Chapter Three: Dinner Is Ready

Very few people can awaken supernatural abilities; in the apocalypse, most groups banding together are just ordinary survivors. For instance, the team before them, numbering over a dozen, had not a single person with powers.

Gu Xingze let out a cold sneer, and a blade of wind swept past. The once swaggering group collapsed one after another, felled like cut grass.

"You... you have powers?!" The burly leader lying on the ground was terrified. Even if dozens more of his brothers joined, he wouldn't dare provoke a supernatural. Ordinary people and those with abilities were simply not of the same species, and he was now consumed by regret.

"Well, not bad," Xu Nuo remarked, picking up a weapon from the ground. She'd complained about not having any offensive skills before, but now she had gear—problem solved.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was blind and offended you both. Please, be magnanimous and spare us. We're willing to hand over all our supplies! We have a villa on the eastern mountainside—very hidden and safe, perfect for someone like you..."

[Mission triggered: Build a camp. Even in the apocalypse, one needs a safe and warm home—to leave a light for a beloved's late return, to end the longest day of waiting and longing.]

At that moment, the bullet screen was filled with question marks: [Is that it? Are supernaturals really so terrifying?]

[I thought with such high-quality visuals and action, there’d be something to watch, but it’s the same old routine. Even the fight scenes are so perfunctory—this game’s doomed.]

The leader kept begging Gu Xingze for mercy, but with his personality, Gu Xingze was disinclined to respond.

"Since you know you were wrong, you can redeem yourselves," Xu Nuo waved her hand grandly. "Lead the way."

"Yes, yes!" The group, docile as quails, obediently moved ahead to guide them.

Xu Nuo called out to Gu Xingze, "Hurry up, it's getting dark."

Gu Xingze stood silent, hesitant to speak. If he was correct, he hadn't agreed to spend the night in that villa. He had only met this woman called Xu Nuo less than half a day ago.

They walked eastwards, leaving the city, and soon it was dusk.

"Grrr..." Xu Nuo's stomach rumbled. She realized she'd been playing the game for almost half a day, so immersed she'd forgotten lunch. She decided she'd log out once they reached the villa.

According to the leader, the villa had been built by a wealthy man for leisure; it was secluded, in a remote location with few people—making it an ideal refuge in the apocalypse.

The mountain path was winding and difficult, and after years without maintenance, the ground was broken and uneven. Xu Nuo, after riding partway, had to walk the rest.

The sun set, shadows from dense trees stretched like clawing evil spirits, exuding a chill.

Up ahead, the leader covertly signaled in a certain direction.

Suddenly, the surroundings shook. Stones of all sizes tumbled down the slope, raining upon the path.

The leader, prepared for chaos, tried to escape.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A long spear pressed against the leader's neck. The girl’s tone was somewhat lazy, "Trying to run off without a word? It's not that easy."

The falling rocks were indiscriminate, large and small, crashing down. Several unlucky members had already been struck, panicked and fleeing. In contrast, the girl stood eerily calm, unmoved, her spear poised at his throat.

The leader suddenly realized, "You have powers too?!"

He quickly knelt, "Spare me, lord supernatural! I was blind—please treat me as nothing!"

Viewers in the live stream laughed: [Even this level of streamer can scare NPCs? After all, it's just a romance game; the plot is like playing house.]

[The streamer doesn't have powers, right?]

[What do you mean by 'this streamer'? Didn't you see how she took out zombies with a single strike before?]

[Just exaggerating.]

[Watch the replay. If I'm making things up, I'll eat crap. Anyway, I think this streamer is talented—a real potential star.]

[Wouldn't it be faster if she just showed off her skills live?]

The bullet screen erupted into argument, becoming increasingly heated.

No matter how intense the debate, it didn't affect them here. Gu Xingze swept in like a gust of wind, and seeing Xu Nuo unharmed, his cold gaze fell upon the fawning leader.

"Lord supernatural, I won't dare again!"

Xu Nuo interrogated the leader, uncovering his plan to escape in the confusion. He was the gang's boss and knew his influence was no match for those with abilities. But he couldn't bear to be a subordinate, so he tried to slip away.

They reached the villa before night fully fell. Xu Nuo was starving. "007, I need to log out for dinner. Where's the control key? Why can't I find it?"

"Knock knock..." The room door was tapped.

"Miss Xu? Dinner is ready."

Xu Nuo was curious, "Can you actually taste food in the game?"

007: [Yes.]

She had to try it—it was her first time playing such a realistic holographic game.

On the long table draped with white cloth, there were two plates of... something unrecognizable.

A dark mass, adorned with what looked like chunks of meat. Gu Xingze drank water expressionlessly, swallowing a mouthful of the black paste.

"What dish is this?" Xu Nuo hesitated to pick up her chopsticks.

"It's edible," Gu Xingze replied succinctly. His face betrayed nothing of whether it tasted good or bad.

Xu Nuo bravely tried a bite—bitter, spicy, and sour, with a mix of pungent flavors that almost made her gag. Gu Xingze's composure was evidently remarkable.

"...What is it made of? The texture is so peculiar."

"Crushed rice and flour products with some side ingredients," a subordinate answered nearby.

Xu Nuo asked, "Uh... why crush it?"

"You might not know, miss. Many foods from the peaceful days have expired, so we mash it all together to save space."

Now, they had no concept of food being inedible just because it expired. As long as it wouldn't kill you, it was precious—every bit was food.

Talking about ingredients, the subordinate grew animated, "Today, the lord supernatural brought back enough for us to eat for a while. Those rice noodles can be crushed into porridge, canned meat can last a long time..."

Some of the food had been collected by Xu Nuo herself, so she knew the conditions: mold and bacteria were minor issues. Worse was contamination by dead animals—rats, cockroaches, and so on.

Suppressing her nausea, Xu Nuo retreated to her room. "Little Seven, I want to log out."

007: [Host cannot log out until all tasks are completed.]