Chereads / Apocalypse with a cheat sheet / Chapter 12 - Grow up fat and shiny...

Chapter 12 - Grow up fat and shiny...

Yanlong mixed a spoon of the cactus-grow in a tumbler, poured some of it in the pot. Then she placed her hand on the cactus and started encouraging it to grow. The water is completely absorbed, so she filled water two more times, pruned thorns three more times before the ball truly became a fat cactus ball and grew a sprout. Yanlong's uneasiness increased. She vaguely had a feeling this is not what the girl intended. The cactus is supposed to grow a flower on it's top, a beautiful combination of white and pink, on top of a glistening emerald green ball.

Yanlong could feel the anger boiling over in her mind. She could vaguely identify these feelings are not hers, but it's like she is possessed by a demon. Her anger reached out to the plant, an absolute command with unyielding spirit. Yanlong filled out a bucket of water with all the fertilizer in it and started feeding the cactus.

The cactus shuddered as Yanlong's power reached. Yanlong could feel a fire started in her back, burning all the way through her arms to her fingers. The cactus visibly started burning off it's thorns, then the little sprout on it's top. They both visibly dried out and fell off on the floor. Soon, the cactus's skin followed. Then it started swelling up like a balloon of glistening emerald color, with beautiful white and pink flowers sprouting on it's top, all the way like a flower arrangement.

With the shade it is, one could not even tell if it's a vase or flower. Yanlong vaguely knew now it is a cactus of self pollinating flowering type, rather than one that propagates through stem. Yanlong slowly lost her consciousness looking at the pretty potted plant. Her last thought is 'I screwed up'.

She woke up after half an hour. The potted plant was still sitting pretty in it's pot. Yalnong would have gone straight for it had she never experienced apocalypse. As such, she very much doubted that a plant belonging to and modified by the person of such unyielding spirit would be normal, no matter how pretty it looked.

Thus, she poked it with a broom from some distance. The reaction is immediate. The flowers folded inwards, the plant shot thorns out. The reaction is so quick, she could not even react. She cautiously moved away from the plant, pulled out one of the thorns embedded in the wall. Smooth texture, like a really long cone, it did not break it's tip even when embedded in the wall. Had she been in its path, despite being reborn, despite having the best defense or offence power, she would have died.

These kinds of incidents are why talents and Actives did not become second order citizens in the past. Such people are called olympians. It's a moniker given by the crowd to the men and women with absolute strength of will towards their own random crazy agendas. Even psychics got affected when they tried processing an olympian's crystal nuclei. Very few sensitives have the strength of will to purify such nuclei. Yanlong dearly hoped this was the end of it. She dearly, dearly and dearly hoped this is the last wish of this particular girl.

For now, she needs to move this bloody plant somewhere else so it could be less of a public hazard, more of a defense line. Yanlong packed the thorns(they could be useful later), moved the plant carefully, not touching a single part of it. She should take this to the administration building. She started crawling, holding the potted plant like holy grail, flowers facing away from her.

She needs to go to some place with less people to settle this plant. She could vaguely feel the consciousness of the girl. Her meaning couldn't be clearer. Let the plant be in a place where it could live peacefully. With that, she would fulfill the girl's last wish, hopefully, there will be no more side effects. At least, yanlong hopes so.

She had to carefully crawl through almost half a floor before she reached the vent. She cut one of the false ceiling boards to fit the bucket, set the vase in it, making sure it can not be jostled in any manner. She dragged the bucket behind her with a blood string. After she reached the vent, she slowly cut to create steps. She had to take rest once every two floors, but she did get to the administrators floor by the night.

She set her course straight to the dean's office. If nothing else, she should get and give root access to Huomei. Yanlong knew from the beginning she is not the type to stay in charge. She liked being a salted fish. Her personality is most suited to a salted fish. However, in times of apocalypse, the only way to be a salted fish is to have a talented and good person ruling over you.

Thus, Huo mei and Mei bing must have any and all tools to success. As soon as they recover and rescue the boys, Yalong is sure they will try to take control and grow power for themselves. There is nothing to fault there. If one is not ambitious, they would not have come here. It's foolishness to expect smart people to be only ever valiant and honorable.

However, she is too tired today. She lowered the cactus plant. The flowers on top of it are in the shape of a fairy ring. If she sleeps right atop the cactus flower, she will not get attacked. At the same time, if she so much as turns over, her fate couldn't be guaranteed. Yanlong decided to keep the security measure rather than not keep it.

She tied herself to the false ceiling's frame and slept. Just to be cautious, she even tied the false ceiling to the overhanging hook. The cactus plant stood watch innocuously beneath her in the corridor. It is only when the night is through Yanlong will realize how wise she had been to have arranged it this way.