Chapter 107: Your Highness, They Are Not Dead

Sun Rong and his five companions exited the courtyard and headed toward the area where the mutated vegetables were grown.

At first, some of them were anxious, fearing that these mutated vegetables might be man-eaters. However, seeing the Myna bird present put their minds at ease. If the Witch could keep a mutated Myna, it was only natural that she would grow a few mutated vegetables.

Upon arriving at the site, the six of them were invigorated by the sight of bright red tomatoes, massive soybean pods, and super-sized cabbages and greens.

"Start picking."

As the team leader, Sun Rong stepped forward first and plucked a tomato. There were no issues. The others exchanged glances before excitedly moving toward the soybeans to begin harvesting the pods.

Perhaps it was just their imagination, but the soybean vines seemed to twitch a few times while they were picking. Then again, it might have just been the vines shifting as they worked together.

"Tell them that any mature vegetable can be picked—don't leave anything behind. They can come back to harvest every five days."

Su Miao did not step outside. It was too cold; until she developed a magic spell to cover her entire body in mana, she preferred to stay indoors. Besides, watching these people harvest made her nervous.

"Rest assured, Your Highness, I will supervise them." The Myna flew off.

Su Miao watched the bird fly through the snow and blinked. It was currently over seventy degrees below zero. It seemed the Myna's sleep over the past few days had been a process of evolution, allowing it to withstand the bitter cold.

The three months of torrential rain had triggered the first wave of animal evolution, and the arrival of the blizzard and extreme cold had initiated a second—or perhaps third—wave. When the future heatwave disaster arrived, animals would likely continue to evolve. Humans would evolve, too. As for those who could not evolve or adapt to the apocalypse, they would be eliminated. She just wondered what humans would become in the future. Would they still be human?

"My god, these tomatoes are two or three pounds each, the peppers are over half a pound, and the greens and cabbages are impossibly large. This is absurd."

"We've picked all the soybean pods here; there must be at least twenty or thirty pounds. That’s enough to last us a long time."

"Captain, are you sure it’s okay for us to pick all of this? Shouldn't we leave some behind?"

Everyone was excited while harvesting, but as they picked, they remembered the Witch who had slaughtered people like blades of grass yesterday. Was this just a way to make them work as coolies in the snow, only to surrender all the produce later? Thinking of this, they grew uneasy. After all, how could a bloodthirsty witch be so kind as to give away such high-quality vegetables?

But then, looking at it from another perspective, the Witch was all alone; she couldn't possibly eat all these vegetables by herself. Could it be that these mutated vegetables were poisonous?

Sun Rong, as the leader, considered this possibility. But did they have a choice? No! If they defied the Witch, they would be killed. If they ran away, they would freeze to death. At least here, they had food and shelter. The only problem was the shortage of firewood to heat the fireplace. They had already chopped down most of the visible shrubs nearby, but that wouldn't last long.

"Her Highness said that if you don't want to freeze to death, take all the mature vegetables here," the Myna said, flying over. "These are all for you. You can come back to harvest every five days from now on."

The six people harvesting the vegetables were overcome with joy. "Thank you, Your Highness!"

They had misunderstood; the Witch was truly a kind person. They weren't being treated as coolies after all.

"Hurry up, everyone," Sun Rong urged. "It’s getting colder, and we still have to go back and collect firewood."

"Right!" they replied in unison.

The Myna perched on the snowy ground in the distance, watching them. Knowing the vegetables were theirs, the six worked even harder. Before long, even the giant greens and cabbages had been chopped down with axes.

"We’re finished harvesting," Sun Rong said to the Myna, still feeling a trace of unease. He was still worried that the Witch might demand they leave the food behind.

"Mm, you can take the vegetables and go. Return in five days." The Myna flapped its wings and flew back to the villa.

"They really gave them to us!" The six were ecstatic, hoisting their harvest and heading back, fearing they might be called back if they moved too slowly. Under normal circumstances, they would have felt the weight of the vegetables, but at this moment, no matter how heavy the load, it felt light.

"Your Highness, they’ve taken the vegetables and left," the Myna reported upon returning to the villa.

"Mm." Su Miao nodded, closed the front door, and dispelled the magical space array.

