My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 24

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful. Ren Chenxi slept fitfully, drifting in and out of a haze where the distant, guttural growls of zombies and the piercing howls of mutant beasts seemed to echo in her ears. Even in her dreams, she was forced to relive the terror of being surrounded by that pack of mutant wolves.

Finally, a shrill, agonizing shriek jolted her awake. Ren Chenxi sat up, feeling listless and drained. Perhaps due to her injuries, a persistent chill seeped through her body. She instinctively pulled the jacket draped over her shoulders tighter, only to realize it wasn’t her own. At the same time, she noticed her left shoulder—the one savaged by the mutant wolf—had been carefully bandaged.

Memories flickered back. Before she had lost consciousness, Mu Ning had rushed over to catch her. This vehicle she was sitting in… it was likely their van. That “Wooden Goddess”… had she really brought her here and tended to her wounds?

Ha… it was hard to imagine that someone so cold and aloof could have such a human side.

Ren Chenxi gave a self-mocking smile and glanced down at her injured shoulder. Well… the handiwork was certainly “simple and crude.” Aside from the borrowed jacket, the layers of clothing she had been wearing underneath had been partially cut away—likely the parts soaked in blood. Given the extent of the bandaging, if Mu Ning was the one who did it, she must be certain of Ren Chenxi’s gender by now.

“Roar—”

Another roar erupted from outside. Shuddering at the terrifying sound, Ren Chenxi turned to look out the window. She immediately noticed the mini-map: their current area was a dense cluster of red dots. Worse, scattered red dots from the surrounding perimeter were continuously converging on their position.

“…” She almost preferred facing the wolves in her dreams. At least there, it was just wolves. Now that she was awake, she had to deal with mutant beasts and zombies.

But wait—perhaps the situation wasn’t as bleak as she feared. This Wooden Goddess… she was way too strong! She… she was actually a Level 5 ability user?!

When Ren Chenxi first encountered Mu Ning, she had just escaped death’s door; her eyes had been dazzled by blinding light, and her entire focus had been on Mu Ning as a person. She hadn’t bothered to check Mu Ning’s level then. Now, looking out the window, the first thing she saw was Mu Ning standing guard in front of the van, a single vine whip sweeping away waves of zombies.

Naturally, with such overwhelming combat power, it was impossible for Ren Chenxi not to notice her level. Seeing that “Level 5” caused Ren Chenxi to gasp in shock.

Level 5! Those formidable mutant leopards and wolves she had faced were only Level 4. How had this Wooden Goddess vaulted to Level 5 just two years into the apocalypse? Was it because she was originally the female lead—the primary love interest for players and therefore possessed a “Heroine’s Halo” that accelerated her growth?

If so, as the original “Male Lead,” shouldn’t she have a “Protagonist’s Halo” too?

Ah, right… she wasn’t the male lead anymore. At most… she was the male lead’s younger sister.

But even as the sister, as a player, she still had a game system, didn’t she?

Ren Chenxi comforted herself with this thought while casting a slightly envious glance at Mu Ning, who had just dispatched several more mutant beasts in an instant.

Sigh. Her “100% Accuracy” skill was great, the cards in the Card Center were great, and the items in the Doomsday Mall were beyond amazing. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the luck to pull top-tier cards, nor did she have enough crystals to buy the good stuff.

Wait… wait a minute! Weren’t there piles of “raw” crystal nuclei right here waiting to be converted? With a killing machine like the Wooden Goddess present, Ren Chenxi was certain their safety was guaranteed for now. With so many zombies and beasts outside, all she had to do was toss a pebble—even one with zero damage at them. They would then count as her “prey,” allowing her to monopolize any extra drops.

It felt a bit shameless, but… she was starving for those crystal nuclei! Especially since many of these creatures were Level 3!

Perhaps Ren Chenxi’s greedy gaze through the window was too obvious, because Mu Ning quickly noticed she was awake. After saying something to her companions, Mu Ning pulled open the door and climbed into the van.

“You’re awake? Does the wound still hurt?”

The Wooden Goddess’s greeting was unexpectedly kind, making Ren Chenxi feel quite out of sorts. She nodded politely, signaling she felt better. Even if the Goddess had a high “blackening value,” Ren Chenxi figured she just needed to play the role of the male lead’s sister—well, no need to act, she was Ren Muhui’s sister. She just had to behave like a stranger meeting her for the first time.

