Lin Xiaohe was overjoyed.
Sure enough, the most lucrative professions are all written in the Criminal Law.
Just farming? How many lifetimes would she have to toil away to earn 1 million?
She transferred 200,000 to her eldest brother, leaving her with about 1.5 million.
She returned to Hengshan Village to pick up her mother and entrusted her to Brother Thunderbolt and Old Black. “My family is in your hands now.”
“Got it!” Brother Thunderbolt thumped his chest in assurance.
Lin Xiaohe didn’t return to Hengshan Village. Instead, she checked into a hotel in the bustling district.
She browsed the StarNet for a while but didn’t find Dong Yuxuan online. She sent him a few messages but received no reply.
“It seems 1.5 million is my limit,” Lin Xiaohe settled her mind and opened the Plant Summoner system.
Money must be spent where it counts.
Her own lousy physique and mental strength weren’t worth investing in at all.
Lin Xiaohe first spent 100,000 to upgrade Xin Bao.
【Name: Xin Bao (Stardust Wheat)】
【Affinity: 50】
【Stage: Seedling】
【Level: 2】
【Vitality: 100/100】
【Attack Power: 10】
【Skills: ① I’ll Just Rub, Won’t Go In ② Thin as a Cicada’s Wing, Pops at a Touch ③ Data Storm (Pending Activation)】
Upgrading Xin Bao to Level 3 required 1 million StarCoins.
Her wallet wasn’t that flush, so Lin Xiaohe focused on the skill 【Data Storm】.
“System, spend 200,000 StarCoins to activate the skill.”
【Skill activated.】
Data Storm: Consume 10,000 StarCoins (or 1 Skill Point) to release a full-screen electromagnetic interference, causing mechanical enemies to stall for 10 seconds.
A great skill, just a bit too costly.
Lin Xiaohe scratched her head. The system didn’t explain how to obtain Skill Points. The 2 points she got came from registering Xin Bao and Dou Dou.
She couldn’t just run outside the city walls registering mutated plants everywhere, could she?
She checked her account balance: 1.2 million left. Setting aside 200,000 for 【Data Storm】, she had 1 million for upgrades.
Xin Bao’s development leaned towards support; its combat attack power wasn’t strong.
So, the 1 million still had to be invested in Dou Dou.
【Name: Dou Dou (Mutated Pea)】
【Affinity: 20】
【Stage: Maturity】
【Level: 5】
【Vitality: 300/1000】
【Attack Power: 200】
【Skills: Watch Me Biu Biu (Unlimited Ammo)】
“System, top up 200,000 StarCoins for Dou Dou.”
Dou Dou’s vines waved frantically: “Heart you, love you. Let the storm of money rage even more fiercely!”
【System: Dou Dou Affinity +20】
“That’s it?” Lin Xiaohe waited five minutes. Confirming no new prompts, she painfully added another 200,000!
Dou Dou twisted itself almost into a pretzel: “You are my heart, you are my liver, you are three-quarters of my life.”
【System: Dou Dou Affinity +10】
Huh?!
Singing such sweet nothings, yet affinity only increased by 10, and the skill didn’t even update?!
Dou Dou’s mouth is full of lies.
Lin Xiaohe’s face was wooden, like an emotionless StarCoin shredder: “Add another 200,000.”
【Dou Dou Affinity +5】
The corner of Lin Xiaohe’s mouth twitched: “Add another 200,000!”
She refused to believe it. Spending 800,000, and not even getting a critical hit?!
【Dou Dou Affinity +1】
Lin Xiaohe was utterly defeated. She grabbed Dou Dou’s flowerpot and shook it. “You’re a plant too! How can you be this shameless?! Look at Xin Bao! Only 300,000 spent, got an upgrade and a skill! Aren’t you ashamed?”
Named, Xin Bao straightened its stalk, puffing up with pride. It was Xiaohe’s favorite child!
Dou Dou sneered, “Silly. She only spent 300,000 on you, but 1.4 million on me! Where the money is, there the love lies.”
