Li Ba, a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, was the sales manager at a well-known seed company in Wucheng before the apocalypse. When the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, the naturally timid Li Ba faced life-and-death situations and managed to scrape by and survive. By chance, he set aside the rules of post-apocalyptic survival to save a grandfather and his granddaughter, and in return, he received a magical bracelet. The bracelet contained a universe within—a plot of land, a stone trough brimming with spring water, and a Tower—all of which opened up a mysterious realm for him. What to do when food runs out? “My Fengshou Group has mountains of grain—I’ll trade it for crystal cores and jade!” Li Ba declared arrogantly. What to do when zombies attack the city? “The mutated plants cultivated by ‘Lord Ba’ can withstand a tide of a million zombies!” Li Ba said with absolute confidence. What if you’re not an Evolver and someone challenges you to a one-on-one duel? “I’ve got talismanic soldiers guarding me. Anyone who dares challenge me will get beaten so badly, even their own mother won’t recognize them!” said Li Ba, his bald head revealing a menacing expression as he spoke viciously. Using the mysterious space and his expertise, Li Ba cultivated crops and tended fields, determined to become a major farmer in the world of *Horse Herding* and pursue a happy life in the post-apocalyptic world.
Chapter 49: Mutant Plants
When Zhou Yan brought the ten women and a paralyzed teenage boy before Li Ba, Li Ba scratched his head, showing no surprise. “I’m bringing you into the city mainly because my supply store is short-handed—I need you to work!” In a few concise words, Li Ba explained why he’d brought this group of women into the city. “Work?” “You’re not asking us to sell our bodies!” “That’s great!” After hearing this, the ten women began whispering among themselves, all showing an indescribable excitement. “Listen up. Your entry permits are temporary. I won’t shortchange those who do a good job. Besides three meals a day, you’ll get a monthly paycheck. As for those who don’t perform well—sorry, but I don’t keep dead weight here. Go back to where you came from!” Li Ba spoke again. This time, the women all fell silent, not even daring to breathe, for fear of angering the bald man standing before them. Li Ba flashed a satisfied smile. Then his gaze shifted to Liang Jing’s younger brother; his brow furrowed slightly as he asked Zhou Yan, “Yan Yan, why did you bring this dying kid back here?” “Sir… Sir…” The very thing Liang Jing had been dreading had finally happened. She hurriedly explained that her brother was merely paralyzed—otherwise, he was fine. “Call me Boss!” Li Ba shot her a sidelong glance and corrected her. “B-boss.” Liang Jing shuddered. She felt extreme awe toward the bald, heavyset man standing before her—a man who certainly didn’t look like a good person. “My brother was just scratched by a poisonous plant, which is why he can’t move… Please, Boss, save him. He’s very capable and obedient.” As Liang Jing spoke, tears streamed down her face, and she knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Li Ba. Her younger brother, Liang Jie, though unable to move, could hear everything that was happening. At that moment, his eyes were wide open, his body rigid, as if he were straining with all his might to speak, yet unable to utter a single word. Veins bulged on his face, and strange “huh-huh” sounds came from his throat; he looked utterly pitiful. In the office, besides Li Ba, Zhou Yan, and Zhao Hongyun and their brothers, Yan'er had also rushed over. She spotted the little boy—about her own age—lying on the floor, tears streaming down his face, his expression filled with agony. She hurried over to plead with her Uncle Li: “Uncle, please save him… Look at him—he’s so pitiful!” As she spoke, the little girl walked over, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from Liang Jie’s forehead. “Is she… is she an angel…?” A delicate face came into Liang Jie’s view, filled with an indescribable tenderness and sympathy. In an instant, all of Liang Jie’s pain seemed to vanish, and his tense body began to slowly relax. “Take them to shower first, get them into clean clothes, then bring this kid over here so I can take a look!” Li Ba waved his hand to give the order. The smell on these women was too overpowering; he couldn’t quite stand it. As for the little boy, since Zhou Yan had brought him back, he wasn’t going to turn him away. Besides, judging by the way the girl was overflowing with compassion, if he turned the boy away, things might not go well for him in the future. Soon, the women had finished bathing and changed into clean clothes. Zhou Yan’s eye for selecting people was unquestionable. Although they were all gaunt and sallow, they were young and had delicate, attractive features. “Anyone who’s sick, step forward!” Li Ba ordered. He knew the situation in the refugee camp better than anyone. These women had survived this long largely by selling their bodies. Living conditions in the camp were appalling, and combined with their work in the sex trade—who knows how many clients they had to see each day—many of them had developed chronic health issues. Upon hearing this, the ten women meekly lowered their heads. After what seemed like an eternity, Liang Jing stepped forward first, and eight of the remaining nine women followed suit. Li Ba let out a soft “Hmm.” He turned his gaze to the only woman who hadn’t fallen ill, sized her up, and immediately had a good idea of who she was. She was in her twenties, quite attractive, with a short, cropped haircut. She stood well over 1. 