Plants vs. Zombies

"So, your tolerance is still far too low."

Watching Beard Guy's face turn deathly pale and Nine-Tailed Fox brace herself against the Sofa as she vomited uncontrollably, Bai Zhi curled his lip and crouched beside the mangled corpse.

"If you can't even handle something like this, what are you going to do when you encounter something truly indescribable...? Haven't you undergone any relevant training in your daily lives?"

"...No, we haven't."

Forcing back the acid rising in his stomach, Beard Guy answered with great difficulty.

"If that's the case, I suggest you train yourselves in this area. For example, gorge yourselves on food while watching some particularly gory films, or try to finish a bowl of rice while standing beside a stench-filled latrine... If you keep at it long enough, you'll be able to sit at the same table as Lao Ba and Liang Feifan without changing expression."

Bai Zhi casually replied as his gaze carefully swept over the bloodied, mangled corpse before him.

"Tsk, tsk, the bones are showing too... Ah, all of a sudden, I feel like eating clear-braised pork ribs."

This time, it was not just Nine-Tailed Fox. Even Beard Guy ran to the side and began vomiting violently.

"..."

Having watched the entire scene from the doorway, Night Owl could not see the corpse because of her angle, but she still lacked the courage to walk over.

With an extremely conflicted state of mind, she put on the Glasses.

"All right, have you emptied out your stomachs? If you're done vomiting, it's time to work."

Bai Zhi casually tore off the Bamboo Mat spread over the Sofa and draped it over the corpse before standing up without a change in expression.

"No problem with a routine investigation, right? Front Yard, Backyard, Swimming Pool, and Rooftop—you three each pick one and investigate it. Record the details, then report back to me."

Nine-Tailed Fox/Beard Guy: "..."

This was a standalone Villa, and its layout was basically identical to the Game Bai Zhi remembered.

There was a lawn in front of the house and a Swimming Pool behind it, while the Rooftop had that same tiled structure. The details were virtually identical.

With enough manpower, all the information had been investigated and compiled in less than five minutes.

When the Countdown reached its final five minutes, a Virtual Screen appeared before each of the four. Each Light Screen had ten blank slots. Aside from a Slot Machine-like lever beneath the first blank slot, the other nine slots were greyed out and unusable.

"Pull the lever to obtain your Initial Plant. Each pull costs ten Game Coins, and you may pull it at most three times. Once selected, it cannot be changed... What does this mean?"

After reading through the rules, Night Owl looked rather confused.

"It's simple. We need to use four Plants to hold off the first wave. Haven't you played Plants vs. Zombies?"

Bai Zhi glanced at her.

"...Plants vs. Zombies?"

After giving it some serious thought, Night Owl honestly shook her head.

"I don't know it. I don't really play games."

"Never mind if you don't know... You all have ten Game Coins, right? Don't rush to select anything after the first pull, and don't rush into the next pull either. Follow my judgment... Hopefully, this isn't Version 95."

Seeing that there was not much time left, Bai Zhi could not be bothered to explain and spoke directly.

"Also, if any of you pull a Sunflower, select it immediately as your Initial Plant... All right, I'll take the Sunflower."

Looking at the Sunflower he had pulled on his very first attempt, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow and selected it as his Initial Plant.

Seeing him start, the other three also began pulling for their Initial Plants.

"[Destructive Mushroom]... Should I choose this one?"

Night Owl's eyes immediately lit up when she saw the Plant she had pulled on her first lever pull.

"The description says it's incredibly powerful and can destroy all Zombies across a wide area... Huh? What does sleeping during the day mean? Mushrooms sleep too?"

"...No mushroom-type Plants."

After a moment of silence, Bai Zhi answered wordlessly.

"Oh... How about [Corn Cannon]? The description says it can fire corn Missiles and wipe out all Zombies in an area at once. It looks even stronger than [Destructive Mushroom]."

"...I hope you pull something more normal on your third try."

After Night Owl and the other two had pulled a total of around seven times, the four Initial Plants were all selected under Bai Zhi's advice.

They were Bai Zhi's [Sunflower], Beard Guy's [Starfruit], Nine-Tailed Fox's [Peashooter], and Night Owl's... [Spitting Mushroom].

"Forget it. Its Sunlight cost is zero, so it can barely serve as Cannon Fodder... At least it's a little better than the previous two."

Looking at the Plant Night Owl had pulled with her final lever pull, Bai Zhi's mouth twitched slightly.

In a sense, using these four Plants to hold the first wave and clear the first level should not be a problem. But considering the possibility that Zombies might attack simultaneously from the front lawn, the rear Swimming Pool, and the Rooftop, Bai Zhi could not help feeling a headache coming on.

"The initial Sunlight is fifty points, and all Sunlight is shared. Aside from Night Owl, who can plant her [Spitting Mushroom] however she likes, none of you may use Sunlight casually."

After making a simple calculation in his mind, Bai Zhi began assigning tasks.

"Nine-Tailed Fox, you'll be in charge of the Rooftop. If any Zombies break in from there, use physical means to take them out directly. Any problems?"

"...No problem."

After thinking it over cautiously, Nine-Tailed Fox nodded.

"Good. Beard Guy, you'll be in charge of the Swimming Pool. First, plant a row of [Starfruit] on my side. Then plant two [Starfruit] each on the lawns beside the Swimming Pool. Once you're done, go to the Rooftop and replace Nine-Tailed Fox, then have Nine-Tailed Fox come down and plant [Peashooter]."

As he spoke, Bai Zhi turned to Beard Guy.

"What about me?"

Feeling ignored, Night Owl raised her hand somewhat unwillingly.

"As for you..."

Looking at Night Owl before him, Bai Zhi pondered briefly, then nodded.

"Go around and plant your [Spitting Mushroom] everywhere. Plant them as far forward as possible. The moment their cooldown ends, plant another one. Delay the Zombies' advance as much as you can. Trade your sacrifice for your companions' safety. We will never forget you, [Spitting Mushroom]."

Night Owl: "..."