206 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Chapter 206 Half an hour later, the bar's uniformed guards arrived to take people away. The fourth subterranean level was deathly silent; most people kept their heads down, praying misfortune wouldn't land on them. Chen Wan observed the guards' actions. The first cell opened was the one opposite hers, and the occupants pleaded and cried for mercy, all in vain. The guards forced them out at gunpoint. The chatty old veteran from earlier now trembled in fear, barely staying upright with his companion's support, else he would have collapsed. Next, the guards opened a cell full of Omegas, dragging them out. As Chen Wan frowned, watching these events unfold, the leading guard approached her group's cell. Chen Wan felt her heart skip. Logically, it shouldn't be their turn. They'd just been locked up. But as the guard met Chen Wan's gaze, he ordered the cell door be opened. "Cell 148, it’s your turn today. Are you walking out willingly, or do we have to drag you?" Chen Wan stood up and questioned, "We just got in. Even in sequence, it shouldn't be our turn, right?" "Enough chit-chat. Contest participants are selected randomly. Blame your bad luck for landing a poor cell. Everyone out now," a guard said impatiently, raising his gun. Glancing at Wei Si Yu and Qin Ke, Chen Wan stepped out first. The situation had become tricky. They needed to hold out for 10 hours until reinforcements arrived from the first district. Direct resistance was impossible; they’d be riddled with bullets. Shao Yu, Da Ge, and the man with the black-rimmed glasses followed the guards, faces tense as if walking to their doom. The spiky-haired woman was sobbing uncontrollably, eventually dragged out by the guards. The rest of the cells remained eerily silent, everyone afraid of drawing unwelcome attention. By Chen Wan’s side, Qin Ke whispered, "How do we escape?" "We can't fight—they’ve got guns. Let’s take it one step at a time," Chen Wan whispered back. A guard behind them, noticing their conversation, shoved Chen Wan hard. "If I see you chatting again, I'll shoot you right here." Chen Wan glared but said nothing more, continuing to follow the guards out. The guards led them to another entrance on the third subterranean level, through a long, narrow corridor into a large hall. One side had an exit, and the other side's iron door led to the combat arena. In their group, several people were already wailing, worried about what awaited them. Shao Yu furrowed her brow at the iron door. "Where does that lead?" "The combat arena," Chen Wan explained, "Zombies will be released into the arena. The game ends only when all zombies are eliminated." As she spoke, she scrutinized the iron door. She could easily handle the zombies with her strength, but she didn’t want to reveal her full abilities for fear of exposing her hand. She needed to hold back if it came to fighting. Taking Chen Wan’s words seriously, Shao Yu stared warily at the door. Others were equally on edge, anxious about what was to come. The guards, however, were unfazed; such scenes were a daily occurrence. To them, the captives were merely expendable in the game. Qin Ke leaned in to caution Chen Wan, "We must be careful. Zombies or not, we’re weaponless." "Yeah, aim to grab an axe and fend them off," Chen Wan nodded. About half an hour later, yelling from outside grew louder. The iron door to the arena slowly creaked open. Da Ge swallowed visibly, pointing at the door apprehensively. "Look, it’s opening. What do we do now?" Chen Wan's gaze fixed on the iron door. As it opened, the outside commotion became all the more audible. People outside were reveling in the chaos of the game, while inside, the atmosphere was as still as death. The guards began urging Chen Wan and her companions, "Move faster. Don’t make us handle you, or you'll regret it." Chen Wan and her group followed the guards through the iron door, with others trailing reluctantly. Some student-looking kids saw the situation outside and began to cry. Three older men resisted leaving but were forcibly dragged by the guards. Most huddled together fearfully, except Chen Wan and her companions, who stood firm. The lead guard sneered at Chen Wan’s group. "Act all high and mighty now. You're in for it." Chen Wan returned a cold glare, causing the guard to involuntarily