(Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)
(The Mermaid's Lake- Forested Outskirts)
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three gunshots echoed through the forest which scared away some of the birds nesting in the nearby trees.
Qin Lan frowned slightly as she looked at the plain white target that had been placed a few hundred meters away.
"Adjust your posture and lower the gun slightly," Qin Lan spoke sternly as she observed that only one shot had penetrated the target.
Gong Li nodded seriously and took in a few deep breaths in order to steady her nerves.
This was not the first time that she had fired a gun in training but every time she could feel her fingers slightly tremble on the trigger.
Was she really prepared to kill someone?
Gong Li never wanted to see Liu Yifei in a situation like what had happened in the supermarket ever again.
Having to watch helplessly as those brutes dragged away her crush would haunt her for the rest of her life.
But she could not stop her body from shaking as she imagined shooting someone in the chest.
The young teenage girl continued to inhale and exhale while Qin Lan waited patiently on the side and glanced at Liu Yifei who was practising her knife skills.
Both girls were undergoing different types of training. Individuals who possessed supernatural gifts were blessed with enhanced physiques.
By the time they reached level three or four, it would be impossible for bullets to hurt them which is why Qin Lan was training Liu Yifei in close quarter combat.
Gong Li on the other hand was better off as a marksman although her effectiveness would slowly decrease over time unless she faced ordinary people.
"Keep your balance!" Qin Lan shouted at Liu Yifei who had just stumbled over a root sticking above the ground.
The young girl shot her mentor a sheepish look and then resumed practising. Qin Lan nodded in approval and then gave Gong Li her undivided attention.
Gong Li had closed her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened them there was a spark of determination in her gaze.
She lowered her weapon slightly and aimed it carefully at the target. Her finger curled around the trigger, and she pressed it lightly.
This time the bullet hole was only three inches away from the center and it was much better attempt than her previous tries.
"Good job," Qin Lan praised her. She walked up to Gong Li and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.
It had just been the three of them living together in the forest so naturally all of the girls had gotten a bit closer.
There was also the shared trauma that they all shared having witnessed the deaths of their companions.
Qin Lan had still not told the other girls that she suspected that Eve was alive and her true appearance.
She figured that it was not like she would ever encounter that mutated zombie again so there was no need to inform them.
Honestly that realisation made Qin Lan feel a bit sad. Her feelings towards Eve were a bit complex to say the least.
Part of her wanted to stab a knife through her heart, part of her wanted to grab her and find out the reason why she had killed her brother and another part…
Wanted to kiss her and embrace her tightly.
Qin Lan adjusted her emotions and began to show Gong Li some tricks that she had learned about shooting.
Qin Lan did not know any actual techniques since she mainly relied on her excellent hand-eye coordination to quickly learn how to use a gun.
The original Qin Lan had never even held a weapon before, so her memories were basically useless in that regard.
Speaking of those memories…
The blurry white wall that concealed most of the original Qin Lan's memories was gradually weakening.
Occasionally strange faces, locations and people would briefly surface in Qin Lan's mind, and she knew that eventually the barrier would break.
Hopefully somewhere in those memories was a clue about who the villainess of this plane was and where she could find her.
"Alright girls you can take a short break… get something to eat and we will meet back here in around thirty minutes," Qin Lan suddenly spoke.
Gong Li handed the gun over to Qin Lan while Liu Yifei ran over with excitement gleaming in her eyes.
Without saying a word, she grabbed Gong Li's arm tightly and dragged her in the direction of the camp site.
Qin Lan shook her head and a gentle smile flashed across her face. She hoped that the love between the two girls would one day blossom.
Perhaps it would be difficult in normal times for their love to be accepted in this country but in the days of the apocalypse strength was all that mattered.
Qin Lan wanted to give the girls some privacy, so she walked towards the perimeter of the camp site and found a nice tree to sit down under.
She was within earshot of the two girls so in case anything happened she could be there in less than a minute.
The young woman leaned back against the trunk of the tree and stared at the sky. It was a lovely bright day with not a single white cloud overhead.
Gentle rays of sunlight streamed down through the dense forest and casted long shadows on the ground.
Chirp! Chirp!
Qin Lan turned her head in the direction of the sound and saw a mother bird open her mouth and spit out some worms.
Her baby chicks flapped their wings happily and began to devour the meal with enthusiasm. Qin Lan watched quietly as a brown lizard climbed up the branch just below the nest.
The lizard's tongue slowly flicked out of his mouth as he stealthily moved closer and closer to the nest.
Just as he was within striking distance, a feather shot out from the tip of the mother bird's wing.
It moved almost as fast as a rocket and penetrated the lizard's tough scaly skin with ease.
The predator cried out in pain and beat a hasty retreat. Qin Lan whistled softly as she did not expect that outcome.
Mutated animals destroyed the delicate balance of the food web and caused chaos. The hunters could very well become the hunted if they weren't careful in this new world.
Crack!
A stick on the ground snapped in half and once again Qin Lan found herself turning to see where the noise was coming from.
Two long and slender feet came into her vision as a person stepped out from the nearby bushes and stood motionless.
The woman wore an ill-fitting black jacket and a pair of brown track pants that were covered in scratches from the thorns inside the bushes.
Qin Lan slowly got up from the ground and stared in complete disbelief as a familiar face came into view.
"No… why… why are you here?"
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