Planting Zombies: I Can Add Passives to Plants

Kitty's ears were pressed low, nearly flat against her head. Her eyes were wide and round, her pupils narrowed into two slits. She 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 shot through the water. Three spikes precisely knocked the roadblock cone off its head, two pierced its neck, and another drove straight into the Zombie's skull.

The Roadblock Diver Zombie's body paused, then slid forward one more square... just one square. Then its head lolled to the side, its entire body lost control, and it slowly sank to the seafloor.

"Clink~"

A faint glimmer flashed where the Zombie sank, and a gift box burst out from where its body had vanished.

The gift box was square and neat, tied with a red ribbon. It drifted lazily through the water, swaying gently and giving off a soft glow.

Lin Yue had nearly forgotten that gift boxes could drop.

(Lin Yue: So my luck really was this bad!)

For the moment, Lin Yue ignored Kitty, who was complaining about having to fight Zombies and fish up the gift box at the same time...

(Kitty had boarded a pirate ship. Kitty worked every day!!!)

When he opened the gift box and saw what was inside, Lin Yue's eyes widened sharply.

"Holy shit!!!"

[Obtained... a Lawn Mower]

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

Its red body gleamed brightly, its black handle was thick and sturdy, and its four wheels were firmly planted on the floor. Its design was simple and clean, but to Lin Yue, this thing practically radiated invincible light.

In the game, Lawn Mowers were practically cheat-level items.

They were the backyard's final line of defense, the ultimate means of turning the tables in a desperate situation.

When every plant had fallen, when the Zombies had reached your doorstep, when all hope seemed lost, the Lawn Mower would roll down its track. Buckethead Zombie or Gargantuar, it would flatten them all in one go, leaving not even scraps behind.

Lin Yue carefully put away the Lawn Mower and patted its body as though it were a precious collectible.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he could not use this thing.

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

[A large group of Zombies is approaching—]

Nine Dragons' Power... Bok Choy

[A large group of Zombies is approaching—]

The system's voice had barely sounded when an eerie chewing noise followed.

"Smack~ smack~"

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

Before anyone could get a good look, Toadstool swallowed the entire Zombie and its flag in one bite.

Toadstool's cheeks bulged, and a satisfied muffled grunt came from its throat. Then golden light flashed across its body as it produced another 50 sun.

[Health +20]

[Zongzi +2]

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

Lin Yue swept his gaze over the submarine's right side, and his pupils abruptly contracted—in the beam of the searchlight, densely packed Zombies were pouring out of the darkness.

One, two, three... there were three Deep-Diving Zombies alone, their oxygen tanks casting huge shadows through the water.

Two Diving Conehead Zombies followed in the fourth and fifth rows, the crooked roadblock cones on their heads making them look both ridiculous and terrifying.

Further back, another five or six Zombies appeared on the right side of the submarine.

Their mouths hung open, exposing uneven rotten teeth. Their cloudy eyes held no spark of intelligence, only an instinctive craving for flesh.

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

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

Only a Flag Zombie and an ordinary Diving Zombie had appeared in the first row, especially since both the Flag Zombie and the Diving Zombie were in that same row.

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

As long as he timed it properly and handled them one by one, there would be no problem.

But the right side was different.

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

There was no room for luck.

Lin Yue put his lightning-fast brain to work. Although he currently had 100 sun...

(Peas plus Kitty could handle them, but the submarine would take damage.)

Other than ash plants, it seemed that no plant could solve this situation perfectly.

His mind raced as he assessed every possible response.

Except for... that move...

"Kitty, deal with 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 was staring blankly at the dense horde of Zombies on the right. At the order, her ears snapped toward Lin Yue, and her eyes filled with confusion.

Kitty was confused... what about the other rows?

Kitty questioned it...

Kitty was executing the mission...

While carrying out the mission, Kitty put aside her extra thoughts, turned, and faced the right side of the first row.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

There had originally only been three ordinary Diving Zombies on the right side of the first row. The spikes flew out and struck with perfect accuracy. The three zombies' heads tilted at almost the exact same moment, their bodies lost support, and they limply sank down.

The first row was safe for now.

