125 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

**Title: Translations of a Wasteland Chapter 125 - Banxia Novel** Chen Wan and Qin Ke took a few steps forward, stopping just three or four steps from the main entrance. From a distance, they glanced at the second door within the warehouse. The entity behind that door seemed to have sensed something, as evidenced by the frantic roars and the grating sound of scratching at the door that followed. Fei Ming and Xu Wan Kun finally realized that there was no way out from within here, feeling somewhat defeated as they stood in place. Xu Wan Kun anxiously asked, "What do we do? If we're in such danger, Hao Jie and the others must be too. We have to save them." "But how can we save anyone when we can't even get ourselves out?" Fei Ming seemed to have lost all his strength, even speaking with a palpable lack of energy. At that moment, Fatty appeared at the window to the left, smiling as he spoke to those inside. "The show is just starting. I'll let you see what your main task is today. Er Dan, have someone open that door inside and give them a surprise." "Alright." Responding to Fatty's instructions, Er Dan, along with a few men, began opening the second warehouse door from the outside. This door was specially modified to be a sliding style, operable only from outside the warehouse. With Er Dan and the others exerting force, the second door gradually opened. Along with the opening door came roars and waves of foul odor. Chen Wan and Qin Ke were all too familiar with the stench. They had encountered these creatures countless times before. However, this time, the smell carried a sharp, nauseating tang that was even more disgusting than anything they had encountered prior. Unable to hold back, Fei Ming and Xu Wan Kun retreated to the corner to vomit out the lunch they had just eaten. Suppressing her nausea, Chen Wan turned her gaze to the entities behind the second door. Attached to heavy iron chains were over a dozen zombies. The warehouse was designed with over twenty thick columns made from reinforced steel and cement. These pillars extended from the floor straight to the ceiling, appearing robust and immovable. Each zombie was secured by a long, thick iron chain to a pillar. The chains were not anchored inside the warehouse but extended through the window to the outside, indicating that their length was adjustable through a device also located outside. The windows on both sides of the warehouse were opened, and Fatty's voice resonated from outside once more. "Chen Wan, aren't you chatty? Well, let's have some of the people inside keep you company." Li Ze Nan, seeing Fatty ready to manipulate the chains, quietly reminded him, "Fatty, Brother Qi said to first scare them a bit so the Omegas and Betas would submit. We weren't supposed to feed the villagers to them yet." "I understand, just loosening the chain a bit to scare them. They're Alpha, right? They'll be scared out of their minds when they see the villagers inside. I know what I'm doing, don't worry." Fatty explained quietly to Li Ze Nan, then instructed his other associates, "Come over here, two of you, give me a hand." It would take more than one person to manage the chains. The chains connected to the zombies inside the warehouse were secured to large iron pillars located outside on both sides of the warehouse. These iron pillars were buried deep within the ground, about seven or eight meters down, with their bases cemented. They were exceptionally long and solidly fixed. With Fatty and two of his associates pulling at the ropes outside, they were only able to control one of the zombies at a time. Loosening the chain on one of the zombies tied to the exterior iron post, Fatty allowed more length into the warehouse. As soon as the male zombie felt less restraint, it immediately dashed towards the fresh human meat. With the harsh sound of the chain dragging against the ground, the male zombie crossed the second door and was within five or six meters of Chen Wan and Qin Ke, roaring with its foul-smelling, bloody mouth wide open. Frightened to death, Fei Ming and Xu Wan Kun pulled at Chen Wan and Qin Ke, dragging them back a few steps. Fei Ming braved his trembling legs, positioning himself in front of Chen Wan and Qin Ke, blocking the zombie. "You should move back—don't be scared. We at least have a bit more strength; standing behind us might be a bit safer." Though his instructions were stuttered, Fei Ming and Xu Wan Kun stood in front of Chen Wan and Qin Ke, teeth gritted, blocking the zombies. Fei Ming yelled at the male zombie like he was trying to psyche himself and his partner up, "We're not afraid of you. Wan Kun, we can handle this zombie. Don't be scared." "I'm not afraid—my wife is still with them; we can't die here," Xu Wan Kun encouraged himself. Fei Ming shouted to Chen Wan and Qin Ke behind him, "If the zombie charges, we'll pin it so it can't move. Find something to finish them off." Hearing Fei Ming's words, Fatty laughed loudly from outside. "No wonder Brother Qi said both of you male Alphas are easier to fool. You're not even trying to escape death but are trying to protect female Alphas? Who do you think you are? Er Dan, grab two people to bring Zhao Shen out. They think they can handle a zombie? What about two? I'll have you know there are over a dozen villagers here, plenty for you to deal with." Er Dan complied, bringing two other guys to release Zhao Shen's chain from the large iron pillar. As they slackened the chain a bit, Zhao Shen, like the male zombie earlier, went berserk and charged at the four living people, getting even closer than before, only three meters from Chen Wan and the others. "Don't be afraid. Once we let fear take over, there's no turning back." Fei Ming shakily reassured Chen Wan and Qin Ke behind him. In the middle of everything, Xu Wan Kun glanced back at Chen Wan and Qin Ke, noticing that the