My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 12

The two green-dot girls were named Chang Ling and Song Xin. Along with the “Corpse Collector,” Jian Dan, they had all attended the same school. They had formed a band based on their shared love for music, and when the apocalypse struck, the three of them fled together. After a long and grueling journey, they eventually crossed paths with that gang of human scum.

The girls shared these details with Ren Chenxi while helping her clear the corpses and bloodstains from the bus. They also confirmed that Huo Keyu, the yellow-dot girl, wasn’t originally part of their group. When they were captured, Huo Keyu and the ungrateful Cai Huiyan were already on the bus. At that time, there had been several other female survivors. One of them told the new captives that the gang only snatched the three of them because their “food stores” were running low.

During the five days they were held captive, the other surviving girls were tortured to death one by one, eventually ending up in the gang’s hotpots. They had gone from furious resistance to a state of near-total despair. They all believed it was only a matter of time before they became ingredients themselves. Jian Dan, in particular, had already resolved to take her own life before those animals could lay a hand on her.

And then, Ren Chenxi had appeared.

“Big sister, thank you so much. It’s all thanks to you. Thank you for saving us.”

Pulled from the depths of a hellish abyss just as they had lost all hope, the three girls were profoundly grateful to Ren Chenxi. As they spoke, Chang Ling and Song Xin couldn’t hold back their tears, and even the more composed Jian Dan found her eyes welling up.

Ren Chenxi stood by, letting them vent their emotions in peace. Once they had calmed down somewhat, she asked curiously, “Didn’t you awaken any abilities? How did you get caught by those scumbags?”

Ren Chenxi could see that all three were Level 3 Evolved. If they truly didn’t know they had powers, she needed to find a way to help them discover them. However, it turned out they didn’t need her reminder; all three were well aware of their status.

“We did awaken abilities, but… perhaps because we were clutching our instruments so tightly when it happened, our powers are tied directly to them. We can only channel our abilities through our specific instruments…”

Well, typical. In this apocalypse, evolved abilities were clearly varied and strange. Her own “Head Explosion” and “Flash” powers probably seemed perfectly normal to them. “So… where are your instruments?” Ren Chenxi remembered that from the moment she killed the first man, Jian Dan had only used that machete as a weapon.

Our most precious instruments were destroyed by that guy named Huang Cai Huiyan’s lover.

“It’s all Cai Huiyan’s fault! Initially, she stood by the road begging us for help, saying her sisters were in danger. We saw she was a girl and she was crying so pitifully, so we softened up and agreed. But then she tricked us into revealing our abilities on the way back and told those monsters everything. Since they knew what to expect, they had their speed user snatch our instruments while we were off guard, and then that Huang guy destroyed them all…”

“A speed user?”

“That was the third one you knocked out, big sister. Jian Dan dragged him onto the bus and killed him later.”

Hearing the girls’ indignant accusations, Ren Chenxi sighed helplessly. “The apocalypse has been going on for two years now, and yet you girls…”

“Big sister, it’s not that we aren’t cautious. We just thought that in this world, women have it hard enough as it is. We wanted to help if we could, so.”

Seeing the regret on their faces, Ren Chenxi didn’t have the heart to scold them further. After all, they didn’t have a mini-map to warn them like she did. But seeing how they were now pouring their hearts out to her, she couldn’t help but offer a word of advice: “You just learned a hard lesson. Why are you trusting me so easily now?”

“Because you’re strong, big sister!”

“Not just strong—you’re our savior!”

“And it’s obvious you hate those animals who eat people as much as we do!”

Fair enough. Compared to those scumbags, she really was. Well, a “good person.”

While they talked, the corpses had been cleared from the bus. The girls worked diligently, using rags found on board to scrub the blood from the floor. Having been forced to stay on the bus for five days, they knew exactly where everything was kept. However, since they had no water, dark stains remained on the floor even after the blood was soaked up.

It didn’t really matter, though; the floor of the entire bus was already covered in similar stains in various places.

