28. Order takeout

After the car climbed to the top of the mountain, it drove for a long time through the undulating terrain before starting to descend. As the altitude gradually decreased, the terrain at the foot of the mountain slowly opened up, revealing a wide depression. Rather than a depression, it resembled a snow-covered plain that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Looking around, there was not a single person in sight, nor even a single intact building. All that could be seen were the ruins of collapsed houses, mostly buried by snow.

Sitting in the passenger seat, looking out the window, Fu Yunong finally understood why these places were called wastelands.

The car engine chugged and sputtered as it slowly came to a stop in front of a bungalow whose roof had collapsed halfway. The walls of the bungalow were riddled with cracks, but it was the only place in the area that could barely keep out the cold wind. Further ahead, there wasn't even such a dilapidated place to stand.

Shi Dong was the first to get off the bus. She held the dagger and carefully checked the bungalow before nodding to the three people in the bus, making sure there was no danger.

Lin Songsong followed closely behind, carrying Huahua. As soon as the little guy landed, he wagged his tail and scratched in the snow, but didn't run off as usual.

The first thing she did upon entering the house was to warm herself up. Fu Yunong fiddled with the brazier and suddenly remembered the cooking service in the system's [Value-Added Services]. She immediately opened the system panel and started searching for the cooking service.

"Let's order takeout today!" Fu Yunong gave the three of them a mysterious smile, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she selected four dishes: shredded pork with garlic sauce, lettuce drizzled with oil, beer-braised duck, a three-delicacy soup, and a large bowl of rice. Aside from the cost of the ingredients themselves, the processing fee alone cost 50 points, which made her feel a slight pang of regret.

The next second, four steaming porcelain plates appeared on the table in the living area. Fu Yunong didn't dare to delay and quickly placed a flat iron plate over the brazier, putting the dishes and rice on it to heat them. In this awful weather, they would freeze into ice blocks if they weren't kept warm.

It's stir-fried food!!!

Lin Songsong was the first to come over, her eyes shining like stars. The others were already starving, and now, gathered around the hot plate, they eagerly picked up their chopsticks and ate them so fast they didn't even have time to talk.

After they had filled their stomachs, the group held their hot tea and finally had the time to comment on the meal.

"The taste is alright, but it feels like something's missing. It's not as good as Sister Lin's cooking." Fu Yunong spoke first, and Shi Dong and Lin Songsong nodded in agreement.

Xiao Linfang was amused by their words, but she knew that Fu Yunong wasn't just flattering her. The dish was delicious, but it lacked the warmth and soul of home cooking.

Fu Yunong decided that she would only use this function occasionally in the future, to cook dishes that they didn't have the conditions or time to prepare, otherwise the processing fee alone would be enough to make her feel bad for half a day.

However, while browsing the system, she discovered an even more useful function: baking. As long as she provided ingredients like flour and eggs, the system could help her make a cake.

Fu Yunong's eyes lit up. She had a lot of flour stored in her space, and eggs weren't expensive in the store. It was just that milk, cheese, and sugar cost a little more points. She immediately decided to give it a try and ordered five pounds of thumb-sized cakes. The processing fee was 20 points, which was much more cost-effective than cooking.

Before long, a large bag of small cakes wrapped in parchment paper appeared in the space. Fu Yunong took out a few and distributed them to everyone. The warm cakes were soft and fluffy, with a light milky aroma, sweet but not cloying.

"This is great! This is great!" Lin Songsong exclaimed, chewing on the cake with a wide grin. She was so happy to be able to eat a small cake!

Fu Yunong nodded repeatedly. This thing could be used as both dry food and snacks. She had specially raised the temperature of the space by 10°C so that she wouldn't get cold. It was simply a travel essential.

After eating and drinking their fill, it was still early. Since they were in a sheltered spot from the wind, Shi Dong put down her teacup and suggested that the three of them, who were also superpowered individuals, spar to improve their combat skills.

