The Day Love Betrayed Me and Never the Plan 254

Chloe didn’t even look up. She calmly stored all the mutant beasts in her spiritual space, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and prepared to leave. 

The mutant cheetah clamped down on Noah’s pant leg, dragging him toward the other side with all its might. 

Noah rolled his eyes and swatted the little guy away. “Alright, time to go.” 

But Hector wasn’t ready to let it go yet. He grabbed Noah’s arm, his eyes glued to Chloe. 

“Noah, she is seriously stunning. Why not just take her back and make her your wife?” Hector joked. 

Noah gave him a cold stare. “I already have a fiancée.” 

“Come on, what kind of fiancée is that? Aren’t you out here to call off the engagement? You two haven’t even met,” Hector scoffed. 

“Anyway, that girl’s got some serious moves. If we bring her into Ebony Base, she’d be a powerhouse for us,” Hector added. 

As they chatted, the tiny mutant cheetah dashed over on its stubby legs, making a beeline for Chloe. It roared. 

Chloe felt something tugging at her pant leg and stopped in her tracks, glancing down at the little cheetah in confusion. 

“What are you up to?” Chloe said. 

Looking down, she saw the little guy’s sharp teeth had already chewed a hole right through her pants. 

Hector was shocked again. “Noah, do you think Blitz has really taken a liking to this beauty?” 

Ever since Hector first met the mutant cheetah, he nearly been mauled to death by it. His impression of it was always bloodthirsty and ferocious. 

But now, it kept pawing at Chloe, making Hector wonder what was going on. 

Noah frowned, placing a hand over his heart. He could feel it beating faster and faster. 

‘What’s happening to me?‘ Noah thought. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get a word out, the mutant cheetah, now no bigger than puppy, was suddenly sent flying across the room. 

Hector rubbed his eyes hard, so stunned he could barely stand straight. 

“D–Did I just see that? Did she actually kick Blitz away?” Hector stanimered. 

Hector’s face broke into a wide grin as he showed off his perfectly white teeth. 

a 

“She’s toast. With Blitz’s temper, it’s definitely going to-” Hector started, but the rest of his words got stuck in his throat. 

To his shock, the mutant cheetah dashed right back to Chloe, baring its teeth and growling fiercely, but there wasn’t a trace of killing intent in its whole demeanor. 

“N–No way,” Hector stammered. 

Chloe was totally fed up with the mutant cheetah clinging to her, so she waved her fist at it in warning. 

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Chapter 254 

“Don’t follow me, or I’ll mess you up,” she threatened. 

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Just as she was about to kick it away, the mutant cheetah suddenly grew bigger, and her foot landed right on its leg, now as thick as a tree trunk. 

Chloe winced, gritting her teeth from the pain. ‘Damn, it just leveled up again,‘ she thought. 

The mutant cheetah twisted its body, shooting Chloe a smug, taunting look. 

‘Hey, bad girl, see? I’m still the top dog here. If it weren’t for me, you’d be a goner today. You should be thanking me, you know!‘ The cheetah wondered. ‘Come on, say thanks!‘ 

Even though the mutant cheetah couldn’t speak, Chloe was all too familiar with that expression. 

She let out a helpless sigh. “What do you want?” she asked. 

A cold, familiar voice came from nearby. “Do we know each other?” 

Chloe bent down, slung her backpack back over her shoulder, and said coldly. “No.” 

Then she switched on her flashlight and turned to leave. 

‘Huh?‘ she thought, her attention caught. 

As soon as she switched on her flashlight, the beam landed on a green leaf that stood out from the rest of the grass. Its color was much darker, and there were actually six leaves on it. 

“Mutagenic herb,” Chloe muttered. Having six leaves meant it was a sixth–level mutagenic herb. 

[Sixth–level mutagenic herb discovered. Host is awarded 500 points,] the system said in her mind. 

