C5 Chapter 5

Huang Guihua kept smiling until tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with the hem of her shirt and watched Wenmei bustle around.

Wenmei found a bowl in the kitchen and split the egg pancake in half for Huang Guihua. “Grandma, let’s share. If you don’t eat, I’m not eating either.”

Seeing how firm Wenmei was, Huang Guihua took the bowl from her hands. “Alright, alright. I’ll eat with you.”

After they finished the egg pancake, Wenmei washed the dishes. “Grandma, I want to rest for a bit.”

She needed to sort through her space and pull out whatever she could use right now.

“Okay, go on. Get some rest.” The moment Huang Guihua heard Wenmei say she wanted to lie down, she hurried her into the room. Wenmei had just fallen into the river—after all that, of course she was exhausted.

Back in the room, Wenmei shut the door and sat on the heated bed platform, taking out the small mirror from her space. She didn’t care much about looks, but it was still important to know what she looked like now.

In the mirror, the girl had fair skin and an oval face. Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and lively, framed by double lids and slender brows. Her nose was straight, her mouth small—and she looked about seventy percent like Wenmei’s old self.

Wenmei couldn’t figure out why. She put the mirror away and started checking her space. Inside was more than half of her squad’s supplies. Every time they went out, she always kept a portion stored away just in case. Without her, with the kind of fighting strength her squad had, they could probably still survive in the wasteland.

Back then, her powers had reached Level 7, and her space was huge—more than enough for what she needed now.

Everything in her space was divided into five categories: weapons, books, supplies, food, and Crystal Cores.

The weapons included all kinds of guns and blades. The books were ones she’d collected from a library after her abilities leveled up—something to read when she wasn’t on a mission. Supplies included three or four beat-up SUVs, assorted camping gear, clothes, and everyday necessities. Food was the biggest stash: rice, flour, cooking oil, dried noodles, vermicelli, all kinds of crackers, bread, candy, and chocolate; canned fruit, canned fish, various powdered milks, hot pot seasoning. The most plentiful were boxed meals and steamed buns. Basically, if a supermarket carried it, she had it—and even if the entire Liu family ate freely, it would still last them for years.

There were several big crates of Crystal Cores—everything she’d earned the hard way over more than a decade of fighting to survive.

She picked up a Level 1 Crystal Core and started circulating her cultivation technique. Wenmei felt a surge of energy run through her body, and it seemed like her muscles tightened up a little, her frame turning a touch more solid.

After absorbing a few more Crystal Cores in a row, she couldn’t take in any more. Looks like this body had a daily limit on how many it could absorb.

She put the Crystal Cores away and looked over the other things in her space. There was no good way to bring them out right now. Once her body stabilized, she’d need to find a way to make money—something that would let these items show up in front of the Liu family without raising suspicion.

From outside, Sunn Tiantian’s voice drifted in. “Grandma Huang, is Wenmei back yet?”

“Sunn, what are you doing here? Mei’s been back for a while.” Huang Guihua had always felt Sunn Tiantian was up to no good, and she didn’t bother hiding her dislike.

“Good. We were picking wild greens together, and I looked away for a second and she was gone. I was worried, so I came to check.” Sunn Tiantian craned her neck toward the yard, trying to make sure Wenmei was really okay.

“She’s fine, she’s fine. Mei’s doing just fine. Go on now—get back to whatever you were doing.” Afraid the noise might wake Wenmei, Huang Guihua hurried to shoo her off.

Huang Guihua’s attitude left Sunn Tiantian looking foolish. She walked back toward the dorm with her face dark, cursing under her breath the whole way. That nasty old hag—one of these days, I’ll make you pay.