Chapter 117: Mushroom and Beef Hot Pot is Truly Delicious

The night wind whistled through the valley, adding a sense of terror to the heavy snow outside the house. Ever since the global snowfall began, the nights had grown colder with each passing day. Now, with the wind picking up, it left no chance of survival for anyone caught in the open.

To be safe, Su Miao checked every window in the villa and drew the curtains tight before returning to the fireplace with peace of mind.

"It's so cold tonight; let's have hot pot."

Su Miao took out her alcohol stove, hesitated for a second, then switched to an electric induction cooker instead. There was enough electricity in the generator for one hot pot meal, and she could always generate more power later. However, the alcohol in her magical space was a finite resource; she had to save some, as it might have more important uses in the future.

She used the "Water Ball" spell to fill the pot, heated it with a small "Fireball" spell, added the hot pot base, and flipped the switch. She then poured in the cleaned and sliced mushrooms. After waiting twenty-five minutes, the aroma began to drift through the room.

Su Miao scooped out a bowl of mushroom soup and took a blissful sip. Delicious! She then tasted a mushroom; it was fresh, tender, and flavorful—better than most meat. Having eaten them many times now, Su Miao fully understood why the residents of Yunnan were so obsessed with mushrooms.

The only drawback was that she couldn't see any little people or fairies. Su Miao really wanted to experience that, but it was a dangerous thought. Especially in this blizzard-stricken, freezing weather, one slip could cost her her life. Not to mention how terrifyingly lethal the toxic hallucinogenic potions refined from those beautiful mushrooms were—they could even corrode concrete floors.

Once the mushrooms were mostly gone, Su Miao added cleaned pea shoots and baby bok choy to the pot, which were ready after a quick blanch. Paired with the mushroom soup, the greens tasted extraordinary. Finally, it was time for the star of the hot pot: beef! She was grateful to that VIP restaurant kitchen in the 4S car dealership that had stocked so many major car brands; the beef they had prepared was truly excellent.

"Your Highness, what about mine? What about mine?"

Seeing Su Miao lost in the delicious meal, the Myna bird grew anxious. Su Miao was too mean; she had prepared a special bowl for it, but the moment she started eating, she had forgotten all about it.

"It was so good, I forgot."

Su Miao ladled a bowl of mushroom soup for the Myna, complete with mushrooms, pea shoots, and some beef. One person and one bird ate happily.

Meanwhile, Zheng Meng, who had narrowly escaped the ruins of the Fire God Base, stood trembling in the snow in the dead of night, her eyes filled with terror. As a once-formidable and arrogant ability user of the Fire God Base, Zheng Meng had never imagined she would end up like this.

Those corpses—even after having their heads lopped off or their limbs severed—would continue to lunge at her. Some even picked up their own limbs and reattached them with the help of other corpses to keep fighting. Before the apocalypse, Zheng Meng had seen zombie movies and assumed they had some level of cognitive limitation, but what she had just witnessed was completely beyond her comprehension. If she hadn't used a massive amount of her ability at the last moment to freeze the passage, she would have been trapped and killed by those corpses.

Thinking of the gruesome state of those bodies, Zheng Meng trembled instinctively. The Fire God Base had completely turned into hell. Glancing back at the base with lingering fear, she didn't dare stay in the snow for long and stumbled off in a random direction. The night in such extreme, blizzard-filled cold was terrifying; if she couldn't find shelter in time, even as a powerful ice-type ability user, she would freeze to death once her mental energy and physical strength were exhausted.

At the same time, at the villa camp, Yu Yuangui gathered everyone together.

"Brothers, I have some news, and you need to prepare yourselves," Yu Yuangui said bluntly. "I just received confirmed news: the Fire God Base has been destroyed."

The crowd was in an uproar.

"Captain Yu, you're not joking, are you? My wife and kids are still in there."
"We've only been gone for such a short time, how could the Fire God Base be destroyed?"
"No, Captain, you're always joking; this has to be a joke, right?"
"The Base Leader is so strong, could the Fire God Base really fall?"
"Captain Yu, you didn't betray the base, did you?"
"Oh, that's the best news I've heard."

Some looked for help toward Mi Li, who stood beside Yu Yuangui. She had always been in charge of intelligence, and they hoped to see a definitive answer on her face.

Yu Yuangui raised a hand to signal for silence. "I know you have many questions, and I will explain exactly what happened."

