Chapter 248: Hiding One's Weakness
Chapter 248: Hiding One's Weakness
Lei Jiang receives Zhou Xiang’s report that Yun Tao is outside the motel, killing zombies. Taking some supplies with him, Lei Jiang drives over, preparing to visit the motel himself and meet the "mobile granary."
Meanwhile, Yun Tao spends the entire morning clearing zombies from the street. Anran secretly manipulates the plants on the ground, using them to catch the rats that occasionally pop out.
In the past, when she couldn’t communicate actively with plants — or only did so passively — Anran hadn’t realized she had this ability. It’s only during the rat siege at the construction site that she discovers her power can locate the roots of underground plants.
Now, she’s practicing and applying it. The thought of rats tunneling everywhere terrifies her. She worries that one might emerge at night and gnaw Doll to death before she even notices.
So while Anran appears to be playing with Doll in the room, she’s actually focused on sensing the roots of plants beneath the ground. This strange new awareness makes her world far from lonely — in fact, it’s bustling and noisy.
In her mind, it feels as if countless voices are chattering away — everyone talking at once like a busy marketplace. If she focuses, most of it is nonsense — things like "That stone hit my waist!" or "You’re squeezing me!" — trivial and irrelevant.
But every so often, something useful comes through: "A mouse is coming!" or "I found a rat hole!" or "I killed it! I'm amazing! Praise me!"
When it comes to identifying people or zombies, however, the plants aren’t as helpful. They mostly describe vague shapes: "Humanoid!""Strong presence!""There are a few!"
Perhaps because Anran’s ability isn’t very powerful yet, the information she receives lacks clarity. The plants can’t even distinguish Yun Tao from the zombies.
Yun Tao notices someone further down the street holding back the approaching zombies. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and returns to the motel.
Inside, Anran emerges from the room carrying Doll and sits further inside, where it’s cooler. The weather is hot, and sitting in the shade helps keep Doll calm.
When she sees Yun Tao come in, she tilts her head and asks, "Are there still a lot of zombies outside?"
"Someone’s helping us deal with them," Yun Tao replies vaguely. He walks to the table in the middle of the hotel, frowning as he studies the map. Removing his bloodstained shirt, he’s left in a short-sleeved T-shirt as he moves around the room.
Doll coos softly, her round eyes fixated on Anran as if recognizing her. Anran makes a few funny faces to entertain her, then turns her attention back to Yun Tao.
"Actually," Anran says, "I can help you deal with some of the zombies outside."
"Don't use your power openly for now," Yun Tao warns, still focused on the map. He points to the end of the street and explains, "There are always people moving around this area. The zombies aren’t all here for us. If you reveal your power, you'll expose yourself. In this world, it’s best to keep a low profile whenever possible."
Drawing attention is dangerous, especially since Yun Tao still doesn’t know what Lei Jiang’s intentions are — or what those hidden figures lurking in the shadows are planning. He and Anran are better off staying quiet; otherwise, they might end up facing serious trouble.
Anran nods. She feels like she’s just learned a new lesson from Yun Tao — hiding one's strength.