105 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin showed no signs of coming out of the bathroom, leaving it to Qin Ke, who efficiently finished her shower in just fifteen minutes and even managed to blow-dry her hair. When Qin Ke stepped out, she found the others absent, except for Jiang Yan Xin’s parents and Cai Cai. Qin Ke felt something was off about the others but was relieved that most of the items needed for Yan Yan had been found, allowing her to relax a bit. Cai Cai, who hadn't seen Qin Ke all morning, spotted her clean and fresh, and wiggled his little legs from his grandmother's lap, reaching out with chubby hands to Qin Ke: "Auntie, hug hug~" Amused, Qin Ke picked Cai Cai up, bouncing him gently while teasing, "Did you miss us?" "Yes, Auntie, play with me," Cai Cai cooed, wrapping his little arms around Qin Ke’s neck, being adorably affectionate. Qin Ke bounced the little guy around the RV, spinning in circles. About five to six minutes later, Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning came downstairs. Not encountering Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin ready yet, Yi Yi took the initiative to the driver’s seat, intending to drive the RV to a safer place and collect the zombie crystal cores scattered in the yard. She drove around the yard, still encountering zombies trickling in from other buildings, but it was nothing compared to the previous horde. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin emerged about ten minutes after Yi Yi, having learned that most of the zombies had been electrocuted into nothingness by Jiang Yan Xin's summoned creature, Zeus. As a result, Chen Wan got a bit playful mid-shower but maintained awareness of the situation on the vehicle, prompting them to wash quickly and come out. By the time they left, Qin Ke had already driven the RV away from Funan University's teaching buildings, heading towards the suburbs. Forty minutes later, they arrived at an uninhabited village south of Funan University. After the meal, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan took Cai Cai for a nap, leaving five young people discussing their next steps in the small dining area. Yi Yi pondered and began inventorying their resources: "Currently, including those absorbed on the road, we have 623 small vehicles. I also just tallied the second-level zombie cores; we now have 4,327 in total, which covers the RV upgrade requirements. We're only short on heavy-duty trucks, with just nine, needing 21 more." "Alright, let’s first locate some heavy-duty trucks, upgrade the RV, and then look for the remaining steel and metal alloys," Chen Wan suggested after considering their plan. "I know where Funan City's heavy-duty trucks are parked. It's not far from here. If we get on the main freeway and drive for another ten minutes, there’s a parking lot filled with them," Jiang Wan Ning shared, being familiar with the area due to her work in Funan City. "Why don’t we head there now? The RV upgrade takes a full 20 hours, and we can rest after gathering the trucks. Since the RV can’t move during the upgrade, it’ll save us some time," Yi Yi proposed. "Alright, let’s go now," Chen Wan agreed. Yi Yi moved to start the RV while Chen Wan sat in the passenger seat, and Jiang Yan Xin and the others fastened their seatbelts in the dining area. Even upstairs, Ye Lan and Jiang Zhao Yuan couldn't sleep, worried about the young ones heading into danger again. Only Cai Cai remained peacefully asleep on the bed, his small chest rising and falling rhythmically. Following Jiang Wan Ning’s directions, Yi Yi drove for another ten minutes and found the parking lot with the heavy trucks. The place wasn't swarming with zombies, so their task was relatively smooth. Chen Wan used her mechanical arm to absorb each truck systematically. If any truck housed zombies, they were left on the ground once the truck was absorbed. With nowhere to go, many zombies charged at the RV, but Chen Wan easily tossed them aside using the mechanical arm, hurling them in graceful arcs to crash in pieces on the ground. The parking lot, designated for heavy-duty trucks, had space for five to six hundred trucks, though not entirely full. Chen Wan estimated at least two or three hundred were parked, so Yi Yi drove the RV around while Chen Wan directed the mechanical arms to absorb them. In under half an hour, the once-packed lot was left empty except for their RV. Task completed, Yi Yi drove them back to the spot where they had previously rested and eaten. After parking, she lowered the steel panels over the windows and turned on the cabin lights. "Analysis complete. The RV upgrade to level 4 requires 1,000 second-level zombie cores, 30 heavy-duty trucks, and 500 small vehicles, which have now all been collected. Initiate upgrade?" Yi Yi’s voice suddenly resonated in Chen Wan's mind, startling her. Since Yi Yi became humanoid, they usually communicated in person. Brainwave communication was reserved for emergencies, so the surprise made Chen Wan laugh as she looked at Yi Yi, "You're right in front of me, why not just say it directly?" "I’m used to asking about upgrades in your mind," Yi Yi replied with a smile. Jiang Yan Xin glanced at Chen Wan, while Jiang Wan Ning looked towards Yi Yi. Noticing they were being watched, Chen Wan and Yi Yi simultaneously turned to look back. Chen Wan saw Jiang Yan