Chapter 1 The Seed

As the black soil was continuously dug out, a small pit gradually formed around the *shanlihong*.

The pit became deeper and wider, gradually turning into a cylindrical shape.

Li Cheng颐 was so focused on digging that he almost forgot about the slot machine in the distance.

But strangely, no matter how he dug, the roots of the *shanlihong* seemed to be infinitely long, constantly drilling into the ground.

The brown flower roots, like menacing ginseng roots, branched out and extended downwards.

After digging more than half a meter deep, Li Cheng颐 still couldn't see the end of the roots. He felt that something was wrong.

'I can't dawdle any longer, or all my efforts will be in vain if I suddenly exit the memory flash.'

He glanced at the small, isolated white flower of the *shanlihong* at the center.

He resolutely steeled his heart and cut off the roots below the white flower, preparing to take only the upper half out.

*Chī*.

The moment the blade cut through the roots.

The stems, leaves, and flowers of the *shanlihong* all rapidly withered and turned black.

In less than five seconds, it quickly dried up and shrunk into a pile of black residue.

Three seconds later, under Li Cheng颐's stunned gaze, the pile of black residue slowly faded, discolored, and diminished until it completely disappeared.

In just ten seconds, the entire mysterious little flower completely vanished from his sight.

"...I...!!" Li Cheng颐 knelt on the ground, still making a cautious gesture to protect the small flower.

But unfortunately, that gesture was no longer needed.

He made a mistake....

A mistake that caused a strengthened flower, which could potentially allow him to traverse different systems, to disappear....

An indescribable sense of loss welled up in Li Cheng頤's heart.

But in reality, he understood that even if he hadn't made it disappear, there was still a high chance that this flower would be out of his reach after the Mist Street passed.

Most dead ends will appear and disappear over time. Only a few dead ends can last forever.

'Perhaps...there might be other unique flowers in other dead ends...It can't be helped that I failed this time. I didn't know at first that it couldn't be transplanted, and I didn't expect this to happen...'

Li Cheng頤 slowly stood up, expressionless.

'Wait!' Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

'Dead ends all have prototypes! I haven't failed yet, there's still hope!'

His thoughts instantly became clear. Dead ends have prototypes. Since there's a white flower here, it's very likely that the original place where it existed also has a white flower. He can completely find this white flower in reality, and perhaps even skip the transplanting step, directly obtaining the hope of absorbing its *huayu* (flower language)!

'I must find the real-world prototype!'

An idea instantly took shape in Li Cheng颐's mind.

'To find the real-world prototype, that little fatty is the key!' His thought process became clearer.

'So, the key point now is to exit the memory flash and follow the little fatty! Lest the guy gets lost after a long time!'

Li Cheng颐 quickly clarified the core in his mind and immediately retreated.

Generally, in a memory flash within a dead end, the best way to exit is to distance oneself and wait.

He had used distancing, or retreating, when he tried to exit before.

As long as you exit the area range that activates the memory flash, you can quickly wake up.

But just as his foot lifted and moved backwards.

"Shake it, shake it, shake it, come on, shake it, apples, vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, big grapes."

A strange nursery rhyme floated over from the slot machine in the distance.

The voice seemed to be magnetic, causing Li Cheng颐's foot, which was about to retreat, to slowly stop.

His expression unknowingly absorbed the nursery rhyme, finding it quite pleasant to the ear, and wanting to hear more.

Slowly, he began to approach the slot machine step by step.

*Hu*!

"!!"

Suddenly, Li Cheng颐 was startled, his consciousness waking up from the nursery rhyme. He looked down and was shocked to find that he had actually walked more than two meters forward from the spot where he was digging for the white flower!

Not only did he not retreat, but he also advanced more than two meters!?

'What the hell is this!?' He decisively turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

One meter.

Two meters.

Three meters.

"Doo doo doo~~~ Fruit Adventure! One coin to shake it, come and experience it! Shake two identical patterns and get ten times the reward!"

"Shake three identical patterns and get thirty times the reward!! No matter what you want most in your heart? It may be realized here! Come on, come on!"

A strange voice, indistinguishable between male and female, vaguely drifted from the direction of the slot machine.

The voice was like a clown singing with a constricted throat, or some kind of distorted and sharp computer-synthesized sound, unlike normal syllables.

The moment he heard this voice, Li Cheng頤's retreating footsteps stopped once again.

His eyes suddenly became blank, his expression wooden, and he walked towards the slot machine again.

One step.

One step.

He walked slowly, but he was very firm, constantly advancing straight towards the slot machine.

Suddenly, a trace of struggle flashed in Li Cheng颐's eyes.

It was this trace of struggle that made him realize his current situation. He was actually moving towards the slot machine on his own!?

His body seemed to be out of control, constantly approaching.

Although it was slow, the pace was extremely firm.

'Something's wrong! My body...' Li Cheng颐 felt a chill in his heart, feeling as if he was trapped in his own body, unable to control any limbs.

In horror, various methods quickly flashed through his mind. Instantly, an inspiration appeared in his heart.

'*Huayu* (Flower Language): Solidity!'

