Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 36: Online Group Join

However, this is only the absolute last resort. If possible, he would, of course, want to raise some livestock directly in the Shelter to help with fertilization.

But with Crimson Creatures rampant and ordinary animals almost extinct, Vikram is powerless...

Just as he finished setting up the farmland, Divya sent him a message.

These past few days, Divya came to trade with Vikram every day, always for one ton of fertile soil.

Daily trades naturally meant being teased by Vikram, and Divya herself was almost used to it.

Today, in addition to the usual trade, she also sent Vikram a group chat invitation.

[Vikram:?]

[Vikram: What group is this?] Vikram asked, puzzled.

[Divya: A small group, most of the Survivors in it are from our area.] She explained.

[Divya: There are many big shots in there trading or sharing information. Most people can’t just join; it’s by internal referral only.] Divya’s tone carried a hint of pride.

[Divya: I saw you’ve been in the Wasteland for so long and are still all alone, which is quite pitiful. Maybe you can find a companion if you join the group?]

Seeing Divya’s somewhat sarcastic tone, Vikram naturally couldn’t stand it.

[Vikram: Yeah, I’m so miserable, always alone. It would be great if a pretty girl came to my Shelter to keep me company.]

[Divya: There are plenty of pretty girls in the group you want. Whether you can win them over is up to your own ability.]

[Vikram: Then what if I want you, this pretty girl?]

[Divya: Get lost, you’re disgusting.]

After two days of continuous mental pollution from Vikram, Divya thought she was already immune to his attacks.

She didn’t expect Vikram to be so shameless, saying anything that came to mind. She could only blush and close the chat.

At this point, Vikram had already joined the group chat. The group name was unique, called "Wasteland World’s Savior."

As soon as he entered the group chat, several messages popped up consecutively.

[Director Aditya: Welcome new member to the group chat!]

[Shalini: Welcome, welcome!]

[Sunny Dalal: Welcome, are you a handsome guy or a beautiful girl? Post a picture first.]

[Radhika: Definitely a handsome guy, don’t you dare fight me for him!]

[Geetanjali: Where’s the handsome guy? Where is he?]

[Bobby: New members need to send red envelopes first!]

[Anjali: Right, right, you can’t leave until you’ve sent enough red envelopes.]

[Director Aditya: Alright, everyone, no more joking. Let our new member introduce himself first.]

[Vikram: Hello everyone, I’m the new Survivor Vikram. I’m still a lone wolf for now, and I hope everyone can take care of me.]

Anjali, of course, knew who this ID belonged to, but she asked uncertainly:

[Anjali: You weren’t invited by Divya, were you? @Vikram]

[Vikram: Yes, why?]

[Sunny Dalal: Damn it, he actually knows our group’s beauty. Tell me, how far have you two progressed?]

[Vikram: You mean Divya? She’s my girlfriend.]

[Sunny Dalal: Impossible, my goddess doesn’t have a boyfriend.] Sunny gritted his teeth in front of the screen.

[Anjali: You believe him just because he said so? Didn’t he just say he’s a lone wolf Survivor? Where would he get a girlfriend?]

[Sunny Dalal: Hehe, I knew my goddess wouldn’t fall for anyone else. Kid, if you want to pursue our group’s beauty, you’ll have to get in line behind me.]

Vikram saw the message and was genuinely amused by him. Divya hadn’t said a word from beginning to end, yet this Sunny Dalal couldn’t stop talking about Divya in every other sentence. He was clearly a little simp.

However, his tone didn’t seem to have any malice; he just seemed a bit slow-witted.

Vikram felt like he had found a new electronic pet. He quietly added him as a friend and sent a message:

[Vikram: Look what this is: (picture)]

[Sunny Dalal: What? How do you have a picture of my goddess!]

[Vikram: Of course, your goddess sent it to me.]

[Sunny Dalal: I don’t believe it. Did you use some dirty trick to get the picture?]

[Sunny Dalal: Tell me now!]

[Sunny Dalal: Don’t play dead, I know you’re looking.]

[Sunny Dalal: You bastard!]

Unfortunately, Vikram had no intention of replying, letting him imagine and get angry on his own was the most interesting part.

Seeing Vikram ignore him, Sunny Dalal could only rage in the group:

[Sunny Dalal: Vikram! From now on, you are my enemy, Sunny Dalal. I will never be at peace with you.]

Vikram shivered when he saw this message, goosebumps erupting all over him. He wondered how he could say such a foolish thing in public.

However, the other group members had no reaction, so it seemed it wasn’t the first time, and everyone was used to it.

The deputy group leader, unaware of the truth, came out to comfort him:

[Director Aditya: @Vikram, don’t mind him. He’s just like that, there’s no real malice.]

[Vikram: It’s fine, I don’t take it to heart. This young man is quite interesting.]

In the Shelter, Vikram closed the group chat with a chuckle.

"Although I don’t know what the point of joining this group is, there’s no harm in it. No loss anyway."

"At least the group members are quite easygoing."

He picked up a skewer of grilled meat and put it in his mouth, the taste was like chewing wax. Even after all this time, Vikram still hadn’t gotten used to it.