"Zheng Yingjun—I believe you all know him; you call him 'Young Master Zheng' behind his back." Yu Yuangui noticed several people in the group shifting their eyes, afraid of being seen through. They were worried that their past behavior might have reached Zheng Yingjun's ears, fearing future retaliation.

Yu Yuangui smiled. "Zheng Yingjun is dead. You can call him whatever you want now. In fact, this disaster was brought upon the Fire God Base by him. He took Lin Hong and Lu Qigang out to hunt for young, beautiful women. This time, it didn't go as smoothly as usual; he kicked an iron plate and was slaughtered. Before he died, he sent out a distress signal. As you all saw, the next day, Zheng Meng led a rescue team."

"But the powerful Zheng Meng was instantly crushed upon encountering the enemy. Their supplies were seized, and the enemy used the tracks left by the snowmobiles to find the location of the Fire God Base. This unknown force marched on the base immediately. I couldn't bear to see my brothers buried along with the Fire God Base because of the catastrophe caused by that 'Young Master,' so I gathered you all to leave."

"Brothers, I am sorry. Time was tight, and my abilities are limited; I could only manage to save you all," Yu Yuangui said sincerely.

Some were indifferent, some were anxious, and others were deeply shocked.

"Captain Yu, if you knew the base was going to be attacked, why didn't you lead us to defend it?" one ability user asked.

Yu Yuangui looked at him. "Zheng Meng was crushed in an instant; you want me to throw my head against theirs? Why do you think we stayed at the Fire God Base? Wasn't it just to survive on a few pounds of brown rice every month? For those few pounds of rice, you'd be willing to go to your deaths? At least, I'm not."

"I refuse to die for trash like that 'Young Master'! I couldn't bear for my brothers to die for such scum, which is why I brought you out. I will be heading to the Four Seas Base to look for work. If you have nowhere to go, you can come with me for a meal. If you don't want to, or if you want to go back to the ruins, that's up to you. However, you can only take the guns, ammunition, and rations you have on you; I cannot give you anything else."

The crowd stirred again. Someone asked, "Captain, if we leave, do we have to walk?"

Yu Yuangui looked at the wind and snow outside. "Brothers, I'm not heartless. Since many are leaving, I will allocate a few snowmobiles at my discretion, but not too many. Otherwise, those remaining brothers might freeze to death before reaching the Four Seas Base. That would be on my conscience."

The ability user nodded. "Thank you, Captain Yu. I have no more questions."

Another person stood up. "Captain, can we go back tomorrow to check, and if the base is really destroyed, follow you then?"

Yu Yuangui looked at him. "I already explained how Zheng Meng's rescue team was destroyed. I don't want to be caught by the people who destroyed the base just because I stayed here waiting for you. You have one night to consider; I'm leaving at dawn."

The man's face fell, and he went silent. These few were loyal to the Base Leader, Zheng Kaicheng, and had been assigned to Yu Yuangui's side specifically to monitor him. They had wondered why Yu Yuangui had deviated from the route, but they never expected such explosive news.

No wonder they hadn't received any response when they secretly tried to contact the base using their signalers later on. Even so, it was hard to accept that the Fire God Base had been wiped out. How powerful was Base Leader Zheng Kaicheng?

As the gathering dispersed, everyone had their own thoughts. Yu Yuangui glanced at those men but ignored them. Mi Li returned to the campfire, wanting to say something, but in the end, she remained silent. Her instant noodles were ready, and she ate quietly.

...

"I'm so full." Su Miao set down her chopsticks, satisfied. On a night like this, with blizzards howling, nothing was more blissful than a hot pot in a warm room. If one hot pot wasn't enough to make one happy, then two certainly would be. The only drawback was that she couldn't determine if the tomatoes she grew were poisonous, otherwise, a tomato-based broth would have been even better. She loved tomato-based fish soup.

After eating, Su Miao sipped some hot tea and rested for a while. Today's battle had been a bit intense, and she decided to treat herself to a hot bath. Every time she did this, she felt how useful the "Water Ball" and "Fireball" spells really were. One large water ball into the bathtub, followed by a perfectly heated fireball, and she had steaming bathwater ready. Without these spells, she would have had to dig up tons of snow and boil it, consuming massive amounts of wood and coal. Just thinking about it was scary.

