After entering the mall, Wen Xian found that everything inside was intact, with all kinds of goods dazzling her eyes. She was happy, but also full of questions.
The supplies here were so complete, why hadn’t anyone come to collect them? The doubt flashed through her mind but quickly passed; at this moment, she was glad no one had been here before.
Without being too picky, she first swept up a large amount of skincare and makeup products. She also took some jewelry, mainly gold pieces, jade, agate, and tourmaline. She didn’t like diamonds, so she only picked a few delicate and attractive ones.
The other half of the first floor was a supermarket. Unfortunately, many perishable items like meat and dairy products had already expired. Fortunately, the cold weather kept the smell from being too bad. Feeling a bit guilty, she collected everything that was still edible and moved it to another area. She wasn’t picky about food, and she took as much drinking water, toilet paper, and sanitary products as she could.
She switched to a sturdier black backpack and lit up when she saw the storage bins. She took the dozens arranged outside and put them all into her space, though there weren’t many extra-large ones.
Thinking further, she found a warehouse with plenty of empty shelves and took them all.
She also deliberately searched for candles, flashlights, emergency lamps, and battery-powered lanterns. For the larger lighting devices, she took some as well, if she found a generator later, they would be useful.
She had a simple meal midway, and Da Bai disappeared for a while, but Wen Xian didn’t bother with him, remembering the pile of rats.
By the afternoon, she had collected almost everything she could, though more than half of the supermarket was still full. Her space was limited, so she had to painfully leave some behind.
The entire second floor sold clothing, mostly winter wear, and she collected a good amount. She then came across several outdoor equipment stores and was thrilled to find many portable gas stoves and gas canister kits. She also took items like binoculars and thermal gear.
The third floor had a food court, a cinema, and a children’s playground. Wen Xian collected some comfortable chairs, sofas, and toys.
By now, her space was almost full. She stopped and called Da Bai to leave, she still had to deal with the cacti.
On the way back, as soon as she saw the central cactus, it excitedly shouted: “King! You truly are worthy of being our king! As soon as you acted, we knew immediately. Your great kindness to all of us in the cactus family is something we will never forget!”
Wen Xian quickly raised her hand to stop it: “No, no, don’t praise me yet, I haven’t finished the task.”
“Huh? That can’t be right. You just went in a short while ago, and my friend tells me you’ve already destroyed their entire nest.”
Already destroyed?
Wen Xian was surprised by this unexpected turn and didn’t even notice it mentioned a friend. Her mind immediately went to that nest of mutant rats Da Bai had attacked…
Fast, sharp-toothed, burrowing, eating everything they could, what else could they be but rats?
So the cactus’s natural enemy was Da Bai’s food? Even earlier, Da Bai had been yelping when pricked by the cactus spines.
This, then, was the law of nature.
Just as she was sighing, suddenly a green object shot toward her. She instinctively formed a vine with her hand and swatted it away with a sharp “smack.” Surprised and uncertain, the cactus stammered, “King, th-that is a thank-you gift from this old cactus.”
Wen Xian: …
She hurriedly looked at the object. To her surprise, the little green ball tumbled back, stopping right in front of her. About the size of a palm, its vivid green color reminded her of the willow twig that had once been given to her, something that always made her appetite stir.
Unfortunately, the little ball had been hit by her whip. A strip in the middle of its body was missing, exposing broken flesh damp with water stains, and a tiny whimpering sound came out: “Ouch…~”
It had somehow gained intelligence, it sounded like a one- or two-year-old child just beginning to speak.
“King, this is my old cactus’s eldest grandson. Although he looks a bit weak now, with time to grow, he will surely become your most capable assistant!”
Eldest grandson of the cactus???
Wen Xian suppressed a twitch at the corner of her mouth and carefully avoided looking at the little ball she had nearly split in half, while politely declining the old cactus’s offer, she didn’t want to separate its family.
The old cactus was moved to the point of tears: “King, you truly have a heart full of love, so kind, so compassionate toward us old and weak…”
After a round of flattery, it solemnly said, “But King, we cacti live by the rules of honor. You helped us, so we naturally must repay you. If you refuse, it would mean you look down on us.”
With a bit of coaxing and persistence, Wen Xian eventually accepted the gift.
Seeing her put the little ball into her space, the old cactus felt both relieved and moved: “This little one is indeed fortunate.”
Before parting, she asked the old cactus to leave humans a path in and out if possible. After all, this winter would be harsh, there were still plenty of supplies inside, and while they were of little use to the plants, they could save human lives.
The old cactus promised earnestly and then watched them leave with lingering emotions.
The streets were especially cold and quiet. Pure white snow covered everything, muffling the city’s noise. It was cold but gentle, cruel yet kind. Wrapped in thick clothes, Wen Xian could still make out the outlines of vehicles, the edges of buildings, and… human footprints.
She and Da Bai stopped. The wolf glanced at a bus driving onto the sidewalk and then leisurely turned its head away.
Wen Xian looked at the small trail of footprints but didn’t move forward.
Perhaps because of the sudden silence, a head peeked out from behind a vehicle. When it met Wen Xian’s gaze, the child froze for a moment and then quickly ducked back.
Wen Xian was a little surprised herself, she recognized the child as Xiao Tong, the son of the innkeeper in the ancient town.