As Ren Chenxi prepared to check the second level of the bus, Jian Dan, who was following her, suddenly asked, “Big sister, are you an Earth-type? Or  a Space-type?” Seeing Ren Chenxi look back, she hurriedly explained nervously, “I saw stones appearing in your empty hands earlier, so I was wondering where they came from.”

Faced with the question, Ren Chenxi simply nodded. “Yes, I have a space ability as well.” She couldn’t help it; she had been in such a rush to save them that she’d forgotten to be discreet. Claiming a space ability now would allow her to openly bring out the linens and blankets she had scavenged from the hotel later.

Besides, she was now certain that no one else in this world could see the system’s cards.

Learning about the space ability made the three girls ecstatic. They chattered away, telling Ren Chenxi that they could now take everything from the supermarket that was too heavy to carry before. They even suggested storing all future supplies in Ren Chenxi’s “space.”

If it’s all in my space and I decide to make a run for it later, what are you girls going to do? Silly girls!

Ren Chenxi couldn’t help but glance back at the now-silent supermarket. Compared to Huo Keyu, these three were still quite naive. Perhaps because they were Evolved, things had gone relatively smoothly for them before they ran into that gang.

“By the way, big sister, where are you headed? C-can we come with you?” Perhaps realizing that their gathered supplies would only have a “space” to stay in if they traveled with her, the three girls finally became nervous. They desperately wanted to follow a “boss,” but would she want to take them?

Looking at their anxious, pitiful expressions, Ren Chenxi glanced at the green dots on her mini-map and nodded. “Sure. There’s safety in numbers, and it’ll be easier on the road. Where were you originally planning to go?” Her own goal was H City, but there were many coastal cities; she wasn’t strictly tied to just one. Moreover, this was a game, and two years had passed within it. The NPCs who had actually lived through those two years would certainly have more current information than she did. It was better to hear their thoughts.

“Wow! That’s great! We’ll feel so much safer with you~”

With Ren Chenxi’s approval, the girls were overjoyed. They began chattering about their original destination and why they had chosen it. Mostly, it was Chang Ling and Song Xin doing the talking, while the more stable Jian Dan added details here and there.

As it happened, the girls were also heading for H City. They had originally been living in L City, which was even further away. On the day the apocalypse began, they had managed to avoid the natural disasters and awaken their abilities. Using their powers, they had lived reasonably well in L City. However, as the climate became more unstable and natural disasters grew frequent, life there became untenable.

The water sources became contaminated, survivors fought over dwindling resources, and mutated animals emerged from the mountains to prey on humans. While most mutated plants didn’t actively attack people, they aggressively took over living space. More and more vegetation surged into the city, choking out the crops people were struggling to grow.

No water, no food, and scavenging became impossible. So, they decided to risk the journey out of L City.

“But of all the places in the country, why H City?” Ren Chenxi asked. Her own reason was that H City was close to Y City and was on the coast, but what about them? Why travel thousands of miles just for H City?

“At first, we were just wandering aimlessly from city to city, scavenging what we could. But later, in G City, we met a group of young survivors. They were students from S University who couldn’t stay in S City anymore and wanted to reach H City. They said one of their seniors has dual abilities, Water and Wood. At the start of the apocalypse, after she helped some classmates escape their zombie-infested campus, she insisted on going to H City to find her boyfriend. The other students didn’t want to risk it then and stayed behind. Now that S City is unlivable, they’re heading to H City to find her. After all, no matter what happens, water is the most important thing.”

When the girls mentioned S University, Ren Chenxi’s heart skipped a beat. She herself or rather, her older brother, was a student at S University. She had taken his place, spent two years studying there, and spent two years chasing a “goddess.”

The memory of S University flashed by in an instant. Her main focus shifted to the senior the girls mentioned someone with Water and Wood abilities. A Water user! Plus, H City had a massive survivor base. For a base to grow that large, they definitely wouldn’t be lacking water. Likely, besides that one senior, there were other Water Evolved there.

With the prospect of a base that wasn’t thirsty, Ren Chenxi was more determined than ever to reach H City. She missed the simple luxury of being able to wash her hair and take a proper shower.

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