Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System

Vikram carefully observed the two factions confronting each other before turning to the Green Wind Shelter members beside him.

"Do any of you know the people standing out there?"

His gaze swept across the six survivors.

"If there’s someone trustworthy among them, I might be able to reduce the casualties."

The six exchanged glances before Rocky bitterly shook his head.

"Boss... we’re only ordinary members. To those high-ranking officials, we’re nothing more than workers. They’ve never treated us as one of their own."

"The people standing there are all executives or their trusted subordinates. Their lives have nothing to do with ours."

The others nodded in agreement. "They wouldn’t even recognize us."

Hearing this, Vikram nodded slightly.

It seemed there was no point trying to persuade either side.

He naturally wanted to recruit more people, so the fewer casualties there were, the better.

But at the same time, he had no interest in exposing himself by charging in recklessly.

"There has to be a way..." Vikram narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two factions facing each other.

"They’re only one step away from fighting. I just need to give them a little push."

As everyone silently pondered a solution, Divya suddenly noticed several insect eggs lying among the nearby weeds.

An idea immediately flashed through her mind.

"Vikram. I think I have an idea."

Vikram turned to look at her. "What is it?"

Divya pointed toward the insect eggs scattered around the battlefield.

"There are insect eggs everywhere now. If we quietly break the eggs near both sides... The insects inside will hatch immediately."

"When both factions fall into chaos, they’ll naturally suspect each other."

"At that point, all we have to do is wait. The battle we’re hoping for will most likely begin on its own."

Vikram’s eyes immediately lit up.

A smile slowly spread across his face. "That’s actually a good idea."

He looked at Divya with approval.

"I didn’t expect you to think of that."

Divya smiled proudly. "I’ve learned a thing or two after staying by your side."

Vikram nodded with satisfaction before shifting his gaze toward the countless insect eggs scattered around the battlefield.

"The only problem now is how to break the insect eggs without being noticed," He muttered.

A few eggs wouldn’t be enough, they would be crushed instantly. They needed to release an entire cluster.

Using firearms or arrows was out of the question. Not only would it expose their position, but the powerful attacks would likely destroy the insects before they could hatch.

Vikram glanced toward the battlefield. Their hiding spot was roughly twenty meters from the nearest insect nests.

He turned to Divya. "Can you reach that nest?"

Divya estimated the distance and nodded. "It’s close enough."

"Then don’t attack the people. Just break the insect eggs."

Divya understood immediately. A small sphere of water condensed above her palm. Instead of shaping it into a blade, she compressed it into a thin, controlled stream.

Under her precise control, the transparent water silently glided across the battlefield, staying low to the ground. Neither side noticed it.

When it reached a large cluster of insect eggs, Divya gently flicked her finger.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

More than a dozen eggs burst open almost simultaneously.

Just as Vikram had predicted, the newly hatched Venomous Spiders ignored the ongoing battle. The closest targets were the Blue Frost members standing nearby.

They immediately lunged forward.

"Boss!"

"The insects have hatched!"

"They’re inside our formation!"

"Damn it! Watch your feet!"

"Ahh! I’ve been bitten!"

One survivor screamed as venom sprayed across his leg. The entire Blue Frost formation instantly fell into chaos.

Brandon’s expression darkened. "Everyone spread out! Kill the insects first! We’ll deal with Green Wind afterward!"

But the remaining Green Wind executives weren’t fools. Seeing the perfect opportunity, one of them roared, "Attack! Use every explosive we have! Today, we carve our way out!"

The moment the order was given, the Green Wind members launched a fierce counterattack. The tense standoff instantly erupted into all-out war. Gunfire echoed across the snowy field as the Blue Frost members were forced to abandon their positions and reinforce the front line.

Watching the battlefield descend into complete chaos, Vikram smiled faintly.

"This is our chance."

He waved at Rocky and the others. "Follow me. We’re going in through the back."

Rocky and the former Green Wind members nodded immediately. They knew every hidden path inside the manor. Under their guidance, Vikram, Divya, the Phantom Treekin, and the rest quietly circled toward the rear of Green Wind Shelter while both factions remained fully occupied with the fierce battle at the front.

---

Strangely, the high-ranking officials who had shouted the loudest about fighting to the death never actually joined the battle.

Instead, they quietly slipped away amid the chaos and headed straight for Green Wind Shelter’s warehouse.

One of them sneered coldly.

"Hmph. I worked too hard to raise my physique to this level. Who would be stupid enough to die here? As long as I get enough supplies from the warehouse, I can rebuild a shelter anywhere."

The warehouse contained years of resources extorted from surrounding shelters. Even taking just a tenth of it would be enough to establish a new force of over a hundred people.

Unfortunately for them, Snape had always been extremely greedy. Despite his enormous wealth, he had rarely rewarded his subordinates. Otherwise, Green Wind Shelter wouldn’t have collapsed so quickly after his death.

---

Green Wind Shelter – Warehouse

While the battle outside grew increasingly fierce, the four remaining executives quietly arrived at the warehouse.

A rather obese middle-aged man asked anxiously, "Marcus, those fools outside won’t hold out much longer. How are we supposed to escape afterward? I don’t want all the supplies we worked so hard to gather becoming someone else’s prize."

The burly man called Marcus smiled confidently. "Relax, Ethan. I’ve been preparing for this ever since Snape died. Those idiots from Blue Frost think they’ve surrounded the entire shelter, but they have no idea that I secretly dug an escape tunnel beneath the storage room years ago. It leads directly into the southern forest. As long as we leave through there, no one will know."

