Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System - Chapter 142: Terrifying Temperature
Chapter 142: Terrifying Temperature
Soon, the girl and the raging crocodile were both heading directly for the unarmed Vikram. Anjali didn’t fully know Vikram’s strength, but she had heard that he had single-handedly defeated many people, including the entire Savage Wolf Shelter. He couldn’t be too weak.
Seeing her savior right in front of her, she rushed forward, grabbed Vikram’s right arm with both hands, and clung to him like a sloth, refusing to let go.
This sudden action completely caught Vikram off guard. His entire arm was now wrapped tightly by the frightened girl.
“You dumb idiot!” Vikram shouted at her and flicked her forehead, completely ignoring the crocodile charging straight at him.
The creature had already opened its massive jaws full of sharp fangs, ready to bite down. But just before it could reach him, a sturdy shield of earth suddenly rose from the ground. The crocodile’s teeth sank into the shield with a loud crunch.
Before the beast could recover, Vikram lifted his foot and stomped down hard on its open mouth, pinning it shut.
The crocodile, along with its entire body, was completely subdued by that seemingly casual step. As it tried to struggle, Vikram’s thigh pressed down harder.
“Pfft!”
A sickening sound of crushing flesh echoed. Blood and gore splattered across the snow, leaving only a crimson stain on the frozen ground.
However, the terrifying vitality of a Crimson Creature meant it wouldn’t die so easily. Vikram thoughtfully delivered one more powerful kick to its head.
When he lifted his foot, his shoe was covered in yellow and white brain matter. The crocodile finally lay motionless.
He had just killed a refined-grade Crimson Creature using only his legs.
Anjali, who was still clinging tightly to Vikram’s arm, was completely stunned. She stared at the dead crocodile on the ground, then slowly looked up at him.
A hint of awe and curiosity flashed in her eyes.
Just then, Vikram turned his gaze toward her. Their eyes met.
For the first time, Anjali took a proper look at Vikram and realized he was actually quite handsome when he looked at her a little angry. She unconsciously lowered her head, feeling shy.
“You dumb fuck idiot,” Vikram said, annoyed. “I brought you here for training, not so you could cling to me like a koala.”
Without hesitation, he pulled her over his lap.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t do it here!” Anjali shouted desperately, but Vikram ignored her pleas.
He started slapping her juicy ass with firm, loud smacks.
“Ahh!” Anjali moaned in pain, but she didn’t dare complain.
“You saw the monster charging at you, and instead of trying to fight or draw it away, you ran straight toward me!” Vikram scolded her while continuing to punish her. “You even hold my arm, making it useless. If I had a teammate like you, it wouldn’t be long before my plant army was burying me!”
Anjali, thoroughly rebuked, stopped complaining. She could only beg for forgiveness in a small, pitiful voice.
After a few minutes, Vikram finally stopped. Anjali quickly scrambled off his lap and stood up, rubbing her sore bottom with both hands.
“If you make the same mistake next time, I won’t just punish you like this,” Vikram warned, looking at her sternly. “I’ll do something much worse.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. Next time I won’t run away,” Anjali nodded quickly, still rubbing her sore ass.
“Alright, there’s still plenty of time today. You’ll have another chance to prove yourself,” Vikram said. “First, open the boxes that fell on the ground so we can move on to the next spot.”
Upon hearing there were boxes to open, Anjali’s previously gloomy expression instantly brightened. Even while still rubbing her bottom, her eyes sparkled with excitement. “For me?”
“What? You don’t want it?” Vikram glanced at her and, seeing that the carefree, silly girl had already recovered, asked teasingly.
“Hehe, yes, yes!” She stretched out her slender fingers and gently opened the box. As expected, it was mostly filled with junk, but thankfully, the most important item of the trip, the Crimson Fragment, was not missing.
Anjali carefully packed all the trash into Vikram’s backpack, then stood up with a satisfied smile.
With that done, the group continued their exploration, heading deeper into the frozen area.
—
After walking for another twenty minutes through the snow-covered terrain, the Bio Detector suddenly lit up with a stronger red signal. Vikram raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
“Get ready,” he said calmly. “This one is stronger than the crocodile.”
Divya and Anjali tensed up. From behind a cluster of frozen bushes, a sleek Crimson Fox emerged. Its fur was deep blood-red, and its eyes glowed with violent crimson energy.
Unlike the slow crocodile, this fox moved with dangerous agility. Its body was low to the ground, muscles rippling under its fur as it circled them slowly, fangs bared in a silent snarl.
This time the creature’s quality was clearly higher, a refined-grade Crimson Fox.
