Cultivation Partner Reborn in the Apocalypse

Park Su raised an eyebrow, "Those potions you used on me didn't have much lasting effect, and now that time has passed, any negative impact is gone, and I can control my abilities freely again. So, don't underestimate a wood esper. Since I'm letting you choose, I naturally have ways to make both options work."

Zhu Xiao had always thought Xu Nuo was the more imposing one, but he hadn't expected this seemingly adorable deputy to have such an authoritative presence. He swallowed nervously before saying, "If I can choose, I'd go with the latter. Would that work?"

Park Su's lips curved slightly as he glanced at Xu Nuo, asking, "What do you think? Is it doable?"

Xu Nuo felt a tug in his gut at Park Su's seductive demeanor, laughing, "If you say it's doable, then it's doable. Go ahead and do it; I'll be here backing you up no matter what."

Park Su raised an eyebrow, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the response. Though Xu Nuo's words sounded supportive, Park Su couldn't shake off the feeling of being sent into battle like a Pokémon.

He quickly redirected this feeling towards his two pets, Green Vine and Hallucinogenic Dandelion. Although Hallucinogenic Dandelion was less effective against zombies, it was quite potent against ordinary humans and espers, potentially even doubling the effect.

After all, even someone as skilled as Xu Nuo had been injured by Hallucinogenic Dandelion before, and now, having advanced a whole level, it would be even more adept at creating illusions and exposing the vulnerabilities in one's heart.

Furthermore, as far as he knew, there wasn't a single esper above the third tier in this village, meaning there was no one here who could counter his Hallucinogenic Dandelion.

Thus, a third-tier hallucination-type mutant plant could easily make most people in this small village hallucinate.

It was for this reason that Park Su could make such bold claims, also wanting to prove he wasn't just there for show and to remind someone that not everything should be decided without informing him.

Zhu Xiao was indeed startled by the sudden emergence of the two mutant plants. One of them was familiar, the blue plant that had tricked him in the lab. The other, resembling a dandelion, was something he hadn't seen before. Although he didn't know how Park Su summoned these plants, Zhu Xiao was certain he was no match for either.

He swallowed nervously, realizing that those who appeared harmless were often the most unpredictable. The origin of the plants wasn't important; what mattered was staying alive. The more one knew, the more one risked, a lesson he knew well.

As he pondered this, he saw Park Su plant the two at the village entrance. Park Su muttered something, and then the plants began to change. The one that looked like a dandelion grew rapidly until it was as tall as a person, while the blue plant vanished from sight.

However, Zhu Xiao, with his keen eyes, caught a glimpse of blue light entering the village. It seemed Xu Nuo was letting these plants take the lead.

Seeing this, Zhu Xiao whispered, "So, do we attack now?"

Park Su, noting Zhu Xiao's eagerness, smiled, revealing two dimples, "No rush. First, let my dandelion do its work. Then we'll directly rescue Old Chen and deal with your betrayers last. Trust me, it won't be hard."

Zhu Xiao found Park Su's explanation of the plan too straightforward and simple to believe. Although the village wasn't large, the number of survivors and the espers he had recruited were not insignificant.

While their abilities were high, rescuing someone without harming hostages seemed too far-fetched to call easy.

However, seeing Park Su's confident, easy demeanor, the points of caution he wanted to raise got stuck in his throat.

Park Su found Zhu Xiao's constipated expression amusing, and the last traces of his irritation dissipated. In appreciation for Zhu Xiao's unintentional entertainment, he patted his shoulder, saying, "Don't worry!"

"My dandelion isn't just any mutant plant; its tier is at least comparable to the vine trapped in the lab, so there's no need for you to worry. Just follow me to rescue people, and I assure you, we won't need any additional help to get them out safely."

Xu Nuo, hearing this, could only laugh helplessly; now wasn't the time to provoke his wife's ire. He quickly stepped forward, all smiles, saying, "I have no doubts about your strength. I won't intervene, I believe with your abilities, you can easily rescue them."

Park Su gave a couple of dismissive hums in response but didn't say much more. Zhu Xiao, seeing Xu Nuo's stance, could only wait obediently.

However, those who heard Xu Nuo call Park Su "wife" were once again confused. Wasn't this handsome man supposed to be their leader's person? How could he have a wife now?

What was the relationship here? A love triangle? That wouldn't do at all! No matter what, their leader could look elsewhere, but his wife shouldn't be eyeing others.

