As Lin Xinghai pulled her along, the unease in Liu Miaomiaoâs heart instantly vanished. When they entered the main gate, the patrol robots in charge of the communityâs security scanned Lin Xinghaiâs face and made no move to stop them.
Seeing this, Liu Miaomiao was filled with emotion. âSo he really does live here.â
After entering the residential complex, she followed behind Lin Xinghai and was surprised to find they were heading toward the homes with the best layouts in the Central district.
âThis... No way!â Liu Miaomiao was even more shocked.
But soon, Lin Xinghaiâs actions confirmed her suspicions.
When they arrived in front of one of the houses with the best layout, Lin Xinghai swiped his Identity Card, and the front door opened.
The door swung open, and the lights inside the house softly came on, illuminating the various appliances within.
Watching the service robot that came over to help with her luggage and smelling the fresh air from the air purifier, Liu Miaomiao felt as if she had traveled back in time to before the apocalypse.
She was in a daze and only snapped out of it when Lin Xinghai led her into a guest bedroom.
"This is your room. Mine is right next door. What do you think? Satisfied?" Lin Xinghai said with a smile.
Looking at the soft, comfortable bed, the elegant, antique-style vanity, the massive wall-mounted television, the multi-level wardrobe, the private bathroom, and even the small balcony and huge floor-to-ceiling windows outside, how could she possibly be dissatisfied?
But...
"A place this nice... how could it possibly be a Mercenary Corps dormitory?" Liu Miaomiao asked doubtfully.
As she spoke, her emotions were a complicated mix; she herself couldnât tell if she was more annoyed or embarrassed.
"It really is a dormitory. If you donât believe me, you can go back to the Mercenary Corps headquarters later and check," Lin Xinghai said with a straight face, silently adding, âIt just happens to be one I added to the list a few days ago.â
Seeing how confidently Lin Xinghai swore it was true, Liu Miaomiao didnât know whether to believe him or keep doubting. "But... this house, why are we the only two people living here?!"
"Because Iâm the Gun God! Itâs a special perk the Mercenary Corps gave me. But itâs so spacious, and Iâm not used to living alone, so I submitted a request to the Mercenary Corps to have your dormitory assignment moved here too," Lin Xinghai continued to lie through his teeth.
"How could you do that! Doesnât that mean they know weâre living together?" Liu Miaomiao suddenly grew anxious.
"Old Luo has known we were in the same dorm for a while now!" Lin Xinghai said, feigning innocence.
"But! But!" Liu Miaomiao stammered, unable to find the right words, so flustered she was on the verge of tears.
Seeing her expression, Lin Xinghai knew that playing dumb wouldnât work, so he immediately switched tactics.
"Sigh... I knew you wouldnât be happy with this arrangement. But youâre the only one who can help me with something," Lin Xinghai said, switching to a more pitiful tone.
Just as heâd hoped, her attention was instantly diverted. "Whatâs wrong? Did something happen?"
"Do you know why my power has been increasing so quickly?" Lin Xinghai asked.
"Isnât it because of your awakened Special Physique?" Liu Miaomiao asked, both curious and a little confused.
"It is a Special Physique, but mine is very... special. Itâs not as simple as just absorbing Genetic Medicine Liquid like you might think. My Special Physique requires me to absorb Energy directly from the sourceâfrom Elemental Crystals."
"The process is dangerous. If I lose control for even a moment, the Energy will run rampant inside my body, causing internal injuries. If I donât get treatment in time, I could even die. Thatâs why when I saw you awaken your Life Control Superpower, I knew you might be the only person who could help me," Lin Xinghai explained, bullshitting with a perfectly straight face.
In reality, this was just an excuse heâd come up with moments ago.
"Ah! Is it really that serious? And you can actually absorb Energy from Elemental Crystals?" Liu Miaomiao was worried, but also skeptical.
It wasnât that she didnât trust Lin Xinghai, but what he was describing sounded utterly unbelievable.
"Yes! Let me show you." As he spoke, Lin Xinghai took an Elemental Crystal from a nearby drawer and, right in front of Liu Miaomiao, absorbed it until it crumbled into fine powder.
"Th-this..." Seeing this, Liu Miaomiao was too shocked to speak.
"This is my biggest secret. Youâre the only other person who knows. I hope you can keep it safe for me," Lin Xinghai said.
"Mhm, mhm!" Liu Miaomiao nodded eagerly.
"My Cultivation is dangerous. Are you willing to stay and help me?" Lin Xinghai circled back to his original question.
Liu Miaomiao pursed her lips and finally nodded. "Okay!"
Seeing her agree, Lin Xinghai excitedly clenched his fist. âI finally tricked her into moving in. All thatâs left is to let our feelings grow over time.â
âAnd then, with a man and woman living alone together...â
"Then letâs go buy some potted plants right now!" Just as Lin Xinghai was daydreaming about the wonderful days to come, Liu Miaomiaoâs voice snapped him back to reality.
"Buy potted plants?" Lin Xinghai felt he couldnât quite follow her logic.
"Yes! If I donât have any plants to draw Life Force from, how am I supposed to heal you in a critical moment?" Liu Miaomiao said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Lin Xinghai was stunned.
But he had to choke down the lie heâd spun, even if it brought tears to his eyes.
And so, the two of them actually went to buy flowers.
The nursery was in the Upper Level District, so most people couldnât even dream of buying flowers there, let alone visiting.
However, after becoming the Gun God, Lin Xinghai lacked neither fame nor status. On top of that, he had even been summoned by the Great Elder. Within the Shelter, while he couldnât exactly act with impunity, he was treated with courtesy wherever he went.
With his reputation getting them fast-tracked through all the procedures, the two of them soon arrived at the nursery.
"I had no idea it would be so much trouble. Good thing I had you," Liu Miaomiao said, playfully sticking out her tongue after they entered the nursery.
"It was nothing," Lin Xinghai said, hiding his smug grin and pretending to be nonchalant.
However, as Liu Miaomiao started picking out plants, his composure began to crack.
On the way there, he had shown Liu Miaomiao his account balance and told her to pick out whatever she liked, holding nothing back.
And Liu Miaomiao, now aware of his wealth and thinking only of his safety, truly did go all out, determined not to let him fall into danger at a critical moment due to a lack of Life Force.
And so she bought all sorts of potted plantsâa full 50 of themâonly stopping when Lin Xinghai finally called a halt.
It was worth noting that the cheapest potted plants here cost 500 Points each, with many costing one or two thousand.
After a quick mental calculation, he realized the Points for the plants had already surpassed 50,000.
Even for someone as loaded as Lin Xinghai, he couldnât help but feel the sting.
But again, he had to choke down the lie, tears and all.
...
In the days that followed, Lin Xinghai finally started living the good life.
When he woke up in the morning, Liu Miaomiao would have his toiletries ready and would even personally cook him breakfast.
Although the service robot could do all of these things, it felt completely different coming from her. The bond between them also began to gradually grow stronger.
But good times always fly by. In the blink of an eye, six days had passed. There was only one day left before the mission planned by Elder Wei.