Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System - Chapter 109: Sleep Now

Chapter 109: Sleep Now

After the Zombie Leader fell and the Necrotic Fog began to retreat, a heavy silence settled over the battlefield. The defenders stood panting, weapons lowered, bodies trembling from exhaustion.

Isha knowing that the immediate threat had passed and everyone had relaxed just a fraction, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Alright,” she said, her voice steady but laced with fatigue, “let’s head back to the main wall. First, everyone focuses on recovery.”

“Yes, Captain,” most of them replied, nodding wearily. Yet their hollow eyes and slumped shoulders made it clear, almost everyone was in bad shape.

They moved together as a unit, trudging back along the wide parapet. The moment they reached the central section of the wall, the full extent of their condition became painfully obvious: torn armor hanging in strips, bruised and bloodied bodies, clothes stained dark with zombie ichor and their own blood.

Even standing still seemed to take monumental effort for some. Heavy breathing filled the air.

Sana didn’t wait for orders. The moment she assessed their state, she stepped forward. Soft green light bloomed from her palms as she moved from person to person, closing deep gashes, easing burning pain, and stabilizing trembling limbs.

At the same time, Kavya activated her support ability. A faint, warm energy ripple spread through the group, washing away the crushing exhaustion and restoring drained stamina. The heavy feeling in their bodies slowly started to fade, replaced by a steady return of strength.

Within moments, the atmosphere on the wall began to change. The tension didn’t disappear completely, but the exhaustion and pain was finally being pushed back.

As the healing continued, the defenders gathered closer. Some sank down to sit against the stone railing, others leaned heavily on it, finally allowing themselves a brief moment to breathe.

Raghav let out a long, ragged breath and glanced at Isha. “Captain… we cleared today somehow… but what about tomorrow?”

The others turned toward her immediately. The same question had been weighing on every mind.

Neha added quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, “If the waves keep getting stronger like this… we won’t be able to handle it the same way again.”

Imran nodded, still clutching his injured side. “Yeah… today I was already pushing my limit.”

For a moment, Isha remained silent, her gaze distant. Then she spoke with calm confidence:

“Don’t worry. I’ll call someone.”

Their attention sharpened at once.

“Call someone?” Kavya asked, confusion flickering across her face.

Isha nodded. “I’ll take help from her. With her here… tomorrow’s waves will be cleared.”

Her tone was steady and assured. That alone eased some of the worry. Still, the group exchanged uncertain glances. They trusted Isha completely, but none of them knew who this mysterious “her” was.

Pooja crossed her arms, a faint smirk tugging at her lips despite her exhaustion. “Someone strong enough to make you this confident… Now I’m curious.”

Isha didn’t elaborate. She simply looked out into the dark wasteland beyond the wall and said, “You’ll see tomorrow.”

The conversation shifted as the tension loosened a little more.

Raghav leaned back and let out a tired laugh. “…This fight was seriously frustrating.”

“Frustrating?” Imran snorted weakly. “I was one second away from becoming a pancake.”

Neha gave a small nod. “That Shadow Lurker… that wasn’t normal. We couldn’t even trust what we were seeing.”

Vikrant exhaled slowly. “Yeah… that thing messed with everything.”

“At least yours didn’t keep regenerating every time you hit it,” Raghav muttered.

Pooja stretched her arms, faint flames flickering briefly around her fingers again. “You all complain too much. It wasn’t that bad.”

Everyone stared at her.

Imran blinked. “…You burned your opponent alive.”

“Exactly,” she replied casually.

There was a brief, stunned silence.

Then Raghav nodded quickly. “Yeah… yeah, she’s right. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Totally normal,” Imran added, forcing a weak laugh.

A few others murmured in hesitant agreement, though their stiff expressions and uneasy glances betrayed how unsettled they still felt.

A small wave of awkward, tired laughter rippled through the group.

Meanwhile, Sana continued moving between them, her healing light steady and gentle. “Stop talking and sit properly,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “You all look like you’ll collapse any second.”

Kavya added from the side, maintaining her stamina restoration, “Yeah, don’t waste the recovery time.”

Slowly, their bodies felt lighter. Wounds closed fully, pain faded to dull aches, and strength returned bit by bit.

After some time, the healing was finally complete. The worst injuries had sealed, the burning exhaustion had receded, and their stamina had mostly returned. They were still drained and sore, but no longer on the brink of collapse.

Sana stepped back with a small breath. “That’s it. Don’t push your bodies anymore today.”

Kavya lowered her ability, the faint energy around the group fading. “You all should rest now. Tomorrow won’t be any easier.”

Isha looked around one last time, checking each face. Satisfied, she nodded. “Alright. Everyone go back and rest. We will move again tomorrow.”

The others nodded. One by one, they began to leave the wall. Some walked with steady steps, while others moved more slowly, bodies still adjusting to the sudden relief.

Raghav stretched his arms as he headed down. “…I’m definitely sleeping like a rock today.”

