All-People Plants vs. Zombies: I Can Grant Plants Passive Skills

At the edge of the breach, a Seaweed Guard's leaves had nearly all snapped apart.

Three of its leaves had already broken off, leaving only the last one desperately hooked onto the protective net.

Its stalk was covered in cracks, green sap gushing from its wounds and trailing a thick green streak across the water behind it.

Its body swayed from side to side in the currents stirred up by the Blue Whale, its roots drifting helplessly through the water. If a Zombie came close, it would be a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Then... new kelp leaves grabbed hold of its leaf.

Lin Yue's Seaweed Guard: (o`~'o)--(o｀ε'o)

The Seaweed Guard that had rushed over from beside Lin Yue's submarine arrived at the most critical moment.

Its leaves tightly wrapped around its companion's arm-like leaf, and its stalk suddenly bent backward, dragging its companion back from the brink of death.

At the same time, another Seaweed Guard that had come from Lin Yue's side arrived. Instead of pulling its companion, it charged straight to the very front of the breach, spread its leaves wide, and patched the section of net the Blue Whale was tearing apart.

The rescued Seaweed Guard raised its head and looked at these two former companions who had already found masters.

Then it saw... the traces left on them—the fine scars along their leaf edges, carved by Starfish serrations. Those were scars left behind while protecting a submarine.

It... recognized them.

(Why aren't you guarding your own master at the defense line? What are you doing here? This is a breach, the most dangerous place. You'll die, algae.)

The Seaweed Guard that had come from Lin Yue's side said nothing.

It merely spread its leaves a little wider and stood a little straighter.

Doing its best to shield its injured friend from the impact generated by the Blue Whale.

(The master we found... won't abandon us.)

The Seaweed Guard's voice was calm.

(He! Will definitely come!!!)

Seaweed Guard: (〝▼皿▼)--(▼皿▼#)

Kelp...'s Redemption

"Ugh... ugh..."

Low, hollow moans drifted up from the sea. They did not belong to a single Zombie, but to dozens, even hundreds of Zombies, their chests vibrating together and merging into one sound.

Green figures emerged from behind the Blue Whale one after another, flooding toward the breach in the Kelp Defense Line that was breaking apart.

There was more than one breach in the Kelp Defense Line now.

The Blue Whale pack's charge... had torn open at least three massive gaps. The largest was wide enough for two submarines to pass through side by side.

The once impenetrable wall of green leaves now resembled a shredded fishing net. Broken leaves drifted helplessly through the water, thick green sap still seeping from their wounds.

Not many Seaweed Guards could still stand. They dragged their injured, fallen companions behind them and used their own bodies to form one last thin, fragile line of defense.

Lin Yue's... Seaweed Guard stood at the very front of the breach.

Its leaves were all injured, with only one arm-like leaf left intact. Its stalk was covered in cracks, its roots had loosened, and its body swayed slightly in the current.

But it... did not retreat.

Its only remaining leaf spread open, shielding its injured kin behind it. Its green body looked tiny and lonely before the surging horde of Zombies.

Behind it was... a young Seaweed Guard—a child. Not even... Dave could make a child go die.

At that moment, the child's stalk had been snapped halfway through by the Blue Whale. Its torn leaves drooped over the sand, green sap continuously pouring from its wounds...

Seaweed Guard Elder: "Puff-Puff Pea Vine... hurry over here!!!"

"Ugh... ugh..."

The Deep-Diving Zombies drew closer and closer.

The Deep-Diving Zombie at the front was more powerfully built than the others. Its copper helmet was covered in dents left by impacts, medals earned in battle against plants.

But... those medals had come at a heavy price. Its oxygen mask was already full of water, and its face had swollen from being soaked.

Every breath it exhaled made its chest cave in violently. A string of muffled bubbles leaked from its damaged breathing tube, carrying that hollow, stifled roar with them.

It was closing in.

That rotten face grew larger and larger in the Seaweed Guard's sight, until it could clearly see the outstretched hand with all its nails gone, leaving only gray-white knuckles.

That hand reached for the Seaweed Guard's leaf, its fingertips drawing five faint trails through the seawater.

The Seaweed Guard did not dodge.

Its last remaining leaf tensed like a shield.

It had to... stand before its injured companions, before the breach, before every fallen and standing member of its kin.

It knew a single strand of kelp could never stop so many Zombies, but it stood there anyway.

(He! Will definitely come!!!)

The Seaweed Guard's leaf did not move an inch.

Seaweed Guard: (艹皿艹 )--(╬￣皿￣)

There was no hesitation or fear on its kelp face, only an unspoken certainty.

It had spent less than two days with that human.

Less than two days was enough for a strand of kelp to recognize someone.

Kelp did not judge people by seniority or background. It only cared whether, when it stood in front to shield you, you would follow from behind.

It... had bet right!!!

"Puff—"

What arrived before the Zombies was a massive green pea.

That pea was larger than any fired before, almost as wide as a Zombie's head.

