Chapter 12

Cheng Zhiyu made stir-fried red cabbage, preparing part of it spicy and a small portion that was lightly seasoned.

Little Black wasn't an ordinary puppy and couldn't just drink goat's milk formula.

For breakfast today, besides two meatballs, Little Black had a bit of red cabbage.

"I didn't make a lot, just give it a try. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it," Cheng Zhiyu said, placing the small bowl in front of Little Black.

He had originally planned to taste it himself before letting Little Black try, but unexpectedly, Little Black skipped the meat and went straight for a bite of red cabbage.

The reason Little Black chose to eat the red cabbage wasn’t because he preferred it over meat, but because he sensed abundant energy in it.

He took a bite eagerly and confirmed that his intuition was correct.

He had always known this human was unusual, especially since Cheng Zhiyu often vanished into thin air right before his eyes. Little Black suspected he was traveling to some alternate dimension.

The red cabbage must have come from there. Little Black was certain that nothing with such high energy existed on this low-level planet.

He couldn’t help but feel curious about that space, even developing a desire to explore it.

However, Little Black glanced at the unsuspecting human, his paws pressing anxiously against the floor. In the end, he suppressed the urge.

The Winged Tribe would never take advantage of someone’s vulnerability.

Cheng Zhiyu had no idea about Little Black’s swirling thoughts. To him, this was just an ordinary meal—well, not entirely ordinary. If the red cabbage proved safe to eat, it would confirm that growing vegetables in the system space was viable.

At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about vegetables in the future.

With that in mind, Cheng Zhiyu eagerly took a bite, only to find that… it tasted no different from ordinary red cabbage?

If there was any difference, the red cabbage might be considered a premium variety—crisp, juicy, and mostly leafy with very little stem.

Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t particularly fond of red cabbage, but he found the simply stir-fried red cabbage surprisingly delicious.

Except… when the red cabbage juice flowed into his mouth, it felt distinctly warm.

Perhaps it was still somewhat influenced by Xiao Er.

Regardless, growing vegetables in the system space seemed like a resounding success for now. Cheng Zhiyu made a mental note to scavenge for more seeds during future supply runs.

At that moment, Cheng Zhiyu hadn’t yet noticed anything particularly unusual about the red cabbage. But half an hour later, he suddenly began to feel hot.

He could tell this heat wasn’t due to the weather. It was an internal warmth, as if a furnace were burning inside him. He grew so hot that he stripped down to just his shorts.

The city’s power system had collapsed a couple of days earlier, so there was no air conditioning or fan. Cheng Zhiyu could only dig out a large fan and fan himself manually.

He didn’t forget to check on Little Black, only to find him acting completely normal, showing no signs of feeling hot.

Could it be because Little Black had eaten less red cabbage? But that didn’t make sense—Little Black had sneakily nibbled on two bites of raw red cabbage when Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t looking.

Yes, Cheng Zhiyu was certain his current state was due to the red cabbage. As for why Little Black remained unaffected, he couldn’t figure it out and decided to set the matter aside for now.

Little Black: It’s because I have Water Power, and the Winged Tribe’s tolerance for high-energy food is far beyond that of ordinary humans.

The red cabbage causing such intense heat was likely due to Xiao Er’s influence. It seemed best to avoid eating it too much during hot weather to prevent discomfort.

But Cheng Zhiyu had another idea. He had noticed that since the apocalypse began, the weather had become strangely erratic. Even though it was spring, the temperatures were completely off.

Daytime temperatures could soar past 40 degrees Celsius, while nights were bitterly cold, requiring heavy quilts.

Cheng Zhiyu felt like the nighttime cold was almost comparable to winter.

The post-apocalyptic weather seemed increasingly hostile to human survival.

Since the red cabbage made one feel hot, Cheng Zhiyu wondered if he could use this trait to his advantage. What if he ate it for dinner? Would it keep him warm at night?

He decided to test it out. That evening, he stir-fried red cabbage again and prepared some for Little Black, who seemed to enjoy it.

Half an hour after eating the red cabbage, Cheng Zhiyu indeed felt his body warming up. Normally, by that time, the temperature would have dropped rapidly, forcing him to change from a short-sleeved shirt into a padded jacket.

But now, even in short sleeves, he felt no chill.

When he went to bed that night, Cheng Zhiyu only bothered to cover his stomach with the quilt.

As dawn approached, the warmth in his body gradually faded. Cheng Zhiyu noted the timing, estimating that the red cabbage’s effects lasted about eight to nine hours—just covering the coldest hours of the night.

This red cabbage was clearly a treasure! Cheng Zhiyu had been worried about how to endure the extreme heat and cold on his journey to find his family. Now, with the red cabbage, at least the problem of bitterly cold nights was solved.

Cheng Zhiyu entered the system space and showered Xiao Er with praise: "Xiao Er, the changes in the red cabbage are because of you, right? You’re amazing! You’ve been a huge help."