If not for the inappropriate timing, they would have jumped up in protest. This didn't stop them from looking at Park Su with disdain, especially since they found him more and more seductive the longer they looked.

Even knowing Park Su wasn't to be trifled with, their blind devotion to their leader couldn't be quelled. Seeing Park Su not rush to rescue Old Chen but making them wait idly at the village entrance, they were far from pleased. Soon, someone spoke with a pointed tone, "Are we going or not? What's the point of wasting time here? Think just because you have some esper abilities, you're something special?

We've captured plenty of espers here before. Or do you think you can charm all the traitors with that pretty face of yours? Do you really think all traitors are into that sort of thing? What nonsense!"

Zhu Xiao wanted to bang his head against a wall hearing his fanbase undermining him like this. He stepped forward to stop the talk, "Shut up! He's much more capable than any esper you've encountered. I've taught you not to judge by appearances, haven't I? How come you still don't get it?

He's here to help us, and this is the attitude you give him? If you don't trust him, at least trust your leader's judgment. If you can't even trust me, then get the hell out, what are you sticking around for? No one's forcing you to stay!"

The man hadn't expected to be rebuked by his own leader for trying to defend him, and so fiercely at that. Feeling wronged, he would have cried if he weren't a grown man.

Nonetheless, he blamed Park Su for deceiving their naive leader with his innocent appearance. He couldn't help but retort with a sharp tongue, "What part of what I said isn't true? Look at those skinny arms and legs; without his powers, who could he beat? What gives him the right to talk so big? And I haven't seen his powers do anything yet; we're just standing here waiting for nothing!"

His words were getting more and more out of line, and Zhu Xiao caught the dark look on Xu Nuo's face from the corner of his eye, thinking, "Oh no! Why do I have such an idiot on my team?" If he spoke up now, he might get dragged down too, so he decided to remain silent.

More importantly, he had already warned him, but he chose not to listen; one must pay for their own stupidity to learn a lesson.

Xu Nuo didn't like anyone belittling Park Su. Just as he was about to reprimand the man, his wife interrupted. Park Su raised an eyebrow at the one challenging him, saying, "Seems like you really look down on us espers.

Since you think waiting here is pointless and you're so curious about why I insist on this, let me show you what those inside are experiencing right now. This will clarify why we're waiting here."

Before the man could understand what Park Su meant, he felt his surroundings change; all the familiar faces were gone.

He didn't realize that Park Su had summoned the Hallucinogenic Dandelion to cast an illusion upon him, and to make sure he learned not to judge by appearances, Park Su had specifically instructed the dandelion to create an especially terrifying environment for him.

Thus, everyone saw that within a minute of Park Su's words, the man who had been stubbornly defiant was now trembling, screaming for help, and running around in circles until he collapsed, panting like a dog on the ground, with a look of sheer terror that was unmistakable to all.

Everyone present, except for Ge Qing, Lu Shang, and Xu Nuo, who knew what to expect, looked at Park Su in horror, who was smiling gently.

Comparing this to the man who had wet himself, they couldn't help but shiver. Indeed, the people their leader valued had some merit; they shouldn't be trifled with lightly.

They also silently thanked their stars they weren't the ones who had spoken out; otherwise, they would have been the ones embarrassed. Park Su gave a calm glance over the various expressions, particularly focusing on Xia Ji.

Park Su knew that Xu Nuo had brought Xia Ji along because he was considering adding him to the team he'd mentioned before.

Although he didn't know the specifics of this team, it didn't stop him from assessing Xia Ji's character for Xu Nuo. While Shi Lei was someone he knew from his past life and had a good understanding of, Xia Ji was someone he had never met before, recommended by Lü Xia.

So, Park Su wasn't sure about him yet, but this might be a good opportunity to test him. Interestingly, this thought aligned perfectly with Xu Nuo's intentions.

Seeing the man had learned his lesson, Park Su commanded the Hallucinogenic Dandelion to withdraw its illusion. Without paying further attention to the still dazed man, he addressed everyone, "Alright, that's enough. Zhu Xiao, you take the lead; we're going straight to the lab to rescue them."

Everyone snapped back to reality, and Zhu Xiao, without hesitation, led the way inside.

As for the man still sitting on the ground, dazed and disheveled, he was selectively ignored by all. Given his current mental state and appearance, he wasn't fit to join the rescue mission. It was better for everyone else to go in first, giving him time to compose himself and clean up.