two female Alphas were calmly observing the clawing, snarling zombies, appearing far steadier than him and Fei Ming. Noticing Xu Wan Kun looking her way, Chen Wan coolly advised, "You two should step back too. They must have other plans for keeping us here, otherwise they would have let the chains out long ago for these zombies to feast on us. For the moment, we're probably safe, so no need to get overly worked up." Fei Ming, acknowledging Chen Wan's calm analysis, responded anxiously, "Makes sense, makes sense. So Li Li and the others should be fine too. Stay calm, stay calm. We need to remain calm." Despite his words of calm, Fei Ming was still visibly trembling. Chen Wan's gaze swept past the two zombies to look beyond the second door, observing that the floor seemed soaked with purplish-red blood, the area cluttered with heaps of skeletal remains, filthy and chaotic. Outside, Fatty continued to taunt, "You see inside? Those are human bones, people just like you, turned into meals for our villagers in the warehouse. They don't come often, and the villagers are always hungry—you see, nothing left but bones." "You're monsters, using live humans to feed zombies?" Chen Wan coldly exclaimed to Fatty. "Shut up, they're doing just fine—who would you call zombies? Stop talking nonsense," Fatty hollered back. The two zombies, frustrated by the tantalizing presence of four living beings they couldn't reach, roared incessantly at Chen Wan and her companions. From the start, Chen Wan's expression remained icy. So, it seemed the entire village was in on this plot, intentionally ensnaring travelers who sought refuge. Meanwhile, Han Qi and Zhou Shu had led Shen Ming Yan and the others to the hills at the back, lined with patches of wild vegetables, enough to sustain the village through the summer. Han Qi gestured to the sprawling greens in front of them, smiling as he asked Shen Ming Yan, "Ming Yan, do you remember? We used to come here all the time as kids to pick these wild veggies. Now, it turns out they can actually save lives! You Omegas and Betas will be tasked with gathering these. Anything we can't eat fresh, we'll dry into supplies for winter." Shen Ming Yan simply nodded slightly, not buying into Han Qi's explanation meant to reassure those like Chu Li Li and Hao Jie, who hadn't experienced much hardship in the apocalypse. She had clawed her way up from hell and decided she wouldn't trust anyone outside the people in her RV, nor would she bother with any pretense. Han Qi, noting the lack of interest from Shen Ming Yan and the others—Yi Yi, Jiang Yan Xin, and Jiang Wan Ning all unresponsive—found his performative smile faltering, saved only by Chu Li Li and Hao Jie's willingness to engage. "Drying them is a great idea—preserves veggies and nothing goes to waste. Otherwise, they become inedible when aged," Chu Li Li said, stepping in to fill the conversational gap. Han Qi, relieved to finally have someone engage, relaxed slightly. Then, looking across at them, he said, "You've seen your work area—just here. Chen Wan and the others have been in the warehouse touring for a while. Let's regroup with the four Alphas and head back for some rest. Tomorrow, I'll have someone wake you for the day's work." "Great," Chu Li Li said, already eager to reunite with Fei Ming. Being with her own Alpha gave her peace of mind, especially since she found the stares from the Alphas brought by Han Qi from the village unsettling. "Alright, let's go," Han Qi said with a smile, leading the way. Several times along the path, he attempted to engage Shen Ming Yan and her companions in conversation, yet Shen Ming Yan's responses were either monosyllabic or limited to nods and shakes of her head, making it clear to anyone that she had no interest in interacting with him. Han Qi clenched his teeth, thinking that soon, they wouldn't have a choice; they might even beg him to release them. As Han Qi fell silent, Chu Li Li began to feel apprehensive. She reached out to Hao Jie beside her, noticing that Hao Jie's expression also showed discomfort. By then, they had reached close proximity to the warehouse. Han Qi pointed towards it, "There it is, that's where Chen Wan and the others are." Meanwhile, a half-height barbed barricade had been set up in front of the warehouse entrance, intended to prevent those inside from escaping once the doors were opened. There were several Alphas from the village stationed nearby as well. People from the village were gradually gathering around the warehouse, either ready to claim a share or to watch the ensuing spectacle. Among those gathered were individuals who had previously endured similar experiences. Their Alphas had been fed to the zombies by the villagers, leading some of the Omegas to commit suicide due to the humiliation, while others were forced to submit in order to survive. Those who had stayed in the village for a month or two had absorbed some of the village's twisted atmosphere. They believed that because their Alphas had been killed, these newcomers should suffer the same fate. They felt these Alphas deserved to die, and that the Omegas should, like them, be distributed among the old bachelors of the village. Seeing the growing crowd outside the warehouse, Chu Li Li became increasingly uneasy. Unable to contain herself, she cautiously asked Han Qi, "Village chief, why is there such a crowd at the warehouse entrance? What's going on?" "Oh, this afternoon, we'll be heading to the mountains to chop wood for drying. In the apocalypse, we have to prepare for everything early. For heating in winter, we'll rely on this wood. Let’s go over quickly; once we finish, I need to lead the team up the mountains," Han Qi explained convincingly, his demeanor unchanged, clearly showing that he was well-acquainted with orchestrating such affairs. Shen Ming Yan looked at this once-familiar person, but the village now seemed increasingly alien to her.