39. Crossing the River
Fu Yunong slid her fingertips across the system panel, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
Yesterday's battle in the forest yielded a truly impressive haul: 576 level 1 zombie cores, 101 level 2 cores, and 33 level 3 cores.
I made a profit!
This was the first time she had ever seen a level 3 crystal core. It was a light blue crystal, and the system displayed it as a [Level 3 Giant Armor Crystal Core]. After exchanging for one, her balance increased by 300 points.
Recalling the scene of the battle, there were indeed several exceptionally large monsters with bluish-gray hard shells and frighteningly bulging muscles; they must have been giant armored zombies.
Fu Yunong chuckled inwardly. What a pity, even such a powerful being could only be obediently harvested when it encountered her system.
She continued browsing the system. She currently had a balance of 110,730 points, and her space contained 701 Level 1 crystal cores, 366 Level 2 crystal cores, 33 Level 3 crystal cores, and 1 Level 4 crystal core. The condition for upgrading from Level 4 to Level 5 was to accumulate 500,000 points and obtain 1 Level 5 crystal core.
She did the math and realized that she hadn't even reached half of the points she had accumulated through redemption, and she hadn't even seen a level 5 crystal core yet; she was still far from it.
The system displayed that level five unlocks the "Daily Discounts" category, an amazing feature for getting freebies. Just thinking about being able to buy supplies at discounted prices filled her with anticipation.
"Sister Yu Nong, what are you laughing at?" Huangfu Jinrang asked curiously, leaning on the passenger seat.
Fu Yunong put away the panel and turned her head. "It's nothing. Perfect timing, let's talk about yesterday."
"Was it a bit too reckless of you to attack Ouyang Peng yesterday?" Fu Yunong's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Huangfu Jinrang's ears.
Shi Dong's gaze inadvertently swept over the two in the driver's seat, and Xiao Linfang in the back seat also sat up straight. Outside the car, Lin Songsong rode his motorcycle with Huahua on the back, following at a distance.
Huangfu Jinrang froze in his seat, unsure whether to move forward or backward, his face turning bright red.
Seeing this, Fu Yunong reached out and gently patted the back of her hand, her tone becoming even gentler, "You did the right thing. Someone like him will be a menace sooner or later."
Huangfu Jinrang's eyes widened in surprise.
“However, next time you make a move, you’d better give us a heads-up, even just a glance would do.” Fu Yunong’s tone changed, her expression becoming more serious. “Even if he’s stupid, he’s still an ability user. If he has any tricks up his sleeve, you’ll be the one who gets hurt, and we won’t have time to react.”
Shi Dong chimed in, his voice still cold, "Your strength is mental power, but close-quarters defense is your weakness. It's always good to be careful."
Xiao Linfang nodded in agreement, "Yes, Xiao Jin, let us know in advance next time so we can look out for each other. Aww~"
Hearing what the others said, Huangfu Jin's unease immediately dissipated. She nodded vigorously, "I understand, I will definitely not be so impulsive in the future."
Fu Yunong's lips curved into a smile as she changed the subject, "How's your ear?"
Xiao Linfang continued, "There has been a significant improvement. I have now broken through to level three, and the healing effect is stronger than before, which should shorten the recovery time."
Huangfu Jinrang nodded in agreement.
"That's good." Fu Yunong looked at the two of them and smiled, her eyes crinkling.
The detour was longer than expected. Over two days, the two cars traveled three or four hundred kilometers westward on the bumpy, abandoned roads until they could no longer see the gloomy woods. Only then did they stop the cars to rest for the night and prepare for crossing the river the next day.
After dinner, Fu Yunong took out crystal cores from her spatial storage according to the needs of the group.
The group immediately gathered around the brazier and began absorbing energy.
As time passed, a blinding burst of lightning suddenly erupted from Shi Dong's palm. The crackling current condensed into a ball in her palm, and then slowly subsided. She had successfully reached level four!
Lin Songsong was not to be outdone. The golden light in his palm surged and then tightened instantly, breaking through to level three as well.
Although Xiao Linfang, Huangfu Jinrang, and Sun Hui did not level up, they could all feel that their supernatural abilities had become more powerful.
Fu Yunong always found the enhancement of superpower levels by crystal cores puzzling, as it seemed to be related to individual physique and there was no unified standard.
Hua Hua also chewed on one. Its current size is comparable to that of an adult mastiff. Its fur is shiny and smooth, and its limbs are thick and powerful. It still looks like a cat, but the fangs showing at the corners of its mouth exude a strong sense of intimidation.
The next day, the group finally embarked on their journey to cross the river. The scene before them was truly breathtaking: several once-prosperous cities had long been submerged by the flood. As far as the eye could see, the black ice stretched endlessly, with only the occasional spires of buildings peeking out from the ice, appearing exceptionally desolate in the cold wind.
"Set off."
Shi Dong turned on the car lights and drove onto the frozen river first.
For the next seven days, the group took turns driving, speeding across the ice day and night. Occasionally, when they encountered areas of thin ice, they had to get out of the car to check and confirm that it was safe before continuing, for fear of accidentally falling into an ice hole.