Xin giving her a knowing smile, and Yi Yi felt like Jiang Wan Ning might have glared at her. Chen Wan withdrew her gaze and spoke to Yi Yi, "Everything's ready, so start the upgrade." "Alright, the RV upgrade will begin. It will take 20 hours, during which all internal functions will operate normally, but the RV cannot move," Yi Yi complied with Chen Wan’s verbal approval. Jiang Yan Xin smiled, "Well, since the RV is upgrading, I’ll take Chen Wan back to rest." She said, tugging Chen Wan’s wrist as they headed back to their room. Chen Wan couldn’t shake the feeling she was about to be scolded, though she hadn’t done anything wrong besides initiating the RV upgrade. Jiang Wan Ning eyed Yi Yi, who nervously took a step back. Jiang Wan Ning chuckled, "Why are you backing away? I’m not even coming over." "Nothing, I just lost my balance," Yi Yi blurted out a silly excuse, quickly having her AI analyze why Jiang Wan Ning might have glared at her. Seated on the sofa, Qin Ke decided it was best to make her exit—this was not her conversation to witness. "I'll leave you two to chat. I’m going to take a nap, feeling a bit tired." "Alright," Jiang Wan Ning promptly vacated space for Qin Ke, and once she’d left, patted the spot beside her, "Come here, I’ll keep you company." Yi Yi felt torn between wanting to escape and the irresistible allure of a chat. As an android with no need for food or sleep, chatting had become one of her rare joys. Despite being prone to overheating in Jiang Wan Ning's presence, the internal cooling fan was always ready. Fighting through her reluctance, Yi Yi sat down, eager to talk. "Do you often communicate with my sister Chen Wan through brainwaves?" Jiang Wan Ning asked, her gaze settling on Yi Yi. Yi Yi quickly denied, "No, we haven’t done that in quite a while. It’s only when upgrading the RV." "Good. Did you enjoy it when I blow-dried your hair this morning?" Jiang Wan Ning switched topics effortlessly, her eyes drifting to Yi Yi’s slightly curled, dark brown hair, tempted to touch it. She enjoyed playing with it this morning. "It was nice." Yi Yi hadn't expected Jiang Wan Ning to change the subject so suddenly and hurriedly agreed. Her AI had already deduced the reason for Jiang Wan Ning's glare—jealousy. Yi Yi found it perplexing; wasn't jealousy supposed to be something human couples experienced? She decided to study it later, but having not had a good conversation in a while, to withhold any longer would be impolite! Yi Yi resolved to seize the initiative. Before Jiang Wan Ning could speak, she reached for her wrist, smiling as she suggested, "Wan Ning, I didn't finish that story about the host last time. Let me continue." Jiang Wan Ning was caught off guard by Yi Yi's unexpected hand-holding, which seemed intent on staying. Her lips curved upward, finding her voice involuntarily softening sweetly, "Alright, I’ll listen to your story first." Seeing it worked, Yi Yi excitedly began chattering, convinced that Wan Ning genuinely enjoyed listening to her. Meanwhile, Chen Wan, dragged into their room by Jiang Yan Xin, looked up pitifully, "Honey? Did I do something wrong?" Jiang Yan Xin playfully poked Chen Wan's forehead and chuckled, "You tell me, what was that about? We were still at Funan University, and you dared to act up. And you and Yi Yi were standing face to face—why use brainwave communication?" "I understand now, love. Next time, we’ll say everything out loud and won’t use brainwaves in the RV," Chen Wan promised, trying to hug Jiang Yan Xin, hoping to cuddle her wife to sleep. Jiang Yan Xin hummed dismissively and sidestepped her attempt, pinching Chen Wan's ear, "You’re getting cheekier by the day. Here’s the deal: we both have mental abilities. If you can beat me in a mental duel, I’ll let you cuddle." Chen Wan's eyes lit up, nodding eagerly. She was unaware of the gap in their mental strengths, but the excitement of teasing her wife in the mind realm was too tempting to resist! Jiang Yan Xin’s lips curled slightly, her gaze locking onto Chen Wan. With a focused thought, their mental avatars materialized in a pitch-black space. Chen Wan's mental avatar immediately moved to embrace Jiang Yan Xin, but with a swift motion, Jiang Yan Xin easily restrained her. "Love?" Chen Wan’s mental presence seemed bemused. Why was her wife's mental strength so overpowering? To her surprise, Jiang Yan Xin’s mental avatar began removing Chen Wan's clothes. "What’s this for, dear?" Chen Wan asked softly within the mind space. "A sparring match—this method is quite draining physically and helps expand your mental capacity. Don’t worry, I'm doing this for your benefit. Fainting after controlling zombies for a few minutes isn't ideal," Jiang Yan Xin’s mental avatar reassured, gently touching Chen Wan’s face, maintaining an earnest expression while continuing the task. Chen Wan attempted to resist but quickly realized her inner self was like a weakling, no match for her wife's strength, leaving her pliantly at Jiang Yan Xin's mercy. After their mental sparring session, Chen Wan lay sprawled on the bed, her forehead and temples lined with a sheen of virtual sweat. Using her mental powers had been exhausting, leaving her feeling utterly spent. Seeing Chen Wan drenched and worn out, Jiang Yan Xin tenderly wiped her face with a warm cloth. Chen Wan pouted, casting a look of playful grievance at her.