Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 30: Power Upgrade

This wasn’t because Vikram was infatuated with her or trying to curry favor. The fifty tons of soil he had collected earlier were merely the calculated amount required for cultivating land at a depth of about twenty centimeters.

In reality, for optimal crop growth, the soil layer could easily reach half a meter. However, Vikram did not want to waste such large quantities of food on trading for soil, which was why he had stopped at fifty tons.

Now that Divya was making a request, he didn’t mind helping her. He simply regarded it as establishing a long-term supply channel.

[Divya: Alright. It’s a deal.]

After returning to the public chat channel, Vikram announced that the entire quota of fifty catties of food had been sold out.

He had planned to use the remaining daylight to go out hunting. Unexpectedly, another notification soon appeared — once again from Divya.

[Divya: Picture]

The image she sent was clearly a selfie.

At this moment, Divya had already changed out of the clothes she used to wear on Earth. She was dressed in a simple long garment stitched from coarse cloth, which softly outlined her now slightly slimmer figure.

Although she had grown thinner compared to before, her proportions were still graceful, her curves remaining delicate yet defined.

Her face was refined and gentle, and the faint tension that once lingered between her brows had completely vanished. A soft smile rested on her lips.

Compared to the troubled expression she had in the previous photo she sent him, she now looked like a bright and lively young girl, her lips rosy and her teeth white as she smiled.

Looking at the calm and beautiful image of Divya, her crescent-shaped eyes slightly curved in the photo, Vikram awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose.

He drew in a deep breath and closed the chat interface.

"Phew..."

He exhaled slowly, forcing down the corners of his lips that were beginning to rise.

"Steady your heart."

"Now is not the time to be distracted."

With that thought, he shut the chat window completely.

Vikram needed to find something to do to avoid sinking into idleness.

He first returned to the Shelter and carefully stored the newly collected fertile soil inside the warehouse. Only after ensuring everything was properly arranged did he activate the biological detection function and begin preparing for today’s hunt.

It was worth mentioning that over the past two days, the effects of the Primal Evolution Fruit had finally been fully digested.

Vikram could now clearly feel that his body had reached a new peak.

His final physique panel was now:

Host: Vikram

Strength: 26 + 5

Speed: 22 + 5

Stamina: 24 + 5

Reaction: 27 + 5

The greatest contribution naturally came from the evolutionary fruit itself, which had granted him a total increase of fifteen points across his four core attributes.

After that were the three Physique Fruits and one Vitality Fruit he had consumed during recent hunts.

This overwhelming physical advantage was also the true reason behind Vikram’s bold confidence.

As long as he could move freely outside, hunting would no longer be a problem.

With the assistance of biological detection and his current physical state, prey within dozens of kilometers was almost equivalent to walking Plant Essence waiting to be harvested.

Farming, in contrast, was merely meant to supplement vitamins and improve his living quality.

He clearly understood that relying solely on wild meat for a long period could eventually lead to nutritional imbalance or even diseases such as scurvy.

After confirming his own condition, Vikram suddenly thought of something. He turned his gaze toward the three tiny figures quietly standing nearby.

"If my physique improved so much... what about theirs?"

He immediately used the system to scan the Warrior Sprout, Guardian Sprout, and Healer Sprout.

The results shocked him far more than expected.

The Level 2 Warrior Sprout, whose combat instincts had sharpened through continuous battles, already possessed physical parameters far exceeding ordinary rare-grade creatures. Making it a terrifying frontline attacker despite its small size.

Strength: 29

Speed: 26

Stamina: 28

Reaction: 25

The Level 2 Guardian Sprout was even more astonishing in defensive terms. Forming a living shield that could withstand blows from most blue-grade creatures without retreating.

Strength: 27

Speed: 23

Stamina: 30

Reaction: 24

Only the Level 1 Healer Sprout remained relatively modest in comparison. But it was clearly compensated by its continuous recovery aura and support-type abilities.

Strength: 11

Speed: 13

Stamina: 15

Reaction: 12

As long as it remained alive during combat, Vikram’s battle endurance would far exceed that of ordinary Survivors.

Seeing this comparison, Vikram felt both relieved and slightly stunned.

Individually, his Sprout Team might look small and harmless, but in reality, they were already evolving into a highly efficient combat unit.

"With this kind of growth speed... in a few more days, I might not even need to fight personally."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

He did briefly consider revisiting the Wolf Spirit Ruins, especially since his physique had improved dramatically since the last time he approached that dangerous boundary.

However, after glancing at the dimming sky, he decisively suppressed the idea.

The next natural disaster will begin at midnight tonight.

Compared to risking everything for uncertain gains, ensuring stable survival through the coming extreme cold was clearly the wiser choice.

Before fully understanding the exact situation, it was best to avoid unnecessary injuries.

For now, lying low and gathering more supplies was the safest strategy. Even if he didn’t consume everything himself, surplus resources could always be exchanged for something more useful.

Today’s first target lay about seven hundred meters away. To save time, Vikram jogged the entire distance and reached the location within five minutes.

[Crimson Wild Ox: Blue — a mutated exquisite-grade wild ox affected by acid rain. It inherits all the attributes of a wild ox, but due to mutation, it has lost most of its pain sensation and has become cruel and bloodthirsty.]

"Still a Crimson Creature... have all the normal beasts already died out?" A trace of irritation flashed through his mind.

In the past, he had lacked the conditions to raise livestock.

