129 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Yi Yi pressed down on the accelerator, and the RV slowly drove into the misty rain, accompanied by the pitter-patter of raindrops. The city felt unsettlingly quiet, as if the Busan City base had never existed. Yi Yi planned to drive southward through Busan, and after crossing four cities, she would reach the economic and political center, Jing City. She thought the journey was long enough that she might gather three Level 3 mutant animal crystal cores. If not, Jing City was bound to have plenty of survivors, and she might be able to trade for them. She shared her thoughts with Chen Wan, who agreed with her plan. With their decision made, Yi Yi gradually increased their speed. The sky grew brighter bit by bit, yet the distant view remained shrouded in fog, and the rain intensified. After breakfast, Zai Zai played with the dogs on a mat on the floor, while Chen Wan and the others held a short meeting around the small table. "We'll head towards Jing City next. Collecting Level 2 zombie crystal cores is relatively easy. It should only take a few days to gather enough. However, Level 3 mutant animal crystal cores are hard to come by. If we can't find any, we might be able to trade for them once we reach Jing City. After all, it's the capital, and there's bound to be a trading market there," Chen Wan explained. "Okay, wherever you go, we'll follow," Qin Ke was the first to respond. "Alright, that's settled. Once the RV is upgraded again, we can find a safe small village to settle in. But for now, it's not possible. Look at the continuous rain outside. If it continues for a few more days, there's a risk of flooding. Once these cities' sewer systems are completely clogged, the consequences are unthinkable. Even if the RV is safe, if we're submerged, there won't be much we can do. We must upgrade first to ensure our safety," Chen Wan elaborated. Ye Lan gazed at the rain outside, feeling uneasy. "Chen Wan, do you think we'll be okay?" "We will, Mom. As long as we can upgrade the RV soon, we won't have too many problems," Chen Wan reassured her, though unease lingered in her heart as she watched the pouring rain. She moved to the front passenger seat beside Yi Yi, observing the road ahead. Along their journey, they had already dealt with over two hundred zombies. After driving for another half an hour, they suddenly heard gunshots ahead, followed by loud crashes and splashes. Due to the gloomy weather and their distance from the bridge, Chen Wan couldn't see clearly. "There seem to be people ahead. Let's go have a look," Chen Wan said. They needed to cross the bridge to take the mountain road to Jeolla, so they had no choice but to pass through. Yi Yi continued driving forward, stopping when they were still some distance from the bridge. They could now clearly see the commotion ahead: five military vehicles parked by the bridge. The bodies of many soldiers lay on both sides of the bridge, and four or five remaining soldiers anxiously watched the wide river as if fearing something within it. Chen Wan noticed through the glass the presence of four people in the middle military vehicle, one of whom was not in military uniform, implying they might be an important civilian figure. As she observed, they heard splashing sounds from the river. Moments later, a massive creature leaped out of the water, launching an attack on the five military vehicles. One soldier threw his gun aside, wielding a military knife and charging towards the giant octopus. Although he managed to slice a portion of one of its legs, the octopus swung him far away. Meanwhile, zombies kept gathering, and the soldiers had to simultaneously fend off the octopus and shoot at the zombie horde to protect the central vehicle. "That octopus just now is a Level 3 mutant animal," Yi Yi remarked. "Good, I didn't expect to encounter another Level 3 mutant animal so quickly," Chen Wan said with delight. There were also plenty of zombies nearby, meaning they could collect enough Level 2 zombie crystal cores. Yi Yi adjusted the RV's direction and accelerated into the cluster of zombies. The sound of "bang, bang, bang" reverberated as densely packed Level 2 zombies were hit before they could dodge. The zombies were either knocked away by the RV or flung by its mechanical arms. Along the path, a hundred zombies had ceased moving. "Captain, who are those people? Can we ask them for help?" a soldier asked. "Their vehicle is interesting, with a mechanical arm in the front, but it's just an RV equipped with some weapons. This creature is a Level 3 mutant entity. Even I, a Level 1 strength-type ability user, can only chip away at it, and I was