Chapter 111: Harvesting the Sea of Flowers, Heart of the Mist
At that moment, a strange thought suddenly flashed through Su Ning’s mind — but she immediately shook her head, thinking it was too unrealistic.
The thick, near-impenetrable fog surrounding her clearly couldn’t have been produced by just a few small flowers.
Still, the Mistflower’s skill raised her vigilance.
“Inhaling too much mist will cause disorientation… loss of sense of direction…”
Although Su Ning hadn’t felt those symptoms yet, she grew more cautious.
Quickly, she took out a futuristic-looking mask from her storage space.
It was equipment obtained from the [Cosmic Mine] — extremely powerful. Not only could it effectively block harmful gases, but it was also lightweight and didn’t obstruct her vision at all.
She then turned her attention to the Mistflower again.
So far in this dungeon, she hadn’t found any high-value resources. The Mistflower didn’t seem particularly dangerous — so, Su Ning decisively picked one.
She thought that, if she ever got the chance, she’d plant these magical flowers near her home.
That way, the thick mist could act as a natural barrier.
But then again, she reminded herself, “We’re all living in shelters now — who’d need this kind of thing?”
Even so, she still tucked the Mistflower into her scavenger’s backpack.
After all, the future is unpredictable — who’s to say she wouldn’t need it someday?
Su Ning continued exploring, and soon found another mist-heavy area.
She stepped inside — and was surprised to find a forest.
There was even a sign outside, “Pinewood Park Conservation Area, XX City.”
Originally, Su Ning hadn’t intended to enter this area — it felt strangely eerie.
But just as she casually glanced at the edge of the conservation zone, her eyes fell upon a field of Mistflowers.
The sight was dreamlike and enchanting, radiating an irresistible allure.
It instantly awakened Su Ning’s hidden hoarder instincts.
Without hesitation, she walked straight into the flower field, and began harvesting Mistflowers.
As she collected them, Su Ning couldn’t help but think of her recent dungeon experiences, “Sigh… three dungeons in a row now, and I haven’t even seen the shadow of a treasure chest.”
Ever since the [Breeding Farm], it was as if she and good fortune had parted ways. She hadn’t encountered any more treasure chests since.
Just then, as she was immersed in gathering flowers, Su Ning’s ear twitched slightly — her keen senses picked up something odd in the surroundings.
A faint sound came from deep within the mist of the conservation zone.
Before she could react, a blurred figure lunged at her at astonishing speed.
She caught a glimpse of the attacker — it was a monster, its entire body shrouded in mist.
[Monster: Mist-Horned Deer]
Talent: Mist Body — Immune to physical attacks
Skills: Corrosive Fog, Horn Charge
Su Ning saw it clearly — a massive deer-like creature made entirely of mist.
She instantly summoned Unit 1, who appeared beside her holding the Annihilator Gun, its energy glowing ominously.
But Su Ning didn’t order it to attack immediately.
She was worried that this clearly stronger mist creature, if struck by the Annihilator Gun, might be obliterated instantly — and with it, the “Heart of the Mist” it might carry.
Instead, Su Ning took action herself — activating her [Medusa] skill.
In a flash, her smooth, glossy hair began to twist and morph, transforming into writhing, terrifying venomous snakes. Her eyes glowed with a dazzling golden light, like twin gems radiating a chilling aura.
At that moment, her gaze met that of the Mist-Horned Deer.
Just a single instant of eye contact — and the Petrifying Gaze took effect.
Its once-ethereal, intangible body froze in place, as if hit by a paralysis spell, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a lifelike stone statue.
Su Ning walked up to it.
A stone hammer appeared in her hand.
With a solid smash, a loud crack echoed as the statue shattered — and from the rubble, a pale gray bead rolled to her feet.
She picked it up:
[Quest Item: Heart of the Mist]
Effect: Consuming 100 Hearts of the Mist allows transformation into a Mist-series creature, gaining immunity to physical attacks.
Su Ning was shocked by its effect.
“Grants physical immunity?” she muttered in disbelief.
A rare and powerful trait. But then she saw the drawback — the transformation would turn her into a monster.
That immediately killed her interest.
“Trading your humanity for a skill? That’s like picking up a sesame seed and dropping a watermelon.”
She shook her head and put the item away.
But then a new thought struck her, “I have Hua Hua — maybe it can absorb these monsters and see if it can condense a physical immunity skill fruit.”
That seemed like a good plan.
From now on, whenever she encountered these monsters, she’d petrify them, and let Hua Hua do the rest.
A smile crept across her lips.
In this dungeon, the areas with thinner mist had fewer monsters.
Only when venturing into denser zones did she begin encountering them.
Su Ning continued collecting Mistflowers — she gathered around 300 in total.
With Unit 1 guarding her and later summoning Unit 3 for detection, the process became much more efficient.
The mist made it hard to sense approaching enemies — but Unit 3’s detection ability made Su Ning’s work twice as effective.
She pressed on — encountering various mist monsters, each with a different form.
Some looked like hunting dogs, others like cats, rats, snakes, and even insect-like creatures — yet all of them shared one trait:
Their bodies were composed of mist.
Su Ning couldn’t help but wonder, “Why do all these monsters take on the forms of different animals?”
She was puzzled, unable to find a logical explanation.
Still, whenever she encountered one, she had Unit 1 attack.
Just as she had feared — even if they held a Heart of the Mist, the Annihilator Gun’s sheer power would obliterate them entirely, leaving nothing behind.
After that, she switched to using her Medusa skill to petrify the monsters, then planned to have Hua Hua absorb them later and condense skill fruits.
Eventually, Su Ning checked the time and figured it was time to head back and meet up with Tang Fanghua, and also share what they’d each discovered.
She returned to the store where they had first separated.
She waited patiently… but time passed — and Tang Fanghua still didn’t return.
Su Ning’s brows furrowed tightly.
“Could something have happened to her…?”
The thought weighed heavily on her heart.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Tang Fanghua stared in horror at the massive figure looming in front of her.
Her body had been bound by several mist creatures, leaving her unable to move.
