My Romance Game Updated – Chapter 15

Detour

Around noon, Jian Dan took over driving from Huo Keyu after finishing her own lunch of compressed biscuits and water. This gave Huo Keyu time to eat and get some rest.

Knowing H City was just ahead, the girls, who had been feeling drowsy, all perked up, their eyes fixed on the road. The bus had long since shaken off the pack of zombies behind them. Unwilling to stir up any more trouble with the zombies by the roadside, Ren Chenxi alternated between checking her mini-map and watching the path ahead. They were getting closer and closer to H City when she suddenly spotted a jam of cars blocking the road. Instantly, she went on alert.

“Jian Dan, slow down,” she said. “There are a lot of cars up there. Let’s approach slowly and see what’s going on.”

“Okay, Xi-jie.”

The bus crept forward. A vehicle that massive was hard to miss, and it quickly drew the attention of the drivers ahead. Fortunately, most of the cars were marked as yellow dots¹ on the map. Seeing the bus advance, one driver was even kind enough to shout a warning.

“Don’t come any closer! The road ahead has collapsed! You need to take a detour!”

At his call, the other cars began to back up one by one. They had already confirmed it: the collapsed area was huge, and with sheer mountain walls on both sides, a detour was their only option.

“You guys heading to H City?” another driver yelled as his car passed their window. “The road’s out—completely gone! You have to go around…”

With some of the cars clearing out, Ren Chenxi and the others could finally see the landslide for themselves. Tsk. He’s right. With a collapse this big, a detour really is the only way.

They had been so close to H City, only for this sudden landslide to force them into a long, difficult detour. There was no telling if they would even reach their destination today. The drivers were in no mood for small talk; most of them simply drove off without so much as a word to anyone else. But this was normal in the apocalypse. If you meant no harm, you didn’t bother each other. You just went your separate ways.

Jian Dan frowned as she consulted a map atlas. She proposed an idea to Ren Chenxi: they could cut directly through the forest beside the mountain on their left. It would save them the trouble of finding another national highway and get them to H City faster.

Ren Chenxi studied the map. She agreed that Jian Dan’s route was the shortest, but whether it was the fastest was another question entirely. In the two years since the apocalypse began, Mutated plants had grown wild, and the mutated beasts lurking in the forests had become far more brutal and dangerous. The route was short, but it was also a gamble. She glanced at the cards in her backpack, gritted her teeth, and nodded. “Alright, we’ll go through the forest. But it could be dangerous, so everyone stay on high alert!”

Including her refreshed draws, she only had three Flash Cards² and two Explosion Cards³ left. She still had seven Greasy Cards⁴, but she had no intention of synthesizing them into an R-Rank⁵ card. In a critical moment, making a fast enemy slip on oil could significantly increase their chances of escape.

She had other cards she didn’t need at the moment, like the Outfit Change Card⁶ and the Leading a goat away in passing Card⁷. From these, she synthesized a single Shapeshifting Card⁸, leaving her with three Leading a goat away in passing Cards. Life in the apocalypse was hard for everyone. These survivors meant her no harm, so she had no intention of using the cards on them.

Relying on the cards in her backpack, Ren Chenxi decided to take the risk. If the route proved impassable, they could always turn back and escape.

After backing the bus up some distance, they turned it around. As they passed the section of road that curved around the mountain wall, Ren Chenxi noticed many of the cars that had been stuck at the landslide. But the cars were faster than the bus, and their drivers were wary of such a behemoth. Soon, they had left the bus so far behind it was out of sight.

So it’s not just us taking a risk through the forest. These cars are taking the same route.

These survivors probably think the same way we do, she mused. They’re relying on their esper abilities, and H City is right there. Most people rushing to H City at this point are probably short on water, right?

Before they entered the forest, Chang Ling took over driving from Jian Dan. As Chang Ling explained, once they were in the woods, the dangers were unpredictable. They could be attacked by mutated beasts or zombies at any moment. Her Suona⁹ was the loudest of their instruments, so it was best not to play it in such a perilous place. While Jian Dan’s and Song Xin’s instruments were also loud, they couldn’t compare to the Suona. Besides, Jian Dan’s Erhu¹⁰ could be used for attacks, so she could wait until a crisis to act. As for Ren Chenxi, they were all counting on the big shot sitting by the window, watching for danger. Whether she was blinding enemies or landing a Headshot,¹¹ she was fast, ruthless, and gave them all a profound sense of security.

Ren Chenxi was a bit speechless at Chang Ling’s flattery. Compared to you guys, third-order espers who have lived in the apocalypse for two years, I’m a Cute Newb Rookie¹² who’s only been here a week! I just happen to have some powerful cards from the system. Once those are gone, I’ll be the one relying on you.

