Chapter 145: The Fiery Sunflower Sprouts

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: The Fiery Sunflower Sprouts

Upon hearing what Gene Morton said,

Keith Griffith’s face twisted with unease and fear.

"Morton... I think we should stop ’doing business’ in this neighborhood from now on."

"Oh? Why?" Gene Morton frowned. "Since when did you become such a coward?"

"It’s not that I’m a coward," Keith Griffith quickly explained. "There’s a Player in our complex! A really powerful one, and really... brutal!"

He lowered his voice and gave an embellished account of how Sean Chandler had instantly killed the Insectoid Monster and then cleanly snapped Hunter Lowe’s neck.

Gene Morton’s initially dismissive expression gradually grew serious.

He didn’t live in this complex, so he hadn’t heard this news before, but he had heard of Hunter Lowe.

"From the sound of it... this guy’s pretty strong..." Gene Morton stroked his chin, a strange glint in his eyes.

"If we could pull a tough character like that into The Brotherhood our boss just formed, he’d definitely be the top enforcer! That’d be a huge contribution!"

Keith Griffith hesitated. "But... Morton, what if he’s not willing?"

Gene Morton’s gaze instantly turned vicious. He shot Keith Griffith a cold glance. "Not willing? Hmph. Either he becomes one of us, or... he becomes an obstacle we have to eliminate. If we can’t use him, we can’t let him become a stumbling block!"

Keith Griffith shivered under that gaze, immediately understanding the unspoken threat.

Those who follow us prosper; those who oppose us die.

"I... I understand," Keith Griffith said, swallowing hard.

"Good," Gene Morton’s expression softened slightly. "For now, you keep an eye out. Find out which households in this complex have a good stock of supplies and make a note of them.

The boss has gathered a lot of brothers under him now. The daily consumption is huge, and we’re in desperate need of supplies.

I’ll report this news about the Player to the boss and see what he thinks.

If this works out, there’ll be plenty in it for you. When the time comes, I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you with the boss. There’ll be a position for you, guaranteed!"

"Then I’m counting on you, Morton."

...

For the next few days, Seraphina Sullivan didn’t leave her home once.

The extreme cold and blizzard raged on outside, and with chaos erupting from time to time, staying home was undoubtedly the safest choice.

Although she could have completely avoided the severe cold by hiding in the [Scavenger’s Farm] Space, Seraphina Sullivan was more accustomed to staying in her real-world home; it felt more like "living."

Of course, her work modifying and utilizing the farm never stopped.

The Giant Grass Seeds had already been planted.

She took out the [Fiery Sunflower Seeds] she had gotten from the Golden Treasure Chest earlier.

’I was worried before because I didn’t have a high-temperature environment to make it sprout, but I can’t wait any longer.’

Seraphina Sullivan looked at the seed in her hand, which contained a faint warmth, and made up her mind.

She knew that this plant would emit heat once mature, making it a natural heat source in this freezing weather. She had to make it grow as quickly as possible.

’Since it grows by absorbing heat, I’ll try this!’

Seraphina Sullivan focused her mind, turned her palms upward, and activated her [Scorching Hand] Skill!

Two stable, scorching orbs of light condensed in her palms, emitting an astonishing amount of heat, like two miniature suns.

She carefully placed the deep-red seed into the high-temperature zone between her palms.

Flora and Moe gathered around curiously, watching their master use her "hands" as a furnace to try and hatch a plant.

Meanwhile, Sean Chandler was holding a tablet, focused on studying the combat technique videos on it. He continuously simulated the power-generating techniques, striving to defeat enemies more efficiently and with less effort in future battles.

For a moment, a strange harmony filled the room.

On one side, a sci-fi-like growth experiment; on the other, arduous skill training.

Under the continuous infusion of heat from [Scorching Hand], the dormant Fiery Sunflower Seed finally reacted!

Tiny cracks began to appear on the surface of the bean-sized seed. A tender green sprout, seemingly shimmering with the luster of molten lava, stubbornly pushed open the seed coat and slowly peeked out.

The instant the sprout appeared, Seraphina Sullivan clearly felt the temperature in the small area around the seed begin to rise significantly!

A gentle but continuous warmth spread out. Although the range was still small, the effect was undeniably real!

"It’s really giving off heat!" Seraphina Sullivan was overjoyed.

She immediately increased her Energy output, trying to make it grow to maturity in one go.

However, despite her continuous supply of heat, after the tender sprout grew to about five centimeters tall and unfurled two small cotyledons with dark red veins, its growth rate slowed dramatically, almost coming to a complete halt with no further obvious changes.

Seraphina Sullivan stopped the Skill and carefully observed the small, warm seedling, coming to a realization. "It seems growth can’t be rushed. It needs a continuous supply of heat and time. Trying to force it to grow clearly doesn’t work."

Although she was a little disappointed not to have a mature Fiery Sunflower right away, she was very satisfied with this beginning.

’But this is already great as it is.’

She smiled as she looked at the small seedling, which was constantly radiating a steady warmth.

’At least this proves this method works. I’ll just have to use [Scorching Hand] to give it some heat every day. Maybe it’ll grow to full size soon.’

This tiny seedling, like a spark of hope in the cold winter, brought warmth to Seraphina Sullivan’s home, and with it, new expectations.

...

The continuous blizzard showed no signs of stopping, blanketing the entire world in layer after layer of heavy snow.

When Seraphina Sullivan woke from her sleep, her first sensation wasn’t the comfort of being well-rested, but a lingering chill that refused to dissipate.

The [Fiery Sunflower] seedling in the corner of the living room, like a tiny but resolute candle flame, continuously radiated a steady heat. It had already become the indispensable heating core of her home; otherwise, the indoor temperature would have likely long since dropped below freezing.

But she still felt cold. A chill that seemed to seep through the walls was everywhere.

She got up, found a thermometer, and reached it out the window to measure the temperature outside.

"Negative thirty degrees?!" Looking at the number on the thermometer, Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but gasp. "It’s only been two days, and it’s already dropped to negative thirty... If it keeps plummeting like this, the world is probably doomed."

Although the temperature was still slowly dropping, thankfully it wasn’t a precipitous plunge like at the beginning.

For prepared survivors, a temperature of over thirty degrees below zero was still barely manageable with layers upon layers of clothing, the meager heat from burning whatever they could find, and sheer willpower.

Just then, her phone screen lit up with a message notification.

She tapped it open and saw it was a message from the [Apocalypse Survival Exchange Group] chat she had joined earlier to gather information.