Chloe pulled out her shovel, bent down, and carefully dug up the mutagenic herb, her face lighting up with excitement. 

Hector was losing his cool. 

“Hey, miss, say something! Cat got your tongue?” Hector called out. 

“Come on, give him a shot. He’s Noah from Ebony Base, handsome, suave, and he’s got it all, if you know what I mean,” Hector teased. 

Suddenly, a pill was shoved into his mouth. Hector stared at Noah in horror, desperately scratching at his throat. “Ah!” 

He was struck mute by poison. 

“Annoying,” Noah said coldly, giving him a sideways look. His ears turned red, but good thing it was dark, no one noticed. 

This pill would keep him mute for a whole week. For someone who never shuts up like Hector, it was pure torture. 

He looked at Noah, practically ready to beg for mercy. Even without his voice, Hector was still bouncing around like a hyper 

puppy. 

“I’ll give you the antidote, but you have to promise to keep quiet,” Noah said. 

Hector’s big eyes went widel 

nodded frantically. As soon as he got the antidote, he gulped it down without hesitation. 

He shot Noah a resentful look, but in the end, he didn’t dare say another word. 

When Hector turned around, he spotted Chloe cradling a plant in her hands. ‘Wait, is that a mutagenic herb?‘ he thought, stunned. His breath hitched, eyes going wide. 

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Chapter 254 

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He snapped his gaze up to Noah, and their eyes locked; both of them could see the shock mirrored in each other’s faces. 

“Hey, cutie, what are you doing with that herb?” Hector called out, grinning. 

Chloe snorted coldly. Hector definitely recognized the sixth–level mutagenic herb in her hands. 

She played dumb, putting on an innocent face. “You mean this herb? I was hungry, and there was nothing else to eat, so I just grabbed one at random.” 

Hector was about to lose his mind. 

‘Holy crap, she just dug up a random herb, and it’s a sixth–level mutagenic herb? That’s some out–of–this–world luck!‘ Hector thought. ‘Man, I wish I could just stumble on one like that, too.‘ 

His brain spun into overdrive, and he shot her a grin that made you want to smack him. 

“Hey, cutie, how about I trade you a bottle of water for that herb?” Hector said. 

“Shit,” Chloe murmured. With that, she tossed the herb into her spiritual space and left. 

“Hey, wait! Don’t go! We can work something out. If one bottle of water isn’t enough, I’ll give you two! Or heck, I’ll trade you a core if that’s what you-” Hector called after her. 

Noah cut him off. “You really think she doesn’t know that’s a mutagenic herb?” 

Hector stared, confused. Then it hit him. ‘So she was just playing me?‘ Hector realized. 

Noah watched Chloe’s figure disappear into the darkness, his hand instinctively pressing over his heart. ‘Why does it feel like there’s a hole in my chest?‘ he wondered. 

Chloe glanced back and saw they weren’t coming after her. Finally, she could breathe easy. 

She reached out and checked out the sixth–level mutagenic herb, and for the first time in ages, she actually smiled. 

‘Stupid bastard. Go to hell. Who needs men anyway?‘ Chloe thought, rolling her eyes. ‘Strength is all that matters. 

She made her way to a patch of ruins where a few buildings were still standing. She picked one and went inside, then set up her tent, getting ready to crash for the night. 

This time, Chloe wasn’t taking any chances. She set beast traps all around and scattered all sorts of special powders for extra protection. Only then did she finally let herself fall asleep. 

Fortunately, no mutant beasts tried to attack her that night. 

At dawn, the first sunlight hit Riverside, shining over ruins everywhere. Broken walls, wild grass taking over, and the whole city felt like nobody had lived here for ages. 

Plenty of tall buildings were still standing, but they were covered in moss and looked like they could collapse any second in the wind, showing off how grand things used to be. 

Chloe woke up and had just unzipped her tent when a grinning face suddenly loomed right in front of her. 

10:20 Sat, Feb 21 •