Standing on the third-floor balcony,
Kaito braced against the fierce gale and looked outside.
Since it was only wind and no rain, there was no need for raincoats. However, looking outside, Kaito's expression was somewhat grim.
It wasn't because people had appeared nearby.
After all, they weren't foolish; with such strong winds, who would go outside?
So what did Kaito see?
Moving, grotesque flowers and trees swinging their roots...
At that moment, they were being blown into the city by the strong wind, aimlessly wandering around.
Yes, plants could move too.
Normally, they might be rooted in the ground, only able to move their roots and branches slightly, or their vines.
And some mutated flowers, like man-eating flowers, had bizarrely grown teeth, or their leaves had turned into sharp blades with many small mouth-like holes that could suck blood, etc.
Now, in the luxury complex and the sky, besides large amounts of debris, these living plants had also come from the forest into the city.
It seemed that in the future, within the city, they would have to face not only mutated animals but also mobile mutated plants. Even if their movement was slow, the threat they posed was not to be underestimated.
"Wow! What are these! Mutated trees... ugh, suddenly so disgusting."
Shodai, leaning against the wind and bending over, with Kaito's help to steady her, also saw the scene outside.
Suddenly, a mutated, half-meter-long flower flew towards them, even actively opening its bizarre mouth full of teeth. Kaito used his ability to create a spear and easily pierced it.
"Ugh, why did you bring it over! So disgusting!"
It was not only disgusting but also fat and bloated, with disgusting purplish-black blood dripping down.
"I wanted to see if it had a crystal inside."
He turned the spear into another spear, and after poking the ground on the balcony a few times, he indeed felt a hard object.
Crouching down, he carefully dug it out with a knife and indeed found a fist-sized crystal.
It was basically no different from those in animals. As for this half-meter-long flower...
Kaito thought its previous form was probably a very common flower. After mutation, the flower had become fleshy, thick and large, the bud had turned into a mouth with teeth, the stem had become its body, and the roots had become its feet or hands.
He used the spear to toss the corpse into the sky, and it was carried away by the strong wind. Kaito decided not to stay here any longer and went back to the shelter with Shodai.
"Kaito, what's the situation outside?"
"Let me tell you! Many mutated plants have been blown in, including trees. Their appearance... think of various magical girl works?"
Those in the know immediately understood and were disgusted by Shodai's description.
Those who didn't, looked confused, and after explanations from those in the know, their faces also darkened.
But what Shodai said wasn't wrong; those trees and plants were indeed disgusting. Their entire bodies were either black, purple, or bloated, as if filled with disgusting blood.
"Well, then we don't need to go far outside to fight mutated creatures. We can just kill the ones nearby and get a lot of crystals, right?"
Misuzu said with slight excitement.
She was thinking she could just burn them with fire, since plants are afraid of fire!
Sounds easy?
"Don't think it's that simple. If you're not careful, you might get caught."
Seeing Misuzu's lack of vigilance, Kaito gave a slight warning, even mentioning some magical girl content. Misuzu got goosebumps and gave him a few playful punches on the shoulder.
That day, everyone stayed in the shelter.
Although it was boring, having many people around made it less so. However, some who wanted to do certain things found it hard to act because of the crowd.
For example, a certain painter, a certain fujoshi.
Another day passed.
The wind grew stronger.
All the windows in the villa were shattered, and everything inside was scattered everywhere.
The streets outside were even more surreal, making Kaito suspect that the armored vehicle might not be safe to drive out due to all the debris.
Still, there was no rain, which was bizarre.
"This must be over a level 20 typhoon now, right?"
Just standing at the entrance, one could feel the immense force of the wind.
To put it bluntly, if Kaito stepped outside and jumped, he would likely be lifted tens of meters into the air, soaring alongside the various debris, touring the city.
"So... when will this wind end? If this continues, we won't be able to gather resources!"
Helplessly, they closed the steel door and returned to the shelter, forced to continue staying inside.
Going outside was nearly impossible; it was like trying to go out in a hurricane.
Another day passed...
A miracle happened.
The wind stopped.
Literally.
Not only did the strong wind stop, but there wasn't even a breeze.
It was as if all the wind had been blown away, leaving this area a vacuum, devoid of any wind. At the same time, the temperature began to rise gradually.
"Well, this is predictable... It'll start getting hot tomorrow!"
But this was a good time to go out and harvest.
Not food, though, but the various slow-moving plants filling the streets.
Ignoring the previous issues with people, what they needed to do now was clear out these mutated plants.
Since the mutated plants moved slowly, but their branches and vines were very fast, everyone had to fight cautiously.
At one point, Kie was caught by a vine, but the shield broke, and she forcibly tore it apart.
It was because the vine had grabbed Kie with such force that it activated the shield.
It was probably enough force to crush an arm completely.
"Kaito, how about using fire attacks?"
"No way. There's too much flammable debris around. Do you want to experience being surrounded by a sea of fire?"
"Then what... there are so many of them..."
"Don't frown. Just think of today as a harvest day!"