Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 18: Aamir Khan

The most urgent task at hand was still to hunt monsters for loot and acquire more steel.

However, it was already getting late outside, and Vikram knew that going out to hunt at night would be extremely dangerous.

For now, the safest choice was to stay inside the Treehouse.

But before resting, he still had one important task to complete—plant the seeds he had obtained during today’s hunt.

Obtained: Spikevine Seed ×2 (Green), Thornvine Seed ×1 (Blue)

For the Thornvine Seed, Vikram chose a spot beside the existing Thornvine cluster near the entrance.

He already understood how these plants behaved.

Once it matured, it would naturally merge with the existing Thornvine vines, strengthening the defensive barrier.

After planting it, Vikram calculated quietly.

Now he only needed 16 more Thornvines, and the first defensive line of his territory would be fully completed.

As for the two Spikevine Seeds, he decided to plant them near the warehouse entrance.

Ideally, Thornvines would have been better for defense, but the main entrance was still far more important than the warehouse area.

Spikevines were at least capable of injuring intruders, which made them suitable as secondary protection.

Vikram clearly understood something by now.

During the acid rain disaster he had obtained many valuable materials and items, but none of them could increase Plant Essence generation.

Only plants could do that.

Therefore, the only way to steadily increase his strength was to expand his plant network.

Previously, his plants produced a net gain of +85 Plant Essence per day.

With the newly planted Thornvine (+10) and two Spikevines (+6), his daily gain would increase further.

Starting tomorrow, his daily Plant Essence income would reach:

101 Plant Essence per day.

Looking at that number, Vikram couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before he could enjoy all kinds of upgrades and facilities.

And once again, his mindset began to change.

Before, he only wanted to survive.

Now, he wanted to live.

The difference between the two words was small, but the meaning was completely different.

Survival meant enduring hardship and barely staying alive.

Living meant building something of his own.

He wanted to build everything here.

The Treehouse was no longer the only place he considered home.

From the three surrounding hills to the single entrance of the basin, this entire area had become his domain.

Calling it a Shelter no longer felt appropriate.

It was his Territory.

An area of 0.198 km² now belonged entirely to him.

And the Treehouse?

That was merely his three-story bedroom within this territory.

---

He returned back to the Treehouse.

Before climbing up, Vikram paused for a moment and glanced around his territory.

The Guardian Sprout was slowly patrolling near the entrance. From time to time, it tapped the ground with its shield-arm or poked the nearby Thornvine cluster with its vine lash, as if checking whether the defensive vines were firmly rooted.

Occasionally it would stop beside the newly planted Thornvine seed, standing quietly like a silent guard.

The Warrior Sprout, on the other hand, behaved quite differently.

It ran back and forth along the territory’s inner boundary, occasionally slashing its vine-blade at bushes or fallen branches as if practicing its attacks.

At one point it even climbed onto a small rock near the warehouse entrance, raised its vine-blade high, and looked around proudly like a tiny commander inspecting the battlefield.

Seeing their diligent behavior, Vikram felt reassured.

Only then did he climb back into the Treehouse.

After entering, he opened the chat channel to see what the Survivors were discussing today.

[Did you guys notice that the acid rain has completely disappeared?]

[Last time I used an iron bucket that popped out of a box to collect some acid rain, and it completely evaporated after midnight when the disaster ended.]

[Yeah, if it weren’t for the burns on my hand from catching it last time, I would have thought the whole thing was a dream.]

[Holy crap, the guy above is ruthless. You actually caught acid rain with your bare hands?]

[Not only has the acid rain disappeared, but the trees near my Shelter that I cut down were all restored when I went out today.]

[This feels just like a game rollback.]

[It’s not just that. The real impact after the acid rain is that many creatures have mutated.]

[Before the disaster I could easily kill a normal chicken, but today I encountered one that had become a green rare-grade creature and was surrounded by a bloody aura. It was incredibly fierce and pecked several holes in my leg.]

[The strangest thing was that even after I stabbed it with a stone sword, it was still hopping around. It only stopped moving after I chopped off its head.]

At that moment, a Survivor with the ID Aamir Khan spoke up.

[Everyone, if you encounter the creatures mentioned above, you must be extremely careful. These creatures usually have a red bloody aura around them, and their names often start with "Crimson." Our preliminary assessment is that they are products of the acid rain’s mutation.]

[My team and I hunted a blue exquisite-grade Crimson Creature today. The characteristic of these creatures is that they have little to no sense of pain.]

