Chapter Twenty: Tomato Seeds
Before opening the main doors, Fan Bei suddenly said to Da Bai, “If only you were a horse.”
Da Bai looked utterly confused, unable to comprehend.
Fan Bei didn’t explain, nor did he open the door immediately. Instead, he used the eight gray-white cores he had previously acquired.
He watched as the number of mental energy points on the inside cover of “Father of the System” jumped from 535 to 1095.
On average, each gray-white core provided 70 points of mental power. It seemed that the more time these evil entities spent recuperating, the stronger they became compared to the first one he had encountered, which was forcing its way in and must have expended a great deal of energy at the time.
With this preparation complete, Fan Bei felt reassured.
He believed that over a thousand points of mental power would be enough to handle even the most formidable evil spirits.
After all, the first evil spirit he met was purified with just 49 points of mental energy.
This technique was employed directly by the mysterious existence of “Father of the System”—ordinary evil spirits had no way of evading it.
Once he was ready, Fan Bei took out a thick, white medical mask, carefully fitted it over his face, turned on the light outside the door, and retrieved the large brass key to the food storage area, opening the door slowly.
“Da Bai, be prepared. Don’t rush in—the smell inside will be terrible; and those things might be strong. If you really can’t handle them, just run. Don’t worry about your master. I’ll have my own way.”
Fan Bei took the opportunity to win some favor. Da Bai, looking deeply moved, promised repeatedly,
“Don’t worry, Master. Xiao Bai says I’m very strong. Whatever’s in there won’t be a match for me.”
As they spoke, the cold storage door finally opened.
The moment it did, Da Bai instantly forgot Fan Bei’s warning and charged in.
But he had taken only two steps when a wave of foul, rotten stench overwhelmed him, making him yelp in distress.
“Sigh, see? Didn’t I tell you to be prepared?” Fan Bei spread his hands in helplessness.
His voice was muffled by the mask, sounding low and somber.
Da Bai lay at his feet, looking utterly defeated.
Fan Bei had long anticipated this scene in the food refrigeration area.
After four years without maintenance, even if the power and ventilation still worked, equipment like the condenser, which required regular cleaning, would have failed long ago. Without low temperatures, most of the food would naturally rot quickly. Evil spirits didn’t know a thing about machinery upkeep.
Once the stench had dissipated enough to be barely tolerable, Fan Bei called Da Bai to join him inside.
Da Bai no longer sniffed the air but relied obediently on his eyes to scan the surroundings.
Only now did he truly appreciate the irreplaceable value of sight. When he first developed his mysterious sense of smell, he thought he could accomplish anything with just a sniff.
The mysterious sense of smell would automatically create a three-dimensional image of scent molecules in his brain. Compared to sight, it allowed him to perceive much farther—even to see through objects.
He could detect faint scent molecules drifting from things miles away; and as long as objects behind walls weren’t completely sealed, some smell would seep out through cracks.
But now, the overwhelming stench had rendered his sense of smell chaotic and useless.
Beyond the door was a wide, brightly lit corridor, lined on both sides with blue and white compartments.
Dust covered the corridor floor and compartment walls, with some dried stains from old spills.
Labels on the compartments read “Meat,” “Fish,” “Vegetables,” “Fruit,” “Canned Foods,” and so forth.
Many foods didn’t need refrigeration and could last for years or even decades; they were stored together for convenience, and the cold helped preserve them as well.
Fan Bei and Da Bai advanced cautiously, focusing on the compartments labeled “Vegetables” and “Fruit.”
At a cross-shaped intersection in the corridor, Fan Bei paused, then, recalling his hazy memory, turned right. He remembered the last batch of vegetables and fruit stored in that direction.
Sensing a faint chill ahead, he slowed down even more, letting Da Bai lead.
Da Bai, now recovered from his earlier ordeal, strutted forward with renewed courage.
Sensing the presence of living creatures, a gray-white mark, flecked with tiny golden stars, suddenly appeared on the sealed stainless steel door of a compartment labeled “Vegetables.”
This was different from the eight evil entities they had previously destroyed.
Fan Bei stopped. Da Bai, excited, leapt forward.
He wanted to put on a good show so his master would reward him with delicious treats to make up for his earlier disappointment.
The gray-white mark grew larger and larger, until the entire stainless steel door collapsed with a crash!
A gigantic tomato suddenly jumped out of the compartment, landing before man and dog.
Once a bright red fruit, it was now a mass of grayish-white, streaked with gold.
Once small enough to fit in a palm, it now stood as tall as a person.
No one would believe it wasn’t a monster.
Da Bai froze, circling the tomato anxiously, unsure how to attack.
“Da Bai, bite it, scratch it—rip it to shreds!” Fan Bei shouted from behind, trying to direct him.
Da Bai shook his head desperately, barking, “No way, I’m not biting that thing. It’s too sour—it’ll ruin my teeth!”
“Then use your paws!” Fan Bei finally understood the frustration of the little wooden dog figurine; teaching this creature was exhausting.
“That’ll just dirty my beautiful white fur. It might look fresh on the outside, but I bet it’s rotten to the core,” Da Bai protested.
“Don’t worry, I’ll clean you up afterward,” Fan Bei replied helplessly.
Fortunately, the gray-white tomato seemed clumsy, barely able to move. It merely tried to intimidate them, several human faces faintly emerging on its surface, as if hoping to scare them away.
Fan Bei immediately recognized them—they were the old cold storage maintenance workers.
But they had died before the evil spirits ever invaded the cold storage, their bodies burned to nothing. There was no way any ghosts could appear.
With Fan Bei’s reassurance, Da Bai finally charged forward, attacking the menacing tomato with a flurry of scratches!
His paws flashed with white light, and the human faces on the tomato winced in pain.
Juice began to splatter everywhere, staining Da Bai’s fur.
Though they seemed to have the upper hand, Fan Bei frowned, watching closely.
He didn’t believe that an evil spirit capable of breaking through so many defenses to get into the cold storage would be so weak.
Sure enough, Da Bai suddenly sensed danger and leapt back, dashing for cover around a corner.
At that very instant, the tomato swelled violently, then exploded.
Its putrid juice and pulp blasted in all directions!
The surrounding walls were riddled with holes, as if machine-gunned.
Fan Bei, who had kept his distance, ducked behind a corner as soon as the tomato began to swell and remained unscathed.
Da Bai was much less fortunate. Though he jumped away in time, he was still a step too slow and couldn’t escape the widespread blast.
He staggered a few steps and collapsed on the floor!
Fan Bei saw clearly that several holes had appeared in Da Bai’s hind legs and rump, blood beginning to flow.
A wave of dizziness struck Fan Bei—he’d been too careless. Da Bai’s combat skills were clearly one-sided.
That unknown entity had only taught him how to attack, not how to defend himself.
His dog’s hide was nowhere near as tough as his own golden armor, which was made of lightweight, ultra-strong aviation aluminum alloy, coated in gold—a double layer of protection.
If only Da Bai had a vest. Unfortunately, making one was too difficult. Fan Bei’s own armor was standard-issue, not something he’d crafted himself.
Against ordinary evil entities, Da Bai’s agility as a dog was enough. But when faced with cunning, multi-faceted evil spirits, he was left wanting.
Seeing that Da Bai was not in immediate danger, Fan Bei gritted his teeth and continued to watch.
After such an eruption, the tomato monster was badly damaged; at its center, a mass of golden tomato seeds was exposed, shrouded in a small swirl of lingering gray-white mist.
The gray-white mist was wrapped tightly around the tomato seeds, slowly squirming, as if trying to escape.
Did it really think it could get away?