If Only She Could Get One More Spank, Upgrading the Cinnabar Jade Pendant

"The convoy won't have two groups of Awakened. Understand?"

Su Nian couldn't care less what style of convoy Xia Lingling preferred. With him, she could either join or die. There was no third option where he let her go.

"I understand. I'll join." Xia Lingling nodded.

She had no choice. At her age, she had thought living or dying no longer mattered, but the older she got, the less she wanted to die. She wanted to live.

Su Nian nodded. "Good. Come with us."

Just as they were about to leave, Jiang Shuang ran over and stood in Su Nian's way.

"Captain, I'm from the other convoy. I'll be following you from now on. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please look after me."

Jiang Shuang held out her hand.

Su Nian ignored Jiang Shuang and walked past her.

Once you became an Awakened, plenty of women wanted to latch onto you. She was nothing special to look at, but she certainly dreamed big.

Her neck was covered in hickeys. Who knew how many times she'd spread her legs? Frankly, he wouldn't have given someone like her a second look even before the apocalypse.

Xia Lingling walked past Jiang Shuang, making no attempt to hide the scorn on her aged face.

Women like this never knew how to support themselves, no matter the circumstances. They lived by selling sex. Honestly, she had spent years living in a village with poor internet access, so she usually only heard the young men there talking about what women were like these days.

But she had never actually seen it herself. Who would have thought... those young men had been far too tactful.

Jiang Shuang gritted her teeth and glared bitterly at the three retreating figures.

"You really are a fucking idiot!" Ji Bo said coldly.

He couldn't understand how anyone could be this stupid.

"Pick one of your convoy's cars to get around in," Su Nian said.

"I'll have Tang Chen arrange it. There are too many cars here. The convoy can't support this many vehicles. We'll siphon the fuel out of some of the remaining ones and strip out the parts that wear out easily for spares. We'll leave the rest here."

Hao Ren beckoned to Tang Chen.

The cost of maintaining them was one issue. Another was that if everyone drove, who would bring up the rear on foot?

That was the rule. The convoy refused to trade gasoline precisely to keep those who could barely afford to drive from doing so. They couldn't be allowed to live too comfortably.

Su Nian rubbed his chin. In that case, he would ask the system later whether that scrap metal could be used to modify his vehicle, strengthening some components and the outer armor while making the interior a little roomier.

"I want the gold in those vehicles."

"Sure. Take it if you want it." Hao Ren didn't ask what he intended to do with it.

It would take ages to save up enough gold to make another set of golden coffins anyway. This was a good chance to see what Su Nian was planning.

Whatever it was, it would benefit the convoy's survival.

Tang Chen came over. After Hao Ren gave him his instructions, he promptly got to work.

"You're back." Wen Kele sat casually, her elbows on her knees and her chin resting on her overlapping hands, watching Su Nian with her round, dark eyes.

"Come at me. What's so impressive about undermining me behind my back? Beat me, and everyone will listen to you from now on."

"Undermining you behind your back?" Su Nian rubbed his chin. "I'm not taking the blame for that."

Wen Kele had no authority to begin with, so how could he undermine her? She could only have one bottle of Wangzai milk. Even a second bottle required permission.

"Enough talk. I no longer care who's right or wrong. I never imagined you'd be even more evil than me, so I'll defeat evil with evil." Wen Kele stood, let out a shout, and charged at him with a straight punch.

Su Nian raised his hand and caught it effortlessly.

Wen Kele narrowed her eyes and shouted, "Leg sweep!"

Su Nian didn't move.

Wen Kele froze for a moment.

Gong Qing and Hao Ren both watched in amusement.

Su Yue: "..."

Watching the scene, Xia Lingling's aged face broke into a smile. She had imagined this convoy would be a vicious, ruthless bunch.

They were fierce, certainly, but not wicked. This grown young woman was as childish as a little kid.

"Bloodline-ending kick!" Wen Kele shouted again. This time, Su Nian did move.

After all, that triggered a rather peculiar "self-defense" reflex.

Wen Kele revealed a little canine tooth, a triumphant smile spreading across her face.

There's your opening!

She seized the chance to launch a leg sweep. Once she knocked Su Nian down, she would give him a couple of vicious greetings with the sole of her shoe.

Wen Kele imagined it gleefully.

But Su Nian dodged. Wen Kele lunged straight at him, and he sidestepped her and swung his palm.

Smack!

Wen Kele clutched her bottom, her body stiffening. Her backside burned, and her cheeks flushed red.

Su Nian considered it carefully. Only a spanking could teach someone a lesson without injuring them.

"Hiss... I'm not feeling well today. We'll fight another day. Best two out of three." Holding her bottom, Wen Kele ran into her vehicle and shut the door.

Her cheeks were crimson, and her thighs instinctively pressed together.

It had felt a little good. She didn't know why. Wen Kele curled up on the seat and bit down hard on her lower lip.

If only he'd spank me one more time.

"Sister Wen, are you okay?" Chen Shu climbed into the vehicle too. Whenever pain or work was involved, their souls would switch back.

At times like these, Wen Keyi would cry quietly for a while, and a little comfort from her would help a lot.

"Sister Wen this, Sister Wen that, all day long! Don't you have any respect for your Sister Cola? Get out. Don't get back in without my permission."

Wen Kele grumbled and cursed. None of them took her seriously. Damn it.

Chen Shu got out sheepishly.

Normally, they should have switched back by now. Since they hadn't, the blow probably hadn't been that hard.

But she had heard the smack even from a distance. Had it been so loud because her bottom was so perky?

Su Nian returned to his vehicle and took out the Cinnabar Jade Pendant.

He spent one hundred Survival Points to repair the pendant's wear. Its overall color deepened, the originally dark-red cinnabar turning a scarlet like congealed blood.

[Ding. Spend 400 Survival Points to upgrade the Cinnabar Jade Pendant?]

"Upgrade!"

[Ding. Upgrade complete!]

After the upgrade, the pendant changed shape, transforming from a conventional round or square form into a more abstract clasp patterned with solar flames. Fine golden etchings resembling the sun's corona appeared along its edges.

[Cinnabar Jade Pendant]

[Type: Curio]

[Details]

[Blood Sun Domain: When activated, creates a "pseudo-solar domain" with a five-meter radius centered on the wearer, weakening the killing rules of supernatural entities to a certain extent. Within the domain, supernatural entities will feel as though they are standing in sunlight, and their bodies will be continuously scorched.]

At room temperature, the pendant felt faintly warm. As he infused it with mental power, it grew scorching hot, filling the vehicle's interior with golden radiance like sunlight.

[Ding. Spend 1,300 Survival Points to upgrade the Cinnabar Jade Pendant?]

"Upgrade!"

[Ding. Upgrade complete!]

The pendant underwent a complete transformation, becoming a crimson-gold sigil of liquid light, neither jade nor gold, hovering three inches in front of Su Nian's chest.

At a thought from Su Nian, the luminous sigil slowly rotated and merged into his body. A flowing, translucent crimson-gold glow, like living golden magma, silently spread outward along the contours of his skin.

First, it formed a sunlike pattern on his chest, then the pattern branched into several streams.