Chapter Thirty-Nine: Zhao Meina

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Soon, the kettle began to burble and boil, steam gushing from its spout.

“At last, we can have some delicious instant noodles!” Yu Yue rubbed her hands together, her eyes shining as she gazed at Li Luyan.

Four bowls of instant noodles appeared at once on the grass before Li Luyan.

At the sight of this, steam rose even more enthusiastically from Little Bastard’s head. So this was the power of a divine master? It could actually conjure objects at random. The Desire God’s task was beginning to seem harder and harder to complete.

Yu Yue eagerly tore open the noodle packets and dumped all the seasoning into the bowls.

“Slow down. Be careful not to scald yourself,” Lin Youwei warned, but Yu Yue had already poured in the boiling water.

“I’ve been craving this for ages.” Excited, Yu Yue lifted a mouthful and stuffed it in, ignoring both Lin Youwei’s warning and the clouds of white steam rising from the bowl.

“Hiss… It’s burning hot!”

In kettle form, Little Bastard let out a burst of laughter—which was actually just the sound of the water boiling.

“You’re so noisy, Little Bastard!” Yu Yue shouted, unable to endure it any longer.

“What a country bumpkin. Were you reincarnated as a starving ghost?”

If Little Bastard had not been in kettle form, and if so many of them had not yet made their noodles, Yu Yue would have kicked it without hesitation.

She glared viciously at Little Bastard. “You’d better keep acting this defiant forever!”

Zhao Meina crouched nearby, nibbling at the bread Li Luyan had given her, yet her eyes remained fixed on Yu Yue’s instant noodles.

Noticing her gaze, Yu Yue asked with a grin, “Nana, would you like a bowl too?”

Zhao Meina shook her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s. “N-no, thank you… This is enough.”

She knew that her brother had done something terrible and had nearly harmed the older sisters. She herself had even tried to stop the cold-looking one at first.

She had no face to ask them for food. The single piece of bread was already more than enough to make her grateful. She had always known about the wicked things her brother had done, both before and after the apocalypse. Yet she wanted to live, even if her brother had offered her to a man twenty years older than herself.

These sisters had saved her. How could she dare hope for anything more?

“Oh, don’t be so polite!” Yu Yue said in her usual carefree manner, patting Zhao Meina’s thin shoulder.

Unfortunately, the tap made the girl lose her balance, and she nearly fell to the ground.

“Oops, I didn’t mean to.” Yu Yue gently rubbed the girl’s hair.

Then she turned to Li Luyan with an eager look. “Hehe, Sister Yan, she’s still growing.”

Li Luyan kept her head down and continued eating in silence. Just as Yu Yue was about to withdraw her hand, thinking there was no hope, Li Luyan held out a bowl of instant noodles.

Seeing this, Little Bastard began reheating the lukewarm water remaining in the kettle.

“What a country bumpkin. You certainly know how to order people around.”

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“Shut up, you crazy bastard!”

Yu Yue glared at it, then turned to Zhao Meina with a radiant smile. “Just wait. Big Sis will make you some noodles.”

She really is astonishingly simple-minded, Li Luyan thought. She was the sort of person with little guile who would give her all in exchange for the slightest kindness. In that sense, she was indeed worth befriending.

What Li Luyan hated most were people who schemed against her in secret, playing mind games behind her back.

At least during the days they had traveled together, she had been quite satisfied with Yu Yue. Then her gaze shifted to Zhao Meina, who was crouching cautiously to one side.

This child… Why had she agreed to let her join the group in the first place? Perhaps the girl really did look pitiful. Since when had Li Luyan developed such boundless compassion?

It was truly incomprehensible. She had hated children more than anything before, and apart from Xiaojun and Xiaotong, not a single child had ever been allowed near her.

Right. Xiaotong.

Her gaze darkened. Why had Xiaotong framed her back then? She clearly had not pushed her. Clearly, she had…

She wanted to kill someone… Forget it. She would not think about it.

