When the mutant cow hadn't reacted yet, Chen Wan quickly pushed off the railing behind her, using the momentum and her own strength attribute to leap onto the nearest mutant cow.
Without hesitation, she plunged the machete in her hand into the neck of the mutant cow.
Bright red blood sprayed from the mutant cow's neck, splattering all over Chen Wan.
The mutant cow beneath her reacted violently, thrashing its massive body and making the mechanical arm shudder.
As the mutant cow bucked wildly, Chen Wan locked her grip on its horn with one hand and drove her machete down again and again into its neck, aiming for the spine.
Fortunately, Chen Wan had the strength to drive the machete into the flesh as though it were a sword—something an ordinary person would never have been able to accomplish.
The creature was enormous, with a neck as thick as an elephant's.
Chen Wan's hand was deep in its flesh before she managed to sever its spine.
With a loud "bang," the massive creature, weighing four to five tons, collapsed to the ground.
Another mutant cow suddenly locked onto the scent of a living person. It dropped its focus on the mechanical arm, pivoted, and rushed straight toward Chen Wan in a few quick strides.
The mutant cow was fast, but Chen Wan maneuvered the mechanical arm with ease.
As the beast charged, she snapped the arm into place, tightening it around its neck in one swift motion.
The mutant cow bellowed violently, its "moo" magnified several times beyond a normal cow's call, reverberating through the open mountains with a chilling, oppressive tone.
Chen Wan stood covered in blood, her right hand still gripping the machete, dripping red.
The mutant cow, trapped by the mechanical arm, seemed to realize the danger and thrashed even more violently, struggling to break free.
Chen Wan didn't hesitate—she raised her weapon and unleashed a barrage of bullets into its neck.
Blood spurted continuously, but as long as its spine wasn't severed, it still wouldn't go down.
Chen Wan stowed the light machine gun, then took several quick steps back. Using the momentum, she sprang forward and climbed onto the injured mutant cow's back, driving her machete down repeatedly into its neck.
Meanwhile, Qin Ke fired from a gap beside the RV, aiming at the mutant cow behind it.
However, the creature's thick hide and dense flesh absorbed the impacts, rendering her shots largely ineffective.
Qin Ke quickly adjusted, her experience showing—she narrowed her focus to the mutant cow's neck and concentrated her fire on the same point, refusing to let up.
The mutant cow's attention snapped to Qin Ke, its earlier indifference replaced by raw fury.
The scent of a living person drew it in, but the gap was too narrow for its massive frame to force its way through.
Qin Ke held her ground and took full advantage of the bottleneck, maintaining continuous fire with her rifle.
The mutant cow's eyes and face were riddled with gunshot wounds, the pain driving the five-ton beast into a deeper frenzy.
In its rampage, it forced itself against the RV and the railing, gradually prying the gap wider.
Its fury surged to the peak, its entire body trembling with aggression as it locked onto Qin Ke with a look that seemed intent on crushing her outright.
With one final surge, the RV was shoved into the middle of the road, the railing crushed beneath the mutant cow's force. The screech of metal grinding against stone echoed through the mountains.
At that moment, Qin Ke was fully exposed to the mutant cow—but fortunately, its vision had already been blinded by her earlier shots.
The mutant cow could only track Qin Ke by her scent.
Qin Ke swiftly moved to the front of the vehicle, using it as cover, and continued firing at the mutant cow without pause.
By then, the mutant cow beneath Chen Wan had already fallen silent, its struggles finally brought to an end by her relentless stabbing.
Chen Wan ordered the mechanical arm to spread wide, bracing to catch the mutant cow mid-charge.
In the same instant, she and Qin Ke lifted their guns and fired in unison, concentrating their shots on its neck.
The sustained gunfire shredded the flesh at the neck, the force of the impacts even dislocating its spine.
Chen Wan ceased fire and gave Qin Ke a quick pat on the shoulder. "I'll go sever its spine."
"Got it," Qin Ke replied, swiftly reloading her magazine before raising her gun again to cover her.
Chen Wan grabbed her machete and moved in without hesitation. Following the wound carved open by the gunfire, she drove the blade straight into the mutant cow's neck.
However, the mutant cow still had strength left, and its hoof lashed out at Chen Wan.
Thanks to her speed, Chen Wan reacted instantly, dodging the strike and yanking out her machete before driving it into the mutant cow's spine once more.
The creature's spine was thick, but the earlier barrage of bullets had already left it fractured and weakened.
Otherwise, who knew how many more strikes it would take to finish it off?
As Chen Wan drove the machete into the mutant cow's spine again, its front leg lashed out at her on the ground.
Chen Wan evaded once more, yanking out the blade in one motion. After retreating a few steps to reset her stance, she immediately surged forward again, charging back toward the mutant cow.
Using the momentum, she drove the machete straight down onto the mutant cow's spine.
With a heavy bang, the towering beast crashed to the ground.
Chen Wan, exhausted, lowered herself to the ground, catching her breath.
