The Invasion Day – Chapter 58

Table of Contents | Character Guide

Chapter 58

After the battle with the corn king, Wang Dan got her wish and took a dozen corn cobs with her.

It was just that these corn cobs had passed their softest and tastiest state; right now, they had turned a bit too ripe. Whether they were boiled in water or roasted over fire, chewing on them would take some hard work.

But even so, everyone ate them with relish. These corn cobs were harvested after a rain of ‘cannonballs’, soaked in Tang Xuhai’s blood, sweat and suffering. Who would have the nerve to say that they weren’t delicious?

Fu Shiwu pulled Tang Xuhai aside to spray the pain relief on both his arms that were full of black-blue bruises. He also pressed a cold towel on them to ease the swelling.

Taking his shirt off, Tang Xuhai was sweating all over. It was obvious that he was in pain, but still he didn’t utter a word.

Fu Shiwu had fully understood this man’s personality by now. He naturally tried to be as tender as he could so as to not worsen the wounds.

Fu Shiwu gently held the towel with his fingers to prevent it from falling off.

Before his eyes was Tang Xuhai’s upper half that was all-so-casually exposed.

Tang Xuhai’s skin wasn’t fair. His whole body carried that healthy shade of wheat, not to mention he had been exercising very diligently. His upper half exuded a distinct skin texture and was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and his fully-developed chest muscles were even complemented by his conspicuous abs. Just this plain look already made him not much different from a bodybuilder whose perfect body was covered entirely in oil, shining so brightly it could dazzle people.

Seeing Fu Shiwu silent for a while, Tang Xuhai raised his eyes and snorted: “Jealous?”

As Fu Shiwu sheepishly pushed his glasses up, Tang Xuhai raised his arm to show off the muscles on his bicep: “It’s okay. When you have time, I’ll certainly give you some training to help you break away from that label of a ‘poached chicken’1白斬雞 [bai zhan ji] refers a Cantonese-style boiled chicken dish. As a slang, it refers to men who are thin and don’t have lots of muscles..”

What poached chicken?!

Fu Shiwu felt as though his forehead had been shot with an arrow, and he snapped back unyieldingly: “I can’t really be that bad?”

He raised his own arm, which indeed had become firmer as of late, only to see a cold wind blowing through it, even sending all the hair on his arm to stand up for a salute. 

Tang Xuhai broke into laughter, his whole body shaking so much that Fu Shiwu couldn’t stably hold the towel.

Fu Shiwu was so not happy that he grabbed the towel and patted it on Tang Xuhai’s face.

“Ahahaha…” Tang Xuhai laughed until tears started coming out. He wiped the corners of his eyes, took a breath and pretentiously put up a stern face: “Let’s hurry up and find something for you to wear. Huff~~~” But Fu Shiwu’s goosebumps now makes his skin look even more like a ‘poached chicken’. Don’t blame me!

Fu Shiwu shot him a fierce glare, then turned and walked to the modified car to rummage through the clothes by himself.

Because even Fu Shiwu didn’t know he had a phobia, they didn’t specifically find him any shirt or sportswear. The only clothes with long-sleeves and not too much thickness that they had right here were all T-shirts and the likes. Fu Shiwu searched and searched, until he managed to finally find a jacket with zipper.

This jacket was made for late autumn and early winter. The material was a bit thick, but Fu Shiwu couldn’t be picky. He simply put it on and wasn’t bothered by the hotness at all.

Tang Xuhai only watched Fu Shiwu quietly pull out the thick jacket and put it on, but inside, he was secretly making up his mind that he must help the guy find some other clothes with suitable thickness.

While Fu Shiwu was helping to spray some medicine on Tang Xuhai, over there, Liu Peiqi couldn’t wait to start using the corn king’s kernels.

Miao Jia and Wang Dan stood around him with interest. To be honest, back in the central warehouse, they only got to receive prepared meals from the soldiers, so they had never seen how a wood-type ability user germinated a plant.

Liu Peiqi put a kernel in his palm and summoned his ability, and very quickly after, a small sprout started poking out of the corn kernel.

As though trying to exert his qi, Liu Peiqi flicked on the sprout then threw it on the ground. The next scene was like a documentary often seen on TV’s Science channel. As soon as the kernel fell to the ground, it rapidly took roots and gradually pulled out its leaves. The plant’s leaves stretched longer and longer, its body growing taller in a matter of seconds.

“It really grows!” Ma Dong exclaimed in awe.

The other people also looked surprised, none able to shift their gaze away.

Hearing the excitement, Tang Xuhai walked over and Fu Shiwu also looked toward that direction.

Taller and taller the corn plant grew, and soon it reached more than 4 meters in height, then the tassels bloomed at the top and pistils started to protrude from the corn ears on the plant’s body. Soon after the stamens at the top shook off their pollen, tiny corn husks immediately emerged from the pistils.

At this point, Fu Shiwu also came over.

Huo Enting’s eyebrows as he deeply thought of something, then and said: “This is still too slow. Regardless whether this corn plant has attack ability or not, at this growth rate, the alien might’ve already crushed it a few times before it even fully matures.”

