Crossdressing To Survive An Apocalypse

The willow tree happily waved its branches around.

"At least it's happy," his dad said with a small shrug.

Zou Yue glared at the ceiling. The willow tree could provide additional security but with the cleaning open like this the chances of danger have been increased.

He took a deep breath, holding back the anger inside.

A soft slap of the feathery leaves made it even worse.

"I-it... it slapped you... oh my god, is it a safe mutant?"

"It is... I think. It just hates me Cuz I rejected it," Yue paused away the branch that was annoyingly hiding his face. "Try interacting with it. it seems much more accepting to others. Look," he gestured to blackie who was happily laying on one of its thick branches with her delicate tummy exposed.

"blackie! It's dangerous, get down here. Yue get her, that tree might eat her!"

"no. it just likes petting her," Yue patted his back, assuring him that everything was alright.

The chicken and the quails also hesitantly approached it pecking at its roots.

The willow tree reached down and gently patted their heads.

Bakbak clucked loudly and bit into the leaves.

Startled, the mutant tree pulled away her braches refusing to touch the chicken again.

"Maybe I should try biting its branches too,"

Suddenly the tree slapped his face softly with its branches. "Never mind, dad you just mentioned a trim right. Cut its branches up and let's make use of it to light our fire," he playfully grinned at it.

The tree became slightly hesitant. It did not get close to him afterward.

Contrary to his treatment, it happy tried to communicate with dad.

With his powers of controlling the plants and trees, he became best buddies with it in just a few minutes.

His dad mumbled something.

"What? I didn't get you?"

"Oh, I was talking to the tree. It said that you called it ugly and wanted to throw it down the trash,"

Yue's eyebrows twitched. "False allegations your honor. When did this happen, huh? I have never..... wait have I...."

He remembered bringing the sapling back to the warehouse but he really didn't like this tree taking up space. So he wanted to chuck it out the window...

'oh fuck, I really messed up...'

He guiltily looked at his dad.

He just gave him a dull look. "So you did try to throw him out in the trash? He's such a beautiful tree, you should not throw them down the trash rather you could have planted him somewhere where he could have grown freely,"

The tree nodded as if agreeing with him.

Silently he sat on the ground looking at his dad conversing with the tree. This new world's creatures were surprisingly very simple. If you show kindness they give it back three folds and if you show malice they give it back ten folds.

The willow hates him while it loved dad because he usually made trips to the warehouse and watered the plants stored there.

'Is it that simple... if so, why didn't anyone realize it before? Why were mutant animals and plants considered a major threat?'

"Squeak!" a small figure ran out from under his leg towards the tree.

Trexa excitedly sniffed at its roots.

"Oh Trexa gran, look, this is our new family member, Willow. Be kind to her. Don't bite or chew her branches and roots. She does not like them because it tingles..."

Just as he said that Trexa jumped into the small gap in the protruding roots, she bit into it.

The tree panicked. It uprooted itself and stood on one of its roots. It swung it's braced tarrying to get Trexa off of it.

"Hey! Both of you stop! Don't do that! Trexa! Stop that!" he rushed to them.

"Stop!" his dad shouted.

Both of them froze.

Yue pulled Trexa off of its roots with a slight glare. "no, we don't hurt family members!"

Trexa pitifully glanced at her. "squeak... squeak..." she pointed to the tree's roots.

"no, no biting allowed,"

His little baby girl sulked.

The tree calmed down in a bit letting its roots sink down into the ground.

Yue took a close look at its roots. Trexa would not act like that for anything. upon closer look he noticed something black in between.

"What is that?" he ran close and peered through the gaps of the roots.

The willow tree immediately closed the gaps, making it imposible to look in.

"What wrong Yue?"

"I don't know. I think I just saw something," he glanced at the tree. 'It's not right... I don't think it's safe to keep this tree here. First of all, Trexa is never hostile to anyone. This tree has been attacking me. Who knows when it will attack my family...'

His dad squatted next to him, grunting loudly. "Agh my back.. what are you looking at?"

"Don't know... dad I don't think it's safe to keep this here. Maybe I can move it to fan's house. I can dig a hole and make an entrance at the top of the ceiling for it..."

The tree lowered its branches like it was saddened by this.

His dad placed a hand on it. "Listen, little willow. My son is not that bad. He is only prioritising our family's safety. If you can prove that you are not a threat, you can stay."

Yue snapped his head towards him.

"There's something under your root, right? Why don't you show it? If I deem it to be safe, then you can stay here," he wrapped his hand around his shoulders and pulled him close.

Yue was not convinced by this idea. This tree was a dangerous entity. Risking his family for it.... was not an option.

"Even if it does expose its roots. I don't think I want this...."

The tree removed the roots out of the way, exposing a black rock in between.

"This. I have seen this before. It's that rock... that fish zombie had this," he reached to touch it.

Willow hurriedly closed up its roots.

But its swift action could not stop his crafty child. Trexa squeezed in between its gap.

"Trexa!"

The tree surprisingly did not squeeze his baby or try to get her out. It uncomfortably moved it's branches around waiting for the little baby to crawl out.

Yue anxiously leaned down and looked through the small gap. Trexa gran was hugging that rock with an elated expression.

"Trexa! Come out right now! What are you doing!"

"squeak!" she refused to let go of it.

Yue glanced at his father. "Can you make the tree do that opening thing again? I don't think she will come out."

His dad convicted the tree to let go of the rock. After a while of convincing the tree finally parted his thick roots.

Yue swiftly plucked Trexa out of there. "You young lady are in so much trouble. What were you thinking? You can't just crawl in there. If willow wanted to, she could have crushed you for trying to steal her rock!"

Trexa lowered her head, refusing to look up at him.

"It's just a rock!"

Trexa glanced up with a slightly puffed face. "sqeeee.... squeal.. sqeee...." she whined loudly, pointing to the rock and then at his mouth.

"You want to eat it?"

Yue looked at the rock carefully. Even that mutated zombie was eating a rock that looked like this. Even this tree was protecting it. It was highly probable that this mysterious rock was a meteor shard.

'It has the virus sampled, but why do these mutated animals and plants want it,'

The willow tree settled down again.

"Yue, what is that rock? Willow says she can live because of it,"

Yue glanced at his dad and then at the tree. 'is it because of the rock that both the tree and that zombie have consciousness.... oh my god, is this right..... ill have Qian test this theory. I don't think this tree will part with this shard maybe Qian or Prisitsky have a small sample of it.'

There had been so many apparent he had missed before. Even when they were traveling from h city to g city, he noticed the zombies traveling in group's right to where the meteor crashed.

Back then he thought it was because humans were there or maybe they were attracted to heat.

No, that was not the truth. Zombies and mutated plants and animals can gain consciousness if they consume this...

'fuck, won't it make worse!'

After the two years' time in his past life, he did not go out and fight any zombies. He only hid in the settlement. He did not hear anything about consciousness awakened zombie...

'It was likely possible that they did exist. Only I didn't know if this...'

He stood up patting his back. "I'll go see Qian and let him know of it,"

"Hey willow is saying something.. Yue just listen for a bit!"

"I'll be right back," he placed Trexa on the floor right by the door. "Trexa baby, be good. Don't attack willow. I can see if I can find the meteor shards,"

"Wait, Yue!"

Zou Wei watched his son walk away with a slight frown. The willow tree was telling him not to reveal that fact. It told him to keep it a secret.

"What will happen if this got out? It's just a rock, right?"

The willow tree sent him a very anxious feeling.

"Will bad things happen?"

The tree nodded with his leaves folded in.