132 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Dr. Wang, seated in the vehicle, couldn't stay put as he watched the four living Level 3 mutant animals on the ground. He got out and stood beside General Lu, while You Jian remained by the General's side without offering Dr. Wang an umbrella. "You young folks, we're all on the same side; let's not act rashly. General Lu means well. You're heading south, likely to the survivor base in Qingji City, right? Traveling together provides mutual support. Your pets are quite charming. May I take a closer look?" Dr. Wang was intrigued by the obedient dogs sitting by Chen Wan's side and moved as if he wanted to pet them. Chen Wan's patience had reached its limit. "We saved your lives, yet you continuously provoke us. Don't hold us accountable for what happens next." Before Chen Wan's words could settle, Qin Ke had already fired her gun. Dr. Wang fell to the ground, unaware of what transpired even in his last moments. "Captain, Dr. Wang is dead," Li Xiang exclaimed, raising his gun towards Chen Wan's group. You Jian, next to General Lu, reacted in kind, but Chen Wan closed in swiftly. With a deft twist of her left hand, she seized You Jian's gun, and with a forceful punch from her right, struck his chest with full strength. The resounding impact sent You Jian flying in a parabolic arc, landing several meters away. Simultaneously, Yi Yi had already snatched the gun from Li Xiang's hands, delivering a kick to his chest while also pulling the trigger on Zhan Feng. General Lu was in full panic mode, pleading as he saw Qin Ke's gun aimed at him. "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll give you whatever you want. Just spare my life..." He never finished his plea as he fell to the ground. Shen Ming Yan hadn't even had a chance to make a move before it was all over. The soldier sitting in the driver's seat witnessed the scene and immediately attempted to flee in the vehicle. Qin Ke raised her rifle, taking the soldier's life instantly. The military vehicle came to a halt amidst the torrential rain. The provocateur was General Lu, but none of the squad could be allowed to survive; leaving any survivors posed a threat to themselves. Thus, Chen Wan and her companions opted for a swift resolution. If they hadn't taken action, these people would have already met their end. "Why do some insist on courting disaster? Let's leave them be and get to work on the octopus," Chen Wan sighed. She didn't relish violence against ordinary people, but provocations left her no choice. The four of them, accompanied by their dogs, returned to the octopus's location. The area was deserted except for Chen Wan's group. Yi Yi retrieved a large refrigerated truck from their storage, making it appear next to the octopus. The truck had a maximum capacity of ten tons. Chen Wan assessed the giant octopus, calculating that without its head, organs, and bones, there was easily over ten tons of meat. Transporting it all was impossible; towing two trucks would compromise the RV's mobility and safety. Chen Wan drove over one of the military vehicles, flattened the front seats, and let Hua Hua and the others inside. They washed the octopus meat with clean water from the RV reserve, then brought it into the vehicle for Hua Hua and the others to eat. The mutant beasts were voracious and could withstand hunger, but they couldn't take all the octopus meat, so it was better to feed the dogs. The dogs waited obediently for Chen Wan to distribute the food, their tails wagging as they ate. Once the dogs were fed, Chen Wan continued with the meat cutting. As the rain slowly ceased, it took them four more hours to finish cutting the better parts of the octopus. Meanwhile, Chen Wan kept washing the meat with clean water for the dogs. With the rain finally stopping, Jiang Yan Xin and Jiang Wan Ning joined in to help. Due to the acid rain, Chen Wan feared the octopus meat would spoil in the refrigerated truck without washing, so she and Yi Yi focused on transporting while Jiang Yan Xin and the others handled cleaning with the water hose from the RV. Fortunately, they were near a large river by the bridge, so even with extensive use of clean water, they could replenish from the river. If necessary, Jiang Yan Xin could also materialize the Water Spirit to fill their tanks. Beneath the RV, six young people busily worked. Jiang Yan Xin had Zeus out to charge the refrigerated truck's battery and the RV's as well. Zeus looked at Jiang Yan Xin, hesitant but ultimately kept quiet, accustomed to his charging duties by now. Qin Ke showed less reaction this time. The last time at the recycling company, Jiang Yan Xin had shocked Qin Ke by having Zeus charge their vehicles, but she was used to it now. Moving the octopus meat and washing it took another two and a half hours for Chen Wan and Yi