[If you want to defeat them quickly, you must target their brain or heart. Attacking other parts will only make them more frenzied. If you’re not confident, it’s best to avoid them.]

Soon someone responded.

[Is what you’re saying reliable?]

[You can trust him. I remember that ID. When we first arrived in this world, he posted several reassuring messages in the channel. Before the acid rain, he also told us to stock up on stones.]

At that moment, another Survivor who had been silently watching the conversation for a long time also spoke up.

[As expected, there are always more capable people out there. Being able to figure out the behavior patterns of Crimson Creatures so quickly is truly impressive.]

However, judging from the speed of adaptation and the calm tone used in the explanation, Vikram had reason to suspect that Aamir Khan might have an official or military background.

Vikram stared at the name for a moment, feeling that it looked somewhat familiar.

After thinking for a while, he opened his friends list and quickly found the person.

Sure enough, it was the same person he had once tried to trade bandages with earlier.

Unfortunately, because Vikram had been busy collecting resources at that time, someone else had completed the trade before him.

Although what Aamir Khan and his team had shared in the chat was mostly correct, their understanding of Crimson Creatures was still incomplete.

After some thought, Vikram decided to send him the full information privately.

Even though order in this world was gradually collapsing—and some Survivors had already begun looting, killing, and robbing—many people were still innocent survivors from Earth.

Vikram was still willing to help them survive.

Sharing this information would not harm him in any way.

Even if he kept silent, Aamir Khan’s team would eventually figure it out sooner or later.

As for why Vikram didn’t post the information directly in the channel but chose to tell Aamir Khan privately, the reason was simple.

He didn’t want to stand out.

With the Plant Life System, Vikram only wanted to quietly develop and protect his own small territory.

Being too conspicuous would only attract unnecessary enemies.

So he opened a private chat.

[Vikram: Your team is truly impressive, being able to hunt blue creatures so quickly.]

The sudden message immediately caught Aamir Khan’s attention.

[Aamir Khan: Is there something you need?]

[Vikram: I just wanted to remind you that Crimson Creatures don’t only lose their sense of pain. They also have bloodlust and the trait of locking onto a target until death.]

[Vikram: When hunting them, it’s not only headshots or heart attacks that can kill them. If they bleed enough, they will eventually die as well.]

There was a short pause.

Then Aamir Khan replied.

[Aamir Khan: Are you sure?]

[Vikram: Yes.]

At that moment, Aamir Khan on the other side was already wondering who this Vikram was. From the way he spoke, it seemed that Vikram had already hunted more than one Crimson Creature; otherwise, he wouldn’t understand them so thoroughly.

[Vikram: You don’t need to worry about how I know so much. Anyway, I’m just giving you a heads-up. Consider it a free gift for a good person.]

After thinking about it carefully, Aamir Khan felt that this Vikram probably had no ill intentions.

He seemed to be nothing more than a capable and well-meaning Survivor.

After all, if other Survivors died because of false information, Vikram would gain nothing from it.

A Survivor capable of hunting multiple Crimson Creatures was unlikely to spread lies for no reason.

Therefore, the information was most likely reliable.

He quickly replied.

[Aamir Khan: You could have just said it yourself.]

[Vikram: I don’t have a habit of showing off in front of people.]

[Aamir Khan: Alright, then I’ll say it for you. I’ll remember this favor. If you need anything, you can come to me.]

Seeing this response, Vikram did not decline.

He felt that owing a favor to someone like Aamir Khan might be quite valuable in the future.

On the other side, after briefly discussing the matter with his two teammates, Aamir Khan received their agreement and posted several messages in the public chat channel.

[Aamir Khan: A kind Survivor who wishes to remain anonymous has just provided important information, which I will now share with everyone.]

[Aamir Khan: The characteristics of Crimson Creatures are not only the loss of pain sensation, but also bloodlust and the trait of locking onto a target until death.]

[Aamir Khan: Besides destroying the Crimson Creature’s head or heart, causing it to lose excessive blood can also kill it. Survivors, please be careful.]

The chat channel instantly exploded.

[Thank you, Big Boss Aamir Khan, for sharing such important information! Please accept my bow! I wonder if Big Boss’s Shelter still needs people? I’m willing to contribute my small strength to human survival!]

[Me too!]

[Big Boss Aamir Khan is amazing!]

[If we could join your team, our survival chances would definitely increase!]

Looking at the overwhelming wave of responses in the chat channel, Vikram shook his head slightly.

He had no interest in participating in such attention.

Just as he was about to close the interface and rest, a private message notification suddenly popped up.