42: Chapter 42 An Unexpected Gain: The Young Lady's Hidden Hobby?

One hour later.

Evening.

The sunset's afterglow pierced through the thick clouds, spilling onto the snow, casting a faint bloody hue.

Lin Yuan brought The Ye Sisters, finally bypassing that terrifying purple snow mist area.

Ahead, a group of villas appeared.

Maple Forest Villa District.

Once the most high-end villa district in Jiang City, every building was a standalone luxury mansion, inhabited by the wealthy or powerful.

But now, it had turned into ruins.

Many villas had collapsed, walls shattered, roofs caved in.

Bloodstains and skeletal remains were everywhere; some frozen into blocks of ice, others gnawed down to the bone.

Ye Qingyue and Ye Qingxue looked at the scene before them, their faces deathly pale.

"This is... our home..."

Ye Qingyue said, trembling, tears welling up again.

They had lived here for over a decade.

They had their best memories here.

Birthday parties, family gatherings, the laughter with their parents...

But now, everything had changed.

It had turned into cold ruins.

It had turned into a graveyard of death.

Lin Yuan observed the surroundings calmly, his gaze vigilant.

"Be careful, there might still be danger here."

He said in a low voice.

"Don't make too much noise."

The sisters nodded, holding back their grief, following behind Lin Yuan.

The three entered the villa district cautiously.

Along the way, Lin Yuan continuously scanned the surroundings, looking for any potential threats.

Fortunately, it was quiet here.

There was no aura of any Evolved Beast.

Perhaps it had already been cleared by other creatures, leaving no living thing to prey on.

Or maybe it was too desolate, and Evolved Beasts didn't want to stay.

The sisters' parents' villa was naturally quieter, so it wasn't in a densely populated area.

Ten minutes later.

The three arrived in front of a standalone villa.

Door number: 18.

This was the home of The Ye Sisters' parents.

The villa's gate was half-open, the courtyard full of snow and bloodstains.

There were also some frozen footprints, though it was unclear if they were human or from an Evolved Beast.

Ye Qingyue and Ye Qingxue stopped, staring fixedly at that door.

Their bodies were trembling.

It was unclear if it was due to the cold, fear, or grief.

After the sisters used their fingerprints to unlock it.

Lin Yuan stepped forward and gently pushed the door open.

"Creak—"

The harsh sound was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Lin Yuan observed the surroundings vigilantly, and after confirming there was no danger, he gestured for the sisters to follow.

The three entered the villa.

It was a mess inside.

Furniture was overturned, glass was shattered all over the floor, and there were claw marks and bloodstains on the walls.

Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here.

Ye Qingyue walked into the living room, trembling.

Then...

She saw it.

Beside the living room sofa, a corpse was frozen into a block of ice.

It was wearing pajamas, maintaining a curled-up posture, with an expression of pain and fear still remaining on its face.

It was their father.

"Dad!!!"

Ye Qingyue collapsed, rushing over, hugging her father's corpse and sobbing bitterly.

"Dad... Dad... we came too late... we came too late..."

She cried heart-wrenchingly.

Ye Qingxue's eyes also turned red, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

She bit her lip, suppressing her sorrow, walked over to her sister, and hugged her, but said nothing.

Even though they had been mentally prepared, seeing their father dead...

The pain in their hearts was uncontrollable.

And as the elder sister, Ye Qingxue was a strong woman.

She couldn't cry; she was now her sister's closest relative.

She had to comfort her sister...

The sisters hugged each other, sobbing beside their father's corpse.

Lin Yuan stood silently to the side, not disturbing them.

He knew this kind of grief had to be released.

Otherwise, it would crush their minds.

But he didn't waste time either.

Lin Yuan turned around and began systematically looting the entire villa for supplies.

"Since we're here, take everything useful."

He said in a low voice.

In the Apocalypse, supplies were life.

The dead were gone, but the living had to continue surviving.

Lin Yuan walked into the kitchen.

Opened the refrigerator.

The food inside had all rotted, emitting a foul stench.

Opened the cabinets.