“You’ll probably still wake up sore,” Imran replied.

“Don’t remind me.”

Neha walked quietly, her expression calm yet thoughtful. Vikrant followed beside her in silence, both still replaying fragments of the brutal fight.

Pooja strode ahead with her hands behind her head, looking almost relaxed again. “Tomorrow better be more interesting.”

“Please don’t say that,” Kavya muttered.

A faint, tired smile passed through the group.

Slowly, they all headed back to their homes. The streets were quiet, the night calm, as if nothing had happened despite the chaos from earlier. One by one, they reached their houses and settled in. Some sat down heavily first, others simply lay down the moment they entered. Exhaustion finally claimed them fully. Within minutes, the rooms fell silent, filled only with the soft rhythm of deep, weary breathing.

Above the town, the night sky stretched endlessly, calm, clear, and undisturbed, offering no hint of the greater storm waiting on Sunday.

—

Back on the wall, after the others had left, Isha stood alone for a moment, staring into the beyond the wall. The Necrotic Fog had almost completely retreated, but the weight of the day still lingered.

“…It’s getting worse,” she murmured softly, her voice barely audible.

Her eyes lowered. Today’s wave had already exceeded all previous records, and she knew tomorrow, Sunday, would be far more brutal. She couldn’t afford to take any chances.

She raised her wrist and activated the small communication device strapped there. For a brief second, hesitation flickered across her face. Then she spoke.

“…It’s me.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

“I need your help.”

Another silence. Isha’s eyes sharpened with quiet determination.

“…Yeah. Tomorrow.”

She ended the connection and stood motionless for a few seconds, exhaling slowly.

“…This should be enough.”

She turned toward the direction of the residential area, her expression returning to its usual calm composure.

After a moment, her gaze shifted and found Vikram. He was still awake, standing quietly behind her with his eight Plant Sprouts hovering protectively around him.

“Vikram.”

He looked up immediately.

“Let’s go home.”

“Yes, Aunt,” Vikram nodded.

Isha stepped closer, gently lifted him into her arms as if he weighed nothing. Soft green energy wings bloomed from her back, glowing faintly in the night. Vikram felt a little awkward being carried like a child, but he didn’t protest.

With a graceful leap, Isha soared from the wall and flew the short distance to their home. She landed smoothly in front of the door, still carrying him, and stepped inside.

Once indoors, she carefully set him down on the sofa.

“So, what do you want to eat?” she asked, her voice warm and doting again.

“Anything is fine, Aunt,” Vikram replied.

“Okay.” She smiled softly and headed into the kitchen.

Vikram sat there for a moment, feeling strangely alone despite the familiar surroundings. His eight Plant Sprouts had appeared inside the house and settled quietly in one corner, their glowing forms dim and resting after the intense battle.

Unable to sit still, he got up and walked into the kitchen. Isha was already preparing a simple meal, fried rice with an egg on top.

“What happened?” she asked without turning around, sensing his presence.

Vikram hesitated, then asked the question that had been burning in his mind since the battle.

“Aunt… about your powers.”

Isha glanced at him briefly, continuing to stir the rice.

He gathered his courage and asked directly, “What exactly can you do? And… What are your limits?”

Isha didn’t hesitate. “I awakened Super Strength,” she said simply.

Vikram frowned slightly. “…Just strength?”

A small, knowing smile touched her lips. “Not just strength. It lets me enhance any part of my body.”

She raised her right hand as an example.

“If I focus it here, my punches become devastating. If I channel it into my legs, I can jump higher, run faster, or kick with crushing force. It’s versatile, I can adapt to it however the fight demands.”

Vikram listened intently. Even that alone sounded incredibly powerful.

“I also awakened a second ability,” she continued.

She paused for a moment, her hands still working on the food.

“Creation. It’s an S-rank ability.”

Vikram’s eyes widened. He didn’t fully understand the ranking system yet, but the way she said “S-rank” made it clear it was something special.

“It allows me to create weapons, constructs, even temporary formations using my own energy,” Isha explained, her tone calm and matter-of-fact.

Her gaze drifted forward again as she spoke.

“But… I can’t use it properly yet.”

Vikram narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t access its full potential,” she replied honestly. “It consumes far too much energy, and my control isn’t perfect. If I push it too hard, I risk exhausting myself completely.”

She let out a small breath.

“If I could use it fully… I would have killed the Wall Breaker easily tonight.”

Hearing this, Vikram nodded slowly. In his mind, the words kept repeating.

’Super Strength… versatile and deadly. And an S-rank Creation ability.’

And yet… even his powerful, doting aunt had clear limits.

After the food was prepared, they sat together at the small dining table and ate the simple fried rice in comfortable silence at first, then with light conversation. Once the plates were empty, Isha stood up and gave him a soft smile.

“Go to the bedroom and sleep now. You need rest. Tomorrow will be much harder.”