127 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Because of the rain, Yi Yi didn't drive very fast. By the time the RV entered the downtown area of Funan City, it was almost noon. Throughout the journey, Chen Wan continuously used the mechanical arm to absorb small cars along the road, and in no time, more than 200 cars had been absorbed. Yi Yi decided to find an outdoor parking lot and drove the RV into an empty parking area. The two of them managed the mechanical arms to continually absorb the cars in the parking lot, and within half an hour, the RV had absorbed more than a thousand vehicles there. After a simple lunch, Yi Yi started the RV again, and this time she drove onto the main road of Funan City, sounding the horn to attract the surrounding zombies to gather. However, strangely enough, the city center, which was supposed to be teeming with zombies, was eerily quiet. After honking twice, Yi Yi sensed something was wrong; it was too silent. At first, they attributed it to the sound of rain, but by now, everyone had noticed something was off. "Let's go quickly," Chen Wan urged. Almost simultaneously, Yi Yi pressed the accelerator to speed toward the outskirts. As the RV continued onward, the sound of rain was joined by the footsteps of something behind them. Yi Yi could scan a 90-meter radius around herself, and now, whatever it was, it was only a few meters away from the RV. "It's a level 3 mutant animal," Yi Yi remarked while driving. "Is it something the RV upgrade needs?" Chen Wan had been worried but thought it might be worth the risk to turn around since it was a level 3 mutant animal. "Yes, it should be a giant mutant dog. Do you want to turn around and deal with it?" Yi Yi continued driving without stopping. "Since it's so hard to come across one, let's turn around," Chen Wan agreed. As they spoke, the RV was equipped with rifles, pistols, and light machine guns. "It's a level 3 mutant dog, and upgrading the RV requires three crystals from level 3 mutant animals. Let's be cautious," Chen Wan briefly explained. As she explained, there was a loud "bang" from behind, and the RV was knocked off course, heading straight toward a building’s first-floor lobby. Yi Yi quickly adjusted the steering wheel, preventing the RV from crashing, but the mutant dog wasn’t about to let Chen Wan and the others off so easily. With a sharp screech, Chen Wan heard Yi Yi in her mind, "The outer skin of the RV is damaged by 3%. This mutant dog's attack power is fierce, so be careful." "Alright," Chen Wan responded mentally, using the mechanical arm at the back of the RV to fend off the mutant dog's attacks. The dog was agile and swift, and in moments it was on the roof, trying to claw through. "Screeech~" Another horrible scraping sound made Chen Wan shiver, and Yi Yi reported again, "The outer skin of the RV is damaged by 5%, attack damage is 8%." As Chen Wan controlled the arms to catch the mutant dog, it leapt to the front of the RV, its massive steel claws aimed at the windshield. If not for the mechanical arm blocking it, the windshield would've been shattered. When Chen Wan tried to grab the giant mutant dog, it swiftly disappeared in front of the RV, heading to its left side. Just as this thought occurred, there was a loud bump on the left side of the RV, throwing it several centimeters sideways, followed by the grating sound of metal claws. Yi Yi reported again, "The outer skin is damaged by 5%, attack damage is 13%." "No, this thing is too fast. Staying in the RV and using mechanical arms won't work; we need to get out," said Chen Wan, who was already grabbing a rifle and a machete to exit. Qin Ke hurriedly equipped a rifle and a light machine gun to join Chen Wan. "Wait, I'm coming too," Jiang Yan Xin stopped them. Though her combat skills weren’t strong, her abilities could prove crucial. Shen Ming Yan also spoke up, "I'll help out too." Chen Wan only hesitated for a moment before opening the door—if they delayed any longer, the RV might become scrap metal. Yi Yi had to stay behind to drive and control the mechanical arms, trying to shake off the mutant dog, but the creature was undeniably fast, consistently dodging captures at the last moment. Chen Wan, first out of the RV, fired two shots at the dog, which deftly evaded them. It now hid on the opposite side of the RV—the creature was as tall as an adult horse, broader and stronger, with its wet white fur marred only by a black spot on its forehead. Its exposed fangs added to its intimidating presence. The dog had grown intelligent, knowing how to evade and strike humans fatally. Rain trickled off its pristine fur as it perked its ears, listening intently to the group's movements. Chen Wan signaled Qin Ke, and they both moved to flank the creature from the front and rear. Unwilling to alert the cunning beast, Chen Wan advanced quietly, her footsteps masked by the rain. The mutant dog shook its head slightly, a smirk appearing on its face. With a gentle push off the ground, it leapt over the RV, aiming at Shen Ming Yan and Jiang Yan Xin. Shen Ming Yan, being a level four zombie, had a keen sense of danger. As the dog attacked, she shoved Jiang Yan Xin, knocking her three to four meters away and narrowly dodging its claws herself. Without her quick reaction, both their hearts might have been ripped out. Chen Wan and Qin Ke, recovering from their shock, turned to help. But the dog had already bounded into a corner of the RV. Jiang Yan Xin sustained a three-centimeter gash on her leg. Helping her up, Chen Wan inquired, "How's your leg?" "I'm fine, but we need to track the mutant dog," she replied. Ignoring the superficial cut, Jiang Yan Xin picked up her fallen sketchbook and quickly decided on her next summon. Mutant animals differed from zombies because their meat was edible. If she summoned Zeus, the creature might just turn to