Combat Plants and Healing Methods

On Saturday morning, when Lin Hai stood at the Stacy family's front door, he made a point of checking the seeds in his backpack and a Lemon Balm plant he had brought from the medicinal plant shop. It was the same kind as the one he had given Kingpin's wife.

The seeds consisted of three offensive "Azure-Edge Leaf" seeds and two defensive "Ironwall Fruit" seeds that were still in the experimental stage.

Lin Hai had named these seeds himself, and the meanings were straightforward—their functions were obvious at a glance. Harry and Peter had no objections.

"Come in!" Gwen said as she opened the door. She wore a simple white long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, looking more casual than she did at school.

The scent of toast drifted through the house. Gwen continued, "My dad had to work overtime, so we can use the basement lab."

The Stacys' basement had been converted into a well-equipped small research station. Lin Hai spotted several instruments in the corner that were clearly police-grade analytical equipment.

"Those are old devices retired by the police department. Completely legal," Gwen said, noticing where he was looking.

"Okay, that's good." Lin Hai had no objections to Gwen's explanation. He had a good impression of Gwen's father, George Stacy, and knew he was a dedicated New York police chief who loved his family. Someone like that was unlikely to be involved in anything shady.

He then took out the small Lemon Balm plant from his backpack and told Gwen that it was somewhat like Mint. Keeping it on a desk could purify the air and refresh the mind. When she was mentally exhausted, she could also pluck a leaf, crush it beneath her nose, and let its faintly sweet scent and calming effects help her brain rest better.

"Oh! Thanks. I really need a little potted plant like this to help my dizzy self finish homework." Gwen happily made a joke after receiving the gift. Of course, school homework would never truly stump her.

The next few hours were the most mentally taxing scientific discussion Lin Hai had experienced since crossing over.

Gwen broke down the phenomena of his abilities into dozens of verifiable hypotheses and tested them one by one. When Lin Hai demonstrated how he could make an ordinary acorn grow into a sapling in five minutes, Gwen's instruments recorded abnormal bioelectric field fluctuations.

"This doesn't make sense..." Gwen frowned as she stared at the data.

"The energy conversion efficiency exceeds the theoretical limit of photosynthesis by three hundred times. Unless..." She suddenly looked up. "You can cram every condition required for a seed to grow into a sapling into a very short period of time, and utilize all of it one hundred percent!"

"Like programming?" he asked tentatively.

"More like 3D bioprinting!" Gwen excitedly sketched a diagram in her notebook. "You directly 'print' energy and matter into plant tissue, skipping the time accumulation required by the normal growth process!"

That analogy suddenly enlightened Lin Hai. If that was the case, then the reason for his previous failures was obvious. It was not due to insufficient energy, but because his "program instructions" had not been clear enough.

"Gwen, you're a genius," Lin Hai said sincerely.

Gwen smiled and shook her head. "I only helped you sort out what you already knew."

She hesitated. "Lin... where does the energy and matter these plants need come from?"

This question went straight to the heart of the matter, and Lin Hai chose to tell Gwen. "I have some special abilities. What you've seen is only part of their outward manifestation."

He understood that he would need Gwen to theorize and quantify the experiments and hypotheses he completed with his abilities. They would be spending a long time together in the future and having more contact. Keeping it hidden was unrealistic.

Gwen looked surprised, but there was also a trace of understanding in her expression. She was surprised that Lin Hai was someone with special abilities, but that also explained how he could carry out these experiments.

"Then that Lemon Balm plant you gave me?"

"Yes, you guessed right."

She picked up an "Azure-Edge Leaf" seed instead. "What about this? Is it also a product of your ability?"

Lin Hai placed the seed in his palm and poured pure Life Energy into it. The seed rapidly grew, sharp leaves unfolding like blades.

"Oh my God!" Gwen took half a step back. "Is this... a weapon?"

"For self-defense," Lin Hai quickly explained. "You know, New York nights aren't always safe."

Gwen's expression shifted from shock to concern. "You know, if something like this fell into the hands of people with bad intentions..."

"Don't worry, that won't happen. These seeds can't be grown through ordinary means. They need special Life Energy before they'll start growing, so only I can activate them," Lin Hai said with a smile.

Gwen pondered for a long while before finally nodding. "Things this unusual are always fascinating." She suddenly smiled. "But compared to the criminal cases my dad handles, plants that can be used for fighting are still kind of cute."

