Chapter 119: Discovering a Rabbit

At 9:12 AM on December 29, 2123, Su Miao successfully broke the seal of her quilt and got out of bed.

Time had passed so quickly before she knew it.

Su Miao put down her phone, which had been without a signal for a long time, and walked toward the fireplace to eat breakfast while yawning. The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly; the Myna must have added wood to it not long ago. Ever since she assigned the Myna the duty of tending the fireplace, she no longer had to worry about the fire going out in the middle of the night.

"Your Highness, mine, mine." The Myna flapped its wings against its designated bowl. Every time Her Highness Su Miao ate, she would easily forget about it if not reminded. Being by Her Highness Su Miao’s side was great in every way, except for the need to prompt her about meals, which was a bit frustrating.

"Oh, I forgot again." Su Miao took out a piece of flatbread and a yogurt for the Myna. The Myna immediately began to eat with great satisfaction.

Su Miao suddenly noticed something. The bread she gave the Myna weighed over a pound and the yogurt was 150 grams, yet the bird finished it all without the slightest difficulty, and its belly didn't even look bloated.

"Myna, you can actually grow larger in a flash, can't you?" Su Miao asked.

The Myna froze, thinking back to the day Su Miao destroyed the Flame Demon; it had been caught growing larger in its haste to escape. "Yes, Your Highness." It decided to admit it.

"Hmm." Su Miao nodded, saying nothing more. The Myna stared at her for a long time.

Su Miao tilted her head: "Is something the matter?"

The Myna shook its head quickly: "No." *She asked if I could grow larger, and that’s it?*

Su Miao said, "After you finish eating, go patrol the mountains. See if there are any remnants of the Fire God Base. If you find any small rabbits or mice, catch a few and bring them over."

"Understood, Your Highness," the Myna replied.

Su Miao went to the first floor and opened the door, stepping out into the biting cold wind. When the global snowfall first began, she had been terrified of the bone-chilling cold and tried to avoid going outside whenever possible. Now, with magic covering her entire body, the only issue was the frigid air she inhaled. *Hmm, I should figure out how to add a filtration function to my magic coating to warm the air. That way, I won't have to worry about breathing in this cold.*

Su Miao walked to the vegetable garden. A light snow had fallen the night before, covering the plots. She had divided the garden into two sections: A and B. She planted soybeans, cabbage, greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers in both. Section A used a growth serum extracted from "beautiful mushrooms," while Section B used one from ordinary mushrooms.

"Done." Watching the newly planted vegetables, she looked forward to seeing how they would turn out tomorrow. Hopefully, the field mice used in the experiments would survive long enough for her to test a perfectly safe growth serum.

After finishing, Su Miao returned to the villa to begin her daily magic research and martial arts training. In the afternoon, the Myna returned, reporting that it had found nothing. "The Fire God Base is very quiet; there are no signs of anyone returning. Your Highness, it's been so many days, they certainly won't be coming back." The Myna said this while devouring a beef hotpot.

"Hmm, it seems so." Su Miao picked up a slice of beef, dipped it in sauce, and said, "Starting tomorrow, we go logging."

The next day, just as Su Miao was preparing to leave, she was surprised to find it snowing again. The heavy flakes fell so thick and fast that the snow depth increased by 30 centimeters in the blink of an eye. *Is the snow getting even heavier?* Su Miao felt a tinge of worry that the whole world might soon be buried under deep snow. In fact, her villa was already nearly surrounded, with the snow outside reaching over five meters high.

Because of the extreme cold, the snow became relatively hard overnight, making it easier to walk on. However, if someone heavy walked on it or messed around, there was still a chance of falling through. The lucky ones might claw their way out, but the unlucky ones might stay there forever. She had to log wood as soon as possible. Once the forests were completely buried, logging would become nearly impossible.

After breakfast, Su Miao checked the garden. The vegetables in Section A, like the previous batch, were ready for harvest after one night of growth; the bright red tomatoes looked particularly enticing. However, the vegetables in Section B were still in the growth stage, needing another three to five days. It seemed the growth serum made from normal, non-toxic mushrooms was indeed less effective. She just hoped the Section B vegetables would be non-toxic once they matured.

"Let’s go." Su Miao took out her snowmobile and headed toward the forested mountains. On her way to the Fire God Base, she had seen several mountains covered in trees. Considering the location of the base, she chose a spot slightly further away for safety.

After about two hours, she stopped in a mountainous area. The forest here looked beautiful. Cutting down a section should last a long time. If she didn't, most of the trees would likely freeze to death in the ice and snow, so she might as well bring them out to provide warmth and light for the world.

She put away the snowmobile and walked toward the forest with the Myna circling above. If there were any special circumstances, the Myna would warn her. Reaching a large tree, Su Miao drew her umbrella sword, infused it with magic, and swung—the tree snapped in two instantly. Before it even hit the ground, she raised her hand and swept the trunk into her magic space. Her training had not been in vain.