The small can of salt he bought earliest had long been used up. After eating more than a dozen meals with no salt or flavor, even if it was a rare item, it was tasteless and a shame to discard.

During these three days, while waiting for the greenhouse’s Plant Essence, Vikram did not go out hunting. Instead, he made all the blueprints he had collected in the Shelter.

The simple stove in the kitchen had already been built, and the iron pot and other items were already in place.

But he had never used it, the main reason being the lack of seasoning.

He had also searched the trading market, but so far, he hadn’t seen anyone selling such items.

Since everything tasted the same without flavor, what was the point of him heating oil in a pan? In the end, he could only leave it aside, unresolved.

---

"Unknowingly, the Crimson Shards have accumulated to eight..."

Vikram, who had rested in the Treehouse or sometimes in his Shelter for four days, decided to go out and try his luck.

While trying to collect the remaining crimson shards, he also wanted to see if he could find some seasonings.

"My mouth has been so bland these past two days, it’s like tasting bird feed." Vikram licked his lips.

In a situation where most Survivors couldn’t even eat their fill, if other Survivors knew Vikram said this, he might be drowned in accusations.

It’s good enough to have food to eat, how dare he complain that it’s tasteless?

On a snowy white plain, Vikram’s clothes fluttered, behind him lay a rare Crimson Creature, its eyes wide open in death.

Drops:

Crimson Shard,

Cotton (Green) X2,

Soil X2.

"It finally dropped. Only one more piece, but there are far fewer creatures here."

"Have I been hunting too frequently lately?"

Vikram, who was only one piece away from synthesizing a crimson orb, looked at the blank screen of his creature detector, feeling a bit helpless.

"It’s still early. I’ll run two more laps to search."

In the extreme cold of -20 degrees, with light snow falling, he wandered around with no success. Finally, he decided to check near the ruins...

Inside the ruins, a massive Wolf Spirit was meditating with its eyes closed. Suddenly, as if hearing something, it abruptly opened its fierce eyes.

Looking out from the ruins’ gate, a figure moved on a distant grassy slope.

A fierce battle was unfolding between a figure and a creature whose species was unclear.

The figure was Vikram, but his opponent was no longer a Wolf Spirit Guard; it was an Exquisite-grade Crimson Creature.

At this moment, the Crimson Giant Rhino charged towards Vikram, its massive horns pointing skyward. With each step during its charge, the Giant Rhino’s hooves brought forth rumbling sounds.

The Wolf Spirit Lord was also awakened by this. Facing such a scene, Vikram simply grabbed the giant horn with one hand, planted his feet firmly, and with a twist of his waist and abdomen, easily deflected its fierce attack.

Immediately following was a sharp Iron sword that appeared out of thin air, plunging into the Giant Rhino’s large right eye. With a twist of the Iron sword in his right hand, the brain of this massive creature was thoroughly scrambled.

It finally collapsed to the ground unwillingly, leaving behind its enormous body and a blue treasure chest.

"Roar!"

Before Vikram could count the drops, a ferocious roar came from the ruins behind him, making his ears ache.

He turned his head and saw that his old friend had come to greet him, having traveled far to his territory.

He was not stingy; he waved enthusiastically, a smile on his face, and loudly responded to the Wolf Spirit Lord’s roar:

"Just wait to die!!"

He collected the Exquisite-grade treasure chest, and the contents did not disappoint; the final shard needed to synthesize the Crimson Orb was gathered that afternoon.

Without hesitation, he clicked to synthesize the stacked crimson shards.

[Crimson Orb: Synthesized from crimson shards dropped by Crimson Creatures. After use, gain a permanent 5-point bonus to all four dimensional attributes, with no side effects.]

The crimson orb in his hand was about the size of an egg, entirely crimson, and emanated a faint bloody aura.

Holding it in his hand, he could feel a bone-chilling cold.

If not for the system’s description, even if Vikram knew it could increase his physique, he wouldn’t dare to eat it randomly. The aura looked evil no matter how he saw it.

Bringing it closer, a strong smell of blood wafted over, a smell even more extreme than that of the crimson shard, even carrying a hint of rust.

After a slight mental struggle, Vikram swallowed the orb in one go.

Unlike its hard feel in his hand, the orb melted instantly in his mouth.

But compared to that, its taste was what disgusted Vikram the most; a rust smell ten times stronger than when he sniffed it up close transmitted through his tongue to his taste nerves.

Almost instantly, his stomach began to involuntarily churn with acid.

With stomach acid refluxing in his esophagus, Vikram, on the verge of vomiting, was forced to bend over, desperately covering his mouth, not daring to let a single drop of liquid escape.

Amidst a dizzying sensation, he gradually returned to normal. After the discomfort disappeared, it was replaced by a surge of power.

The 20-point attribute increase elevated his strength to another level.

Host: Vikram

Strength 31+5

Speed 27+5

Stamina 29+5

Reaction 32+5

"Hoo~"

Uncharacteristically, a chilling cry suddenly escaped Vikram’s mouth.