Plant King Hypothesis

The entire sequence of events, from the first thrust to the retrieval of the skin, happened so quickly that neither Jang Dojung nor Jo Sungmo moved a muscle.

Both of them remained vigilant, monitoring the other plants for any signs of aggression.

Surprisingly, none of the other plants reacted.

They remained utterly still, as if the destruction of the tomato had not affected them in the slightest.

This, too, was highly unusual.

For now, the three had no intention of advancing further.

With the tomato skin in hand, they retreated back to Kim Haru's location.

Chung Hwangeun handed over the trophy to Kim Haru. "Here you go, Mr. Kim. This skin has some granules inside—I think they might be the seeds you're looking for."

When Kim Haru accepted the tomato skin, Jang Dojung and Jo Sungmo detailed their observations and shared their suspicions with the others.

Their report heightened the sense of alertness among the group.