She moved to the next tree. In no time, she had cut down over thirty. So far, she hadn't encountered any "running" mutant trees. Perhaps the cold was so extreme that even the mutants were frozen stiff. "I hope you're still alive when the heat disaster arrives," she muttered, continuing to cut.

Half a day passed, and she had cut over a thousand trees, averaging one per minute. She had been selective, otherwise, the number would be higher.

*Huh?* Just as she was about to cut another, something moved in the snow ahead. A rabbit?

"Your Highness, it's a rabbit, a huge rabbit!" the Myna called out from the sky. About ten meters away, a rabbit hiding by a tree spotted her and bolted.

"Myna, keep your eyes on it!" Su Miao chased after it with her sword. It was rare to find such a fat rabbit; she couldn't let it escape. Ideally, she could find their burrow and catch them all. The big ones would become roast rabbit, and the small ones could be fed vegetables to become neighbors to the cute field mice. That would be wonderful!

"Your Highness, the rabbit disappeared over that ridge," the Myna returned after a while to report. "There must be a nest there."

Su Miao checked with her binoculars; that rabbit was fast. It was noon, so she decided to eat first. She set up a four-cornered tent to block the wind, used a water-ball spell to create a wall of ice to further shield the cold, and set up her small table and stove. She prepared to cook a bowl of instant noodles.

"Your Highness, mine, don't forget it," the Myna reminded her, perched on a stool. If she forgot its portion out in the wilderness, it would be a major problem.

"Hmm, don't worry." Su Miao set up her firewood stand—a small device that kept the fire off the ground to prevent melting the ice and tipping the pot. She used a water-ball spell and a fireball spell to ensure the water reached 100 degrees Celsius, then added the noodles, seasoning, ham, braised egg, and beef.

The Myna watched the pot with anticipation. *So fragrant.*

Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from the sky. A drone appeared, flying normally until it spotted Su Miao cooking in the woods. Su Miao glanced at it; it looked similar to the ones Qin Longzhang used. *Are there military personnel nearby?* If she hadn't recognized the drone type, she would have shot it down immediately. But why would a military drone be here? *Could they be looking for the Fire God Base?* Su Miao felt a bit guilty.

A kilometer away, in a hidden villa buried under snow, a group of about ten men and women were gathered.

"Holy crap, so much food!" the young man operating the drone exclaimed. Others rushed over.

"Instant noodles? She has instant noodles, and she’s cooking so much at once?"

"What am I seeing? Ham, beef, braised eggs!"

"Damn, there’s a Myna bird across from her. Is she cooking all that for a bird?"

"Look at the down jacket she's wearing. It's so thin, and she's camping in the snow? Is she kidding? Isn't she cold?"

"I'd be freezing even with two jackets."

"A-Le, are you playing some pre-apocalypse influencer camping video to mess with us?" a woman shouted. "Our power is low, don't waste it on movies!"

"Are you stupid?" the middle-aged man in the group cursed. "How could a drone show a movie?" He grabbed his Type 95 assault rifle. "A-Le, give me the coordinates."

"Target is one kilometer away, on that mountain," A-Le said.

The middle-aged man sneered, "Everyone, pack up. This is a fat sheep."

The woman asked, "Uncle, wait. Look, the girl isn't even looking at the drone. Is she blind?" The man frowned. It was true—the girl showed no reaction to the drone, which was highly abnormal. Moreover, cooking noodles in the extreme cold? Under normal circumstances, the water would freeze the moment it left the pot.

"Damn, she's actually sharing the noodles with a bird—ham, eggs, beef!"

"That bird eats better than people!"

"How can she be so extravagant?"

"Uncle, I can't take it anymore. Let's go grab this fat sheep."

Back at the campsite, Su Miao served the Myna its portion, ensuring the broth would keep it from freezing too quickly. It was supposed to be a pleasant meal, but the drone had hovered for too long. The buzzing was annoying.

The Myna flew up and shouted at the drone, "Hey, you bastards! You're too noisy! You're ruining my lunch!" It flew back to its bowl, slurping loudly. "Look, I'm eating noodles, aren't you jealous? Come and get some if you can!"

"Look, I'm eating a braised egg—so good!"

"This beef is delicious! And the ham—amazing!"

"Want some? I'm going to eat it all and not give you any, not even the broth! *Gaga-ga!*"

The Myna's mockery was truly invincible. Su Miao blinked. *Maybe they really are military? This is bad.* But then she thought, *Would military personnel stare at a passerby like this?* If it was a misunderstanding, she would have the Myna apologize later. If not... Su Miao felt a flicker of fear about strangers targeting her. *Regardless, I must finish these noodles before they arrive.*

In the villa, the people behind the drone were furious. "Damn bird! When we catch it, I'm going to pluck every feather off!"

"The girl can't be a pushover either. When we catch her, I want her begging for mercy until she dies!"

