Chapter 101 On the Road
"Let's go." Ruan Ning shifted gears, and the car started, heading northwest. Da Huo growled and followed beside him. It was enormous, but ran with remarkable agility, its golden fur fluttering in the morning breeze.
At first, the fire followed the car closely, but after traveling about 20 or 30 kilometers, it gradually picked up speed.
The stamina and explosive power of a Tier 3 mutated beast far surpass those of a vehicle. Sometimes it will overtake, disappearing behind bends or hills ahead; other times it will slow down and disappear into the woods or ruins beside the road.
"They've disappeared again." Zhou Min glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Let it go, it'll find its way back." Ruan Ning focused on the road conditions. The roads in the post-apocalyptic world were cracked and overgrown with weeds, often requiring detours around roadblocks or landslides.
Around noon, they stopped to rest in a relatively open wasteland and ate some simple dry rations. Not long after, a golden shadow sped towards them from afar—it was the fire.
It seemed to be carrying something in its mouth.
The fire ran to the car, bent down, and "poof" spat out a small pile of crystal cores stained with black and red dirt. There were about seven or eight of them, most of them were ordinary first-tier, and one of them was slightly darker in color, possibly a mutant.
It had gotten a lot of blood and dirt on its mouth and chest fur, made a muffled growling sound in its throat, scratched at the pile of crystal cores with its paws, then looked up at Ruan Ning, its tail wagging slightly.
"You went hunting by yourself again?" Lin Yan looked at the pile of dirty crystal cores.
Ruan Ning said nothing, but raised her hand and conjured a clear water sphere the size of a basketball, which hovered in front of the raging fire. The raging fire immediately rushed over, taking several large gulps before carefully inserting its mouth and front paws into the water, waving them from side to side to wash away the blood and grime. The water quickly became murky.
Ruan Ning condensed a second water sphere, and the fire continued to wash it until its fur had mostly regained its original color. It shook its head, splashing water droplets everywhere.
“Crystal cores.” Ruan Ning pointed to the pile on the ground. Zhou Min had already found an old cloth, picked up the crystal cores, rinsed them briefly with the third small water ball that Ruan Ning had condensed, dried them, and put them into a special waterproof bag.
The fire was satisfied to see the crystal core safely stored away. It walked to the shady spot next to the car, lay down, and panted with its tongue lolling out. After running for most of the day, it also needed to rest.
Ruan Ning glanced at the bag containing the crystal cores, then looked at the fire. This guy is becoming more and more like a conscientious team member; he even knows to bring back his "spoils of war."
After resting for half an hour, Ruan Ning got up and said, "Let's keep going and try to cover as much distance as possible before dark."
The engine roared again. The fire engine stood up, shook its fur, and caught up with the car's speed, driving leisurely to the side. Occasionally, it would accelerate, disappearing from sight to clear away any stray threats on the road, or simply to have some fun.
The wheels rolled on, kicking up a trail of dust.
As dusk fell, the car turned off the dilapidated road and drove into an abandoned village. Most of the houses were collapsed, and the weeds grew taller than a person.
Zhou Min closed her eyes and sensed for a few seconds, then shook her head: "Nobody's here, neither alive nor dead, it's safe."
They chose a brick house at the village entrance that at least had a roof. The door was crooked, and Ruan Ning used water to wash away the rubble and thick dust at the entrance, barely making a path. The house was empty, with only a few pieces of dilapidated furniture. Da Huo went in first, sniffing around to make sure there were no hidden threats.
Lin Yan took a small stove and a pot out of the car. Ruan Ning condensed some water to wash the pot, and then gathered a large basin of water to set aside. The rice was stored in her spatial storage, the meat was cured mutated beast jerky, and the vegetables were freshly picked bok choy from her spatial storage.
The fire was lit, and the aroma of rice and the steam from the stewed meat and vegetables quickly filled the dilapidated house. This was the first hot meal since leaving the base, and the three of them ate with great concentration. Da Huo also got a large piece of meat and bone, which he gnawed on noisily beside him.
After dinner, it wasn't completely dark yet, but it was very hot and humid. After sitting in the car all day, I was covered in sweat and dust.
Ruan Ning went first. She went to the bathroom and used her supernatural ability to control the water flow over her head, quickly rinsing herself off and changing into clean clothes. Then came Lin Yan and Zhou Min.