Some canned and sealed food could still be used, so Lin Yuan put them all into the system space.

Walked into the storage room.

Some medicines, tools, and emergency supplies were all taken by Lin Yuan.

Walked into the parents' bedroom.

Some valuables, gold and silver jewelry, were also taken by Lin Yuan; although these things were useless in the Apocalypse, they could be considered a keepsake for the sisters.

Finally, Lin Yuan came to the sisters' rooms.

Two adjacent bedrooms, both decorated exquisitely, full of a young girl's atmosphere.

Lin Yuan went into Ye Qingyue's room first.

Opened the wardrobe, and a large amount of women's clothing came into view.

Daily wear, formal wear, sportswear, pajamas...

Everything was there.

With a thought, Lin Yuan put them all into the system space.

Then, he came to Ye Qingxue's room.

Opened the wardrobe, and it was also a large amount of clothing.

But Lin Yuan noticed that at the very back of the wardrobe, there was a hidden small door.

"Hmm?"

Lin Yuan opened it curiously.

The next second.

He was stunned.

Inside, neatly hung were various...

Cosplay costumes?!

Catgirl outfit, with cat ears and a tail, black lace trim.

Bunny girl outfit, backless and leg-baring, paired with a bunny ear headband.

Nurse outfit, white short skirt, low neckline.

JK uniform, plaid short skirt, pure yet alluring.

Maid outfit, black and white, fluffy skirt.

And more...

At least twenty sets, each extremely exquisite, and... the sizes were all a perfect fit.

Clearly, these were all bought by Ye Qingxue herself, and she wore them often.

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Didn't expect this ice beauty to have this hobby..."

He muttered to himself.

Usually so aloof, so proud, an Eldest Miss and school beauty like an iceberg that people dared not approach.

Privately, she actually liked these?

This contrast...

Was interesting.

Lin Yuan hadn't expected that this cold Eldest Miss school beauty would have such a contrast in private?

This really caught Lin Yuan off guard.

At the same time, it made him excited; this was a point that added attack speed!

Lin Yuan didn't hesitate to take them all.

Just then.

"You... what are you doing?!"

Ye Qingxue's voice came from behind.

Lin Yuan turned around and saw Ye Qingxue standing at the door, her eyes red and swollen, clearly having just cried.

She saw the cosplay costumes in Lin Yuan's hands, and her face turned red instantly!

Like a cooked shrimp!

"You... you saw it?!"

She screamed, her voice changing pitch.

"Saw it."

Lin Yuan said lightly, his expression calm.

"It's the Apocalypse, these clothes might be useful later."

He said it very seriously, as if he were truly just collecting supplies.

But that gaze...

Clearly carried a hint of playfulness.

Ye Qingxue was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

She had never imagined her secret would be discovered by Lin Yuan.

And in this situation!

"You... don't think too much!"

She explained hurriedly.

"Those... those were just things I bought to play with before! I haven't worn them many times!"

"Oh."

Lin Yuan nodded and continued to put the costumes into the system space.

"I understand."

"What do you understand!"

Ye Qingxue was almost on the verge of a breakdown.

Her biggest secret in life had been discovered by Lin Yuan like this.

And...

And he took them all away?!

"You... why are you taking them?"

She asked, trembling.

"I said, it's the Apocalypse, supplies are very important,"

Lin Yuan said calmly.

"Clothes are also supplies."

"And..."

He paused, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe they'll come in handy later."

Ye Qingxue froze completely upon hearing this.

Come in handy?

What kind of use?!

Her face turned even redder, red to the roots of her ears.

"You... you bastard..."

She cursed in a low voice, but her voice was soft and weak, completely lacking deterrence.

Lin Yuan smiled and didn't continue to tease her.

This little interlude eased the originally heavy atmosphere a little.

"Alright, continue collecting supplies,"

Lin Yuan said.

"You go keep Qingyue company, I'll go look around nearby."

After speaking, he turned and left the room.

Ye Qingxue stood where she was, her face flushed, her heart racing.

She felt...

She seemed to be completely taken by Lin Yuan.

