Chapter 518: Chapter 518: The Cook and the Butcher
The black car stopped in front of an old courtyard wrapped in green vines.
The courtyard was covered so densely by the vines that it looked like a forest hut from a fairy tale.
"Don’t move recklessly later," the butcher stall owner cautioned again, concerned.
He wasn’t a good person, merely wanting to earn a little more crystal cores, considering Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin to be big clients.
After speaking, the butcher stall owner twisted his bulky body and got down from the driver’s seat.
Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin exchanged a glance and also got down from the car.
Taking advantage of the butcher stall owner opening the trunk, Bai Xiqin carefully observed the vines entwining the courtyard walls.
The vines harbored a peculiar energy similar to superpowers, evidently indicating mutated plants.
Occasionally, Bai Xiqin picked up a faint fragrance.
The fragrance wasn’t strong, yet it left Bai Xiqin feeling slightly dazed.
Without drawing attention, Bai Xiqin released the mutated Mandala Flower from her space, wrapping it around her wrist.
The purple mutated Mandala Flower transformed into a bracelet with purple flowers for Bai Xiqin.
The mutated Mandala Flower also emitted a faint fragrance, only perceptible to Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai.
The fragrance from the Mandala Flower significantly cleared Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai’s minds.
"Let’s go! Just don’t move recklessly later, just follow me,"
The butcher stall owner reminded again, carrying the meat from the trunk and taking the lead.
Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai walked side by side, following the butcher stall owner.
The vines also twined around the courtyard gate, making it impossible to open without removing the vines.
The butcher stall owner didn’t destroy the vine structure, instead, he threw the meat on his back towards the gate and then stepped back.
The heavy meat collided with the vines, producing a heavy thud.
To everyone’s surprise, the green vines moved collectively, hungrily reaching for the meat.
The cloth holding the meat was easily torn apart, and before the meat could fall to the ground, it was devoured by the vines.
Bai Xiqin clearly saw the vines bulging as if something moved inside while "eating" the meat.
The bloody smell of the meat quickly diminished until it vanished completely, at which point the green vines wrapped motionlessly around the old wall.
Unlike before, the gate was now vine-free.
The butcher stall owner rubbed his fingers, seemingly nervous, but still knocked lightly on the door.
"Chef, guests have arrived."
The butcher stall owner’s voice wasn’t as loud as usual, carrying a hint of fear.
He was not afraid of the chef, but of the vines entwining the courtyard walls.
This was the domain of the mutated plants, and if things turned ugly, he really wasn’t a match for them.
Someone inside responded, and then the door was opened.
As the door swung open, the scent from the vines on the walls grew more intense.
These mutated plants were like the Mandala Flower, possessing hallucinogenic capabilities.
Bai Xiqin quietly shifted her fingers, hiding the Mandala Flower on her wrist inside her pocket.
Leng Yebai stayed close to Bai Xiqin, where the Mandala Flower’s scent could influence them, keeping their minds clear, though they maintained an expressionless, slightly dazed façade while following the butcher stall owner.
Before entering, the butcher stall owner glanced back at Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai. Seeing them in a dazed state reassured him, and he proceeded inside.
The person who opened the door was similar in build to the butcher stall owner.
An oily plump face brimmed with a smiling expression, jiggling as he walked.
The figure dressed like any chef, wearing white clothes and a tall hat, with a neck nearly as thick as his head.
Presumably, before the apocalypse, he was a renowned chef.
"Butcher, today’s guests don’t seem very capable!"
The chef glanced at Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai, frowning slightly.
The higher the superpower of the guests, the more crystal cores they could offer, which meant more profit for them.
The stronger the superpower users, the less likely they were to be deceived by the vines on the wall; some only became dazed after entering the courtyard.
These two young people already appeared dazed before even entering the gate, still some distance away.
Clearly, the chef had doubts about their abilities.
"Don’t underestimate them. Both of them are at least Third Rank Superpower Users; they casually fetch a Second Rank Crystal Core. As long as we reach an agreement with them, we’ll have an endless supply of crystal cores flowing here."
The butcher stall owner, with an oily smile, waved Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin to continue following him.
Apparently, they believed Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai had been misled by the vines, so they openly discussed crystal cores in their presence.
They weren’t afraid that Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai would discover their intentions!
Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai cooperatively remained silent, expressionlessly following them.
"Alright! Then let them in first. If the crystal cores they send over are particularly few, might as well let the vines eat them; at least we’d get two High Rank Crystal Cores."
The chef nodded, fully opening the door.
Bai Xiqin noticed the chef’s fingers glimmering with specks of green light as he opened the door.
He was a Wood Ability User.
No wonder he dared live in a courtyard tangled with mutated vines.
Bai Xiqin maintained an expressionless gaze ahead, fortuitously catching the scene inside the courtyard.
Her pupils slightly contracted, yet she remained calm without reacting.
"Roar--"
The low roar of zombies emanated from within the courtyard, but it wasn’t as loud as zombies outside, rather much more subdued.
From the outside, you wouldn’t hear it unless you listened intently.
These zombies seemed like silent shouts.
A row of zombies crouched in iron cages, appearing very restrained, yet it didn’t stop them from growling in the direction of flesh.
Bai Xiqin’s sharp eyes instantly saw the tongueless mouths of the zombies.
Apparently, the people inside found the noise irritating and thus removed their tongues.
Like those who previously entered this courtyard, Bai Xiqin and Leng Yebai observed the scene without reacting, merely following the butcher stall owner.
Judging by their reactions, their minds seemed entirely ensnared.
Under normal circumstances, even if someone feigns at first, they would still react upon seeing zombies.
Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin’s composed demeanor fortified the butcher’s belief in their weak minds, easily manipulable.
Profits loom ahead!
"You take them in first; I haven’t watered Xiao Guai in a while, I’ll join you shortly."
The chef informed the butcher stall owner and walked toward the iron cages housing the zombies.
"It’s nothing; we’re in no hurry, we’ll wait for you,"
The butcher stall owner led Leng Yebai and Bai Xiqin away from the walls, interestedly watching the chef’s actions from a distance.
Casually, the chef picked up a butcher’s knife from the ground and effortlessly sliced open a zombie’s head, extracting the crystal core inside.
The crystal core drew a graceful arc in the air, landing directly in the butcher stall owner’s hands.
