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Upon learning that consuming this orb would grant her a coveted ability, Xie Ling’s eyes welled up with tears, and her hands trembled as she held the orb.
Jiang Ci took the opportunity to present a contract, “This is a pact of eternal loyalty to me. Don’t doubt a single word in it.”
She was no saint. While nurturing a group of ability users, she also needed to secure her own safety.
Xie Ling had never doubted the items in Jiang Ci’s hands. After all this time, each one of the things brought out by her had been enough to astonish anyone.
She glanced over the contents of the document. If she betrayed Jiang Ci, besides being expelled from the Gourmet City as well as the base, she would also face tangible punishments like being struck by lightning. Other than that, there were basically no other requirements.
Without hesitation, Xie Ling signed the contract in her hand, her tone resolute, “Don’t worry, Boss Jiang. From this life onwards, I, Xie Ling, am your person!”
Jiang Ci smiled and took back the contract, handing the ability orb to Xie Ling.
Xie Ling looked at the irregular, fingernail-sized stone in her hand, with purple light flowing inside. Jiang Ci had told her it was a lightning-type ability orb.
She tilted her head back and swallowed it. Unexpectedly, the orb slid smoothly down her throat as soon as it entered her mouth.
Jiang Ci had mentioned that taking the ability orb might cause a high fever, so after bidding farewell to Jiang Ci and the others, she returned to her room to lie down.
It was natural for everyone to yearn to be stronger, and Xie Ling was immensely grateful for this opportunity. As the dizziness set in, she slowly closed her eyes.
After Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan had arranged everything, they soon drove the bus away from Gourmet City.
After their last mission, during the lottery wheel spin, Jiang Ci had her eye on a cake shop but didn’t win it. Looking at the picture of the pink, two-story cake shop, Jiang Ci felt an itch of want in her heart and decided to hurry and complete missions to try and win the cake shop before the wheel refreshed its options.
The reward for this mission was a restaurant mainly selling firewood chicken.
Jiang Ci hadn’t eaten it in a long time. Back in her hometown, chicken cooked in earthen pots and stoves with firewood were exceptionally fragrant and tender, with the side dishes so delicious that one couldn’t help but give a silent thumbs up.
Although the portions were too large for one person, they were just right for family gatherings, so Jiang Ci actually ate it very rarely, though it didn’t stop her from salivating at the thought.
Song Jinchuan drove the bus forward, and soon, they left Gourmet City and the base behind them.
Jiang Ci ate the snacks she had brought back from the real world, thinking to herself that she could also set up a snack processing plant here.
She came back to her senses and looked at Song Jinchuan beside her, handing him the snacks she was holding.
Although both of them knew their feelings for each other, neither had broken through that thin layer of window paper between them. Song Jinchuan felt he wasn’t good enough for her, while Jiang Ci thought the current atmosphere was still fine.
Seeing something being offered to his mouth, Song Jinchuan instinctively opened his mouth to bite down on it, but his lips accidentally brushed against something soft, causing his heart to suddenly beat violently.
Jiang Ci hadn’t expected this either and also blushed slightly.
Both fell silent for a moment. Upon seeing Jiang Ci’s reddened face out of the corner of his eye, Son Jinchuan suddenly felt much better.
The location of this mission was far away and remote, situated in a northern area with few survivors and almost no bases. The snow here was much thicker than elsewhere, with debris scattered everywhere, the entire place in a state of abandonment.
Thus, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan’s journey this time was much more difficult, forcing them to take a few detours, and even with the bus, it took them two days to reach the destination.
The place where these survivors were hiding was extremely secretive. Not only was it hard for them to find, but even mutated beasts and zombies might not be able to locate it.
Their destination was in a mountain. Although there were no lush flowers, plants, or trees here, withered branches and dead trees were everywhere. Mutated beasts and zombies had clearly been cleared out prior to their arrival, and there were several obvious traps containing the skeletal remains of some mutated beasts and zombies.
It was no longer possible to drive up any further than they had, so the two had to store the bus in Jiang Ci’s space and proceed on foot.
Even with Jiang Ci’s tools, the uphill path was not easy to navigate. Seeing this, Song Jinchuan crouched down in front of her and said, “Hop on, I’ll carry you.”
Jiang Ci didn’t hesitate any further and climbed onto his back, whispering in his ear, “Am I too heavy?”
The warm breath brushing against his ear made Song Jinchuan’s palms sweat slightly, but he showed no sign of it on his face, “Not heavy at all. You should eat more, you’re still too thin.”
Resting on his broad back, Jiang Ci felt an unusual sense of security well up from within her and couldn’t help but tighten her arms around his neck.
Song Jinchuan walked steadily, careful to not jostle her around on his back.
Feeling both at ease and somewhat happy, Jiang Ci wondered if this was the joy that came with being in love. At this thought, she tightened her grip on him again.
