144 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

The Farewell After saying goodbye to a few children, Chen Wan and her group returned to Wei Si Yu's place to inquire with some members of the security team about any nearby spots where they could find Level 3 mutated animals. They also asked if there were any zoos or parks in the vicinity of Jeolla City. A security team member, who had been stationed at the base for some time, mentioned, “There is a park to the west of Jeolla City, but it's not very large—more of a decorative park. It used to have some animals, but with the chaos of the apocalypse, who knows if they're still there? You might want to try Qingji City. I heard there's an unofficial auction site there where a lot of scarce resources are auctioned daily. Since the organizers pay a significant amount to the local military, it's protected by Qingji City's forces.” Chen Wan nodded, “Alright, thanks. We'll have a look around. If we can't find anything, we'll try our luck at that auction.” “No problem, it's just some hearsay I picked up around the base.” The security team member replied with a smile. After gathering the needed information and helping Wei Si Yu organize the base's list of names, Chen Wan said, “Things have settled down here, so we’re leaving tomorrow.” Wei Si Yu understood that Chen Wan and her group had other priorities. She sighed and replied, “Please be careful. If you finish your task, you are welcome to come back and settle at the base. Rest assured, I won’t treat the base like personal property as the Ming brothers did. Everyone should have a good life.” “I know, you're not like them,” Chen Wan smiled. That evening, Chen Wan and her companions packed up, preparing to leave early the next morning. Recent intermittent rains worried Chen Wan, as she hoped the weather would be manageable when they set out. The greenhouse's vegetables and fruits had matured dramatically; Chen Wan gasped at the sight of the various vegetables and fruits growing inside, much like they did before the apocalypse. Cai Cai was especially excited by the watermelons, pointing at them with his little hands, “Mommy, look, melons!” “I see them, darling. We’ll have some after dinner,” Chen Wan assured Cai Cai, as she reached for a watermelon to pacify him. Cai Cai caressed the watermelon, beseeching Chen Wan with his tiny hands. For dinner, they prepared a hotpot with tomato and butter bases, cutting up quite a bit of octopus, beef, along with cabbage, lettuce, and soaked sweet potato noodles—ingredients they hadn’t had in a long time. Cai Cai's little bowl was heaped with beef, octopus, and lettuce leaves, accompanied by a cup of orange juice. He happily gobbled up his food and even enjoyed the leafy greens! Chen Wan and her company tossed the octopus into the butter base, while beef went into the tomato broth since Jiang Wan Ning avoided beef, so they kept it to one pot. The cabbage was thoroughly washed as they were really deprived of vegetables. Chen Wan, tasting a piece of cabbage from the butter base, felt sky-high delight. Sweet potato noodles softened in the tomato broth were paired with large chunks of beef; Chen Wan devoured a big bowl, thrilled by the indulgence. Qin Ke and the others similarly ate with gusto, emptying the octopus and beef. They finally cooked some noodles for everyone to share. After the hearty meal, Chen Wan cut up the watermelon from the greenhouse. They shared it, giving Cai Cai a special small bowl with little pieces. Cai Cai gently scooped the melon into his mouth with his spoon. Snuggling in Chen Wan’s arms before bed, Cai Cai asked, “Will there be more melon tomorrow, Mommy?” “Of course, my sweetie. You'll have melon every day,” Chen Wan said, cuddling Cai Cai and kissing his cheek, which elicited endless joy from him. Cai Cai grinned even in sleep, happy at the thought of more melon. Watching Cai Cai drift into slumber, Chen Wan and Jiang Yan Xin finally tore their gaze away. Leaning against Chen Wan, Jiang Yan Xin pondered, “I wonder if we’ll manage to find the third Level 3 mutated animal crystal. Tomorrow it'll be back to the grind.” “We’ll find it eventually. Once we’ve increased our strength enough, we can settle somewhere temporarily. Or, we could return to Wei Si Yu,” Chen Wan comforted her softly. In the apocalypse, no one can promise guaranteed safety. People journey onward purely by instinct. Chen Wan often marveled at how much she had faced recently, yet this is what the apocalypse naturally presents. The Departure Early the next morning, Chen Wan bid farewell to Wei Si Yu and the others. Ban Zhang and Li Yue also came to see them off. Chen Wan smiled at them, “Alright, go back now. It’s not like we won't see each other again. Take care of yourselves.” Waving at them, Chen Wan was the last to step into the RV. With reddening eyes, Li Yue called after them, “Sister, we’ll all work hard!” Chen Wan turned back, waved goodbye, and stepped onto the RV. Yi Yi drove around the nearby park in Jeolla City, only to find it chaotic; the once-caged small animals had disappeared. Using her scanning function, Yi Yi searched the area but detected no sign of animals, only some Level 2 zombies. “There are no Level 3 mutated animals here. Let's search elsewhere,” Yi Yi said, turning the vehicle toward Qingji City. “Alright, let’s search as we go,” Chen Wan agreed from the front passenger seat. Heading south of Jeolla City, they encountered and dealt with a few dozen zombies, absorbing more than a hundred small vehicles idling on the streets, plus three large trucks. But they saw no mutated animals. Admitting defeat, they decided to take a chance at the auction in Qingji City, as the guard had advised. By noon, having eaten a simple meal, they noticed the sky darkening