180 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

The events of Chen Wan taking down a level 3 mutated animal all by herself had reached the ears of the prominent leader at the base. Having settled other matters at the base, the leader now had the opportunity to meet with Chen Wan. Chen Wan was at home playing with Cai Cai when there was a knock on the door to their apartment, Room 301. She opened it to find a female Alpha she didn't recognize, dressed sharply in a military uniform. Puzzled, Chen Wan asked, "Is there something you need?" "The Commander, Cao Si Ling, heard about your feat with the level 3 mutated animal and expressed a strong desire to meet you. He sent me specifically to drive you over," the woman replied with a friendly smile. With Cai Cai still in her arms, Chen Wan hadn't expected the Commander of the First District to want to see her. She handed Cai Cai over to Jiang Yan Xin, softly advising, "I'll be back shortly." "Alright." With someone waiting at the door, Jiang Yan Xin didn’t say much more. As they walked outside, the woman introduced herself, "I’m Shang Nuan, Cao Si Ling’s adjutant. Don't worry, he’s very nice and just wants to meet you." "Hmm." Chen Wan nodded, following Shang Nuan downstairs where a military vehicle and two guards were waiting. In no time, Chen Wan found herself at the military office building in the First District. After exiting the vehicle, she followed Shang Nuan to the sixth floor. Shang Nuan led her to an office, knocked on the door, and, upon hearing a response from inside of "Come in," opened the door. Chen Wan entered behind her into what seemed like a standard office with inner and outer rooms. Her gaze fell on the young woman seated at the desk, remarkably different from any commander she had encountered before. The woman smiled at Chen Wan's entrance, gesturing for her to sit and instructed Shang Nuan, "A Nuan, pour some tea for our guest." "Sure." Shang Nuan quickly prepared tea for Chen Wan and then returned to stand beside Cao Wei. "So, you possess psychic abilities like Wei Si Yu?" Cao Wei inquired with curiosity. "Yes, I’ve actually utilized my abilities during a recent outing; those with me witnessed it firsthand—it involves controlling zombies," Chen Wan explained. "That's quite an impressive ability. While the First District doesn’t lack other classes of ability users, you're only our second psychic. Is your team planning to stay here permanently?" Cao Wei asked. "Not necessarily. We've endured floods and blizzards recently, so we're unsure of our next move. For now, the First District seemed ideal because of its meteorological experts," Chen Wan replied honestly, acknowledging her current focus on upgrading her RV. "Regardless, we'd be delighted if you powerful individuals chose to stay, although we certainly wouldn’t try to force you. May all your future missions be successful," Cao Wei responded warmly. After chatting for a bit, Chen Wan found the First District's commander rather agreeable, lacking the airs of authority she'd encountered from other commanders, much better than her previous experience with Commander Yang. In the days that followed, Chen Wan and her group rested, experiencing the routine of life in the First District reminiscent of pre-apocalyptic times, allowing a sense of unprecedented relaxation to wash over them. Meanwhile, Ke Qing, already paired with Shi Tou, developed new ideas. In this team, the one making decisions holds the most prestige, and since Shi Tou is the only male Alpha with abilities, perhaps she could help him become the new team leader. As for Chen Wan and the others, after a few days of rest, they considered visiting the service center to check for any missions involving level 3 mutated animals. Upon venturing out, they saw a large convoy returning to the base, filled with the sounds of agony indicating numerous injuries. "Where did this convoy go on a mission to result in so many injuries?" Chen Wan pondered aloud to Jiang Yan Xin as she observed the blood-stained vehicles. "I don’t know. Let's head to the service hall and inquire," Jiang Yan Xin suggested, also puzzled. They proceeded to the service hall to gather information, and Chen Wan approached one of the service windows. "Hello, could you tell me what happened with the convoy outside? Also, are there any missions currently involving level 3 mutated animals?" "The convoy went to nearby towns around our First District to deliver supplies. We aren't clear on the specifics yet, but most recent tasks are supply runs, with nothing related to level 3 creatures," the staff replied politely. "Alright, thank you. We'll check back in a few days." After leaving the service hall, discussions among people speculating on what had transpired continued. In the afternoon, Wei Si Yu and her group came by to see Chen Wan. "Did you hear? The military convoy was attacked by a large number of level 3 mutated lions at Wukou Town. Originally a team of 200 went and only 50 made it back, at least half of them critically injured." "Why were there suddenly so many level 3 mutated lions? Is there something special about Wukou Town?" Chen Wan expressed her concern, noting this incident