Chapter Twenty-Two: Heading to the Safe Zone

"By the way, Jiang Yu, weren't you based at the Yangyang Base? How did you end up here?"

Wang Yang was puzzled. When he had previously invited Jiang Yu to leave with them, she had been quite firm in her refusal. It was unexpected to run into her here.

"The situation over there has been resolved. I was on my way back to the base when I caught wind of your predicament."

"You all move fast." The Yangyang Base could be considered safe for now, but after encountering such a large-scale attack, could they really continue to live there with any peace of mind?

Jiang Yu smiled but remained silent. They had been lucky to escape with their lives this time.

"Right, where are your vehicles?"

Wang Yang pointed in a certain direction. "Over there. I'm not sure if they sustained too much damage."

"I'll go take a look. You all should rest here for a moment."

Jiang Yu walked toward the spot Wang Yang had indicated. Upon arriving, she saw that both vehicles were heavily damaged. While they might still be able to hold passengers, it was unclear if they could even start. She climbed into one and gave it a try, finding it still functional. She honked the horn a few times to signal the group resting nearby.

Once everyone gathered, they planned to drive these battered vehicles back to the base. They arrived slowly and finally felt a sense of relief. The two vehicles reached the end of their lifespan upon arrival; the trip to Yangyang Base had yielded nothing and resulted in significant losses.

Back at her living quarters, Jiang Yu immediately exchanged her points for the supplies she needed. She had already decided to leave for the central government-established safe base; Jiang Yi had urged her to do so many times.

The following day, after bidding farewell to Wang Yang, Jiang Yu began her journey toward the safe base. She chose to travel on foot rather than by vehicle—not because the safe base was close, but because she wanted to hunt more mutants along the way.

As she traveled, no mutant survived a second day in her presence, and her points grew visibly with every step. Watching the rapid increase in her system points made the process of hunting mutants all the more satisfying.

"Ah! Help! Someone, help!"

Jiang Yu had just finished off a mutant when she heard cries for help from ahead. Before she could investigate, she saw a panicked crowd sprinting toward her, pursued by several mutants. Fortunately, some awakened individuals in the front were holding the creatures back, preventing mass casualties.

Jiang Yu quickly stepped forward to assist, and together they managed to eliminate the threats. Relieved that the danger had passed, the crowd stopped running and began to turn back.

"Thank you!"

The awakened members thanked Jiang Yu, knowing well that without her help, they could not have disposed of the mutants so easily.

"You're welcome. And these crystal cores?"

"If you need them, take them."

"How could I..." someone started to protest, but was stopped by a companion.

Jiang Yu stepped forward, collected all the cores, and tossed half of them back to the group. "I'll just take these."

"Understood." The others said nothing more and silently accepted their share.

Jiang Yu didn't pay much attention to the dense crowd; there were many of them, likely people who had met and joined forces along the way.

"By the way, are you heading to the safe base too?" a young woman among them asked.

"Yes."

"What a coincidence! So are we. Why don't you join us? We can look out for each other on the way."

Jiang Yu had no interest in traveling with such a large group. She felt that a large crowd invited unnecessary trouble, and she found it safer to be alone. She was confident in her ability to handle mutants, but she found the unpredictability of human nature far more dangerous than any monster. She politely declined.

"That's a shame." The woman had hoped that with Jiang Yu's strength, she would be a valuable asset in dealing with future encounters.

Jiang Yu left first. The group needed to rest, and since they were mostly ordinary people, including the elderly and children, their pace was slow. Interestingly, they found that their journey remained peaceful, and they did not encounter any more mutants.

Jiang Yu had assumed she wouldn't see that group again before reaching the base, but a few days later, they crossed paths once more.

"What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Indeed, quite a coincidence." Jiang Yu hadn't expected a group that large to catch up to her.

"By the way, I'm Yu Qing. What's your name?"

Yu Qing seemed naturally outgoing. Ignoring the "stay away" aura Jiang Yu projected, she stepped forward and started chatting.

"Jiang Yu."

"Jiang Yu, what a lovely name. Are you sure you won't reconsider traveling with us? Everyone here is very kind. If you joined us, it would probably be much easier than being on your own." In Yu Qing's eyes, traveling alone was far too dangerous. Even though their group was large, everyone seemed friendly enough for now.

"I'll pass. Thank you."

"Alright then."

Jiang Yu walked ahead as usual. She cleared the mutants from the path, ensuring the group behind her remained safe.

After a few more days, Yu Qing and the others were still finding the road eerily free of mutants. The unexpected ease of the journey left Yu Qing feeling suspicious. She turned to Yu Tian and asked, "Brother, we haven't encountered a single mutant for so long. Do you think that person we met earlier cleared the path ahead for us?"

Yu Tian frowned as if pondering the thought, but he quickly dismissed it. "That's impossible. She's just one person; how could she clear a whole path of mutants?" Mutants nowadays moved in packs, not like the isolated ones they had encountered before. Even if she were exceptionally strong, she couldn't possibly handle that many on her own.

"Exactly! You're overthinking it, Yu Qing. We just have good luck." It was better that they were having a smooth trip; at least they didn't have to worry about dying in combat. Aside from a few who had awakened talents, the rest were ordinary people who were lucky just to survive a confrontation with a mutant.

However, as if prompted by their words, trouble arrived.

After traveling a short distance further, they ran into a swarm of mutants. The number was significant, and they were not of a low grade. Panic erupted the moment the creatures were spotted. The crowd shrieked and fled back the way they had come, not realizing that their panicked flight only served to provoke the mutants further.

"Quick, we have to run too!"