Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 78: Going Towards Next Ruin

After enjoying a brief moment of warmth with Sophia, the two of them shared a simple breakfast.

The atmosphere was calm, almost peaceful—something rare in the harsh Wasteland.

Vikram wiped his hands and looked at her, "I’m going out. There’s a ruin I need to explore."

Sophia paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. "Yes, Master. I understand."

"You stay here and take care of the territory."

Her expression became firm, "I will. This is your territory... I won’t let anything happen to it."

Hearing this, Vikram gave a satisfied nod and patted her head.

"Good."

Without saying anything more, he stood up and walked out of the decoy shelter.

The cold air hit him the moment he stepped outside, but his expression remained unchanged.

He raised his hand slightly.

The Healer Sprout immediately understood and moved swiftly, bringing the Universal Bike from its resting place.

Vikram stepped toward the bike and climbed onto it. The engine hummed softly. Then, with a glance, he gave a signal.

The Sprout Team responded instantly.

The Warrior Sprout jumped up first, followed by the Guardian Sprout, Archer Sprout, Fire Mage Sprout, Light Mage Sprout and Water Mage Sprout. The Healer Sprout settled into position as well, all of them arranging themselves efficiently despite the limited space.

The bike was slightly crowded, but manageable.

Vikram didn’t take any chances. He didn’t know how dangerous the ruin would be... or whether there was a hidden layer inside it.

And opportunities like this didn’t come twice. So this time, he was going in with full power.

As Vikram stepped out of his territory, the protection faded and the true cold of the outside world hit him instantly. The freezing wind pierced through his clothes, making his skin sting. Without hesitation, he took out the Wild Wolf Fur Coat and wore it.

The effect was immediate.

All the cold vanished.

Snow continued to fall on his face, but he felt nothing at all. Wearing the thick wolf fur coat along with his youthful appearance made him look a bit out of place, but in the Wasteland, survival was all that mattered.

"The effect of this coat is almost like a conceptual ability," Vikram muttered. "Even with snow directly touching my skin, I don’t feel cold at all."

This coat, which he had casually used as sleepwear before, now revealed its true terrifying value. He even felt that as long as he wore it, he could walk bare-chested in this weather without any problem.

"It’s a good thing the Survival Platform can’t scan equipment like my system. If people found out this was Epic-grade, I’d definitely be hunted down."

He clicked his tongue.

"Epic-level is already this abnormal... I can’t even imagine what comes after."

The snow on the ground had already piled up to a frightening height, but as soon as the bike tyres touched the ground, it automatically shifted into Snowmobile Mode. The wheels adjusted to the terrain, allowing smooth movement over the thick snow.

"Convenient," he said lightly.

He first drove slowly down the gentle slope outside his shelter, the path partially covered with trees. While descending, he familiarized himself with the bike’s handling under snowy conditions. Once he reached the open road, the path ahead became wide and unobstructed.

Vikram gradually increased the speed.

The moment he twisted the throttle, the engine roared loudly, breaking the silence of the snow-covered world. The powerful three-cylinder output pushed the bike forward instantly.

Within seconds, his speed crossed ninety kilometers per hour.

"At this speed, I’ll reach in at most two hours... that’s more than enough."

Vikram slightly increased the throttle, the engine roaring deeper as the bike surged forward across the snow.

For him, speeding up was natural.

If conditions allowed, he had no intention of staying anywhere overnight except his own territory.

The dangers of the Wasteland were obvious. Staying in the house of someone he had only met through the chat channel was something he could never accept.

Unless the owner was already dead.

His plan was simple—explore the ruins, take what he could, and return to his territory the same night.

Riding the sleek motorcycle, Vikram cut through the snow like a blade, leaving a long trail behind him. Wind and snow slammed against his body, but under the protection of the wolf fur coat, he felt nothing.

Only excitement remained. Excitement for the ruins.

Without slowing down, he opened the chat.

[Vikram: Brother Sunil, I’ll arrive at your location in about two hours. Be ready.]

A moment later, the reply came.

[Sunil Kumar: What? Brother Vikram, how close are you? You said four to five hours earlier, and now you’re almost here?]

Sunil Kumar was genuinely surprised.

In his understanding, everyone in this world still relied on walking. Vehicles were something no one even dared to imagine.

So the only explanation he could think of was, they were simply very close.

Vikram smirked slightly.

[Vikram: Yeah, I was surprised too when I checked the coordinates. I’m only a dozen kilometers away from you. Quite a coincidence, right?]

He had no intention of exposing the existence of his motorcycle. Before arriving, he would hide it somewhere nearby.

This way, he not only concealed one of his biggest advantages, but also misled the other party about his actual location.

A simple lie, but highly effective.

[Sunil Kumar: Alright then, Brother Vikram. I’m ready anytime. I’ll wait for you.]

Vikram closed the chat, his eyes turning sharp again as he sped forward.

Meanwhile, near a frozen lake, beside the silver-white Shelter, two figures crouched in the snow.

"Boss... that guy is coming this fast?" one of them asked cautiously.

Sunil Kumar narrowed his eyes slightly.

"He’s quite impatient... but that works perfectly for us."

The man beside him grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Once we get the materials... should we kill him?"

Sunil shook his head slowly.

"No rush."

"We first see how many people he brings... then we decide."

His gaze turned toward the distant white horizon.

"I haven’t told him everything yet. Tricking a greedy newcomer like him won’t be difficult."