The other three immediately relaxed. Compared to dying here, becoming the leader of a new shelter with Snape’s fortune sounded far more appealing.

Soon, they reached the main warehouse. Though they looked regretful, their hands moved with astonishing speed. Food, crystal cores, weapons, medicine, anything valuable was rapidly stuffed into their backpacks.

After just a few minutes, every bag was completely full.

Marcus glanced toward the entrance. "That’s enough. The fighting outside is dying down. We should leave before Blue Frost realizes we’re gone."

The other three nodded eagerly.

Just as they turned around, four cold gun barrels were already pressed against their foreheads.

"Moving quite fast, aren’t you?" a calm voice echoed. "We almost let you take all the good stuff first."

The newcomers were none other than Vikram, Divya, the Phantom Treekin, and the six former Green Wind members led by Rocky.

The four executives froze in shock.

"You... who are you?"

Before they could react, they recognized the people standing behind Vikram.

"Rocky? You traitor! You actually brought outsiders into the Green Wind Shelter!"

"You bastard! Have you forgotten who fed you all these years?!"

The accusations made Rocky’s face darken. Instead of guilt, a bitter laugh escaped him.

"Betrayed Green Wind Shelter?" He shook his head. "No... It was the Green Wind Shelter that betrayed us."

His voice grew louder with every word. "What did you ever treat us as? Members? No. We were nothing more than disposable workers. We risked our lives collecting supplies every day, yet the best food, equipment, and crystal cores were all reserved for you. When our families went hungry, did any of you care? When ordinary members died outside, did any of you even remember their names?"

Another former Green Wind member stepped forward angrily. "Yesterday, while we were being chased to death by Blue Frost Shelter, where were you? You shouted for everyone to fight to the death... but the four of you secretly came here to loot the warehouse and run away. You’re the real traitors!"

The other survivors nodded in agreement, their expressions filled with rage.

"If Boss Vikram hadn’t saved us, we’d already be dead. You abandoned us first. So don’t talk to us about betrayal."

The four executives’ faces turned ugly. For a moment, none of them could find words to refute the accusations.

Vikram, however, had no interest in listening any longer. He waved his hand impatiently.

"Enough. Less talking." He raised his gun. "Don’t move. If you want to live, cooperate."

The four executives immediately fell silent. With four guns pointed directly at their heads, none dared to resist. Although their physiques exceeded fifty points, it was still far from enough to ignore bullets.

Ignoring them, Vikram walked straight to the Territory Core. Without bothering to inspect the supplies one by one, he opened the warehouse and began sweeping everything valuable into his storage backpack.

Food. Crystal cores. Weapons. Medicine. Construction materials.

Anything worth taking vanished rapidly.

After nearly emptying the entire warehouse, Vikram didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and dismantled the Territory Core. The massive structure instantly disappeared.

Turning around, he looked at the four pale-faced executives with a faint smile.

"Alright. Now... you four are coming with me."

The four men exchanged bitter looks but didn’t dare resist. Escorted by Divya, the Phantom Treekin, and the six former Green Wind members, Vikram calmly led the group toward the manor’s main entrance.

The moment they stepped outside, the battlefield had already fallen silent. The sounds of fierce fighting had completely disappeared.

The insect swarm had been wiped out by both sides. The snow-covered ground was littered with corpses, broken weapons, and patches of crimson blood.

Many Green Wind Shelter members had died during the battle. The remaining survivors had thrown down their weapons and surrendered, now surrounded and strictly guarded by Blue Frost forces.

At the forefront stood Brandon, the young leader of Blue Frost Shelter.

As soon as Vikram’s group emerged from the main gate, all eyes turned toward them. The expressions on both sides changed dramatically.

Brandon’s gaze first landed on Vikram, then shifted to the four Green Wind executives with their hands tied behind their backs, and finally settled on Rocky and the other former members.

Among the surrendered survivors, several people suddenly widened their eyes.

"Rocky!"

"Dad!"

Cries of surprise and joy echoed across the battlefield. The family members of Rocky and the others had also been among those who surrendered. None of them had expected to see their loved ones return safely, let alone standing behind Vikram.

The former Green Wind members rushed forward, their eyes reddening as they reunited with their families. For a brief moment, the tense battlefield was filled with emotional reunions.

Many of the surrendered survivors stared at Vikram in disbelief. Just yesterday, they had thought Rocky and the others were doomed. Today, they had returned under the protection of a much stronger leader.

Brandon silently watched the scene before finally fixing his gaze on Vikram. His expression remained calm, but his voice turned solemn.

"So... it seems you chose to interfere after all."

The atmosphere, which had just relaxed, instantly grew tense once more.

Vikram glanced at Brandon, then looked toward Rocky and the other former Green Wind members. He pointed at the surrendered survivors who had just reunited with their families.

"Those people are coming with me. They are the family members of my territory’s residents. From today onward, they are under my protection."

Without waiting for a reply, Vikram slowly raised his hand and pointed at the entire Green Wind Shelter behind him.

"And one more thing. This Green Wind Shelter... belongs to me from this moment onward. The territory, the buildings, the remaining supplies, everything here is mine."

The battlefield instantly fell silent. Even the surrendered Green Wind members stared at Vikram in shock. The Blue Frost members were even more stunned.

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