Lin Songsong was the first to nod. She had long wanted to test how much of Shi Dong's attack she could withstand after transforming into metal. Xiao Linfang was also eager to try. She had never seriously fought anyone with her wood-type ability, so she could take this opportunity to practice.

The group arrived at the open space outside the bungalow. Hua Hua squatted to one side, its tail held high, its bright black eyes staring at them, looking like it was waiting to see a show.

The first to go were Shi Dong and Xiao Linfang. Xiao Linfang took a deep breath, clasped her hands together in front of her, and several sharp wooden spikes suddenly condensed out of thin air and shot towards Shi Dong with a whoosh.

Shi Dong narrowed his eyes slightly, easily dodging the attack with a leap and movement, and even had time to comment, "The attack was too slow, and the angle of the wooden spikes was too straight, making it easy to predict."

Xiao Linfang listened intently, trying to adjust her angle so the wooden spikes would attack from different directions, but Shi Dong still dodged them. After several attempts, she lost confidence and finally stopped, saying dejectedly, "I'm so bad..."

Shi Dong calmly analyzed, "You're worrying too much. Treat me like a zombie and don't hold back. However, this move is enough to deal with non-superpowered individuals. Be confident."

Xiao Linfang nodded emphatically, "Then let's do it again!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Shi Dong suddenly threw a punch at her. The speed was so fast that Xiao Linfang didn't have time to react and took the punch squarely. Although Shi Dong had held back his strength, it still made her wince in pain.

Before she could even cry out in pain, a second punch landed. Xiao Linfang hurriedly swung out a wooden spike to counterattack, interrupting Shi Dong's offensive momentum. In the following rounds, Shi Dong took the initiative to attack, and Xiao Linfang used her special ability to block, ultimately ending the fight with Xiao Linfang grimacing in pain.

"Have you noticed that you can absorb other people's energy?" Shi Dong suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback. Fu Yunong and Lin Songsong quickly surrounded them, pressing for the reason.

Shi Dong said that whether it's a wooden thorn or a vine whip, as long as it gets touched by Xiao Linfang's attack, she will absorb its energy.

Xiao Linfang stared blankly at her hands, her face full of astonishment. She actually had this ability? Ignoring the pain in her body, she quickly went to the side to ponder this newly discovered ability.

Next up is Lin Songsong. She's the tank on which everyone has high hopes!

Shi Dong stood opposite her and snorted softly, "Focus your attention, I won't hold back."

Lin Songsong's expression turned serious. She crossed her arms in front of her, creating a golden energy shield that protected her.

"It's starting." As soon as Shi Dong finished speaking, a blinding bolt of lightning condensed in his palm. With a "crack," the lightning bolt struck straight at Lin Songsong's protective shield! The shield trembled, and golden ripples rippled slightly.

Before Lin Songsong could adjust, a second, a third... one after another bolt of lightning struck, so dense that there were no gaps.

"Clatter."

With a crisp sound, the golden shield finally gave way and shattered completely.

Before Lin Songsong could react, an even thicker bolt of lightning struck her. Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough to activate her full-body metallization, which transformed her into a silver-gray metallic armor.

The lightning struck the metal armor, producing a piercing crackling sound. A powerful current traveled through the armor and spread throughout Lin Songsong's body. He felt a tingling sensation all over his body, his legs went weak, and he collapsed straight onto the snow. His hair stood on end, and his body twitched uncontrollably.

"Song Song!"

Fu Yunong screamed in fright and rushed over instantly. Xiao Linfang followed quickly, and the two of them helped Lin Songsong up.

Fu Yunong turned and glared at Shi Dong, her voice tinged with anger, "Didn't we say it was just a friendly spar? Why are you beating me to death?"

Shi Dong put her hands behind her back, looked up at the sky, and then kicked the stone at her feet. Little did she know that Lin Songsong was so stubborn that she didn't even try to dodge.

