148 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

With time gradually ticking away, the staff meticulously weighed piece after piece of octopus meat until they finally reached the target of five tons plus fifty kilograms. The octopus meat was piled all over the road, covering almost every surface. The staff handed over a level-three mutated crystal core and six rings to Chen Wan. Just as she closed the door of the truck loaded with octopus, Baozi and his men surrounded her. As for the man who had competed with him at the auction for a male Omega, Baozi's subordinates had encircled him. Yet, compared to that man, Baozi had more of a desire to eliminate Chen Wan. The staff, seeing Baozi approaching, sensed that a conflict was imminent, and hurriedly accelerated the transportation of materials. Baozi had brought over a dozen of his crew, each armed, and they were eager to make their move. “You think you can just take your RV and leave? Ha, there's no such easy thing in this world. Anyone who messes with me doesn’t live to see another day. Just look at you—do you even deserve to be with such a beautiful Omega?” Baozi’s gaze greedily swept over Jiang Yanxin and then shifted to Shen Mingyan. Jiang Yanxin glanced at Chen Wan and smiled nonchalantly, casually pulling out a book from her pocket. Baozi sneered, “Look at your Omega; she doesn't seem to care about your life or death. Even with your life hanging by a thread, she’s still in the mood to read. How about this? If these Omega and beta willingly come over, I’ll let them have my company. But if you force my hand, after I’m done with them, they’ll be passed around to my brothers. Make your choice.” Baozi's henchmen burst into mocking laughter. Jiang Yanxin turned to the page about Zeus and coldly replied to Baozi, “Isn’t there a third option?” As she spoke, a tall, blonde foreign man appeared near Jiang Yanxin. He wielded a Thunder Spear in one hand and held Zeus’s Shield in the other, standing fearlessly by Jiang Yanxin's side, awaiting her command. The bespectacled man, seeing Zeus, felt something was amiss and said to Baozi, “Bro, there's something wrong with this foreigner—it looks like someone’s power from the opposing side. Maybe we should retreat?” “Retreat? He’s just a foreigner; can he move faster than a bullet? I refuse to leave. I want them dead here. Open fire.” At Baozi’s command, his subordinates began shooting at Chen Wan and her companions. The bullets flew with rapid “bang bang bang” sounds, but they were all deflected by Zeus's shield, leaving Chen Wan and the others unharmed. The next moment, Baozi activated his ability, causing his clothes to tear as his muscles swelled rapidly. Fur covered his body, transforming him into a leopard as tall as a horse. He snarled, his voice gravelly, “I’m going to tear you apart, piece by piece.” Chen Wan smirked and turned to Jiang Yanxin, taking her hand, “Honey, he dared to scare me.” “Alright, let Zeus deal with him for you.” Jiang Yanxin smiled at her alpha and instructed Zeus. With a gentle arc of Zeus's Thunder Spear, Baozi, charging towards Chen Wan, was enveloped in blue static electricity, frozen mid-air, his whole body crackling with electricity. With a scream, his form exploded into black ash, his henchmen sharing the same fate, reduced to mere dust scattered by the wind. The square fell silent as everyone stared in shock. Meanwhile, the henchmen who had cornered the male Alpha were about to rush over. Seeing their leader's fate, they turned and ran in the opposite direction. Jiang Yanxin had no intention of letting them go. Zeus swung his spear again, and the seven or eight men were encased in electric currents, turning to black dust in an instant, blown away by the breeze. Silence enveloped the square as the crowd's gaze fell on Chen Wan and her group. The male celebrity, bought by Baozi, sat on the ground in fright. With all of Baozi’s henchmen turned to dust, Chen Wan walked over, untied his ropes, and said, “Go. Baozi is dead; you’re free now.” “No, you saved me. From now on, I am your Omega.” The man clutched Chen Wan’s pant leg, clearly eager to attach himself to Chen Wan, having witnessed their power. Chen Wan pointed behind her, advising, “If you want to live well, I suggest you let go. That foreigner who just turned people to dust is powered by my wife. Boldly trying to seduce me isn’t wise, is it?” The implication was clear: was he trying to court death? Frightened by Chen Wan's words, the man immediately released her and dared not mention following them again. Elsewhere, General Wang was also shocked but finally regained his composure. His adjutant quickly asked, “General, should we still approach?” General Wang pondered for a moment, coughed lightly, and replied, “Of course, we must. The base in Qingji City is large enough not to fear them. Besides, they are