Chapter 18: The Capture

He took out the key and headed to the basement. The key slid effortlessly into the lock, and with a twist of his wrist, the armored door, sealed tight as if welded shut, swung open with a satisfying click.

Inside, various sophisticated instruments were neatly arranged, while piles of documents and experimental data lay haphazardly stacked.

Jiang Linyi approached, his fingers gliding across the tabletop. Instantly, his fingertips turned black—the thick dust blanketing the entire laboratory.

Everything was exactly as it had been in his previous life, unchanged in the slightest. Could that zombie really be unaware of this place?

After pondering for a long time without reaching a conclusion and fearing that Lu Li might suddenly return and catch him off guard, Jiang Linyi hastily took out some cleaning solution and began tidying up with swift efficiency.

Meanwhile, the thorns embedded in Lu Li and the others had already been removed. Now, they lay neatly sprawled in the pit, completely limp.

A porcupine chewed leisurely on willow branches overhead, seemingly at ease, which made Lu Li and the alligator grind their teeth in frustration.

“Dog system, are you sure this will catch the porcupine?”

The panel remained silent. Yet, seeing that leisurely 100,000 contribution points, Lu Li clutched her chest and pulled out a baby fist-sized plum from her backpack.

The plum was about seventy to eighty percent ripe, its skin a deep reddish-purple, round and plump, dusted with a fine white bloom. Even before bringing it close to her nose, the sweet, refreshing aroma of the fruit wafted enticingly.

This precious plum had been snatched from the beak of a bird that had delicately grasped it from the willow branches. The bird’s grip was so skillful that the fruit remained unblemished by the time it reached Lu Li’s hand. Although the bird itself carried a high contamination level, the plum’s contamination was only five percent.

Cradling this rare fruit carefully in her palm, Lu Li’s mouth watered.

“Are you really going to use this to catch the porcupine?”

Now that the plum was out, Lu Li felt even more reluctant to part with it. In this world, when would she have another chance to taste a plum again?

Swallowing hard, she gazed at the fresh plum still attached to its stem. With a resolute heart, she pressed down hard. Accompanied by a crisp “crack,” the fruit split neatly in two.

This was the variety with the pit removed. Lu Li carefully extracted the stone and tucked it away. Staring at the juicy halves in her hand—purple-black on the outside, golden and crisp within—her stomach began to protest.

In her previous life, Lu Li had never been fond of plums; they were either too sour or too sweet. She could never find one that matched her taste, so she lost interest.

Now, looking at this fruit born of a mutated plum tree in the apocalypse, Lu Li found herself recalling the sweet and sour flavor once more. Besides, this plum was still firm to the touch. She had always liked something a bit tough to bite into, and now that she was a zombie, she no longer needed to worry about her dental health.

Holding the two plum halves felt like clutching a treasure of gold, and Lu Li found it hard to let go. In the end, she followed her heart.

Both halves were for it—did it even deserve less?

She brought the broken plum to her lips and gently bit down. The flesh exploded on her tongue; the sourness hit like a mountain spring—sharp and invigorating, raising her eyebrows as her taste buds awakened. Then came the deep sweetness from the fruit’s core, perfectly balanced and never cloying.

Another chew revealed the firm, crisp texture—never mushy. Each bite was accompanied by a subtle “crack” as the crispness echoed between her teeth. The clear, refreshing sweet and sour juices filled her mouth, sliding down her throat and leaving a delightful thirst-quenching sensation.

Before long, half the plum was gone. Lu Li glanced at the other half, her resolve wavering—should she eat more or save a quarter as bait?

After the contamination reached five percent, she no longer noticed any strange odors. Instead, the plum tasted exceptionally delicious, surpassing all her expectations.

The porcupine finished the willow branches and began to search around. The alligator regained some strength, and after suffering a heavy loss, it grew restless and uneasy as the porcupine gradually drew nearer.

Lu Li’s eyes sharpened with craving. She stretched out her arm and tilted her head back, trying to stop it from tempting the creature.

Judging by this plum, Lu Li surmised that the plum tree must be a mutated species with enchanting qualities—otherwise, how could she be this ravenous?

Holding the plum away, she forced herself to ignore the alluring fragrance.

After negotiating with Sister Liu, Lu Li removed the willow branch from her wrist and tossed it aside to lure the porcupine. The alligator remained in the pit to guard the children, while Lu Li quietly climbed out and dashed toward the abandoned wicker basket. She grabbed it and threw it back into the pit before swiftly turning and running toward Sister Liu and the porcupine.

The willow branch abandoned the tender leaves it had been holding and twisted back to coil around Lu Li’s wrist. Lu Li frantically dodged the porcupine’s advancing body, determined not to let its long spines touch her.

The quills were actively launched by the porcupine and would detach after a physical impact. As long as she avoided contact, she wouldn’t be impaled like a hedgehog.

But this porcupine was nothing like the docile creature described in the encyclopedia—one that only defended passively and avoided attacking.

This counterfeit “forest gentleman” was fiercely aggressive, pushing its mutated speed to the limit. Lu Li twisted and contorted her body like an alien creature trying to evade it, yet still ended up with several long quills stuck in her.

She gritted her teeth against the pain and darted behind the tree she had just used for cover. Blood seeped into the soil.

“Song-ge, help! After we settle terms, find Sister Liu!”

Lu Li, unscathed for the moment, was startled, but the porcupine had already raised its spines and charged at her.

She clasped her hands together, swaying them up and down, muttering apologies and pleas as she hurried into the territory of the cedar trees.

Once safe, Lu Li nimbly climbed a tree to snap off some branches. According to Sister Liu, these were the hardest plants nearby. Glancing at the porcupine behind her, its two long fangs glinting, Lu Li smiled wickedly.

She refused to believe that while the porcupine’s speed and quills had mutated, its fangs could also evolve! Did it think it could run wild in this forest forever?

Lu Li perched astride a branch, wary of the porcupine while rubbing her hands together obsequiously.

“Song-ge, um… do you want to grow broader and have a larger territory? That’s called apex advantage, you know? If I trim the top for you, your side branches will flourish and grow bigger!”

The pine needles stood erect, and the branches rustled softly. While removing the porcupine’s quills, Lu Li looked up to see the dense cedar foliage shimmering with cold green spikes.

“Sister Liu, have Song-ge’s needle leaves mutated in hardness too?”

The willow branch swayed as if responding, and the needles twisted, all the long spines around her suddenly pointing straight at her, flaunting an arrogant, coquettish display.

Lu Li immediately shut her mouth and obediently curled up on the branch, daring not to move.

The gleaming green spines closed in, and Lu Li forced a smile more pitiful than crying. “Song-ge, you’re really amazing. Such sharp pine needles must be the hardest in the universe!”

The pine needles trembled and then relaxed, satisfied. Lu Li decided that once she returned home, she would replace all sharp objects—or at least cover those she couldn’t replace. She was starting to develop “sharpness phobia.”

Under the cedar’s shadow, the porcupine barely stopped its claws. It arched its back, the spines rubbing together with a rustling sound.

As it hesitated whether to approach, Lu Li suddenly ran into trouble.