Yi. The dogs were lying with their bellies up, thoroughly stuffed. With so much meat, they had eaten more than they could handle, content and snoozing atop the military vehicles. Finally, by 3 PM, the refrigerated truck was filled to capacity with ten tons of octopus meat. Chen Wan activated the truck's cooling system to ensure the meat wouldn't spoil quickly and had Yi Yi drive the RV ahead of the refrigerated truck. Chen Wan secured the large truck with a towing rope to the RV. Concerned it might not hold the ten-ton load, she gathered more ropes from the military vehicles and reinforced the connection, finally feeling reassured. Meanwhile, Qin Ke's group took advantage of the rain's cessation to gather supplies from the military vehicles. They discovered a trove of useful items. In the trunk of one vehicle, Qin Ke found a box of rifle bullets and several rifles. The firearms were brand new and of excellent quality, so she brought them back to the RV, considering storing them in her and Shen Ming Yan's room if space ran out, as such items would be scarce in the future. It was uncertain how long it would take humanity to resume production. Jiang Yan Xin discovered some items in Dr. Wang's former vehicle. In the back seat, she found one large and one small box. Opening the smaller one, she saw various liquids in test tubes, with no labels indicating their contents. Uncertain of their use, she set it aside and opened the larger box. Upon seeing its contents, Jiang Yan Xin paused before calling Chen Wan over. "Chen Wan, you should see this. The box is filled with Level 2 zombie crystals." Chen Wan joined her, estimating there were about five hundred crystals. "This must have been for Dr. Wang's research. Might as well make use of them." "Hua Hua," Chen Wan called to the dogs, who bumbled over with their bellies full, affectionately climbing onto Chen Wan's jeans with dark paws. Noticing her white jeans were beyond saving, she reached into the box for some crystals to feed the dogs. They backed away, too full to take another bite. Previously in Funan City, Da Hua often worried about feeding the puppies. The scarcity of zombies made it hard to find enough crystals for her and them. But since following their new owner, they were rarely short of food. The enormous octopus had yet to be digested, and they couldn't eat anymore. Jiang Yan Xin tugged at Chen Wan, "Let's let Hua Hua rest a bit. We can give them the crystals later tonight." Chen Wan nodded. "Alright, we'll feed them later." "The small box is full of test tubes, but we have no idea what's inside," Jiang Yan Xin said, showing Chen Wan the opened box. "Considering they're Dr. Wang's possessions, it's best to leave them. If they're dangerous, it would be a significant loss," Chen Wan replied, setting the box aside to explore other vehicles. Eventually, they found two cases of army luncheon meat, a case of eight-treasure porridge, and two cases of compressed biscuits, all of which Chen Wan took back. Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning found three bulletproof vests in another military vehicle—something they hadn't found before—and two specially made machetes that seemed far superior to those they'd acquired from the recycling company. They had gone through nine machetes and three firefighter axes cutting the octopus. Yi Yi and Jiang Wan Ning brought all the newly found items back as well. Chen Wan and her three companions hurried back to their RV and headed straight to their respective rooms for a shower. They had been drenched in rain for most of the day, and despite the rain ceasing, their skin still itched. Once they were clean, Jiang Yan Xin and Jiang Wan Ning took the dogs for their baths, starting with Da Hua. Da Hua's normally pristine white fur was smeared with ink-like grime. Jiang Yan Xin had her sit obediently in a large tub, where she remained calm as Jiang Yan Xin and Jiang Wan Ning lathered her with plenty of shampoo, washing her fur thoroughly. The soap bubbles were pitch black, and it took five washes with fresh water each time to turn Da Hua back into a fluffy, white puff. Afterward, Shen Ming Yan blow-dried Da Hua’s fur until she looked like her usual self again. After her bath, Da Hua wanted to cuddle with her little pup, which made Chen Wan anxious. She quickly embraced Da Hua. "Sweetheart, go play with Xiao Taiyang for a bit. Wait until Hua Hua and the others are all squeaky clean before you cuddle them, or all that washing will be wasted." With that, Chen Wan placed Da Hua next to Zai Zai. The little creature was eager to play with the dogs, burying its tiny face into Da Hua's fur. Delighted, Da Hua lay on the ground, letting Zai Zai lounge on her as if she were a soft pillow. Chen Wan watched Da Hua with a complicated expression, feeling as if Da Hua regarded Xiao Taiyang as her own pup too!