The Post-Apocalyptic Big Farm Owner

Chapter 50: Exploding Spiked Ball

8:00 p. m. Li Ba lay back on the bed, appearing to be asleep, while his consciousness remained in the bracelet’s spatial realm. After being planted, that paralyzing spiked ball had sprouted and grown in just eight or nine hours. Now, the main stem was as thick as an arm, the entire plant stood over two meters tall, and it was covered with greenish-blue spiked balls. The speed of this mutant plant’s growth took Li Ba by surprise. The key factor was that every time he watered it with Spirit Spring water, the plant grew at a visible, rapid pace. The Spirit Spring within the space can cause ordinary plants to mutate. For mutated plants, it appears to have the effect of accelerating growth and deepening the degree of mutation. That paralyzing spiny sphere that served as the seed was no bigger than a longan, but now, the spiny spheres covering the plant are each as big as a fist—a full seven or eight times larger. And yet, it wasn’t even fully mature yet! Li Ba once again channeled the Spatial Spirit Spring, transforming it into a trickle that watered the base of the paralyzing thorn balls. As the crystal-clear spring water fell, the entire plant began to tremble softly, radiating a sense of joy and excitement. As the spring water flowed, Li Ba—through their mystical connection—could clearly sense the Paralyzing Spiky Ball’s root system greedily absorbing moisture and nutrients from the soil. The entire plant continued to grow, and its stems and leaves gradually shifted from green to a purplish hue. At the same time, Li Ba noticed that the color of the soil in this area was beginning to fade, showing signs of becoming barren. Without a second thought, he recalled his consciousness and went outside to retrieve more than a dozen crystal nuclei, which he stored in the space within his bracelet. All of these low-grade crystal nuclei had been obtained from Luo Jianguo. On the open market, a single low-grade crystal nucleus was worth twenty jin of grain coupons. When acquired from Luo Jianguo, however, each cost only fifteen jin of grain coupons. As he scattered the crystal nuclei, they quickly turned into mist and seeped into the soil. Before long, the land that had been on the verge of becoming barren was restored to fertility. Li Ba smiled with satisfaction. At the same time, he was secretly amazed—the nutrients absorbed by this single mutant plant were equivalent to those from several thousand jin of ordinary grain. Although the cost was high, Li Ba wasn’t stingy; on the contrary, he harbored a certain sense of anticipation. After two more waterings from the Spirit Spring, around 11:00 p. m. , this Paralyzing Spiky Ball had fully matured. The entire plant stood three meters tall, with a main stem as thick as a bowl’s mouth. Its spreading canopy covered an area of six or seven square meters, taking up nearly half the entire plot. More than half of the bean seedlings planted earlier had already withered. The plant’s stems and leaves had turned deep purple, covered with purplish-black spiny spheres; at first glance, it exuded an indescribable, eerie aura. Li Ba’s consciousness form stood nearby, watching, occasionally breaking into an excited smile. At the same time, he concentrated his mind, clearly sensing the strange emotions—such as adoration and obedience—being transmitted to him by this eerie plant. “Move one!” Li Ba issued a command through their mental link. Immediately, the entire plant began to writhe, its stems and leaves emitting an eerie “rustling” sound—a truly bizarre sight. “Spiky ball!” Li Ba sent another command. Whoosh, whoosh! A piercing whistling sound cut through the air. As the plant twisted, dozens of spiked balls were suddenly propelled outward with tremendous force. They struck the edge of the space and were bounced back by a mysterious force. The spiked spheres that fell to the ground were about to take root and sprout, but Li Ba teleported them away immediately. Then, his consciousness returned to his physical body; lying in bed, he suddenly opened his eyes. Having expended so much effort and paid such a heavy price to cultivate a mutated plant, Li Ba was naturally determined to use it to enhance his own strength. He already had a plan in mind for exactly how to proceed. The plants cultivated within the bracelet’s spatial realm shared a subtle, mysterious connection with him. Ordinary plants had such faint consciousness that he could barely sense them. Mutant plants, however, possessed a strong consciousness and could effectively obey Li Ba’s commands. Attack-type plants like the Paralyzing Spiked Sphere, if used well, could definitely become a deadly weapon against enemies. The key question was: how to apply them in combat? Li Ba sat on the bed, pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his left hand, focusing his mind on the strange tattoo on his wrist. A few seconds later, faint ripples began to spread from the tattoo, creating the sensation of space warping. Then, a purple plant emerged in a strange, slow ascent, as if growing directly from Li Ba’s wrist—an incredibly eerie sight. Just as the purple plant had grown half a foot long and revealed more than a dozen spiked spheres, Li Ba’s heart stirred, and he barked, “Fire!” The purple vine swayed, and the dozen or so spiked spheres attached to its stems shot out with a series of “whoosh” sounds, striking the wall across from him like bullets. Thud! The spiked spheres, bristling with sharp points and possessing tremendous penetrating power, all embedded themselves in the wall. Li Ba’s hand twitched, and the purple plant that had emerged from his wrist vanished, replaced by a face beaming with excitement. “It worked!” Using his own mental energy to control the mutated plants within