Chapter 117: On the Road, a Difficult Journey

A zombie fell from midair, landing right on a vine. The frost-covered, ice-encrusted vine was as hard as steel, yet still retained the toughness of wood. It sagged under the zombie’s weight, then sprang back up, flinging the unsuspecting zombie into the air.

Swish—

Another vine snapped taut behind it, striking the zombie’s back like a whip. The zombie tumbled down again, only for yet another vine to drag along the ground beneath its feet. This vine, anchored by circular handles embedded in the walls on either side, stretched diagonally between two buildings, pulling itself taut. The zombie, enraged, grabbed onto the vine. This time, it wasn’t thrown or struck, but simply dangled, swaying up and down with the vine.

The zombie bared its jagged teeth in a triumphant grin.

But then, a white blur pounced onto its face, scratching wildly. At the same time, a fourth vine whipped up, spiraling around the zombie from head to toe, twisting it up like a piece of stuffed meat between two vines.

Bian Changxi flicked her wrist, snapping the ends of the vines. The zombie, now “sandwiched,” plummeted down. The ground, which had seemed solid, turned out to be just a thin layer of soil over a deep, steep pit.

The zombie landed at the bottom of the pit. Only then did it realize what was happening, but before it could struggle, a bucket of liquid was poured down from above, followed by a lit lighter.

Whoosh—

Flames roared skyward. The zombie kicked and thrashed in a desperate struggle, but Bian Changxi tossed all the vines down after it, binding it tightly. Amid the blaze, only its anguished howls could be heard.

Chu Hao and Chen Guanqing came over to look down, both shaken. This zombie was terrifying—if they’d been even a little slower, or if anything had gone wrong, being caught by this thing would’ve meant a deadly battle.

Bian Changxi said to them, “You two go ahead. I’ll wait for the crystal core.”

“Okay.” The two immediately caught up with Chai Zhong and the others. Bian Changxi didn’t have to wait long; once the zombie’s strength faded, she hauled it up and decapitated it with a single stroke, retrieving a third-tier red core.

She let out a breath, her face turning pale as snow. Controlling four massive vines at once, with precise calculation and observation, was incredibly draining both physically and mentally.

Fighting zombies was different—there was no room for a drawn-out battle. Even a minor scratch could mean disaster, so every move had to be decisive.

Weakened, she patted Milk, who had come over to lick her. “You’re filthy.”

Milk looked down to see herself covered in rotten zombie flesh. With a strange yelp, she darted into the bushes to rub herself clean.

Bian Changxi checked behind her to make sure no more zombies were coming, then hurried to catch up.

The group deliberately chose routes with fewer zombies, which meant they inevitably had to deal with strange mutant plants and animals. By afternoon, they finally left the boundaries of Longyue Town, crossed a forest-like suburban area, and, as dusk fell, caught sight of the highway.

By now, everyone was covered in a riot of colors—bloodstains, sap, mud, and dirt. They looked like wild people emerging from the mountains. Seeing each other, they all burst out laughing.

“Let’s set up camp here.”

They found a relatively flat area next to the highway, cleared the surroundings, pulled up weeds, and moved rocks. Bian Changxi released their vehicles from her spatial storage—only four were still drivable, which they parked facing the highway for a quick getaway. They also arranged some abandoned cars they’d picked up along the way into a circle as a barrier.

No other spatial ability user could afford to collect junk cars like she did. Even Chu Hao’s space, though large, was packed so tightly he couldn’t fit a single car. He was like Doraemon, constantly pulling out whatever was needed, making everyone laugh and feel grateful.

“Sigh, having a spatial ability is such a blessing. Otherwise, we’d be fleeing with bags big and small—life would be unbearable.”

Someone sighed loudly, echoed by many others. Everyone washed up, ate, disinfected and dressed wounds, or, if needed, asked Bian Changxi for a bit of energy. In no time, they all retreated to their cars and fell asleep.

Chai Zhong’s group had two cars, and with two people lost, there was more space. Bald Qiang had also managed to get himself a sturdy off-road vehicle over the past two months, heavily modified—Bian Changxi estimated the trunk was packed with supplies. Only Chu Hao, that fool, still thought he was pitiful.

Chu Hao and his group had ended up with an old, tractor-like car that Chen Guanqing had managed to find at the last minute—the shabbiest of all.

Bian Changxi looked around and saw she had nowhere to sleep, so she pulled a second-hand Audi from her storage. She had plenty of new cars, but they were too flashy. This Audi was a recent find, in good condition. She cleaned up the back seat and tried lying down. Not bad.

Knock, knock. Someone rapped on the window. Chu Hao stood outside. “Miss Bian, could you check on Lao Liu? He doesn’t seem right.”

Hmm?

When Bian Changxi found Chen Guanqing, he’d already vomited twice, so pale and weak he could barely sit up. He’d always been frighteningly thin, but now he looked like a skeleton.

