Chapter 174: Arrival in City C

Zhao Juan's emotions were finally stabilized under Xia Cheng's utmost comforting. Exhausted from the day's events, she ate a little bit of food and fell into a deep sleep in Xia Cheng's arms.

The others had also been through a grueling day, and knowing that there were tasks to be carried out tomorrow, they quickly drifted off to dreamland as well.

Meanwhile, Murong Yi and Ouyang Jue remained wide awake, with no intention of sleeping at all.

Murong Yi looked at the soundly sleeping Xia Cheng and Zhao Juan, and asked, "Is Xia Cheng alright?"

Ouyang Jue glanced at Xia Cheng, sighed, and said, "He seems fine on the surface, but I'm afraid there are some hidden dangers."

"What hidden dangers?" Murong Yi asked.

"The fluids of those mutant plants are extremely toxic to begin with. I don't know by what miracle Xia Cheng managed to absorb so much of it and still persist in finding Zhao Juan, but the toxins have already penetrated his heart during his exertion. If it weren't for Qin Yu's heart blood, Xia Cheng would have lost his life long ago." Ouyang Jue felt a headache coming on just thinking about Xia Cheng's condition. Injuries were one thing, but inhaling that much toxic fluid... sigh.

"Can't those toxins be purged?" Murong Yi furrowed her brows, her expression filled with worry.

"I'm afraid not. The only thing we can pray for now is that after Xia Cheng absorbs the mutant beast's crystal core, his own abilities will be enhanced, allowing him to use his inner power to combat the toxins. Other than that, I can't think of a better way." Ouyang Jue felt rather helpless. Having lived for so long, he was powerless against such a minor poison. It seemed this apocalyptic era was far more dangerous than he had imagined!

Murong Yi nodded. For now, she had no choice but to follow Ouyang Jue's lead, as she had no research background in these matters. Ever since she could remember, she had transcended mortal shackles, and after struggling through cultivation to become a Drought Demon, she had rarely interacted with mortals, let alone cured their ailments.

At that moment, Murong Yi felt that perhaps her initial decision to distance herself from humanity had been a mistake after all. After all, humans were the beloved darlings of the Heavenly Dao!

Ouyang Jue looked at Murong Yi's furrowed, troubled face, took her hand, and said, "Everyone has their own destiny. We can only do what is within our power, and the rest is up to him. But I believe in him. He will surely live a good life with Zhao Juan until the very end of their days."

Murong Yi turned her head to look at the resolute man before her. Her heart fluttered, and she seemed to catch a glimpse of that young man from the past, holding her hand just like this and saying, "I will stay with you forever, until the end of time..."

A faint smile curved the corners of Murong Yi's lips. She gently rested her head against Ouyang Jue's shoulder, gazed at the pitch-black sky, and began to hum an unfamiliar tune—long, lingering, and deeply captivating.

With a gentle smile, Ouyang Jue rested his head against hers. Like her, he gazed up at the starry sky, and his voice softly hummed in harmony with her melody.

That tune possessed a magical charm that coaxed the sleeping crowd into smoothing their furrowed brows and relaxing their features. They seemed to be smiling and playing together within a shared, beautiful dream...

As the sun slowly rose, Qin Yu and her group had already set out on their journey to City S.

Having learned from yesterday's events, everyone exercised extreme caution. Fortunately, the weather today was unprecedentedly cool, so they quickened their pace, planning to arrive at City S before noon.

Before they could even catch a full glimpse of the zombie horde, Qin Yu and the others spotted the welcoming party dispatched by City S. The undisguised joy in those people's eyes made it seem as though they were looking at their saviors.

They were warmly received and guided into City S through a secret underground passage. As soon as they emerged from the tunnel, Qin Yu caught sight of Hu Ke not far away, looking as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, alongside Feng Fei, whose expression was particularly eager. As for the rest of the people, they were nowhere to be seen.

The people of City S prepared rooms for them to rest in, instructing them to take some time to unwind before someone came to fetch them. Although they had no idea what was going to happen later, everyone followed the instructions and settled into their respective rooms to recuperate.

Qin Yu had originally planned to enter her spatial dimension to take a look. Seeing the Rat King yesterday reminded her that she hadn't stepped into her space for a long time, and she had no idea how it was holding up!

Just as she locked her door and prepared to enter the space, she heard a knock. Qin Yu asked who it was, but received no reply, and the knocking only grew more urgent.

Worried that something important might be happening, Qin Yu temporarily set aside her plan to enter the space and went to open the door.

The moment the door swung open, Feng Fei lunged at Qin Yu, grabbing her up and down while repeatedly chanting, "Where is it? Where is it?"

Qin Yu shoved her away with a single push, but Feng Fei attempted to lunge again. With a swift movement, Qin Yu sidestepped and dodged her. Feng Fei lunged several more times in succession, only to be dodged by Qin Yu every single time.

Realizing she could no longer get close to Qin Yu, Feng Fei came to a halt. She stared at Qin Yu with tightly pressed lips.

Annoyed by Feng Fei's aggressive lunges, Qin Yu stood her ground and leaned casually against the wall nearby.

"Qin Yu, where is it?" Feng Fei's tone was full of malice, and her eyes burned with resentment.

Qin Yu curved her lips into a smile and asked, "It? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! You know what I'm talking about. I advise you to return it to me immediately, or else..." Feng Fei's vicious expression looked quite hideous.

Qin Yu let out a scoff, shrugged, spread her hands in a helpless gesture, and said, "I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine! I'll spell it out for you! Where is that little white worm? Where did you put it?" Feng Fei took a deep breath, speaking with unprecedented patience.

Seeing Feng Fei's attitude, Qin Yu knew that the Five Elements Gu must be extremely important to her. Unfortunately, the Five Elements Gu had already been taken away by Little Hua for some "strict discipline."

"That little white worm? How could it possibly still be alive after sucking my blood? I've already killed it," Qin Yu said with an indifferent expression.

"Impossible! Even if you die, it won't die! You'd better tell me quickly where you've hidden it, or the consequences won't be something you can bear!" Feng Fei was growing unhinged.

Watching the frantic-looking Feng Fei, Qin Yu spread her hands again and said, "I'm telling the truth. That chubby little white worm that drank my blood is dead and gone!"

How could Feng Fei possibly believe Qin Yu's words? If others didn't know the terrifying power of that little white worm, how could she not know it herself? If it were truly that easy to kill, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to reclaim it!

Yet Qin Yu flatly refused to return it. Feng Fei gnashed her teeth, glared at the arrogant and smug Qin Yu standing before her, and drove her fingernails deep into her own palms.

Knowing she was no match for Qin Yu in a physical confrontation, Feng Fei understood that brute force wouldn't work; she had to find another way.

Feng Fei glared venomously at Qin Yu one last time, smoothed down her clothes and hair, lifted her chin, and walked away with an air of haughty arrogance.

Left behind in the hallway was a bewildered Qin Yu, entirely baffled by Feng Fei's inexplicable display of arrogance. At that moment, Qin Yu had no idea that because of Feng Fei's haughty facade, the people of the City S base would mistake her for a formidable expert, while viewing Qin Yu—who lacked any pretentious airs of superiority—as ordinary. This misjudgment would eventually lead the residents of the City S base to place blind trust in Feng Fei...