The fragrant scent of steaming instant noodles spread through the air. Zhao Meina held her bowl, the rims of her eyes slightly red.

She lowered her head and whispered, “Thank you… Big Sis Yue.”

It had been a long time since she had felt anything like home, ever since her mother passed away. These sisters… Perhaps the apocalypse was not quite as frightening as she had thought.

“What are you thanking me for? From now on, we’re family!” Yu Yue patted her shoulder. Then she stood up and announced, “Our Apocalypse Supernova Squad is officially established!”

“Keep your voice down.” Li Luyan lowered her head over her noodles and spoke casually. “We’ve cleared out all the monsters nearby, but their hearing is exceptionally sharp.”

“Oh, right.” Yu Yue nodded, immediately lowering her voice.

But then she thought of something, and her expression fell. “But Yu Niaoniao…”

Lin Youwei sighed and rubbed her head. “Everyone has their own choices. You can’t force them.”

Seeing Yu Yue’s wounded expression, she continued, “If Yu Niaoniao told you to abandon Sister Yan and go with Zhang Min, what would you do?”

At that, Li Luyan raised her head—a rare occurrence. If Yu Yue chose Zhang Min, she could guarantee that the next time they met, she would kill her without hesitation.

Yu Yue grew agitated, her voice rising several notes. “How could I? I’ll follow Sister Yan forever! We’ve been through life and death together.” She frowned and argued with Lin Youwei.

Li Luyan forcibly suppressed the smile in her eyes.

This Yu Yue… was rather cute.

“Then there you have it. Zhang Min saved Yu Niaoniao’s life too.” Lin Youwei smiled. “If they aren’t walking the same path, then you can’t force them to.”

Yu Yue gave a muffled hum and lowered her head to shovel noodles into her mouth.

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Little Bastard changed back into the form of a puppy and rubbed against Li Luyan’s feet, muttering softly, “Um… where are my instant noodles?”

Li Luyan pretended not to hear and continued eating with her head bowed. A divine construct did not need food anyway. There was no reason to waste supplies.

But Little Bastard began circling her feet. Human skin and fur were far too fragile; it did not dare bite her again.

Fortunately, this god had not yet regained her divine status. Otherwise, with a casual wave of her hand, it could have been reduced to ashes. Though even now, she was already frighteningly powerful.

Watching the little yellow dog fidget helplessly around her feet, Li Luyan admitted that her heart had softened a little. She raised an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you a divine construct? Do you need to eat?”

“Divine constructs need to replenish their energy too…” Little Bastard blinked pitifully. “Please, my lady~ Give Little Bastard a little.”

Li Luyan laughed despite herself. She knew the dog was lying, but she still took a sausage from her storage space and tossed it over.

Little Bastard caught it joyfully in its mouth, its tail wagging like a propeller.

The sunset spread across the highway, bathing everything in gold and crimson.

With human civilization in ruins, people could only rely on one another and build high walls around themselves.

An City was a small city belonging to the Five-County region, with a sparse population. It was also one of the least polluted cities in the country.

The military could not save everyone, so they had established a base in An City—the last fortress of humanity.

The sun was gradually sinking. It was the perfect time to travel. Zhang Min had now recovered her strength, and she lifted onto her back the pack Pei Siying had been carrying all this time.

“Let’s go. We’re heading for An City.”

Yu Niaoniao rose to her feet without a word. She had always been like this, rarely speaking when she was with the other two.

But now that they were teammates, she still had to ask. After all, Yu Niaoniao was the vessel she had set her sights on. What if bottling everything up made her ill?

“What’s wrong?”

Yu Niaoniao drew a deep breath. “I’m just a little reluctant to part with Yu Yue.”

Zhang Min’s gaze darkened, though she smiled. “Niaoniao, it’s too late to change your mind now.”

“How could I change my mind? Minmin, you saved my life.” Like Yu Yue, Yu Niaoniao was quick-tempered and immediately protested.

Her reaction was exactly as expected, and Zhang Min’s smile widened, though there was no warmth in her eyes.

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