Chapter 26: Xiao Chen, they are in your hands now.
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They drove along the mountain road for another three days. The deep mountains were quiet; apart from the zombies they had encountered at the Taoist temple, they had only occasionally come across a few small animals that had turned into zombies.
None of them were particularly strong, and Ao Chen dealt with them with ease.
Suddenly, Ao Chen’s ears pricked up. She cried out, “Brother! I can sense it! It’s up ahead!”
Ao Xin perked up as well and followed the route Ao Chen indicated toward their destination.
However, many parts of the mountain had never been developed. Before long, they reached a place where the vehicle could go no farther.
With no other choice, they had to abandon the car for the time being.
After locking it by the roadside, the two continued on foot.
Halfway up the mountain, a thin young man was smoking. Suddenly, he looked down the slope.
“Huh? A car?”
He picked up the binoculars hanging from his neck and peered in that direction.
“An off-road vehicle! They must be people trying to hide in the mountains too.”
“Two of them. Looks like a man and a woman. Heh, this could be worthwhile!”
After confirming what he had seen, he immediately stubbed out his cigarette and ran back. Not far away stood a small tile-roofed house.
The young man rushed inside and said to three other young men who were playing poker, “Brother Fei, two people have come up from below. They’ve even got an off-road vehicle. There must be plenty of supplies inside!”
“And there’s a woman too!”
At the mention of supplies, the card players’ eyes lit up. But when they heard about the woman, they sprang excitedly to their feet.
“Skinny Monkey, are you sure?”
“Haha! A woman’s here! Fantastic! Damn, I’ve been going crazy from holding it in these past few days!”
“No electricity, no internet—apart from playing cards, there’s nothing to do but play cards. I’m sick to death of it! Come on, brothers! We’re going to have some fun today!”
With a clatter, they flung their cards onto the table, grabbed clubs, woodcutting axes, and other crude weapons, and followed Skinny Monkey down the mountain.
“Brother Fei, I’ve been scouting around here for the past few days and found a trail leading down the mountain. We can definitely cut them off ahead!”
Skinny Monkey was excited as well.
At last, the dull life of the apocalypse was about to become a little more entertaining.
Down below, Ao Xin and Ao Chen had wandered around the mountain for several circuits before finally reaching the place Ao Xin had sensed.
A vast patch of ferns grew there. As Ao Chen entered it, she crouched down and pulled one of the plants out by its roots.
Beneath the roots grew a strange fruit.
Its peculiar shape and eerie, curling patterns marked it unmistakably as a Demon Fruit!
“Wonderful! I found another one!”
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Ao Chen jumped up and down in excitement. This was all thanks to her!
Four young men had just come down the slope on the side of the mountain. When they saw the Demon Fruit held aloft in Ao Chen’s hand, their eyes widened in shock.
“Brother Fei, th-that’s a Demon Fruit, isn’t it?”
Skinny Monkey’s voice trembled with excitement.
Brother Fei slapped him on the forehead. “What else would it be?”
He was equally excited. That was a Demon Fruit!
Once he ate it, he would gain supernatural powers. Then he could go out and hunt zombies for points, learn Haki, exchange those points for weapons, and become a powerful man!
By then, he would rule his own territory, command a host of underlings, and have any beauty he desired at his beck and call.
Lost in his fantasies, he hurriedly shouted at Ao Chen, “Hey! Put that fruit down!”
Ao Chen, who had been thrilled by her discovery, jumped in surprise.
She had been so focused on the Demon Fruit that she had failed to notice the newcomers nearby.
When she turned around, she saw several young men carrying woodcutting axes and clubs, all of them staring greedily at the Demon Fruit in her hand.
Once she turned to face them, their gazes also fixed hungrily upon her.
“What a beautiful girl!”
Brother Fei and the others felt that they had only ever seen a girl this beautiful on the internet.
From her still-childlike features, it was obvious that she was probably no older than a middle-school student.
They swallowed involuntarily.
“I’m really blessed today. Not only do I get a Demon Fruit, but such a beautiful girl has delivered herself right to my door.”
Grinning lecherously, he walked forward, completely ignoring Ao Xin as he arrogantly addressed Ao Chen.
“Hand over that fruit, and from now on, you’ll have Brother Fei looking after you! Follow me, and I’ll make sure you eat well and live comfortably!”
Faced with the young man’s arrogant manner, Ao Chen furrowed her delicate brows.
“Who are you? Why should I give it to you?”
Ao Xin said nothing from where he stood nearby. He possessed Observation Haki and had sensed these men the moment they appeared.
But this time, he intended to use them to train Ao Chen.
“These men are yours. Kill them.”
Ao Chen was startled. She still found it difficult to kill people.
Ao Xin said, “If you were still the ordinary girl you once were, what do you think would happen if you fell into their hands?”
“You’re unwilling to kill them, but do you think they would show you the same mercy?”
“In peaceful times, they were parasites of society. In the apocalypse, they’re even worse—scum that pollutes the world! People like them deserve to die. And besides, they’ve already tried to humiliate you!”
“What are you waiting for?”
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His final shout rang out so fiercely that even the young men were startled.
Once they recovered, they cursed angrily.
“What the hell are you? Who do you think you’re barking at?”
“Damn you! I’ll kill you first!”
“Keeping the girl is enough. You can go to hell!”
The men swung their crude weapons at Ao Xin. Judging by where they aimed, they were clearly trying to beat him to death.
That made Ao Chen furious.
She and Ao Xin had similar temperaments. She might be able to endure someone bullying her.
But no one was allowed to bully her family!
“How dare you insult my brother? You’re asking to die!”
She reached into her clothing and stuffed the Demon Fruit into her Treasure Space, drawing her own blade at the same time.
The long sword flashed as it left its sheath.
Having learned all three forms of Haki under Ao Xin’s personal instruction, her strength had improved rapidly.
Moreover, after fighting zombies for so many days, even without entering the hybrid form of the Treasure-Seeking Mouse, she was far beyond the ordinary thugs who had spent their time hiding away.
Her blade swept across Skinny Monkey’s throat and severed his head cleanly.
It was a sword technique forged through battle with zombies.
Since the only way to kill a zombie was to cut off its head, every one of Ao Chen’s attacks was aimed at the neck.
Skinny Monkey’s head struck the ground, and Brother Fei and the others were terrified.
They had never imagined that such a delicate-looking girl could kill with such decisiveness and brutality.
A single stroke to behead someone—that was the stuff of legend to them!
But now they had been backed into a corner. Either they killed the girl and subdued her, or they would be the ones killed.
Hardening their resolve, Brother Fei cursed, “You filthy bitch! You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Just wait and see what I do to you!”
After cutting off Skinny Monkey’s head, Ao Chen no longer felt the same nervousness about killing.
The swordsmanship she had honed through fighting zombies, combined with her enhanced body, made dealing with these ordinary thugs effortless.
Ao Xin stood to the side and watched.
Her combat skills were still rough, but considering how little time she had spent training, they were already quite impressive.
Bang!
Ao Chen blocked the woodcutter’s axe of a tattooed young man with the back of her blade. Then she shifted to his flank and brought the sword down.
Another head went rolling across the ground.
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