step back. He snorted, checked his watch, ordered subordinates to toss three axes on the ground, and prepared to leave. Initially, people blocked the guards, wanting to escape with them. Chen Wan and Qin Ke each picked up an axe, the third snatched by a small Omega. A middle-aged man trying to rush in with the guards was shot in the knee, silencing the crowd; no one dared interfere anymore. A man in a leather jacket spotted the axes with Chen Wan. "They have axes! Let's take them—at least we’ll have some defense." Chen Wan hadn’t anticipated the same scene playing out again. A dozen people charged her and Qin Ke. Chen Wan kicked at the two men in the lead, sending them flying backward into others, causing a domino of falls. Qin Ke then punched an opponent trying to snatch her axe. The rest, seeing how tough Chen Wan and Qin Ke were, turned on the small Omega. The mass quickly overwhelmed the Omega, leaving only Chen Wan’s group, Da Ge, Shao Yu, and some young students not joining in the scuffle—all others rushed forward. "We should be fighting zombies, not each other! Stop it!" Chen Wan snapped at the crowd, but amid life-or-death stakes, her words went unheeded. The arena erupted into chaos over a mere axe, while from the stands came carefree laughter, as if watching an entertaining spectacle. The tumult didn’t last long; the Omega, unable to defend, was trampled, barely clinging to life. At that moment, the arena's opposite door swung open, releasing a staggering horde of zombies. Panic immediately gripped people, scattering them in all directions. "Run! The zombies are coming!" They dashed aimlessly, akin to headless chickens, while the zombies detected fresh human scent and surged toward them eagerly. "Si Yu, stay close to me," Chen Wan instructed Wei Si Yu. She and Qin Ke charged headlong into the encroaching undead, momentarily stunning even the higher-level zombies used to humans fleeing. Neither Chen Wan nor Qin Ke hesitated, barreling forward, indifferent to the intellect of these zombies. In the arena, the atmosphere grew electric, charged with cheers and exhilarated shouts echoing through the fourth subterranean level. "Seriously, those three women alphas are suicidal. Everyone's dodging zombies, and they're plunging in headfirst." "Honestly, I’d wager on that guy with the black-rimmed glasses surviving longer. Those women are just flash, chasing death." "Agreed. They're the most death-wishing people I’ve seen in months." Such were the dismissive opinions from spectators regarding Chen Wan's group. Yet Chen Wan and Qin Ke cared little. They plunged into the zombie throng, relentless. Chen Wan kicked a zombie skyward, then swiftly swung her axe, decapitating another. Its putrid blood splattered as she frowned, spinning to kick and chop through more undead. Behind her, Wei Si Yu, though unarmed, benefited from Chen Wan holding the forefront. She kicked at encroaching zombies, lacking lethality but keeping herself safe. The zombies seemed to realize that Chen Wan was not easily subdued. Four of them lunged at her simultaneously. Chen Wan remained unflustered, deftly kicking one zombie aside before bringing her axe down on the two in front of her. The remaining zombie, seeing its companions perish, appeared frightened and attempted to flee, but Chen Wan swiftly dragged it back and decapitated it. In less than two minutes, six zombies had already fallen to Chen Wan’s axe. Zombie blood splattered across Chen Wan’s body and face, but she didn't pause to wipe it away. Like a force of nature, she charged deeper into the horde. On the other side, Qin Ke was similarly engaged. Although she lacked Chen Wan's enhanced abilities, her fundamentals were solid, her skills lethal in combat. She adeptly dodged zombie attacks and seized opportunities to counter. Leaping into the air, she wrapped her legs around a zombie's torso from behind, snapping its spine without even using her axe. As another zombie came at her, Qin Ke discarded the corpse and delivered a powerful axe swing, sending its head flying. With Chen Wan and Qin Ke holding the front, the pressure on the others behind them eased significantly. Out of the 20 level-2 zombies, Chen Wan and Qin Ke dispatched 10 within two or three minutes. The remaining group only had to evade the last 10, resulting in only a few being bitten and devoured.