Chapter 78 The Death of Lin Wanyun

Watching Da Huo feast, Ruan Ning turned and walked into the cramped bathroom.

She carefully checked the doors and windows, then took out clean clothes and towels from her storage space. Warm water poured over her head, washing away the sweat, dust, and faint smell of blood left after the battle, and also washing away the fatigue from her journey.

In the apocalypse, a safe and private hot bath is a luxury comparable to a crystal core. She closed her eyes, letting the water flow over her skin, feeling her muscles relax little by little.

After showering, I changed into soft, clean loungewear and casually dried my wet hair with a towel.

In the living room, the fire had completely devoured the two roasted chickens, and they were contentedly licking their paws and mouths, even the oil paper was shiny from being licked clean. When they saw Ruan Ning come out, they came over obsequiously, rubbing their heads against her hand, their fur still carrying the aroma of roasted chicken.

Ruan Ning patted it and walked to the small table to sit down.

This time, she took out a perfectly preserved eel rice set meal for herself—glistening rice topped with grilled eel in a thick sauce, accompanied by pickled ginger slices and a small bowl of miso soup.

There was even a small box of exquisite Kyoto matcha yokan as dessert. The color and aroma of the food were out of place in this humble apartment, yet they brought a twisted, ultimate comfort.

She picked up her chopsticks and ate slowly and attentively.

The eel was plump and tender, the sauce was perfectly balanced between sweet and savory, and the rice was warm and chewy. The miso soup had just the right amount of salty and umami flavor. The yokan (sweet bean jelly) was delicate and sweet, with a subtle tea aroma.

Every bite is a distant recollection of ordinary life before the apocalypse, and a reward for surviving in this moment.

When going out on missions, for safety and to avoid exposing her location, she only eats the most basic compressed rations and drinks water.

The fire, having eaten and drunk its fill, curled up at her feet, its belly rising and falling gently with its breath, its ears twitching occasionally. The apartment fell silent, save for the soft chewing sounds of Ruan Ning and the faint, indistinct sounds of the base's night outside the window.

A meal, a vegetable dish, and a dog for company.

In this small world under her control, she can temporarily shed all her cold masks and heavy burdens, and simply enjoy a long-awaited meal as a living person.

After finishing dinner, Ruan Ning went to her bedroom and then entered her spatial dimension to begin cultivating.

She didn't come out of the space to rest until late at night.

The next morning, Ruan Ning brought Da Huo to the information hall. The hall was still bustling with people and noisy, but Da Huo's presence was so strong that people automatically parted to make way for him, whispering among themselves.

When Lao Dao saw Ruan Ning, he walked over and greeted her warmly: "Miss Ruan, it seems you've had quite a haul this time, even bringing back a 'partner'!"

"Hmm." Ruan Ning led him directly into a trading room and got straight to the point, "Any news about Lin Wanyun lately?"

Old Dao's smile faded slightly, and he lowered his voice: "Lin Wanyun, I have the news, but you're too late."

Ruan Ning's eyes narrowed slightly: "What do you mean?"

"Dead." Old Dao uttered two words, his tone tinged with a sigh of the vicissitudes of life. "It happened just a few days ago, and it caused quite a stir."

Ruan Ning's fingers, which were resting on her knees, twitched slightly, but her face remained expressionless: "How did you die?"

Old Dao pulled out a crumpled cigarette, thought for a moment, then put it back, rubbing his hands together. "Speaking of which, she was a ruthless woman, what a pity. Ever since her daughter Lin Jiaojiao died outside, this woman has been like a lost soul. In Lei Bao's gang's eyes, she's not even as good as a dog. She has to do all the dirty and hard work—washing clothes, cooking, cleaning—and she gets scolded and beaten all the time. Those women... you know, they're always putting down the lowly and flattering the high, they've really tormented her."

He paused, his voice lower: "I heard she's harboring resentment, resentful that Lei Bao and the others refused to help her, resentful that they mistreated her. But what can an old woman with no superpowers do? Nobody expected that she would actually come up with such a big plan."

"About four or five days ago, the Thunder Leopard Squad returned from a mission with minor injuries and one member missing, so they were in a bad mood. Lin Wanyun, as usual, was preparing food for them. I don't know where she caught a mutated rat from. It wasn't big, but I heard its color was off, all colorful, so I guess it was poisonous."

