Chapter 441: Night, Rest, Map

Chapter 441: Chapter 441: Night, Rest, Map

At the sight of Clark.

’To deal with a monster of this size, you’d probably need a nuclear bomb, a heavy-duty bunker buster, or some other superweapon on that level...’ Seraphina Sullivan thought with a sense of helplessness.

Weapons of that caliber were obviously beyond her reach right now.

Sharon Lynn pressed close to Seraphina Sullivan, her little face deathly pale.

Her wide eyes were filled with terror.

She stared at the dark purple, mountain-like figure moving slowly through the distant city ruins, her voice trembling violently.

"Seraphina... that big monster... it’s just been there this whole time... Does... does this mean... we can’t get past it? Are we going to die here?"

Seraphina Sullivan could feel the little girl’s fear was almost palpable.

She immediately took Sharon Lynn’s small, ice-cold hand in her own, her voice firm and decisive:

"Don’t talk like that! We’re definitely going to survive, and we’re definitely getting through.

That big monster is just there for now. We’ll wait for it to leave, or... we’ll figure out a way around it!"

She looked to Flora Sullivan for support.

Flora Sullivan nodded at once, doing her best to sound confident:

"That’s right! Don’t be scared, Sharon!

It’s so huge, it has to be slow. We’ll find another way and sneak past it.

We can definitely do it!"

Despite their words, all three of them knew how difficult a detour would be.

The map showed this city was a key hub on the route to Shelter 3. Going around it meant venturing deep into unfamiliar, and potentially more dangerous, wilderness, which would significantly increase both their travel distance and time.

Seraphina Sullivan looked up at the sky.

Before she knew it, dusk had fallen.

The orange-red sunset cast a tragically beautiful yet eerie glow over the apocalyptic ruins.

In the distance, Clark’s dark purple form cast a long, unnerving shadow in the setting sun.

"It’s getting dark."

Seraphina Sullivan said grimly.

"Whatever we do, we have to find a safe place to spend the night.

We don’t know what comes out at night, so we can’t travel then."

For Players like Seraphina Sullivan and Flora Sullivan, a few days and nights of non-stop, high-intensity activity might have been manageable.

But Sharon Lynn was just an ordinary little girl.

After surviving a crash, terrifying encounters, and a long journey, she was reaching the limits of her mental and physical endurance.

The three of them carefully drove away from the city ruins. On the edge of a relatively intact suburban neighborhood, they found a two-story house that was fairly well-hidden, its doors and windows still mostly in one piece.

After carefully clearing the house inside and out and confirming no monsters were lurking,

the three of them went inside, quickly shutting the doors and windows and using furniture to create a simple barricade.

Seraphina Sullivan made a show of "searching" the house for a while, then "unexpectedly" pulled several well-sealed cans of meat, some compressed biscuits, and a few bottles of water from a cabinet she’d "found."

Of course, she had transferred all of it from her Space into a regular backpack ahead of time.

Sharon Lynn was already starving, and her eyes lit up at the sight of food.

Forgetting everything else, she took the food from Seraphina Sullivan and began to eat in small bites.

A little color finally returned to her face.

While Sharon Lynn ate and recovered her strength,

Seraphina Sullivan and Flora Sullivan quickly inspected the rest of the house.

And in a study on the second floor, Seraphina Sullivan discovered a regional map! It was pressed under a book, somewhat yellowed with age but still clear.

She immediately spread the map open, using the last of the daylight from the window to examine it closely.

"Found it! Inland Shelter 3!"

Seraphina Sullivan pointed to a spot on the map marked with a red circle and the number "3" next to it, a flicker of excitement on her face.

Of course, she also saw other Shelters, like 1 and 2.

But her brow quickly furrowed.

"’As the crow flies... it’s about three hundred kilometers.’"

Seraphina Sullivan traced the route with her finger. "We’re here... The closest city is occupied by Clark, and trying to force our way through is too dangerous. If we take a detour..."

Her finger traced two possible arched routes on the map. "’The northern route takes us through a mountainous forest region marked ’High-Risk’.

’The southern route crosses a vast stretch of rivers and swamplands.’

’Either way adds at least fifty to a hundred kilometers to the journey, not to mention the terrain and potential threats along the way...’"

She took a deep breath.

Three hundred kilometers as the crow flies might have been a day’s drive in peaceful times.

But in this apocalyptic world—with monsters roaming free, roads destroyed, and danger lurking around every corner—those three hundred kilometers were a long and arduous trek fraught with death traps.

Flora Sullivan leaned in to look at the map. She felt the pressure too but said nothing, simply tightening her grip on her submachine gun.

Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze shifted from the map to Sharon Lynn. The little girl was curled up in a corner of the sofa, hugging her knees. Even while eating, her eyes remained filled with fear and anxiety.

’Protecting this child, traversing at least three hundred and fifty kilometers of treacherous roads, avoiding or fighting off whatever monsters appear, and finally reaching the unknown "Shelter 3" safely...’

’The mission was far more difficult than she had first imagined.’

"’We can’t brute-force this. We have to be smart, relying on stealth, evasion, and limited combat.’"

Seraphina Sullivan quickly began formulating a strategy.

"’First, I need to ensure Sharon Lynn’s safety and basic survival.

’Second, use the map and Flora Sullivan’s environmental perception Ability to choose the safest and most concealed routes possible.’

’Third, I have to level up my Pharmacist Ability as quickly as possible. I need to be able to at least concoct poisons or smoke bombs that are somewhat effective against medium-sized monsters, to create opportunities for escape.’

’Fourth, the sniper rifle will be primarily for reconnaissance and precisely eliminating smaller threats...’"

As night deepened, the distant howls of unknown monsters occasionally drifted in from outside, adding to the terrifying atmosphere.

Inside, Seraphina Sullivan assigned watches and organized their gear and supplies, her mind constantly working, planning their every move.

Sharon Lynn ate her food and drank some warm water.

Utterly exhausted and in a relatively safe environment, she finally succumbed to sleepiness. She leaned against Seraphina Sullivan and fell into a deep slumber, though even in her dreams, her little brow remained tightly furrowed.

Seraphina Sullivan gently draped a jacket over her and looked out at the pitch-black night sky, her eyes glinting with determination.

The next day, at first light.

Seraphina Sullivan woke early. The first thing she did was go to the window to warily observe the distant, ruined city occupied by Clark.

Through the swirling morning mist, the massive, dark purple figure was still clearly visible.

It hadn’t left, as Seraphina Sullivan had hoped.

Instead, it seemed to be circling and landing in a relatively open plaza in the city center. Its huge, fleshy wings folded up, making it look like a mountain of flesh that had suddenly descended from the sky.

Smaller flying minions swarmed around it like busy worker bees, appearing to carry things back and forth, as if they were fortifying the area.

"’This thing... Is it building a nest here?’ Seraphina Sullivan’s heart sank.

From the looks of it, Clark wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

The hope that it would leave on its own was slim to none.