"Stop talking about such gross things in front of your sister," the middle-aged man snapped. "A-Le, bring the drone back. Grab your gear. We’ll handle the rest once we have the fat sheep." He added, "If she can eat so luxuriously, her base must have even more. And she looks so tender—she’ll taste good."

The eyes of the group lit up. In the dim light, one could barely see a pile of clean-picked human bones in the corner. Eleven people grabbed their gear and rode out on snowmobiles they had stolen from outside the Fire God Base.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the campsite. But there was no tent, no hotpot, no noodles, and no Myna. There was nothing but snow, not even footprints. It was as if no one had ever been there.

"That's not right. This is the spot. I can't be wrong," A-Le said.

"Could it be a mountain ghost?" the young woman asked, trembling and pale.

"Impossible. We all heard that bird mocking us," A-Le replied. The middle-aged man checked around, but found no clues.

...

*Such intense malice. I'm so scared!*

Nearby, Su Miao held her Type 36 sniper rifle, shivering. She had only come out to cut wood and chase a rabbit; how had she been targeted by so many strangers? And the Myna—it had been patrolling for days and hadn't spotted them! But at least she confirmed they weren't military. They had likely stolen the drone.

The Myna glanced at Su Miao. It still didn't understand why she looked so terrified every time she killed someone—even after she had wiped them all out, she would still look scared. Maybe it was just a special hobby of hers.

*Bang!* A gunshot rang out. The middle-aged man was struck in the head and killed instantly.

"She's here!" someone shouted.

*Bang!* The person who shouted was killed.

"Brother, kill her! Kill her!" the young woman screamed in terror. A young boy in the group cupped his hands and let out a bizarre, whistling sound.

*Bang!* The sound lasted only a second before the boy was shot in the head. He had been the group’s only ability user, their "treasure," and their pillar of survival. No one expected him to die so quickly.

"Where is she? Where is she?" An older woman collapsed and turned to run.

*Bang!* Another headshot.

"My son!" Another woman threw herself over the boy's body, sobbing. Su Miao’s hand shook, and she sent the woman to join the boy. In the blink of an eye, only two of the eleven remained.

"Spare us! Please, spare our lives! We have meat at our base, please let us go!" The remaining two, including A-Le, knelt.

Su Miao hesitated, not to spare them, but to ask about the rabbit burrow.

The Myna spoke up: "Are there any rabbit burrows near where you live?"

A-Le said, "Rabbit burrows? We've seen rabbits, but they're very cunning. They run as soon as they see the drone. We've never found their burrows."

The girl beside him added, "We really have a lot of meat. Our parents usually hide it and won't let us eat it."

The Myna asked, "What kind of meat is it?"

The girl’s face turned white; she trembled and dared not answer.

Su Miao looked at them, switched to her Type 95 assault rifle, and fired two shots, killing the siblings. This time, the Myna shuddered—Her Highness Su Miao was getting more efficient at killing.

"The meat they eat is human," Su Miao said while holding the rifle. She had seen such people in tourist areas before, but those had scavenged corpses; these people were hunters. They were animals.

Confirming there was no more malice nearby, she walked to the eleven corpses. She was curious why everyone seemed to have guns just months into the apocalypse, but then realized that those who didn't have guns and weren't in military shelters likely hadn't survived this long. She found the drone in A-Le's bag. Now she had her own.

She took the five snowmobiles and headed toward their base. In case they had accomplices, she had to kill them all. Otherwise, she would be scared.

Su Miao didn't know that shortly after she left, large trees—risking frostbite—reached out their roots from the snow to drag the corpses away one by one. The boy’s body sparked a bloody tug-of-war between five roots, ending with each taking a piece. The snowy forest soon returned to its usual silence.

A moment later, Su Miao arrived at the villa buried in snow. The door was locked from the outside, and there seemed to be no malice inside. She approached carefully and used a small fireball to melt the lock. As the door opened, a thick, nauseating smell of blood wafted out. A sweep of her flashlight revealed a pile of human bones in the corner. Su Miao felt her skin crawl.

She stepped back, extended her hand, and threw a blue fireball into the room. In an instant, a raging fire engulfed the house of sin, melting even the concrete into lava. She didn't want anything from inside.

"Let's go, continue hunting the rabbit," Su Miao said, heading toward the mountain where the burrow was suspected to be.

"Your Highness, the rabbit disappeared around here," the Myna said, circling above.

Su Miao looked at the environment and drew her umbrella sword again. She decided to cut down all the trees in this area to make it easier to observe. After all, her main purpose was to collect wood; finding the rabbit was just a happy bonus.

Half an hour later, she had stored over a hundred trees in her magic space. She stood on the highest stump, looking at the snow and deep in thought. It was all snow—finding a burrow was too difficult. *Should I just melt all the snow here?*

She opened her palm, and a large red fireball began to condense. But what if she melted the snow and drowned the rabbits in their own burrow?

As she hesitated, a snow-white rabbit crawled out of the snow. It crouched there, staring at Su Miao. Its eyes were bright red.