79 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

The people inside the tent fell into a frightful silence as Kai Zi's group approached the entrance. With a cold sneer, Chen Wan handed the child she was holding to Jiang Yan Xin, feeling that she might have to step in and take action once again. Kai Zi was initially skeptical when he heard Yang Feng bragging about the beautiful women with Jiang Wan Ning. However, now, his eyes were glued to them, particularly surprised by the two female alphas among them who carried a cool and detached demeanor akin to the preferred type of a certain influential person above. This realization made Kai Zi laugh heartily within the tent. "Damn, Yang Feng, you've hit the jackpot this time. I've been searching for attractive alphas, and here, I've found them with Jiang Wan Ning. She's truly my little lucky star. Once the allergic reaction on her face clears up, I must treat her well," Kai Zi laughed with joy, starkly contrasting the deathly silence that filled the tent. "Why so quiet? Why do you all look so serious? Your good days are just ahead! Especially you two female alphas; soon, you'll be enjoying yourselves in Area A. As for the remaining beta and omega, you'll stay with me, Brother Kai, and I'll look after you," Kai Zi continued, his eyes scrutinizing Chen Wan and the group. A henchman, who had witnessed what Chen Wan and her friends did outside the base gates, found his legs slightly trembling. He took a cautious step forward and whispered in Kai Zi’s ear, "Brother Kai, these women are no joke; they're the ones who took down Er Hu and his people." "That's bullshit! The base is full of exaggerated rumors. How could these four women handle Er Hu and his eight or nine guys? Do you take me for an idiot like any other fool in the base?" Kai Zi retorted, slapping the man wearing a white t-shirt. The man wanted to clarify that it wasn’t all four women, but rather just two of them who resolved Er Hu’s group. Yet, he dared not, his cheek still stung sharply from the slap, fearing the swelling that would greet him by morning. After reprimanding his henchman, Kai Zi's gaze swept back over to Chen Wan's group. Upon seeing the child in Jiang Yan Xin’s arms, his brow furrowed. "What's the point of dragging a brat along at a time like this? Let me deal with this little brat first, to save myself from becoming an unintended father," he said, moving towards Chen Wan and her group. The seventy-year-old elder couldn’t bear the thought of the child being harmed and urged, "Young man, children are innocent. Please don't hurt the child." Kai Zi shot the elder a dagger-like glare. "You ancient croak, nearing the grave yet daring to meddle in my affairs. Pay your protection fees now, or you'll be joining the earth permanently." With that, he aimed to send a brutal kick towards the elder. Chen Wan quickly stood up. "Wait! If you have an issue, direct it at me. Don’t involve the innocent." "And who do you think you are, to speak to me that way? Do you have any idea who I am?" Kai Zi roared, veins bulging on his forehead. Chen Wan chuckled, nodding with mockery in her tone, "Of course, I know." Hearing her response, Kai Zi raised his head arrogantly, adjusting his already neat leather jacket. He thought, despite them being alphas, they were still women at the end of the day, and thus had to submit to him, didn't they? The next moment, Chen Wan continued, "Aren't you just a run-of-the-mill hooligan? Doing nothing but loitering and bullying others with a gang of losers, collecting protection fees? Oh right, I forgot you're also a lackey for the people in Area A. That's your full identity, isn't it? What else could it be?" With each of Chen Wan's words, Kai Zi's expression soured further. Before the apocalypse, he was a low-level thug, despised by others. Upon arriving at the base, he gathered seven brothers to engage in illegal activities, even currying favor with someone from Area A, growing more arrogant by the day. In the face of him, thugs from Zones C and D all addressed him as Brother Kai, never did he expect this woman would openly tear off his scars like this, with such a biting tongue. Kai Zi spat on the ground, "You’re seeking death! Brothers, get her!" Just then, two more people rushed into the tent. "Brother Kai, please, let's talk this over. Don’t resort to violence," Jiang Zhao Yuan and Ye Lan pleaded urgently. They had heard about Kai Zi's visit to their tent and rushed back, fearing harm might come to their daughter at his hands. Yet, upon entering the tent, the scene before them left the couple in their fifties stunned. Never did they anticipate the presence of Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin, instantly filling them with grief, not because they were unwilling to see their daughter, but fear of her being victimized by these thuggish instigators. Kai Zi smirked at Jiang Zhao Yuan and Ye Lan's return, "So the old geezers came back quickly. Are these women related to you? They're courting death. Especially this one here, if I don't disable her today, then my thirty-odd years of living are in vain." Ye Lan, equally surprised at Chen Wan and the others being there, urgently tugged on Chen Wan's arm, pulling her back. "Chen Wan, why did you come here? Oh, this time we've dragged you into our mess. Step back, don't argue with them. With me here, you’ll be okay." Ye Lan pulled Chen Wan back a few steps; Chen Wan had nearly reached Kai Zi, intending to give him a quick lesson. However, her mother-in-law dragged her a couple of steps back, standing protectively in front of Chen Wan to shield her from Kai Zi’s potential aggression. Seeing Jiang Yan Xin about to stand up, Jiang Zhao Yuan quickly urged, "Yan Xin, don't approach. It's dangerous. Just hold onto the baby." He then bent down to plead with Kai Zi, "Brother Kai, I’ll give you all the points I’ve earned these days. Please let our family go. I beg you; my daughter’s face and body have an allergic reaction; she’s really no good to you. Let us ordinary folks go, please." "Ordinary folks? This woman here? Do you know, just before you came in, this woman cursed me out til my ears bled. I might spare the rest of you since those women are attractive enough to