75 meters tall, and though her complexion was waxy yellow, she looked remarkably alert. “What’s your name?” “Jin Yingyu。” “Hmm, not bad.” Li Ba nodded. This woman looked quite tough. “Here’s a solution specifically for treating inflammation.” Li Ba pulled open a drawer and took out several mineral water bottles filled with an unidentifiable red liquid. Pointing at the woman named Jin Yingyu, he instructed, “You’re in charge of treating them—both internally and topically. They should be fully recovered in less than two days.” This red liquid was actually Spirit Spring water from his spatial realm; Li Ba had added a bit of red yeast rice powder to it, giving it a new form and transforming it into a solution specifically for treating inflammation. Jin Yingyu nodded in response and took the potion. Afterward, Zhou Yan went to arrange accommodations for them. Of the ten women, nine had left, leaving only Liang Jing and her younger brother. “Where’s the wound? Let me take a look.” Li Ba took out another bottle of the red-tinged Spirit Spring water and walked over. Liang Jing quickly rolled up her younger brother’s pant leg. On his calf was a wound about the size of a copper coin—a dark, blackened area oozing pus and emitting a faint, fishy stench. “Uncle, can you heal him?” Yan'er had stayed in the office the whole time. She showed great concern for the young boy, who was about her age. “What caused this injury?” Li Ba frowned and asked. “It’s the fruit of some plant—I don’t know what it’s called.” As Liang Jing spoke, she reached into her bosom and pulled out a small metal box. When she opened it, inside was a spiky sphere about the size of a longan—oval-shaped and grayish-brown—though she had no idea what kind of plant’s fruit it was. Burdock! Li Ba recognized it at a glance. Its scientific name was cocklebur, also known as “sticky-head,” an annual herb. The entire plant was poisonous, with the fruit—and especially the seeds—being the most toxic. The surface of the fruit was covered with numerous hook-like spines and two large, horn-like spines. When ripe, the spiny fruit clung to animals’ fur, allowing it to spread to other places and reproduce. Li Ba was no stranger to this plant; it was commonly found in the countryside and fields. When he was a child, the mischievous boys at the orphanage loved to use burdock fruits as weapons, flinging them into the girls’ hair—where they’d get stuck so tightly they couldn’t be pulled out. Of course, that was just the common burdock. Liang Jing took out this one—as big as a longan and incredibly hard. If her guess was correct, it was definitely a mutated plant. Li Ba thought for a moment and immediately had the answer. In the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mutant Creatures, he found this mutant plant. In its original form, it was a burdock; after mutating, it was officially named the “Paralyzing Thistle” by the settlement authorities. As the name suggests, after mutating, this thing’s toxicity increased dramatically; even the slightest scratch would cause the entire body to go numb. Classified by the settlement authorities as an “aggressive mutant plant,” it would immediately eject spiny balls to attack the moment it was disturbed. Li Ba knew exactly what to do. He had Yan'er fetch some gauze, then used the Spatial Spirit Spring to clean Liang Jie’s calf. After bandaging the wound, he poured the remaining half-bottle of Spatial Spirit Spring directly into Liang Jie’s mouth. “Kid, drink this and you’ll be fine!” Li Ba said with a smile to the young man, who was struggling to swallow. Since the Spatial Spirit Spring could even neutralize highly toxic pesticides and rat poison, counteracting the toxicity of the paralyzing spiky balls should be no problem. “Th-thank you.” It had only been a few minutes since Liang Jie drank the Spirit Spring, yet he was already able to speak. “Xiao Jie！” Liang Jing’s face lit up with surprise and joy. She turned to Li Ba and kowtowed repeatedly, her gratitude beyond words. “Work hard from now on—that’ll be your way of repaying me for saving your sister and you.” Li Ba waved his hand. Afterward, Liang Jing picked up her younger brother and, guided by Yan'er, headed toward the Villa in the back. After everyone had left, Li Ba leaned back in his executive chair, his gaze fixed on the paralyzing spiked ball resting on the table, his expression pensive. At that moment, he waved his hand, causing the paralyzing spiked ball to be stored within the bracelet’s spatial realm, and his consciousness entered it simultaneously. A thick mist filled the air. Upon entering the bracelet’s spatial realm, he found the plot of land in front of the Tower planted with beans—lush and green, exuding the fresh scent of plants. As Li Ba’s consciousness arrived, under his control, the paralyzing spiked ball fell into the soil and quickly began to take root and sprout. As a tender sprout broke through the soil, the bean seedlings planted all around it began to wither and die one after another. By the time the plant had grown to half a chi in height, every bean seedling within a one-meter radius had withered and perished. “What a domineering plant!” Through his mental connection, Li Ba could clearly see that beneath the soil, the paralyzing thorn ball had a well-developed and highly aggressive root system, destroying the bean sprouts’ roots, plundering their nutrients, and strengthening itself. With a thought, a wisp of spiritual spring water drifted over, condensing without dispersing, and poured entirely onto the base of the Paralyzing Thorn Ball. Immediately afterward, this mutated plant began to grow at a frenzied pace. Ten minutes later. Li Ba’s consciousness withdrew. He stood up and stretched his limbs. Then he called over Da Fang and Xiao Fang, gave them a few instructions, and returned to the Villa to sleep. Sleeping was just a pretext; he intended to devote himself to studying this mutant plant.
