One thing Xu Nuo was certain of was that the spatial ring should be able to accommodate Green Vine. So, where exactly did Green Vine come from, or did Park Su possess a space-based ability in addition to the wood-based one he had shown?
However, this seemed unlikely. If Park Su truly had a spatial ability, he wouldn't be so fixated on the spatial ring. Indeed, Park Su held more secrets than Xu Nuo had imagined.
Yet, since they were now teammates and Park Su seemed willing to reveal his cards in front of him, regardless of whether this was a test or had some other purpose, one thing was clear: Xu Nuo didn't need to actively probe into his secrets. Park Su would share what he deemed appropriate when the time was right.
Xu Nuo thought this approach was quite agreeable. After all, no one appreciated being pried into their unwillingly guarded secrets, and he didn't want to ruin the friendship they had carefully built over time with mere curiosity.
People that Xu Nuo genuinely appreciated were few and far between, and through their recent interactions, he had grown quite fond of Park Su. Park Su always brought unexpected warmth, a warmth that made Xu Nuo feel at ease, something he had not experienced even in times of peace, let alone in this apocalyptic world.
He understood his own temperament well enough to know that finding another teammate who he could trust, be willing to interact with, and who in turn trusted and cared for him, was not an easy task. After spending time with Park Su, he found himself increasingly reluctant to return to the days of solitary struggle.
People often say that one shouldn't try solitude because returning to it would be lonelier. Before, living alone had never seemed like a burden or a hardship to him; he even enjoyed his solitary existence.
But now, just the thought of going back to wandering alone was unsettling. Perhaps for this reason, he was acutely aware that if he had to choose between knowing Park Su's secrets or losing him, he would rather remain ignorant of Park Su's secrets.
So, was there still a need for him to pursue what these secrets were? Evidently, no!
He was well aware that if he continued to dig, it would only strain their relationship. There was plenty of time ahead; there was no need to rush. Park Su's mind, after all, would likely reveal his secrets bit by bit, especially considering the inconsistencies already present.
Nevertheless, Xu Nuo was very interested in the information Park Su had shared with him. After all, he was still puzzled by the sudden emergence of this spiritual energy, or ability.
He believed this spiritual energy was somehow connected to the sudden surge of spiritual qi in the world. If one day he could fully understand the origin or purpose of this spiritual energy, perhaps he could uncover the root cause of why humans had become as they were now.
And by finding the root cause, there might be a chance to resolve the current situation. Of course, regarding matters he wasn't confident about, there was no need to speak out, so even when facing Park Su, he didn't reveal all his thoughts.
Now, with Park Su telling him that these zombies had crystal nuclei in their brains, and that the energy contained within them seemed to determine the zombies' abilities, Xu Nuo had his own suspicions. He had noticed that the zombies he encountered recently were much more formidable than those from before.
Moreover, their agility seemed to have improved as well. When Park Su mentioned the nuclei, Xu Nuo began to understand where the spiritual energy he had felt before was coming from. If these crystal nuclei could help zombies absorb the rapidly increasing spiritual energy in the air, it meant that besides humans, zombies could also become stronger over time. He wondered what these zombies would turn into after absorbing even more spiritual energy, and whether they might develop abilities like humans.
However, now Park Su was telling him that he could enhance his own spiritual energy by absorbing the crystal nuclei from the zombies' brains, which piqued Xu Nuo's interest in these nuclei even more.
But at the end of the day, this air-born spiritual energy not only affected the humans who still had their will but also had an impact on these undead yet still moving zombies. It was unclear whether these influences would ultimately affect their survival.
Park Su had been anxiously awaiting Xu Nuo's response, but after his revelation, Xu Nuo seemed lost in thought, pondering something deeply. This only heightened Park Su's nervousness, causing him to swallow several times in succession.
Seeing Xu Nuo's furrowed brow, Park Su couldn't hold back any longer and patted his shoulder, "What's wrong? If you have any questions, you can definitely ask me. I'll tell you everything I know." Mainly, not saying anything is really terrifying, you know...
