Celine returned home. Just as she stepped into the yard, she saw a big unfamiliar truck parked there.
The truck was huge, taking up almost half the yard, standing out clearly.
Eleanor was jumping down from the driver's seat, brushing the dust off her clothes. When she saw Celine, she smiled and came over.
"You're back! I just got home too."
"Eleanor, where's your car? Why did you change to such a big truck?" Celine pointed at the strange truck, surprised.
Eleanor patted the front of the truck. "Isn't it because you wanted to carry more goods? My old small car couldn't hold them all, so I borrowed this big one."
Celine felt uneasy. This big truck was too obvious and would definitely attract attention.
Sure enough, just as she finished speaking, Aunt Wang, a neighbor, poked her head out.
She looked at the big truck curiously and shouted, "Eleanor, what treasure do you have in this truck? Such a big setup!"
"Hey, Aunt Wang, there's nothing special. It's just goods ordered by someone else. We'll send them out early tomorrow," Eleanor laughed, acting casual.
When Aunt Wang heard it was someone else's goods and would be gone tomorrow, her curiosity faded. She lost interest and went back inside.
Other neighbors who wanted to come and see also went back to their homes after seeing this.
Celine didn't dare to put the things into the space right away. If someone saw it, it would cause big trouble.
When night fell and the stars appeared, everyone was asleep.
Celine quietly got up and went out to the yard.
She took a deep breath, focused, and used her mind to connect with the space.
In an instant, the big truck full of supplies disappeared as if it had never been there.
After finishing, Celine went to the space and tried to contact Red.
"Red? Red, are you there?" Celine called near the east gate.
There was no answer.
In the empty space, only her own echo bounced back.
Since there was no reply, Celine did not get upset.
After all, she was in the present world, and Red was far away in the apocalypse. The magic of the space might not cross time and space.
But the truth was different.
Red heard Celine's call very clearly.
He just couldn't respond because he was in a deadly fight with zombies.
Unlike the calm present world where Celine was, the apocalypse was cold and the sunlight was glaring.
Since the day Red got supplies from Celine and eased the urgent situation, the heavy snow had not stopped.
To better resist the extreme cold, Red and his teammates decided to stay temporarily in a city.
The heavy snow gave them valuable time. The people chasing them couldn't catch up for now.
But this city had long become a zombie playground.
Red and his teammates had to fight fiercely with their weapons, clearing out a safe zone for themselves in this land of death.
"Roar—"
A zombie with sharp teeth rushed at Red, the rotten smell making people sick.
Red's eyes narrowed, he moved to the side. His sharp blade cut through the air, slicing the zombie's head cleanly.
Dirty blood splattered, staining his stern face.
His teammates did not hold back either. Each used their powers to fight the zombies.
Ice spikes, fireballs, wind blades…
Different powers mixed in the air with the zombies' growls, forming a brutal scene of the apocalypse.
Luckily, most zombies in this area were low level, mostly level one or two.
The crystal cores inside these low-level zombies were weaker, not as strong as high-level ones.
But still, the crystals were used up quickly.
---
As the battle got harder, the team had to use crystal cores more often to restore their powers.
One by one, the crystal cores in their hands turned to dust, helping them survive in the harsh end-of-the-world world.
...
Celine waited but did not get a reply from Red. She thought he must be busy, so she stopped worrying and turned to go back to her room to rest.
It was late at night, and the quiet air made people feel sleepy.
But just as she took a step, she stopped again.
She thought, what if she sleeps too deeply and misses something important from Red? That would cause problems.
After thinking, Celine decided to be safe. She took a piece of paper from the desk and a pen and started writing quickly.
She wanted to leave a message just in case.
The pen made a soft scratching sound on the paper, very clear in the silent night.
Just as Celine finished writing the last word, a light creak came from behind her. The door opened.
The sudden sound made Celine think Red had come. She put down the pen and turned around quickly.
But standing in the doorway was Hogan, wearing a blue robe, with long hair like a waterfall.
Seeing Celine, Hogan's calm eyes showed a flash of surprise and joy.
He stepped forward and bowed politely. His voice was smooth and warm, showing happiness.
"Miss Celine, I have come to bother you again."
Celine quickly bowed back, her movements smoother than before.
"Mr. Hogan, is there something urgent?"
Her tone was caring but kept a proper distance.
Hogan shook his head, smiling. He walked closer to Celine.
"Nothing urgent. I just want to share some good news with you."
The news Hogan shared shocked Celine.
She opened her eyes wide, hardly believing what she heard.
"Mr. Hogan, is it true? After those soldiers absorbed the crystal cores, did they really change that much?"
Her voice was excited but unsure.
It sounded almost unbelievable.
Hogan saw Celine's surprised look and smiled more, nodding proudly.
"It is true. Miss Celine, after I got that small bag of crystal cores, I wanted to give them to Emperor Qin quickly.
"But General Meng worried about dangers on the way, so he suggested that some of my close guards absorb the crystal cores first to keep me safe.
"These guards were already strong elite soldiers.
"No one expected that after absorbing the crystal cores, their changes would be so big.
"Three of them even awakened internal power."
Hogan lowered his voice. The word sounded mysterious and made people curious.
"Internal power?"
Celine repeated the words, feeling both familiar and strange.
Hogan nodded and spoke excitedly.
"The soldiers said after absorbing the crystal cores, they felt a fire burning in their belly. But the fire was not hot. It made them feel very comfortable.
"They said if they guide this fire with energy, they could break stones."
"Break stones?"
Celine said, shocked beyond belief.
"Yes. This discovery made me hope again for Emperor Qin's wish for eternal life.
"So before I left, I had to tell Miss Celine this good news."
Hogan's eyes shone with strong hope as if he saw a new future.