Chapter 233: The Flower's Attack
"Shit!"
Even though Meng Ci had braced himself, he was still startled when the flower bud snapped open the moment his hand brushed it.
"Xiao Ci, are you okay?"
Shen Que quickly reached out and pulled Meng Ci back, shielding him as he asked worriedly.
Meng Ci shook his head, "I'm fine."
The flower bud was originally fist-sized, but when it opened, it was as large as a human head. Because it opened so suddenly, the mucus inside was still trailing in strings. Moreover, at its core, there were several things similar to human teeth, but those teeth were arranged in rows as sharp as a saw.
The flower bud opened and shook angrily, clearly frustrated at not getting a meal. It swayed in all directions, its mouth opening and closing hungrily.
Meng Ci thought of the soldier he had seen in the hospital, whose foot had been eaten away, and felt a chill. He estimated that the soldier's foot had been swallowed by this flower, which was why it had been gnawed down to that state.
Having seen enough, Meng Ci and Shen Que were about to leave.
But the plants weren't about to let them leave so easily.
Vines dropped from the trees, trying to wrap around their necks, while serrated leaves sprouted from the grass, slashing at their legs. Meanwhile, the flower buds swayed menacingly, their mouths opening and closing hungrily.
Fortunately, these plants were still in their early stages of mutation, so they weren't particularly dangerous yet. Meng Ci and Shen Que pulled out long knives from their gear and slashed through the mutated plants blocking their path, easily making their way out of the depths of the forest without receiving any injuries.
After leaving the forest, Meng Ci and Shen Que cut some additional weeds and weighed them, but they didn't even reach thirty pounds. They muttered, realizing that cutting mutated plants was too time-consuming, so they decided to look for other work.
After registering, Meng Ci and Shen Que left directly. The registrar didn't stop them, as work was always voluntary for the residents.
The two didn't use any other transportation but walked back home.
As Meng Ci opened the door, he wondered why neither Eggplant nor the eagle had come out to greet them.
But as soon as the door opened, he saw the dog named Eggplant sitting on top of a man, while the eagle stood by the side, staring sharply at him.
Meng Ci was shocked.
"Awoo!"
Seeing his master return, Eggplant got up and circled around, showing off to his owners. However, his paw still pressed down on the man, indicating it wanted two chicken legs.
"Woof woof!"
When the eagle saw the man under Eggplant struggling, it immediately let out a howl.
The man, seeing the eagle's sharp teeth, didn't dare to move again.
Meng Ci looked at the man and asked with raised eyebrows, "Alright, tell us what's going on."
The man, seeing how fierce even their dog and eagle were, figured the two must be even more formidable. Naturally, he didn't dare to tell the truth and instead made up a reason.
"I, I forgot my house keys, so I thought about climbing into my house. But I guess I got the location wrong and ended up climbing into yours."
"I didn't mean to do anything, please let me go. I promise I won't mess up again."
The man's hands were pinned beneath his body, already numb, and any movement caused pain.
But because Chili was still pressing down on him, he had no choice but to endure.
"Is that so?" Meng Ci asked suspiciously.
"Yes, yes," the man replied hurriedly, nodding with an expression as if he was about to cry.
Oh no, these two beasts are impossible to reason with. He could only hope that the two men in front of him were fools. In his heart, he silently mourned for himself, oh God, how could he be so unlucky.
Meng Ci sneered inwardly, not fooled by the man's thoughts.
"Shen Que, let's go inside."
"Okay," Shen Que followed behind Meng Ci.
The man thought Meng Ci was going to let him go, but to his surprise, Meng Ci suddenly spoke after entering the security door.
"Chili, Eagle, maim him and then let him go."
Since this guy dared to break in, he should be prepared to lose an arm or a leg.
Chili and Eagle responded with a bark, then bit the man.
"Woof, woof!"
"Bark, bark!"
One clamped down on his arm while the other sank its teeth into his thigh, causing the man to scream in agony.
Occasionally, people passing by outside heard the commotion and were scared into hurrying away.
Holy crap, what's happening in this household?
Terrifying.
Of course, no one even considered reporting it to the authorities. At this point, everyone was focused on their own safety. Who would want to get involved and risk trouble?
Half an hour later, the man was covered in bruises and bite marks, barely able to stand.
Shen Que came out, opened the door, and let the man out.
Chili and Eagle followed close behind, chasing him for several hundred meters before finally turning back.
On the way, people who saw these terrifying wolf and dog retreated, deciding that it was best not to provoke this family, or they might end up like that man.
Satisfied, Shen Que closed the door.
Meng Ci, seeing Chili and Eagle return, happily patted their heads and rewarded each of them with a large pork foot.
After the incident, Meng Ci and Shen Que returned to their home, where they spent the rest of the day leisurely playing with their phones. As they did, they heard a knock on the door.
Meng Ci quickly put the important items on the first floor into his storage space before going to open the door.
The man who entered was Xiang Jia.
Xiang Jia was carrying a bag, and his eyes lit up when he saw Xiong Ying.
"Meng, Shen student, I apologize for dropping by unannounced," said Xiang Jia as he handed the bag to Meng Ci.
Meng Ci accepted it.
"No need to be so formal, Director Xiang."
They had only met a few times and didn't have much in common. Seeing Xiang Jia frequently glancing at Xiong Ying, Meng Ci gestured for the dog to come over.
"Eagle, this is Director Xiang Jia. He's your comrade."
"He came by to check on you."
Meng Ci introduced Xiang Jia to Xiong Ying, and Eagle seemed to understand, showing no alertness towards Xiang Jia.
Xiang Jia's eyes grew warm as he looked at Eagle's dignified presence.
Before the apocalypse, he had also raised a military dog, but unfortunately, that dog was swept away by a flood while they were saving people during a heavy rainstorm.
"Can I pet him?" asked Xiang Jia.
"Sure, go ahead," Meng Ci nodded and patted Eagle.
Although Meng hadn't served in the military, he understood their bond. Eagle was starting to feel comfortable with Xiang Jia and obediently let him pet him.
Qie Zi, seeing a stranger petting his partner, opened his mouth to bark but was immediately silenced when Meng Ci pinched his mouth shut.
"Shut up!" Meng Ci silently threatened.
Qie Zi could only stay aside, keeping an eye on Xiang Jia.
As Xiang Jia petted Eagle, he was surprised to find no wounds on him.
"Meng, I don't see any injuries on Eagle. Why did he retire from service?"