On the evening of the seventh day, the wheels finally reached solid ground, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even Hua Hua jumped off the roof of the car and happily scratched her paws on the ground.
Fu Yunong leaned back in her seat and rubbed her temples. She had gained a lot from this river crossing. The system could now harvest zombie cores within eight meters, ignoring obstacles, but the constant high concentration had left her mentally exhausted. Now that she was on land, even though it was still in the wilderness, her mindset was different.
"Let's find a place to rest for the night," Shi Dong suggested, and the group immediately agreed.
The car soon drove into a dilapidated town, which was much the same as the other side of the river, desolate and lifeless, but with more northern architectural features.
The group selected a relatively intact bungalow. Sun Hui and Lin Songsong were responsible for cleaning up the clutter inside, while Fu Yunong lit a charcoal fire and brought out a large wooden tub. They filled the tub with hot water using an electric kettle, preparing for the group to wash themselves.
"It's been almost half a month since I've properly tidied up," Xiao Linfang said with a smile.
After wiping themselves down and changing into clean underwear, the odor on their bodies disappeared, and they felt much fresher.
Just as Fu Yunong finished cleaning up, Xiao Linfang had already prepared the meal: a milky white fish head tofu soup served with flatbread.
The rich fish broth infused the delicate aroma of tofu, and the firm tofu, soaked in the broth, melted in your mouth. Fu Yunong used to prefer soft tofu, but after tasting Xiao Linfang's cooking, she truly understood the wonder of firm tofu.
Sun Hui held her bowl and buried her head in her soup, feeling a deep sense of gratitude: she had been eating hot meals every day with the women, and she could clearly feel that she had gained some weight during this time.
But the thought that everyone else had failed to survive and that she would be the only one to go back weighed heavily on her heart.
After leaving the town, the terrain gradually became undulating, with mountains to the north and rugged mountain roads that were much more difficult to traverse than the ruins on the plains.
Fortunately, they had Sun Hui as their guide. With her around, they were saved a lot of time figuring things out on their own and avoided taking many detours.
The successful crossing to the north lifted everyone's spirits considerably. Fu Yunong bought a bag of apples from the system, and the group sat in the car, munching on them as they drove. The sweet flesh was especially refreshing, even though some of them were a bit icy on their teeth.
Hua Hua also picked one up and squatted on the back of Lin Songsong's motorcycle, nibbling at it in small bites.
Two days later, the group descended to the foot of the mountain and saw a cluster of low wooden houses built against the mountainside. Although they were dilapidated, traces of human repairs could be seen.
Shi Dong's gaze narrowed slightly; there were living people here, and quite a few of them.
Fu Yunong followed her gaze and saw faint wisps of smoke rising from the cracks in the wooden house not far away. Although faint, it proved that someone was there.
Sun Hui's voice came through the walkie-talkie, "This is a temporary settlement where some survivors band together to survive."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yunong silently took out his pistol.
As soon as the car entered the edge of the settlement, several ragged people poked their heads out of the wooden houses, their eyes filled with greed and malice, staring intently at them.
Hua Hua sensed danger and immediately bared her teeth, letting out a low growl.
"Hurry up!" Sun Hui's voice came again.
Shi Dong stepped on the gas and followed, but just a few seconds after accelerating, a dark figure suddenly rushed out from the side of the road!
Shi Dong reacted extremely quickly, slamming on the brakes. The tires screeched against the ground, and the people inside the car were thrown forward by inertia, their seatbelts snapping to their limit instantly.
Fu Yunong composed herself and looked in front of the car—it was a emaciated woman, barely clothed, her bare feet covered with frostbite and wounds. She was standing blankly in front of the car, staring at them with empty eyes, without any intention of looking away.
He was clearly contemplating suicide.
Lin Songsong immediately turned the car around, jumped out, and gently lifted the woman to the side of the road. The woman didn't struggle at all, but just stared straight at them, like a lifeless statue.
The motorcycle restarted and had only gone a few steps when Huahua, the rider on the back seat, shook its fur, and a yellowish apple core fell to the ground from its feet.
In just a few seconds, several people hiding behind the wooden house suddenly rushed out and began to scramble for the loot like madmen.
Fu Yunong looked at the scene in the rearview mirror, her heart heavy. This damned divine punishment had turned the world into a living hell. These people were once ordinary people living their own lives, but now they were living such a difficult life.
Xiao Linfang and Huangfu Jin were mostly grateful that they had met Fu Yunong; otherwise, they would probably have lived a life that was neither human nor ghost, just like these people.
They drove in silence until the afternoon when Sun Hui's car stopped in front of a relatively open mountain valley. Fu Yunong and the others looked up and saw a village standing in front of them.
This village was different from the previous ones. It was surrounded by a high wall made of bamboo, more than three meters high, with icicles frozen on the surface.
Two armed guards stood at the entrance, warily eyeing their car.
"We've arrived at the base supply depot." Sun Hui pushed open the car door, turned around and said to Fu Yunong and the others, her tone finally revealing a hint of relief.
Once you pass this station, it will take another two days to reach the Watchers' Base.
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