117 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Ye Lan watched the six children who were about to get off the car and gave them a few more reminders before seeing them off. After several days of observation, Jiang Zhao Yuan had a good sense of Chen Wan and the others' combat abilities. Reassuring her, he said, "There's no need to worry. The kids are capable. We just need to manage things at home well for their return. Come, let's take Yang Yang to the sunroom and water the plants. I see the vegetables we planted have grown quite a bit." "Alright, after watering, let's prepare food. How about making some water-fried buns? We'll make two types of fillings, and one special for Wan Ning." Ye Lan, comforted by her husband's words, thought it over. It seemed the children's skills were indeed greater than she had imagined. Previously, when Ye Lan was at the base, she hadn't encountered many zombies, so she was terrified when she did. However, seeing Yi Yi and Chen Wan facing zombies as calmly as if they were cabbages—they weren't scared at all and even honked the horn to lure zombies out to run them over—Ye Lan had gotten used to it. Watching the kids like that, she found she was no longer as afraid of zombies. Elsewhere, Chen Wan, wielding a machete, was the first to enter the mall. Among the group, it was Jiang Wan Ning and Shen Ming Yan who found the experience novel—they were joining Chen Wan and the others for the first time, unlike the rest who were seasoned veterans. Chen Wan took a look around; the supermarket in this mall was on the first floor, which meant the view was open. Now, in the morning with ample sunlight, the inside didn't seem dark at all—saving them a lot of effort. At this time, there were only a few scattered zombies inside. Spotting some people at the entrance, they converged toward Chen Wan and the group but came to a halt some ten steps away, their gaze fixed on Shen Ming Yan. One zombie even trembled slightly when Shen Ming Yan's eyes met its own. "You can try using the crystal core's power to communicate with them," Yi Yi suggested beside Shen Ming Yan, also giving her a chance to exercise her combat ability. Focusing her psychic strength, Shen Ming Yan activated the power of her level-four crystal core. Indeed, she discovered she could communicate with the surrounding zombies without speaking, even issuing certain commands through coercion. For example, Shen Ming Yan instructed these zombies to back off, and surprisingly, the five or six zombies obediently retreated to a distance. Shen Ming Yan, somewhat surprised, said, "They really seem to be following my commands?" "Of course, it's level suppression. The highest level among them is only level 2, with some at level 1. They wouldn't dare provoke you," Yi Yi laughed. "Alright, let's head to the supermarket on the first floor and loot while we still have time. Let's try to gather all the useful things before nightfall," Chen Wan suggested with a smile. She wasn't sure why, but every time they looted supplies, it made her very happy. Perhaps filling a small warehouse brought a unique sense of fulfillment and security. "You all go ahead. I'll handle these zombies with Wan Ning," Yi Yi gestured to Chen Wan and the others, signaling for them to proceed. She then took out a gun and began carefully explaining to Jiang Wan Ning, "This is the magazine. When reloading, you can remove it like this, and then put it back after reloading. This is the safety; it must be off to fire, and for safety, close it after use. Align your sight with this front sight for aiming. I'll guide you through a shot now so you can get a feel for it." Jiang Wan Ning nodded. Despite Yi Yi's typical unreliability in the RV, she was dependable in situations like this. Standing behind Jiang Wan Ning, Yi Yi held her hand as they aimed at a nearby zombie, pulling the trigger. With a crisp "bang," the bullet struck the zombie's forehead, and it fell instantly. Yi Yi released Jiang Wan Ning's hand, looking into her eyes, "Your turn." "Okay." Though Jiang Wan Ning was no stranger to zombies, doing it herself made her somewhat nervous. Holding the gun with both hands, Jiang Wan Ning took a deep breath and fired, but her nervousness caused her hand to tremble, and the first shot missed, hitting a metal shelf beside a zombie. The noise caused the six zombies to rush toward Yi Yi and her. Calmly, Yi Yi took the gun from Jiang Wan Ning and fired five shots in quick succession, dropping five zombies, leaving one standing, clearly more intelligent—a second level zombie. Yi Yi reloaded the bullets and handed the gun back to Jiang Wan Ning, "The last one is yours." Jiang Wan Ning took the gun, inhaled deeply, and aimed at the zombie, firing and hitting its shoulder, spraying dark purple blood. Gritting her teeth, she thought of how extraordinary everyone was. Even without special abilities or skills, she had to at least protect herself and not be a burden. In the apocalypse, fear was the least useful emotion. With this in mind, Jiang Wan Ning fired a few more times, finally taking down the zombie with the fourth shot. Yi Yi noticed Jiang Wan Ning's nervousness and comforted her, "It's normal to be nervous the first time. It'll get better next time. Lock the safety and let's go help with the supplies." Jiang Wan Ning, with sweat on her brow, carefully secured the safety and put away the gun before following Yi Yi into the supermarket. Yi Yi took Jiang Wan Ning's wrist, feeling its coolness, and reassured her, "Once you've overcome this hurdle, you won't be as nervous next time. Don't be afraid; you've got me." She held Jiang Wan Ning's hand, warming it in hers. "Yeah, I know. I'm just not used to it, but I'll work hard and won't drag everyone down," Jiang Wan Ning looked at Yi Yi determinedly. