Everyone Plants Zombies: I Can Add Passives to Plants

But Blue Whale was too large, and there were too many Zombies. This little firepower was like trying to put out a forest fire with a water gun.

Lin Yue... had watched with his own eyes as a submarine was swept by the current from one of Blue Whale's tail swings and rolled twice, its durability nearly dropping to zero.

The people inside that submarine did not hesitate. While the vessel was still spinning, they directly hit Exit. With a flash of light, the submarine vanished into the seawater.

Then came the second submarine, then the third.

The players still holding out at the front chose to exit one after another. Their submarines vanished in flashes of light, leaving the Seaweed Guards alone to face the double onslaught of Blue Whale and the Zombies.

(There were still a few players...)

Lin Yue watched as one Seaweed Guard's leaves were struck by Blue Whale's tail fin. The seaweed connecting it to its two brothers snapped instantly.

The Seaweed Guard beside it immediately filled its place, using its remaining leaves to hold up the net. But its stalk was trembling violently as well.

It was afraid... but it still stepped up...

They could not hold on.

Lin Yue knew it clearly. This line of defense would not last much longer.

Maybe another ten minutes. Maybe only five. The Kelp Defense Line would be completely crushed by Blue Whale.

And those Seaweed Guards—those who had stood in front of the submarines all this time, using their leaves to block Zombies and marine creatures...

Those big green guys—their home, their kin—were falling piece by piece.

Lin Yue's hand still hovered over the Exit button.

Press it, and he could leave safely. He would not have to face Blue Whale, the defense line about to collapse, or take responsibility for anything.

No one would blame him...

Just as Lin Yue hesitated—something moved... the Seaweed Guards moved...

Lin Yue saw the two Seaweed Guards that had been guarding either side of his submarine move.

The Seaweed Guards... had also seen the tragedy unfolding ahead.

They could see their kin's leaves snapping and stalks bending beneath Blue Whale's assault. They could see the ropes in the defensive net breaking one by one, while Zombies gnawed at them.

Seaweed Guard: (((;°□°;))) ...its seaweed trembled wildly all over.

The Seaweed Guard's leaves were... shaking.

Not because of the current, not because of fear, but because of an emotion buried even deeper.

It slowly turned its leaves toward Lin Yue. That green seaweed face no longer had its earlier calm, dignified "goofy look," nor its secret smugness whenever it was praised.

Seaweed Guard: ( o _ o? )--(.í _ ì.)

Its leaves made a gesture Lin Yue had never seen before—it first pointed toward the collapsing defense line ahead, then drew back and pressed against its own stalk, where its heart was.

Seaweed Guard: Heart... tata-kai...

Its seaweed leaves... reached toward Lin Yue and made a silent farewell.

It... left!!!

That Seaweed Guard, which had not taken a single step away from either side of the submarine since entering the defense line, the Seaweed Guard that had clearly agreed to leave with him... had gone to protect its family.

(The seaweed is hurt, so I have to help... farewell... my new friends!)

The Seaweed Guard... charged out!!!

The two Seaweed Guards charged out together, their emerald-green leaves trailing behind them as though they were trying to tell Lin Yue something.

They rushed toward the largest breach in the defense line—where Blue Whale was ramming at the same time. More than half of a dozen Seaweed Guards had already fallen, while the few remaining ones desperately held on. The tears in their leaves were deep enough to expose the white fibers within.

Lin Yue's hand... moved away from the Exit button—

Since when?

When had he... become so cowardly?

Was it because his parents had always drilled into him that "survival is what matters most"?

Or because he had "always treated this life-or-death crisis like a game"?

Lin Yue only knew... he could not abandon his comrades. Something hot enough to burn was surging up from his chest.

(Red spirit!)

"Damn it! What the hell am I hesitating for?"

Lin Yue shouted it outright, his voice even cracking slightly.

Cattail Kitty had been feeling sad... and was jolted by that shout.

Kitty looked into Lin Yue's eyes—there was fire in them, fire that had been ignited by something, crackling and blazing.

Cattail Kitty: Master... is on fire!!!

Lin Yue raised his head and looked at every plant in the submarine.

The four Starfruit stopped spinning and looked at Lin Yue in perfect unison.

Peashooter's military helmet flashed beneath the lights.

Bok Choy lowered its arms from across its chest.

Magic-shroom also proudly raised its top hat.

Chomper and Toadstool stopped chewing at the same time.

The five Puff-shrooms lined up in a row, their ten little black eyes unblinking.

Snow Pea, Oxygen Algae, Power Lily... were also waiting for Lin Yue's command—

For plants—abandonment was the wrong choice.

"Brothers, our future brothers—the Seaweed Guards—are in deep shit."

Lin Yue took a deep breath. "Can you work some overtime?"

Chapter 69: Never Abandon, Never Give Up

"Brothers, our brothers—the Seaweed Guards—are in trouble."

