blanket draped over him.
Then—darkness again.
Peace. Warmth.
When he next stirred, red light glowed through his eyelids—the sun outside.
Birdsong filtered in. The scrape of a mop on tile.
Li Chengyi opened his eyes slowly.
He had drooled all over the pillow. His mouth was sticky. His breath smelled terrible.
With a groan, he sat up.
His mother, Feng Yurong, wearing a dark apron and house clothes, was mopping the living room.
She was petite, pale from lack of sunlight, with a weary look permanently etched in her features. Her voice was soft, her movements methodical.
"You're using laundry water to mop again..." Li Chengyi muttered automatically.
"Of course," she replied matter-of-factly. "Water costs money. Why waste it? And after mopping, I'll save the dirty water to flush the toilet. Saves at least a third of our usage!"
He rolled his eyes but said nothing more.
Sunlight streamed through the window. A white drone hovered silently overhead, while two birds chased each other across the sky.
"Get up and eat. It's already ten! You haven't even found a job yet, and you're slacking off already?" she scolded.
"Yeah, yeah..." he yawned, grabbing his slippers and shuffling to the kitchen.
His body ached everywhere. Muscles sore. Legs weak. Clearly, he'd overstrained himself in the Dead Zone.
The kitchen table held four small bowls.
One had black rice porridge. Another, neatly chopped cucumber. The last two, egg-and-scallion pancakes.
"Heat the pancakes in the microwave—thirty seconds," his mother called from the bedroom.
Li obeyed, sipping the porridge first.
It was warm, sweet, and coarse, with a faint nutty aroma.
Real. Everything about this meal felt incredibly real.
"You didn't exercise today. Xiaodong called—said your phone was off. Then said you didn't pick up. I told him you were asleep, but he didn't believe me. And that girl, Lin Sang, messaged you too... She even bumped into your dad yesterday, smiled and greeted him—very polite, that one..."
She rambled on while mopping.
Li Chengyi silently ate his porridge, then the cucumber, then the pancakes. In under five minutes, the bowls were clean.
"I'm heading out later. Got some work to take care of. No need to leave lunch for me," he said, heading to the bathroom.
His eye still hurt. The pain reminded him everything that happened had been real.
"All right," his mother replied from inside. "I'm off this morning anyway. They're still fixing the lathe at the factory. Afternoon shift. Oh, and if you get any job leads, let us know, okay? We've been so worried. Your sister's doing okay—she's studying for some big license exam... 'Intelligent Machinery Technician' or something. No idea what that is. Costs a fortune, but if she passes, her salary goes way up."
More rambling.
But Li Chengyi didn't mind. These moments felt new to him, fresh and vivid. Memory alone couldn't recreate real life.
After brushing his teeth and washing up, he noticed a faint red stain on his sleeve.
Blood.
He scrubbed it off quickly, changed into a gray hoodie, and slipped on his shoes.
"I'm heading out."
"Don't waste time outside and pretend you had an interview later, you hear?" his mother warned, suspicious.
"…Got it."
Bang.
The door closed.
He let out a long breath in the hallway, hit the elevator button, and checked his phone.
Missed calls: Lin Sang, Chen Xudong, Professor Chen Shan. One unknown number.
He called the known ones back, gave a quick excuse about being sick, and replied to their texts.
By the time he left the building, he was already walking toward the small park.
Time to test the Evil Flower again.
Back beneath the wisteria trellis, fallen petals lay scattered. Some had been trampled, crushed.
It pained him.
He wasn't a flower lover, but these—these were his lifeline.
Need a stable flower source from now on... but first, time to study this power properly.
Two middle-aged ladies stood nearby chatting with red fans in hand. A couple played with their toddler on a bench.
Making sure no one paid him any mind, Li reached out and touched a fresh wisteria bloom.
"Flower Scale Armor: Fully Repaired."
That was it.
No other reaction.
Frowning, he walked a few steps into the grass, squatting to examine the other flowers.
Wild blooms were mixed with park plants—red, white, yellow chrysanthemums, even tiny blue flowers.
Some were in full bloom, others budding.
He reached toward the largest, brightest red flower.
Time to try unlocking a second Flower Spirit slot.
If the first slot, tied to the wisteria, was fully utilized, maybe now—
A new message bloomed in his mind:
"Red Peony: Also known as Farewell Flower. Over a hundred petals. Roots have medicinal properties—pain relief, blood circulation, menstrual regulation. Prefers sunlight, drought-tolerant. Blooms in May–June."
"Flower Language: Devoted Love."(This is a two-meter-tall, one-ton crimson metal bell. If you truly love it, you can lift it with ease—and smash people with it.)
"Flower Scale Armor: No available Flower Spirit slot. Please unlock."
[🌸 Interactive Ending – Curious Reader Style]Another flower, another power… but what comes next?💬 If you could awaken any flower's spirit, which one would you choose?Tap to comment and don't forget to add this story to your library! 🌺📚