Daddy Stinks~

This black gas was so deadly. If an intelligent mutated monster had released it, its strength was certainly not to be underestimated.

Could a rising star be emerging in this area?

Whether to satisfy his curiosity or for the sake of his future safety, Tao Qiu had to find out what had happened.

He was already a long way from Black Rabbit's den. Rather than waste time going back to ask him, Tao Qiu decided to investigate himself.

Tao Qiu plucked a handful of strongly scented flowers from the ground and held them in his beak. He took flight again, much higher than before, and cautiously approached the area.

Tao Qiu advanced carefully, breathing less often so that he would smell as little as possible besides the flowers.

After testing his way forward, he finally reached the spot where he had been attacked before.

Looking out, he saw a plume of black smoke rising not far away, gradually dispersing in midair.

That was probably the source of the stench Tao Qiu had smelled.

Perhaps because the scent of the flowers filtered it, when Tao Qiu could no longer hold his breath, the stench was still overpowering but not as extreme as before.

That gave Tao Qiu the courage to continue.

After flying a little farther, Tao Qiu finally arrived above the source of the black smoke.

The smoke was much thicker near the ground, but in the daylight, Tao Qiu could just make out what was below.

It was a clearing, or rather, a patch of land that had been forcibly cleared.

Lush trees surrounded it, yet that one patch conspicuously lacked any tall trees. The trees around the edge closest to the black smoke had withered branches and fallen leaves, looking half-dead.

That was probably how the clearing had formed. The stench had poisoned the trees, leaving an open space.

This could not have happened overnight. The stench seemed to have been around for quite some time.

As for what was giving it off...

Through the black smoke, Tao Qiu could only see specks of shadow in the clearing, and there seemed to be quite a few.

While Tao Qiu watched, the shadows did not move an inch. They were most likely mutated plants.

That guess was probably right. After all, if they were mutated animals capable of moving, how could they remain confined to this little corner when they had such an ability, relying on black smoke to compete with other plants for territory?

But to see exactly what kind of plants they were, he would have to wait for the smoke to clear or descend to the ground.

Although the stench had weakened somewhat, he was right at its center, and it still made him dizzy and blurred his vision.

He had to retreat, planning to wait until more of the smoke had dispersed before going back for a closer look.

He ended up waiting until nightfall. Looking at the moon overhead, Tao Qiu thought that he could not avoid staying up late even if he wanted to.

Luckily, the moon was bright tonight. Otherwise, he would have had to wait until morning to make his move.

The stench had mostly dissipated, and Tao Qiu knew the route well, so this time he flew to the spot at top speed. On landing, he was on full alert against a possible ambush by a mutated monster, his body tense and ready to strike back at any moment.

But once he landed, Tao Qiu realized he had worried too much.

Apart from the mutated plants that gave off the black smoke, hardly a blade of grass grew in the clearing. Even if there had been other mutated monsters nearby, they had probably long since been driven away by the stink.

An incredibly foul smell still lingered here. Tao Qiu was only managing to stay on his feet by sheer force of will.

So what kind of mutated plants were growing here?

Tao Qiu crouched in the moonlight and looked at the plants half-buried in the soil-their bodies were as white as jade, with green tops.

What else could they be but radishes?

So radishes in the wasteland world had evolved into stink bombs?

But they could remain green and white amid the stench and black smoke. It seemed these stink bombs harmed their enemies but not themselves!

The radishes before him looked normal and probably were not the source of the stench.

Tao Qiu headed toward the center of the radish patch. Soon, he noticed that the soil gradually changed from light brown to deep black, while the radishes turned grayish-black. Their green tops had become gourd-shaped pods packed with seeds. These radishes were all mature.

Well, perhaps some were overripe.

Tao Qiu went no farther, because the ground ahead was covered in rotten radishes. Their bodies looked as if they had exploded, most of them shattered into pieces. The pods on top had all split open too, and the seeds were gone.

Most of the rotten radishes had melted into the soil, forming a swamp-like area where Tao Qiu could not set foot.

And he had finally found the source of the stench.

This was very likely how the mutated radishes protected themselves and spread their seeds—the radishes exploded when fully ripe, releasing a stench that kept them from being eaten and expanded their territory; the pods burst open, scattering the seeds, and the stench did not hinder their growth, thus completing the sowing.

Come to think of it, Tao Qiu had smelled rotten radishes in the countryside in his previous life, but that was nothing compared to this.

Sure enough, nothing that survived in the wasteland world was easy to deal with.

Luckily, these radishes had not developed intelligence. Otherwise, the territory they occupied would be much larger than this.

