"Yesterday, when I was eating at the restaurant, I overheard something. When refugees from various countries first started entering Westeria, the nation didn’t plan on taking anyone in. But the refugees banded together and killed many of the original inhabitants, so Westeria was forced to compromise. Afterward, more and more people flocked here, and almost every city became an independent zone. To maintain stability, they had to disperse their industries. However, the later waves of refugees were all assigned to Zaltar and Yastin. The powerful and influential all went to Lantir, which is now the wealthy district."

Evelyn Ford circled Lantir on the map.

"For our final move, we’ll circle back and go straight to Lantir."

"Isn’t there a desert next to Yastin?" Ronan Kendrick suddenly asked.

"That’s right. It’s called the Vextan Desert."

"We could go check out the desert. A desert is basically a quarry. We might be able to find bricks, tiles, oil, and salt."

Evelyn Ford gave him a thumbs-up. "You always think of everything. Alright, we’ll go to Yastin first, then the Vextan Desert, and finally circle around to Lantir before heading back. A month should be enough."

But suddenly, a storm of heavy rain and hail began. Worried about the slick roads causing an accident, the two had no choice but to pull over and rest. Evelyn Ford was a little tired, and listening to the rain drumming against the window, she fell right asleep.

She woke up again three hours later. Evelyn Ford took out a meal box and some hot soup, then woke Ronan Kendrick.

"The rain stopped. Let’s eat."

The Warm Baby she was using had gone cold. Evelyn Ford quickly removed her jacket to stick on a new one, then pulled a blanket over her legs.

"Your period is due in a few days."

Evelyn Ford’s eyebrows shot up. "You actually remember that."

"Of course. Do we still have brown sugar ginger tea?"

"Yes, I’ve got some set aside. Don’t worry."

Ronan Kendrick suddenly leaned in and hugged her, and Evelyn Ford smiled as she hugged him back.

"What’s wrong? You seem a little down, Kendrick." Evelyn Ford reached up to stroke his hair.

Ronan Kendrick said earnestly, "I hope we can go home soon, settle down, and never have to wander like this again."

He rarely had such emotional moments. Evelyn Ford held him tighter and nodded emphatically. "We will. We’ll definitely settle down. A better life is right around the corner."

After they finished eating, they set off again. A thick fog had rolled into the forest, forcing them to slow down and inch forward.

Two hours later, their vehicle entered Westeria’s national geological park. Both sides of the road were teeming with all kinds of wildlife: wild bison, Musk Oxen, Snow Rabbits, Red Deer, wild boars...

Westeria had already repealed its laws against hunting wildlife, but the geological park was no ordinary place. It had complex terrain, including a hundred-acre forest of toxic miasma. Anyone who came here to hunt without nimble reflexes and a rifle was unlikely to make it out alive.

There were also various signs along the road, all marked with warnings of danger.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick exchanged a look. Clearly, they had reached an understanding.

Just as Miles Vaughn had said, Westeria was a paradise for animals. The wild bison here were at least twice the size of the ones Evelyn Ford had hunted in the past.

This was also Evelyn Ford’s first time seeing a Musk Ox and a Red Deer. The Musk Ox looked incredibly fierce; Evelyn figured she’d have a better chance against a Red Deer.

After getting out, Evelyn Ford stored the truck in her pocket dimension, grabbed her Crossbow, and the two of them slipped into the forest.

Seeing humans enter their territory, the animals all grew wary and defensive. Evelyn Ford even found some bird eggs on a tree trunk, but they were frozen solid.

"A lone Musk Ox over there. Let’s take it out first." A predatory wildness instantly surfaced in Ronan Kendrick.

"Alright." Gripping her Crossbow, Evelyn Ford slowly approached the lone Musk Ox. Its horns were huge, its fur was extremely long, and it had a peculiar face.

"Ronan, the Musk Ox’s hide is probably too thick. Maybe we should use a gun instead. I have a Silencer Gun."

Ronan Kendrick nodded. "Alright. A gun will be easier."

A Crossbow would be fine for Red Deer and Snow Rabbits.

After loading the gun, the two began to corner the Musk Ox. Ronan Kendrick fired first, and Evelyn Ford immediately followed with another shot. The Musk Ox collapsed before it could even fight back or flee. It convulsed a few times, but it was dead by the time Evelyn got to it.

The other animals saw the Musk Ox fall and immediately scattered. Evelyn Ford stored the carcass in her pocket dimension while Ronan Kendrick took down a lone Red Deer.

But the Musk Ox herd wasn’t going down without a fight. Realizing the humans intended to kill them, they started to circle around, preparing to counterattack. Evelyn Ford tossed the rifle to Ronan Kendrick, and they began firing in earnest.

’The gun really is much better than the Crossbow,’ she thought. ’It hurts to waste the bullets, but it’s faster and saves so much energy.’

The Musk Oxen fell one after another. The wild boars and Snow Rabbits were long gone, but a few Red Deer still stood watching from a distance.

Evelyn Ford fell several times. The permafrost was slick, and a layer of frost made it even more treacherous. It was impossible not to slip, and even her anti-slip boots were no help.

"Evelyn, watch out!"

A Musk Ox charged at Evelyn, trying to send her flying with its horns. Ronan Kendrick shouted a warning and quickly fired twice at the beast. Just as Evelyn scrambled away, the Musk Ox collapsed at her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"I’m fine. The ground’s so slippery, the fall just stunned me a bit." Evelyn Ford quickly stored the Musk Ox in her pocket dimension and glanced into the distance. There wasn’t much prey left.

"The Snow Rabbits are so fast. I wanted to catch one alive for Wendy." Evelyn Ford aimed at a Red Deer and took it down with a headshot.

"The Red Deer seem a bit slow, don’t they? They don’t even know to run."

Ronan Kendrick chuckled. "Maybe the cold’s gotten to them."

What should have been a six- or seven-hour drive was delayed by three hours because of the rainstorm. Now, they’d spent another four hours hunting. They probably wouldn’t reach Yastin until tomorrow.

As the number of kills mounted, Evelyn Ford felt a surge of energy. Even when she fell, she could scramble right back up and keep fighting.

Three more hours passed, and Ronan Kendrick ended up carrying Evelyn Ford out of the geological park. While trying to catch two Snow Rabbits alive, she had stepped into a hole and fallen right in.

Looking at the two Snow Rabbits in her hands, Evelyn felt the fall had been well worth it.

Back on the road, Evelyn Ford took out the truck. She put the two Snow Rabbits in a cage, lined it with a ragged piece of clothing, and set it on the back seat.

Evelyn Ford took out some leafy greens, and the rabbits immediately started to eat. They weren’t frightened at all; in fact, they were surprisingly friendly.

The Snow Rabbits were about the size of newborn lambs. Unlike other rabbits, their limbs were long and slender, and their fur, a mix of white and gray, was gorgeous.

"With the four little ones on the ship, we could almost open a zoo," Evelyn Ford said, gently tugging a Snow Rabbit’s ear. Watching their little mouths twitch as they ate was surprisingly soothing.

"Change your clothes. Then treat and bandage your scrapes from the fall. Look at you, your lips are purple from the cold, and you’re still in the mood to play with rabbits." Ronan Kendrick said with exasperation.

"Hehe, I know, I know. Let’s get going," Evelyn Ford said. As she spoke, her nose started to run from the cold.

Five hours later, the truck entered Yastin.