Xiao Er shyly swayed its leaves.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled, watering it and loosening the soil while chatting: "Xiao Er, I’ve decided we’ll go out and fight zombies tomorrow or the day after. We’ll start by clearing the zombies in this building to practice. What do you think?"

Initially, Cheng Zhiyu had been cautious, unwilling to leave the building rashly. Even though he felt much stronger now, without actual combat experience, it was all theoretical.

So, he planned to use the zombies in this building to gauge his true strength.

Xiao Er swayed its leaves up and down, seeming agreeable and even enthusiastic about the idea of going out to fight zombies.

"Then I’ll count on you to work with me, Xiao Er!" Cheng Zhiyu laughed, stroking Xiao Er’s leaves. Receiving a response, his smile widened.

Just as he was about to leave the system space to make preparations, the long-silent system’s mechanical voice sounded in his ear: "Host, Little Iron is detected to be approaching first-level maturity. Please wait until Little Iron matures before making any arrangements."

Cheng Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Going out to fight zombies won’t interfere with Little Iron’s growth."

The System replied: "Little Iron will play a crucial role in this operation."

Cheng Zhiyu immediately said, "Oh? Really? Then I’ll wait a bit longer."

He chuckled, "By the way, System, why are you suddenly being so nice? You’re actually reminding me of this?"

The System stated: "After all, finding a suitable host isn’t easy."

It took Cheng Zhiyu a moment to process this. So, the System was worried he might die out there?

He muttered, "I’m not that weak, okay?"

"..."

Cheng Zhiyu added, "At the very least, I know how to run when there’s danger. I can run really fast now."

"..."

Well, the System had returned to its aloof state, barely responding to Cheng Zhiyu’s comments.

Cheng Zhiyu: "Fine."

Since the system reminded him, Cheng Zhiyu didn’t mind waiting—a few more days wouldn’t make much difference anyway.

With the power grid down, day-to-day life had gotten way less convenient. Cheng Zhiyu made sure to get all his chores done while it was still light out.

Fortunately, the gas was still on, so he could cook, though he had no idea how long that would last.

Being the cautious type, he made a mental note to look for a camping stove nearby the next time he went out looking for supplies.

But Cheng Zhiyu had also noticed something: ever since he started practicing the mental cultivation technique Little Black had given him, his night vision had improved significantly. Even without any light at night, he could see most things clearly.

The more he practiced, the more amazed he was by the technique.

As for Little Black, who had provided the technique, Cheng Zhiyu hadn’t noticed anything particularly unusual about him aside from being super smart.

He wasn’t foolish—he could tell Little Black was hiding something, but Cheng Zhiyu didn’t mind. It was only natural for Little Black to have his own secrets.

The fact that Little Black had been willing to share such a powerful technique with him was something Cheng Zhiyu was already really grateful for. The value of the technique went way beyond just taking him in.

He wasn’t about to keep thinking of himself as Little Black’s master, especially now that he knew Little Black was no ordinary dog.

Still, sometimes Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t help but wonder—was Little Black some kind of dog spirit? Could dog spirits turn human? If Little Black turned into a human, he’d probably be an adorable little kid, right?

Honestly, he was kind of looking forward to it.

After waiting a few days, Cheng Zhiyu finally heard the system’s reminder: "Congratulations, Host. Little Iron has reached its first stage of maturity. The reward has been issued. Please check at your convenience."

Cheng Zhiyu was in the middle of eating when he heard this. Without bothering to finish, he told Little Black and disappeared right then and there.

Little Black’s ears twitched curiously. Cheng Zhiyu was suddenly so excited—had something happened?

At that moment, Cheng Zhiyu stood before Little Iron. Unlike Little Two, even at its first stage of maturity, Little Iron wasn’t very tall, only reaching about mid-calf height.

But Little Iron’s leaves now looked even more metallic—no, not just metallic, they were just like real metal.

He had long been curious about what kind of plant Little Iron was, so he eagerly opened its information panel.

"Plant Name: Little Iron

Current Status: First-stage Maturity

Attack Skill: Weapon"

Cheng Zhiyu: "Weapon? What did that mean?"

Before he could ponder for long, he heard the system prompt: "Please describe Little Iron’s initial state."

Cheng Zhiyu was stunned, then saw what looked like a drawing board appear in front of him. He tilted his head, raised his hand, and casually sketched a kitchen knife.

He chuckled, about to erase it, when he heard: "Description complete. Crafting weapon…"

Cheng Zhiyu: "? I just drew that randomly—aren’t you going to confirm with me?"

"……"

Cheng Zhiyu: "……Wait! I don’t want a kitchen knife as a weapon—let me redraw it!"

"Sorry, Host currently lacks the authority."

Cheng Zhiyu laughed in frustration. The system always managed to mess with him when he least expected it.