The apocalypse is coming, but thankfully I have a harem of paper dolls.

In an instant, the sounds of hand cannons firing and exploding rang out continuously.

The commotion startled the giant vines that had been motionless on the roadside buildings. Just as the first giant vine stirred, seemingly about to attack the team...

“Da da da da da da da—!”

The rotating machine fired wildly! In just a few seconds, it fired hundreds of armor-piercing rounds! It quickly shredded the giant vines, which were as thick as a train car! A large amount of dark green sap gushed out!

But even the best can make mistakes.

Soon, an assault soldier on the left side of the team, who was firing a rifle, was accidentally entangled in the ankle by a mutated vine that crept up to him like a venomous snake, and tripped and fell to the ground.

Before he could even extend his left arm, more vines wrapped around his wrist, waist, and other ankle, pulling him toward a shop on the side of the street.

"Yu Hao!"

In the critical moment, another assault soldier sprayed gas from his back with a "whoosh," and propelled by the power propulsion system, he instantly flew a great distance to his comrade's side, and the chainsaw sword cut the mutated vine in one swift motion!

"Thanks, Wolf! I'm throwing a Molotov cocktail!"

The rescued assault soldier shouted his thanks and pulled out a grenade from his person, throwing it at a shop on the street.

boom--!

The explosion released a large amount of flames, setting fire to the shops along the street.

Under the relentless bombardment of this team, it didn't matter whether it was thorns in the cracks of the ground, ordinary mutated vines as venomous as snakes, or giant vines clinging to buildings.

all!

It's all become a roadside ditch!

"Captain Qin! Urgent message!"

At this moment, Xiaowen, a communications soldier, stood close to Captain Qin Feng and shouted, "I discovered through the drone that the target building is no longer entangled in thorns, the strange flowers that were previously spotted downstairs are gone, and there is no one on the balcony. The suspected target has left!"

"What? They're already gone? Damn it!"

Qin Feng, who was firing his gun, couldn't help but swear. After all, they had come here to find someone; otherwise, a fight wouldn't have broken out here.

Just as Qin Feng was cursing, a static sound suddenly came through his helmet headset.

The next second, the pilot's voice came through the headset.

"Captain Qin Feng, the mission has changed. You need to immediately return to the landing site and reboard the helicopter."

"Roger that! We're retreating now!"

Now that they knew the person they were looking for seemed to be gone, Qin Feng naturally wouldn't let his team risk their lives to fight against the various mutated plants along the way.

Under his orders, the entire team began to retreat, and all the plants that tried to pursue were driven back by the flames spewed by the musketeers.

At this moment, Qin Feng contacted the pilot again through the helmet headset and asked about the new mission.

The pilot immediately responded:

"The latest news from the capital is that we need to find a treasure chest nearby with plant carvings on its surface that emits light. Based on the images previously captured and transmitted back to the capital by the drone, the capital has identified a location where the treasure chest exists."

"Right in Kun County?"

"Yes, Captain Qin, it's in the county town, only a few kilometers from where you are now."

……

At the same time, Luo Jiajun and his group, who had already left their original residence and were heading towards Zhongyue Shopping Mall, stopped on the open road and looked back at the road they had come from.

"The gunfire is so intense, and there are also artillery shells and explosions. Is the army coming?" Luo Jiajun frowned and pondered.

But he really couldn't understand how an army could possibly come to such a dilapidated county as Kun County.

You have to understand that this apocalypse came too suddenly. Even if there are still troops that have maintained their organization, they should be in important places like the capital, Shanghai, or Shenzhen, right?

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Should we go back and check on the situation?

The sounds of gunfire continued. Looking back at the road they had come from, Achina stood beside Luo Jiajun and asked in a low voice.

"No need, let's take care of ourselves first."

Luo Jiajun's gaze swept over the others, such as the newly joined Mai Shiranui, Leda, and 2B. While seemingly answering Archina, he was actually reminding everyone to avoid meddling in other people's business during the apocalypse.

Putting aside his curiosity, Luo Jiajun then called the women to continue forward.

The cold wind howled along the way.

The once bustling streets are now nothing but a mess. Cracks are everywhere on the wide roads, parked cars have been overturned, and the high-rise buildings that once symbolized civilization are now overgrown with rampant greenery.