When it was Zhou Min's turn to wash up, Lin Yan had already stood in the shadows by the door, knife in hand, warily watching the gradually darkening wilderness outside. Da Huo stood guard at the window in another direction, his ears perked up.
Ruan Ning dried her hair and said to Lin Yan, "I'll take the first shift, Lin Yan second, and Zhou Min third. Same rules as always, wake everyone up immediately if there's any noise."
She walked to the door, took Lin Yan's place, and sat down against the wall. Tang Hengdao rested across her lap. Her spiritual power, like an invisible net, slowly spread out from her towards the silent village outside and into the distant darkness.
Inside the room, Zhou Min and Lin Yan soon began to breathe evenly. Da Huo also calmed down, but his eyes remained half-open.
Night fell completely. In the distance, the howls of some unknown mutated creature seemed to echo, and the wind whistled through the ruins.
As night deepened, the only sound in the dilapidated house was the occasional crackling of the embers of the stove fire.
Ruan Ning's perception was clearer and more refined than before. She could "hear" the rustling of the night wind through the weeds, "feel" the wriggling of insects deep in the soil, and also detect the faint life and energy fluctuations that stirred in the darkness.
As the night deepened, several small energy sources approached the edge of the village. They were nocturnal mutated weasels, twice the size of their pre-apocalyptic counterparts, swift in movement, with sharp teeth, and accustomed to group activity.
Attracted by the lingering smells of food and the presence of living people in the house, they are stealthily moving in the shadows, gradually gathering around.
Ruan Ning didn't move, or even open her eyes. She simply condensed and compressed the released spiritual power, no longer merely sensing, but imbuing it with the cold and heavy pressure of a fourth-tier ability user, like an invisible boulder, precisely "smashing" it towards the location of those mutated weasels!
"squeak--!"
Several short, sharp, and terrified screams came from the darkness.
The mutated weasels seemed to be whipped by an invisible whip, leaping up suddenly and then, without looking back, tumbling and crawling into the darkness in the distance, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
Mental pressure has an almost instinctive dispelling effect on low-level mutated creatures, especially when the pressure clearly expresses the will to "avoid approaching".
Inside the room, Lin Yan and Zhou Min were fast asleep. Zhou Min frowned slightly in her sleep, as if she subconsciously sensed something, but she didn't wake up. Da Huo, on the other hand, raised its head and glanced in the direction from which the oppressive aura was released. It grunted in its throat and then lay down again, knowing that its master had dealt with the minor trouble.
In the early hours of the morning, Ruan Ning woke Lin Yan to relieve her, then quickly went to rest. While Lin Yan kept watch, the village was enveloped in silence, save for the sound of the wind and some faint, distant noises. She gripped the hilt of her knife tightly, listening intently, not daring to relax for a moment.
When it was Zhou Min's turn to guard the last two hours, a faint gray-white tinge had appeared on the horizon. Although her mental strength was not as powerful as Ruan Ning's, perception and early warning were her specialties. She carefully filtered through all the information around her, confirming that no large-scale threat was approaching. Occasionally, night birds would fly by or small animals would dart across, but they were always at a safe distance.
The night was filled with close calls, but no real danger.
As dawn broke, the fire in the stove had long since died down. Ruan Ning opened her eyes precisely on time, her gaze clear and bright. The brief rest, combined with her own powerful recovery ability, was enough to eliminate her fatigue. She looked towards the doorway; Zhou Min was rubbing her slightly sore eyes, but her mind was still relatively focused.
"Are you alright?" Ruan Ning stood up and stretched her shoulders.
"It's alright, it's very quiet in the latter half of the night," Zhou Min reported. "There were a few carrion birds passing by, but they didn't come any closer."
Lin Yan also woke up and was checking her weapons and equipment.
The fire had already stood up, walked to the door, and looked out through the crack in the door, its tail swaying gently.
Ruan Ning condensed some water, and the three of them, along with the dog, quickly washed up and ate some dry rations for breakfast. Then they checked the vehicle, filled the spare fuel can with gas, and put the necessary supplies back in their places.
As the morning light fully illuminated the desolate village, the off-road vehicle started up again and drove onto the dilapidated road leading northwest. The fire still followed beside the vehicle, full of energy.
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