Super Plant Zombie System 2.0

Chapter3 The Summoning of Zombies

Kui Ge still felt dazed, unable to believe that he had just encountered elves from legend—and even spoken with them! Holding a map he had scavenged from the dead mercenaries, a green wooden blade hung at his waist, engraved with the Elven characters: Huiyao.

The elves of the Shara Tribe had already departed, and Kui Ge, despite the sickening smell of blood, forced himself to loot the pouches from the mercenaries' bodies. He gathered thirteen glistening gold coins, forty-one silver coins, and dozens of copper ones. The gold coins were as large as two thumbprints, the silver about two-thirds their size, and the copper half as big, each stamped with the image of an old man on one side and crossed swords on the other.

Kui Ge had his doubts before, but now he was certain—he had indeed arrived in another world, just like in those fantasy novels! However, one thing remained constant: wherever you went, money was indispensable. To him, that was an undeniable truth. He stuffed the coins into his pouch and hung it at his waist. Cursing under his breath, Kui Ge realized he had been so overwhelmed by excitement that he forgot to ask Yueying, the beautiful elf, how to use the space ring. According to the map, heading east was the right direction, and if he continued for another hundred miles, he would exit the forest!

Just as Kui Ge was preparing to leave, the mysterious voice in his head spoke again.

"Ding, species suitable for system activation detected: human corpse. Beginning species data collection... Species data stored."

"Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully activating the Plant Zombie System—Super Zombie System. You have unlocked the initial zombie type: Common Zombie. Current status (Negative Mental Energy): Summonable 2/2."

Kui Ge's mind reeled, nearly forgetting about the strange Plant Zombie System due to his recent encounter with the elves. Wait, what did the system just say? Super Zombie System? Slapping his forehead, it finally clicked! The mysterious system was exactly like the game he had been playing on the bus before arriving in this world—Plants vs. Zombies! Only now, he could summon both plants and zombies. But what did "Negative Mental Energy" mean? After some experimenting, Kui Ge excitedly discovered that the status line for summoning plants also displayed (Positive Mental Energy), allowing him to summon two plants! In other words, summoning plants and zombies consumed separate types of mental energy.

A distant roar from some wild beast jolted Kui Ge back to reality. The corpses would soon attract all manner of horrors lurking in the forest, so he needed to leave quickly. However, his Sunflower had no combat ability, and with over a hundred miles still to cover, there was no doubt he would encounter danger. With that in mind, Kui Ge decided to summon a zombie for protection.

Focusing on the strongest-looking corpse, Kui Ge silently chanted in his heart, "Summon Common Zombie." He only summoned one, fearing that summoning two might drain too much of his mental energy and knock him out. Once the chant was complete, Kui Ge eagerly watched the body.

Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke appeared beside Kui Ge, slowly forming into a humanoid shape. When the smoke dissipated, a zombie standing about 1.7 meters tall materialized next to him. Unlike the rotting creatures in movies, this zombie's body was hairless and covered in a faint green hue. Its muscles seemed shriveled but still sturdy, and its hands, rather than extending forward, hung loosely in front of it. Its blackened nails looked sharp enough for decent combat. The zombie's bald head and gray eyes were unsettling, and unless it opened its mouth, its fangs remained hidden. It wasn't as grotesque as the zombies from films, but it still gave off an intimidating vibe.

"Damn! I thought it would resurrect from the corpse! Nearly scared me to death!" Kui Ge patted his chest in relief and half-jokingly addressed the zombie. After inspecting it for a while, he nodded in satisfaction. "I'll call you Zombie Number One. You should be able to understand my commands. Follow me and make sure to protect me." Kui Ge moved behind the zombie, giving instructions. Though a bit stiff, Zombie Number One could walk at a pace similar to a regular person and dutifully turned to follow him.

In the dimming light of the forest, a man in jeans and a white shirt made his way through the undergrowth, with a zombie trailing behind. To steady his nerves, Kui Ge kept talking to his undead companion. "Hey, Number One, I told you to protect me, yet here you are walking behind me. Who's protecting who here?"

Zombie Number One glanced at his master with a slow, puzzled expression, but eventually understood that he was supposed to walk in front. Ignoring Kui Ge entirely, the zombie shuffled to take the lead. Seeing his master stop, Zombie Number One turned back, confused—why wasn't he moving?

"Forget it! Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall. It's almost dark; we should find somewhere to rest." Kui Ge waved dismissively at the zombie and set off to explore the area. He soon found a large boulder that, together with the ground, formed a seven-to-eight-meter space. Though it didn't block the wind, it would at least shelter them from rain. While there was still daylight, Kui Ge ordered Number One to gather firewood. The zombie obediently wandered off with a vacant expression, while Kui Ge, in typical absentminded fashion, assigned all the menial tasks to it.

"My mental energy seems to have recovered enough! I'll summon another zombie for extra security tonight," Kui Ge thought, feeling more confident. Summoning a second zombie, another cloud of black smoke appeared, revealing a figure similar to Zombie Number One. Though there were slight differences in appearance, they were nearly identical. Kui Ge named this one Zombie Number Two.

"Number Two, your job is to stand guard outside. If any threatening creatures approach, deal with them immediately." With that, Kui Ge instructed the second zombie. Although he didn't know how to improve his abilities yet, the immediate priority was to escape this cursed forest. As for food, well, Kui Ge hadn't forgotten that he possessed the Super Plant System!

"If my guess is correct, based on the Sunflower's abilities, it should take about four hours for the energy-restoring jelly to grow. Summoning two Sunflowers now should yield eight jellies by tomorrow morning!" Kui Ge excitedly calculated, then proceeded to summon a Sunflower.

"Summon Super Plant Sunflower!" A flash of golden light, and a Sunflower miraculously sprouted on the nearby rock. In its flowerhead was a green, jelly-like fruit. Kui Ge, overjoyed, quickly plucked the jelly and devoured it, feeling its refreshing fragrance spread through his body, replenishing some of his mental energy. He immediately summoned a second Sunflower. The two Sunflowers, like little girls, swayed their leaves and petals beside him. Kui Ge took out a bamboo tube he had fashioned earlier and stored the second jelly inside, sealing it with a lid.

Fatigue soon washed over him. Summoning two Sunflowers and an additional zombie had drained more of his mental energy than he had realized. Drowsiness took hold, and before he knew it, Kui Ge was nodding off, unable to resist the exhaustion.