*I hope these people can survive.*

*Wait... what if they survive after eating the vegetables, but the toxin content in the growth potion is actually too low to be detected?* After all, the growth potion was brewed using various exotic mushrooms as raw materials, and Su Miao wasn't entirely certain of the results. The human body was large; one might not feel anything after consuming a small amount of toxins. Unless it accumulated over time—but by then, if they noticed, it would likely be too late.

"Hmm, I need to find some lab mice for testing," Su Miao muttered to herself. Lab mice were smaller and would be more sensitive to toxins. Even if these mutated vegetables had the slightest trace of poison, the mice would likely show a reaction. But in such cold weather, where could she find mice?

Su Miao’s gaze fell upon the Myna. The bird was tiptoeing, looking as if it wanted to slip away.

"Myna, you can adapt to the cold outside now..." Su Miao began.

"Your Highness, I have a stomachache. A terrible stomachache," the Myna interrupted.

Su Miao tilted her head. "Would you like some magic potion to treat it? I’ll brew it for you right now."

The Myna immediately stood at attention. "Your Highness, I think I’m fine now."

"Fly a few rounds outside," Su Miao commanded. "Look for rabbit burrows, mouse holes, or any other small animals. Tell me once you’ve found them."

"Understood, Your Highness!"

Su Miao watched as the Myna flew off.

...

In a nearby villa, Sun Rong, Guo Yixing, Luo Zhengyi, Chu Zekai, Yu Feng, and Teng Jingyu were looking at their harvest, feeling incredibly uplifted. They were already considering throwing a vegetable party.

"Are these really all ours?" Guo Yixing picked up a tomato, but seeing everyone's eyes fixed on him, he put it down, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Don't overthink it. Everyone’s worked hard all morning, let's just eat something," Yu Feng said, his mouth watering at the sight of the tomatoes. So far, the ripe tomatoes were the only things they could eat directly.

"Yes," Teng Jingyu added. "Our firewood is running low. We must collect enough by this afternoon, or even with food, we’ll freeze to death without a fireplace."

Luo Zhengyi and Chu Zekai nodded. It was true. They looked at their captain, Sun Rong.

Sun Rong, who was good at reading the room, said, "Each of us gets one tomato for lunch. After that, we go collect firewood."

"Yes!" everyone cheered.

Under Sun Rong's supervision, each person was allotted a tomato. Each one weighed two or three pounds, more than enough to fill them up. However, after the cheering died down, the air in front of the fireplace fell silent. For several minutes, not a single person started eating.

"Why aren't you guys eating?" Guo Yixing asked.

"I’m going to wash my hands first," Yu Feng said.

"I’ve been working for half a day, I feel a bit chilled. I need to warm up a bit first," Teng Jingyu said. Luo Zhengyi and Chu Zekai looked at the tomatoes in their hands, saying nothing.

Teng Jingyu looked at Sun Rong. "Captain, why aren't you eating?"

"It’s been so long since I’ve had a tomato," Sun Rong replied. "I’m just... overwhelmed."

A few minutes later, still, no one had touched their tomatoes.

"You’re all a bunch of cowards," Luo Zhengyi said. "You're all afraid the tomatoes are poisonous, aren't you?"

Chu Zekai chuckled and took a big bite. "Since no one else is brave enough, I’ll go first... Mmm..."

The other five stood up, staring at Chu Zekai in shock. Had the poison already taken effect?

"Delicious!" Chu Zekai glanced at them and took another large bite. "Look at how pathetic you all are. These tomatoes are amazing."

By the time Chu Zekai finished, the others still hadn't started.

"If you guys aren't eating, you don't mind if I have another, do you?" Chu Zekai said. "If they’re poisonous, eating more will just make it happen faster, right?"

Seeing the other five didn't object, Chu Zekai picked up another tomato and kept eating heartily. It was so incredibly delicious. In the blink of an eye, he finished the second one.

"Doesn't look like I'm dying yet. I’ll have another." Before anyone could respond, Chu Zekai grabbed a third tomato. It was a rare opportunity to eat so well; he had to take advantage of it.

"Damn it!" Guo Yixing was the first to react. "Stop eating, you jerk! These are for everyone!"