Old Dao gestured: "I don't know how she handled it, but she probably chopped up the rat meat and mixed it with other meats, or made soup. Anyway, she served it to the dozen or so people in Lei Bao's team who were eating that night."

Ruan Ning listened quietly. Da Huo seemed to sense the atmosphere and twitched his ears, but remained silent.

"It's either that Lei Bao and the others were lucky, or that the bodies of superhumans have strong resistance to toxins." Old Dao clicked his tongue. "The poison didn't kill them immediately, but it was still quite painful when it took effect. I heard that not long after they finished eating, they all turned pale, vomited and had diarrhea, were weak all over, couldn't even use their superhuman abilities, and were paralyzed on the ground unable to move."

"Lin Wanyun came out of the kitchen with a cleaver in her hand." Old Dao's voice carried a hint of coldness. "No one saw what her expression was at the time, but you can imagine. She probably thought they were all dead and wanted to finish them off herself, or she just hated them so much that she wanted to watch them die. The first person she went for was Lei Bao, who was lying on the living room floor."

"But she underestimated the tenacity of superhumans and overestimated her own strength and the potency of the poison." Old Knife shook his head. "Lei Bao was, after all, a peak first-tier lightning-type, with extremely strong physical attributes. Although he couldn't move, his consciousness wasn't completely blurred. Seeing that the knife was about to strike, he mustered his last bit of strength and activated the remaining lightning energy in his body—not strong, but enough to make Lin Wanyun, who was nearby, convulse all over, and the knife fell to the ground."

"The commotion alerted the two people next door who weren't poisoned. They rushed in and saw Lin Wanyun lying on the ground convulsing, and Lei Bao and the others lying on the ground, barely alive. How could they not understand? They immediately subdued Lin Wanyun."

"And then?" Ruan Ning asked, her voice calm and even.

"What else could happen?" Old Dao shrugged. "After catching his breath, Lei Bao was furious. It's said that he forced himself to... personally deal with Lin Wanyun. No one saw the specifics, but he didn't let her die a quick death. Then, his team cleaned up internally and quickly found someone to treat the poison. Lei Bao and two others who were severely poisoned reportedly spent several days in bed recovering, and their strength was probably damaged. The others who were less severely poisoned were also weak for a long time. For those few days, a low-pressure atmosphere permeated the entire C-sector outpost; no one dared to provoke them."

Old Knife sighed: "This Lin Wanyun is a pitiful person. Her daughter died, and she lived a life worse than a human being. In the end, she took revenge in such a ruthless way, but in the end... sigh. However, after this incident, the Thunder Leopard Squad has been severely weakened, and there are probably some rifts within the team. The newly favored woman is said to be quite frightened. Now, in Area C, the other squads are getting restless."

Ruan Ning sat silently, processing Lao Dao's words.

Lin Wanyun... is dead.

She ended her life—a life filled with scheming, dependence, and ultimately despair and hatred—in a tragic, resolute, yet ultimately unsuccessful manner.

She tried to make her enemy suffer pain and death, but she overestimated the poison and underestimated her opponent, ultimately paying the price with her life.

Was this revenge? Barely, yes; she inflicted serious injuries and weakened the Thunder Leopard Squad. But for her, that price was a gamble with her life, and she lost.

Ruan Ning had originally planned that Lin Wanyun's fate would not be like this.

She should have been tormented in the longer despair she had woven herself, watching everything she depended on collapse... But fate, or rather Lin Wanyun's own obsessive hatred, led her to choose a more direct and tragic path.

"Understood." Ruan Ning stood up, took out a pound of noodles and a few bottles of water from her bag as payment for Lao Dao. "Thanks."

Old Dao took it, and looking at Ruan Ning's calm profile and unfathomable eyes, he felt a sudden unease. He quickly smiled and said, "Don't mention it. If you need any information in the future, feel free to come to me anytime."

Ruan Ning nodded, then turned and left the information hall with the fire in her arms.

The sunlight was a bit too bright.

Da Huo seemed to sense a slight fluctuation in her emotions and gently nuzzled her arm with its head.

Ruan Ning stroked its warm fur, her gaze fixed on area C.

Lin Wanyun is dead.

In a way that surprised her.