He headed toward the greenhouse, completely unaware of what was truly happening. Behind his back, He Sha slowly lifted his head. His gaze grew incredibly sharp, and a mysterious, almost human smile appeared on his lips, as if he had finally regained his consciousness.
Lin Fang walked over to a row of massive glass greenhouses. Inside were countless plants he had personally cultivated with care. He gazed at the shimmering stat lines that floated above the rows of plants. Permanent stamina plus one, not yet ripe. Temporary speed plus one, not yet ripe. Temporary health plus one, not yet ripe. Permanent attack plus one, also not ripe.
He smirked to himself, thinking how everyone else had to train so painfully for their power. He used his crops to level up, achieving balanced stats and a solid foundation.
But then his expression darkened with a thought. The downside — it seemed only he could actually give these plants their special power-boosting effects. If he could just increase his production, everyone could level up using his crops. Then the demon race would be a total cakewalk.
Lin Fang grabbed his shovel, his mind made up. It was time to get to work. But he couldn't just plant the magic crops. He needed to plant enough normal ones outside as camouflage, or his greenhouse secrets would be exposed. "Let's do this."
Three days flashed by in an instant. The potato harvest was a huge success, with mounds of them piled high. Lin Fang leaned on his shovel, directing his undead labour force as they toiled away. "Just keep digging like that. Understand?"
Watching his unlikely farmhands work so efficiently, he nodded in approval. Not bad. With this crew, planting speed has gone way up.
But then a sudden shout cut through the air as he spotted something out of place. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
An undead lizard was sneakily opening its skeletal jaw, about to gulp down a freshly unearthed potato. Lin Fang stared blankly at the thieving lizard, a single confused sound escaping his lips. "Huh?"
Immediately a status window popped up. It was a level six undead lizard, and its stats were temporarily boosted. Bone density and defence were up.
Lin Fang pulled up the system panel, his mind racing. He remembered that all these undead lizards were loot from his previous dungeon run. The only difference was that this one had just eaten a potato. And suddenly his eyes lit up as a new theory clicked into place. Could it be the special effects from his crops? Could his undead minions benefit from them too?
Over the next few days Lin Fang began running systematic experiments, carefully recording the effects of each crop on the undead.
On a clear moonlit night, a mysterious figure appeared on the greenhouse roof, observing from above. How strange. None of this was here during his last scouting mission.
The blue-haired man drew a sharp dagger, a contemptuous sneer on his face. "Hah. A pathetic paper-thin wall like this. One slice is all I'll need."
Inside, Lin Fang relaxed in a hammock. The intruder peered in, his eyes sharp. "Just one person?" He smirked. "A trap? Interesting."
Suddenly a spark flashed at his feet. The assassin instantly leapt onto the wall as the ground below him erupted into a crater. From the earth emerged a round potato with a very grumpy face. And then, boom — the potato detonated, blasting the assassin back through smoke and fire.
Utterly confident, he scoffed. "You think this little trick can stop me?"
But his expression quickly changed when he realised the danger of these plant weapons. "What in the world are these things? Damn it."
A chain reaction of explosions erupted, swallowing the assassin in a raging inferno. The explosive force of the potato minefield was devastating, shaking the entire area.
Through the smoke, a strange tree began to glow intensely. Its branches started to twist and transform. From inside the trunk, the alluring figure of a woman woven from vines and leaves slowly began to emerge. A complete wood spirit undead appeared, her eyes glowing with an eerie purple and a vibrant green, radiating an overwhelming aura. The newly formed wood spirit stood tall, her mismatched eyes pulsing with power.
And from the wreckage the assassin's furious roar echoed out. "Damn it all."
He struggled to his feet, muttering with hatred. "If I didn't need the archduke's trust, I would never have come back to this hellhole."
His face was covered in wounds, but his eyes were burning with pure, unadulterated rage. He gripped his dagger tightly. "I'll slice every last one of you down. Let's see you explode."
Then, with that, he charged forward like a hurricane, his blade a blur as he shredded the potato mines erupting from the ground. But as his blade made contact he froze, his face twisting in shock. "Wait a second. There's an undead aura mixed in with these plant monsters."
A memory flashed through his mind. He was kneeling before a majestic and powerful archduke. "Your primary mission while scouting Fuan City," the archduke's voice commanded, "is to find the necromancer, He Sha."
He remembered that He Sha had a pact with their clan but had vanished after their last contact. Standing there in the ruins, a bold idea started to form. So this must be He Sha's hiding spot. But why here? Could it be that he has betrayed their clan?
He glanced at the bizarre undead and the strange plants surrounding him, his face filled with utter contempt. That fool He Sha. To think he would abandon all dignity just for a chance at immortality.
He made a quick decision and melted back into the night. No use staying here. Finding He Sha is the priority.
The night passed and morning light shone on the land. Lin Fang strolled in with a hoe over his shoulder, calculating his next move. Yesterday he had fertilised most of the seeds. Today he just needed to finish the rest.
But then he froze. A single drop of cold sweat ran down the side of his face. Thud. He slammed his hoe into the dirt.
Before him lay total devastation. The entire field was destroyed and the greenhouse was just a pile of rubble.