the spatial realm, he exposed a small portion of them to the outside world and launched an attack. This was the method Li Ba had devised. To his surprise, it worked on the first try. He could control the plants within the bracelet’s space at will—both retrieving them and moving them around. As long as he executed the maneuver with precision, positioning the mutated plants at the junction where the bracelet’s space met the outside world, he could use the plants grown there to launch attacks. “If I could control the paralyzing spiked balls and hit exactly where I aim, my combat effectiveness would definitely skyrocket!” Excited, Li Ba jumped out of bed, went downstairs, and began practicing in the courtyard under the moonlight. Practice makes perfect! He believed that as long as he practiced diligently, he would surely reach the level of “hitting exactly where he aimed.” The next day. The rising sun drove away the darkness and brought Guangming to the earth. The early morning air felt refreshingly cool. Li Ba stood on the steps in the courtyard, gazing at the pitted wall six or seven meters away, his bloodshot eyes brimming with excitement. At his feet, the puppy squinted, curled up, and wagged its tail from time to time as a sign of affection. Last night, Li Ba had used the mutant plants he’d cultivated in the space within his bracelet to develop his own unique attack style. After a night of practice, he’d already made some progress. By using his mental energy to move the mutated plants to the junction where the bracelet’s space met the outside world, he could command them to attack. Moreover, as long as his movements were fast enough and his control precise, he could even conceal the presence of the parent plant. However, this was extremely draining on his mental energy. In Li Ba’s current state, he couldn’t sustain it for long before feeling exhausted and getting a headache. But he believed that with regular practice, his mental energy would gradually increase, and the adverse effects of controlling the mutated plants to attack would slowly diminish. After a night of intense practice—resting whenever fatigue set in—dawn broke before he knew it. The noise he made while “shooting darts” had startled the puppy, which had slipped downstairs to keep him company all night. “Go back now. I’ve got plenty of melons under my bed—eat as many as you want!” Li Ba gave the little puppy a gentle nudge with his foot. Even if the little guy hadn’t achieved anything, he’d at least put in the effort—he deserved a reward. The puppy seemed to understand what he meant; it wagged its tail and scampered back upstairs. The surprise that the aggressive mutant plants had brought Li Ba went without saying. He glanced at his watch, walked straight out the door, and headed toward the Villa where Shitou Feng Xiaoyang lived. The villa complex where Zhou Yan lived stretched in a row from east to west. Shitou and Feng Xiaoyang both lived at the far eastern end. From a distance, Li Ba could see more than a dozen pickup trucks parked there. Mercenaries from both teams were already boarding the vehicles in small groups. “Old Li!” Shitou happened to be stepping out just then; spotting Li Ba approaching, he hurriedly called out. “Leaving the city this early?” “Gotta make a living—I’ve got no choice!” Shitou chuckled. Then, realizing that Li Ba must have come over this early for a reason, he quickly asked, “Is there trouble at the supply store? Or is it that bastard Li Chao? Old Li, don’t worry—I’ll round up some guys and go deal with him right now!” After Li Chao had come by to cause trouble that day, Shitou Feng Xiaoyang heard about it upon their return and immediately took a group to warn Li Chao, making it clear that if he dared to come by and cause trouble again, they’d beat him up every single time they saw him—and they wouldn’t hold back. Compared to Shitou and Feng Xiaoyang, Li Chao’s strength as an Evolver was much weaker. If it weren’t for his title as a member of the official Evolver Brigade, Shitou and Feng Xiaoyang would’ve beaten him to a pulp long ago. “It’s not about him. I have something else I’d like to ask of you and Feng Shao,” Li Ba explained his purpose. He wanted to ask Shitou and Feng Xiaoyang to retrieve samples of several types of offensive mutant plants for him. “Aggressive mutant plants?” Shitou was taken aback. “Oh, a buddy of mine majored in agricultural technology before the apocalypse. He’s really interested in mutant plants and wants to get a few samples back to study!” Li Ba offered a plausible explanation. Shitou nodded and said, “There are plenty of mutant plants near Xibu, especially in the mountainous areas—and quite a few aggressive ones, too… But it’s way too dangerous over there. Not only are there aggressive mutant plants, but there are also powerful mutant beasts. Most mercenary groups would rather fight zombies than venture into the mountains!” At this point, Shitou glanced at his men and continued, “With my buddy’s skills, he wouldn’t be afraid to venture into the outskirts of the mountains. But my guys aren’t up to it—if something goes wrong, they’d be in extreme danger.” Li Ba nodded in understanding. He knew what Shitou meant—there was no way he’d risk the lives of his men just to get samples of aggressive mutant plants for him. “However,” Shitou added, changing the subject, “aggressive mutant plants are occasionally found in the farmlands of nearby villages.” He asked Li Ba to give him some time. As long as he came across any aggressive mutant plants, he would definitely bring them back for him. “No need to thank me, buddy. Just give Feng Shao a shout—when you have time, bring the guys over to my place, and we’ll have a drink!” Li Ba said with a smile. “Sure thing!” Shitou didn’t stand on ceremony and nodded in agreement.