Chapter 24: The Crew Cut Is Gone

The wild boar hadn’t moved from where it was before, but for some reason, An Nan’s exit point had shifted forward—she ended up landing right on the boar’s back.

The boar flew into a rage, arching its body in an attempt to throw her off.

She clung tightly to its round, sturdy body. If she got tossed off and slammed into something, she’d probably break a rib or two.

But she couldn’t just keep riding it like this either...

An Nan was in a real bind, instantly understanding the meaning of “riding a tiger and unable to dismount.”

The boar bucked a few times, and when it saw that this two-legged creature was still arrogantly riding on its back, it got even angrier and started thrashing about wildly.

In a panic, An Nan raised her three-edged dagger and stabbed it straight into the boar’s eye.

Howling in pain, the boar shook its body violently while letting out shrill cries.

An Nan was finally thrown off, and she quickly rolled away to dodge the boar’s mad charge. Glancing back, she saw that the dagger was still lodged in the boar’s eye.

Blinded, the boar charged at An Nan, relying on its sense of smell and instinct.

An Nan immediately pulled an Uzi submachine gun from her space and unleashed a burst of fire at it.

Just as the furious boar was about to reach her feet, it crashed to the ground with a thud, convulsed for a moment, and then lay still, completely lifeless.

An Nan let out a long sigh of relief and brought Fu Gui out from her space as well.

As soon as Fu Gui appeared, he rushed anxiously to his owner. Only after seeing she was unharmed did he relax, then turned to look at the now-lifeless gray-black beast on the ground.

His eyes sparkled with admiration: Sister Nan, you’re amazing!

An Nan laughed, rubbed his head, and stood up. As she began butchering the boar, she marveled at how tough its hide was—an ordinary knife wouldn’t have done a thing.

If she hadn’t had that submachine gun, it would’ve been a brutal fight, and she’d almost certainly have gotten hurt. There was no way she could’ve walked away unscathed like this.

Once again, she silently thanked the mysterious benefactor who’d gifted her the weapon!

It took An Nan quite a while to skin the boar—the hide was tough as iron. Unlike domestic pigs, this wild boar’s muscles were firm and lean, with almost no fat.

She made a mental note to look up if there were any special ways to cook wild boar meat.

After finishing with the boar, An Nan went back to processing the mutton she hadn’t finished earlier.

There were over two hundred sheep, and she’d only butchered a few dozen so far. For the next stretch, An Nan and her dog stayed in the mountains, working through the sheep.

At one point, Fu Gui suddenly dashed off. When she caught up, she found he’d discovered several rabbit nests.

The little rabbits were quick and slippery, but after much effort and teamwork, An Nan and her dog managed to catch them all.

She processed the dozens of rabbits and stored them in her space, then patted Fu Gui’s head. “Nice work. I’ll make you spicy rabbit heads when we get home.”

Fu Gui understood her praise and immediately lifted his doggy face, squinting his eyes and wagging his tail, looking very pleased with himself.

Over the next few days, An Nan and her dog combed the entire mountain.

They found four donkeys—she could make donkey meat dumplings in the future.

And thirty crispy roast ducks.

Well, not roast ducks—thirty adorable ducklings.

They ran into another wild boar along the way, but she handled it the same way, suppressing it with her submachine gun.

Other than that, there weren’t any more dangerous encounters.

Maybe because this area was close to the city, there were no large predators like lions or tigers—just some snakes that could be dangerous.

But since she and Fu Gui had sprinkled realgar powder on themselves, the snakes kept their distance.

All told, the two of them spent four days in the mountains, collecting 216 sheep, 38 cows, 4 donkeys, 18 chickens, 33 ducks, 42 rabbits, and 2 wild boars.

If it weren’t for her sharp-nosed dog, she never could’ve found so many animals.

An Nan took almost everything she saw, sparing only a few foxes and weasels.

First, she’d never eaten those kinds of meats before. Second, she had a healthy respect for all sorts of folk legends. Most importantly, she already had enough meat in her space to give herself and Fu Gui high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.

No need to go after them.

What if, just as she struck, one of them stood up and asked, “Do you think I’m a human or a god?” What would she do then?

She hadn’t believed in that stuff before, but now that the apocalypse had come and she’d been reborn, what strange thing couldn’t happen?

If someone told her the world she lived in was just a novel, she’d probably believe it.

The world is vast and full of wonders.

An Nan roughly processed all the livestock she’d collected, but there was still a lot left to do—she had over a hundred sheep left to butcher.

But she decided it was time to head home.

There wasn’t much of value left in the mountains, and if she stayed out too long, it’d be a real loss if some neighbor broke in and took over her home.

So, on the afternoon of the fourth day, she called her dog and prepared to head down the mountain.

Fu Gui had been living his best life in the wild these past few days, and when it was time to leave, he was a little reluctant.

He stood there, tilting his head at An Nan.

She teased him, “Did you sleep well these past few days? Don’t you miss your warm, comfy little bed?”

Fu Gui froze.

Then he suddenly remembered the soft, plush sofa at home, and his own little pink dog bed.

His expression turned serious, and he immediately bolted down the mountain.

Home! No amount of gold or silver could compare to my own dog bed. I haven’t had a good lazy nap in days!

An Nan and her dog quickly descended the mountain, fired up the speedboat, and left.

A group of foxes on the mountain silently watched their figures disappear into the distance.

Those two bandits are finally gone.

If they’d stayed any longer, there wouldn’t be a single thing left on this mountain!

Once out of Kuancheng District, An Nan had Fu Gui hide back in the backpack.

Passing through the office building district in Zhongguan, she saw that the area’s former glory was long gone. Half the buildings were submerged, and almost all the glass had been smashed in.

It looked like the ruins of a city.

Once-important business secrets and contract documents were tossed out like trash, floating on the water’s surface.

No more sharply dressed white-collar workers, iced Americanos in hand, striding between the buildings.

No more KPIs, no more UGC, no more digital economy.

Only the cold floodwaters, and people driven mad for a single piece of bread.

As dusk fell, An Nan hurried home. In turbulent times like these, darkness meant even more danger.

When she arrived, her neighbors had just returned as well, all crowding the hallway.

She stopped outside the building. After just a few days, these people looked even thinner.

Everyone’s faces were grim.

“So pitiful, pregnant and now her man’s gone. How’s she supposed to live?”

“She brought it on herself, always trying to show off. What’s the point of hoarding all those supplies? Her husband drowned and she didn’t even know.”

“Shh, stop talking, she looks like she’s about to lose it.”

A group of people whispered among themselves, glancing now and then at Chu Peipei, who lagged behind the others.

An Nan heard the gossip from outside the window and instantly understood.

So, the crew cut was gone.

She couldn’t help but look at Sun Peng, who’d been exposed for killing his wife by the crew cut just a few days ago.

Sun Peng hid among the crowd, silent at first. Then, with a face full of feigned compassion, he approached Chu Peipei:

“Miss, the dead can’t come back. My condolences.”"