After Being Transmigrated into a Cannon Fodder Scum Alpha - Chapter 24

On the morning of the second day, the school teachers did not wake everyone as they had the day before. Instead, they waited until everyone woke up naturally before announcing that there were no mandatory activities scheduled for the day; students and parents were free to arrange their own time.

“However, our school has a long-standing tradition. Every year when we visit the Ross Forest, we hold a small competition. Families can head into the woods with their children to search for rare plants or animals. You may only select one plant or one animal to enter, which will then be judged by our Professor Lu Nian. The family that finds the most rare specimen will receive a small gift. Of course, this competition is voluntary, and we fully support any parents who simply wish to take their children sightseeing.”

Clearly, the mention of a “mysterious small gift” captured the heart of every child. They looked at their parents with eyes full of anticipation.

If they could win that gift, they would surely be the coolest person in class!

Not a single child withdrew from the competition. The teachers handed each family a small pamphlet titled Guide to the Ross Forest, which listed areas with high danger ratings that were forbidden to enter, as well as toxic flora and fauna along with their corresponding antidotes.

Naturally, on the first page of the pamphlet was a line of small, bold text: Harvesting of Mica, Sensing Grass, and other plants under observation or cultivation by the base is strictly prohibited.

Yun Qi rubbed her nose upon seeing this, then flipped to the next page as if nothing were amiss.

Although the school had a general understanding of the rare flora and fauna in the forest, they did not print these in the pamphlet. They hoped parents and children would use their imaginations to choose what they considered the most unique organisms, rather than looking for specific answers.

In previous years, parents usually chose to search for special plants first, as most rare animals were not easily brought back once found.

Given the nature of the task, the two children did not stick together. Wu Yuanyuan led Huang Siting over to greet Lin Chen before being the first to set out.

Other parents followed suit, scattering in different directions once they had chosen a path.

A few families remained in place with Yun Qi, excitedly studying the pamphlet to determine which direction held the highest probability of finding rare specimens. They were convinced that those who had rushed out first based on intuition would find nothing better than what they would discover through research.

Seeing her playmate leave, Lin Xi was eager to go as well, but seeing that her Mother had no intention of moving, she could only stare at her piteously.

‘How can a Duke admit defeat? Even if my appearance is disguised and these parents haven’t recognized me, noble pride does not allow me to lose in any situation—especially not to these commoners.’

[If you want to participate, then participate.]

‘Little Scum, can you sense which direction in this forest is the most unique?’

[I’ve never been to this place before.] The system found Yun Qi’s inquiry inexplicable, but after a moment, it provided an answer.

[South or North, perhaps. You belong in the “not an object” category.]

‘South represents fire, and North represents water. You mean I have the vitality of fire and the adaptability of water? I didn’t realize you held me in such high regard.’ Yun Qi chose to ignore the system’s second sentence.

To maintain a pleasant mood, one must learn to selectively listen to the “praise” of others.

Ultimately, Yun Qi chose the southern direction. It was a blind guess either way, so any choice was as good as another.

Seeing Yun Qi start moving, Lin Xi placed her rabbit inside the tent, prepared enough food and water for the day, and then quickly ran back to Lin Chen’s side, pulling her along to follow Yun Qi.

On the way, Yun Qi saw other parents carrying large bags, harvesting every strange-looking plant they came across.

One Alpha climbed a towering ancient tree and plucked a pale red plant growing from the trunk. Amidst the urgent cries of “Daddy! Daddy!” from the child below, he handed the plant down to her.

Yun Qi suspected that the plant, being swung around by the little Alpha, would likely not survive long enough to be appraised by Professor Lu Nian.

Lin Xi tugged at Yun Qi’s sleeve, looking slightly moved. Thinking her Mother hadn’t felt it, she tugged again, harder than before.

There were similar red plants on the trunk, and the closer they were to the top, the redder the plants became. The Alpha from before had picked the one closest to the ground, which was paler than the ones higher up.

That Alpha saw Yun Qi and several other Alphas staring at the remaining plants on the trunk, appearing eager to try, and smiled.

“There might be even stranger plants further ahead. These on the tree are too dangerous. If I hadn’t trained before, I wouldn’t have dared climb up.” Though he spoke humbly and with goodwill, it was clear he was very pleased with himself, proud of his robust physique.

The other Alphas began to hesitate. They were somewhat annoyed; while they were observing, the most accessible plant had been snatched away. That one had been separated from the main cluster; the rest were concentrated near the top, while that one had grown in the middle of the trunk and was the smallest in size.

The little Alpha also realized her plant was unique and stopped swinging it around, showing it to her other friends instead. In response to her classmates’ envious comments, she agreed to let a few close friends touch it.

Lin Xi did not join the crowd. She wasn’t very familiar with that Alpha, but Yun Qi noticed her eyes darting toward the plant surrounded by the group every now and then.

Although she wanted it, after hearing that uncle’s words, harvesting the plant seemed dangerous, so Lin Xi stopped tugging at her Mother’s sleeve to express her desire.

‘Is this reasonable? Someone actually loves to show off more than me? Someone is more arrogant than me?’ Yun Qi questioned Little Scum. ‘Is he trying to steal my persona?’