Yet in the few seconds Kitty took to deal with the first row, the Zombie horde in rows two through six on the right had advanced a great distance.

They had successfully entered the designated range—next up was—

The Deep-Diving Zombies led the way, with the Diving Conehead Zombies right behind them and the ordinary Zombies bringing up the rear. They were now less than two squares from the submarine.

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

"Now—"

Lin Yue drew a deep breath and abruptly turned toward the fourth row.

"Bok Choy! Come! Let them witness your fist technique—"

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

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

The instant Lin Yue finished speaking, a burst of dazzling green light erupted from the Power Lily. All its petals opened, and a crystal-clear Energy Pea condensed at its center.

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

Bok Choy... shuddered from head to toe.

Its already thick arms swelled another size, their muscles becoming even more defined.

A visible shockwave burst from beneath its feet, blasting dust across the deck in every direction.

White light erupted from Bok Choy's eyes. The aura it gave off reminded Lin Yue of a fully charged Sett—its Hao Will Points were full.

Then its fists moved.

Bok Choy: [furious]

In an instant, the seawater in a 5×5 area around Bok Choy churned violently.

An invisible force field expanded at once. Every zombie within it—three Deep-Diving Zombies, two Diving Conehead Zombies, and five ordinary Zombies—seemed to be caught by an unseen giant hand. They simultaneously lost control of their bodies, forcibly dragged from their original positions and gathered before Bok Choy.

The ten Zombies were crammed together, pressing and crushing each other, yet they continued closing in on Bok Choy before them.

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

The first punch smashed into the chest of the nearest Deep-Diving Zombie, leaving a fist-shaped dent in the brass plate of its diving suit.

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

The third, fourth, and fifth punches came even faster than before, so fast that even their afterimages could not be seen. All that remained was a blurred streak of light flashing wildly through the Zombie horde.

"MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA, MUDA!!!"

The impacts made the submarine's glass hum.

Centered on the fourth column of the fourth row, Bok Choy's fist shadows covered the entire surrounding 3×3 area.

Every blow landed precisely on a Zombie's vital point—head, chest, neck, abdomen—not one punch missed, and not one second of respite was given.

The force of the punches stirred white vortices through the seawater. The Zombies' bodies were like meat thrown into a grinder; arms were violently broken and sent flying, chests were smashed in, and leg bones snapped.

The Zombies gathered before Bok Choy did not even last five seconds.

The ordinary Zombies died first, their green bodies twisted into knots by the punches, their heads scattering everywhere.

The Diving Conehead Zombies lasted one second longer before their heads and roadblock cones were blasted away in a single punch.

As for the three Deep-Diving Zombies—the Deep-Diving Zombies with the highest health and strongest defense—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 center with both hands, its fingers digging into the Zombie's rotten face. It suddenly exerted force, twisting and pulling hard.

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

Bok Choy tossed away the head and launched another barrage. The chests of the remaining two Deep-Diving Zombies caved in beneath the dense rain of punches, their skulls shattered, their bodies beaten beyond recognition, white bone jutting from their severed limbs.

Five seconds.

From Bok Choy's first strike to the final Zombie falling, the entire process took only five seconds.

All the surrounding Zombies were already "looking for their heads," slowly sinking to the seafloor as the water grew even murkier.

Bok Choy stood in the fourth row and fourth column of the deck, slowly drawing back its fists. Its chest heaved violently, and black fluid dripped from every knuckle.

[Zongzi +20]

[Fist Technique Comprehension +1]

The entire submarine fell silent.

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

Energy Peas... were fucking amazing... no wonder the military restricted them!

After a while, Kitty quietly ran to the left side of the submarine, far away from the violent Bok Choy.

(Kitty: Never make Bok Choy angry again.)

Starfruit... Rotation

"Glub, glub~ glub, glub~"

A string of fine bubbles rose from the top of the submarine, releasing a large amount of crystal-clear oxygen.

Oxygen Algae's leaves trembled violently, and the entire plant shrank backward.

The edges of its leaves curled slightly, while a few drops of stress mucus seeped from its surface—Bok Choy's punches had just grazed past its leaves.

Oxygen Algae: Σ(°□°)

(That scared the algae to death!)