thrown far away. Not to mention the ordinary people inside the vehicle. If the RV gets pulled into the water by the octopus's tentacle, the people inside will be doomed. Let's not involve ordinary people. But it's good they diverted the zombies' attention, allowing us to focus on the octopus," the captain, Zhan Feng, replied. "Alright, Captain, we'll fight this creature to the end," Li Xiang declared, raising his rifle. His squad had dwindled to just the five of them. Yi Yi, seeing they had nearly cleared the zombies, swiftly turned the RV to attack from another angle. Meanwhile, the octopus emerged from the water again. Amid constant gunfire, the rifles barely scratched the octopus. The relentless shooting only angered it further. It swung a tentacle, dragging a soldier into the river, leaving him lifeless. Zhan Feng, seeing another soldier fall victim to the octopus, charged at it with a knife, but his strength-type ability only managed to chip some edges. The octopus continued its slide across the bridge, winding its tentacles around soldiers and flinging them afar, leading to more casualties. Seeing his squad reduced from over twenty to just two, Zhan Feng and Li Xiang were furious. Their squad had always been brave. They received orders to rescue Dr. Wang from Busan City, never expecting the mission to spiral into this chaos. "Captain, there are still two soldiers with Admiral Lu. I'll get them to help," Li Xiang shouted to Zhan Feng. Zhan Feng shook his head. "Tell them to evacuate quickly and find an opportunity to leave. If something happens to Dr. Wang, our mission will truly fail. You go with them; I'll hold off this creature." "Captain, let me stay with you," Li Xiang insisted, but the octopus was already charging at them, forcing them to dodge around the military vehicles. The octopus, enraged at missing them, hurled one military vehicle into the river, then proceeded to the next. The third vehicle, carrying Dr. Wang and his team, attempted to turn but was blocked by two more vehicles. There was no time to reverse. Meanwhile, Chen Wan and her group had nearly finished off the Level 2 zombies. Chen Wan used one of the mechanical arms to hurl a zombie corpse at the octopus, catching its attention. Previously, the octopus hadn't attacked their RV due to the distance. But Chen Wan needed the octopus crystal core for the RV upgrade, so she drew its attention by hitting it with the zombie corpse. The massive octopus, enraged, used the rain-soaked road to slide towards the RV, reaching out with its tentacles to grab it. Despite the RV's significant weight, the octopus lifted it with two tentacles, causing the RV to lose gravity momentarily. Chen Wan skillfully used two mechanical arms to sever the tentacles, and the RV crashed back down, splashing water as Yi Yi reported in real time, "Tire damage: 5%." The RV had been lifted seven to eight meters high. If it were a regular vehicle, the impact would have crushed the tires and maybe even the wheels. The sudden jolt scared Zai Zai, who started crying in Ye Lan's arms. Ye Lan held Zai Zai tightly, comforting him, "Don't be afraid, Yang Yang. We'll be okay. No need to cry." Da Hua, Er Hua, San Hua, and Si Hua glanced at the crying Zai Zai and glared menacingly at the octopus outside. That creature had really crossed the line, scaring their little master to tears. The flowers decided to teach the octopus a lesson. The four dogs, seeing Zai Zai in tears, couldn't stay still inside the RV anymore. They affectionately nudged Chen Wan's leg, seeking attention. Chen Wan glanced at them, asking, "What's wrong? Do you want to go out hunting?" The dog mother nodded its fluffy head and barked a few times. Its little master was scared to tears, and its three puppies were too well-behaved. It needed to teach them how to hunt so they could protect their little master in the future. Chen Wan patted Da Hua's head. "Alright, just be careful out there with the pups." Da Hua nodded and wagged its tail like a propeller, moving with the pups to the RV door, waiting for their owner to let them out. As Chen Wan opened the RV door, the four fluffy balls—one big and three small—instantly expanded several times their size as they jumped out. Each turned into a fearsome mutated dog with fangs and steel claws stretching several inches long. Gone was their adorable demeanor from inside the RV. The mutant dogs bared their fangs and fiercely charged toward the octopus. The steel claws of the mutant dogs scraped against the road, creating a shrill, grating sound. The octopus spotted the sudden appearance of four Level 3 mutant dogs by the RV and instinctively retreated a few steps, using its tentacles to skid backward.