But his warning was a bit slow; Chu Zekai was already devouring the third one.

At this moment, everyone felt relieved. The Witch was kind; the food she gave them wasn't poisonous. They started eating the tomatoes with confidence, feeling refreshed after finishing one. Seeing that everyone else had eaten, Sun Rong finally took his first bite.

...

"Your Highness, those people ate the tomatoes and went out to collect firewood this afternoon." Around 3:00 PM, the Myna returned to the villa to report.

Su Miao blinked and took several bottles of growth potion out of her magical space. *Let them eat for a while longer and see how it goes.*

"What about the rabbit burrows and mouse holes?"

"Your Highness, I didn't find any." The Myna suggested, "However, you could have them help search. They shouldn't just eat without working, and this would make them feel more secure about eating the food."

Su Miao nodded. That made perfect sense. When they came back for more vegetables in five days, she would give them this long-term task.

"Your Highness," the Myna added, "I flew over several mountains and saw some people logging on the other side. They have guns."

*Eh?* Su Miao grew tense at the mention of other people nearby. Fortunately, the mountains nearby had been scorched by wildfires and were devoid of firewood; she hoped those people wouldn't come looking here.

Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, the fifth day arrived. During this time, Su Miao had been researching the mana-covering spell and had made some progress; she believed she would have it perfected in a few more days. However, maintaining such a spell meant constant mana consumption. She wasn't sure if her current reserves could sustain it. Based on the preliminary results, the mana cost might be quite high.

"Your Highness, we’re here for the vegetables."

Sun Rong and his team arrived. Just like last time, they politely knocked on the door of the villa. Yet, every time they stood there, they were reminded of the day Su Miao killed their nine teammates—it was terrifying.

The villa door opened. Su Miao activated her magical space array and felt a bit nervous looking at the six "pumpkins" standing in the courtyard.

"Same as last time, you can take all the vegetables," Su Miao said. "But I have a task for you: whenever you find rabbit burrows or mouse holes, bring me some of the young ones."

Sun Rong felt a jolt of spirit. Honestly, what they feared most was that the Witch was providing vegetables for free, which made them suspect they were being used as test subjects for poison. Because of this, everyone hesitated every time they ate the tomatoes, soybean pods, greens, cabbages, and peppers. They had hoped Chu Zekai would taste them first, but that jerk was selfish—he would claim there was poison when there wasn't, then eat it all himself, leaving nothing for the others.

Now, Su Miao had given them a task. It meant their existence had value, and the vegetables they were given were surely safe.

"Understood, Your Highness!"

Sun Rong led the five others to harvest. The Myna followed as usual, watching them clear the lot. Once they had transported the harvest, the bird returned to report: "Your Highness, they’ve been eating for five days. They aren't dead, and they look very healthy."

"I saw," Su Miao replied. She took out her notebook and recorded the time. The blizzard and extreme cold were a long ordeal; she would let them eat for a while longer before deciding.

Su Miao returned to the fireplace to continue her research on the mana-covering spell. She was so close.

...

"Another bumper harvest!" Guo Yixing said, staring at the vegetables piled in their villa, feeling incredibly excited.

This time, they had obtained soybeans, spinach, lettuce, corn, and potatoes. The corn was especially impressive, with each cob weighing at least ten pounds. The potatoes were even more exaggerated, with some weighing over twenty pounds each. Because the potatoes grew underground in damp soil that hadn't completely frozen, they had spent a great deal of effort digging them out.

"Yes, and the Witch gave us a task this time, which means we have value," Sun Rong said excitedly. "While we have so much food, let's spend these next few days gathering more firewood."

"Captain," Guo Yixing said, "to get more wood, we might have to cross two mountains. Spending too much time in the wilderness might freeze us to death."

"If we don't have firewood, we'll freeze to death anyway," Sun Rong said firmly. "How about this: we’ll steam some potato and corn cakes to carry with us. If we feel cold, we eat a bit. It’ll provide some energy to ensure we can make it back alive. If we're lucky, maybe we’ll find some frozen mutated animals to eat."

The people in front of the fireplace grew excited instantly. It had been so long since they had tasted meat.