Having uncovered the truth and satisfied his curiosity, Tao Qiu backed away, intending to leave.

It was not just that he could not bear the assault of the stench. He had also noticed several radishes swollen to a frightening size, looking as if they would explode at a touch. They were probably about to begin another round of sowing.

If he did not want to be stunk to death and become fertilizer here, he had better leave soon.

Even so, when Tao Qiu reached the edge of the radish patch, he plucked one to take with him.

Radishes could not compare with staple foods like grains and other starches, but they were big and kept for a long time, making them an ideal winter vegetable.

His trip had not been in vain.

Tao Qiu could not help wondering: he had found both the pears and the radishes at night. Could his luck be better after dark?

"Bang!"

"Bang!!"

"Bang!!!"

Sure enough, just as Tao Qiu had expected, he had not flown far before a series of explosions rang out behind him, and the stench spread once more.

Tao Qiu fled even faster.

Focused entirely on escaping, Tao Qiu did not notice a huge dark shadow flash through the woods opposite, in Green Python's territory, as he flew away from the radish patch.

Chapter 24: Daddy Stinks~

His thoughts fixed on the children at home, Tao Qiu barely rested that night. He started flying back at the first hint of dawn, catching a few prey animals along the way as a thank-you gift for Black Rabbit.

He had already given him a gift before, but no one would complain about receiving more. Besides, he might need to come again someday.

Black Rabbit had been sleeping in his burrow and came running out when he heard the noise. But as soon as Tao Qiu approached, he could not help gagging.

He had not eaten breakfast and had been forced to get up early, and now the sickening smell made him feel even worse.

"Roar!!!"

"Get lost! Stay away from me! You stink!"

If he could have beaten Tao Qiu and had not been afraid of getting the smell on himself, Black Rabbit would have loved to kick him flying.

Tao Qiu, who had just landed, said, "Chirp?"

"Do I smell that bad?"

He thought he was fine. He did smell, but surely it was not that bad?

Could he have gotten used to it, numbing his sense of smell?

Black Rabbit covered his nose and answered Tao Qiu's question with a look of disgust. "Roar?"

"Was the thing you said you were looking for Stinky Ground Fruit?"

Tao Qiu's eyes lit up. "Chirp?"

"You know about it?"

Black Rabbit nearly rolled his eyes to the sky. "Roar."

"It's in my territory. What do you think? This is just the season when Stinky Ground Fruit starts ripening and sowing its seeds."

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp?"

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Black Rabbit kept a blank face. "Roar?"

"Do you want me to tell you how many times I farted last night too?"

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp."

"Ew, disgusting."

Black Rabbit flew into a rage. "Roar!"

"You stink worse than shit right now, and you've got the nerve to call someone else disgusting!"

Tao Qiu did not want to make Black Rabbit truly angry, so he pushed the prey toward him. "Chirp, chirp chirp?"

"I found the two things I needed here. Are you happy with these thank-you gifts?"

As Tao Qiu spoke, he showed Black Rabbit the black pears and radish. Black Rabbit knew that, with Tao Qiu's strength, getting hold of those two things would have been easy. Besides, neither was among his favorite foods, so he did not much care.

He went closer and sniffed the prey. Only after making sure there was little of the stink from Tao Qiu on it did he reluctantly accept it.

"Roar!"

"Get lost. Don't stink up my home."

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp, chirp?"

"I saw that Stinky Ground Fruit had stunk a huge patch of forest to death. Aren't you going to do something about it?"

Black Rabbit answered lazily, "Roar."

"There's some on Green Python's side too. She'll take care of it."

Tao Qiu said, "..."

You two have never heard the story of the crow brothers fixing their nest?

Well, it was a story made up by humans. These two mutated monsters really had not heard it.

Tao Qiu could not be bothered to persuade him and risk making himself unwelcome. But once he got home, he could tell the children that bedtime story and teach them a few lessons.

Without waiting for Black Rabbit to chase him away again, Tao Qiu took off. Once in midair, he turned back to Black Rabbit. "Chirp! Chirp chirp!"

"Thanks for having me! I'll come again!"

Black Rabbit said, "Roar!"

"Are you ever going to stop? Come back again and I'll kill you!"

Tao Qiu chuckled and flew mischievously out of Black Rabbit's sight.

Meanwhile, in the cave, the three siblings had eaten an early breakfast and were playing. Flapping their wings, they jumped from beside the nest onto the stone stools next to it, laying a foundation for learning to fly and getting more practice using their wings.

Tao Qiu had brought in quite a few stones to serve as tables and stools. Although the three chicks did not need stools yet, Tao Qiu had prepared some for them anyway.