could save them the trouble of hunting level 3 mutated animal cores themselves—they needed two more to upgrade their RV. "Not sure. They said earlier helicopter surveillance deemed it safe, so the military went without heavy artillery, like rockets, and then this happened," Wei Si Yu elaborated. "Regardless of the situation outside now, the First District remains stable. It would be a real pity if it were destroyed by level 3 creatures, considering how well-organized the base seems to be. It’s not difficult for ordinary people willing to work and survive here," Wei Si Yu continued. During the discussion about Wukou Town, Shi Tou and Ke Qing were strolling down the main street of the First District. Shi Tou, now involved with Ke Qing, wanted to buy her a few things. They wandered from place to place, using up half of Shi Tou's credits on clothes and snacks for Ke Qing. Passing by the service hall, they noticed a crowd gathered around the notice board. Ke Qing tugged on Shi Tou's sleeve, "Let's take a look too." "Okay." Shi Tou guided Ke Qing through the crowd, reaching the notice board where they read the bulletin. It detailed the emergence of a large number of level 3 mutated lions near Wukou Town, a grave threat to base security. The military was recruiting a task force; both military personnel and civilian survivors could enlist, with a reward of 200 credits for participation and additional rewards for accomplishments during the mission. A typical low-risk mission for ordinary individuals only yielded 10 credits. When Chen Wan and her group previously went out, they received 30 credits each due to the level 3 creature present. This offering of 200 credits highlighted the mission’s peril. "This mission seems extremely dangerous, dealing with a pack of level 3 mutated lions sounds terrifying," Ke Qing exclaimed, clasping Shi Tou's arm. "Shi Tou, you can't join such a dangerous mission. You have me now. You’re not alone like before; no more risking your life on these missions." "But generally, we all go out together on missions," Shi Tou hesitated. While Ke Qing had a point—he now had Ke Qing to consider—he couldn’t disregard his best friends Wei Si Yu and the others. He wavered. However, he reasoned that Chen Wan's group might not accept such a dangerous task, so he reassured, "Chen Wan and the others probably don't even know about this. It's not likely they’ll accept it." “Shi Tou, take these things home for me. I want to continue shopping. Let’s grab lunch outside; bring these back and come find me afterward, okay? It's inconvenient carrying so much," Ke Qing suggested with a smile. "Alright, I'll make a quick trip home, then come find you," Shi Tou agreed, smiling as he headed back to drop off the purchases. Ke Qing chuckled softly. Even if Chen Wan and the others were unaware, she could inform them. With this thought, she headed towards the building where Chen Wan and her group lived and knocked on the door. It was Chen Wan who answered. Slightly surprised to see her, Chen Wan was told about the special mission recruitment. "They're forming a special task force out there. It seems Wukou Town is crawling with level 3 mutated lions, and anyone who joins gets 200 credits just for participating, with additional rewards for other achievements. I thought I'd come share the news since Shi Tou mentioned that you’re on the hunt for level 3 creature cores." Understanding Ke Qing's intentions, Chen Wan assured, "Thank you, Ke Qing. We certainly plan to take on this mission. I’ll head to the service center this afternoon." "Then I'll go with you," Wei Si Yu suggested with a smile. "That way, we can look out for each other. I'll go back and talk to Jin Can and the others, and I'll come over in the afternoon to give you a definite answer." Although Wei Si Yu and her group didn't need level 3 mutated animal cores, they were friends with Chen Wan. When a friend was in need, she naturally wanted to help, and it was also a good opportunity to hone their skills. "Alright, make sure you explain everything clearly to everyone. This mission is quite dangerous, so those going really need to think it through," Chen Wan cautioned further. Her plan was to go with Jiang Yan Xin, Qin Ke, and Shen Ming Yan, leaving Yi Yi at the base for emergencies. If they ran into real danger, only Yi Yi could drive the RV to rescue them. As Wei Si Yu and Ke Qing left together, Ke Qing spoke up on the way, "Si Yu, can Shi Tou not go on this mission? It’s too dangerous. We've just gotten together, and I really don’t want anything to happen to him. Otherwise, I’ll be alone again." "Don’t worry about that. Going on missions is always voluntary. If he doesn't go, it's no problem. You don’t need to fret," Wei Si Yu reassured her quickly. Ke Qing sniffed, her eyes slightly red, as if tears were moments away. "That’s a relief. Sorry, Si Yu." "It’s fine; we're all friends. No one is forced into anything. Whether to go or not is up to each of us," Wei Si Yu said, though she felt a slight pang. Ever since she met Shi Tou, Jin Can, and Huang Li Li, they'd faced everything together. Could they no longer proceed as they used to? No pop-up ads on our site, permanent domain (xbanxia.com).