Chapter 13: The Non-Human Communication Channel

The alligator's gaze toward the willow tree grew increasingly menacing, and Lu Li, emboldened by the alligator’s presence, began to beat and kick the tree so hard that its trunk visibly caved in.
“I want good, low-pollution stuff. If anything goes wrong, just wait—I'll have Brother Croc dig you up, hmph!”
The willow branch, which had been reaching toward Lu Li, suddenly stopped abruptly, dropped what it was carrying, and swiftly drifted into the water.
Leaning against the great crocodile, under its protection, Lu Li directed the willow branches to fish things out of the river as offerings.
Though she couldn’t quite understand the nature of this Yangtze alligator, Lu Li found herself working smoothly by pretending to be backed by such a formidable ally.
After giving the willow branches another round of harsh scolding, Lu Li detected two black fish weighing dozens of pounds, both with low pollution levels.
Before she could even drool over her find, she caught the Yangtze alligator’s large, adorable eyes staring back at her. Clutching her aching chest, Lu Li forced a flattering smile and offered her catch up the food chain.
“Brother Croc, try this. Black fish—thick meat, no small bones, absolutely premium quality! Slurp…”
Lu Li held up the fish, stifled her fantasies, and wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth.
The crocodile shifted its heavy body closer, tilted its head, and opened its wide jaws.
“Hmph~”
The grunting pig-like sound echoed in her ears. Facing a crocodile head half the size of her own body, Lu Li didn’t find it cute—it was a blatant threat.
Reluctantly, she stuffed the black fish into the crocodile’s mouth and quickly withdrew her hand, fearing it might become a snack if she hesitated.
Blood oozed from between the sharp teeth; Lu Li shrank her neck and continued rummaging through the items gathered by the willow branches.
She found several more low-pollution small fish and held one in front of the alligator.
“Brother Croc, this fish might get stuck in your teeth, so why don’t you give it to little me instead? What do you say?”
The Yangtze alligator cast her a kindly glance and resumed swallowing the black fish.
“Glug glug,” after a few gulps, both black fish were gone. The crocodile lazily twisted its body and scooped through the pile of ingredients with its front claws.
Not finding anything satisfactory, it swished its large tail violently against the tree trunk.
“That’s right! Brother Croc, hit it hard—you’re up to no good!”
Seeing the crocodile clawing at the willow tree, Lu Li egged it on while secretly pocketing the low-pollution food.
The willow branch handed over a green stalk, which Lu Li caught casually. When she saw what she was holding, she froze.
The straight, sturdy stem was covered in lush, slender, oval leaves. At first glance, Lu Li almost tossed it aside—until she spotted the familiar yellow tuber at the root. The pale yellow tinged with purple-pink meant it was definitely crisp and tender.
A gentle breeze stirred the young ginger shoots, which swayed softly. Lu Li’s nostrils flared greedily, savoring the sharp, spicy aroma floating in the air.
Ginger!
She had found ginger!
Lu Li carefully cradled the ginger shoots, barely daring to breathe deeply. Her hand holding the detector trembled, caught between eagerness to test it and fear the results would disappoint.
Steeling her nerves, she decided she would claim it no matter what; if necessary, she would plead with the villain later. Narrowing her eyes, she activated the device.
Pollution level: 10%
Lu Li rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Pain flared, but the burning sensation in her eyes could not dampen her excited heart.
Tears streamed down her face as she wildly wiped the saliva from her lips.
Holding the tender ginger shoots close to the Yangtze alligator, she exclaimed, “Brother Croc! Ginger with only 10% pollution! I got ginger—ha ha ha!”
Watching Lu Li’s manic laughter, the alligator’s eyes widened, pupils dilated, and its awkward grin stretched wide, its jowls puffed out.
Seeing the crocodile like that, Lu Li fell silent, her expression turning strange. Was this the alligator’s “yawn”?
If it maintained a normal size, she might have been tempted to cuddle it and call it “baby.”
But this form made the alligator seem stupid, strange, and eerie all at once.
As if sensing something, the crocodile snapped its mouth shut and glared fiercely at Lu Li, its pupils narrowing to needles.
Lu Li quickly forced a smile. “Brother Croc?”
The Yangtze alligator glanced dismissively at the ginger, uninterested, and turned back to tussle with the willow branch.
Lu Li sighed deeply, then carefully examined the willow branch that had just delivered the ginger. She grabbed a handful of similar branches and gently repositioned the ginger shoots to avoid damaging the newly sprouted roots.
“Just get me more of these! The more, the better—or Brother Croc and I will dig you all up!”
She spun among the branches in front of the ginger shoots, unsure how to communicate plant to plant, so she muttered in her zombie language as best she could.
The willow tree that the alligator had been attacking responded; the branches lazily stretched out into the distance. The crocodile lifted its head with the branches, then slowly dug a hole beneath the tree with all four claws.
Was Brother Croc unhappy and planning to uproot the tree?
Fearing her ginger venture would be ruined, Lu Li hurried over and filled in the soil that the crocodile had dug out near its mouth.
“Brother Croc? They just helped us—uprooting them now wouldn’t be right, would it? At least wait for them to pull up the ginger first.”
As she pleaded with the alligator, a willow whip lashed her back again.
The familiar sting left her dazed for a moment, and before she could react, the alligator slapped her with a paw, wagged its tail, and started to leave.
Feeling wronged, Lu Li rubbed her back. “If it weren’t for the ginger, I’d be the first to uproot you all!”
The crocodile brushed her with its cold scales, its tail lightly tapping.
“Brother Croc?”
“Hmph~”
Confused, Lu Li was led by the alligator’s nudges toward the river, trembling yet unable to refuse.
The leaves rustled continuously, and suddenly a soft willow branch wrapped gently around Lu Li’s wrist. Its earlier sharpness had turned into tenderness as it poked her fingers and pointed at the alligator.
What was going on?
Looking at the river water barely covering her ankles and still confused by their interaction, Lu Li realized her own life was more important.
She leaned forward, extending the wrist entwined with green tendrils. “Brother Croc?”
“Hmph~”
With the grunting sound, the willow branch swayed. Lu Li couldn’t understand their silent communication.
Eventually, the willow branch yielded, limp and drooping from her wrist, while the alligator tilted its neck, smiling slyly and proudly looking down at Lu Li.
The willow branch stretched; the crocodile urged; and Lu Li was pushed back to her original spot.
She stared at the alligator digging the soil with a headache. Under the urging of these two utterly different creatures, Lu Li seemed to understand what she was supposed to do.
“Brother Croc, should I dig too?”
The Yangtze alligator gave a surprisingly humanlike nod. Leaves rustled, willow branches waved and flailed, prompting her on. Lu Li was stunned—among all the non-human beings in this apocalypse, why couldn’t she join their frequency?
She squatted down and, guided by the willow branch wrapped around her wrist, dug up a handful of soil.
Alright, this was a task she was good at.
Soon, two shadows blocked her digging hands, one on each side.
She patted the soil in her hands, stood up, and stepped aside.
The Yangtze alligator waddled to the riverbank, scooped new silt with its short snout, and returned it to the pit. Then, with its mouth open, it gestured to Lu Li to continue working.
Seeing this, Lu Li stared at the display in disbelief.
“Are they composting?”