“He was fine before, but now he throws up anything he eats. He’s starting to not recognize people,” Chu Hao said anxiously. Bian Changxi checked him over. “It’s aftereffects from overusing his ability. He’s been forcing himself to hold on.”

“What should we do?”

Chen Guanqing used black cores for energy, but those were rare—getting even one was a stroke of luck.

Bian Changxi channeled some wood-type energy into him to support him, frowning in thought. “Maybe try a white core? If he can’t replenish his energy, it’s not just bad for his ability development—it’s dangerous right now. If this happens a few more times, he’ll either lose his powers or become a vegetable.”

She should have thought of this sooner—digging that pit earlier must have drained him.

“It’s that serious?” Chu Hao was shocked. “But isn’t it said that using the wrong core attribute can… can…” —can kill.

“The problem is, his ability is already rather unaligned. There’s still hope, but it’s a risk.”

Chen Guanqing said weakly, “Let’s try. If I can’t get energy, I can’t even help Xiao Ai…”

Bian Changxi fell silent.

She suggested the white core because it was a shame to lose such a powerful dark-fire ability, but it was clear Chen Guanqing’s motivation for taking the risk was always the same. He wasn’t the most likable person, but his feelings deserved respect.

She’d always been wary of Chen Guanqing, even secretly observing him. She trusted Chu Hao, but Chen Guanqing seemed like the type who could turn at any moment, since his principles revolved entirely around one woman. That made him potentially the most unprincipled and unreliable person.

But at the same time, she thought, people who love deeply—aside from the rare twisted cases—are not bad at heart. They have boundaries, sincerity, things to protect, love and loyalty. As long as conditions allow, they can become truly good people.

She suddenly wanted to keep those conditions in place, not just act on impulse or out of self-interest as before.

She exchanged a glance with Chu Hao. “Let’s rest and eat first. Get him in better shape. Chu Hao, give him a nearly-spent white core to try first—it’ll be safer.” She smiled. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Chen Guanqing echoed, managing a smile. “Thanks for your blessing.”

The next day, they got onto the highway. All day, they repeated the cycle: encountering roadblocks, getting out, collecting cars, walking, releasing cars, driving, only to hit more roadblocks.

The road was in terrible shape. Sometimes the obstacles were vehicles, sometimes zombies, more often mutant plants. Sometimes a bridge was destroyed by climbing vines, or they’d run into a gathering of large mutant animals or plants and have to detour or climb. By day’s end, they’d only covered a little over ten kilometers.

The next day, Bald Qiang recovered. Chai Zhong’s group lost another person but gained a speed-type ability user, so their pace picked up.

On the third day, they managed fifteen kilometers.

On the fourth day, they skirted the edge of a small city, hurrying along for three days straight.

On the seventh day, they were hit by a rare torrential rainstorm. The rain came suddenly and fiercely. Out in the wild, there was nowhere to shelter, so everyone had to sit in their cars and let the vehicles take the brunt of the rain. The terrain was especially low here—within half an hour, the water rose above the tires and started flooding into the cars, soaking everyone.

“This won’t do!” Bald Qiang shouted from his off-roader. The water was up to their waists. Even crouched on the seats, their calves and butts were submerged. That was bad enough, but the worst part was the muddy water, filthy beyond belief, and, most disgustingly, there were strange bugs swimming around, making everyone anxious and nauseous.

With the water’s buoyancy, the cars were no longer stable, swaying slightly. The air inside was stifling, but opening the windows meant getting drenched by the downpour, making it hard to breathe. At this point, the steel pipes and hoses Chen Guanqing had collected came in handy—they stuck them out the window, avoiding the rain as much as possible, to let in fresh air.

“We have to abandon the cars! The rain’s not stopping anytime soon. Let’s swim out!” Hearing Bald Qiang’s shout, Bian Changxi agreed. She was in her Audi with Chu Hao and An Ran. Chu Hao knew this was dangerous—if the water blocked them in or a levee broke and the flood overturned the cars, they’d have no chance to escape.

He rolled down the window and called out to everyone. Chen Guanqing shouted back, “Miss Bian, the cloth and foam! Get them out—we all need protection.”

Earlier, Chen Guanqing had asked Bian Changxi to collect sturdy, waterproof cloth and large foam blocks, saying they could be made into swimwear or flotation devices, though they’d never gotten around to it. Bian Changxi quickly took them out of storage and distributed them. Everyone figured out how to assemble their own gear—just enough to keep afloat and swim to higher ground.

Thanks to Rain Palace Gonglu for the safety charm!

Thanks to sissi2011 for a pink ticket!

Thanks to pattyphx for a pink ticket!

Thanks to Ai Feng C for a pink ticket!

Thanks to Little Golden Bug for two review votes!

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement—love you!"