ashes. Instead, she summoned the God of War, Ares. Ares, a blonde man wielding a spear, appeared alongside a hunting dog. A gryphon circled overhead, poised to attack, swiftly targeting the mutant dog hidden behind the RV. Sensing imminent danger, the dog fled towards the RV's front, unaware that a hunting dog lay in ambush there. Although smaller, the hunting dog’s powerful leap slowed the mutant dog, giving Ares the opportunity to strike with his spear. Perceiving the threat, the dog evaded the fatal blow but was soon captured by the RV’s mechanical arms, imprisoning it despite its struggles. The dog's growls turned into subdued whimpers as it glimpsed a cub cradled by Ye Lan inside the RV. Seeing Ares’s spear poised to strike, it whimpered pitifully, its body shrinking to the size of a regular Samoyed. With the change in size, the mechanical arms tightened their grip on the dog, whose cries grew more desperate, as if aware of its impending death. Seeing this, Chen Wan called out, "Wait a moment, why is it crying?" Upon hearing Chen Wan's words, Jiang Yan Xin stopped Ares' actions. Her mental stamina had improved significantly, so she wasn't overly concerned about the few minutes they might lose. Seeing that the impending spear strike hadn't come, the mutant dog let out a small whimper of hope. Teary-eyed, it turned to Chen Wan, softly howling with a pleading tone rather than a threatening one. The mutant dog then craned its neck towards a car behind a large roadside tree, howling plaintively, clearly indicating something over there. Puzzled by the dog's behavior, Jiang Yan Xin suggested, "Why don't we let it down and see?" Initially, when the mutant dog was large and intimidating, she hadn't considered this, but now it looked like a Samoyed with a black marking on its forehead. Considering their numbers and with Ares present, there was no fear of the dog trying any tricks. "Alright, let's see what it's up to," Chen Wan nodded, and with a mental command to Yi Yi, the mechanical arms released the dog. The creature ran over to Chen Wan, rubbing its wet head against her leg in a surprisingly affectionate manner. After nuzzling Chen Wan, the dog moved on to Jiang Yan Xin, and upon seeing the wound on her leg, it whimpered apologetically, seemingly trying to convey a sense of regret. Then, the mutant dog gently tugged on Chen Wan’s pants. Startled, Chen Wan nearly fired her weapon, but the animal's bright, imploring eyes stopped her. Instead, the creature pulled her towards the tree, its wagging tail spinning like a propeller. Chen Wan tugged her pants up slightly, worried it might inadvertently get pulled down. The dog eagerly tugged Chen Wan along and, upon reaching the tree, let go. It barked twice and dashed to a parked car. With its jaws, it opened the rear door and dragged out a large plastic box, laying it on the ground. It alternated between biting the box's edge and nudging it with its head toward Chen Wan and the others. Watching this, Chen Wan found herself charmed by the dog's antics. Unaware of Chen Wan's thoughts, the mutant dog finally dragged the box over. Everyone peered inside and saw it was covered with a thick layer of clothes. The dog used its mouth to pull aside the black clothing, revealing three white, fluffy balls underneath. Drizzled with rain, the fluffy pups perked up, visibly agitated. Seeing their mother nearby and so many people around, they mistakenly assumed their mother was being bullied and transformed angrily. In moments, they became wolves the size of their mother moments earlier, with sharp fangs and claws, albeit smaller due to their young age. Realizing its pups misunderstood, the mother dog saw that Chen Wan and the others raised their guns again. It quickly nuzzled back to Chen Wan’s leg, pleading. The three pups exchanged glances and returned to their fluffy forms, understanding their mother trusted these people. Perhaps dogs naturally felt a closeness to humans, as these three tailswagged and cozied up to Chen Wan’s legs, with adorable little howls of delight. Chen Wan looked down at the fluffy pups, sighing, "Four level 3 mutant beasts... It’s rare to encounter this many, but their babies are still young, maybe even younger than Yang Yang. Let’s just let them go." Qin Ke nodded in agreement. The mutant dog hadn't truly harmed them, and the pups were too small—they wouldn’t survive long without their mother. Chen Wan patted the big mutant dog’s head, saying, "Okay, no more of that. Take your pups and go. We won’t take your crystals." She lightly pushed the dog as a sign to leave. The dog froze for a moment, then stood still. While the dire situation had kept her distracted before, Chen Wan now realized how itchy and painful her skin felt—possibly from the acidic rain. She called out, "Let's get back in the RV. This rain is uncomfortable; we need to wash it off quickly. If anyone feels unwell, find some ointment when we return." Jiang Yan Xin dismissed Ares and joined the others in heading back. Worried about her wound, Chen Wan held Jiang Yan Xin by the wrist, asking, "How’s your leg? Still hurt?" "The wound's shallow, I'm fine. It just stings from the rain. I’ll be okay once we’re back," Jiang Yan Xin reassured her with a smile. Shen Ming Yan also checked on Jiang Yan Xin’s injury, apologizing, "Sorry, I used too much force when I pushed you." Jiang Yan Xin shook her head with a smile, "I should be thanking you. Without your help, I might not be here now." Thinking of the harrowing encounter, Chen Wan briefly doubted her decision. Jiang Yan Xin seemed to sense Chen Wan's thoughts and reassured her, "We didn't know them until a fight, and it’s understandable to let them go; it has three little ones." Just then, they heard the footsteps of four dogs behind them, along with playful whimpers—the white, flower-speckled dogs had come after them again!