After that meeting, Lin Hai's research advanced by leaps and bounds. With clearer theoretical guidance and the help of Gwen, Harry, and Peter, he soon developed three basic combat plants, including the Azure-Edge Leaf:

"Azure-Edge Leaf"—an improved pothos seed. Once activated, it grew leaves with razor-sharp edges that could be wielded by hand or thrown as weapons. With his current physical condition and the enhancement from the energy in his body, its maximum range could reach twenty meters. The leaves were nearly as hard as steel, but much lighter.

"Ironwall Fruit"—modified from walnut seeds. Within thirty seconds, it could grow a six-centimeter-thick fibrous barrier. Its cell structure mimicked bulletproof materials and could even withstand fire from small firearms.

"Heartbind Vine"—inspired by a hybrid of kudzu and dodder. It grew at an astonishing speed while also possessing considerable toughness. It could automatically coil around moving targets, with enough binding force to trap an adult man.

Lin Hai placed the seeds in a specially customized waist pouch. The pouch had several separate small pockets so he could easily retrieve them at any time.

Another breakthrough in his abilities came one Sunday afternoon.

While practicing in the backyard behind his master's clinic, Lin Hai accidentally scratched his arm on thorns he had cultivated himself.

Instinctively, he directed energy toward the wound and was surprised to discover that the bleeding slowed while the tissue began repairing itself at a visible rate.

When he had first sensed the Life Energy within his body, he had wondered whether he could use it for healing. But all his previous attempts had failed. Clearly, after his first ability mutation, he was finally able to do it.

"Bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh and bones is still a distant dream, but healing obvious external injuries like abrasions and cuts is no longer a problem." He examined the nearly vanished scar in the mirror.

This healing ability was still too weak to deal with severe trauma, but it gave Lin Hai enormous hope. He thought of the healer characters from the many novels and games he had encountered in his previous life. Perhaps their abilities were the direction in which his healing power could develop?

The following Monday after school, Lin Hai, Harry, Peter, and Gwen, who had only recently joined their small group, were all in the school biology lab. They had applied for one day's use of the lab.

A scream from Peter suddenly rang out in the lab, where there were only four of them. Lin Hai turned and saw his friend clutching a cut finger as blood dripped onto the table.

"Damn it! Why is the edge of this thing so sharp?" Peter looked toward the desk in the lab, hoping to find some tissues.

Lin Hai hurried over to Peter and grabbed his hand. "Don't move!" His voice was low, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Lin Hai pressed his thumb against the Hegu acupoint on Peter's palm. A warm green energy surged from his dantian, flowing through his meridians toward his fingertips.

Harry and Gwen leaned in at the same time, their three pairs of wide eyes watching a faint green glow appear around Lin Hai's fingers.

Peter sucked in a breath. The blood flow from the wound visibly slowed, and the skin tissue began healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"Oh my God!" Peter's voice jumped an octave. "Since when could you...? I mean, this is even crazier than the seeds last time!"

Harry pushed up his slipping safety goggles. "The cellular proliferation rate has increased by at least dozens of times!"

"Hey! Look at this. You've used this ability on yourself too, haven't you?" Gwen suddenly grabbed Lin Hai's arm, revealing the mark left from the scratch he had healed the day before.

Lin Hai nodded and continued focusing on Peter's wound.

He discovered that healing others was far more difficult than healing himself. He had to concentrate intensely and precisely control the energy output to avoid triggering any unforeseen adverse reactions.

Five minutes later, only a faint pink mark remained on Peter's finger.

"It doesn't hurt at all!" Peter flexed his finger. "This actually feels pretty nice. Lin, how many more surprises do you have that we don't know about?"

Lin Hai smiled tiredly, a thin sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. This treatment had consumed far more energy than expected, both physically and mentally.

Gwen suddenly rolled up her left sleeve in silence, revealing a small, ugly burn scar on the inside of her elbow. "This was from a small accident when I was twelve. Can you...?"

Girls always cared about their appearance. This scar had made Gwen afraid to wear anything with sleeves that were too short. Meanwhile, Harry and Peter looked at Lin Hai with the expectant eyes of huskies, hoping to witness this "miracle."

Lin Hai looked at the eager expressions of his three friends. "I can try, but I can't guarantee the final result."

After he rested for a while and green light shone from his fingertips again, Peter and Harry's eyes also lit up with excitement as they kept turning their heads between Lin Hai and Gwen.

Peter said, "Man, this is way cooler than growing Kick Mint! Every time I eat your Mint, I feel like ripping out my tongue!"

Laughter erupted in the lab for the first time in a long while. Lin Hai felt the path of energy flowing through Gwen's scar tissue and watched the twisted scar gradually smooth out. In that moment, he believed his past thoughts had been right—some secrets were meant to be shared with the people who mattered.