Chapter Sixty-Two: The Reason

So this is the real reason you left?

Under Xu Nuo’s excuse of “the weather isn’t suitable for a hot air balloon ride,” the two of them decided to walk, venturing into a dense, unfamiliar forest.

To put it in 007’s words, this was giving Sheng Ming a chance to really show his abilities and deepen their feelings for each other. What delighted and moved 007 even more was that its rebellious host finally remembered her role—a delicate, fragile flower in need of protection.

Xu Nuo said, “Oh dear, this path is so rugged—I’m afraid I’ll fall.”

Sheng Ming looked silently at the perfectly flat ground ahead.

Xu Nuo cast a glance his way, gazing at him with a gentle, helpless look, thick with suggestion. “Hmm?”

“All right, I’ll carry you,” Sheng Ming replied, not saying anything more. With swift decisiveness, he scooped Xu Nuo into his arms. He was over 1.8 meters tall, his body usually hidden beneath a well-tailored suit, firm and powerful. Carrying Xu Nuo was effortless; his steps were steady and sure.

Even after walking quite a distance, Sheng Ming showed no sign of fatigue.

007 watched with immense satisfaction as its host, dainty and docile, was held in Sheng Ming’s embrace, surrounded by lush trees, birdsong, and the whisper of wind—a romantic scene, the very essence of a love story.

After walking along a stretch of flat ground, the path ahead finally did become rugged. Sheng Ming had no intention of putting her down, but Xu Nuo, weighing Sheng Ming’s stamina and the incline’s steepness, chose to jump down herself.

Sheng Ming looked at her, both displeased and puzzled. “Why get down? I can keep going.”

“No need,” Xu Nuo shook her head. She was afraid the bumpy slope would make her fall, and, more importantly, she had just received a warning from Little Seven.

“Be careful now.”

Sheng Ming had barely heard Xu Nuo’s words when his sharp instinct made him dodge aside. In the next second, he anxiously looked for Xu Nuo, only to find she was already standing in a relatively safe spot.

Her words had been a warning to him.

Before them now stretched a mass of grayish-white stems and roots, quivering and twisting like living things. At first glance, they looked like writhing worms, evoking a deep sense of revulsion.

Sheng Ming said, “It’s carrion grass. Be careful—don’t let it wrap around you.”

“Mm.” Xu Nuo found this monster oddly familiar. “Doesn’t it look a bit like...”

“Like what?”

But the carrion grass gave them no time for idle chatter. It lunged at them with wild, grasping tendrils. Sheng Ming caught Xu Nuo around the waist, dodging the monstrous stems while talking to her.

Xu Nuo remarked, “Like the main staple at our camp.”

“What?” Sheng Ming thought he’d misheard, and explained, “This is called carrion grass, a mutant plant that appeared after the apocalypse. It was originally decomposing, but gradually mutated to attack living people. I didn’t expect to find it here…”

The world littered with corpses after the apocalypse had provided fertile ground for this mutant plant to thrive. Some cities had almost fallen completely to the terrifying network of its vines.

Sheng Ming’s lightning powers were especially effective against mutant plants. Troublesome as they were, he managed to clear the area bit by bit.

The ground was littered with severed, charred fragments of carrion grass, densely scattered—enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.

Xu Nuo crouched down without a hint of disgust and pinched some of the powder. The smell was also quite familiar, though compared to the camp’s cultivated stems, this wild variety carried an extra bloody, putrid stench—truly deserving of the name carrion grass.

“What is it?” Sheng Ming pulled out a handkerchief to help her clean her hands. “Do you have research into this sort of thing?”

Xu Nuo replied, “I’ve eaten it before.”

Sheng Ming: “?”

“You have too,” Xu Nuo said. “Remember the vermicelli you ate before? The starch came from this plant.”

For a moment, Sheng Ming’s expression was a sight to behold. He studied Xu Nuo’s face and saw she was not joking.

Xu Nuo laughed. “At first, we had no food supplies. We accidentally discovered this plant could provide energy, so we started cultivating it.”

Of course, the stems grown at the camp were different from these wild ones, far less aggressive, and served almost solely as a food source.

As Xu Nuo explained, Sheng Ming’s face gradually returned to normal from its earlier pallor. This discovery had given him an idea. “How do you extract the starch?”

“It’s simple—just grind it into powder and filter it.”

From then on, Sheng Ming seemed lost in thought, as if this had sparked an inspiration. Even as he pondered, he didn’t forget to bend down and indicate for Xu Nuo to climb onto his back.

Xu Nuo declined, “No need, I can walk myself.” The system’s warning echoed clearly in her mind. In this perilous forest, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

[Sheng Ming, Infatuation Value +10]

007’s virtual heart trembled with excitement. It had never expected the infatuation value to shoot up like a rocket. [Just three more points, Host. We’re at ninety-seven percent—only three percent left to success.]

Victory was so close.

After the initial thrill, 007 was energized and diligent again. [Sure enough, changing the environment and creating a few small surprises is the best way to boost the infatuation value. Dear host, let’s analyze why Sheng Ming’s value shot up so much just now—what special thing did you do?]

Xu Nuo yawned. “You can keep that analysis for yourself.”

007, far more spirited than before, insisted: [How could it not matter? As the saying goes, pride leads to defeat, and knowing both yourself and your enemy means victory is certain. Understanding his preferences will make our efforts twice as effective.]

[I think the ‘hero saves the beauty’ strategy finally worked. He found his dignity as a man in front of you, showing his strength and sense of responsibility.]

Xu Nuo replied, “Mm, mm, mm.”

“Xu Nuo,” Sheng Ming suddenly spoke, “I’ll help you get what you want, but will you agree to one request?”

“What request?” Xu Nuo asked.

Sheng Ming gazed at her with unwavering seriousness. “Come back to the Northern Base with me.”

“Why? I’m not sure I have the time,” Xu Nuo replied.

“Because I like you,” Sheng Ming said. “And you’re even more useful than I imagined.”

Xu Nuo couldn’t help but laugh at the second half. “What do you mean, more useful than you imagined? Are you planning to use me?”

“That’s not my intention,” Sheng Ming replied. “I want to love you. Xu Nuo, do you love me?”

Xu Nuo shook her head.

“So your reason to come to the Northern Base with me doesn’t have to be love—it can be that you can realize your own value there.”

Xu Nuo took a moment to process Sheng Ming’s words. “Is that your reason for wanting me to stay?”

“It’s also your reason to go to the Northern Base,” Sheng Ming said.

Half in jest, Xu Nuo remarked, “Truly a businessman—no matter how refined your manners, deep down you’re always weighing the scales of profit.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” Sheng Ming replied. “I never make a losing deal.”

“Are you threatening me?” Xu Nuo asked.