young, and their abilities are so unique. If they join us, they’ll be a powerful asset. I’ve never heard of anyone daring enough to kill military personnel so openly. Let’s go meet them.” General Wang and over a dozen armed soldiers approached. Chen Wan coldly observed them, while most onlookers remained quietly attentive. General Wang, seeing that neither Chen Wan nor the others spoke, chuckled and said, “You all are impressive. I’m curious, what kind of power can release lightning like that? Baozi's group has long been a scourge in Qingji City. Dispatching them has actually done our military a favor. Isn’t it more comfortable to drift within a base rather than outside? Are you interested in joining the military?” Chen Wan let out a cold laugh, casting a glance at General Wang before speaking, “Doesn’t Baozi have dealings with the military? Without your protection, would they have dared to be so audacious? Attempting murder and robbery right after an auction seems pretty routine for them. The military couldn’t be ignorant of that, right?” General Wang felt a bit embarrassed by Chen Wan's words and hastily explained, “The military doesn’t participate in every auction, and some of their actions truly escape our notice. Many things in the apocalypse are beyond our control, but the military hopes to recruit talented people like you who have a strong sense of justice.” “No thanks, we don’t possess much of a sense of justice. We’re just trying to survive. No more chatter; we need to pack up,” Chen Wan said, intending to board the RV. She was keen on securing Baozi’s supplies, not wanting the military to snatch them. Seeing her intention to leave, General Wang quickly added, “In these desperate times, humanity must stand united to face the crisis. You young people have a duty to shoulder. Moreover, the level-three mutant cores have limited use for you. Why not exchange them with the military for resources? What do you say?” Chen Wan glanced over coldly, “Save your grandiose speeches. Those who’ve survived this long in the apocalypse aren’t fools. I’m not giving you the level-three cores. If you don’t want to die, you’d best step back. We won’t harm innocents, but if someone insists on courting death, there’s nothing we can do.” “How dare you speak to the General that way? Do you know who you’re dealing with?” General Wang’s adjutant shouted angrily at Chen Wan. “The world’s ended, and you’re still playing the hierarchy game? I think you’re the crazy ones. When the military encounters mutants or zombies, do they announce their ranks first and expect mercy from the undead?” Chen Wan’s derisive taunts finally left General Wang feeling disgraced. With furrowed brows, he glared at Chen Wan and said coldly, “I refuse to believe you’d attack the military here. Men, ready your weapons.” The soldiers behind General Wang raised their guns, aiming at Chen Wan and her group. Chen Wan smirked defiantly, “Essentially, you’re no different from Baozi; it's just that your facade is more dignified.” “Do you think the military fears you?” General Wang had intended to leave and call for reinforcements, but his adjutant misinterpreted his words as a command to attack and began firing at Chen Wan and her companions. Once more, Zeus lifted his shield. This time, Jiang Yanxin didn’t hold back. Regardless of who they were, the fact remained that they shot at her group. Without the shield, they’d likely be dead by now. Zeus, wielding his Thunder Spear, swung once more. General Wang and his men, realizing the formidable power of the weapon, fired as they retreated. However, they were quickly ensnared by the blue sparks in the air, which spread across their bodies to form a blue electric net, reducing them to ash in moments. Chen Wan surveyed the square. Whether they were ability users or ordinary people, nearly everyone fled in panic, abandoning their vehicles and supplies. The group got into the vehicle, and Yi Yi drove towards Baozi’s convoy. Once there, they disembarked and began collecting the resources. Baozi's group had brought so much they required two entire trucks. One large refrigerated truck was filled with half its space occupied by mutated pork, while another truck was stocked with essentials like rice and flour. The most valuable items, however, were stored in a large armored vehicle, where Chen Wan discovered two large boxes. After Yi Yi scanned them, they found one box containing 2,801 level-two mutated zombie crystal cores, and the other held 3,200 level-one mutated zombie crystal cores, all absorbed into the RV's system for convenient access. As for the mutated beast meat, Chen Wan reorganized the items stored in the compressed space and found that, aside from fitting in the weapons and ammunition from Baozi's armored vehicle, there was no more room left for additional items—at least until the RV was upgraded again.