be my women. But this one," Kai Zi said with venom, "must die, or you'll all accompany her in the grave." He raised his hand, and a subordinate handed him a thick baseball bat. Teeth clenched, Jiang Zhao Yuan grabbed Kai Zi's sleeve, eyes reddening as he glared at him. "She’s my daughter’s wife and my daughter too. I’ll give you my life if you spare her. Please, spare them." "Let me," Ye Lan intervened, "the children still need you. Kai Zi, kill me if you must. I’m not afraid to die, but you will not harm them." "Pah! Your lives are worthless! You're already dead men walking. By killing you, I'm doing you a favor. No more nonsense, or I will wipe you all out together," Kai Zi exclaimed, now with genuine intent to kill, swinging the wooden bat towards Jiang Zhao Yuan. Chen Wan swiftly bypassed Ye Lan who was shielding her, darting to Jiang Zhao Yuan's side, and caught Kai Zi's bat mid-swing with one hand. Taken aback, Kai Zi never expected Chen Wan to catch his swiftly swinging bat barehanded. His shock was mirrored by his henchmen and left Jiang Zhao Yuan and Ye Lan frozen in their tracks. Chen Wan coldly smirked, fixing a steely gaze on Kai Zi, "Are you done with your chatter? Only chatterboxes have this much to say. Why not just strike?" With that, she yanked the bat with her right hand and pulled Kai Zi’s right hand with her left. With a resounding crack, Kai Zi's right arm was forcibly dislocated by Chen Wan. Simultaneous with his anguished cries, "My arm! My arm is broken, kill her, kill the woman!" Meanwhile, Qin Ke and Yi Yi sprang into action. Qin Ke leaped onto a henchman, locking her legs around his waist and pressing with all her might, choking him to death. Yi Yi acted even faster, blocking the tent’s entrance, cutting off their escape route. In just a few punches, several henchmen were sent flying back into the tent, blood spilling from their mouths. Chen Wan gently pushed the elderly couple backward, dispatching another henchman with a single punch while advising the visibly shaken elder pair, "Mom, Dad, step back, be careful not to get hurt. Stay with Yan Xin and Wan Ning." Ye Lan turned to see the threat they feared hadn’t materialized. Amazed, she realized that Kai Zi's group was no match for Chen Wan and her two companions. Both relieved and awed, they hurried back to Jiang Yan Xin's side, ensuring they didn't further burden the trio. At the same time, Chen Wan delivered a bone-breaking punch to a man's spine, snapping it audibly until his head drooped lifelessly. Kai Zi stared in disbelief as his comrades fell one by one. Initially thinking to flee, he turned to run but was promptly dragged back by Chen Wan, who effortlessly lifted him as if he were a mere chick. With a cold smile, she taunted, "Where do you think you're going, trash?" His right arm throbbing with pain and gripped by fear, Kai Zi saw how these women dismantled his seven subordinates in just a few minutes. Now, he was on the brink of tears, contemplating his next move. Seeking help from Area A crossed his mind, so he began to plead, "I'm sorry, big sis, spare me! It was my stupidity—I’m nothing but worthless trash. Please, be gracious and let me go. I swear I’ve learned my lesson; I'll even bow whenever I see you. I'll be your dog if you want." “You think you're fit to be a dog for me? You’re belittling dogs by even suggesting that. You're unworthy of being called even a beast. After how you’ve tormented Wan Ning and my family, tell me, how do you wish to die?" Chen Wan continued to hold him, her voice icy and without a hint of strain. "I’m lower than a beast, truly! But listen, sis, I know I'm useless scum, but my master in Area A was a famous tycoon back in the country and has sponsored so much for the base that even the military accords him respect. Even when beating a dog, one must consider its master. Let me go, and I'll hand over all the spoils and points I've accumulated in the last few months. I beg you," Kai Zi tried to intimidate her with his master's influence, hoping for mercy. He was planning that if he made it out alive, he'd immediately seek help from Area A, assured that his master's elite guards, some of whom were former special forces soldiers, would easily dispatch Chen Wan. Chen Wan chuckled lightly as she looked at him like he was trash, "If he raised scum like you, your master must be even worse than a beast. What, you think I’d let you run to Area A for backup? I'm sorry, but I’m not one to show mercy. After what you did to my family, I'm not feeling generous. You might as well join your fallen comrades." After her words, Chen Wan threw Kai Zi to the ground. His legs were too weak from fear to flee, causing him to collapse into a sitting position. As he tried to rise, a sudden warmth spread across the back of his head, followed by intense pain. Something flowed from the wound, and before he could even touch it, he slumped to the ground, lifeless. The tent fell deathly silent, with Chen Wan and her two companions showing no extra expression. Clearing these scum left them with no emotional burden, as these men had each taken innocent lives and would only continue to cause harm if left alone. Chen Wan hadn’t anticipated that upon entering the base, they’d already dealt with several groups of thugs. She turned to the onlookers in the tent, "Everyone, help clean up the bodies; in this summer heat, disease spreads easily." Several quick-witted individuals, eager to curry favor, jumped up to assist. The short-haired girl A and her three friends also moved in to help. Her teammate, the crewcut boy, glanced at Chen Wan and hesitantly asked, "Uh, sis, what about their belongings?" "You can handle it yourselves; keep what you find useful. No need to give me anything," Chen Wan understood his meaning. In a place where resources were scarce, even clothes and shoes required points to exchange. Anything they could acquire would be helpful. The thugs likely carried points and cigarettes, so with Chen Wan's permission, those helping move the bodies could keep whatever they found. Chen Wan wasn’t concerned with these minor items. Naturally, those who volunteered to move the bodies could keep some things for themselves—it was logical to reward more work with more gain.