Chen Wan watched Yang Yang consume the crystal cores and fell into deep thought.
She curiously asked the system in her mind, "System, how many crystal cores does an ordinary person need to consume to develop abilities?"
"It varies from person to person and also depends on the duration, dosage, and the individual's physical condition.
Consuming 10 crystal cores a day is the most scientific method.
More would be wasteful, and less wouldn't be effective in the short term.
Please be patient," the system's cold mechanical voice replied.
Chen Wan nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, they were probably the first on planet R2 to consume crystal cores and eat mutated animal meat.
If abilities could truly be developed, they would be the first.
Plus, consuming 10 crystal cores daily was beneficial to the body.
With this thought, Chen Wan stopped worrying.
The RV had been repaired while Chen Wan was asleep.
The first thing they needed to do was refill the RV's water and fuel tanks—the fuel would only last for about another hour.
Without further hesitation, Chen Wan turned to Jiang Yanxin and Qin Ke. "We're running low on both fuel and water. We should find a place in Yuezhou City to refill before moving on."
Qin Ke thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let's top up the fuel and water before we hit the road."
After reaching an agreement, Chen Wan took the wheel and used the mechanical arm to siphon fuel from nearby vehicles at the toll station.
They managed to gather enough to keep the RV running for another four to five hours before heading toward Yuezhou City.
Since the toll station was located on the outskirts, it took nearly an hour of driving before the buildings began to grow denser.
They passed two gas stations along the way, but unfortunately, both had already run dry. With no other choice, Chen Wan continued driving deeper into the city.
As Chen Wan drove deeper into the city, she noticed that Yuezhou had far more survivors than Weibei.
Along the way alone, she had already encountered four or five groups scavenging for supplies, which made her even more vigilant.
In the apocalypse, it wasn't just zombies and monsters you had to watch out for—but other survivors as well.
Turning onto another road, Chen Wan spotted a few zombies up ahead.
There weren't many, and a group of scavengers was already dealing with them, swiftly decapitating the stragglers.
Her gaze briefly met that of one of the scavengers, but she didn't stop. Without a word, she drove on, heading deeper into Yuezhou City.
After driving a little farther, Chen Wan finally spotted another gas station and quickly pulled in.
She positioned the mechanical arm over a fuel pump, letting the system automatically scan for any remaining fuel.
A moment later, the system's mechanical voice sounded again. "Sufficient fuel detected in the storage tank. Would you like to proceed with absorption?"
"Yes," Chen Wan replied without hesitation.
At her command, the mechanical arm extended and began siphoning fuel from the pump. Since it was connected to an underground storage tank, it wasn't just the small amount in the pump being transferred, but the reserves below as well—steadily filling the RV's 2800-liter tank.
However, before long, Chen Wan noticed a group approaching. They carried steel pipes and machetes, and one of them even had a handgun.
Standing beside Chen Wan, Qin Ke sensed something was off and frowned. "Looks like we're in trouble again. This time, we've run into local thugs."
Chen Wan's gaze turned cold as she watched the dozen or so people gathering at the front of the RV.
Before setting off, they had already sealed the rear windows with steel plates, leaving only the front windshield exposed.
One of the men, holding a machete, lit up the moment he saw Chen Wan and Qin Ke.
He swaggered over, kicked the side of the RV, then strolled around to the front windshield. With a low whistle, he leered at them. "Hey, beauties, trying to refuel? That's rich. You've gotta get out and use the pump. What's that metal arm supposed to be—think you can refuel like that?" He smirked. "Tell you what—call me something nice, and I might help you out."
Laughter erupted from the group behind him.
Chen Wan remained expressionless, her attention fixed on the steadily filling fuel tank, while Qin Ke only stared coldly at the men outside.
Seeing that they hadn't managed to intimidate Chen Wan and Qin Ke, the man grew embarrassed and spat out a curse. "Damn it—these two women don't know what's good for them. Brothers, let's teach them a lesson."
"Alright, Er Li. Let's smash their ride and see if they still refuse to come out," a bald man with a sinister grin said, raising his machete and bringing it down on the RV.
A loud metallic clang rang out.
The bald man scoffed and pulled his machete back—only to freeze when he saw that it hadn't left so much as a mark.
Stunned, he swung again. And again.
Each strike echoed just as loudly, but when he checked, the surface remained completely unscathed.
Someone nearby frowned. "Baldy, what's wrong?"
"This thing's weird as hell," the bald man said, agitation creeping into his voice as he turned to the bespectacled man beside him. "I've been hacking at it, and it's not even scratched—nothing at all."