Ever since the apocalypse began, the RV and her attribute bonuses had given her the illusion that survival would be easy.
But she had nearly faced uncontrollable danger just now—two crises in a single day: a large-scale nuclear leak and these mutant cows.
Chen Wan couldn't help but wonder: if all the mutant cows had come at once, would they have survived today?
It seemed she had grown too complacent recently, her guard gradually slipping—a dangerous mindset in the apocalypse.
Chen Wan reflected on the situation and reminded herself that she needed to be far more cautious moving forward.
After all, she wasn't alone—she had family and friends, and she didn't want anything to happen to them.
Qin Ke quickly helped Chen Wan up when she saw her sitting on the ground.
"I'm fine," Chen Wan reassured her. "Just a bit tired from using too much energy earlier."
Meanwhile, Jiang Yanxin sat on the sofa holding Yang Yang, occasionally glancing out through the front windshield, though nothing was visible.
The side windows were sealed with steel plates, leaving her no choice but to wait in place, unwilling to distract Chen Wan and the others.
Fortunately, the shaking of the RV had stopped, and the violent impacts from behind had finally ceased.
Jiang Yanxin held the trembling Yang Yang in her arms. "Yang Yang, don't be afraid. Your Mammy and Auntie will be fine. We need to be strong, okay?"
Yang Yang buried her small face into Jiang Yanxin's embrace, quietly sobbing without making a sound, afraid of causing trouble for Mom, Mammy, and Auntie.
Even though her small body felt uncomfortable, she didn't dare cry out loud.
Jiang Yanxin held Yang Yang tightly in her arms, frowning as she stared at the front windshield.
Supported by Qin Ke, Chen Wan stood in place for a moment, catching her breath.
Then, the system's mechanical voice sounded in her mind:
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining three level-one mutant animal crystal cores.
Level-one mutant animals are significantly stronger than level-one zombies. Therefore, one level-one mutant animal crystal core is equivalent to one thousand level-one mutant zombie crystal cores.
Ten level-one mutant animal crystal cores can be exchanged for one level-two mutant animal crystal core.
Additionally, the RV's exterior is 75% damaged and in a severely compromised state, requiring immediate repair.
Chen Wan's mind was still slightly muddled after just going through another life-and-death encounter.
She only registered that she had obtained a level-one mutant animal crystal core, without fully catching the details of its uses.
Hearing that the RV's exterior was damaged made her feel a wave of anxiety.
If the mutant cow had struck a few more times, the RV would have been destroyed.
Thinking quickly, Chen Wan asked the system, "What do I need to repair the RV? I need to fix it as soon as possible."
"Due to the severe damage to the RV, 500 level-one zombie crystal cores and 30 small vehicles are required as materials for repair. The estimated repair time is approximately two hours," the system replied.
Chen Wan let out a small breath of relief, but she knew she couldn't afford to relax.
At dawn, she would need to find an area with a large number of vehicles to gather the necessary materials. Otherwise, in its current condition, another encounter with mutant cows could very well spell disaster for them.
After all, the mechanical arm played a significant role in killing the mutant cow.
If any part of the RV reached 100% damage, its safety would be greatly reduced, risking being scrapped.
If the RV were scrapped, the mechanical arm would be completely unusable.
Looking at the mutated cow carcass on the ground, Chen Wan quickly asked the system, "Are you sure the meat from these mutated cows is edible?"
"Yes, host, you may safely consume it.
The meat of the mutated cow is tender and even more delicious than beef before the apocalypse," the system replied, providing the information without reservation.
Noticing that Chen Wan had not inquired about the crystal core conversion earlier, the system did not bring it up again.
Chen Wan let out a quiet breath of relief.
Each of these mutated cows weighed around five tons, and her 60-square-meter storage space was still not full.
It was perfect for storing beef, and with its preservation function, the meat would not spoil inside.
Chen Wan glanced at Qin Ke and said, "Let's go report that we're safe, then cut up the beef and store it in the storage space."
Qin Ke looked at the massive creature on the ground, still somewhat incredulous, before turning to Chen Wan. "Can these mutated creatures be eaten?"
"Yes—just like the crystal cores we consume every day. Although the effect isn't as strong as the crystal cores, long-term consumption can still enhance a person's physical strength. Let's go tell Yan Xin so she won't worry," Chen Wan said as she opened the RV door.
By this time, Jiang Yanxin had already unbuckled her seatbelt.
Hearing the door open, her eyes immediately turned red.
In her arms, Yang Yang heard the door open and lifted her tear-streaked face, whimpering as she looked toward the two figures outside.
When she saw her Mammy covered in blood, her whimpers grew louder, her small body trembling as she sobbed.
She looked at Chen Wan, not far away, crying softly, "Wah wah wah… What happened to Mammy? Does it hurt?"
In Yang Yang's mind, Mammy was the strongest person—someone who could drive away all the bad things.
So how could she be standing there now, covered in blood?