Liu Peiqi’s forehead was drenched in sweat. He felt a bit distressed upon hearing Huo Enting’s words, but he himself could tell that this speed indeed was rather slow.

Fu Shiwu unconsciously used his ‘perception’ to look at the scene and saw powers continuously being transmitted from Liu Peiqi’s direction. He said: “You could try to exert a bit more energy.”

Hollande gave him a surprised look, but Fu Shiwu didn’t care. Liu Peiqi hesitated: “Will it work?”

“Try it!” Tang Xuhai lifted his chin.

“Okay.” Liu Peiqi gritted his teeth and increased the output of his ability.

In his mind, Fu Shiwu could feel Liu Peiqu’s powers exponentially increase, but Liu Peiqi was obviously struggling, his face turning as white as a sheet and his sweat fervently pouring out.

Fu Shiwu instantly regretted this proposal. Liu Peiqi had already reached his maximum output, and now he was forcing himself over his own limit.

Fu Shiwu’s lips moved as he was about to stop Liu Peiqi, but Tang Xuhai slapped him on the shoulder.

He raised his eyes. Tang Xuhai was shaking his head, asking Fu Shiwu to stay quiet.

As Liu Peiqi doubled the output of his wood-type ability, the corn husks grew wildly, and it didn’t take long for them to completely develop.

“Hahaha!” Suddenly, Liu Peiqi let out an amazed laugh as his eyes widened in surprise. He excitedly shouted to the others: “I can feel it! I can feel the difference!”

“What’s the difference?” Wang Dan asked.

“I used to grow vegetables, but those seeds weren’t infected by the heterogeneous molecules and the crops that grow are just ordinary.” As a bright light flashed in his eyes, Liu Peiqi quickly continued: “But this corn plant is different. I can feel the connection between it and me, and I can control it!”

Wen Zhaoming, who had been quietly watching and studying the scene, finally spoke at this point: “Can this corn attack?”

“Yes!” Liu Peiqi said with certainty.

“You try to launch an attack first.” Tang Xuhai said.

“Uhm!” Liu Peiqi’s expression was resolute and full of confidence. He stared at the corn, and the people who were standing directly opposite him subconsciously stepped aside at full speed.

“Arghhh!!!” Liu Peiqi yelled furiously and one corn husk snapped open, spraying out its corn kernels with a whistling sound which crisply pounced on the modified car.

“Oh ouch ouch ouch —” Liu Peiqi let out an odd scream as his face and neck both reddened from the surge in powers. The corn plant trembled and another corn husk shot open, then two corn cobs flew out along with a loud “whoosh”! 

“Incredible!” Miao Jia clapped his hands eagerly.

The corn cobs flew high and far, passing over the whole group of men and the car and finally landing on the other side of the road.

“……” Wang Dan shot a complicated look at Liu Peiqi, who was so exhausted that he was gasping desperately.

“……” Tang Xuhai raised his eyebrows.

Although it was admirable that he worked so hard, this result wasn’t too satisfying. It required so much strength to only spray out corn kernels and corn cobs, yet its damage wasn’t even comparable to popcorn…

Only Fu Shiwu voiced out sharply: “If you can bruise the alien’s skin with these corn cannonballs, it’s already not bad.” 

The others thought so too, but seeing Liu Peiqi trying so hard, they couldn’t bear to rub salt into the wound.

Liu Peiqi panted hard for a while, then finally nodded and said: “Indeed, these corns don’t seem too effective.”

“Uhm.” Fu Shiwu nodded solemnly, and spoke with a casual tone as he stood in the middle of the group: “This is just corn. It’s the first kind of special ability plant that we’ve encountered so far. Objectively, it seems that it’s possible for a wood-type ability user to control the seeds of special ability plants and turn them into attack power. The next step for us is to collect the seeds of powerful plants that could deal more damage.” 

Liu Peiqi’s frustration was swept away and he was obviously encouraged by Fu Shiwu’s words. He clenched both fists and nodded vigorously: “You’re right!”

“In addition…” Fu Shiwu remained silent for a moment, then he looked intently at Liu Peiqi: “Your initial speed of germinating these seeds was too slow. At the start, you still have ample powers, let’s push the growth of these seeds a bit more.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Liu Peiqi nodded again and again with beaming eyes.

Spotting a bit of oddness in his attitude, Fu Shiwu silently thought that something seemed off, but he still kept his calm and continued: “Now your most obvious shortcoming is that the output of your ability is too low, so you have to learn to produce the most powers in the shortest time.”

Fu Shiwu looked back at Wen Zhaoming, then turned his head and said to Liu Peiqi earnestly: “When a plant seed germinates, its power is the strongest, and it can even lift a weight that is a hundred times its own. If your output powers are sufficient, the plant may even attack during its germination stage.”

Hearing this, Liu Peiqi was visibly stunned. He nodded solemnly and stopped talking altogether, then fell into some contemplation.