She walked over, with Da Bai following closely behind. Turning around the front of the car, she saw Xiao Tong wearing an ill-fitting padded coat, arms wrapped around himself, curling into a ball. He had lost a lot of weight, and his cheeks, lips, and hands were covered in wounds. His skin was bluish from the cold, and his whole body was trembling.
“Xiao Tong, what are you doing here? Where’s your mother?”
Xiao Tong suddenly rushed forward, trying to hug her legs, but she instinctively stepped back to avoid him.
He then knelt on the ground, his bluish-purple hands gripping the snow, and in a hoarse voice said, “Sister, please… please help my mother!”
Wen Xian pressed her lips together softly. “Get up and tell me everything.”
Xiao Tong stubbornly remained kneeling. Wen Xian felt a tightness in her chest and didn’t push him, asking instead, “How did you know I was here?”
Xiao Tong answered honestly, “I saw Kaizi and the others at the base filming a video of you, Sister.”
Then he suddenly looked up, his gaze shrinking as it fell on Da Bai behind her, his voice trembling involuntarily: “I-I know, Sister… you have… a big white wolf. I… I want to ask you to use the white wolf to save my mother.”
By the end, his eyes were red, tears gathering in his eye sockets, full of hope as he looked at her.
His hands clenched inside his sleeves without realizing it. Wen Xian asked softly, “Why do you think Da Bai can save your mother?”
Xiao Tong hurriedly explained, “Sister, don’t you know? Back in the ancient town, the beast tide broke out. Many mutated animals rushed down from the mountains, biting and eating anyone they saw…”
He shivered, recalling the memory: “My mother… to protect me… was dragged away by a mutated big dog. I chased all the way from the ancient town and found its lair, but… there were too many mutated cats and dogs there. I… I couldn’t bring my mother out…”
His voice trembled with sobs. He crawled forward a couple of steps, grabbing her pants, pleading, “Sister, your big white wolf is so huge, it must be really strong. Please help me! I… I’ll be grateful to you for the rest of my life!”
Wen Xian looked at the tears at the corner of his eyes, his chapped lips, and the hope shining in his gaze. She asked gently, “Are you sure Da Bai can save your mother?”
“Yes! It definitely can!”
The fear in his eyes suddenly brightened. Wen Xian looked at him until he relaxed his grip and lowered his head in embarrassment before speaking: “Alright, you lead the way.”
Xiao Tong seemed stunned for a moment, then hurriedly stood up, trembling as he led the way. Wen Xian followed behind with Da Bai.
They had just left for a short while when a few motorcycles came wobbling down the road.
After circling the area a few times, they stopped. On the lead bike were Kaizi and Wang Jun, both looking anxious. Kaizi wiped the fog from his goggles. “We’ve searched everywhere and still can’t find her. I’m afraid that woman has already left with the white wolf.”
Wang Jun’s face darkened. If it hadn’t been for the delay caused by Chen Lian and the others, they definitely wouldn’t have lost her.
At the thought of this, he suddenly said to Wang Jun, “Do you think Chen Lian and the others came and took her away? Do you remember how that bitch surnamed Ding reacted when she saw that woman? It seemed like there was some grudge between them.”
“That’s bad. Chen Lian’s group are all ability users. Even though that woman has a white wolf, she might not be their match. I’m afraid we won’t be able to complete the task Boss Wen gave us.”
“Who says we can’t!”
A calculating look appeared on Wang Jun’s face. “We’ll go back right now and tell Boss Wen what happened. As long as he sees with his own eyes that Chen Lian’s team dared to touch someone he favors, he’ll definitely be angry. And when that happens…”
Kaizi immediately understood and quickly called for everyone to turn around. As he did, he said to Wang Jun, “You’re right. No matter which side lives or dies, it’ll benefit us anyway.”
Meanwhile, Xiao Tong led Wen Xian to a factory.
This place was very different from what she had seen before. After entering, there wasn’t a trace of plants anywhere. Signs of thorough clearing were visible everywhere, and the factory buildings had been stripped back to their original appearance. There was no sign of human activity, everything felt cold and lifeless.
Wen Xian stopped. “Xiao Tong, are you sure the big dog that took your mother came here?”
The small figure walking ahead paused for a moment, then suddenly broke into a run, shouting as he ran, “I’ve brought her! Come out quickly!”
Da Bai lowered his head slightly, his gray eyes fixed on Xiao Tong’s retreating figure, one front paw lifting faintly.
Wen Xian patted him lightly. At that moment, a group of people walked out from the factory building ahead. She didn’t recognize the three men in front, but she instinctively disliked the way they looked at her, their gazes clung to her like cold, venomous snakes.
Following behind them were familiar faces: Chen Lian, Ding Wei, Shao Qingqing, Qi Hao, Xiang Yuyang, Old Qiu, and a massive Tibetan Mastiff nearly as large as Da Bai. Its cloudy eyes were tinged red as it bared its teeth, drool dripping, staring fixedly at Da Bai.
Seeing Wen Xian as unharmed as ever, and now with a white wolf by her side, Ding Wei trembled with hatred she couldn’t suppress.
Her pitch-black eyes lingered on Wen Xian for a long moment before her lips curled into a smile full of mockery. “Wen Xian, you really are kind. Even now, you still dare to believe other people’s words. You even dared to come alone to save someone. You’re so pure, like an angel, I almost can’t bear to make a move against you.”