The Power of Nine Dragons... Bok Choy / Starfruit... Spinning

Kitty's ears were pressed flat, almost touching its head. Its eyes were opened wide, its pupils narrowed into two thin slits, and the whole cat looked like a startled ball of fur.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

But Kitty still had work to do.

The spikes flew out again, this time locking onto the Roadblock Diver Zombie in the fifth row on the left.

The tail spikes tore through the water. Three of them precisely knocked the roadblock cone off its head, two pierced its neck, and one drove straight into the Zombie's skull.

The Roadblock Diver Zombie's body paused, then slid forward another tile... just one tile. Then its head lolled to the side, its entire body losing control as it slowly sank to the seafloor.

"Jingle~"

A glimmer flashed where the Zombie had sunk, and a gift box burst out from the spot where its body had dissipated.

The gift box was square and neatly tied with a red ribbon. It drifted gently through the seawater, radiating a soft glow.

Lin Yue had almost forgotten that gift boxes could even drop.

(Lin Yue: My luck is actually this bad!)

Lin Yue temporarily ignored Kitty's complaints as it fought Zombies and fished for gift boxes at the same time...

(Kitty had gotten on this pirate ship. Kitty had to work every single day!!!)

He opened the gift box, and when he saw what was inside, his eyes widened sharply.

"Holy crap!!!"

[Obtained... one Lawn Mower]

A red-and-black Lawn Mower appeared quietly in the middle of the submarine.

Its red body gleamed brightly, its black handle was thick and sturdy, and its four wheels sat firmly on the floor. Its overall design was simple and clean, but in Lin Yue's eyes, the thing practically radiated an invincible aura.

In the game, the Lawn Mower was practically a cheat-level existence.

As the backyard's final line of defense, it was the ultimate way to turn the tables in a desperate situation.

When all the plants had fallen, when the Zombies had reached your doorstep, when everything seemed lost, the Lawn Mower would roll along the track. Whether they were Bucketheads or Gargantuars, it would flatten them all without leaving even a scrap behind.

Lin Yue carefully put the Lawn Mower away and patted its body as if he were patting a precious collectible.

This thing couldn't be used unless absolutely necessary.

When there were too many Zombies to handle, it would be his final trump card.

[Large numbers of Zombies are approaching—]

Nine Dragons' Power... Bok Choy

[Large numbers of Zombies are approaching—]

The system voice had barely sounded when a strange chewing noise rang out.

"Smack~ smack~"

Toadstool opened its disproportionately huge mouth. Its tongue shot out like a pink spring and precisely wrapped around a Zombie holding a red flag.

Before anyone could see clearly, the entire Zombie, flag and all, had been swallowed by Toadstool in one bite.

Toadstool's cheeks bulged, and a satisfied grunt came from its throat. Then golden light flashed across its body, and another 50 sun points burst forth.

[Health +20]

[Rice Dumpling +2]

The bird that stuck its head out got shot, but... the situation did not improve.

Lin Yue glanced toward the submarine's right side, and his pupils contracted. In the beam of the searchlight, a dense mass of Zombies was surging out of the darkness.

One, two, three... There were a full three Deep-Diving Zombies, and the oxygen tanks on their backs cast enormous shadows underwater.

Two Diving Conehead Zombies followed in the fourth and fifth rows. The roadblock cones crookedly perched on their heads made them look both comical and terrifying.

Farther behind them, five or six Zombies appeared on the submarine's right side.

They all had their mouths open, exposing rows of jagged, rotten teeth. Their murky eyes held no trace of life, only an instinctive hunger for flesh and blood.

Nearly ten Zombies stood in a line, slowly but steadily advancing toward the submarine from the right.

Fortunately, the situation on the left was still manageable for the moment.

There was only one Flag Zombie and one ordinary Snorkel Zombie in the first row. In particular, both the Flag Zombie and the Snorkel Zombie had appeared there.

They were not moving quickly. With Toadstool's current health and digestion speed, it could eliminate them without damage before they reached the submarine.

As long as he calculated the timing properly and dealt with them one at a time, there would be no problem.

But the right side was different.

The pressure on the right was too great. There were too many Zombies, all moving at different speeds. If even one of them reached the submarine, its durability would decrease. Once that durability hit zero, they could only wait to die.

There was no room for luck.

Lin Yue activated his lightning-fast brain. Although he currently had 100 sun points—

(Pea plus Kitty could solve it, but the submarine would take damage.)

Aside from Ashes, the plants seemed unable to resolve this situation perfectly.

His mind raced as he evaluated every possible response.

Except... that move...

"Kitty, handle the Zombies on the right side of the first row."

Lin Yue's voice trembled, but his tone remained steady, carrying an unquestionable command.

Kitty had been staring blankly at the dense horde of Zombies on the right. At the order, its ears snapped toward Lin Yue, and its eyes filled with confusion.

Kitty was confused... What about the other lanes?

Kitty questioned it...

Kitty was carrying out its mission...

Kitty, in the middle of carrying out its mission, put aside its unnecessary thoughts. Its body turned to face the right side of the first row.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

There had originally been only three ordinary Snorkel Zombies on the right side of the first row. The spikes flew out and struck with perfect accuracy. Nearly simultaneously, all three Zombies' heads tilted to the side, their bodies losing support as they sank limply downward.