If there had only been one plant, Yun Qi might have simply walked away to look for something else. But there were so many on the tree; surely she could get at least one.

‘Little Scum, I should be able to climb it, right?’ Although Yun Qi had already decided to go for it, she was afraid it would be embarrassing if she failed to climb up.

[System products are always premium.]

Fine. With the system’s word as a guarantee, Yun Qi felt steady.

She stretched her body and, under the astonished gazes of the others, scrambled up the tree.

That Alpha didn’t take it to heart at first. Anyone can climb a tree, but reaching the top of such a towering ancient giant was quite difficult. He had simply been lucky enough to find the easiest one first.

“When Mother comes down with the plant, Xi’er must first tell Mother ‘Thank you for your hard work’ before taking it, okay?” Lin Chen stroked her daughter’s hair. Unlike the others, she was certain Yun Qi could harvest the plant, and most likely the one at the very top.

Lin Xi trusted her Mama above all else. Since Mama had spoken, Mother would surely succeed.

Sure enough, after a while, Yun Qi jumped down from a fork near the ground, holding a blood-red plant in her hand. It was much larger than the one the little Alpha was playing with—nearly large enough to serve as an umbrella for Lin Xi.

The Alpha who had picked the first plant stared at Yun Qi in shock. He hadn’t expected this person, who didn’t look as physically fit as himself, to reach the very top. He had seen the one in Yun Qi’s hand while he was harvesting, but it was at the summit, so he had given up.

Yun Qi casually tossed the plant toward Lin Chen. Lin Xi, standing beside her, said, “Mother, thank you for your hard work.” Lin Chen then handed the plant to Lin Xi.

She held the plant up excitedly; the pure red color was very beautiful, and she liked it very much.

‘Wild plants might have bacteria on them. Why would I hold it in my own hands?’

That Alpha did not walk over to Yun Qi. He stood where he was and gave her a thumbs-up. There was no jealousy or negativity in his eyes, only shining admiration.

The other Alphas who hadn’t climbed up felt the same.

In truth, the people in Lin Xi’s class—both the students and their parents—were quite decent. Yun Qi really liked the atmosphere of this class.

Seeing the plant in Lin Xi’s hand, which was larger and redder than her own, the little Alpha seemed somewhat envious and slightly sad. Her father picked her up and began to coax her, bouncing her as he walked, telling her there would be even better plants or animals ahead and that he would definitely find her something unique.

After this interlude, Yun Qi continued heading south. She felt it was safer to find a few more specimens and then pick the strangest one to submit.

[There is something on the seventh tree ahead.] The system suddenly spoke.

It was a mysterious sentence, but Yun Qi chose to follow it.

It was a very ordinary tree, common in the Imperial Capital and looking somewhat small in this forest.

Yun Qi climbed up and saw a snow-white egg in the fork of the branches. It was very familiar; whether in pictures or in person, Yun Qi had seen it many times in her past life—a snowy owl egg.

‘?’ Why would a snowy owl appear here?

[Happy birthday in advance.] Yun Qi’s birthday was this month.

‘Did you arrange this?’

[Yes. Otherwise, how could a snowy owl possibly appear in this forest?]

‘Didn’t you say I had to unlock the Second Layer first?’

[I applied for it as a birthday gift for you. Just this once. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.]

‘I want it!’

Under Yun Qi’s gaze, cracks slowly appeared on the egg. In a short while, a small snowy owl emerged.

It chirped at Yun Qi, leaning in to nuzzle her.

The system told Yun Qi that this was indeed a snowy owl, though not quite the same as those in her original world. It had been brought from another world by a previous host and sold to the system.

Thus, this little snowy owl was born with a thin layer of soft feathers, understood human speech, and would treat Yun Qi as its mother.

Yun Qi climbed down the tree holding the owl. She saw the eyes of the two Omegas light up the moment they saw the creature in her arms.

“What a beautiful creature! This forest truly is magical to have something so lovely,” Lin Chen marveled.

Lin Xi moved closer to her Mother, stroking the owl’s feathers with a gentle touch.

From their reactions, they didn’t recognize a snowy owl? Yun Qi thought of the Mica that looked like succulents and the Sensing Grass that looked like mimosa.

So, Yun Qi did not act as though she recognized it. She handed the owl to Lin Chen, whose eyes were shining.

The strange blood-red plant quickly lost favor with Lin Xi. She pestered Lin Chen, wanting to trade the plant in her hand for the little snowy owl in her Mama’s arms.

Lin Chen also loved the little fellow in her arms because it was so good at acting cute.

The owl smelled Yun Qi’s scent on her and treated her as a second parent. It nuzzled Lin Chen’s fingertips with its beak, let out soft cries toward the Omega, and brushed its soft feathers against her hand.

It didn’t seem shy at all.

When Lin Chen picked up its small wings to inspect them, it didn’t resist, obediently spreading its wings. Lin Chen touched them, then looked at its claws, confirming that although this little guy was cute, it belonged to the raptor family.

She just didn’t know why it was so affectionate. Was it because of the imprinting effect?

Yun Qi knew this was created by the system and that there were no large birds nearby. However, she still played the part and waited with Lin Chen for a while. Seeing that no large bird returned, Lin Chen took the little fellow away with a clear conscience.