Chapter 192: Chapter 159: Wilderness Dreamscape
When night fell, the familiar drowsiness washed over her. Huai Yu finally sighed, losing faith in the ginseng she had forced to grow. Come to think of it, it made sense. It seemed that ginseng in the past had to grow for many years—decades, or even a century—to have strong effects. Yet she had tried to rush nature in just a short hour or two. It was essentially like pumping a piece of fruit full of swelling agents!
That was why the Fat Ginseng looked so plump and juicy, but its effects were just as watered-down and ineffective. Still, she couldn’t let it go to waste. Looking at the two large water jugs resting in the corner, she decided she would have to make a trip to the city tomorrow anyway. She couldn’t finish the peaches all by herself. If she didn’t sell them, they would be ruined! She was currently earning points for one but spending for two; she had to shoulder the responsibility of supporting her family!
At this thought, Huai Yu hurried to lie down and rest. "Early to bed and early to rise makes a person strong," she thought. "It would be best if I could be as strong as Chen Xing, able to swell Uncle Zaozi’s face with a single punch..." Harboring expectations for the future, she happily drifted off to dreamland. However, she did not sleep peacefully that night. The cries and screams of familiar people constantly echoed in her ears, along with jolting, distorted visions, and the lingering sound of hatred hissed through clenched teeth. Meanwhile, the fragrance of flowers permeated the room. Outside the window, the floral branches of the Rose Corridor swayed, scattering another blanket of fallen petals across the ground.
Meanwhile.
On the outskirts of the Wilderness, countless towering trees loomed like jagged, menacing claws in the dark of night, exuding a terrifying aura. Mutated animals hid in tree hollows, behind bushes, or underground, their eyes flashing with a cold glint. The insects visible everywhere were a vibrant, bloody red. Even in the dead of night, the RUSTLE RUSTLE of their swarms crawling about could be heard. Even every inconspicuous ant could carry enough venom to be lethal. And this was only the outskirts of the Wilderness.
Experienced Explorers would immediately slow their pace upon entering this area, opting to travel through flat, open terrain as much as possible. Members of their teams would remain on high alert, leaving not a single opening for these creatures to exploit. But at this moment, Chen Xing could no longer afford to pay attention to her surroundings. She gripped the steering wheel with one hand while extending the other out the window. A thin wall of earth shot up from the ground, blocking a suddenly striking vine. The earth wall was so thin it seemed ready to shatter at the slightest touch, but it successfully allowed them to shake off the attack.
However, at the next turn, a swarm of mutated flying ants charged straight in through the shattered window of the passenger seat. Gritting her teeth, she sealed them out with a barrier of gravel. The vehicle sprinted forward ferociously until they successfully outran this wave of attacks. Chen Xing relaxed her grip, and the sand cascaded into the passenger seat with a loud SWOOSH, scattering into a messy pile before sliding down with a SWISH onto a vase of Roses that had long since tilted over and begun to wilt under the seat.
Back when they requested this bouquet from Huai Yu, everyone in the team had taken turns holding the vase, reluctant to let go. After all, they were flowers from the Rose Corridor! When they finally set out for the Wilderness, they made a special point to bring it along. It wasn’t entirely because of romance or rarity. Rather, everyone had a theory: just as the droppings left by powerful animals deterred other creatures in the vicinity, the Rose Corridor was incredibly formidable. Would keeping its flowers in the car have a similar effect? Even if it didn’t, carrying a vase of flowers wouldn’t hurt them. But now, no one had the energy to pay attention to those Roses anymore.
Chen Xing’s palm gripped the steering wheel loosely. She was exhausted, her hands trembling non-stop. Looking up into the rearview mirror, she saw a reflection of someone with a haggard face, bloodshot eyes, and pale lips. It was clear that she had drained her Superpower and overdrawn herself far too much. It wasn’t just her. Everyone on the team was now at the end of their rope.
The vehicle, which had just been repaired and maintained, was now in tatters. The rear window was completely shattered. A large hole had appeared in the passenger-side windshield, and the specially made anti-ambush tires jolted and bounced along the woodland path that had long been flattened by Explorers, feeling as though they might fly off at any second. In the backseat, two young men huddled together in exhaustion, their laps supporting another young man whose lips were pitch-black and whose fate was unknown. Under the dim illumination of the car’s interior lights, the bright orange hair wax on his head seemed to shift in color with the lighting. Paired with his slightly bruised, greenish cheeks, it was a shocking sight every time Chen Xing glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Don’t fall asleep!" she yelled, startling the two exhausted teammates in the back awake. They instinctively shook the person on their laps.
"Fen Da! Don’t sleep, don’t sleep, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!
"Hold on a little longer! If you fall asleep, the paralyzing toxin will corrode your body even faster—"
But his body swayed limply, and one of his arms soon dropped. The only sign of life left in him was the sound of faint breathing. The other young man holding him gritted his teeth and pulled a bottle of medicine from his pocket. After a moment of hesitation, he poured it into his own mouth. A wave of intense nausea twisted his face, but he covered his mouth, tilted his head back, and forced it down. A moment later, he seemed to recover a bit of energy. He raised his hand, and a glowing green light began to pour continuously from his palm, desperately diffusing over the head of the unconscious Fen Da.
"Sister Xing..." he said with great difficulty. "This potion won’t last long. The poison is too potent. I can only stall it..."
"I know," Chen Xing replied, her voice steady as if she had everything under control.
But they all knew the reality: if they couldn’t overcome the hurdle before them, they would die.
All of this happened because she hadn’t listened to advice. Her Superpower and agility had unconsciously fostered an arrogant mindset—the strong always felt they could control the mediocre and useless. But the truth was, Huai Yu had been right. Once you made a move, you had to eliminate the root of the problem to prevent future troubles! Intense pain surged through her chest like rolling ocean waves. Chen Xing’s eyes were dry, and her foot remained slammed on the gas pedal. The car let out an overwhelmed roar but still managed to charge down a scrubby slope. And then, the engine died completely, refusing to start again.
Chen Xing checked the fuel gauge. It was entirely empty. She took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible. "We’re in a rest zone. Another team must have just left. They’ve cleared the vicinity, so it should be safe for a short while.
"We’ll wait here for a bit and see if another convoy comes by so we can trade for gas."
The people in the backseat did not reply. One of them was still gritting his teeth in a bitter struggle, trying desperately to keep Fen Da alive. The upper half of the other young man’s body was soaked in blood once more. Wincing in pain, he pulled his bandages tight again. Chen Xing stepped out of the car to observe their surroundings, and only then did a sharp, piercing pain erupt within her body.
This was the consequence of overdrawing one’s Superpower. Having used two potential-boosting potions today, she truly couldn’t muster an ounce of strength anymore. At this moment, if another team noticed their weakened state, a life-or-death struggle would very likely ensue. But if no one came to this rest zone, it meant they would be stuck without a vehicle. The sheer size of the Wilderness was terrifying. Even though this was only the outskirts, driving through it took several days. Without a car, let alone figuring out how to traverse the endless road, they wouldn’t even be able to fend off the endless waves of mutated flora and fauna surrounding them.