"How pathetic," Lucian thought. "The Empress herself has never even had instant noodles."
"What is that? Can I eat it?" Yenji's eyes were full of curiosity as she studied him.
"It should be fine. Get up first. I'll make you a bowl," Lucian said, gesturing for her to move.
Yenji pursed her lips. She'd finally managed to pin Lucian down, and she really didn't want to let him go.
But she was starving… so hungry she felt like she might pass out.
In the end, she gave in. Reluctantly, she climbed off him and burrowed back under the quilt.
Not long after, Lucian came back with a cup of Kangshifu instant noodles and held it out to her.
"Eat," he said softly.
The steaming noodles sent up fragrant heat. Yenji leaned in, took a couple deep sniffs, and her eyes lit up. "Wow… that smells so good!"
"Of course. It's Mushroom Chicken flavor, my favorite," Lucian said with a grin. "Hurry up and eat. If it sits too long, it'll get soggy."
"Haha, then I won't hold back!"
Yenji happily grabbed the plastic fork, ready to dig in, but then she suddenly paused as if she'd remembered something.
She twirled up a forkful of fragrant noodles and brought it to Lucian's mouth. "Here, Little Lucian. You worked so hard making me noodles in the middle of the night. You eat first!"
"I'm not hungry," Lucian said with a faint smile.
Slurp—
The very next second, Yenji was already eating, head down and completely focused.
Her soft red lips wrapped around the springy noodles. Oil glistened at the corners of her mouth, and she didn't care one bit about looking ladylike.
"Mmm… so good, so good!" Yenji lifted the cup and gulped down the mushroom chicken broth. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten!"
Lucian just watched her quietly, smiling without saying a word.
Thud!
Yenji set the empty cup on the table. Not a drop remained.
"Ah… that was amazing!" She wiped the corner of her mouth, lips curving upward. "Don't worry, Little Lucian. Since you treated me to such precious instant noodles, big sis is definitely going to reward you properly tonight~"
To Yenji, something this delicious had to be incredibly rare and expensive.
She was even wondering if all the gems on Fox Star would be enough to trade for ten cups of it.
After all, it was the best, most delicious food she'd ever had. Even now, she couldn't stop thinking about the taste.
Lucian seemed used to her teasing by now. He snorted. "Reward me? How are you planning to do that?"
Yenji blinked. "Oh? You've got some nerve, huh. Guess I'll have to 'teach you a lesson' tonight…"
"Bring it on," Lucian shot back. "See if I don't turn into a Humungousaur and beat you senseless."
"You mean that Vaxasaurian?" Yenji drooped a little. "No, that won't work. It's way too big…"
Lucian wiped his forehead. What on earth was this fox-woman thinking about all day?
"How's your injury?" he asked suddenly.
Yenji narrowed her eyes, satisfied, and patted her belly. "After eating noodles, I feel a lot better."
"Good. Get some sleep. I'll go up front and keep Grandpa company," Lucian said, turning toward the passenger seat.
This time, Yenji didn't cling to him. She obediently went back to the bed and fell asleep again…
...
A purple bolt of lightning tore across the black sky, dazzling and frightening, like it split the heavens in two.
Outside, wind and rain kept lashing the windows, the steady patter never stopping.
Lucian sat in the passenger seat and asked, "Grandpa, how is Aunt Vera?"
Grandpa Max sighed. "Alice said Vera has a severe cold. It's critical. She might not make it through tonight."
"That serious…" Lucian's brows lifted. He tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, Grandpa. Aunt Vera's a good person. She'll be alright."
"Let's hope so," Grandpa Max said, his expression easing slightly.
As the mountain forest slid past on both sides, Lucian's mind drifted back to the desert town.
Back then, Grandpa had taken them to Aunt Vera's place to stay the night. Instead, they ran into the blob aliens, creatures that could shapeshift and imitate humans. They would secretly snatch elders who wandered off alone, pack them into dark caves, and ship them off as "food" to their homeworld.
In the end, Lucian and Gwen defeated all of them, including the crimson Phlegm Queen.
Lucian remembered clearly: those monsters were afraid of water, but their real weakness was probably low temperatures. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to live in the desert.
As he thought about it, Lucian slowly closed his eyes and drifted off…
...
4:50 a.m.
Dawn was approaching. The sky had turned a faint pale gray, and the frightening lightning finally faded, leaving the world quiet again.
The rain also began to ease.
"We're almost there," Grandpa Max said in a low voice. He had already spotted the desert town ahead.
"Yeah. It's almost light out. I'll wake them up," Lucian said, unbuckling his seatbelt as he stood.
After waking the others, he returned to the passenger seat. His deep eyes held a faint glimmer as he stared forward.
Ever since Alice's call, that uneasy feeling had been clinging to him. He couldn't explain it, only that it felt like something was about to happen.
After the heavy rain, the Rustbucket looked unusually clean, gleaming as it rolled into the town.
"Hm? What's going on?" Grandpa Max frowned, sensing something off.
Lucian felt it too and immediately became alert.
The buildings on both sides looked as clean and tidy as ever, maybe because of the rain.
But the road ahead was a mess, littered with trash—plastic bags, banana peels, disposable food containers—like it hadn't been cleaned up in ages.
"Could it be because of last night's rain?" Grandpa Max muttered.
"Something's not right. It's too quiet," Lucian said, scanning the area. "Even if it's only five, some of the older folks would already be up and moving around. At the very least… it shouldn't be completely empty."
The windows on both sides were dark and hollow, not a light in sight.
"Forget it. We need to get to Vera's place first," Grandpa Max said, shaking his head. He was clearly worried about his sister.
Boom—
The road ahead suddenly collapsed, revealing a pitch-black hole so deep it looked bottomless, swallowing the entire lane.
Grandpa Max instinctively hit the brakes, but the Rustbucket immediately skidded sideways. It couldn't stop in time. It was about to plunge straight into the hole.
Thud!
A ghostly green light flashed, and a wave of black-and-green liquid surged over the dashboard, spreading outward like a tide. In the blink of an eye, it engulfed the entire Rustbucket…