Chapter 164 - 131: The 3rd Wave of Guests

Chapter 164: Chapter 131: The 3rd Wave of Guests

Now it was Huai Yu’s turn to fall silent.

After a long while, she replied aggrievedly, "But I already told the roses..."

Even if she told them, no one dared to drive forward!

When the Rose Corridor had first made its name, a riot broke out at Flower City Prison. A large group of heavily sentenced criminals with superpowers led hundreds of people in an attempt to break out through this very area. Back then, the plants in the Wilderness hadn’t grown to such a massive scale, so breaking out would have at least offered a glimmer of hope for survival.

But then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, that glimmer of hope was severed right here at the Rose Corridor. There was no conflict, no struggle. It could even be described as an exceptionally romantic funeral.

Chen Xing hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, but the footage of the Rose Corridor’s battle had been played on a continuous loop in the base for over half a year.

When those seemingly harmless, soft, and sweet-scented pinkish-white petals fluttered into the sky, a thin line of blood appeared across the throats of everyone who approached.

The safety briefings at the base didn’t censor for age. During that time, anyone who could see the central jumbotron witnessed the sight of hundreds of people collapsing silently. There were no wails, no struggles, and not even a chance to put up a desperate fight. They simply fell silently amidst the romantic rain of flower petals. Many still had arrogant smiles frozen on their faces, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

This silent, overwhelming terror was more than enough to establish the Rose Corridor’s absolute dominance for a long time to come.

As for whether there were stubborn fools who refused to heed the warnings and tried to provoke it later on... well, one only needed to look at why the Defense Army specifically stationed a camp nearby. There was no other reason—mainly, they had to act as corpse collectors every few days.

The Rose Corridor despised having filthy things nearby, and it hated loud, rowdy noises even more. Moreover, the exceptionally dirty rain after autumn every year only exacerbated its irritability.

In short, its existence in Flower City served as a terrifying deterrent to both humanity and the Wilderness, and it definitely didn’t earn that reputation through mere hearsay.

Everyone present exchanged nervous glances, but the vehicles stubbornly refused to approach the restricted zone by even a single inch. Only Uncle Zaozi got out of his car. Standing on his tiptoes to peer into the distance, he couldn’t help but feel eager to try.

"But... if it can allow that bamboo forest to take root, its temper probably isn’t as bad as it used to be, right?" he mused.

Although his face remained as expressionless as ever, the moment Chen Xing recalled his daring attempt to eat that wild peach, she had a pretty good idea of how Uncle Zaozi had survived this long—pure dumb luck.

Huai Yu nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, yeah, its temper is actually really good! Uncle Zaozi, do you want to come sit at my house first?"

She pointed to the house hidden beneath the distant bamboo grove. "Look, the Defense Army helped build that house, and the Rose Corridor didn’t attack them at all."

At the mention of the house, Chen Xing finally took the time to study it from afar. She couldn’t help but frown. "They used a lot of new-type materials..."

This certainly wasn’t something a single person could have built.

"Why would the Defense Army build a house for you?" Chen Xing asked. "Little Yu, you really are full of secrets!"

This sounded all too familiar. Huai Yu could only smile. "Yeah, everyone says that."

But admittedly, the combination of the Defense Army and the newly built house, coupled with Huai Yu’s repeated assurances, successfully convinced the insatiably curious Uncle Zaozi to take a brave first step, even if it didn’t give Chen Xing the courage to step on the gas.

Once he stepped into the restricted zone, he happily waved his hand. "It’s really fine!"

The next moment, the branches of the Rose Corridor swayed in the distance, and a gentle breeze slowly swirled around it. Fluttering pinkish-white petals drifted over, and Chen Xing’s face turned pale with horror!

Yet before she could cry out, the petals fluttered down and gently landed on Huai Yu.

She picked a petal off her shoulder, gave it a sniff, and let out a bright, happy laugh. "Thank you! These are my friends."

When she turned her head again, she found that Uncle Zaozi had collapsed onto the ground at some point, while Chen Xing’s face in the distance was frightfully ashen.

"?"

Huai Yu tilted her head in curiosity. "Uncle Zaozi, did you trip?"

Uncle Zaozi rubbed his leg. His face, smeared like a painter’s palette, preserved a shred of his dignity. Trembling slightly, he said, "It’s nothing. Just getting old. My leg cramped up."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Huai Yu understood. "Are you lacking calcium? The food we eat nowadays really doesn’t have much nutrition. Even I have to supplement with a packet of nutrient solution every few days."

As she spoke, she tugged hard on Uncle Zaozi’s arm. Once he was steady on his feet, she turned back and waved at Chen Xing.

Chen Xing paused for a moment before getting back into her vehicle with a complex expression. Accompanied by a low hum, the vehicle slowly drove in.

Huai Yu immediately pointed happily at her house. "Thank you, Sister Xingxing! You can just park by the door!"

Under her guidance, the two vehicles behind followed at a cautious, hesitant snail’s pace until they stopped right outside the house.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Chen Xing gripped the steering wheel with both hands, feeling her arms tremble. She glanced up at the rearview mirror and saw that her face was predictably pale.

It wasn’t until Huai Yu jogged over that she finally rubbed her face.

"I’m so pathetic!" she muttered to herself.

At the same time, she felt a pang of regret and thought, "If I had known I’d get to stroll right next to the Rose Corridor, I could’ve bragged about this for three to five years! Why didn’t I think to bring a camera?"

Huai Yu was entirely oblivious to this. She simply ran to the door and instinctively checked the chicken coop and Ke Taichiro’s nest. Seeing that they had indeed wandered outside, she pulled out her keys.

"Sister Xingxing, Uncle Zaozi, you are the third batch of guests to visit my house! Hurry and come in for a bit. We can just unload everything outside—since it won’t all fit inside anyway."

The house was indeed small enough to take in with a single glance. Chen Xing instinctively looked around and found that it was very much the home of a young girl living alone. The furnishings were simple, but everything was neatly organized.

The only unusual detail was the long table right in the middle of the room, which held three vases of fresh flowers. In the largest and most eye-catching vase sat a vibrant, bustling bouquet of roses, complete with stems, leaves, and buds.

Everyone crowded at the doorway, their eyes glued to the bouquet.

"Little Yu..." After a long while, Uncle Zaozi stuttered, "These roses..."

"Oh, these..." Huai Yu hesitated for only a second before answering frankly, "These are flowers from the Rose Corridor!"

"GASP—" A collective sharp intake of breath echoed through the room.

A moment later, Chen Xing’s eyes lit up with burning intensity.

"Fen Da has a Gold Ability. I saw that you have a storage shed built outside. Later, we can have him pile all the large, heavy scrap metal in there first.

"We’ll help you organize the rest and bring it inside. You can take your time sorting through it later, so it doesn’t get ruined by the sun and rain."

Given that they were delivering this for free and being so considerate, Huai Yu felt a little embarrassed. After thinking for a long time, she pulled out a hoe.

"Then... how about I go dig up some bamboo shoots for you guys?"