111 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Chen Wan charged forward with a machete in hand, joined by Qin Ke and Yi Yi. Jiang Yan Xin, who was not skilled in close combat, simply pulled out her handgun. She couldn’t fathom why the two alphas and an android would choose to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Did it feel more exhilarating that way? She didn’t quite understand. Her eyes darkened slightly as her gaze passed over to Zhang Qiang, pulling out her own gun. She remembered how she and her child had suffered in that white building, struggling for scarce food and even water, while being verbally abused by this group. If Chen Wan hadn't come, who knew what their fate would have been. Chen Wan was right; these people deserved to die. The red-haired man noted Jiang Yan Xin’s inaction and, recognizing her as an Omega, saw an opportunity. He intended to overpower her first since she was the woman their brother Strong was obsessed with. With that thought, he rushed towards Jiang Yan Xin. Without hesitation, Jiang Yan Xin aimed and fired at him, and he fell immediately. Her marksmanship, enhanced by her mental acuity, was exceptional, almost on par with Chen Wan's, though still a bit shy of Qin Ke’s marksmanship, whose supernatural ability was gun-based. As soon as Jiang Yan Xin fired, Zhang Qiang's men were taken aback. One of them shouted: "Damn! Strong bro, that woman has a gun, everyone be wary of sneak attacks." With a cold chuckle, Jiang Yan Xin reckoned she didn’t need the element of surprise. Chen Wan and her group had already taken down four or five of Zhang Qiang’s men by plowing through them. Chen Wan charged into the crowd with astonishing speed, slashing with her machete before the subordinates had time to react. Her combination of rapid speed and immense strength left four or five others cut down, even hurling one a dozen meters away. Her cheek and pristine T-shirt were stained with blood. Yi Yi was even fiercer; a force to be reckoned with. One man was kicked away by her, and with swift blows, two others lay dead. As for Qin Ke, she had no need for a blade. Zhang Qiang's words had provoked her rage deeply. She climbed on a man's back and strangled him with bare hands. Within minutes, Chen Wan and her group turned the tide. Zhang Qiang found himself with only five men left, including Sun Yue Jie and himself, while Dong Zi was nearly scared to tears by the blood-soaked presence of the three women. "Damn, Strong bro, what are we going to do? Chen Wan and her crew, these women are terrifying," Dong Zi whined, nearly sobbing. "Useless, the lot of you, I have to do it myself." Zhang Qiang tossed his jacket to Dong Zi, "Chen Wan, I swear you’re all looking for death. I was initially thinking about sleeping with your wife, but not anymore. You're all going to die." As he spoke, Zhang Qiang’s shirt tore apart as his skin transformed — from a pale hue to a mottled yellow-black, sprouting fur rapidly. Jiang Yan Xin immediately retaliated, firing three shots; there was no reason to wait for him to finish transforming. Chen Wan and her group, curious as to what would happen, hadn’t acted initially. Once Jiang Yan Xin fired, though, they joined in, realizing there was no benefit in waiting. Dong Zi dodged, pleading, "Sister Chen, we know each other, spare me, I don't want to die!" "If you didn't want to die, why didn't you think about those Omegas you harmed? People like you don't deserve to live." With those words, Chen Wan fired without mercy, and Dong Zi fell dead as well, Sun Yue Jie soon following. Zhang Qiang, struck multiple times during his transformation into a saber-toothed tiger, was bleeding from his stomach and shoulders; one forelimb crippled by Jiang Yan Xin’s shot. He hadn't anticipated that Chen Wan’s group would ignore fair play, attacking him mid-transformation. Fighting through his pain, Zhang Qiang roared, attempting to intimidate Chen Wan’s group. Intrigued, Chen Wan asked Yi Yi beside her: "Is this his ability?" "Looks like his power is beastification, transforming to enhance physical capabilities. Still, he's no match for us," Yi Yi explained casually. Chen Wan nodded and aimed her gun. Zhang Qiang had hoped his transformation would scare them, but seeing no fear on their faces — only determination to attack — he lunged at Chen Wan, his massive claws targeting her face. However, Chen Wan wasn’t an easy mark. With speed and agility boosts, Zhang Qiang's swift movements seemed slow to her. While he lunged fast, she evaded quicker and more nimbly, grabbing Zhang Qiang’s tiger fur and