Even though the apocalypse had only just begun, the entire city had already become a ghost town, with no other survivors to be seen.

"Can humanity really withstand such a catastrophe?" Luo Jiajun couldn't help but ponder.

He himself certainly doesn't have much pressure to survive, but what about other ordinary people?

Thinking of this, Luo Jiajun couldn't help but recall the gunfire he had heard earlier.

If the army still exists, even if they don't wipe out all the plants, they should be able to establish a large camp to accommodate survivors from all walks of life without much trouble, right?

Lost in thought, Luo Jiajun suddenly snapped out of it and realized that they were almost at their destination.

According to the game map, the high-value item he had deliberately taken a short detour to acquire before arriving at Zhongyue Shopping Mall was located in a plaza. They were now less than two hundred meters away from the plaza, and Luo Jiajun could already see the profusion of flowers blooming there.

Yes, it was a riot of color.

The square is beautifully landscaped, with a variety of flowers, shrubs, and trees planted there. Now, these plants have undergone a mutation, increasing in size several times over, and their colors have become more vibrant, presenting a breathtaking beauty.

Before the apocalypse, it seemed that some kind of commercial event was going to be held in the square, and the stage had already been set up. However, due to the arrival of the cataclysm, the event could not be held, but a treasure chest emitting a faint golden light appeared on the stage.

Because various wild plants almost completely occupied the square, the road to the stage was blocked, which was just like playing a video game—to get the treasure, you had to clear out a large number of monsters around you first.

After a short while, Luo Jiajun arrived outside the square and looked around carefully, but he didn't find anything resembling the "Needle Giant" or...

Such a large-scale target as "the source of corruption".

The once vast open spaces in the square were now mostly covered by flowers and leaves that had grown wildly from the flowerbeds. Even after their mutation, these flowers were only about half a person tall, and their stems extended numerous green tentacles, like venomous snakes winding across the entire square.

"Be careful, the plants here are stirring," Jera warned in a low voice.

It was because of her that Luo Jiajun and the others were not frequently attacked along the way.

"Are you confident you can control these plants in the square?" Luo Jiajun asked in a low voice.

Jera shook her head and said, "They give me a very dangerous feeling. If we get any closer, they might attack without hesitation."

“Hmm…” Luo Jiajun nodded and pondered.

I'm not surprised.

It's normal for monsters that spawn near treasure chests to be difficult to deal with.

"Rinko, Leda, 2B, Mai, could you please clear the way ahead?"

After a brief moment of thought, Luo Jiajun began to "select his generals".

Upon receiving the order, Rinko Akiyama, Leda, and 2B, without any questions, immediately obeyed and walked to the front of the group, drawing their weapons.

Only Mai Shiranui was a beat slower. Just as she was about to catch up with the three ahead, fan in hand, Luo Jiajun suddenly raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder:

"Xiao Wu."

"Hmm? Mr. Luo, is there anything else you need?"

The moment Mai Shiranui addressed Luo Jiajun, she remembered Leda's earlier warning, but she still felt too embarrassed to call him "master".

Luo Jiajun didn't care about any of that, and simply smiled as he said to Mai Shiranui:

"Go all out! I know the Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu is amazing. I asked you and Leda to lead the way so I could take this opportunity to broaden my horizons."

Seeing the gentle smile on Luo Jiajun's face, Mai Shiranui was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face blossomed into a bright and energetic smile.

"Okay!"

"Then we would like to invite Mr. Luo to witness this."

"Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu is the most powerful!"

As she finished speaking, the female ninja gave Luo Jiajun a wink with her bright, sparkling eyes.

At this moment, the three "swordsmen" ahead had already charged into the square. The instant they stepped in, various mutated flowers on the square launched an attack: there were purple man-eating flowers with their gaping maws, pink strange flowers that spewed green poisonous mist, and some flowers that could even shake and launch their leaves like darts.

But all these attacks were child's play in the face of the three female swordsmen. Their movements were so swift that they were almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

As 2B, in her mechanical form, wielded her greatsword and charged straight at the strange flowers spewing poisonous mist, slaying them one by one; Rinko Akiyama unleashed a series of interwoven sword energies, easily deflecting all the flying leaves; and Rita even unleashed a golden sword wave composed of divine energy, annihilating a large area of ​​flowers and plants in its path.

