My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 15

Around noon, Jian Dan finished a quick lunch of water and compressed biscuits before swapping places with Huo Keyu, who had been driving all morning. This gave Keyu a chance to eat and take a much-needed break.

Knowing that H City was just ahead, the girls shook off their drowsiness and became alert, their eyes glued to the road. The horde of zombies from earlier had long since been left in the dust. Ren Chenxi, who couldn’t be bothered to provoke the stragglers along the roadside, alternated between checking her mini-map and watching the path ahead. They were closing in on H City when Ren Chenxi suddenly spotted a massive traffic jam of abandoned cars, and her guard went up instantly.

Slow down, Jian Dan. There are a lot of cars up ahead. Let’s get closer slowly and see what’s going on.”You got it, Sister Xi.”

The bus slowed to a crawl. It was impossible for such a massive vehicle to go unnoticed by the cars ahead. Fortunately, most of the people nearby showed up as yellow dots on the map. One driver, seeing the bus approach, even leaned out and yelled kindly, “Don’t bother coming this way! The road ahead collapsed completely. Better turn around and find a detour!”

As if on cue, the other cars began reversing one by one. It was clear that the landslide was massive, and with steep mountain walls on both sides, a detour was the only option.

“You guys headed for H City? There’s no way through. You’ll have to go around…”

Another car passed the bus window, the driver shouting a final warning to the girls.

With the cars clearing out, the scale of the collapse became visible to Ren Chenxi and the group. It was a mess. A detour really was their only choice.

Perhaps because they were so close to their destination only to be thwarted by a landslide, the other drivers were in no mood for small talk. Most of them sped off without a second glance. In reality, this was the standard way people interacted in the apocalypse: as long as you weren’t showing hostility, everyone just kept to themselves and went their own way.

Jian Dan frowned as she flipped through the atlas, eventually suggesting that they bypass the mountain to the left and cut through the forest. It would save them the trouble of looping back to another national highway and would technically be a shortcut to H City.

Looking at the map, Ren Chenxi confirmed it was the shortest path, but whether it was the fastest was another story. After two years of the apocalypse, mutated plants grew at an alarming rate, and the mutated beasts hiding in the woods were notoriously savage. The route was short, but it was a gamble. Ren Chenxi checked her inventory, gritted her teeth, and nodded. “Alright, we’ll go through the forest. But keep your guard up—it’s going to be dangerous.”

Including her recent gacha refreshes, she had three “Flash Cards,” two “Explosion Cards,” and seven “Grease Cards” left. She didn’t plan on fusing the Grease Cards into an R-rank card yet; they were incredibly useful for making fast enemies slip and slide, providing a perfect window for an escape.

As for the less immediately useful cards like “Cross-dressing” or “Shoplifting,” she had fused one “Illusion Card” and kept three “Shoplifting Cards” in reserve. Survival wasn’t easy for anyone, and since these survivors hadn’t shown her any ill will, she had no intention of stealing from them.

Relying on her hand of cards, Ren Chenxi decided to take the risk. If the route proved impassable, they would simply turn back.

After reversing the bus to find a spot wide enough to turn around, Ren Chenxi noticed several of the cars from the landslide were following a similar path. However, the cars were much faster and clearly wary of the giant bus, quickly disappearing into the distance.

It seemed they weren’t the only ones desperate enough to risk the forest.

She figured these survivors had the same logic: they trusted their own abilities and were lured by the proximity of H City. Most people heading there now were likely desperate for water.

Before entering the woods, Chang Ling took over the driving. Her reasoning was sound: inside the forest, danger could come from anywhere. Her Suona was far too loud for such a high-risk environment. While Jian Dan and Song Xin’s instruments were also noisy, they didn’t have the piercing volume of the Suona. Plus, Jian Dan’s Erhu could be used for combat if things turned south. As for Ren Chenxi, the girls viewed her as their “big boss” who could sit by the window and take out threats with a flash or a headshot—quick, brutal, and incredibly reassuring.