Besides, in Park Su's view, even if he revealed his secret, it was unlikely anyone would believe it. After all, rebirth was a common trope in novels but was impossible in reality! Therefore, he didn't see the point in sharing it just to be mocked.
As long as he insisted that the crystal nuclei's effects were an accidental discovery, that was fine. As for Green Vine's situation, there was no need to hide it from Xu Nuo, especially since Xu Nuo had shown such formidable abilities. If Park Su wanted to be his partner, revealing a bit of his hand at the right time wasn't a problem; it could even be considered necessary.
After all, this mutated creature, Green Vine, had entered his dantian, and he still hadn't fully understood its workings. Moreover, he didn't know if his dantian still had any other functions.
So, even if he were to tell Xu Nuo, he could only share what he currently understood. Thus, if he could trade revealing Green Vine's uniqueness for Xu Nuo's trust, Park Su didn't think it was an unfair exchange.
After all, Xu Nuo had already revealed a major card like the ability to craft spatial rings, hadn't he? Not to mention Xu Nuo's high status as Master Xu Nuo. To cling to such a formidable ally, Park Su knew he couldn't appear too incompetent. Who knew if Xu Nuo might cast him aside for being too weak?
To stay close to such a deity, Park Su had to prove himself useful, right?
Xu Nuo, his thoughts interrupted, frowned. Turning to meet Park Su's almond-shaped eyes, which were staring straight at him, he felt a flutter in his heart before he furrowed his brows and said, "Why are you looking at me like that? Instead of looking at me, you might as well kill more zombies. Don't you want to save those people? Why aren't you moving?"
With that, Xu Nuo took action first. To study the crystal nuclei, he naturally needed one in his hands. He didn't see the need to compete with a plant for nuclei, and since Park Su's gaze had given him an odd feeling, killing zombies became the best way to dispel it.
Park Su, watching Xu Nuo's departing figure, touched his nose. It seemed that even if he wanted to reveal his secret, Xu Nuo might not be interested in knowing.
Oh well, as long as he could show his prowess in front of Xu Nuo and let him know that his combat strength wasn't lacking, he should achieve the same effect.
With this in mind, Park Su quickened his pace to follow Xu Nuo. The zombies, after failing to break through the doors, sensed the commotion here and began to gather in their direction.
However, some zombies that had already developed crystal nuclei in their brains seemed to sense the aura of strength emanating from Park Su and Xu Nuo, hesitating to attack them and instead relentlessly trying to break into the residents' homes.
For enemies that came willingly to their doorstep, Xu Nuo never showed mercy. After quickly dispatching several, he finally had a few white zombie crystal nuclei in his hands.
He swiftly stored these nuclei in his spatial ring, intending to study them later, but he was unaware that Park Su, following behind, felt somewhat disheartened. Having seen the might of Xu Nuo's formations, having been saved by him, and equating him with Master Xu Nuo, Park Su held Xu Nuo in high regard.
Still, he hadn't anticipated that Xu Nuo's killing power would be so formidable. He followed just a few steps behind but didn't even get a chance to strike.
Xu Nuo killed those low-tier zombies as easily as if he were picking vegetables in peaceful times. More astonishingly, while killing zombies, he still found time to quickly collect the crystal nuclei from their brains.
Moreover, Park Su noticed that when Xu Nuo took the crystal nuclei, all the brain matter and bloodstains on them seemed to have vanished, leaving them clean, a method he couldn't fathom.
Even more impressive, Xu Nuo wasn't always using the method Park Su had seen, which incinerated the entire zombie body, yet he still killed them with one strike, leaving behind only the fallen corpses of the zombies.
One would think such a method would be gruesome, but there was no scent of blood where he passed, unlike the gory aftermath Park Su left after killing zombies, which attracted even more of them, just like the day before.