After I Fully Prepared for the Apocalypse, the Ungrateful Cried with Regret-Chapter 154: Not True Destruction

The next morning.

When Nina Jacobs woke up, she found that Pascal Paige and the others had already made porridge.

It was only then that she learned Yvonne Willow was a Space Superpower User.

Jessica Vance was a Wind Element Superpower User.

And Wendy Marshall was a Water Element user.

"This is all stuff Yvonne stored in her space,

come and eat."

Pascal Paige called over to the two of them.

Over the past month or so, she had secretly acquired supplies and had Yvonne Willow hide them in her space.

Because Yvonne Willow had been imprisoned the whole time, no one at the camp ever suspected she would have supplies in her space.

Back then, they had fantasized about one day getting out and using these supplies.

They never thought it would come true so quickly.

"Thank you."

Nina Jacobs handed a bowl of white rice porridge to Wayne Warner as well.

She had originally prepared some food for them in her backpack.

It seemed she wouldn’t need it for now.

Wayne Warner had already eaten breakfast before coming out, but the porridge looked so thick and fragrant that he ended up having two more bowls.

"It’s a shame there’s still no sign of Holden Shaw."

Pascal Paige sighed.

"We can take a look around here first,

what if he just can’t find us?"

Wendy Marshall suggested.

"I agree."

Nina Jacobs also wanted to scout the surrounding area first.

’He can’t be dead.’ she thought.

Besides, she could also search for the whereabouts of the Mystic Ice Core.

She hadn’t recalled her Little Zombie Rats yet.

Last night, the Little Zombie Rats must have detected something.

Because she wasn’t sure what it was, she just controlled them, keeping them hidden in the shadows.

"If he ran from that direction, there are indeed a few possible places he could have gone,

we’ll head out in a bit."

Pascal Paige said after a moment of thought.

"Where on Rexton Mountain are we?"

Nina Jacobs had found some pamphlets about Rexton Mountain in the visitor’s lounge.

An open, high-altitude platform had caught her attention.

"This place? This is Vespera Peak,

it can hold over ten thousand tourists when it’s crowded.

It’s a natural formation with a wide, open view.

But it’s quite high up. If he was running for his life..."

Holden Shaw probably wouldn’t have fled all the way up here.

Pascal Paige thought Nina Jacobs was worried Holden Shaw might be here.

’Vespera Peak...’

Nina Jacobs silently committed the name to memory.

Pascal Paige was clearly a responsible and experienced guide.

Before they set out, she gave everyone a detailed explanation of all the natural paths and man-made roads on Rexton Mountain.

She even planned out emergency escape routes.

And a rendezvous point for the group in case something unexpected happened.

"Rexton Mountain has a lot of forks in the road; it’s easy to get lost.

You all have to stick close to me.

If something sudden happens, protect yourselves first.

Then meet back here at the windmill. Got it?"

It was her habit to come up with solutions for various emergencies in advance.

The original, lush Rexton Mountain had indeed been easy to get lost in, but it was different now.

Although she had prepared herself mentally, when she opened the door of the lounge, the scene before her still felt alien.

There were no birds chirping, no insects buzzing.

Even the hardiest mosses were now just black, rotten patches.

The surrounding trees had been corroded down to their skeletons, their branches reaching upward in agonized twists.

Pascal Paige walked onto a small, naturally formed path.

Only then did she realize the soil underfoot had become incredibly fragile, so soft it felt as if a heavy step would turn it to dust.

"This is my first time back to see it,

how did it become like this..."

She squatted down, looking at the hard, dry particles in her hand.

Devoid of life.

The once beautiful and spirited Rexton Mountain was now like a long-dead corpse.

"The roots of the plants and trees used to hold the soil together,

but they’ve all been corroded away, so it’s normal for it to be like this."

Nina Jacobs continued walking forward.

"Let’s go, Pascal."

Wendy Marshall patted Pascal Paige on the back.

She looked as if she’d been hit hard by the sight.

"I used to think only the cities were destroyed,

but now I see it’s more than that."

Yvonne Willow, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief from this decay.

Humanity was insignificant, and so was she.

Despite all the unbearable things she had suffered.

But in the face of life and death, none of that could be considered true destruction.

The mountains and rivers had taken such a heavy blow, yet here she was, standing perfectly fine.

’This proves I haven’t been destroyed...’

Nina Jacobs scanned the ground, but unfortunately, nothing resembling a Mystic Ice Core appeared.

"From that direction toward here,

these are the only passable trails."

Pascal Paige sighed. As far as she could see, there were no tracks to suggest anyone had passed through.

’Maybe last night really was too dangerous...’

"There’s something ahead."

Just then, Nina Jacobs called out to Pascal Paige, who was leading the way.

"Could it be zombies?"

The group immediately became vigilant.

Suddenly, a long, shrill cry echoed from the hillside ahead.

"What is that?"

"An ostrich?"

Yvonne Willow asked in disbelief, staring at the thing on the slope.

But she felt something was off.

"It’s a Rexton Mountain golden pheasant, but why is it so big?"

Pascal Paige could still recognize it.

There were many wild golden pheasants on Rexton Mountain. On their way up, she had seen plenty of animal skeletons damaged by acid rain.

But she never expected to see a golden pheasant this large.

"Don’t get any closer. Do you want it to crack your skull open?"

Nina Jacobs stopped Pascal Paige, who was about to step forward.

This bird had obviously mutated.

Its body was several times larger after the mutation.

And mutated animals would attack humans, too.

Sure enough, no sooner had she spoken than the golden pheasant lunged at Pascal Paige.

The mutated pheasant’s beak was long and sharp. When it pecked the ground, it instantly left a deep hole.

"Is it trying to eat me?"

After Pascal Paige retreated to a safe distance, the mutated golden pheasant began scratching at the ground with its sharp talons.

It looked like it was preparing to attack her at any moment.

"Obviously."

A swift Fire Blade shot toward the mutated golden pheasant.

The mutated golden pheasant flapped its wings to dodge, but the Fire Blade sliced one of them clean off.

Another sharp, long cry.

Just as it was about to flee up the slope, another Fire Blade decapitated it.

"There should be other mutated animals on this mountain."

Nina Jacobs said. Golden pheasants were flock animals; its earlier cry might have been a call for companions.

"Shouldn’t we get out of here, then?"

Looking at the mutated golden pheasant’s corpse on the ground, Pascal Paige felt a strange sense of unease.

Because she knew there really were a lot of wild golden pheasants on Rexton Mountain.

"Too late."

Nina Jacobs looked in a certain direction.

On a nearby slope, mutated golden pheasants were appearing one after another.

Wendy Marshall felt that their eyes, focused on the corpse on the ground, were glowing with a vicious red light.

"Run!"

Nina Jacobs shouted without hesitation.

The others didn’t dare to hesitate, following Pascal Paige as they ran forward.

Meanwhile, Nina Jacobs continuously conjured Fireballs.

Animals are naturally afraid of fire, and the mutated golden pheasants began to hesitate.

"They’re eating the other pheasant!"

Jessica Vance glanced back and saw the mutated golden pheasants devouring their own kind on the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Pascal Paige took down a few roadside fences and led the group up a steeper slope.

"Mutated animal meat is edible."

Nina Jacobs realized these golden pheasants were definitely not to be underestimated.

Just then, Pascal Paige stopped, her face tense. The flock of pheasants had taken a shortcut and cut them off from the front.

"We’re surrounded..."

Wendy Marshall said.

These mutated golden pheasants looked truly ravenous.

They had already marked them as their next meal.