*Buzz*!!

In an instant, Li Cheng颐's whole body seemed to light up with a golden light.

His skin, eyes, hair, nails, and even his clothes, all lit up with a golden glow for a moment.

The solidity *huayu* (flower language) belonging to the gladiolus enhanced his flesh and spirit at the same time.

*Huayu* (Flower Language) · Solidity: After use, it can greatly increase the solidity of the body and spirit. Each use lasts for fifteen minutes, and each use requires an interval of one hour.

At this moment, Li Cheng颐 clearly felt the control of his body quickly return to his consciousness.

He decisively turned around and ran.

*Pū pū pū*.

With a series of sprints, he finally sprinted all the way away from the slot machine and disappeared into the gray mist.

'After exiting, I must find the little fatty as soon as possible!' The only thought in Li Cheng颐's mind now was to find Little Fatty and find the prototype of Mist Street.

That might be his only key to obtaining the *shanlihong* *huayu* (flower language) again!

*Pū pū pū pū*!

In the midst of the rapid footsteps, the fog in front of Li Cheng頤 gradually dissipated.

Suddenly, a colored slot machine reappeared more than ten meters in front of him.

Li Cheng頤 felt a chill all over his body and suddenly stopped in place, panting heavily and staring at the only colored slot machine.

The signboard of Wu Ji Grocery Store was still clearly visible behind the slot machine.

But at this time, Li Cheng颐's heart was filled with a sense of inexplicable oppression.

"Shake it, shake it, shake it, come on, shake it..." The slot machine started singing again.

An inexplicable force enveloped Li Cheng颐, causing his eyes to constantly switch between confusion and struggle.

His body once again slowly approached the slot machine.

One step.

One step.

One step.

"Gladiolus!!" Suddenly, Li Cheng頤 let out a low roar.

His face was twisted, and his whole body was suddenly shrouded in a golden glow.

Countless golden gladiolus petals flew and surrounded him, condensing into a set of hideous copper-gold armor on his body. www.

Wearing the floral scale armor and activating the solidity *huayu* (flower language).

Instantly, his whole body's spiritual solidity greatly increased, and control of his body was restored.

"I'll make you sing!!"

In a fit of anger, Li Cheng颐 rushed up a few steps and kicked the slot machine.

*Pēng*!!!

The slot machine fell over in response, and the panel was cut into a crack by a row of blades on the bottom of the armor boots, immediately rendering it unusable.

A trace of blue arc jumped and flashed in the crack, and the hoarse singing was still ringing intermittently.

*Pēng pēng pēng pēng*!!!

Li Cheng頤 rushed up and started slashing wildly.

He held a broad-bladed greatsword in each hand and slashed madly at the slot machine.

Plastic fragments and machine parts were chopped and flew everywhere.

The singing completely stopped, and in just a few seconds, the slot machine became a pile of miscellaneous debris.

Li Cheng頤 stopped slashing, breathing heavily with red eyes, straightened up, and looked around.

The outburst just now successfully interrupted and killed the temptation of the slot machine.

But now, he inexplicably felt that the surrounding shops, the two rows of shops along the street shrouded in gray mist, seemed different from before.

'Is it because the slot machine was destroyed?'

He didn't know, but he believed that this slot machine definitely couldn't be broken so easily.

Among the people who came in before, he didn't believe that no one had thought of trying to leave by destroying the slot machine.

But now, at least before he came in, the slot machine was intact.

That meant that this thing might automatically repair itself.

'Now, there should be other changes...' Li Cheng頤 vigilantly watched his surroundings.

Waiting for new changes.

He scanned the shops on both sides back and forth, not daring to stop for a moment, for fear of missing any small changes.

*Swish*!

Suddenly, a sharp whistle approached rapidly from behind.

The speed of the sharp whistle was so fast that the distance of more than a hundred meters from far to near seemed to arrive in an instant.

Li Cheng颐 only had time to switch to the Wisteria floral scale armor before feeling something hit his chest hard.

*Pēng*!!!

His whole body shook violently, and a trace of...confusion? appeared on his face inside the helmet.

'!? It doesn't hurt?'

Li Cheng颐's expression froze. He felt that he must have been seriously injured just now.

But....

The armor didn't feel anything.

He actually saw clearly what hit him.

It was a mysterious weirdo wearing a tattered black robe, a hood, and a black mask.

The weirdo's mask was completely black, with a white cross pattern in the center. There were no eyes, closed mouth, or mouth position, and it was completely an integrated mask.

He held a black dagger that was twisted like a wave in his hand, and with a fierce blow, stabbed it into Li Cheng頤's chest.

This blow was very heavy.

But Li Cheng颐 didn't feel anything.

The effect brought by the wisteria floral scale armor superimposed with the solidity *huayu* (flower language) seemed to be explosive.

He glanced at the black-masked weirdo in front of him, and suddenly waved his hand, and a golden longsword belonging to the gladiolus naturally condensed in his hand.

*Shuā*.

The weirdo was cut in half, broken in the middle, but no blood flowed out.

His whole body collapsed, like an empty shell, just a set of cloaks and clothes that could move.