Ren Chenxi felt a bit awkward being flattered like that. Compared to you Level 3 ability-users who have survived two years of this, I’m just a week-old newbie! She knew she only looked powerful because of the system’s cards. If she ran out, she’d be the one relying on them.

Of course, she wasn’t the type to leave her life in someone else’s hands. As they entered the forest, she stared intently at the mini-map, carefully directing Chang Ling to weave around every red dot representing danger. Maneuvering the massive bus through the dense woods was a nightmare, but under her guidance, they managed to clear half the distance.

Just a little further and they would be in the clear.

Sister Xi, the trees are too thick up ahead. We can’t squeeze through. Should we find another way?

Mutated plants might not be as overtly aggressive as mutated beasts, but their sheer vitality and growth speed meant they quickly reclaimed every inch of available space.

Ren Chenxi looked at the thicket ahead with a headache. She turned to Jian Dan. “Can your sonic attacks cut through these saplings?” If they detoured now, they’d be miles away from their original plan.

“Hmm. Let me try?” Jian Dan wasn’t sure. She had used her Erhu on zombies and thugs, but she had never tried her hand at logging before.

Wula—! Jian Dan sat by the open window and pulled a long, sharp note from her Erhu. Ren Chenxi didn’t see anything move, but a small tree a few meters away shuddered violently. A deep, blade-like gash appeared on its trunk.

“One hit isn’t enough. I’ll need to do it a few more times…”

This time, Jian Dan played a rapid series of notes, targeting three small trees at once. As a Level 3 user, she could strike three targets simultaneously, though it was much more draining. After the first test shot, she began to pour her energy into the task.

Watching Jian Dan play such a fierce, murderous melody as the trees fell one by one, Ren Chenxi couldn’t help but admire her aim.

Jian Dan was striking the trees right at the base. This way, the trunks fell over, leaving stumps low enough for the bus to roll over without getting stuck. However, while Jian Dan’s aim was true and she could fell three trees every five notes, the forest went on forever. Behind the first layer of saplings were even thicker, older trees.

“Sister Xi. Do I keep going?” Jian Dan asked, clearly seeing the sturdier trunks ahead.

“Wait! Someone’s coming!”

It was humans, not zombies or beasts. Ren Chenxi saw seven yellow dots approaching on her mini-map. Perhaps other survivors had heard the music? But what did they want?

“People? Let’s just turn around then.” The moment she heard humans were nearby, Huo Keyu wanted to give up on the shortcut. The trauma from the previous gang had left her deeply suspicious of everyone.

“But. they’re coming from deeper in the forest. Maybe they know what’s ahead. We should ask them if there’s a better path,” Ren Chenxi suggested. Since she knew they weren’t hostile, she figured they might have useful information.

The three girls agreed with Ren Chenxi, while Huo Keyu bit her lip and looked away. Before long, the sound of footsteps reached them. A group of people came running toward the bus, waving their hands excitedly. The person in the lead recognized Jian Dan and called out, “Hey! What a coincidence! We meet again!”

“Wait, it’s them? What are the odds!” Jian Dan and the others looked genuinely surprised.

At that moment, Ren Chenxi noticed the yellow dots on her map suddenly turn green.

“Friends of yours?” Ren Chenxi asked.

“Yeah, sort of. Sister Xi, these are the students from S University we met back in G City!”

S University students? Ren Chenxi looked at them more closely, but their faces didn’t ring a bell. Back when she was at the university, she had been too focused on her “target” to notice anyone outside of her immediate social circle.

“We heard the music and came to check it out. I can’t believe it’s you guys! You’re heading to H City too, right? Since your bus has so many empty seats. Do you think we could catch a ride?”

Emboldened by their previous acquaintance, the young man leading the group made his request with a hopeful smile.

Before he could even finish his sentence, Huo Keyu stood up abruptly. She marched to the window and glared down at the group, her voice cold and final.

“No.”

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