A faint, calculating smile appeared on his face.

"And since his Shelter is so close..."

"We might even get another batch of supplies."

The other man chuckled.

"Hehe... Boss, you’re really cunning as a businessman."

---

Vikram, who had already closed the chat, steadily approached the coordinates sent by Sunil Kumar.

By around ten or eleven in the morning, the snowfall had stopped. The sky cleared, and sunlight reflected brightly off the endless white snowfield as Vikram arrived at the location on time.

However, he no longer looked the same as he had two or three hours ago.

The Universal Bike had already been stored in his backpack. Now, he was walking forward casually on foot, as if he had just traveled a short distance.

Behind him, eight small, plant-like beings followed in an orderly line.

They looked harmless.

Almost... decorative. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Their bodies were slender, their movements light, and their presence quiet. Anyone seeing them for the first time would only think they were some strange, non-threatening companions.

Yet Vikram walked ahead calmly, as if everything was under his control.

"Brother Sunil!" he called out with a wave, his tone friendly and familiar.

Sunil Kumar, who had been waiting in the cold for a long time, looked up and froze for a moment.

"Brother... Vikram?" he replied uncertainly.

His eyes weren’t actually focused on Vikram.

They were fixed on the figures behind him.

Eight... plant-like creatures?

What were those things? Pets? Summons? Decorations?

He couldn’t tell at all. For a brief moment, confusion filled his mind.

"Hahaha, why do you look so surprised, Brother Sunil?" Vikram laughed lightly as he approached. "Am I not as handsome as you imagined?"

Sunil forced a smile, but his gaze kept drifting behind Vikram.

Those strange little beings followed quietly, not making any aggressive movements. They looked completely harmless, yet their coordinated behavior made him feel slightly uneasy.

What exactly are those things...?

At the same time, his thoughts turned darker.

No team... no backup... just this kid and some weird companions?

Damn it... was I overestimating him?

Originally, he had expected Vikram to arrive with at least a small group—four or five people at minimum, maybe even more.

But now, there was only him. And those strange plant creatures. If that’s the case... then isn’t my plan wasted?

A flicker of frustration crossed Sunil Kumar’s eyes.

He needed manpower to explore deeper into the structure. Alone, it was too dangerous.

Suppressing his thoughts, he put on a polite expression.

"Haha, I was just surprised by how young you are, Brother Vikram. To be leading a Shelter at your age, your ability must be outstanding."

Vikram smiled faintly. He wasn’t fooled.

That brief glance earlier had already exposed Sunil’s intentions. But that didn’t matter.

After all he wasn’t here with pure intentions either.

"Just a bit of luck," Vikram replied casually. "Let’s skip the small talk. Show me this mysterious building you mentioned."

Sunil hesitated slightly, then spoke again.

"Brother Vikram, if you have any hidden helpers, you might as well call them out now. I’m not alone here either. If we’re both hiding things, it’ll affect the exploration."

"No need. My team is enough," Vikram said calmly, patting his chest, his tone filled with quiet confidence.

Behind him, the Sprout Team stood in a neat formation—silent, obedient, and seemingly harmless.

Sunil Kumar’s expression stiffened slightly. Is this kid serious...?

"Damn it... is he messing with me?" he muttered inwardly, but still turned toward the shelter and shouted.

"Come out!"

Soon, six Survivors walked out one by one from the silver-white shelter.

The man leading them had tattoos across his arms and neck. The moment his gaze fell on Vikram... it shifted behind him instead.

"...Boss, this is the guy?" he asked slowly. "Why is he alone... and what are those things?"

His tone carried confusion, the others also stared at the sprout units.

They looked harmless... but something about their stillness felt unnatural.

Sunil snorted lightly, "Hmph, he says he doesn’t need anyone. Says his... team is enough."

The tattooed man frowned, clearly unconvinced.

"These... things?" he said, pointing slightly toward the sprouts. "They don’t even look like they can fight."

Another man beside him spoke more cautiously.

"Boss... this doesn’t feel right. Those things... they’re too quiet."

Sunil waved his hand impatiently.

"Don’t overthink it. He claims he can handle Exquisite-grade monsters alone."

His tone carried a hint of sarcasm now, "Since he’s so confident, let him take the lead."

The tattooed man understood immediately. A faint smirk appeared on his face as he stepped toward Vikram.

"Oh? That confident, huh?" he said, but his eyes still flicked toward the sprout team with a trace of caution. "Then... you go first."

Vikram didn’t react to their probing or hidden intentions. A faint smile remained on his face. He simply walked forward.

Behind him, the sprout team followed in perfect order.

That quiet coordination made a few of the men unconsciously uneasy, though none of them spoke it out loud.

The group moved forward together.

The closer they got, the quieter everyone became.

Even Sunil Kumar, who used to talk endlessly in chat, now said nothing.

Soon, a massive structure appeared before them.

At a glance, it resembled Sunil’s shelter, but on a completely different scale. The entire building was constructed from metal, its surface smooth and uniform, far more refined than anything artificially assembled.

Vikram’s eyes sharpened slightly.

He quickly noticed the first floor.

There were clear excavation marks—flat, cut-out sections where materials had been forcibly removed.

"So this is where he mined everything..." Vikram thought.

"Here we are," the tattooed man said, stepping back half a step. "Since you’re so capable... show us."

He gestured toward the entrance, "Go ahead."

Vikram didn’t move immediately.