After destroying a large area of ​​flowers and plants with a single strike, Leda herself was stunned for a moment—was this the power bestowed upon her by her master?

At the same time, Rinko Akiyama and 2B also noticed the changes in their bodies, realizing that their movements had become much more agile and their strength had increased significantly!

This is the effect of activating the synergy bonus.

Seeing her three companions mowing down the grass and wreaking havoc, Mai Shiranui immediately sprang into action, rushing towards the deeper part of the plaza along the path cleared by the three female swordsmen.

Some surviving mutated flowers along the way tried to stop Mai Shiranui, but she suddenly somersaulted and jumped up as she charged forward, her body flying forward with the momentum of an elbow strike aimed at the front, and then bursting into flames!

Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu: Super Special Move - Ninja Bee!

Plants are always afraid of fire. Mai Shiranui was like a rocket, charging forward relentlessly, unstoppable. But she charged too far and too fast, and in the blink of an eye, she lost her connection with the three female swordsmen behind her. When she stopped and the flames on her body went out, a large number of plant tentacles on the ground around her came to life, attempting to entangle her.

The female ninja remained calm in the face of danger, immediately putting the folding fan in her mouth and forming hand seals.

Shiranui-ryu Ninjutsu: Dance of the Blazing Sun!

"Huh~!!!"

As the female ninja stood still and formed hand seals, a large amount of flames suddenly gushed out from around her like a fountain. The scorching fire snakes coiled around the female ninja, burning all the plant tentacles that came near to the ground black.

When the Dance of Sunfire, which lasted for several seconds, ended, the three female swordsmen behind her had already caught up with the female ninja who had originally ventured deep into enemy territory alone.

Unfolding her folding fan, Mai Shiranui danced with it, creating bursts of flames that continued to wreak havoc among the flowers and plants, the intense flames burning away large numbers of vegetation.

Luo Jiajun, watching from the rear, couldn't help but sigh:

"It's burning hot!"

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【A small bag of Senzu Beans (5 beans)】: A recovery item from the Dragon Ball world. It looks like a broad bean. Just eating one bean will instantly fill you up and restore all injuries and stamina.

……

On the chaotic street, Luo Jiajun walked slowly, lost in thought, tossing a small cloth bag in his palm.

The battle was over, and the group continued their journey.

In short, the mutated flowers that had previously covered the entire plaza were no match for Luo Jiajun's harem. Luo Jiajun opened the treasure chest on the plaza stage, and the small bag of Senzu Beans he was currently tossing in his hand was a high-value item he had obtained from it.

To be fair, Senzu Beans are indeed extremely, extremely, extremely useful. However, Luo Jiajun already has the [Red Dewdrop Grail Bottle], a recovery item. Adding another bag of Senzu Beans would be somewhat redundant. Besides, Luo Jiajun hasn't even really needed to use the Grail Bottle before.

But that's what "games" are all about...

Even when you already have a certain type of item and no longer need the same type, you still end up drawing duplicates...

At this moment, Mai Shiranui walked briskly to Luo Jiajun's side and asked curiously:

"Can you tell me what's in this bag? I never expected there to be a treasure chest in a place like that. But since it's something found in a treasure chest, it must be very valuable, right?"

Having demonstrated considerable strength in the previous battles, Mai Shiranui seems to have regained her confidence and begun to adapt to the current situation, with her mindset becoming noticeably more open.

Seeing the smiling female ninja approach him, Luo Jiajun casually tossed the bag in his hand to her.

"Huh? These are...broad beans?"

Mai Shiranui was stunned to find that the bag contained only a few beans.

Others also turned to look with curiosity.

Luo Jiajun said slowly:

"Don't underestimate these few beans. As long as you take just one, no matter how serious your injuries are, how much strength you've lost, or how hungry you are, as long as you're still alive, the Senzu Bean can immediately restore you to your full strength."

"Huh? Si Guoyi!"

Upon hearing Luo Jiajun's explanation, Mai Shiranui exclaimed in surprise, then quickly realized what he meant and hurriedly returned the bag of Senzu Beans to Luo Jiajun.

"No wonder there were so many deformed plants in that square earlier, yet you still made us rush in. So, Mr. Luo, you already knew that there were such good things hidden in the square?"