The first row was temporarily safe.

However, in the few seconds Kitty spent handling the first row, the horde in rows two through six on the right advanced a considerable distance.

They successfully entered the designated range—next to appear would be—

The Deep-Diving Zombies walked in front, the Diving Conehead Zombies followed close behind, and the ordinary Zombies brought up the rear. They were less than two tiles from the submarine.

Through the observation window, Lin Yue could even see the ugly faces of the Deep-Diving Zombies.

"Now—"

Lin Yue took a deep breath and suddenly turned toward the fourth row.

"Bok Choy! Come on! Let me see your boxing skills—"

In the third column of the fourth row, a Power Lily stood quietly.

Its entire body emitted a faint glow. Its petals were half-closed, like a lantern that had not been fully lit.

The instant Lin Yue finished speaking, a dazzling green light erupted from Power Lily. Its petals opened completely, and a crystal-clear Energy Pea condensed in the center of the flower.

The Energy Pea separated from the flower's center, trailing a green tail of light as it arced through the water and precisely merged into Bok Choy's body.

Bok Choy... shuddered all over.

Its already thick arms swelled another full circle, their contours becoming even more defined.

A visible wave of air exploded from beneath its feet, scattering dust across the deck.

White light burst from Bok Choy's eyes. Its aura reminded Lin Yue of a Sett who had maxed out his favorability—his Hao Will Points were full.

Then its fist moved.

Bok Choy: [angry]

In an instant, centered on Bok Choy, the seawater within a 5×5 area began churning violently.

An invisible field of force spread open. Every Zombie within its range—the three Deep-Diving Zombies, two Diving Conehead Zombies, and five ordinary Zombies—seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand. They simultaneously lost control of their bodies and were forcibly dragged from their original formation, gathering in front of Bok Choy.

The ten Zombies squeezed together, each pressing against the others, yet they continued moving toward the Bok Choy in front of them.

"ORA, ORA, ORA, ORA, ORA, ORA!!!"

The first punch slammed into the chest of the nearest Deep-Diving Zombie, denting the metal plate of its diving suit with a fist mark.

The second punch struck the head of the Conehead Zombie beside it, shattering the roadblock cone into countless pieces of orange plastic.

The third, fourth, and fifth punches came even faster than before, so fast that their afterimages could not be seen clearly. Only a blurred mass of light flickered madly among the Zombie horde.

"Muda, muda, muda, muda, muda!!!"

The impacts made the submarine's glass buzz.

Centered on the fourth column of the fourth row, the entire surrounding 3×3 area was covered by Bok Choy's fists.

Every punch landed precisely on a Zombie's vital points—head, chest, neck, abdomen. Not one punch missed, and not one second passed without a strike.

The force of the punches stirred white whirlpools in the seawater. The Zombies' bodies looked as if they had been thrown into a meat grinder. Their arms were smashed off and sent flying, their chests crushed, and their leg bones broken.

The Zombies gathered in front of Bok Choy did not last even five seconds.

The ordinary Zombies fell first. Their green bodies were twisted into knots by the fists, their "heads" scattering across the seafloor.

The Diving Conehead Zombies endured for one second longer, then their heads and roadblock cones were blown away by a single punch.

As for the three Deep-Diving Zombies—the Deep-Diving Zombies with the highest health and strongest defenses—they did not even get the chance to wait for their oxygen tanks to rupture.

"ORA... ORA, ORA, ORA!"

Bok Choy grabbed the head of the Deep-Diving Zombie in the very center with both hands. Its fingers dug into the rotten skin as it suddenly exerted force and twisted and pulled.

With a muffled crack, the cervical vertebrae snapped. Bok Choy tore the green head off alive, green blood still drifting around it.

Bok Choy threw away the head and struck again with both fists. The remaining two Deep-Diving Zombies' chests caved in under the dense rain of blows, their skulls shattered, their bodies beaten beyond recognition, and white bones protruding from their severed limbs.

Five seconds.

From the moment Bok Choy attacked until the last Zombie fell, the entire process took only five seconds.

The surrounding Zombies were all "searching for their heads" as they slowly sank to the seafloor, making the water even murkier.

Bok Choy stood on the fourth row and fourth column of the deck, slowly withdrawing its fists. Its chest heaved violently, and black juice dripped from the joints of every finger.

[Rice Dumpling +20]

[Boxing Comprehension +1]

The entire submarine fell silent.

Lin Yue stared at the chaotic battlefield outside the observation window and said nothing for a long time.

Energy Peas... were really damn amazing... No wonder the military regulated them!

After quite a while, Kitty quietly ran to the submarine's left side, distancing itself from the violent Bok Choy.

(Kitty: I absolutely must never make Bok Choy angry again.)

Starfruit... Spinning

"Glug glug~ glug glug~"

A stream of tiny bubbles rose from the top of the submarine, releasing a large mass of crystal-clear oxygen.

Oxygen Algae's leaves trembled violently, and its entire body shrank backward.

The edges of its leaves curled slightly, and several drops of stress-induced mucus seeped from its surface—the previous punches from Bok Choy had grazed past its leaves.

Oxygen Algae: Σ(°□°)

(That scared the algae to death!)