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Yi Yi leaned in and kissed Jiang Wan Ning on the cheek, "You’re not a burden. You're doing great. Don't be upset." Blushing fiercely, Jiang Wan Ning pushed Yi Yi away, "We're still outside, you know! You're too much." "Alright, then I'll kiss you more tonight when we're done," Yi Yi teased, hoping to cheer her up. Jiang Wan Ning, ears red, broke free and dashed off to join Jiang Yan Xin and the others. The small town's mall remained mostly intact, with many resources untouched, especially the packaged goods in abundance. They began raiding the food section first. Chen Wan and others paired up, filling large bags with items, with Jiang Wan Ning and Yi Yi joining in. Chen Wan swept a row of shelves clean, tossing bagged items like wood ear mushrooms, white fungus, and vermicelli into her bag. She also discovered several large bags of seaweed that she packed as well. These items could be rehydrated for a meal, providing a bit of vitamin supplement and far more nutrition than consistently eating instant noodles. Meanwhile, Jiang Yan Xin was in the sauce packet area, methodically removing and bagging a variety of seasonings. The shelves were stocked with barbecue seasoning, curry, fish stew, hotpot, and spicy hotpot packets. She knew these items might become rare delicacies a few years into the apocalypse, so she even took all the salt and sea salt from the shelves. Together, Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning began transporting bags of flour and rice. Despite the hot August weather, many of these goods were securely vacuum-packed, reducing the risk of infestation. For added efficiency, Yi Yi found a large cart from the storage room, pulling two out for herself, with Jiang Wan Ning maneuvering one, making transport much easier for Chen Wan and the others. They started with bulk items before placing individual packaged items on top to haul more each trip. Qin Ke and Shen Ming Yan loaded every tin of corn oil, peanut oil, canola oil, sesame oil, and olive oil onto their cart. With the cart full of neatly stacked grains like a small hill, Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning began pulling it toward the RV. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin managed the mixed grains and boxes of spices, anticipating that items such as soy sauce and vinegar might one day become luxurious apocalypse commodities. Everyone tirelessly transported goods from the grain and oil section, taking about seven to eight trips to clear out all packaged items. Some loose items like scattered rice, sugar, which could have been exposed to zombie contamination, were left behind to avoid any risk. The space in their compressed storage left over from storing steel parts for Yan Yan was ample after an upgrade, providing plenty of room for more supplies. After Chen Wan and her group finished sweeping through the grain and oil section, they moved on to the household goods area. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin handled the transport of items like toilet paper, sanitary products, and tissues. Meanwhile, Qin Ke and Shen Ming Yan loaded up the carts with all the personal care items they could find. Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning focused on laundry detergent and toothpaste. There wasn't much on the shelves, so it didn't take many trips for them to clear out this section. Next, they moved to the snacks, milk, and beverages section. They found plenty of packaged biscuits and long-shelf-life chips that were still edible, and Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin tossed any intact packaging items they found into the cart. Yi Yi and her team gathered long-shelf-life yogurt and milk, discovering numerous cans of powdered milk and instant tea and lotus powder, and added all these to their haul. Qin Ke and Shen Ming Yan transported mineral water and juices, knowing that these might become rare finds in the future. With fewer items left on Chen Wan's side, they went over to help Qin Ke, focusing on beverages. But with so many drinks, they couldn't carry them all and had to save space for clothes and bedding. Ultimately, they only selected their favorite drinks to take. After five or six rounds of transportation, they commenced the final sweep. Yi Yi and her group loaded all the women's and men's underwear onto the vehicle, grabbing any clothes they saw, along with face towels, small towels, and other consumables. Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin picked up five or six hot water kettles, and grabbed new cutting boards, basins, cups, chopsticks, and sets of bowls. Qin Ke and her team found many pajamas in the clothing section and even collected plenty of plush toys for Zai Zai. They spent over four hours transporting just the supermarket goods, without even taking time for lunch. It was Ye Lan who had to call them back for food after it was prepared, insisting they come eat first. Seeing their condition, Ye Lan quickly poured water for them, "Sit down and eat, take a break. The supplies aren’t going anywhere. Don’t overwork yourselves to exhaustion; you're all drenched in sweat." Chen Wan smiled and reassured her, "It's alright, Mom. We're not tired. As long as there are things to carry, we're happy. We'll continue after eating." After quickly freshening up in the restroom, they sat down for lunch. The table had juice they'd just brought back, and Zai Zai was happily munching on a beef-water-fried bun with a full cup of juice in front of him, his little face lit up with delight.