Mu Ning didn’t miss the flicker of discomfort in Ren Chenxi’s eyes, but she merely knitted her brows slightly. Relieved that Ren Chenxi was recovering, she asked if she had the strength to get out of the vehicle. She explained that staying in the van was too dangerous; with unknown threats lurking, they needed to move to the house Ren Chenxi’s group had occupied earlier to hold out for the night.

Ren Chenxi found the question odd. Of course she could get out! Even if she lacked the strength, she’d force herself. She couldn’t exactly let Mu Ning carry her, could she? Though, the woman might try to support her. After all, Mu Ning must have been the one to help her into the van while she was unconscious.

But she had been passed out then. Now that she was awake, it was better to walk on her own.

Ren Chenxi shook her head at Mu Ning, who was reaching out to help. Ignoring the throb in her left shoulder, she carefully pushed herself up from the seat using her right hand. She sidestepped Mu Ning’s extended hand and used the seat backs for balance, stepping out of the van one slow pace at a time.

Even if she was playing a “stranger,” she still wanted to avoid excessive contact. Specifically, the more concern the Wooden Goddess showed, the more uncomfortable she felt.

She had seen too much of this woman’s coldness and rejection in the past. Seeing such a starkly different side of her now.  It was. just weird.

Mu Ning stood with her right hand still extended, watching as Ren Chenxi intentionally brushed past her. A spark of nameless frustration flared in her chest. She wanted to grab Ren Chenxi’s arm and pull her back, but seeing the girl’s slumped left shoulder, she forced the anger down. With a darkened expression, she followed Ren Chenxi out. The moment she stepped off the van, she flicked her wrist, sending a vine piercing through the skull of a nearby zombie.

“Everyone, into the house. Now,” Mu Ning commanded coldly.

“B-but Boss, what about the van? It’s packed with the supplies we spent all day collecting…”

“Should we park it in front of the door to block the entrance?”

“And this bus next to it—it’s been reinforced and it’s very sturdy. It would be a shame to let the mutant beasts tear it apart…”

As Mu Ning’s teammates wavered, looking between the two vehicles, Ren Chenxi paused her trek toward the house. She looked back at the pained expressions on Jian Dan and the others, then at Mu Ning, who was standing a few paces behind her with a sour face. Checking the mini-map to confirm the yellow and green dots, she made a sharp turn. With a casual wave of her hand, the massive bus vanished into thin air.

Ren Chenxi tilted her chin up defiantly at Mu Ning and her stunned teammates. So what if you’re a Level 5 ability user? This lady has a 10,000-slot inventory!

Seeing the triumph in Ren Chenxi’s eyes, Mu Ning’s gloomy mood suddenly lightened. She pointed to the van and said with a faint smile, “I’ll trouble you with this one as well then.”

“Boss!” Chen Gu blurted out in warning. That van held their lifeline of supplies.

Mu Ning didn’t even glance at him. She kept her eyes fixed on Ren Chenxi, waiting for an answer. Unsettled by the intense gaze, Ren Chenxi looked away, walked over to the van, and waved her hand again. The van disappeared.

The reason Ren Chenxi complied was twofold. First, she was still banking on Mu Ning’s water-type abilities. Avoiding contact was one thing, but needing Mu Ning to provide water for survival was another. Second, she had noticed the teammates’ subtle expressions since she stepped out of the van.

Did they dislike her? Were they unwelcoming? Or were they blaming her? For what?

Regardless, while they weren’t hostile, they clearly weren’t fans. Operating on the logic of “if you’re annoyed with me, I’ll give you a reason to be,” Ren Chenxi didn’t hesitate to tuck their precious supplies into her own bag.

Hah, go ahead and be annoyed. In the end, you’ll have to beg me to give it back.

Seeing their van vanish, the faces of Chen Gu and the others turned even more unsightly. Although they had been friendly with the S-University students earlier, their feelings toward Ren Chenxi—who had used up their teammate’s medicine—remained complicated. In an apocalypse where resources were everything, seeing her take their van so nonchalantly was hard to swallow.

But what could they do? The Boss actually looked happy about it. They figured she was only looking out for the girl because she was her boyfriend’s sister. They just needed to find a chance to tell her that the boyfriend was dead. Once her feelings faded, this girl wouldn’t be special anymore.

Chen Gu cast a resentful glance at Mu Ning, but seeing her coolly skewer another mutant beast, he could only sigh and get back to work clearing the path.

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