OP Sister Chapter 500: Camping On A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland

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On the way to Hilda’s hometown, we encountered quite a few monsters. The paved roads were still mostly intact, but the monsters roaming the wastelands quickly reminded us that this wasn’t the same world we knew, the world we always took for granted. 

Thanks to my brother, our car was completely fine due to the enhancements he had placed on it. Above all, it was incredibly tough. Even when a giant Wyvern crashed into it with its entire body, the car survived unscathed, and the Wyvern ended up with broken legs, flying away in pain. 

There were mostly reptilian monsters throughout the journey, from tyrannosaurus rex-like creatures to larger packs of velociraptor-like beasts, along with many Wyverns and Sand Worms, which were quite common in the deserts outside Stronghold City. 

We were taking the quickest route to her town, but we still had to face monsters every now and then, usually appearing in packs about every hour. They were annoying but not that strong. Any long-range magic attack usually took care of them with ease. 

Looking at the map to her town, we were halfway there, but we decided to camp once the sun set, as monsters would roam in even greater numbers at night, and they would likely all run toward the car once they saw its lights. 

“Ah, the old gas station is still up, huh? Although in ruins…” Hilda said as we stationed near a gas station, which had been abandoned for years. It was a nice landmark, telling us we were halfway there. 

“If we depart tomorrow morning, we should arrive at your hometown before lunch,” my brother said. “I hope that’s okay with you, Hilda. I wish we could go faster, but flying alone would be too tiring for all of us together, and driving at night might attract even more, stronger monsters.” 

“I know, it’s alright,” Hilda smiled gently. “Should we camp inside the gas station? Or maybe just go inside my Forge? It’s a special space where we should be safe.” 

“I think we can camp outside. As long as I leave a Holy Ward, monsters should not enter our camp at all. I can further enhance it with a special Barrier now that I’ve grown stronger,” Henrietta said. “So please don’t worry about it, Hilda… If anything, I believe it would be a little too hot in there…” 

“Hahaha, yeah, you would have to bear the heat. The Forging Spirit inside cannot really be ‘turned off,’ so there’s always a lot of heat…” Hilda laughed lightly. “Well, you could get used to it! And it’s a nice way to train your Resistance to Fire Element!” 

“I’m sure it would, Hilda, but not tonight,” Henrietta said. “I was thinking of just chilling here. It has been years since I went camping… the last time was when I was twelve years old, with our parents. Back then, Kevin was a little baby.” 

“I barely remember that time… but I do still remember the river we sat next to while eating,” Kevin said, smiling lightly. 

“Aww, alright then, let’s have a nice camping night! Shall we make a bonfire and then some S’mores?” I said. 

“I’m in! I want some too! I’ve always dreamed of eating them…” Annabelle responded quickly. 

“I wouldn’t mind trying them out. Are they literally just marshmallows with cookie and chocolate?” Baihe asked. 

“Yeah, pretty much that!” I nodded. “It’s a typical camping meal, alongside hot dogs on a stick.” 

“Are we really eating hot dogs on a stick? That sounds unsanitary…” Kevin said. 

“Aw, come on, don’t be a goober. It’ll be alright,” I shrugged. 

“What do you mean ‘goober’?” Kevin raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?” 

“Anyway!” I ignored him. “Hilda, can you set a campfire? I’m sure you can make a good one.” 

“Sure thing!” she nodded. 

“Then we’ll set up the tents with Henrietta,” my brother said. 

Henrietta had already finished her incantation, as several glowing runes appeared within a fifty-meter perimeter around us, providing plenty of space for us to do whatever we wanted. 

The place we chose was right by the gas station, including it within the circle. We made sure there weren’t any strange monsters inside, though, and I sent an Ego to clean the place, quickly leaving it piping clean. 

The power of Matter Restructuring was dangerous, so I started practicing it on small things, like cleaning. By using it to remove all dust and nasty things, the entire gas station was cleansed and looked almost brand-new, though mostly empty. There weren’t any snacks waiting to be taken, as whatever remained from back then had either been stolen or eaten by monsters. 

There were a few large cacti around, but the land looked mostly barren, with faraway mountains in the distance and nothing else for hundreds of miles. However, as the sun descended and night arrived, the silver moon, the starry sky, and the chirping of crickets and other nocturnal critters created a unique atmosphere I had honestly missed for a while. 

“Alright, all set up!” Hilda nodded. 

While she finished setting the campfire, I worked on the nearby streetlights that had stopped functioning. I repaired them using my Mechanical Arm as a conduit for my Celestial Gestalt Class ability, easily fixing the lights through tiny nanomachines, illuminating our surroundings to make things a little less dark. 

“I’m done as well. All tents are done,” my brother said. 

“Thank you, dear,” Henrietta replied. 

My brother had finished setting up the tents. They weren’t small at all but large ones that could fit entire beds and furniture inside, which he brought using his Shadow Storage. I couldn’t believe how dedicated a boyfriend he was, setting up a whole fancy-looking tent for Henrietta and himself, with a beautiful, large bed inside and furniture. He even covered the floor with wood he brought along! 

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