After recovering, Lin Songsong chuckled, "It's alright, Sister Yu Nong. I just didn't realize what was happening and was too busy carrying it."

Fu Yunong punched her and said irritably, "Fine, I've done all the bad guys."

Over the next few days, the group continued their journey, stopping and resting whenever they found a place to rest. Occasionally, they would spar with each other using their special abilities, and Hua Hua would join in the fun, jumping and skipping among the colorful special abilities, which made the others both amused and exasperated.

That noon, as the car was driving across an open snowfield, Fu Yunong suddenly pointed out the window, rubbed her eyes, and exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Those are... penguins?!"

Following her gaze, the group saw a group of black and white penguins waddling past the car, their round bodies standing out against the snow, showing no fear of people.

Before Fu Yunong could even process what was happening, several more enormous polar bears appeared in the distance.

Fu Yunong was completely stunned, muttering, "God, am I hallucinating...?"

Shi Dong frowned. The climate had changed, the magnetic field was disordered, and the animal migration routes had also changed.

She quickly turned the steering wheel, stepped on the gas, and the car sped away from the area. Who knew if these animals might suddenly attack?

After walking for another two days, a different scene finally appeared ahead.

The outlines of low-lying houses, though mostly dilapidated, suggested the size of a small town. Shi Dong slowed down, carefully scanning the surrounding snow-covered ground, and whispered, "There should be living people here."

The group immediately perked up, and Fu Yunong gripped the pistol at her waist.

Shi Dong drove the car slowly, and before long, she felt eyes watching them from the shadows. She glanced around discreetly and saw several figures flash past behind the house.

Just as she was about to step on the gas and drive away, a group of figures appeared at the intersection ahead. There were about a dozen people, both men and women, who were not carrying any weapons. They raised their hands high with their palms facing forward, indicating that they meant no harm.

The leader was a tall man with dark skin and a kind smile on his face. He waved vigorously at them and said in a loud voice, "Friends from afar, don't be nervous, we mean no harm!"

After a moment's thought, Shi Dong gently stepped on the brakes, and the car slowly drove towards the group of people.

As the car drew closer, the group could finally see what they were wearing: most of them were dressed in clothes made of animal hides, wrapped tightly around their bodies, with only their faces exposed, which were red from the cold.

If it weren't for their modern faces, Fu Yunong would have thought they had traveled to a primitive tribe. However, this group of people was definitely the living people with the highest standard of living she had ever encountered.

"We're from the village up ahead, and we haven't seen any other living people in ages!" The leading man approached, his tone exaggeratedly enthusiastic. "Especially since you're all beautiful ladies, come visit our village! We'll have hot soup and a clean place to stay! For miles around, our village is the only place you can find shelter." As he spoke, he couldn't help but look up at Lin Songsong.

Lin Songsong was already tall, and with the thick coat she was wearing, she looked exceptionally strong. The man looked at her for a while, and finally could only rub his neck and lower his head, clearly intimidated by Lin Songsong's height.

Fu Yunong and Shi Dong exchanged a glance. They hadn't seen any other living people in a long time. Although they were wary, they also wanted to see what tricks they were up to.

When he learned that they were willing to visit the village, the man's smile widened, and he quickly called to the people behind him, "Back to the village, we have distinguished guests!"

The group followed the "primitive people" toward the village. They initially thought the village was just a name, but when they arrived, they found that it was indeed a proper village.

The three-meter-high wooden wall was completely enclosed, with a watchtower on top. Several people dressed in animal skins stood on it with bows and arrows, watching the surroundings warily.

Lin Songsong had to bow slightly as she entered the village gate.

The village was more lively than expected. Many people peeked out of their houses when they heard the noise. Their eyes were wary and scrutinizing, but no one interfered and they quickly withdrew their heads.

As the man at the head of the group walked, he explained, "Our village is called 'Snow Wolf Village.' We used to be farmers from the mountains, but our homes were destroyed in the disaster, so we helped each other to make a living..."