flipping onto his back. Zhang Qiang thrashed desperately, trying to dislodge Chen Wan while continuously roaring. The din he created was irritating, and such noise began attracting hordes of zombies to the salvage company compound. As first-level zombies pressed in, second-level zombies clambered over them, breaching the gate en masse. Zhang Qiang, with a metallic undertone to his voice in beast form, sneered, "Release me or die together. I’ve drawn the zombies, and if you don’t let go, we’ll all perish." Chen Wan chuckled lightly and swung her machete at Zhang Qiang’s tiger neck. Despite his hide’s toughness, Chen Wan's strength allowed her to cut through, albeit with effort. "I choose the other possibility: we live, and you die with the zombies." With those words, she stabbed into the cut she’d made in his neck. Initially, Zhang Qiang struggled, but soon, he lay motionless. Meanwhile, Qin Ke and the others shot at the zombies creeping through the gate. Yet, the constant flow of undead hindered their intention to transport supplies. Jiang Yan Xin withdrew the Greek mythological illustrations from her waistband, flipping to a page and summoning Zeus, god of gods. Initially, she considered summoning the fire god Hephaestus, but with material transport in mind, she refrained from burning the place down. With a simple wave of Zeus's spear, bolts of electricity coursed through the horde, reducing the stench-ridden zombies to charred corpses within seconds. Zeus turned his gaze to Jiang Yan Xin, awaiting further directives. An idea sparked in Chen Wan’s mind. Looking at the RV and then at Jiang Yan Xin, she suggested, “Yan Xin, perhaps Zeus could recharge the RV’s battery? Since he's here, we might as well.” Though their RV primarily harnessed solar power, electricity was used sparingly. If Zeus could charge it, why not take advantage since Yan Xin had summoned him? Qin Ke looked incredulous at Chen Wan — proposing that Zeus recharge an RV was audacious. Yet Jiang Yan Xin found logic in the suggestion, nodding before instructing Zeus, even specifying the current to match the RV’s to avoid damage. Qin Ke was left speechless; one was bold enough to suggest, the other daring enough to act — truly a match made in heaven. Under everyone's watchful gaze, the surreal scene unfolded as Zeus extended his spear to recharge the RV. Half a minute later, the vehicle’s battery banks were fully charged. Zeus glanced at Jiang Yan Xin once more, and upon her signal that there were no further instructions, he began to dissipate. Qin Ke glanced at Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin; both appeared unfazed, showing elegance even in their boldness. Chen Wan smiled at Qin Ke, “How about it? Pretty clever, right? We’re low on fuel, so we’ll switch to electric power.” “Very clever,” Qin Ke conceded, albeit dryly. Such ideas were beyond the scope of ordinary imagination. "Alright, let’s get inside and start moving things," Chen Wan gestured for the group to follow her lead. As Jiang Yan Xin walked beside Chen Wan, she voiced a concern, "By the way, how did Zhang Qiang have powers?" Yi Yi chuckled as she explained, "Fortune favors the bold, while the timid go hungry. I bet he read some apocalypse novels beforehand, learned that the crystal cores have unique properties, and took a gamble by consuming them. Once he noticed his abilities improving post-consumption, he kept eating them. Eventually, he developed superpowers. I imagine there are more like him out there; superpowered individuals are starting to emerge." Chen Wan nodded in agreement, "Especially since consuming these crystal cores in this apocalypse doesn't make you feel unwell. If you eat them long enough and in large enough quantities, you'll eventually gain abilities. Unlike in movies where one needs some trigger or even a zombie bite to develop powers, this apocalypse is much more straightforward." "True, this gives regular people a chance to become superpowered, provided they have the courage to ingest the cores," Yi Yi noted with a nod, then continued, "However, I just scanned the building and there are about seven people inside. They probably saw the commotion downstairs and wisely chose not to rush to their deaths." Chen Wan nodded again, "Let's focus on the task at hand first, move the materials Yan Yan needs, and then check what's going on upstairs. We can't leave any of Zhang Qiang's people behind." Jiang Yan Xin frowned thoughtfully, "There might be victims among them." "That's possible," Chen Wan replied, recalling how those people had forcefully taken Omegas more than once.