"How is that possible? Let me try," the bespectacled man said, still unconvinced.
He stepped forward and struck the RV several times, but when he looked again, the surface was perfectly smooth—without a single mark.
"Damn, Brother Yang, there's something off about this vehicle," the bald man said, exchanging a glance with him. "We can't even scratch it."
The two of them quickly reported to the man holding the gun.
Brother Yang narrowed his eyes, staring at Chen Wan and Qin Ke inside the RV, then cursed, "Useless. You can't even deal with two women?"
Raising his handgun, he fired twice at the windshield.
From inside, Chen Wan saw two faint scratches appear. At the same time, the system's mechanical voice echoed in her mind: "Windshield damage detected at one percent."
Her expression darkened. She picked up the loudspeaker beside her and spoke coldly, "If you don't want to die, get lost."
"Brother Yang, this woman's way too arrogant," Er Li said through gritted teeth. "We can't just let this slide."
Brother Yang's expression turned grim.
Before the apocalypse, he had been nothing more than a small-time thug in the area. But after everything fell apart, he managed to get his hands on a gun through the black market—and that was enough to make him the local boss.
With a survivor base established in the southern part of Yuezhou City, the military had already cleared out most of the zombies nearby. As a result, the city itself wasn't as overrun as other places.
With both the base and the military concentrated in the south, that area had become chaotic. Many survivors, unwilling to enter the base, formed small groups and turned to looting.
Though unease crept into Brother Yang's chest, he didn't dare show it. Forcing a tough front, he called out, "Listen up, people in the car. This is our territory. If you want to refuel, you need our permission. Either hand over supplies—or…" He smirked. "If you're willing, we can let the brothers have a little fun. Do that, and I might spare you a few liters of fuel."
Chen Wan didn't respond.
With a thought, a light machine gun materialized beside her.
Just as she was about to stand and grab it, Qin Ke spoke first. "Let me handle this. You keep an eye on the refueling. Open the side window for me."
"Alright."
Chen Wan didn't argue. She handed the weapon to Qin Ke, then summoned another rifle beside her.
She opened the window at her side, as well as the one along the aisle behind her.
The people outside immediately noticed the weapons inside the RV, but Brother Yang didn't look particularly alarmed.
After all, he had spent heavily on the black market in Yuezhou City just to get a handgun and a few dozen rounds. He didn't believe two women could have real firearms.
"Brother Yang, they've got guns," the bald man said, his voice wavering.
"What are you panicking for?" Brother Yang snapped, shooting him an impatient glare. "Those are just toys. You know how hard it is to get real firearms these days. You're scared of some plastic props meant to bluff us? Pathetic."
His words reassured the others. Their tension eased, and soon they began hurling crude insults toward the RV.
"Oh? The ladies opened the window?" the bespectacled man sneered. "All alphas, huh? Faces aren't bad though… might as well—"
"Yeah, come with us. Serve us well, and we might reward you with a bowl of white rice. It's been a while since you've had any, right? Hahaha," the bald man added, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Qin Ke's eyes slowly reddened.
Their words—and their behavior—dragged up memories she would rather forget.
She had already steadied her weapon. Without waiting for another word, she pulled the trigger.
Gunfire rang out.
The bespectacled man and the bald man were the first to fall. Three or four others followed, struck down before they could react.
At the same time, Chen Wan fired from her side, her shot landing cleanly on Brother Yang.
Only in that final moment did he seem to realize the gun in her hands was real.
A few men tried to flee, but Qin Ke and Chen Wan cut them down before they could get far. Soon, the area fell silent, the bodies lying still on the ground.
In the nearby alleys, several groups who had been watching quietly withdrew, not daring to show themselves.
Qin Ke glanced at the handgun lying beside Brother Yang's body and spoke calmly, "Open the door. I'll grab the gun. Leaving it there might cause trouble later."
"Alright. Be careful—I'll keep watch," Chen Wan replied, rifle in hand as she scanned the surroundings.
Moving quickly, Qin Ke stepped out with her light machine gun, collected the fallen weapons, and searched Brother Yang's body.
From his jacket pocket, she found several dozen rounds of handgun ammunition and took those as well.
Once she returned to the RV, Chen Wan pulled her rifle back in and shut the window.
At the same time, the RV's fuel tank was filled.
Chen Wan retracted the mechanical arm and quickly drove away from the gas station.
It wasn't that she feared the guns those people carried—what concerned her was the risk of a stray bullet hitting the fuel pump and triggering an explosion.
That was why she chose to deal with them swiftly, eliminating the threat before it could turn into something far more dangerous.