again; raindrops began to fall steadily. Yi Yi, frowning, drove on, thinking the rain seemed increasingly peculiar, sometimes lasting one or two days, yet even when it stopped, the sky remained heavily clouded. After another two hours of driving, they finally reached Qingji City. To Chen Wan’s surprise, an armed checkpoint guarded the entrance with approximately fifty armed personnel—military, by the looks of it. As their RV approached the checkpoint, they were stopped by a leading soldier who saluted and explained, “Everyone in the vehicle needs to be inspected before entering. There's a survivor base in Qingji City, and the zombies and mutated animals inside have been cleared. It's safe, but we must thoroughly check all outsiders. Please cooperate.” Unprepared for an inspection, Chen Wan replied, “You can see everything from the windows of the RV. It’s not easy to clean. You can glance from the stairs; I’ll open the door to the bathroom.” “Alright, what’s in the truck behind? It also needs checking,” the soldier asked, glancing at the truck. “It’s filled with mutated animal meat. We heard about the auction here and came to exchange for crystals,” Chen Wan explained. The RV's doors were well-concealed, resembling decorative panels, so there were no worries. The dogs, along with Ye Lan and Cai Cai, played upstairs, sparing them any concern. The ground floor housed only Chen Wan, Yi Yi, and Jiang Yan Xin. The three disembarked for the soldiers to check the RV. They noted its cleanliness and tidiness, finding nothing amiss, and moved on to inspect the large truck, aghast at its full load of octopus meat. “Is it all?” a soldier inquired of Chen Wan. “Yes, it’s the meat of a mutated octopus. We went through great lengths to obtain it,” Chen Wan nodded, elaborating. “Plan on trading that for how many crystals? It looks like around 10 tons,” the soldier speculated, astounded. “Hoping you could help us; we'd like to exchange it for Level 3 mutated animal crystals. Do you know how to reach the auction?” Chen Wan asked. Given the soldiers had already seen it, she decided to be upfront, portraying a sense of transparency. “Yes, it’s just off the main plaza, a street away from the base. But Level 3 animal crystals are highly prized, rare commodities. The last auction for them was over a month ago. You could try waiting it out in an uninhabited building or settling in the base to see what’s recently listed.” “Alright then, thank you for your help,” Chen Wan smiled in gratitude. “Don’t mention it, just doing our job,” the soldier responded, signaling for their passage. Even after Chen Wan’s vehicle departed, a soldier by the captain’s side marveled, “They sure are impressive, harvesting a whole truckload of mutated animal meat. New arrivals seem to bring incredible talent.” “It's just small fry, really. Our base never lacks resources,” the captain chuckled. “True enough,” the young soldier nodded in agreement. Qingji City Connection Qingji City’s base is linked directly to Jing City, which grants it abundant resources and ample military force. The surrounding mutated animals have been effectively wiped out, accumulating several truckloads of mutated animal meat. This success is largely owed to the emergence of extraordinarily capable superhumans within their military ranks. The people here have grown accustomed to seeing mutated animal meat, so while Chen Wan's acquisition of a truckload of meat was surprising, it did not evoke other thoughts because the military lacks nothing. Strategizing and Scouting Chen Wan chose not to drive the RV directly to the plaza but instead turned into a residential compound across from it. Once parked, she and Qin Ke planned to scout the situation while the others rested in the RV. Both women carried two pistols for protection and headed toward the plaza. Qingji City’s sky was hazy, but at least it wasn’t raining. To their surprise, the atmosphere reminded Chen Wan of the time before the apocalypse, with residents casually strolling the streets—something she found novel. Auction Reconnaissance Reaching the auction hall, they noted the items listed for sale, including "mutated pork, mutated beef, wild vegetables, military canned goods, light machine guns, pistols, high-end perfumes, diamond rings, and more." After scanning the items, Chen Wan realized that today's auction did not have what she needed. A person next to her also perused the list, so she took the opportunity to ask, “We’ve just arrived in Qingji City and were wondering if auctions are held daily and if items vary.” “They run six days a week, and one day is reserved for inventory checks. The auction items change daily. What are you looking to exchange?” the man replied. “We're looking to trade for some crystal cores,” Chen Wan explained. “Crystal cores are rare, usually auctioned once a month, so you might have to wait until next week. Since you just got here, you might consider working at the nearby military shipyard. They provide two meals a day, and sometimes extra supplies, which is quite helpful if you're low on resources,” the man advised, noticing their apparent lack of possessions. “Thank you,” Chen Wan responded. Preparations and Contingencies Once they moved a bit away, Chen Wan broke the silence, “It seems even the military is aware of the erratic weather, seeing as they're building ships already.” “Indeed, they likely have meteorological experts who’ve detected something significant, prompting advanced preparations,” Qin Ke nodded in agreement. “We might need to stay here for some time. Who knows if we’ll find the Level 3 mutated animal crystal cores,” Chen Wan expressed her concerns. After the octopus, they hadn't encountered any more Level 3 mutated animals, leaving them uncertain about locating the desired items.