The Petals

From the very beginning, when these flowers were discovered blooming, researchers immediately went to inspect them. After finding them non-toxic, they thought they could be collected and stored.
Becoming stored food would also add another dish for everyone.
Moreover, these petals were extremely beneficial for humans; eating more could even be good for the body.
For researchers accustomed to the dual-negative properties of annual plants, this was truly a miracle reborn!
How rare ~
Heaven's manifestation?
However, before they could even announce it, the tree in the research lab had already shed its petals and bore fruit, but the fruit had a big problem: it could make wild animals go berserk.
At this point, the research institute dared not tell people to go pick flowers. Preserving lives was paramount; residents needed to go home quickly!
Now, these fruits could also be eaten, which was truly a good thing, but only unripe fruits could be eaten, and they still needed processing before consumption. This was half good news, half bad news.
Furthermore, through surveillance cameras, the development of wild trees seemed different from those currently in the laboratory.
The difference was that while the wild trees also bore fruit at the same time as those in the lab, precisely on schedule, their petals had not fallen. They remained firmly attached to the trees, glowing.
The petals neatly surrounded the fruit in the center, their shape somewhat resembling sunflowers.
Meanwhile, the tree in the lab began to bear fruit only after its petals had fallen.
"So, what happened to those fallen petals?"
Researcher Chen suddenly asked the researcher in charge of the small tree.
The researcher in charge of the small tree, surnamed Liu, was usually called Little Liu by everyone. His full name was Liu Yang.
He had been working at this research institute for over a year and was a healthy young man. Whenever there was something requiring physical strength, everyone liked to call him.
According to him, he secretly enjoyed bodybuilding.
When Researcher Chen asked Little Liu, Little Liu was actually washing the fallen petals of the small tree and hadn't yet figured out how to send them when Researcher Chen asked.
Researcher Chen pushed the small tree back and then didn't bother with it further.
He held the detailed report on the fruit, carefully studying it to see if he had missed anything.
Then, someone else asked about whether the fruit was edible, and he temporarily forgot about the small tree.
Now, he suddenly remembered it, after all, he also knew these petals were edible.
Hearing Researcher Chen's question, Liu Yang immediately answered loudly, "Professor Chen, these petals are completely undamaged! I've collected them all!"
Researcher Chen's pupils dilated. He was slightly stunned for a moment, then said mechanically, "You said, completely undamaged?"
By the end of his sentence, Researcher Chen was practically roaring.
This roar drew all the researchers in the lab to him. Everyone stared at Researcher Chen, wanting to see why he was so shocked and bewildered, even roaring?
Noticing everyone looking at him, he turned to them.
"Nothing, you all go back to your work!"
After he spoke, everyone's gaze returned to their tasks.
Researcher Chen, on the other hand, quickly rushed to Little Liu, grabbing the small box in front of him.
The small box in front of Little Liu contained the petals he had collected.
Each of these collected petals was like white jade, flawlessly translucent, and emitted a unique glow, like immortal flowers only immortals could possess, pure white and sacred.
"Are they really completely undamaged? How can that be? Before, when we tested them, they were very easily damaged?"
Researcher Chen picked up a petal, holding it under the light above his head.
Before the fruiting, Researcher Chen had also inspected these petals. Like petals before the apocalypse, they would show a clear mark with just a slight press or fold.
As for the petal he was holding now, he had squeezed it hard as soon as he picked it up, and it showed no visible change. He now seriously suspected that this petal had undergone a strange transformation.
Just from the feel and properties, such a big change had occurred, so could it still be eaten now?
"It seems we need to re-examine it!"
"Little Liu, bring these petals. Give me a hand, and we'll go do another experiment."
He directly took Little Liu and went to his experimental bench.
Through experimentation, these bloomed petals' softness, hardness... had all significantly increased; they would not be easily damaged.
Even if trampled or crushed, they would not be easily damaged.
However, these petals, after fruiting, were of even better quality and more beneficial to humans. It was just that they were not easy to eat; at least human teeth could not compare to the petals.
For humans, these petals could only be looked at, not eaten. Biting into them would risk breaking one's teeth.
But these petals were very easy to store. Simply piling them up anywhere could preserve them for a long time without rotting.
They were truly eternal flowers, and edible eternal flowers at that!
Through research on the petals, Researcher Chen now only knew that these petals were non-toxic.
Whether it was petals before fruiting or petals after fruiting, humans could eat them, and the latter even had better nutrition.
However, for people now, perhaps everyone would prefer the former!
After all, collecting the former involved no risk, and everyone could bite into them.
But collecting the latter was much more dangerous; it meant competing for food with those wild animals!
Even if they were snatched, what good would it do? They couldn't be eaten, so what was the point of bringing them back? Could they be brought back to stare at, to ward off hunger by looking at petals?
Then why not just abandon them directly, not risk one's life, and then starve to death at home? Just choose to starve to death at home; it's quick and not in vain!
Why bother with such reckless actions?
This was a death loop!
Researcher Chen told the other researchers these new findings, and everyone looked at each other upon hearing the news.
As if they had heard some joke.
And it was indeed quite a joke!
Before, the petals that hadn't fruited were non-toxic and edible. Once this was confirmed, an announcement was made.
But before they could even organize people to collect the petals, the petals in the lab began to fall and fruit.
Coincidentally, the fruiting was not good; once tested, this fruit was like an aphrodisiac, capable of driving animals mad, and this was still the power of unripe fruit.
Thus, one could imagine what dangers these fruits would bring once they ripened.
Therefore, once this fruit matter was thoroughly investigated, the alarm was immediately raised, prohibiting residents from leaving their homes!
So, the petal picking was thus abandoned.
The superiors all felt that ensuring the safety of residents was the most important issue.
Now that this awkward situation had arisen, the research teams also prepared a report, waiting for the superiors to come up with a solution.
To see how to solve the petal problem: to pick or not to pick?