Noticing Jiang Ci’s movement, Song Jinchuan’s lips curved into a slight smile.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, there was a village where wooden houses had been built. The roofs were now covered in snow, and the fields outside were planted with potatoes and sweet potatoes—a surprising sight in this post-apocalyptic world where nothing usually grew. There was even a small, gently bubbling river and green trees.
This place truly resembled a picturesque pre-apocalyptic village nestled between mountains and water.
At this moment, Ye Jing and her group were sweeping snow in the yard, surrounded by survivors armed with real guns and bows; all of them were subordinates of a man called Brother Hu.
Not only were they armed, but several people among them also seemed to be powerful ability users.
On their side, they only had one strong lightning ability user who had already been beaten by them so badly that one arm and leg were fractured, along with various internal injuries, leaving him bedridden. The rest were weaker in combat, so they were practically defenseless against Brother Hu’s formidable team.
Now their village had been taken over, and they were forced to work for Brother Hu, watching as the vegetables they had painstakingly grown were devoured by him and his men.
The thought of this made Ye Jing clench her teeth in anger. They had already retreated to the mountains, not competing with outsiders for resources, and lived self-sufficiently. So why had they still been targeted?
“You there, go pull up some potatoes!” shouted one of Brother Hu’s men at Ye Jing’s group. “Brother, can we take a break? Aunt Guo is about to collapse,” Ye Jing anxiously stepped forward, looking at the pale and unsteady Guo Meixiang beside her.
Guo Meixiang was one of the older villagers, renowned for her skill in making clothes. After gaining her ability, she could even use withered leaves to create garments, with even animal skins becoming comfortable clothing in her hands.
Although she was an ability user, her physical condition was relatively poor due to lingering health issues from the past. After a full day of labor, her body couldn’t hold up any longer.
“Stop wasting time!” The person in front of her kicked her down. “Get to work!”
Guo Meixiang was also kicked down and couldn’t get up for a long time. Ye Jing quickly helped her up, glaring resentfully at the retreating figure of the assailant.
They were only allowed to rest after working late into the night.
The wooden house they used to live in had been taken over, and they were now forced into a rural storage warehouse, where dozens of people huddled together in the darkness.
“Auntie Guo, are you okay?” Ye Jing sat next to Guo Meixiang in the dark, her voice filled with concern.
“I’m fine,” Guo Meixiang coughed lightly. “It’s just my old ailment acting up. Don’t worry about me. Did you get hurt when you were kicked?”
“I managed to fall with the force, so I wasn’t hurt too badly,” Ye Jing sighed. “How much longer will this go on for? I wonder when Brother Shen Tao and the others will return.”
Shen Tao and his team were the village’s main combat force. They had left some time ago to hunt for mutated beasts and zombies.
Although they were mostly self-sufficient, winter was approaching, and they needed to prepare animal hides for warmth and bones from mutated beasts to make basic tools or weapons. As a result, Shen Tao and his team had been away from the base for a while now.
“I wonder if they’ll notice something’s wrong in the village,” Cai Xin, a short-haired girl, said worriedly. Cai Qiang, who was in the same team as Shen Tao, was her brother.
If they returned as usual, completely unprepared, they would surely run into Brother Hu’s men. It was unclear whether they would have the upper hand in a direct confrontation.
Everyone was anxious, cold, and hungry, their nerves stretched to the breaking point. Meanwhile, outside, Jiang Ci was also facing a small crisis.
They had been stopped by a group of survivors clad in animal hides and armed with weapons. These tall, burly individuals now had their weapons trained on Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan.
“Leave now! No outsiders are allowed here!” The speaker was none other than Shen Tao, the very person Ye Jing and the others had been talking about.
Shen Tao and his team had just returned today and immediately noticed something was off. The traps they had set on the mountain had been tampered with, and there were footprints leading up to the base that hadn’t been entirely covered by snow.
They didn’t raise any alarms, as the villagers were usually in sync, and they trusted that no one would reveal their presence. Their return now could be advantageous.
After observing, they realized the intruders were well-armed and numerous, having already taken control of the entire village.
Their immediate concern was how to rescue the villagers and drive out the intruders who had taken over their home.
Before they could come up with a feasible plan, they spotted Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan.
Their village was located in a remote area, surrounded by tangled branches and dead trees, making it hard to find. Yet, not only had the intruders discovered it, but these two outsiders had also managed to find their way here.
This reality made them wonder if their village would truly become increasingly unsafe in the future.
With this thought, their expressions darkened, and they spoke less politely to Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan, urging them to leave quickly. After all, the village was still occupied by those dangerous, armed individuals.
Jiang Ci glanced at them and, after consulting the system, learned that they were not affiliated with Brother Hu. They were likely villagers from the settlement.
“Don’t be nervous,” Jiang Ci stood before them, her petite frame making her seem like a dwarf who had accidentally wandered into a land of giants.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
