Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 74 A Sprouted Potato

No matter how urgent things are, time keeps moving forward.

The first day after the cataclysm ended in busyness and chaos. The night was even more dangerous for humanity, and both large-scale rescue operations and small-group migrations slowed down temporarily.

The human world has fallen silent. Despite it being the height of summer, the survivors are like young animals hibernating in the dead of winter. Ultimately, humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Although Su Xun was anxious, everyone was anxious and eager to rescue the people in the disaster area as soon as possible. However, a major disaster is not an ordinary disaster, and it is unrealistic to carry out nighttime rescue operations.

Moreover, rebuilding a force capable of undertaking rescue missions will take time, and more importantly, the soldiers have experienced tremendous emotional stress and high-intensity combat missions throughout the day and are in dire need of rest.

Launching an operation at night could attract unpredictable enemies and cause uncontrollable losses.

"Let the scouts work a little harder to find out tomorrow's route and inform the residents in the settlements in advance not to panic, but to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements. The staff should also stay up all night to finish the battle plan."

"During nighttime reconnaissance, we must pay attention to safety. We must remind our comrades that their lives are also extremely precious these days. They must not take any risks and must report any danger immediately."

This is the significance of Su Xun bringing several superhumans here. If everyone hadn't been stopping him, Su Xun would have even wanted to go and explore the route himself first.

The person in charge nodded in agreement and began assigning tasks.

Looking at the already hazy night, Su Xun sighed softly. It was precisely at times like this that the preparations made in the month leading up to the apocalypse were put to the test.

In fact, the most dangerous phase had already passed. Just as they were clearing out the zombie beasts around the Taimon base, the earliest and largest group of victims appeared as they set off from the base toward Xinfu City.

Now, most of the survivors who survive the day can also survive the first night.

That evening, the shelter's canteen prepared a rather lavish dinner for the survivors of the disaster, to comfort those who were grieving.

After so much preparation, there is no shortage of supplies. On the contrary, many items with a short shelf life can be consumed quickly, such as meat, vegetables, and fruits. There are still many left over after the cold storage is full.

But an unexpected situation occurred, and the soldiers didn't know how to handle it. The news was reported to Su Xun.

"Mutant plants? The potatoes have mutated?"

Su Xun was quite surprised and called Xu Huan, Xiao Zhenru, and several other superhumans discovered in the shelter, planning to go and take a look together.

There are naturally other people with superpowers in this shelter, but in Su Xun's eyes they all seem quite ordinary. He did not see anyone of Xu Huan's caliber.

Such powerful talents are rare. Xu Huan was a unique powerhouse in Binhai City in his previous life. Not to mention Xinfu, the entire population of Fenggao City is only half that of Binhai City. It's not that there haven't been some high-level superhumans among them, but those that Su Xun knew have all been transferred to more important positions.

Now, these moderately strong but more numerous superhumans are the mainstream in these places. They may not have survived in their previous lives, dying in the zombie apocalypse on the first day, and thus were not recognized by Su Xun.

The group quickly arrived at the storage area and saw a pinkish-white object in the distance.

"Is this a potato?"

Xiao Zhenru was very surprised. The fluffy thing was as big as a double bed, and countless tentacles were gently pulsating.

The center of these tentacles is a deep red, fading to a lighter shade of pink towards the outside, eventually becoming almost transparent at the very tip.

"It is indeed a potato, and it looks like a potato that has sprouted roots."

"Ah, then we can't eat it." Xiao Zhenru was slightly disappointed. She had just been reading the survival manual written by Su Xun, which mentioned that extraordinary creatures were rich in spiritual energy, and that eating them could potentially enhance the strength of extraordinary individuals.

Although her telekinesis is a powerful superpower, she still feels it's not helpful. Now, Xiao Zhenru is eager to become stronger.

Su Xun took a closer look. The shelves were filled with potatoes, and the tendrils had already begun to take root in other boxes, seemingly drawing nutrients.

"They must be looking for water; they're quite short of water right now." The ground in the storage area is made of thick concrete; there's not a trace of soil, let alone water.

The mutation rate of plants is actually very small relative to the total number of plants. However, since there are a considerable number of plants everywhere, it appears that there are mutated plants everywhere.

"Should we water it? Or should we try to kill it?"

"Did it hurt anyone?"

The warehouse manager, who was standing nearby, responded, "No, we didn't dare go near it after we opened the warehouse and saw it."

“Let’s talk about it later. Let me see if we can exchange ideas first. This kind of thing that mutates from an edible species is actually quite valuable, and it seems to be very suitable for Elder Xu’s superpower.”

Xu Huan, who had been studying the potato the whole time, nodded upon hearing this. He had a subconscious feeling that his special ability could be used more effectively on this potato.

He was somewhat puzzled: "Is this the only mutated potato in this batch?"

Potatoes, which reproduce through tubers, are essentially sprouts that originate from the same root in the same batch.

Su Xun nodded in response: "For those that are completely cut apart, the mutation situation still depends on the individual... at least that's the case for bananas."

If this could mutate collectively, then all bananas should have mutated by now, but that hasn't happened.

According to their observations, only plants that are actually connected have a very small probability of mutation, such as a bamboo forest, which is a single entity.

As he gradually stepped forward, Su Xun began to connect with the spiritual power of the wood element, gradually achieving a special frequency. This ability was something he learned in his previous life from a magic-type ability user who could communicate directly with plants. As for that ability user, he had not yet been born.

Hopefully, his parents will be able to meet as planned.

While magical abilities can occasionally be inherited, the probability is low. Furthermore, the children of those with superpowers are not always those with superpowers. How to use reproduction to ensure the continuation of powerful and important superpowers is a research topic that both humans and mutated beasts in the post-apocalyptic era are studying.

A vague and confused consciousness appeared in Su Xun's perception. To be honest, there was no evil thought in it, only a strong desire for water.

Water-attribute spiritual power was mobilized, and some mist-like water vapor appeared between the tendrils of the potato, but it quickly disappeared before it could be absorbed.

After several such attempts, Su Xun even felt like he was bullying a child. In the end, he basically tamed the mutated plant.

It looked quite large, but its actual size was only slightly larger than a regular potato, and all that extended out were tendrils. After Su Xun's friendly persuasion, the potato voluntarily gave up those useless growths, and in the end, Su Xun moved it into a flowerpot.

"Old Xu can take it with him and study it. I'll teach you how to communicate with it in a bit... Don't water it too often, and don't rush to catalyze it, to prevent it from getting out of control."

Xu Huan took the flowerpot. He had lived for over seventy years, spending most of his time teaching others. At this moment, standing in front of Su Xun, he suddenly felt like he was facing a teacher.

What is this? A potato-growing craft project?

(End of this chapter)