Grass Clone

The perspective shifted back to Yu Jing and Yu Xiaoxiao's room.

When Yu Xiaoxiao proposed their plan for the night, Yu Jing immediately rejected it.

"Yu Xiaoxiao, without any experience fighting ghost creatures, it's best we stay put tonight. We can explore the inn slowly tomorrow morning, try to understand every area, and gather information from the old woman at the counter. We should only act once we have enough intel. Tonight is simply too dangerous."

"I haven't killed real ghost creatures, but I've killed plenty of bad people," Yu Xiaoxiao replied coldly.

Yu Jing, who usually didn't talk much, found himself speaking more in front of Yu Xiaoxiao.

"Let me analyze just how dire the current situation is. We have over eight hundred new recruits for physical training, facing single-digit ghost creatures in the deep mountain area. Simple math averages out to one hundred people per ghost creature. Even with this ratio, Special Commissioner Lu Chuan believes it's too dangerous for one hundred people to face a single ghost creature and disapproves of Dihua's approach...

Furthermore, the old woman in the lobby earlier had no trace of a living person on her. If we count the old woman as a separate ghost creature, it means the six of us here might be facing two actual ghost creatures. Rushing in would undoubtedly lead to our complete annihilation. I still have several crucial questions I haven't figured out, so we'll stay in the room and rest for tonight.

Although I've never seen a ghost creature before, based on common knowledge, nighttime is when they thrive. Additionally, my abilities are strengthened under the daylight sun, so can we investigate the details tomorrow?"

Yu Xiaoxiao, sitting beside him, stared at Yu Jing with her wide, round eyes as he finished his long speech in one breath.

Finally, Yu Xiaoxiao nodded and replied, "I knew you were amazing. We'll go out tomorrow during the day. We have seven days for physical training anyway, so we can kill the hidden guys here anytime."

"You should get some sleep first. I'll stand guard," Yu Jing said with a smile.

"Mhm."

Yu Xiaoxiao showed no suspicion or worry. She pulled the covers over herself and closed her eyes on the adjacent bed, falling asleep.

Yu Jing, however, sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his right palm. Green vines began to grow from his palm, and he started pondering some questions.

"Why did they lock onto me? They targeted me the moment we entered Dihua Ability Institute's territory, not anyone else... Wait, this time the ghost creatures were arranged by the special commissioners from each department. Could it be that Special Commissioner Liang manipulated the commissioners below him to deliberately select this ghost creature to target me? And then observe what I, who has fused with an unknown plant, can achieve in such a crisis?"

"That's the only possibility!"

Yu Jing's gaze swept across the corners of the room. Having witnessed Dihua's spatial transmission and storage technology, Yu Jing knew they must have special means to monitor this place. It was even possible that their current predicament was being broadcast live to Dihua's assessment personnel, perhaps even Special Commissioner Liang was watching it as entertainment.

Yu Jing glanced sideways in a certain direction, then raised his middle finger with his left hand.

At this very moment, inside a laboratory in one of the buildings of the Dihua Ability Institute, shrouded in white fog, Special Commissioner Liang watched the surveillance feed before him. Although the current image seemed to be experiencing interference, with occasional signal disruptions, the cold look in Yu Jing's eyes and his raised middle finger were seen by Special Commissioner Liang.

A shadowy figure in the laboratory handed Special Commissioner Liang a cup of freshly brewed, steaming coffee.

"Your reaction and thinking abilities are quite impressive. It's clear you've already familiarized yourself with the plant within your body in private. Let's see how much you can utilize this plant during the 'Rook Stage'?"

In Yu Jing's room, Yu Jing retracted his middle finger and gazed at the self-controllable vines in his palm. Following his mental command, a vine retracted back into his arm. Simultaneously, he made a motion of sweeping his right palm across his face, an action that revealed nothing suspicious to the surveillance.

"If I hadn't familiarized myself with the plant in my right arm during the two-month holiday, I would have been finished by Special Commissioner Liang."

In Yu Jing's vision, a vine was secretly implanted, connecting to his retina. This allowed Yu Jing's field of vision, in addition to the scene before him, to have an integrated plant-filtered display.

Yu Jing discovered this during an accidental contact between the plant in his right arm and his eyeball while practicing.

A report detailing his physical condition and an evaluation of the plant's abilities was projected directly to Yu Jing's consciousness via his retina. The plant in his right arm seemed capable of monitoring Yu Jing's physical state at any time.

The current evaluation sheet was as follows:

Symbiotic Host Comprehensive Health Status Saturation: 87%. Recommended to increase to 95% complete health state through sleep and ample hydration.

Plant Body Infected by a Strange Kernel Virus. All abilities lost and currently in the lowest stage. Strongly recommended to find a means to eradicate the virus to restore the plant body or to evolve the primary plant body into its original form by absorbing energy.

Plant Body Form: Grass Clone (Lowest Stage)

Grass Clone Evolution Progress: 0%

Primary abilities that can currently be granted to the symbiotic host are as follows:

Grasswood Healing: Can accelerate the repair of superficial wounds. Can perform a one-time repair for severe limb severance, but will cause the Grass Clone to enter a prolonged dormant state until sufficient nutrients and vitality are absorbed.

Grass Vine Control: Can split into numerous grass vines for binding and attack. Control range is related to distance; maximum control distance is fifty meters.

Root Absorption: Absorbs nutrients from other life forms. Any organic matter can be converted into vitality energy supplied by the Grass Clone and host. Must obtain evolutionary energy from organisms stronger than the current plant body.

The descriptions of these abilities were as detailed as the character analyses Yu Jing had encountered in games he used to play. On this point, Yu Jing had also wondered if this plant body had a previous owner before it came to him, as the description suggested it needed to coexist with a host.

Symbiosis, in this context, meant the host provided nutrients to the plant residing within its body, and in return, the plant offered certain benefits to the host.

The method Yu Jing had used earlier to cover the dormitory walls with vines was his second ability, 'Grass Vine Control.' The current three basic abilities, in Yu Jing's opinion, had already made him non-human. As long as there was organic matter and plenty of water, Yu Jing could survive indefinitely without eating.

"These three abilities do not enhance my physical body and lack offensive power, leaning more towards auxiliary roles. However, these abilities are extremely useful in a fixed environment like this inn. Once the morning sunlight appears tomorrow, I will spread the plant body throughout every corner of the inn."

Just as Yu Jing was contemplating this.

"Sizzle!" The television in the room, which was not plugged in, suddenly turned on by itself.