215 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Chapter 215 (Bonus Chapter) After escaping the Magic Mirror Maze, Chen Wan and her group finally felt a sense of relief, despite their exhaustion. The biggest challenge in this segment was the mental strain it imposed. Shao Yu sat directly on the ground, feeling dizzy after expending so much energy memorizing the map. Zuo Hu Fa quickly led them to the seventh floor, as usual inquiring about the items Chen Wan and her colleagues desired. He then asked the six, "Will you proceed to the next stage, or continue in the previous levels?" Chen Wan glanced at Qin Ke and Wei Si Yu, then at Zuo Hu Fa, and replied, "My two teammates and I choose the fourth stage." "Alright, as before, you'll have one hour to rest, after which guards will escort you," Zuo Hu Fa confirmed. He then asked Shao Yu and her group if they wished to continue or stay and repeat the levels. Unsurprisingly, Shao Yu and her two teammates opted to continue to the fourth stage. Chen Wan and Qin Ke helped Shao Yu as they walked back, while Wei Si Yu and Da Ge attended to Yan Jing Nan, whose wrist wounds had reopened, still seeping blood. Returning with only six people to the subterranean fourth floor shocked everyone, as no one had previously managed to get past the third stage since Canglong Bar's inception. "They actually made it past the third round. What luck!" "I reckon it's thanks to those two formidable female alphas. Such fortune—why couldn't we be in their group?" "Right! It's just unfair. They're so close to escaping this wretched place." Chen Wan and her group ignored the chatter. The three rounds had drained them physically and mentally. They had no energy left to care about what others said. Chen Wan and Qin Ke helped Shao Yu to a spot by the wall in the cell. Shao Yu closed her eyes, leaning against the wall to rest. Soon, guards arrived with hot water and towels. Chen Wan washed up as best as she could and rested against the iron bars. Qin Ke helped re-bandage Yan Jing Nan’s arm before washing up and resting herself. The hour of rest passed swiftly. Just as Chen Wan felt a bit of her strength returning, it was time to face the last challenge. The guards arrived on schedule like reapers to lead them. Chen Wan stretched a bit. The physical and mental demands of the day were indeed taxing. She noticed Qin Ke also seemed slightly rejuvenated, and Shao Yu wasn't as pale. However, Yan Jing Nan remained unwell, despite his injuries receiving treatment. The guards ignored their conditions, merely fulfilling their duty to escort them. Chen Wan's group followed the guards to a large door on one side of the third subterranean level, the entrance to the coliseum. Chen Wan quietly warned Qin Ke and the others, "Looks like another tough battle ahead." "Be careful, everyone," Qin Ke advised. They were swiftly ushered into the coliseum by the guards. Unlike before, each person received a machete. After distributing the weapons, the guards left them to face their fate. Holding the machete, unease crept into Chen Wan. She knew Canglong Bar wouldn't equip them out of goodwill. The only explanation was that the fourth stage was exceptionally perilous. Chen Wan took a deep breath, listening for the growls from the other side of the iron door—sounds akin to ferocious beasts like lions. As the heavy iron door creaked open, three lions emerged, each larger than a horse, baring their fangs and roaring aggressively at Chen Wan's group. "Level-three mutant lions," Chen Wan thought, gripping her machete tightly as sweat formed in her palms. She had managed to kill a mutant lion before, but that was with Jiang Yanxin's abilities to fall back on. Now, with none of them able to use their abilities, facing three such brutal beasts seemed almost insurmountable. The group hesitated, but the lions growled excitedly at the sight of prey and charged. "Stick together in groups to fight them! The more you panic, the more they’ll chase you down," Chen Wan shouted, rallying herself as well. She charged head-on toward the fiercest lion in the middle. This lion was thrice, maybe four times her size. As it lunged, intending to bite, Chen Wan dodged with a quick sidestep and drove her machete into its chest, slashing a long