Vikram leaned against a nearby tree, arms crossed, making it clear he had no intention of helping. “Same rules. Both of you handle it. No running to me this time, Anjali.”
Anjali swallowed hard but nodded. She gripped the alloy sword tightly with both hands, her previous embarrassment forgotten in the face of real danger. Divya nocked an arrow on her compound bow, her stance steady and focused.
The fox didn’t wait. It suddenly dashed forward with terrifying speed, aiming straight for Anjali.
“Anju, left side!” Divya shouted.
Anjali reacted instinctively and swung her sword in a wide horizontal arc. The blade caught the fox’s shoulder, drawing a shallow cut and splattering crimson blood onto the white snow. The fox let out a high-pitched, eerie screech and immediately changed direction, leaping toward Divya instead.
Divya released her arrow at point-blank range. The shot struck the fox squarely in the side, sinking deeper than before. The fox flinched but didn’t stop. It swiped at Divya with its sharp claws. She barely dodged, rolling sideways in the snow.
The fight quickly turned desperate. The fox was too fast and cunning. It darted between the two girls, forcing them to constantly reposition. Anjali’s swings were still clumsy, and Divya was running low on arrows.
Suddenly, the Crimson Fox feinted left and then lunged at Anjali with full force, jaws wide open, aiming for her throat. Anjali froze for a split second, eyes wide with terror as death rushed toward her.
At that critical moment, the Earth Mage Sprout acted. With a quick gesture, a thick wall of earth erupted from the ground right in front of Anjali. The fox slammed headfirst into the solid earthen barrier with a heavy thud, its lethal bite missing its target by mere inches.
The impact stunned the fox for a brief moment, giving the girls a precious opening.
“Now!” Divya yelled.
Anjali recovered instantly. She gripped the sword with both hands and charged forward with a determined cry. The blade sank deep into the fox’s exposed neck with a wet crunch. Crimson blood sprayed across the snow.
The fox thrashed violently, its claws raking across Anjali’s arm and tearing her jacket. She screamed in pain but refused to let go of the sword. She twisted the blade harder.
Divya didn’t waste the moment. She ran forward, drew her last arrow at extremely close range, and fired it directly into the fox’s eye.
The arrow pierced deep into its skull.
The Crimson Fox let out one final, agonized screech before its body convulsed and collapsed onto the snow. Its glowing red eyes slowly dimmed until they went completely dark.
Both girls stood there panting heavily, covered in snow and splatters of crimson blood. Anjali’s arm was bleeding from the claw marks, but a wide, triumphant grin spread across her face.
“We… we actually killed it!” Anjali exclaimed, breathing hard. She looked at the dead fox with disbelief and pride.
Divya lowered her bow, sweat dripping from her forehead despite the freezing cold. “That was close… Thank you,” she said, nodding toward the Earth Mage Sprout.
Vikram pushed himself off the tree and walked over. He examined the dead Crimson Fox, then looked at the two girls with a rare look of approval.
“Not perfect, but you worked together when it mattered,” he said. “The Earth Mage Sprout saved your life this time, Anju. Still I am impressed by your sudden change, you are different from the previous Anju.”
“It looks, sometimes, you need some punishment to get on the right track.”
He tossed a small healing vial to Anjali. “Patch that arm up. We still have more to hunt today.”
Anjali caught the vial, her cheeks flushed with a mix of pain and excitement.
—
A week has passed since Divya and Anjali arrived at Vikram’s shelter.
During this period, the extreme cold caused another drop in temperature, and now the outdoor temperature has reached -50 degrees Celsius.
Vikram didn’t mind wearing a wolfskin coat, but even the best-quality winter clothing was only effective up to around -40 degrees Celsius.
The cold had now reached a point where it felt like acid rain, making it almost impossible to go outside.
Unlike acid rain, which can be contained within shelters and kept away from survivors, extreme cold is different.
It is a completely penetrating form of damage, and even ordinary metal shelters cannot withstand it.
Even with a campfire burning, while the outdoor temperature remains at -50 degrees Celsius, it is fortunate if the indoor temperature reaches -10 degrees Celsius.
The cold had now reached a point where it felt like acid rain, making it almost impossible to go outside.
Unlike acid rain, which can be contained within shelters and kept away from survivors, extreme cold is different.
It is a completely penetrating form of damage, and even ordinary metal shelters cannot withstand it.
Even with a campfire burning, while the outdoor temperature remains at -50 degrees Celsius, it is fortunate if the indoor temperature reaches -10 degrees Celsius.
In reality, most survivors in the chat channel reported that the temperature inside their shelters was only around -20 degrees Celsius, and they were barely managing to survive even while wearing cold-weather gear.
