Ruan Linzhan held his little cousin’s hand and continued walking down.
“This is a mutated banyan tree,” he explained. “This particular banyan tree has been cultivated here for over two hundred years, but as everyone knows, it’s actually not that old yet.”
The mutated banyan tree in the exhibit was massive—so large that several people would have to link hands just to encircle it.
From afar, its trunk looked like multiple trees had grown together, with vines hanging down from the branches. These vines were dense, almost overwhelmingly so, enough to make anyone with trypophobia want to run away.
What made it even more terrifying was that the vines were alive. They occasionally twisted and moved, as if hundreds of tiny snakes were hanging from the tree.
Ruan Shu took one look and instinctively moved closer to her older cousin. This… this tree was terrifying.
The guide continued to explain the dangers of the mutated banyan tree.
“The roots of the mutated banyan are extensive, some reaching thousands of meters underground. These roots spread through the soil like a spider web, and when hunting, they prefer to catch prey off guard by suddenly bursting out from the ground to impale their victims.”
“If you accidentally walk beneath its branches, it’s even worse. See those hanging vines? In an instant, they’ll wrap around you, with countless tiny vines burrowing into your flesh…”
The guide explained how these mutated plants hunted in a bloodthirsty manner, without shielding the children from the graphic details. They believed it was crucial for kids to fully understand the dangers of mutated plants early on; otherwise, they might not even realize what killed them later.
However…
Of all the children there, the only one who seemed genuinely frightened was Ruan Shu. The other kids watched with rapt attention, their expressions filled with eagerness, as if they wanted to jump in and battle the banyan tree themselves.
No fear at all!
The parents: “…”
“Bro, how did you raise your kid to be like this? Care to share some tips?” someone asked Ruan Linzhan.
Ruan Linzhan glanced down at his little cousin, who clung tightly to his leg, her small head peeking out to look warily at the banyan tree. He couldn’t help but smile.
“No teaching needed; it’s just her nature.”
Other parents looked on with envy. She was so easy to handle.
Ruan Shu felt a little embarrassed from all the attention, her pale cheeks turning a rosy pink.
“Alright, let’s go see the next one,” the tour guide said. “Most mutated plants hunt prey because the nutrients in the soil aren’t enough to sustain their growth and strength. Only a few of them rely on soil nutrients like ordinary plants.”
“For instance, this is a dodder vine. As you may know, dodders grow by attaching to other trees, and mutated dodders are no exception. They still prefer to cling to large trees and are one of the rare mutated plants that don’t crave blood.”
“But don’t underestimate it just because it’s a plant-eater. This mutated dodder vine is actually stronger than many blood-feeding mutated plants.”
Everyone gazed at the dodder vine. It looked like countless silvery threads, and these threads were the sharpest, most lethal weapons of the dodder vine.
“If you provoke it, the dodder vine can instantly shred its enemies. Strangling is the dodder vine’s most skilled method of attack.”
The mutated dodder vine was, in fact, quite beautiful—so beautiful, it could be called mesmerizing.
Ordinary dodder vines have a slightly yellowish color, but the one here had a silver-white hue, with clusters of small red flowers blooming on it, like red plums scattered across snow, so enchanting that one could easily forget its danger.
Like many others, Ruan Shu walked over, placing her hands on the transparent shield, her clear blue eyes reflecting the image of the dodder vine.
“It moved!”
Suddenly, someone shouted as the silvery threads of the dodder vine drifted forward, almost as if blown by the wind.
They floated so gently, like harmless threads, exuding a delicate, vulnerable beauty in their movement.
No wonder so many people liked to compare gentle, harmless beauties to dodder vines. Not only was the name beautiful, but it truly looked stunning.
Of course, that was if you ignored the guide’s explanation about how the dodder vine strangled its prey.
Ruan Shu’s eyes widened as she watched the dodder vines drift toward her, pressing against the protective shield, the small red flowers blooming vibrantly and seductively.
“So beautiful,” she murmured quietly, noticing that the dodder vine seemed to float even more eagerly in response.
“Mom, Dad, it’s drifting toward me! Is it trying to challenge me?” said a little boy standing next to Ruan Shu, excitedly pointing to the dodder vine and talking to his parents.
“Get over here, no fighting! You’d just be delivering yourself as food!” his father warned, causing Ruan Shu to stifle a laugh, dimples forming on her cheeks.
Then she felt a gentle poke and turned to see a girl slightly older than her standing nearby.
“Mom! I poked her cute little dimples! She’s so adorable; can we keep her?” the girl exclaimed, hugging Ruan Shu tightly and even planting a kiss on her chubby, soft cheek.
Ruan Linzhan’s face darkened.
“Sorry! So sorry,” the girl’s mother quickly apologized, though she didn’t look too regretful—more like she had a smile of approval, as if her daughter had done what she’d secretly wanted to do.
Though apologizing, she gently pulled her daughter back with a beaming smile.
Ruan Linzhan picked up his stunned, dazed little cousin, carefully wiping the spot on her cheek where she’d been kissed. It was fortunate that it was a girl because if it had been a boy, he might have reacted quite differently.
“My sincerest apologies,” the other mother said, half-laughing. “Perhaps we could exchange contact information in case there’s any way we need to make it up to you?”
Ruan Linzhan’s expression soured. “No need. But please keep a better watch on your daughter next time.”
The woman looked a bit disappointed, missing her chance to get the adorable child’s contact information.
Ruan Shu, her cheeks blushing red with embarrassment, nestled into her cousin’s arms. This soft, sweet, bashful little bundle—who wouldn’t want to dote on her?
She could still hear the girl’s voice speaking to her mother.
“We really can’t keep her? Her cheeks are so soft, and she smells like milk. I want this sweet-smelling little sister!”
Ruan Linzhan thought, Dream on!
Ruan Shu blushed even more deeply, hiding her face. Some of the other parents looked at their own children with a hint of disappointment—weren’t their kids usually so fearless? How come they weren’t as brave as that girl?
In truth, they all really wanted to give that soft little dumpling a kiss, too.
For the rest of the tour, Ruan Linzhan held Ruan Shu protectively in his arms, afraid that another child might come up and steal a kiss from his little Shu.
Ruan Shu had calmed down by now, comfortably leaning against her cousin’s chest with her arms around his neck, as she continued to look at the other mutated plants.
Along the way, they mostly saw mutated trees and thorned vines, but no mutated flowering plants.
Then again, if there were any mutated flowers, they likely wouldn’t have been put on display here.