Now that he finally possessed sufficient resources, docile animals had become extremely difficult to find.

The Crimson Wild Ox soon noticed Vikram standing motionless before it.

Its already unstable temperament was instantly ignited. With scarlet eyes blazing, it lowered its head and charged forward like a battering ram.

Facing the thunderous charge, Vikram did not dodge.

Instead, he raised both arms calmly, stepping forward as if he intended to wrestle the beast head-on.

"Bang!"

The collision shook the ground.

The wild ox had expected to send this seemingly slender human flying through the air.

Yet the reality was completely different.

Vikram’s hands clamped firmly around the creature’s two massive horns like iron shackles.

His boots carved deep furrows into the soil as he was pushed backward several meters, loose earth scattering behind him.

The immense inertia of the charge gradually weakened. Step by step, Vikram’s retreat slowed... until he finally came to a complete stop.

This time, he had deliberately chosen not to rely on tactics or distance. He wanted to test the limits of his own strength after the recent enhancements.

Behind him, the small figures of his Sprout Team had already gathered.

The Warrior Sprout hopped excitedly, brandishing its tiny blade in encouragement.

The Guardian Sprout thumped its shield rhythmically against the ground like a battle drum.

Even the Healer Sprout swayed its glowing leaves, scattering faint green motes as if cheering him on.

Feeling their lively support, Vikram’s lips curved into a confident smile.

His arms tensed once more... and he began to push back.

Creatures of the same rank could still differ greatly in raw physical power.

If it had been a hyena charging instead of this massive wild ox, Vikram wouldn’t even have needed to retreat a single step.

At this moment, his Sprout team was already gathered a short distance behind him.

The Guardian Sprout stood with its tiny shield raised in a defensive pose, the Warrior Sprout gripped its miniature blade with bright, excited eyes, and the Healer Sprout swayed gently, releasing faint green motes of light.

None of them moved forward to assist.

They simply watched their master’s battle with undisguised anticipation, occasionally hopping in place or waving their tiny arms as if cheering him on.

Vikram’s arm muscles bulged as he locked both hands firmly around the wild ox’s horns.

The violent momentum forced his boots to carve deep furrows into the soil, but his body held steady like a rooted tree.

When the ox’s forward force finally began to weaken, Vikram seized the opportunity.

Twisting his waist sharply, he drove his right fist forward with explosive strength.

"Moo—!"

The heavy punch smashed into the beast’s face, instantly turning its left eye into a blur of blood and flesh.

Behind him, the Warrior Sprout bounced excitedly, raising its blade in the air, while the Guardian Sprout thumped its shield against the ground in encouragement.

Without pausing, Vikram drew his Iron Sword, enhanced by the Wolf Spirit Claw, and slashed across the ox’s broad shoulder.

"Swish!"

A long, shallow wound appeared.

Yet the amount of blood that erupted from the cut was terrifyingly excessive, pouring down its massive frame like a broken dam.

The wild ox roared and launched several desperate counterattacks.

Vikram calmly evaded each one with minimal movement, letting the creature’s strength drain away with every passing second.

The Healer Sprout drifted a little closer, its glowing bud pulsing softly, as if ready to step in the moment Vikram required support.

After four or five minutes, the beast’s movements grew sluggish. Its once-ferocious charges turned into unstable stumbles.

Finally, its colossal body trembled and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The cause of death was shockingly simple —

excessive blood loss from a wound that had barely pierced the flesh.

A faint blue light gathered above the corpse as the drops appeared:

Vitality Fruit (Blue) ×1

Iron (Blue) ×6

Plastic (Blue) ×6

Diesel (Blue) ×1 barrel

Crimson Shard ×1

Vikram flicked the blood from his sword and let out a low breath.

"This Wolf Spirit Claw buff is truly overbearing...

If this were used against a human, they wouldn’t even last five minutes."

Behind him, the three Sprouts hopped and circled around him in tiny celebratory motions, clearly proud despite having done nothing during the fight.

After quickly consuming the vitality fruit to restore stamina and gain the attribute increase, Vikram didn’t waste any more time. Activating the creature detection function again, he immediately sprinted toward his next hunting target.

By evening, back inside his Shelter, he reviewed the afternoon’s harvest.

"Mostly crafting materials again," he murmured while sorting the loot.

"The only truly noteworthy items are this barrel of diesel... and another crimson shard."

Food, however, was no longer a concern.

That single wild ox alone weighed nearly eight hundred jin, enough to sustain him for quite some time.

Of course, Vikram understood very clearly that such efficient hunting wasn’t simply luck.

It was the combined result of his enhanced physique and the Plant Life System’s creature detection, which had transformed survival into calculated dominance.

Before, Vikram would have considered himself lucky to find one prey in a day.

So, it was understandable that most people on the trading market were exchanging food.

Not to mention, other Survivors wouldn’t be able to defeat Crimson Creatures like the wild ox, so finding one would be useless.

The difference in strength among creatures of the same rank was actually much greater than he had imagined.

Take the wild ox and the wild rabbit he hunted that afternoon, for example: even with Vikram’s 31 points of strength, the wild ox could still knock him away.

As for the wild rabbit, although it was also a blue exquisite-grade creature and much larger than an average wild rabbit, it couldn’t cause any harm to Vikram. Besides being incredibly fast, it had virtually no offensive power.

After a simple dinner, Vikram quietly lay in his bed, waiting for the natural disaster to arrive.