(Pea Helmet—evolving into Primal Peashooter.)

The pea... flew from behind the Seaweed Guard, grazing past the edge of its leaf. It should have been dangerous, yet all it felt was incomparable reassurance.

The pea drew a straight white line through the water and struck the Deep-Diving Zombie square in the chest.

The instant it hit, the copper plates on the diving suit dented inward with a dull boom, sending the Zombie's entire body reeling backward.

The Seaweed Guard... suddenly turned around!!!

That familiar submarine was approaching from behind.

Lin Yue had come—

The golden halos of four Starfruits churned dazzling whirlpools around the hull. The Peashooter stood in the third row, smoke still rising from its cannon-like mouth after firing, while the military helmet on its head gleamed under the searchlight.

Lin Yue: ???? ????? )... I'm touched.

Behind the observation window, Lin Yue stood inside the submarine and gave it a thumbs-up.

The Peashooter adjusted the military helmet on its head with a leaf, flashed a smug grin, and aimed its cannon-like mouth at the Zombie horde again.

Peashooter: "( ￣▽￣)σ... I'm here to help you~"

The Seaweed Guard stood frozen in place.

Lin Yue had really come. He was inside the submarine, which had stopped steadily before it.

The four Starfruits adjusted their angles at once, and a golden barrage poured from both sides of the submarine, drawing a flowing golden barrier between it and the Zombie horde.

That barrier was airtight. The Zombies charging at the front trembled all over as though being sifted, the barrage forcibly driving them back.

The Seaweed Guard's leaves began to tremble.

Not from fear, nor from the current.

It was because it had lived for so long, seen submarines come and go in the deep sea, and watched humans treat kelp as disposable tools. Only a few humans ever treated kelp as friends.

Now... kelp truly had a human friend.

What it saw was not an illusion—the submarine had really returned.

That human had really returned.

Kelp... had won its bet!!!

Something ran down that green kelp face.

Not sap. Not seawater.

Tears.

The sight of a Seaweed Guard crying was strange—its tears did not flow from its eyes, because kelp had no eyes.

That tear seeped from the edge of its leaf, clearer than ordinary sap.

"Quit looking so miserable... get over here and guard the royal carriage!"

Lin Yue's voice came through the submarine's communications system. He deliberately kept his tone light, even adding a teasing lilt at the end.

Behind the observation window... though Lin Yue wore a deliberately relaxed smile, his eyes kept drifting toward the Blue Whale.

The Blue Whale was still ramming the net. The currents were growing fiercer, the breach was still widening, and the situation had not improved at all. If anything, it was getting worse.

Lin Yue... spoke in that tone not because he was not nervous, but because he did not want the kelp to worry.

He had told it in advance... that he might not be able to deal with that giant creature either.

The Seaweed Guard fiercely wiped its face with a leaf, straightened its stalk again, spread its leaves to their widest, and took position beside the submarine with the other one.

Seaweed Guard ×2: (?o_o)?(o_o)?

(Your servant has come to save you!!! Kelp's own response... to Lin Yue.)

"Whoosh—"

The current came.

After the Kelp Defense Line collapsed, the unimpeded current was like a runaway wild horse, sweeping huge numbers of Zombies toward Lin Yue.

Those Zombies no longer needed to walk on their own. The current pushed them, turning them into green cannonballs.

The Swordfish Zombies at the very front were absurdly fast—the current plus their propulsion units sent their speed soaring to the fastest Lin Yue had seen in this event. But... that did not mean his plants were slow.

The mass of Zombies noticed Lin Yue too... especially his brain.

In their eyes—if those hollow sockets could still be called "eyes"—Lin Yue's submarine was a chunk of meat delivered right to their door.

They stopped crashing around and stopped chasing Seaweed Guards. Instead, they turned in perfect unison and moved toward the newly appeared brain.

"Rather than running away... you're approaching me?" Lin Yue watched the dense Zombie horde surging outside the observation window, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Power Lily—give me... full firepower!!!"

The "Brain" Within Reach...

"Power Lily—full firepower!!!"

As... Lin Yue's words fell, the previously quiet submarine and all the plants aboard sprang into action.

Every plant seemed to be pulled by the same string, switching into their strongest state at the same time.

Lights unlike any before lit up in the planting slots—golden, green, icy blue, and purple.

Cattail Cat moved so quickly that afterimages appeared, its tail spikes already shooting out.

Kitty had gotten serious—the usual lazy expression vanished, replaced by work mode.

Its ears flattened completely against its head... reducing water resistance, while its tail swung rapidly behind it to fine-tune its firing angle.

Cattail Cat: (? ? ?)

(Kitty is attacking seriously. Do not feed, do not pet its head, and do not say, "Aww! The kitty is so cute." Praise it after the battle.)

"Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh~"

The sound of tail spikes cutting through the water was sharp and dense.

Kitty's firing speed began to ramp up. Three spikes left its tail almost simultaneously, forming a straight line as they flew toward the Swordfish Zombies charging at the front.