"You're overthinking it. I'm just a stubborn father with money and means, trying to find his son," Sindra replied.
"So, when do we start? How?" asked Li Chengyi.
"First, a full-body medical checkup. Results will be ready tomorrow. After that, your training begins." Sindra's tone was calm and clinical. "For now, I need a full description of the Dead Zone you experienced. Details help us reconstruct the scene."
"What's the point of recreating it?"
"All Dead Zones were once real places, since erased from existence. Traces of their origins may lead to a way out."
Li spent the rest of the afternoon in New Century Tower, tirelessly feeding information to help construct the model.
It wasn't until after 4 p.m. that he finally walked out, exhausted. At the bus stop near the parking exit, he quietly waited for his ride home.
'Next step—Flower Scale Armor… If I want new wisteria variants, the botanical gardens are probably my best bet.'
He checked the time on his phone—4:15—and quickly searched for nearby botanical gardens.
Several popped up on the map. He selected the closest one—4.3 kilometers away—and plotted his route.
His plan: visit every garden he could and contact flower vendors online to ask if they had mature wisteria for sale. If he had to grow them himself, so be it.
He needed live plants to repair the Flower Scale Armor. And if he wanted to test its limits—like whether it could stop bullets—he'd need a private testing ground, far from prying eyes.
Which meant… he needed money. Lots of it.
Sindra's salary wouldn't be enough.
The armor's combat potential had to be evaluated thoroughly—it could mean life or death in the next Dead Zone.
Eventually, the self-driving bus arrived. Li climbed on, grabbed a handrail, and headed to the Dongsheng Botanical Garden.
Unfortunately, by the time he'd wandered the grounds for over an hour, they were closing up.
He'd tested dozens of flowers—none were wisteria variants.
Disappointed and physically drained, he boarded the return bus and collapsed into a seat.
He was dozing off when three noisy schoolchildren caught his attention—two boys and a girl, all wearing blue-and-white uniforms.
"My succulent grew fuzzy green stuff," the girl said gloomily. "Did yours do that?"
"Nope," one boy replied, wiping his nose and smearing it on his pants.
"I did!" the third boy beamed proudly. "I watered mine with milk and shampoo. The shampoo was colorful, and now it's turning yellow. It's so cool!"
"Won't it die?" the girl asked, concerned.
"No way! My dad says succulents are super tough. They can survive anything—and if you feed them random stuff, they might even mutate!"
Mutate. That word hit Li like a lightning bolt.
'Wait a second… How do plant mutations even begin?'
He pulled out his phone, rapidly searching for the answer.
Plant Mutation Causes:
Chemical exposure (e.g., special nutrient solutions)
Radiation or space-breeding
Viral infection
Sudden environmental changes (e.g., water or soil conditions)
"If I can't find variants… maybe I can make my own!"
The idea thrilled him.
Of course, that was for later—once he'd exhausted all natural sources.
Still, for the first time in a while, he felt genuinely excited about the possibilities.
Back home, his older sister Li Chengjiu had returned. She chatted with their parents and didn't pay him much attention.
Only his mother, Mrs. Feng Yuyong, stood up immediately to fetch him a bowl and chopsticks.
Li was too preoccupied to care.
He ate quickly, retreated to his room, and started scrolling his phone for information. It helped him recall fragments from the body's past memories.
Meanwhile, in the wealthy villa district of Blue Zone, Suiyang City…
In one secluded villa, Meng Dongdong awoke in a cold sweat from a nightmare.
Her heart was racing—over 140 BPM.
She sat up from her recliner, wiping her forehead. Even surrounded by electrified fences and tall walls, she felt no sense of safety.
She immediately called her father.
"Dad, do we have a solution yet?"
There was a pause. Then her father spoke.
"I've consulted someone. To escape safely… someone must die each time."
Meng Dongdong froze.
Last time, the gunman had drawn the monster's attention. He likely died—and that's probably why she escaped.
"Yes. If one person dies, the rest can leave. So if you want to live… you need someone else to die."
There was silence.
"There were three of you last time. Now that one is dead, if no new person enters, then the remaining survivor… is your next opponent."
"No other way?"
"Give me a composite sketch. Your mother and I will handle the rest. If we can ID the others, we can act before the next round begins."
"You mean…?"
"There are ways to… eliminate the others beforehand. Doing so can reset your countdown and buy time."
"Dad…"
"I won't let you die, Dongdong. But you need to prepare too. You'll be trained in firearms starting next week."
The Next Morning
Li Chengyi woke early, ate a quick bowl of egg noodles, and headed to New Century Tower.
The same receptionist greeted him.
"The boss isn't in yet. I'll take you to the training floor to assess your physical condition," she said professionally.
"I'm your dedicated contact now. If anything comes up, reach out to me—whether or not the boss is around."
"Understood."
They took the elevator to the 18th floor.
As the doors opened, rhythmic music flooded in.
No hallway, no transition—the elevator opened directly into a training facility.
Gray padded floors. Rows of bright ceiling lights. A wall-length mirror on the right. On the left, racks of black training equipment.
In the corner, a blonde woman with a short ponytail was doing forearm curls with dumbbells.
She noticed them and walked over.
"Christine," she said, extending her hand.
"Cheng Yi," Li replied, shaking it. "You're not from Yiguo?"
"No. I'm from Ilunbaru, White Star. Your fitness instructor," she replied with perfect Yiguo fluency.
"I have three White Star certifications in professional-level physical training. Fifteen years of experience. Guest lecturer at several Stellar Ring Universities."
Li blinked. That was no joke.
The Stellar Ring was the Ivy League of the world.
If she taught there, her salary must've been insane.
"Boss said your training needs to be completed ASAP. So you better push yourself," Christine said bluntly.
"Got it."
Easier said than done.
By the end of the day, Li was destroyed.
Endurance training alone had him flat on the floor, unable to move.
But thanks to Sindra's prepared recovery routines—massage, medicinal baths, stretching—he barely managed to walk out upright.
Days passed in a blur.
Morning: brutal training.
Evening: trips to botanical gardens and flower shops, hunting for new variants.
As soon as he got his first paycheck from Sindra, he bought loads of seeds and mature wisteria plants, preparing to grow them himself.
A week flew by.
Finally, his package arrived—a rare variant named: White Wisteria.
[📚 Interactive Ending – Growth + Strategy Type]New flowers, new power. What would you do with a mutation system this unique?Share your ideas for wild flower abilities in the comments—and don't forget to follow for more!