Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 67: Mistveil Phantom Fern (Golden Ticket Bonus)
This Chapter is dedicated to Pan_Agreus_Nomios and a few other readers for pointing out mistakes—I’ve corrected them thanks to your help.
Also, a big thank you to Jordan_alucard, bragoi, UlyssesTheWanderer, will_c, and many more for the Golden Tickets. Your support means a lot!
[Kuldeep Singh: A small group chat like this is trying to talk about manners with a member of my Savage Wolf Shelter? Let me tell you, in the Wasteland World, whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules.]
[Kuldeep Singh: For a small group like yours, ten of you wouldn’t be enough for my Savage Wolf Shelter to beat.]
Clearly, he thought this was just a group casually set up by a few ordinary Survivors, where any riff-raff could join.
In his opinion, perhaps only a handful of Survivors in the group could even build their Shelter into an iron one.
That’s why the group members’ earlier praise for Vikram was met with his ridicule.
Just as the group fell silent, the vice-admin, who usually managed the group’s harmony, finally spoke.
[Director Aditya: Savage Wolf Shelter?]
[Director Aditya: Even Rahul Soniwal, your Shelter’s boss, wouldn’t dare speak to me like that. Where do you, an unknown nobody, get your confidence?]
After much thought, Kuldeep Singh realized he had no impression of that name in his mind. He was about to retort, saying, "Who do you think you are?"
But then a message from Shalini suddenly came through his private messages.
[Shalini: Are you crazy? I finally managed to become familiar in this group, and you just ruined it all the moment you entered.]
[Shalini: Didn’t I tell you this group isn’t simple? Don’t talk nonsense. Why can’t you understand human language?]
[Kuldeep Singh: Hmph, what’s so not simple about it? Our Savage Wolf Shelter is one of the top forces in our region. Can they really defy the heavens?]
[Shalini: Just Director Aditya alone, he is the head of the King Kong Shelter. Most of the members in the group who can join are leaders of their own factions. I even suspect that the Aurora Shelter and Brown Wood Shelter, which are on par with us, have members in it.]
[Shalini: At the very least, they are relatively powerful lone wolf Survivors. Do you still think this group is easy to provoke now?]
[Kuldeep Singh: Big Sister, what do we do?]
[Shalini: Find a way to apologize, then get out of the group yourself. I’ll explain today’s situation to Rahul Soniwal later.]
[Kuldeep Singh: No, Big Sister, if you tell the boss, I’ll be skinned alive even if I don’t die.
Shalini: I don’t care about you. If you act foolishly, you have to pay the price for your actions. Even if he doesn’t trouble you afterward, I’ll settle scores with you!]
[Kuldeep Singh: You are... you are Director Aditya, the head of the King Kong Shelter?]
At this point, Kuldeep Singh, who had just been spouting nonsense, finally recognized his true identity.
[Director Aditya: So what if I am? Ten of you still aren’t enough for your Savage Wolf Shelter to beat, right?]
[Kuldeep Singh: Haha, Brother Aditya, you’re joking. I was ignorant just now and offended everyone in the group.]
[Kuldeep Singh: I apologize to everyone in the group here. I’m sorry for bothering everyone.]
[Kuldeep Singh: It was all my own foolishness. I hope everyone doesn’t have any other opinions about the Savage Wolf Shelter. Those who are still interested in joining the Savage Wolf Shelter can private message me.]
[Kuldeep Singh: Brother Aditya, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave the group?]
[Director Aditya: Wait, before that, tell me clearly who added you?]
Before he could explain, Shalini, who had been observing in secret for a long time, actively spoke up.
[Shalini: Brother Aditya, I added him. Last time, after he found out I traded for supplies from the Shelter, he asked me for a group recommendation. I didn’t think much of it and just added him.]
[Shalini: I’m sorry, Brother Aditya. I definitely won’t add people indiscriminately again. Can you not make me leave the group too?]
Her tone was sincere, with a hint of apology. No one would feel disgusted by this ’unintentional’ young girl.
[Kuldeep Singh: That’s right, Brother Aditya, Sister Shalini also warned me not to talk nonsense before joining the group. It was my own fault for not listening to her that I said those things.]
Knowing that punishment was inevitable later, Kuldeep Singh, who had been so imposing just now, was now just as pathetic in his pleading.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of the King Kong Shelter, but rather that the group was a mixed bag, and he didn’t dare to tarnish the reputation of the Savage Wolf Shelter in the group.
[Director Aditya: Alright, I didn’t tell you to leave the group. You two can discuss how to handle things privately afterward. If anything similar happens again, I won’t let you stay no matter what.]
Director Aditya, usually amiable, exuded an unquestionable attitude regarding the two group members’ issues, clearly aware of the importance of this group chat.
[Shalini: Okay, Brother Aditya, I’ll make him leave the group.]
While most people in the group believed the conflict had finally ended and Kuldeep Singh had already left quietly, a sudden message shattered the calm.
[Vikram: It’s fine that you’re leaving the group... but remember one thing. If you ever meet me in the wild, it will be your last day in the Wasteland.]
Many members simply laughed it off.
In their eyes, Vikram was always someone who joked around in the chat. They assumed this was just another sharp-tongued comeback.
But this time... Vikram was genuinely angry.
If Kuldeep Singh had merely promoted his own Shelter, Vikram wouldn’t have cared at all. In the Wasteland, everyone fought for survival and influence. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
However, Kuldeep had first stepped on Vikram publicly, belittling him in front of everyone, and only then used the moment to promote his group.
