The sun had dipped below the rooftops, but the glowing orbs of energy still drifted lazily across the yard. As the light waned, so did the illusion that this was a game.
Yhakal stood in the middle of his tiled lawn, watching his plants sway slightly in the breeze. His hands hovered near his HUD like a real-time strategist watching a chessboard come to life.
Wave 2 Incoming – 60 Seconds
Threat Level: ★★★☆☆
New Enemy Detected: "Buckethead Vegan"
He sighed. "Classic. Knew you guys were next."
A silvery-white bucket glinted in the distance, worn proudly like a crown by the advancing zombie. It moved slowly but with heavy purpose. This one wasn't going down with just a few peas.
Yhakal opened his HUD.
[CURRENT GRID STATUS]
Sunflowers: 5 (rear row)
Peashooters: 6 (spread evenly across mid-lanes)
Split Pea: 1 (center lane)
Wall-nuts: 2 (top and bottom lanes)
Potato Mine: 1 (planted, arming)
Cherry Bomb: On cooldown (35s)
The system pinged again.
New Plant Slot UnlockedChoose a new plant to equip:
Snow Pea 🌬️
Repeater 🔫
Spikeweed 🌵
He didn't hesitate.
"Snow Pea. Crowd control's more important than damage right now."
The plant shimmered into existence on his interface—an adorable, chilly-looking pea plant with a frosty hue and a slightly sleepy expression.
[Snow Pea Added to Loadout]
Yhakal placed one on the second lane where a group of zombies was forming.
Paff… Paff… Paff…
Icy blue peas fired from its snout, striking the nearest target. Frost bloomed across the zombie's arms and legs, slowing it immediately..
"That's more like it."
From behind him, a voice called out.
"Hey! Guy with the plants!"
Yhakal turned. Ellis, the pajama-clad teen from the previous chapter, now had a somewhat stable yard: two Sunflowers and a pair of misaligned Peashooters. It wasn't optimal, but it was progress.
"What's up?" Yhakal called back.
"There's something… weird coming up the street," Ellis said, pointing toward the horizon.
"It's got wheels."
Yhakal's HUD lit up with a new alert.
New Entity Approaching
Codename: "Compost Cart"
Type: Support/Transport
Description: A zombie pushing a rusted shopping cart filled with body bags, organic waste, and garden tools. May spawn additional enemies mid-wave.Weakness: AOE damage or direct burst.
Yhakal's eyes narrowed. "Oh great. A spawner."
He checked his sun reserve: 175.
Perfect.
The Cherry Bomb was off cooldown. He planted it on the tile in front of the Compost Cart.
BOOM.
A wave of ash and rotten cabbage exploded outward. The cart splintered. The driver—a groaning husk with gardening gloves—flew off into the air and disintegrated mid-fall. Three smaller zombies were caught in the blast.
Compost Cart eliminated
Bonus: +30 XP
Area cleared
"That won't last," Yhakal muttered.
The music in the air—if you could call it that—shifted. A drumbeat kicked in, slow and ominous. It was like a parody of the PvZ final-wave jingle, but darker. Off-key. Less cheerful and more... threatening.
All across the neighborhood, glowing rifts opened up in midair. Lanes of red light pulsed, and more zombies emerged—some with makeshift armor, others clutching hand-painted signs.
Yhakal planted another Wall-nut and called out, "Ellis! Use your Potato Mine on the third tile—wait for it to get close!"
"I already used mine!" Ellis shouted. "Cool down's not done!"
Yhakal glanced at the timer: Shared Roots available in 10 seconds.
One particularly nasty zombie was approaching Ellis's center lane. It wore a metal wok as a helmet and had tied oven mitts to its hands like boxing gloves.
10… 9… 8…
Yhakal started planting more Snow Peas.
4… 3… 2…
The wok zombie jumped forward—somehow.
Shared Roots available
Donate plant?
"YES."
He dragged a Cherry Bomb to Ellis's yard, dropping it right in front of the threat.
BOOM.
Splatters of metal and soup hit the pavement.
Ellis exhaled. "You're a god."
"Hardly," Yhakal muttered. "Just well-practiced."
The wave slowed, then finally ebbed. His plants remained standing—some dented, a few crisped on the edges, but alive.
Wave 2 Complete
Yard Status: Stable
Damage Taken: 0
Bonus Unlocked: Upgrade Token – Wall-nut
Yhakal hovered over the upgrade.
Wall-nut Upgrade Paths:
Reinforced Shell (Double HP)
Spike-nut (Deals minor contact damage)
Tall-nut (Prevents vaulting/jumping enemies – Locked until Chapter 5)
He selected Reinforced Shell. A silver glow enveloped one of the nuts, and it pulsed once, then hardened—its shell now a slightly metallic brown.
Around the neighborhood, fireworks shot off in a low-key victory animation. Not flashy. Just enough to mark the moment.
But Yhakal didn't smile. Not yet.
He looked at the sky. The clouds were shifting again. Not just drifting—changing.
Forming shapes.
Something massive stirred beyond the veil.
System Update: DIMENSIONAL STABILITY DECLINING
Day/Night Cycle: Corrupted
Next Wave: 10 minutes
Unknown Variable: Active
"Corrupted?" he whispered. "That's… new."
A final notification blinked on his screen.
Tutorial Complete. Game Begins Now.
Would you like to assign a Codename for broadcast to nearby survivors?
He hesitated, then typed:"The Botanist."
The name flashed over his house for a brief second, visible to all nearby players.
Ellis gave a low whistle. "Cool name. Mine just says 'DefaultPlayer69420'."
"You can change that," Yhakal said, chuckling. "Eventually."
The ground rumbled beneath them again. Somewhere, a scream echoed.
"Okay," Yhakal muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Next round. Let's see what you've got."
~~~~ZOMBIES~~~~
🧠 1. Buckethead Vegan
Traits: High durability due to metal bucket helmet
Speed: Slow
Threat Level: ★★★☆☆
Behavior: Same as Basic Vegan Zombie but takes 3–4x more damage
Quote:"Organic brains taste better in containers!"
Weaknesses: Cherry Bomb, Snow Pea for slowing, or upgraded Peashooter lines
🧠 2. Compost Cart Zombie
Traits: Summoner-type zombie pushing a cart full of rot and smaller undead
Speed: Medium
Threat Level: ★★★★☆
Behavior: Releases 2–3 lesser zombies upon death unless destroyed quickly
Quote:"Reduce, reuse, respawn!"
Weaknesses: Cherry Bomb (best), Spikeweed (to slow cart), or concentrated fire
🧠 3. Wokhead Boxer
Traits: Moderate armor and mild melee boost
Speed: Medium
Threat Level: ★★★☆☆
Behavior: May jump forward unpredictably (mini vaulting behavior)
Quote:"Stir-fried AND brain-fed!"
Weaknesses: Potato Mine, Wall-nut stall + Split Pea, explosive plants
🧠 4. Protestor Zombie(Teased)
Traits: Support-type zombie carrying a placard
Speed: Slow
Threat Level: Unknown
Behavior: Buffs nearby zombies (possibly more HP or speed), may distract plants
Quote:"No cruelty, just brains!"
Weaknesses: Unknown—likely a priority kill due to support role
Status: Teased for upcoming wave
🧠 5. Default Vegan Zombie (Recap)
Traits: Basic slow-moving unit
Speed: Very slow
Threat Level: ★☆☆☆☆
Behavior: Shambles toward plants moaning about sustainable diets
Quote:"Plants are friends... but I want brains more."
Weaknesses: Anything