At this moment, Bai Mu remembered the item in his inventory—the Police Badge.
Figuring he had nothing to lose, he retrieved the Police Badge. The dark green booklet materialized in the palm of his hand.
The photo inside the badge depicted a Caucasian man he didn't recognize. One glance inside would be enough to expose the lie.
He was making a final attempt, or rather a gamble, betting that he could fool Dave.
During his last Script, when he managed to repair a marine walkie-talkie using a bunch of random junk, he realized something.
In the Scripts of Paradise, anything was possible.
The mechanics within a Script were incredibly flexible, allowing Players to attempt whatever they wanted. As for whether those attempts would succeed, the only way to find out was to try.
As the saying goes, practice is the only criterion for testing truth.
Bai Mu flashed the pristine Police Badge, presenting it to Dave, and immediately put this theory into practice.
"You can't put it like that, Dave. My primary profession isn't a survival expert. You know that me ending up on that Deserted Island was just an accident."
"I'm not a video blogger. Those people who make money off survival videos are the real survival experts. My actual profession is a police officer."
"Did you forget? The news said I ran into a typhoon and had no choice but to survive alone on a Deserted Island for a month."
"I was originally enjoying my vacation. I don't exactly enjoy Deserted Island survival as a recreational activity, but under those circumstances, I had to do what was necessary."
"Look, this is my ID. Of course I know how to use guns and explosives. I am definitely not the amateur you think I am. In fact, I used to serve in the special forces."
"You know, the highly classified kind. Thanks to my military training, I was able to endure that extreme environment and hold out until rescue arrived."
This improvised story was logically sound.
The only flaw was that the photo inside the Police Badge wasn't of Bai Mu, so he only showed the cover of the ID without flipping it open.
Dave froze for a moment upon hearing this, though his "piercing" uneven eyes constantly made him look like he was spacing out anyway.
"Neighbor, are you perhaps a retired special forces soldier from the Rubber Duck Commando Squad?!"
After his brain had stalled for a few seconds, Dave gave a vehement reaction.
"You know how it is, Dave. I signed a non-disclosure agreement."
Bai Mu gave a vague response. He had absolutely no idea what the Rubber Duck Commando Squad was. Really, would any special forces unit actually be named after a rubber duck? It sounded like child's play. He strongly suspected this was a fictional squad Dave had conjured up himself.
However, judging by Dave's reaction, it didn't seem entirely fake either. But whatever, he decided to stop trying to figure this guy out. Bai Mu silently added Dave to his mental "blacklist."
"Oh! My goodness!" Dave excitedly rushed over and grabbed Bai Mu's hands. "Neighbor, I get it now! You must be a member of the Rubber Ducks. Only a Golden Duck would possess such outstanding qualities!"
"I apologize for what I said earlier. Yes, of course you aren't an amateur!"
"This really feels like a dream. To think I'd actually get to fight alongside a Golden Duck! I wouldn't have even dared to dream of such a thing!"
The term "Golden Duck" coming from Dave's mouth sounded a bit weird, making Bai Mu feel like he was being called a top-tier male escort. But to ensure the mission progressed smoothly, he kept a straight face and continued conversing with Dave.
"So Dave, let's not waste any more time. The Zombies will be here soon. If you have weapons, hand them over to me. I will definitely help you defend the backyard."
"Yes, of course!" Dave exclaimed, spit flying from his mouth. "A Golden Duck certainly doesn't need my Garden Plants!"
"Hurry and come inside, neighbor! I'll take you to my Secret Arsenal. You can use whatever you want, take your pick!"
[You have accepted the Side Quest: "Crazy Idea". You can no longer use Garden Plants in this Script.]
[Crazy Dave's Secret Arsenal is now open to you.]
Amidst the notification sound from Paradise, Bai Mu followed Dave through the door of the house.
Dave's Garden Plants were arranged by the window. Even though Bai Mu had read descriptions of the Garden Plants in the guides, he still found them novel.
These plants had eyes and mouths, just like humans.
Planted in pots, they swayed back and forth, staring blankly at the sun outside the window.
"That must be the Peashooter." Bai Mu looked at one of the Garden Plants.
It was about half a meter tall, with a green stem growing out of the pot. Its head was gourd-shaped with a large mouth, resembling a cannon barrel overall, and eyes the size of mung beans were set at the rear of this "barrel."
According to the data, the Peashooter could fire a fist-sized pea bullet every two seconds. The bullets were presumably stored within its barrel. It needed to be exposed to enough Sunlight to recharge its energy and enter a combat state.
The Peashooter's bullets weren't very powerful, but they made up for it with continuous and automatic fire. In Bai Mu's understanding, the Peashooter was like a small automated turret that tracked enemies. However, unlike a human's anatomical structure, its head couldn't turn, so it could only attack straight ahead.
With every ten pea bullets, the Peashooter could take down an ordinary Zombie.
If one were to use Garden Plants to defend against the zombie horde, this would be the primary offensive plant.
At present, it looked a bit lethargic. Its leaves were drooping, and its dark eyes were unfocused and dull, looking completely half-asleep.
In the information Bai Mu saw, its attributes were as follows:
[Name: Peashooter (Slumbering State)]
[Type: Garden Plant]
[Quality: Rare]
[Note: Keep calm and root deep. The Peashooter's philosophy is: Every fired pea is meticulously brewed from Sunlight and clean water, fueled by an endless love for the lawn.]
Beside the Peashooter were some other plants, such as a snoring cherry and a clover with three leaves resembling a fan.
In a normal playthrough, once the zombie horde began, Players would need to use a "mirror" to collect Sunlight and awaken these Garden Plants.
According to intel from some Players, Dave originally cultivated a Garden Plant called the "Sunflower" that could automatically radiate Sunlight to surrounding plants. However, some accident seemed to have occurred, causing the Sunflower to disappear.
That didn't have much to do with Bai Mu anyway, as Dave was now leading him into a room that hadn't been mentioned in any of the guides.
Dave pulled open the door to the basement. A pale yellow chandelier illuminated the cramped space, revealing a dazzling wall of weaponry.
Shotguns, rifles, submachine guns, grenades, and pistols—over a dozen firearms hung on the rough concrete wall. Below the wall sat a wooden desk overflowing with ammunition, the brass-colored bullets piled messily into little mountains, some even spilling onto the floor.
This scene would be incredibly shocking to anyone who had never seen a gun, but Bai Mu only felt a sense of familiarity and reassurance, because he, too, once had a weapon wall just like this.