And...

She actually didn't find it too repulsive?

"What... what is wrong with me..."

She covered her face, muttering in a low voice.

...

Lin Yuan walked out of the villa and came to the courtyard.

He looked at the other nearby villas, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"This is a high-end villa district, every one is a standalone, the supplies should be very rich,"

He said in a low voice.

"Can't waste it."

Lin Yuan didn't take the front door and went straight to the first villa.

Took a deep breath.

Then—

"Boom!!"

One punch!

Heavily smashed into the wall!

"Crack—"

The wall instantly exploded into a big hole!

Bricks and stones flew everywhere!

Lin Yuan walked in through the hole and started looting.

Large amounts of canned food, drinks, high-end alcohol, sealed food...

All taken away.

Medical supplies, emergency kits, toolboxes...

All taken away.

Ten minutes later, the first villa was cleared.

Lin Yuan came to the second.

"Boom!"

Another punch, the wall exploded.

Continued looting.

Cold-weather clothing, thick quilts, heaters, generators...

All taken away.

Third villa.

"Boom!"

Continued to break in through the wall.

Just when looting the basement—

Lin Yuan suddenly saw a trace of seven-colored light on the ground!

His eyes lit up, and he walked over quickly.

Beside a corpse, a seven-colored snowflake lay quietly!

"The second snowflake!"

Lin Yuan picked it up excitedly and carefully put it away.

This corpse must have been some survivor.

Maybe they found the snowflake and died before they could use it.

Or, they used it but didn't have beast meat to go with it, leading to poor results.

Anyway...

Now, this snowflake was his.

Lin Yuan looked at the snowflake in his hand, excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Coming here was worth it!"

With an unexpected harvest, Lin Yuan worked even harder.

He continued to loot.

The fourth, fifth, sixth...

A full six villas were all cleared by him.

Food, clothing, medicine, tools, weapons...

The system space was already filled with various supplies.

Huge harvest!

Lin Yuan nodded with satisfaction and returned to Villa 18.

At this time, the sisters had cried enough, and their emotions had calmed down a bit.

"Lin Yuan..."

Ye Qingxue said softly when she saw Lin Yuan return.

"We want to... want to bury Dad."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"I'll do it."

He walked to the courtyard and found a suitable location.

Then, began to dig a pit.

With his 330 physique, digging a pit was simply easy.

Ten minutes later, a deep pit was dug.

Lin Yuan carefully placed Ye Qingxue's father's corpse inside.

Then, filled in the soil.

Soon, a simple grave appeared in the courtyard.

There was no tombstone, only a wooden board Lin Yuan found from the ruins.

On it, the name was carved with a knife: Ye Jianguo.

Ye Qingyue and Ye Qingxue knelt before the grave, shedding tears silently.

"Dad... Mom went to the northern shelter... We will try our best to survive..."

Ye Qingyue said, choking with sobs.

Ye Qingxue wiped away her tears and looked at Lin Yuan.

"Lin Yuan, when we become stronger, can we go north to find Mom?"

In her eyes, a light of hope flickered.

Lin Yuan was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"The northern shelter is at least fifty kilometers away from here, and the danger on the road is ten times stronger than here."

"With your current strength, going there is just suicide."

He paused.

"But if you become strong enough, I can take you there."

Hope flashed in the sisters' eyes.

"Really?"

Ye Qingyue asked.

Lin Yuan said calmly: "The premise is that you must listen to me and become stronger. The weak have no right to negotiate terms."

The sisters looked at each other, then nodded firmly.

"We understand. We will work hard to become stronger!"

Lin Yuan stood to the side, his eyes looking towards the direction of the North District from time to time.

That area shrouded in purple snow mist.

The insect mother...

That was the first time he encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat.

That feeling of being suppressed made a strong sense of unwillingness surge in his heart!

He secretly vowed in his heart.

When I become stronger, I must come back and kill that insect mother!

Take away all that mysterious seven-colored thing in its body!

This thought had frequently appeared in Lin Yuan's mind.

It seemed to have become his obsession...