This trip had come about because they had accepted a mission to retrieve the gallbladder of a mutated snake. Several teams had taken the same mission before, but all had failed.
It was said that the snake gall had excellent detoxifying effects.
After the apocalypse, traditional medicine had risen in prominence. Many medicines extracted from mutated animals and plants had been developed, and snake gall was one of the highly valued materials they were offering large rewards for.
“…As long as we complete this mission, we’ll earn enough crystal cores to live in the town for a year,” Xia Tao said, her eyes shining.
Tang Tong, who spoke little, simply looked at her with indulgence.
Tao Mo went on to recount their past missions. Each one was extremely dangerous, leaving Miao Suisui listening in awe.
“You’re all really amazing,” she said sincerely.
“It’s mostly thanks to our captain. He’s turned the tide several times. Without him, we would have been wiped out long ago.”
Miao Suisui looked at Meng Ye, who had remained quiet. He wore a short sleeved shirt, his exposed skin a bronze tone, marked with scars of various sizes.
One scar ran diagonally from his neck downward, clearly from a life threatening situation.
Miao Suisui stared absentmindedly. Meng Ye, feeling her gaze, coughed lightly in discomfort.
She quickly looked away and lowered her head to eat, hiding her embarrassment.
After finishing their meal, the team left. Miao Suisui headed to the clinic.
She wanted to check on the man who had been brought in the day before.
The robot informed her that he had already woken up. When she entered the room, she saw a man almost entirely wrapped in bandages.
Learning that it was this young girl who had saved him, the man became emotional. His vocal cords were damaged, and his voice was hoarse. Miao Suisui had to listen carefully to understand him.
At one point, he even tried to sit up, only to be pressed back down by the nurse robot. His bandaged head hit the bed with a dull thud, making Miao Suisui wince.
Aside from gratitude, he was anxious because when he was captured by Niu Ge, he had not been alone. Now he had no way of knowing if the other person was safe.
Miao Suisui understood. “When I found you, you were alone. Worrying won’t help for now. Focus on recovering. Also, you do have crystal cores, right? Treatment here requires payment.”
The man nodded and said hoarsely that he did. Then, as if recalling something, his expression dimmed.
Because of his severe injuries, he could not stay awake long and soon fell asleep again.
After leaving the clinic, Miao Suisui brought Su Qingqing’s parents and Chen Xu’s parents to the factory to register.
Standing at the entrance, the machine automatically recorded their information.
Soon, everything was processed. Each worker received a personal points card where their earnings would be stored.
Su Qingqing’s parents examined their cards repeatedly, smiling brightly.
…
At the same time, in a small town not far from H City, a group of six people arrived, breaking the silence.
Among them were three women and three men. They cautiously found a supermarket that had not yet been overrun by mutated plants or beasts.
Most of the supplies inside had already been taken, leaving only scattered shelves.
The three men moved the shelves aside, clearing space, and laid down a relatively clean bedsheet.
The others searched for any remaining resources. Meanwhile, the most beautiful girl sat down on the sheet without hesitation, despite her still relatively clean clothes. The long journey had left her looking dusty, but her delicate features remained evident.
It was clear that even after the apocalypse, she had maintained fair skin and wore a pretty dress, suggesting she had lived well before.
One of the girls searching glanced back and saw her sitting, pounding her legs and pouting, clearly dissatisfied.
She rolled her eyes and whispered to the girl beside her, “She still thinks she’s some princess. We’re all working, and she’s just sitting there, never helping.”
The short haired girl shook her head. “If not for Yingying, we might have died in the base chaos. She’s always been delicate. The fact that she followed us this far without dragging us down is already impressive. And we’ve been eating the supplies her father prepared.”
The girl clicked her tongue. “We could have escaped ourselves. And now we’re supposed to take care of her forever over such a small favor? I’m not doing that. Her family was so rich before, why didn’t they share more? Every meal is just a little dry ration, while they keep the good stuff. I’ve seen people deliver them cured meat before.”
The short haired girl sighed and said nothing more, continuing her search while freezing a nearby ant nest with her ability.
They rested briefly, distributing rations and water.
Water was more precious, each person only getting a small sip.
Cui Yingying, however, drank nearly half a bottle and still felt unsatisfied.
No one objected, since the water came from her. She had already given each of them a bottle earlier, but they conserved theirs carefully, unsure how much she had left.
The girl who had been complaining felt her throat burning with thirst, growing more resentful.
“Yingying, we don’t know how long it’ll take to find another base. Shouldn’t we manage supplies together? If we run out, things will get difficult.”
Cui Yingying looked at her in surprise. “But these are my supplies. Can’t I decide how to use them?”
“But we’re a team, and we’ve been helping you…” the girl insisted, though others looked at her with disbelief.
“Helping me? Haven’t I been helping you? Without me, you would have died already. Even escaping that base was thanks to my father. Have you forgotten that? You really have thick skin,” Cui Yingying said calmly.
The girl’s face flushed deep red.
“You’re not a princess anymore. Stop acting like one!” she snapped.
“Even so, I’m still living better than you,” Cui Yingying replied lightly, her composure making the other look even worse.
Under disapproving looks, the girl lashed out, “Serves you right your parents are dead!”
Cui Yingying’s smile vanished as she stared at her.
“Zhou Xue, shut up!” the short haired girl snapped.
The others intervened, easing the tension.
After a short rest, they left the supermarket.
Zhou Xue began to regret her words but could not bring herself to apologize. She sensed that something in the group had changed.
…
“Why didn’t I get any?” Zhou Xue demanded in disbelief.
By dusk, they finally reached H City and stopped briefly to rest.
Cui Yingying looked at her like she was foolish. “Didn’t you say you had a problem with me? Why should I give you food? Since you dislike me so much, you shouldn’t want anything from me.”
Zhou Xue turned to the others. “Are you just going to let her treat me like this? Aren’t we a team?”
“Just stop,” the short haired girl said, chewing her ration.
With no one supporting her, Zhou Xue could only sit aside, hungry.
They could not stay long and continued moving, trying to find a safe place before nightfall.
Avoiding dense areas, they headed toward the outskirts.
After walking for a while, they noticed a distant light.
One of the men squinted. “Looks like a town sign.”
Everyone was shocked. Electricity was extremely scarce. Who would waste it on a sign?
“Let’s check it out. Maybe it’s a big base. I can’t walk anymore,” Cui Yingying said.
Her suggestion was quickly accepted. Zhou Xue rolled her eyes silently.
As they approached, they accidentally disturbed a massive mutated rhinoceros. Its sharp horn gleamed even in the dark.
They had no choice but to fight.
“Run inside, head for the town!” a clear voice suddenly called out.
They instinctively ran, using their abilities to slow the beast.
Just as they neared the entrance, Cui Yingying, focused on using her ability, suddenly felt a strong push from behind, sending her toward the rhinoceros.
She gasped as she fell, catching a glimpse of Zhou Xue’s satisfied smile.
The beast’s foul breath was right in front of her. She closed her eyes instinctively.
But in the next moment, she was suddenly lifted into the air.
Opening her eyes, she saw two round robots beneath her, carrying her swiftly toward the town.