gash across its abdomen, revealing parts of its innards. The lion roared in agony, swiping at Chen Wan, but she gave it no chance, heaving its massive body against the wall with a thud, leaving it growling and whining in pain. Covered in the lion's blood, Chen Wan didn't pause. She charged again, hacking at the lion’s neck. Her first strike didn't sever it, so she continued relentlessly, finally felling the beast with her third swing. When she looked back, Qin Ke had been pinned beneath another lion, and the situation for Yan Jing Nan, Da Ge, and Shao Yu looked grim. Swiftly, Chen Wan dashed to aid Qin Ke and Wei Si Yu, her priority to save her own. Qin Ke’s muscles bulged as she struggled under the lion’s weight. Chen Wan, with sheer effort, lifted the enormous beast off her. The lion seemed bewildered, unsure how anyone could possibly hoist it. Without hesitation, she slashed at its neck, throwing the beast aside with force. Wei Si Yu helped Qin Ke up. Gasping for air, Qin Ke’s arms throbbed from being pinned painfully. Chen Wan didn’t allow the lion to recuperate. She leaped onto its back, stabbing deeply into the neck wound. Blood splattered everywhere, the lion writhed beneath her. Meanwhile, the lion with Da Ge had turned violent, biting Yan Jing Nan's neck in a fury. Shao Yu and Wei Si Yu were thrown aside in their efforts to help. Da Ge lunged at the lion, but his blows were mere scratches to the formidable beast, which retaliated fiercely. Blood gushed from his neck, and Yan Jing Nan lay lifeless. Shao Yu rushed to assist, only to be cast aside violently. They were merely ordinary people, lacking Chen Wan’s boosted attributes and thus were utterly outmatched. Chen Wan, having dispatched the lion beneath her, knew she had expended a vast amount of strength. Fatigued, she charged the final mutant lion entangled with Qin Ke and her team, jumping high to strike. Nevertheless, her strength was waning, leaving her at less than half her combat capacity. Her attack injured but also enraged the beast, knocking Qin Ke unconscious. "Qin Ke, are you okay?" Chen Wan shouted, glaring at the lion, her face splattered with blood, appearing more intimidating than the lion itself. Chen Wan advanced on the lion, which retaliated with a leap that pinned her down. As Wei Si Yu and Shao Yu tried to help, they were thrown off by the violent creature. Chen Wan held her ground, blocking its claws with her machete, reaching for its neck wound with her other hand. The lion furiously bared its teeth to bite. Deploying every ounce of her strength, Chen Wan barrelled into the lion, bringing it to the ground, where she fiercely hacked at its neck. In a bloodied frenzy, she continued mechanically thrusting the blade until she collapsed atop the fallen mutant lion, physically and mentally spent. In the end, only Shao Yu and Wei Si Yu were left standing. Wei Si Yu rushed to check on Qin Ke, while Shao Yu assisted Chen Wan off the lifeless lion. As for Da Ge and Yan Jing Nan, neither had survived. Meanwhile, the audience was in a frenzy, especially those who had bet on Chen Wan's victory. "Damn, what's her story? Taking down a level-three mutant lion isn't like dealing with a regular zombie. She's incredible!" "Seriously, I've never seen anyone this fierce since the apocalypse began. She backs up her bravado with action." "She's exceptional, far exceeding the typical power abilities. She truly deserves to survive this." "I'd wager none here could rival her. From now on, I'm only in awe of Chen Wan." Exhausted, Chen Wan had fainted, unaware of her newfound fame post-battle in the capital. Zuo Hu Fa arrived with reinforcements to retrieve Chen Wan and her team. This time, instead of taking them back to the cells on the fourth floor, Zuo Hu Fa had them brought to the guest rooms on the fifth floor to shower and recuperate, preparing them for a meeting with the gang leader. "They're both still unconscious. Can't we stay together?" Wei Si Yu asked anxiously. "A doctor will check them, and once they regain consciousness, they’ll have a chance to rest. Don't worry, now that you've cleared the challenge, Canglong Bar won’t harm you," Zuo Hu Fa assured before escorting the four into separate guest rooms, posting armed guards outside each door.