That... Vikram would never tolerate it.
For the first time since arriving in this world, someone had provoked him without even knowing who he truly was.
Silently, he memorized the name.
He didn’t actually have a "death list diary"...
but at that moment, he seriously considered creating one.
"Just dealt with the riff-raff from Brown Wood Shelter... and now there’s another Savage Wolf Shelter..."
He muttered to himself, brows slightly furrowed.
"Is this region really that small? Why am I running into major factions one after another in just a few days..."
It was becoming increasingly clear to him that this regional chat group was far more complicated than he had initially thought.
Judging from Kuldeep Singh’s arrogant confidence before leaving, Director Aditya was definitely not the only powerful figure in that circle.
But what bothered Vikram even more was Shalini.
Her apology earlier had sounded sincere on the surface. Yet when he replayed her words in his mind, he noticed subtle problems everywhere.
When Kuldeep was openly provoking him, she, the one who had invited Kuldeep into the group, hadn’t stopped him. Instead, she had gone strangely silent.
Then came the apology.
It sounded like she was taking responsibility,
but in truth, every sentence subtly pushed the blame onto Kuldeep alone... distancing herself from the situation.
"In the end... she’s just another pawn," Vikram muttered coldly. "In the Wasteland, what else can I expect..."
A Shelter capable of growing to such a scale was unlikely to be led by saints.
Shaking away these thoughts, Vikram turned his attention back to something far more practical: his Plant Essence reserves.
After three intense days of hunting and development, his balance had quietly climbed to nearly 4500 points.
A dangerous amount of power.
Yet, despite hiding his territory cleverly between the mountains, the existence of the massive reinforced gate and the long walkway had already exposed his general location to outsiders.
For now, he realized his mistake: no matter how well he hid, constructing walls was a clear sign that someone was living there.
Thinking of this, the first thing he did was remove all the walls.
Secondly, he needed to camouflage the entrance.
Ever since the Brown Wood Shelter began stationing scouts near the Wolf Spirit Ruins, Vikram had been planning to conceal his entrance completely.
He had long noticed a special plant listed in the Plant Life System: Mistveil Phantom Fern (Blue-Grade Illusion Plant).
This plant could continuously release a dense, perception-distorting fog field.
Anyone other than the owner who approached within its range would fall into mild spatial illusion, losing direction, misjudging distance, and instinctively walking away from the true gate.
Each plant could cover roughly 3 to 4 meters of effective concealment radius.
To completely hide the wide gate corridor and surrounding approach zone... he would need at least 30 of them.
The real problem was the cost.
Each Mistveil Phantom Fern required 111 Plant Essence, and unlike most defensive flora, these illusion plants did not generate any daily Plant Essence return.
They were pure consumption.
Because of this, Vikram had postponed the purchase until now.
But after today’s provocation... his patience had run out.
He narrowed his eyes and gave the command calmly.
"Plant System... purchase 30 Mistveil Phantom Fern."
A soft green glow flickered in the air.
One after another, delicate blue-tinged fern seedlings materialized in his hands, their leaves faintly translucent, already exuding a ghostlike mist.
At the same moment, his Plant Essence balance rapidly dropped.
Yet Vikram only smiled faintly.
Then, after planting the Mistveil Phantom Fern around the gate, he began thinking about constructing two defense towers near the entrance. Whenever necessary, he could station two Archer Sprouts there, ensuring that many enemies would be eliminated even before reaching the gate.
And even if a few intruders managed to get close, they would first fall into the illusion field, after which the Thornvine, Bloodvine, and Spikevine would finish the rest.
Judging from the materials required, this construction would demand a large number of resources. Without hesitation, he posted his requirements.
However, he did not announce it in the main chat group. Instead, he casually posted the trade request in a smaller group, where such materials could be acquired more easily.
[Radhika: Oh my goodness, no wonder little Divya calls you the landlord’s foolish son. You’re really going for this kind of trade?]
It was no surprise that Radhika was shocked. Currently, Vikram’s most abundant resource was all kinds of food. It was better to trade it than to let it pile up unused.
However, the situation of other Survivors was exactly the opposite. Prey was already difficult to find, and with the arrival of extreme cold, hunting had become even harder.
So, when they saw such a trade offer, the Survivors in the group immediately erupted in excitement.
[Geetanjali: Big Boss Vikram, does your Shelter still need pretty sisters? If so, I can handle everything.]
[Radhika: You shameless girl, if anyone is going, it should be me first. You’re already so old — Big Boss Vikram won’t be interested.]
[Geetanjali: Get lost, you little airport. How dare you talk about me? If you want to hook up with a rich guy, go home and drink milk for a few more years.]
[Vikram: Stop arguing. Both beautiful ladies are welcome if you’re sincere. I’ll take all.]
"Hehe." Although he knew they were only joking, he still responded cheerfully to their teasing.
[Bobby: Big Boss Vikram, look at me, look at me! How can these ordinary beauties compare to your aura? If you don’t mind, I think I can qualify.]
[Bobby: Recruit me into your Shelter. Not only can I help you work during the day, but I can also warm your bed at night. Please consider it.]
[Vikram: ...]
[Vikram: Stay away from me.]
[Divya: Didn’t you just say everyone sincere is welcome? How did Big Boss Vikram change his mind so quickly?]
A slightly mocking message appeared. On closer inspection, it was Divya.
Sensing that the situation was turning unfavorable, Vikram quickly corrected his tone.
