My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 30

It wasn’t so much that Chen Gu was concerned about whether Ren Chenxi would accompany them back to the South Sea Base; rather, he was fixated on the medical supplies she carried. Little Jia was severely injured back at the base and desperately needed what Ren Chenxi had in her inventory. Although Ren Chenxi had mentioned she would repay the medicine she had used on Sun Jia, Chen Gu was anxious.

How much would she repay? Would it be enough to fully heal Little Jia? If one dose wasn’t sufficient, Little Jia would certainly need more. As a space ability user, Ren Chenxi undoubtedly had an extensive hoard of supplies.

Everyone present could see that Ren Chenxi harbored deep animosity toward Mu Ning. Chen Gu was terrified that in a fit of pique, she might refuse to go to the South Sea Base and choose to seek shelter elsewhere. She might leave some medicine behind before departing, but who could say if it would be enough?

Thus, Chen Gu desperately wanted her to come with them. Though it felt selfish, their companions truly needed Ren Chenxi—their mobile pharmacy.

As if sensing Chen Gu’s anxiety, Ren Chenxi’s lips curled. She shot a cold glance at Mu Ning, who had turned to look at her again, and said sharply, “Relax. The South Sea Base doesn’t belong to her alone. Why wouldn’t I go? The world outside is too dangerous; I have no reason to make things hard for myself by passing up a large-scale base just to risk my life looking for another one.”

Having let out that reckless outburst earlier, venting all the pent-up resentment she had held toward Mu Ning, Ren Chenxi felt much calmer. Although her explosion had been triggered by the system’s side quest, she realized upon reflection that side quests were secondary and optional. Her primary focus remained the main quest.

Her ultimate goal was to survive for ten years in this perilous apocalypse.

Therefore, no matter how much she wanted to avoid Mu Ning, there was no need to sabotage her own survival. After tonight, Ren Chenxi had truly felt the cruelty and danger of this world. Brushing against death had made her realize her own lack of strength. H-City only had one major base, and she wouldn’t let her grudge against Mu Ning stop her from entering the relative safety of the South Sea Base, which would only leave her exposed to unknown threats.

She was Ren Chenxi now; Mu Ning’s stats and opinions no longer defined her. Mu Ning had the water resources she needed, but she had the life-saving medicine they required. Once they reached the base, she could stand on equal footing with Mu Ning. There was no need to fawn over her or act like a simp; they could conduct fair exchanges. Furthermore, Mu Ning surely wasn’t the only water-type user in a place as large as the South Sea Base. Once there, she could stick with the companions she met on the road and stay far away from Mu Ning. Even if they crossed paths, they could simply treat each other as strangers.

In short, since they were already in H-City, the South Sea Base was her best option. She could stay there temporarily, accumulate crystal nuclei and cards, and increase her strength. Once she was powerful enough, she could always leave.

Ren Chenxi’s answer allowed Chen Gu to breathe a sigh of relief, as did Jian Dan and Song Xin. In their eyes, they were already part of “Sister Xi’s” group—she had saved their lives. If she hadn’t wanted to go to the base, they would have followed her into the unknown. Fortunately, while Sister Xi didn’t get along with the icy beauty, she was sensible enough to consider the bigger picture.

Mu Ning’s expression remained unchanged after hearing the response. She simply turned her gaze back to the window, staring blankly at the bright moonlight that had reappeared in the night sky.

However, after a short while, Mu Ning stood up.

“Well, it looks like there’s no more time for rest.”

Ren Chenxi also noticed on her mini-map that a massive cluster of red dots was converging on their location. Looking through the window at the many pairs of glowing green eyes in the darkness, the S-University students felt a mix of terror and relief. They were glad they hadn’t tried to travel through the night, and even gladder they had encountered Mu Ning’s powerful team.

Throughout the night, waves of mutant beasts and zombies continuously surrounded the small building. Fortunately, the subsequent attackers were mostly low-level; the occasional Level 4 creature was swiftly dealt with by Mu Ning. Aside from her, every member of her small team was an ability user. Chen Gu and another male teammate possessed strength enhancement, another girl had speed enhancement, and Zhang Tongqi’s ability involved mutated fingernails. Unlike Yang Xiangrui’s somewhat useless ability to extend body parts, Zhang Tongqi’s nails could not only lengthen but also transform into sharp, rock-hard steel claws. There was also a young man named Wei Yuzhe whose ability involved hair mutation.

