(Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)
(The Mermaid's Lake)
"Good job!" Qin Lan shouted happily as she tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided the blade that flashed near her neck.
Liu Yifei gritted her teeth and continued to attack with vicious bloodthirsty movements. Qin Lan smiled as she easily avoided the young teenager's attacks.
They were currently sparring in the middle of the clearing while Gong Li watched from the distance.
Chen Xiao and Liu Tao on the other hand were in charge of making dinner today so they were back at the camp site trying to cook up some noodle broth.
"Grr… why can't I…" Liu Yifei whispered softly as she dropped to the ground and launched a kick at Qin Lan's legs.
"Nice!" Qin Lan replied as she stepped back just out of reach of the teenager's surprise attack.
"Alright that's enough for today…"
Qin Lan clapped her hands and Liu Yifei dropped the knife and let out a heavy sigh. Gong Li rushed over with a handkerchief and began to tenderly wipe the sweat from her brow.
"Don't get too impatient for success. You are already improving far more than you realise," Qin Lan gently spoke as she placed a warm hand on the young girl's shoulder.
Her goal in training Liu Yifei was to provide the teenage girl with the ability to protect herself from those who would seek to use her gift.
Liu Yifei's storage space was quite powerful and the food, water and supplies that were stored inside did not go bad or expire in her pocket dimension.
Qin Lan had even done some experiments and discovered that hot food placed inside Liu Yifei's space would remain hot even if it was taken out several hours later.
It was if the supplies were frozen in time and space.
"Gong Li… we'll do some marksmanship training tomorrow, so I hope that you are prepared…" Qin Lan teased the nervous looking girl.
"Yes! I want to learn how to shoot!" Gong Li replied firmly with only a hint of hesitation in her voice.
Unlike Liu Yifei, none of the other teenagers had any gifts or showed any signs of developing special abilities.
Qin Lan knew from the original's memories that only a rare few would develop abilities later on in the apocalypse so it was unlikely that the other teenagers would become gifted.
Still in the early stages… there were few who could shrug off a bullet to the chest.
"Shall we head back to camp?" Qin Lan suggested as she gestured for the girls to follow her. She began walking towards the rest site at a relatively quick pace.
The two girls fell behind and Qin Lan allowed them the privacy to talk to each other.
She would have to be blind not to notice the obvious romantic attraction that Gong Li felt toward Liu Yifei.
Liu Yifei on the other hand seemed to be responding to her best friend's feelings but was clearly a bit confused.
Oh… young love…
A sweet smile flashed across Qin Lan's face before a memory resurfaced in her mind. Eve's beautiful face had recently been appearing in her dreams.
No… stop it… don't show me her….
Qin Lan's happy mood was instantly lowered as she could not help but recall the scene of her ambiguous lover punching a hole through her little brother's chest.
Warm orange rays of sunlight casted long dark shadows on the forest floor as Qin Lan walked through the natural scenery with heavy thoughts on her mind.
It wasn't just Eve's face… there were blurry memories that accompanied each dream and there was a girl in the background…
Qin Lan could never fully make out the details of her face, but she appeared to be a beautiful dark-skinned woman with pointed ears almost like a fantasy creature.
Clearly, she needed to speak to a psychologist, but mental health support was sadly a bit lacking during an apocalypse.
Qin Lan took out the large machete that was attached to her hip and began to chop away the thick branches and leaves that were in her path.
This act did help to take her mind of things and it proved to be a welcome distraction.
The forest surrounding the lake was truly beautiful and there was always a source of fresh meat.
More importantly the mutated animals were still in their early stages of evolution but possessed crystals.
Qin Lan's ability had already been upgraded to level three and now she felt as though she would be able to command an entire army with just a mere whisper.
Of course, this was merely speculation, but it was an undoubtable face that her body was now faster, stronger, and sturdier than before.
"Come on girls we are almost there!" Qin Lan called out as she turned around and saw both teenagers trailing quite far behind.
"Sorry sister Lan!" Gong Li replied happily as she ran forward while holding Liu Yifei's hand in a tight grip.
Qin Lan's eyes darted over to their interwoven fingers and a mischievous glint surfaced in her eyes.
She wanted to tease the young couple but decided to stay silent. However, she did manage to shoot Gong Li a knowing look when Liu Yifei was not watching.
The group trekked through the forest for around fifteen more minutes until they arrived at the camp site.
Four large tents had been placed around a firepit that was still smoking slightly. Sharp branches and leaves had been piled up around the rest site to form an artificial barrier.
It wasn't exactly a luxurious lifestyle but after one week of living in the forest, it was beginning to feel like home.
And considering the state of the rest of the country, it was probably a god damn paradise in comparison.
By now all the metropolitan areas should have fallen and the survivors should be forced to group together in bases.
Then the real challenge of survival would begin…
With dwindling food supplies, a fearsome threat and horrific creatures roaming outside… it was scary just how quickly civilised people turn barbarous.
"Chen Xiao! Liu Tao! We're back!" Qin Lan shouted as she walked towards the tents. Minutes passed and she did not receive a reply.
Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she noticed two sets of tracks moving in a certain direction from the back of the camp site.
Where had they gone?
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