250: I didn't hold you back, did I?

Before the car could travel very far, a loud 'thud' suddenly came from the roof, and the audio system immediately went silent.

Ai Yue's brow furrowed so deeply it could have crushed a fly, and she slammed on the brakes.

The car came to a violent halt.

Due to inertia, a blue-faced, fanged zombie flew off the roof and tumbled down, rolling in front of the car along with the roof-mounted speakers, which were now completely smashed.

Ai Yue saw that it was a High-level Zombie and was instantly enraged; how dare this zombie smash her speakers!

Ai Yue opened the door and stepped out, walking aggressively toward the zombie. With a swift turn, the zombie appeared behind her, its sharp claws striking toward the back of her heart.

Ai Yue bent down, dodging the move. She performed a sweeping kick that knocked the zombie down, then followed up with a punch carrying golden electric arcs that slammed into the zombie's head.

The zombie hadn't even used twenty percent of its power before being flattened. Ai Yue didn't give it a chance to react, raining down punch after punch of lightning-infused blows onto its head.

Under this assault, the zombie completely lost its ability to resist.

Still not satisfied, Ai Yue continued to punch the zombie as it lay on the ground, forced to passively take the beating.

With every punch, Ai Yue said resentfully, "I'll teach you to climb on my car, I'll teach you to break my speakers, see if I don't beat you to death."

As she continued, the zombie's head suddenly exploded with a 'bang.' Ai Yue had literally hammered its head until it burst.

The moment the head exploded, she quickly dodged to the side. Fortunately, she was fast, or she would have been covered in brain matter.

Ai Yue patted her hands, looking like someone who had just had a close call, and muttered, "This thing was too weak. And this is supposed to be a High-level Zombie?"

At this moment, Ai Yue realized her strength had increased significantly again. As for how much, she would have to test it later.

Hearing the commotion, Ye Rui jumped out of the car, picked up the zombie's crystal core, and said, "Sister, you made such a bloody mess. It's a bit disgusting!"

Ai Yue slowly walked over from a distance and smiled. "A slip of the hand; I used a bit too much strength."

"Here, a high-level crystal core." Ye Rui cleaned the residue off the crystal core and handed it to Ai Yue.

Ai Yue took it, tossed it directly into her space, and sensed the changes carefully.

"Mm, it's useful. The villa in the space now has a small yard, though it's currently bare," Ai Yue said with a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"I really want to go into the space to see; I want to watch TV too," Ye Rui said with a look of longing.

Ai Yue tapped her forehead. "Don't be in a hurry. Since the space can continue to upgrade, if things keep going like this, I'll definitely be able to bring you all inside one day."

Ye Rui smiled and nodded repeatedly. "Mm, I'm really looking forward to that day."

Ai Yue turned to walk back to the car, murmuring to herself, "It's not far now, it's coming soon... Nameless Monster! Jing Xi..."

Along the way, whenever they encountered robbers or zombies again, Ai Yue no longer stepped in. Instead, Ai Guosheng, his wife, and Ye Rui went out to handle them—under the guise of 'practice'!

"Yueyue, throughout this journey, your dad, your mom, and Rui Rui—the three of us aren't weak, are we?" Ai Guosheng asked.

Ai Yue nodded naturally and said without thinking, "Of course, you all are very formidable."

Ai Guosheng continued, "We didn't hold you back, did we?"

Hearing her father's words, Ai Yue burst out laughing. "Dad, what are you saying? What's this about holding me back? If you're this strong and still considered a burden, how are other people supposed to survive?"

"Since we aren't holding you back, then for this fight against the Nameless Monster, can you take us with you?" Ai Guosheng said with a beaming smile.

Upon hearing this, Ai Yue's brow furrowed. She slammed on the brakes, stopped the car on the road, and turned around. "So after all that, this is what you were waiting to ask me."

"Just say whether you'll let us go or not," Ai Guosheng said.

"I didn't say I wouldn't let you go. It's just that the monster is truly too fierce, and dealing with it is too dangerous. If I can't win, I can dive into the space, but if you guys encounter danger, where would you hide?"

Ai Yue said, still maintaining a smile.

"So, just leave the matter of fighting the Nameless Monster to me. You all just wait for me to come home."

"Yueyue, we've already become this strong, and we still can't help you?" Li Shilan spoke up, her expression somewhat melancholy.

Ai Yue quickly said, "Of course not. It's just that the Nameless Monster is really too powerful, and I'm not certain I can defeat it. I'm just afraid you'll get hurt."

"Sister, just let us fight the monster with you. Our abilities can already help you. Believe in us. Even if we get hurt, we still have Auntie here. Even if we only have one breath left, Auntie will bring us back."

Ye Rui also spoke with great conviction.

Ai Yue's good mood vanished the moment she heard that they also wanted to fight the Nameless Monster with her.

Ai Yue put on a serious face and said firmly, "Don't mention this again. I don't agree!"

"Yueyue?"

"Sister..."

Ai Guosheng and the other two hadn't expected Ai Yue's attitude to be so firm, seemingly leaving no room for negotiation.

Ai Yue turned a deaf ear and concentrated on driving.

Ye Rui spread her hands toward Ai Guosheng and his wife, shrugging with a helpless look.

They knew that they wouldn't get Ai Yue to agree in just one try.

If once wasn't enough, they would ask a few more times; they had to try to fight for it.

Besides, no matter what, they had already made up their minds to go.

If Ai Yue wouldn't let them, they would go secretly!

So, after mentioning it once and seeing Ai Yue's firm stance, they dropped it. In any case, there was still plenty of time; there was no rush.

Another day passed. After repelling two waves of robbers and five waves of zombies, they finally reached their destination—a small county town in D City, Ji County!

The place was already desolate. Most of the buildings in the county had collapsed, and even the roads were gone. It was a scene of devastation, completely unrecognizable from its former prosperity.

Ai Yue and the others were mentally prepared for this sight, but actually seeing it inevitably brought a sense of sorrow to their hearts.

Homes destroyed, forced to wander everywhere, and facing a peril-filled environment—just thinking about it felt difficult.

Fortunately, they were still alive and the family was together. Thinking of this, a surge of warmth dissipated the sorrow in their hearts.

"Let's go. Since we're here, let's go in and take a look!"

As Ai Guosheng spoke, he took Li Shilan's hand and slowly walked into the small town.

Seeing this, Ai Yue waved her hand, stored the kaibaihe battle shield into her space, and followed her parents toward the direction of their home in her memories, with Ye Rui by her side.

Along the way, Ai Yue and the others stumbled over the ruins, occasionally spotting broken billboards through the cracks in the stones.