Wei Yuzhe was a tall, masculine-looking man, yet he had waist-length hair. This jet-black, silky hair—the envy of many women—was his most lethal weapon. The seemingly thin and soft strands were incredibly resilient; against Level 1 zombies, he could decapitate them with a single strand. Against higher-level enemies, even if the fine hairs couldn’t sever limbs, they could bind and even control the opponent’s movements.

However, because his hair had touched countless zombies and beasts, his teammates refused to touch it, no matter how clean or shiny it looked.

According to Chen Gu, most ability users in the South Sea Base had physical enhancements—strength, speed, hearing, or vision—or partial body mutations like Zhang Tongqi and Wei Yuzhe. Natural-element users were the rarest, followed by a wide variety of other niche abilities. Of course, there were space users like Ren Chenxi, but Chen Gu was certain that none of them had a space large enough to hold two entire vehicles like hers.

With the addition of Chen Gu’s team, the second half of the night was manageable despite the persistent attacks. They organized themselves, with each ability user guarding a window while the two strength users blocked the main entrance. With such orderly division of labor and the enemies being mostly low-level, the defenders held their ground quite easily, even without Jian Dan and the others having to fight.

Chen Gu even found time to warn the newcomers never to wander the outskirts of H-City at night, noting that even the areas around the base weren’t entirely safe. The apocalypse was far more dangerous after dark; most people in the base avoided staying out overnight. If they hadn’t wasted time searching neighboring provinces for medicine, they would have returned to the South Sea Base before sunset.

But even if they couldn’t make it back, they wouldn’t normally have chosen a house with such poor defenses.

“We were actually heading for a hotel in the next county over,” Chen Gu explained. “It’s the tallest building in that area, eleven stories high. We’ve cleared all the zombies inside, so whenever we’re out scavenging or on a mission and can’t make it back, that hotel serves as our temporary stronghold. Generally, as long as we stay on a high floor, it’s hard for zombies and beasts to detect us. Even if they do, the time it takes them to climb up gives us plenty of time to react.”

This was invaluable information for the young people new to H-City. Naturally, once the lesson was over, curiosity took over.

“Hey, Brother Chen,” someone asked, “if you were heading for the hotel, why did you suddenly come to this broken house?”

“Well…” Chen Gu glanced at Mu Ning before continuing. “It was pitch black out, but we saw several flashes of intense light coming from this direction, didn’t we? It caught our attention. Normally… our Boss doesn’t like meddling in other people’s business, but tonight… she told us to come and check it out…” As he finished, Chen Gu shot another look at Ren Chenxi.

Ren Chenxi didn’t react, continuing to focus on throwing the crystals Tang Ying handed her at the zombies outside. But she knew in her heart that she likely owed Mu Ning her life. Earlier, in her fit of rage, she hadn’t cared if Mu Ning intended to kill her; she had even felt that if Mu Ning did, it would just be a life for a life. But now that she was calm, she wanted to complete her mission and leave this world, which meant she didn’t want to die. This realization made her debt to Mu Ning feel extremely awkward.

“Awoo—” Another sharp crystal pierced a zombie’s eye socket. Ren Chenxi watched it fall and let out a nearly inaudible sigh. She didn’t want any further connection with Mu Ning, but she had to find a way to repay this life-saving favor.

As if she had heard that soft sigh, Mu Ning, who had been watching the perimeter, turned her head to look at Ren Chenxi. However, upon seeing Ren Chenxi’s cold expression, she pursed her lips and returned her focus to the monsters outside.

What Chen Gu said was true. Normally, with her personality, she wouldn’t bother with others. When the first flash of light appeared, she had remained indifferent, letting Chen Gu keep driving. But when the second and third flashes followed, an inexplicable sense of dread and unease washed over her as if she would certainly regret it if she didn’t go see what was happening.

And so, Chen Gu received the order to turn the van around. When they arrived, another blinding white light had just erupted. When it faded, Mu Ning saw a figure standing amidst the wolves that looked achingly familiar—the figure that had haunted her dreams for two years.

In the end, she had saved the person surrounded by the pack. Upon seeing the girl’s face, Mu Ning’s heart was filled with wild joy. Only she knew how much effort it took to suppress her emotions and keep from losing her composure on the spot.

It was just a pity. The face was the same, but the person was not.

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