Soaking in the tub, Su Miao watched the water flow from her fingertips over her arms and back into the tub. It was incredibly cozy. After thirty minutes, she finished her bath, dried off, and put on clean, dry clothes. Using magic to cover her body was truly wonderful. In the past, she would have had to dress as quickly as possible to avoid catching a cold, but not anymore.

Considering she would be sleeping soon, Su Miao put on a pretty little dress and felt delighted looking at herself in the mirror. Now, if only she could further optimize the magic-covering spell.

Returning to the living room, she added some wood to the fireplace. Su Miao looked at the Myna bird, who was preparing to sleep in its nest, and remembered something. "Myna."

The bird shook its head. "Yes, Your Highness?"

Su Miao pointed at a pile of wood on the floor. "Can you pick those up?"

The Myna, seemingly still a bit groggy from being too full, replied, "Pick up the wood? Easy, no problem."

Su Miao blinked. "Well, try picking one up."

The bird flew over and picked up a piece of wood with ease. A smile appeared on Su Miao’s face. The Myna seemed to realize what was happening, but seeing the wood already in its claws, it knew it was too late.

Su Miao said, "The fire will die out tonight. When you feel cold, add more wood to the fireplace."

The Myna looked at the large pile of wood Su Miao had just conjured with a wave of her hand and sighed, "No problem, Your Highness!" What other choice did it have?

...

Dawn arrived. The wind that had howled all night had ceased, and the blizzard had stopped as well. This was the first time the snow had stopped after more than twenty days of continuous blizzards. Although the sky remained a vast, white expanse and the sun was nowhere to be seen, the end of the blizzard alone was enough to make one happy.

At the villa camp, Yu Yuangui left behind three snowmobiles and, along with Mi Li and most of the group, migrated toward the Four Seas Base without looking back.

"Ungrateful bastards!" the remaining six men cursed as they watched the group leave.

"Stop complaining. Let's go back to the Fire God Base. I don't believe the Base Leader could die so easily."
"If I hadn't been unable to beat Yu Yuangui, I would have made him pay yesterday."
"Let's go, we don't have much in the way of rations left."

The six men took three snowmobiles and hurried toward the base. When they reached the familiar gate, they were stunned. The entrance was already buried in deep snow. If they had come a few days later, they might not have even seen the gate.

"How is this possible?"
"Fire God Base... is it finished?"
"Did something really happen to the Base Leader?"

They walked to the gate and started shoveling. Before long, they dug out the hollow entrance. "Let's go in and look."

The six of them squeezed into the base, impatient. After only a few steps, they smelled the thick, heavy scent of blood in the air—a scent that seemed to have fused completely with the stale air. A few minutes later, they saw numerous severed limbs and body parts, a blood-soaked nightmare. The more they saw, the more terrified they became. They had thought Yu Yuangui was just talking, but it was true.

With the interior of the base so miserable and deathly silent, Base Leader Zheng Kaicheng was likely gone, too.

"Brothers, I'm suddenly panicking," one ability user said, his body trembling. "I feel like something is watching us."

Another looked left and right. "Probably just mutant animals that smelled the blood. Let's be careful, find the supplies, and leave. I know a place..."

In reality, that was his true motive. Whether the base was destroyed or Zheng Kaicheng was dead didn't matter. The key was whether the food supplies remained; that was their only hope for survival. They had been panicked, but hearing that their companion knew of a spot, they realized what he meant.

After a few steps, the man in front stopped and said irritably, "Cough, watch it, stop pulling my pants."

The others looked at each other. "Nobody is pulling your pants."

The man was annoyed. He turned around, looked down, and froze. A half-bodied corpse with a single arm was gripping his pants, dragging itself along the ground. Its hollow, pitch-black blood-filled eye sockets seemed to be "looking" at him, as if it were smiling.

"Ah!"

A terrified scream brought the Fire God Base to life. Many corpses that had been lying still began to move. They welcomed the returning ability users warmly. Even though there were only six of them, the echoes within the base made it sound like hundreds or thousands were screaming.

Twenty minutes later, one man, covered in blood, scrambled to the gate of the Fire God Base with his last ounce of strength. He was only thirty meters from the snowmobile. He could make it.

Just then, an undead with crimson eyes appeared behind him. The creature grabbed the man's legs and ripped him in two, leaving a pile of mangled flesh and blood on the ground.

...