Xin Bao was shocked, Xin Bao felt wronged, Xin Bao held back tears.
“Good boy, don’t listen to its nonsense. I love you the most. Go drink some purified water over there.” Lin Xiaohe turned Xin Bao’s pot around and thoughtfully unscrewed the water bottle cap.
Once Xin Bao was happily immersed in drinking, Lin Xiaohe then turned a sinister grin towards Dou Dou.
“Let me tell you a joke. A reporter interviews the first penguin: ‘What do you do every day?’ The penguin says, ‘Eat, sleep, beat up Dou Dou.’ Puzzled, the reporter asks the second penguin, and keeps asking until the 99th penguin, all giving the same answer.”
A chill ran down Dou Dou’s spine. It had a bad feeling about this.
Lin Xiaohe reached out and pinched one of Dou Dou’s pods. “Finally, the reporter asks the 100th penguin. The penguin says, ‘Eat, sleep.’ The reporter asks curiously, ‘Why not beat up Dou Dou?’ The 100th penguin says, ‘I am Dou Dou!'”
“Hahaha! Why aren’t you laughing?”
Dou Dou’s heart was bitter.
If you have the guts, let go of my pod! If you have the guts, change the penguin’s name in the joke, don’t call it Dou Dou!
Lin Xiaohe’s gaze turned icy, her tone chilling enough to make one’s heart tremble. “Dou Dou, last chance.”
“System, top up 1 StarCoin!”
This time, something finally changed.
【Name: Dou Dou】
【Affinity: 56】
【Stage: Maturity】
【Level: 5】
【Vitality: 1000/1000】
【Attack Power: 200】
【Skills: ① Watch Me Biu Biu (Unlimited Ammo) ② Charged Frenzy (Pending Activation)】
Lin Xiaohe breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a new skill.
As the old saying goes, a tree won’t grow straight without trimming. Dou Dou just needed discipline.
Lin Xiaohe spent another 200,000 StarCoins to activate 【Charged Frenzy】.
Fortunately, this skill seemed practical, worthy of the 1 million StarCoins piled into it.
Charged Frenzy: After a three-second charge, unleash 3,000 projectiles covering a fan-shaped area. (Can combine with skills of other mutated plants)
Lin Xiaohe stroked her chin. The last note was interesting.
If Xin Bao and Dou Dou combined, what special effect would this Charged Frenzy have?
No point guessing. She’d have to wait and try it at the Grand Theater.
For the next few days, Lin Xiaohe didn’t leave her room.
She needed to conserve her energy and let Xin Bao and Dou Dou build tacit understanding.
Dou Dou loved bullying Xin Bao, its mouth especially annoying. It would bully Xin Bao almost to tears, then have to coax it back.
Xin Bao would always vow never to play with Dou Dou again. But as soon as Dou Dou called, it would happily trot over.
Amidst this noisy, quarrelsome atmosphere, the days flew by.
“Got your ticket.” Old Black sent the electronic ticket to Lin Xiaohe.
“Thanks.”
Lin Xiaohe stood before the mirror, putting on her clown disguise once more.
On her deathly pale face, a crimson mouth curled up at the corners. Thick, black eyebrows drooped downwards like a八字 (character for ‘eight’).
An overly large, ill-fitting rust-red suit jacket, paired with a bright yellow vest, a green shirt, and thick-soled black leather shoes.
On her left shoulder sat Xin Bao, its flowerpot transformed into two little white shoes, its roots split in two, slipped into the shoes.
Perhaps because it was going into battle with Xiaohe, Xin Bao was in high spirits, its two little legs swinging like paddles.
On her right shoulder sat Dou Dou, its swaying pods shimmering with a green light.
At Xin Bao’s strong suggestion, it too wore matching little white shoe flowerpots.
It crossed its legs and occasionally sneakily tugged at Lin Xiaohe’s green wig.
“Hello, Clown.” Lin Xiaohe smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “Clown, let’s go!”
