Chapter 16: Journey Westward

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Ao Chen’s proposal stirred Ao Xin’s heart. Liu Xiyao was also touched that Ao Chen was thinking of her. She was very skilled at dealing with people, and in a short time, she had already won the favor of the entire Ao family.

Ao Xin sat quietly, deep in thought. His sister was right—she had the ability. If they only stayed in Bian City to develop, it would be such a waste. Many Devil Fruits remained undiscovered. Perhaps some fruit refreshed after the death of its previous owner and had yet to be claimed by others.

If he seized this opportunity, using Ao Chen’s Devil Fruit talent to collect more Devil Fruits, not only could he enhance his family’s strength, but it would also be an extremely valuable resource. In the future, when people became familiar with this broken world and established their footing in the apocalypse, various powers would emerge. Though he was strong, he did not yet possess the strength to dominate the entire world.

These fruits could be used for trade, to acquire what he needed most, or to win over powerful individuals to become his subordinates. Yet he could never fully let go of his worry for his family’s safety.

“Xin, don’t worry. Now Dad has Devil Fruit powers too, along with Lady Liu and Brother Meng’s help. We’re fine,” his father said, seeing his concern. “Besides, you’ve already prepared food for us—it will last a long time. Even if it runs out, we can buy from the Divine Gift Space. We can kill zombies and earn points, so there’s no need to worry about us.”

“Dad will protect Mom!” his mother added in agreement. “Dad is right. This world is beyond our understanding now. You can go do what you need to do with peace of mind. With your help, we can survive the apocalypse.”

Even Liu Xiyao pledged her loyalty to him: “Master, I’ll take good care of the two elders. As long as I live, I won’t let them suffer a single scratch!”

Just then, Meng Kui, exhausted, returned to rest. Hearing the conversation, he also promised, “Big brother, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Dad and Mom!”

Ao Xin felt genuinely moved. Taking these two in was a good decision. “Alright then, I’m entrusting them to you,” he said firmly. “I’ll transfer 400 points to each of you to exchange for potions, food, or to boost your strength faster.”

His tone left no room for refusal. He transferred 400 points each to his parents, Liu Xiyao, and Meng Kui, nearly exhausting his own points. But killing zombies was now easy for him, so he didn’t mind.

Since his sister’s proposal had been accepted, it had to be carried out swiftly.

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Then, through the Divine Gift Space, he spent ten points to create a group chat, adding his parents, sister, Meng Kui, and Liu Xiyao. That way, even if he left, he could communicate with his family at any time and stay informed about their situation.

After finishing these preparations, he took Ao Chen and left home, climbing into a large truck parked at the door. Together, they headed out of the city.

“Where to?” Ao Xin asked, leaving the choice of direction to Ao Chen. “Since you’re a treasure mouse, even if you can’t sense treasures, your instincts should still be useful.”

Ao Chen agreed. “Let’s go west, to the provincial capital. It’s more populous, a bigger city—there’s a higher chance of finding Devil Fruits there.”

Following the treasure mouse’s instinct, Ao Xin drove westward. Along the way, they occasionally got out to fight, retreating to the truck to rest once exhausted.

But the big truck wasn’t very convenient, and Ao Xin felt they needed an off-road vehicle.

Upon entering the provincial capital, they continued straight west. Indeed, the number of zombies here was a hundred times greater than in Bian City. The military was organizing systematic zombie eradication—gunfire and explosions sent zombie limbs flying.

Yet unless their heads were destroyed, the zombies kept moving.

Ao Xin’s truck was stopped by the military:

“Military operation ahead! No passage allowed here!”

The soldier blocking them didn’t force them to leave immediately but registered their details and pointed them toward a direction.

“There’s a makeshift shelter built overnight that way. Our troops are stationed around it. It’s absolutely safe, with regular food and water supplies.”

The government was truly trying to contain the disaster. Unfortunately, this calamity was beyond the reach of human civilization.

Ao Xin did not follow the soldier’s direction to the shelter. They weren’t here to seek refuge. After turning the truck around, they decided to bypass the area.

A military officer saw them leave and didn’t press further.

As the saying goes, kind words cannot persuade a damned spirit. They said all they could, but if someone insists on leaving, there was nothing they could do.

Forcing them to stay would only cause more trouble. Besides, they were too overwhelmed to manage everything anyway.

Those willing to accept military protection, the army would fight to protect. But those who thought they knew better and refused? They had to accept their fates.

Returning to the highway they came from, at a fork, Ao Chen suggested they head north, and Ao Xin followed her lead.

After traveling about seven or eight kilometers north, Ao Chen suddenly instructed him to turn west again.

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Here, the military did not surround the area, and zombies still ran rampant.

Occasionally, people could be seen fighting zombies by taking shelter in buildings. They used every possible method to kill zombies and then retreated inside to rest before venturing out again for another hunt.

Everyone was trying their best to survive in the apocalypse.

Suddenly, Ao Xin’s eyes lit up. Though he hadn’t found any Devil Fruits, he discovered something even better.

In front of a luxurious villa was parked a Dongfeng Warrior!

This vehicle, called an off-road truck, was essentially a civilian armored vehicle!

Apart from lacking GPS and weaponry, it was incredibly sturdy.

It was the ideal model Ao Xin had been looking for.

A young man leaned against the truck, having cut a hole in the door. He crawled inside and extended a long spear out to stab approaching zombies.

Though it was difficult to strike their heads directly, wearing them down little by little allowed him to kill several zombies.

Ao Xin parked the large truck next to the Dongfeng Warrior and jumped down with Ao Chen.

Activating his dragon form, he wielded a thick, heavy baseball bat that swept through enemies effortlessly.

This bat was very effective; even though he had enough points to exchange for a sharp blade, he still preferred this club.

The young man inside the truck, seeing the sudden arrival of a large truck beside him, felt a pang of alarm. At times like these, it wasn’t uncommon for wealthy people like him to be robbed.

His father, drained by alcohol, tobacco, and women, had been infected by the zombie virus and killed their entire family. Only he had managed to escape by hiding inside this Dongfeng Warrior.

Since then, he had been fending off zombies with the help of this vehicle.

As he nervously wondered about the newcomers’ intentions, a dragon man and a white-haired, big-eared adorable girl leapt from the truck and swiftly slaughtered all the zombies surrounding him.

“Holy shit? The Azure Dragon Big Boss?”

He immediately recognized Ao Xin’s iconic Azure Dragon form. “Why is the Azure Dragon Big Boss here? Why is he saving me?”

“Is he here to rob me too?”

Just as his mind spun with wild thoughts, Ao Xin finished clearing the zombies and knocked on the truck’s window.