In the morning, Su Miao had a slice of bread and a cup of yogurt for breakfast. For safety, she wiped the condensation off the window, checked the surroundings, and then headed out with the Myna. The first order of business was clearing the snow from the entrance. She used a "Fireball" spell to melt the snow, then cleared the path to the vegetable garden.

Several tomato plants were laden with bright red tomatoes that looked delicious. Other crops like cabbage, bok choy, cucumbers, soybeans, and chili peppers were also thriving. She really wanted to pick and eat them, but the experiment wasn't over, and she couldn't be sure if they were toxic.

"If it comes to it, next time I'll find non-toxic plants to refine growth potions; that might shorten the experimental cycle." Su Miao took out her notebook and quickly jotted down this inspiration.

Closing the notebook, she looked into the distance. The world was a vast, white void; she could see nothing.

"Myna, go take a look around. See if there are any survivors from the Fire God Base nearby. And while you're at it, look for some mice or rabbits."

In such cold weather, animals had to come out to forage if they wanted to survive. As long as they came out, they would be found. Su Miao was patient. If she could find a nest, her experiments would be much faster and easier.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The Myna flapped its wings and flew into the sky to patrol.

Su Miao returned to the courtyard and pulled a large tree from her magical space, dropping it into the open area. She didn't have much wood left for the fireplace and needed to prepare more. Besides, she wanted to conduct a brand-new magical experiment.

She took out her umbrella sword, unsheathed it, and channeled her mana into it. For a moment, she recalled the strike that had severed Chi Wanning’s head. That strike hadn't been infused with mana, but it had been incredibly fast, relying purely on the sharpness of the blade. Ever since then, she had consciously or unconsciously infused the sword with mana to increase her speed.

As she did now, she brought the sword down. The blade flashed like lightning, and an eighty-centimeter-wide tree trunk was sliced through in one stroke. The cut was as smooth as a mirror. After a few more strokes, the trunk was cut into logs. The entire process consumed less mana than casting a few "Water Ball" or "Fireball" spells.

"Magic is truly wonderful," Su Miao muttered to herself. She continued cutting the tree into logs until they were ready for the fireplace.

What Su Miao didn't know was that as she cut the tree with such ease, the flowers, weeds, and bushes in the courtyard—which had grown from the residue of the growth potion—were trembling, terrified that her sword might turn toward them. Because the tree she had so easily sliced was actually a ferocious mutant plant. Even in death, its lingering aura was enough to make other, weaker mutant plants shudder in fear.

"Phew, done." Su Miao looked at the pile of wood in the courtyard and sighed in relief. This would last for a while.

Only... Su Miao looked at the snow-covered forest in the distance. If the blizzard continued, the forest might be completely buried before long. Once her current wood supply ran out, it would be a huge problem. Therefore, she needed to collect more wood in advance just in case. If possible, she would collect tree seeds; when she ran low, she could use growth potions to force them to grow into large trees, allowing her to chop wood right at her doorstep.

"I'll do it in a couple of days." Su Miao stored all the wood into her magical space. She wasn't sure when the people from the Fire God Base might return; if she ran into them, it would be very dangerous. She glanced at the highway, which was now completely buried in snow. Now, she didn't have to worry about anyone walking here along the road.

"Time to go home." Su Miao turned to leave but caught sight of the flowers, weeds, and bushes in the yard. She walked over with her sword and observed them closely. "How can these flowers bloom for so long without wilting? Could they be mutated?"

She remembered the flower that had devoured a stray dog and looked at these again, thinking they seemed similar. These mutant plants were small when you first saw them, but when they wanted to feed, you never knew how large they could become in an instant.

Huh?

A gust of wind blew, and a few red petals fell to the ground.

"So they do fall." Su Miao looked at the remaining flowers and returned to the villa. She had things to organize.

...

At an abandoned gas station, five people including Sun Rong crawled out from the snow. The wind and snow had been so heavy last night that they were forced to return here shortly after setting out. Luckily, there was a little bit of fuel left in the station, so their trip hadn't been entirely in vain, and they were able to burn it to keep warm. But this rare luxury made each of them feel a pang of heartache.

"Should we... go back?" Standing in the snow, Chu Zekai hesitated. "There's snow everywhere. If we can't find food or enough fuel, we'll freeze to death."

Sun Rong looked at the others. "But if we go back, how are we going to face the Witch?"

***

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