Of course, Ren Chenxi didn’t like entrusting her life to others. The moment they entered the forest, she kept her eyes glued to the mini-map, carefully directing Chang Ling to avoid every red dot¹³ that represented danger. Maneuvering the huge bus through the winding forest paths was a pain, but under Ren Chenxi’s guidance, they managed to make it halfway through.

Just get through the other half, and we’ll be safe~

“Xi-jie, the trees ahead are too dense,” Chang Ling called out. “We can’t get through. Should we take another detour?”

The Mutated plants of the apocalypse, while not as dangerous as mutated beasts, possessed a tenacious life force and an astonishing growth rate. They always managed to seize the largest possible living space for themselves.

Ren Chenxi looked at the grove ahead with a headache forming. She turned to Jian Dan. “Can your Sonic Wave Attack¹⁴ cut down these small trees?” If they took another detour, they would stray even further from their planned route.

“Hmm… I can try?” Jian Dan was also troubled by the sight of the grove. Her Erhu had only ever been used against zombies and malicious people. This would be her first time cutting down trees.

“Wulaaa—“

Sitting by the window, which she had opened as wide as it would go, Jian Dan drew her bow across the Erhu. Ren Chenxi didn’t see a thing, but a small tree in the distance swished and trembled. A crack, like one left by a blade, appeared on its trunk.

“One hit isn’t enough,” Jian Dan murmured. “It’ll probably take a few more…”

This time, she played a longer, more complex “wuwu-laaa.” Three small trees were struck simultaneously. As a third-order esper,¹⁵ Jian Dan could attack up to three targets at once, though doing so consumed more of her esper ability. That first note had just been a test; now, she was getting serious.

Watching Jian Dan play such a murderous tune, felling distant trees one after another, Ren Chenxi could only offer her praise. Her aim is amazing~

The cracks from Jian Dan’s attacks all appeared near the base of the trees. This way, once the trees fell, the bus’s wheels could roll right over the stumps. Unfortunately, while her aim was precise—and she could take down three small trees with about five sonic waves—the problem was that after clearing this patch, there was another huge one right behind it. And looking closely, the trees back there were even thicker.

“Xi-jie… should I keep cutting?” Clearly, Jian Dan had also seen the sturdier trees beyond.

“Wait, hold on. Someone’s coming!”

It’s people. Not zombies, not mutated beasts. On the mini-map, Ren Chenxi saw seven yellow dots approaching them. Maybe other survivors who heard Jian Dan’s Erhu? What are they coming over here for?

“Someone’s coming? Then let’s just take a detour,” Huo Keyu said immediately, wanting to give up on crossing the dense grove. Clearly, she didn’t want to run into these people. The trauma from the gang of scumbags was so great that she was now highly vigilant toward all humans.

“But… these people are coming from deeper in the forest,” Ren Chenxi countered. “Maybe there’s some danger up ahead. We could ask them first?” She knew these people meant them no harm. Rather than taking a detour, she preferred to ask if they knew a better way through the forest.

Jian Dan and the other two agreed with Ren Chenxi’s suggestion. Huo Keyu just pursed her lips and turned away. As they spoke, the sound of distinct footsteps grew closer. Ren Chenxi turned to look and saw a group of people rushing toward the bus, waving excitedly as they ran. The one in the lead even greeted Jian Dan, who sat by the window with her Erhu. “Hey, beautiful! What a coincidence! We meet again!”

“Huh? It’s them?” Jian Dan and the others looked pleasantly surprised. “What a coincidence!”

Just then, Ren Chenxi noticed that all the yellow dots on her mini-map had turned green.

“You know them?” she asked Jian Dan.

“Yeah, you could say that. Xi-jie, they’re the S University students I met back in G City!”

These people are from S University? Ren Chenxi took another careful look at them, but she didn’t recognize any of their faces. Back when she was at S University, her mind had been completely focused on pursuing the goddess. Aside from her close friends and classmates, she hadn’t paid much attention to other students.

“We heard the music and came over,” the boy in the lead said. “We didn’t expect to run into you guys again! Hey, this is great! You must be heading to H City too, right? Looks like you have plenty of room on your bus. Can we catch a ride?”

Perhaps because they were acquaintances, the boy who had greeted Jian Dan was quick to act overly familiar¹⁶ and made his request.

The moment he finished speaking, Huo Keyu shot to her feet. She strode to the window, glared at the group outside, and rejected them flatly, one merciless word at a time.

“No!”

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