Lin Yue took a deep breath. "Can you work some overtime?"

The submarine fell silent for half a second.

Cattail Kitty was the first to react.

It stretched... more thoroughly than ever before—every section of its body popped from head to tail, and its tail shot straight into the air.

Then it shook out all its fur, its pupils narrowing into two slits. The corners of its mouth spread apart, revealing one sharp little canine.

Cattail Kitty: (??????? )+?

(Meow, I just love overtime. It is definitely not because I want to help the seaweed. Saying overtime is only to support your human charisma, it has absolutely nothing to do with those two big green idiots...)

(Enough, hurry up and go. If we keep dawdling, the defense line will break.)

The four Starfruit lit up at once.

They began spinning faster, faster than they ever had before—so fast that the Undersea Mahjong group, which had been formed less than five minutes ago, collectively abandoned their game and reported for duty.

Starfruits: ??(ˊωˋ*)??

(Go! Go! Go! Mahjong cannot actually be played anyway, but if the seaweed is gone, it is really gone! All members of the Mahjong Association—go help the Seaweed Guards!)

Chomper hurriedly swallowed the event Rice Dumpling it had been secretly snacking on and wiped its mouth with a leaf.

It opened its huge mouth, revealing densely packed teeth, and let out a loud, satisfied burp.

Chomper: ???

(I am not full yet. Those were just appetizers. I heard the Zombies over there are all-you-can-eat? As long as they are, fine. Do not compete with me for a spot.)

Toadstool's tongue flicked out, stealing an event Rice Dumpling as its default overtime pay.

Its cheeks were still stuffed, but its eyes had already lit up. It strongly agreed with its big brother Chomper.

Toadstool: "+1."

The Puff-shrooms collectively volunteered for battle. The caps of all five mushrooms swelled a size larger in unison, and the grayish-purple spores in their spore sacs were ready to fly.

(Master protected Puff-shrooms... Puff-shrooms want to protect others too, because... that is what Master does.)

Snow Pea and Peashooter exchanged a glance. The two ranged plants nodded to each other.

Snow Pea formed a thin layer of frost over its barrel, while Peashooter pulled its military helmet lower to cover one eye. Its other eye narrowed as it aimed forward.

Puff-shrooms, Snow Pea, Peashooter: "+10086."

Bok Choy had not said anything.

It stood there with both arms hanging by its sides, its thick fingers slightly curled, as though it were reminiscing about the thrill of beating up Zombies.

It did not wave its fists as usual, nor did it let out its signature "Ora!" roar.

It lowered its head and stared at its own fists, as though it were spacing out at its hands.

Then it raised its head and looked at the backs of the two Seaweed Guards charging toward the breach in the defense line.

Bok Choy remembered something.

The first time it threw a punch, it did not know why it was punching.

Plants fighting Zombies seemed like something completely natural, something that needed no reason.

When Zombies came, fight them. When Zombies left, rest. It was a process that required no thought.

Before... while following Dave, there had been no reason at all.

Bok Choy had been somewhat lost...

But later, aboard Lin Yue's submarine, in those quiet moments, in the occasional silence after fighting Zombies, it began to consider a question—what else could these fists do besides beat up Zombies?

Now, it had the answer.

Fists could protect.

Protect the submarine, protect teammates, protect those big green guys who would stand in front of you and say, "You fight the Zombies. I will protect you."

Protect friends.

A force surged forth. It was not the power of anger—Bok Choy had relied on anger to punch before, that instinctive, thoughtless anger toward Zombies.

But this power was different.

It was not scorching. It was warm.

It was not urgent. It was steady.

It was not called anger. It was called—"protecting others."

Bok Choy clenched its fists.

The sound of its bok choy ribs cracking echoed more crisply than ever.

Bok Choy's appearance did not change, but... at this moment, the power of the heart was limitless.

It raised its head... its eyes no longer held simple anger, but something deeper, something brighter.

Bok Choy: (?o皿o)?

"To throw my fists for the sake of protecting friends—I understand now."

[ BOK CHOY FIST BREAKTHROUGH—ATTACK INCREASED... SPEED INCREASED ]

[ LEARNED... BLOCK, FOR THE SAKE OF PROTECTION ]

Lin Yue watched the faint green glow around Bok Choy's fists, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

"I never expected... Cabbage Gang to be such a great big brother."

He cast aside the Logout button... and replaced it with the command for the submarine to advance at full speed.

The four Starfruit pushed their rotation speed to the limit at the same time, and the entire submarine began charging forward faster than it ever had before.

Ahead, the Kelp Defense Line was collapsing.

At the largest breach in the center of the defense line, Blue Whale's body had already squeezed into the crack in the seaweed barrier. Every swing of its tail fin tore apart more leaves. More than a dozen Seaweed Guards were using their bodies to plug the gap, while fragments of torn leaves drifted through the seawater like rain.