My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 73

The Level 8 crystal could not be exposed, and the Level 8 mutated octopus carcass could not be processed back at the base. Mu Ning pulled out her mobile phone—the same one she had used to call Ren Muhui before the world ended. Now, it’s only function was keeping time.

“It’s past 11:00 AM. Since we’re already late getting back, let’s handle the carcass here first.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no other survivors had come to the beach to try their luck today, they needed to deal with the mutated octopus quickly. If anyone else came scavenging for seafood later, who would know the deep-sea terror was dead? Even if they noticed something was off, they would likely assume some other, even more powerful sea creature had devoured it.

After all, no one would dare imagine that two mid-tier ability users could team up to take down a high-tier mutated octopus.

Ren Chenxi agreed with Mu Ning’s assessment; processing it by the shore was the best move. She turned toward the ocean and released the massive carcass from her inventory.

The moment the gargantuan body appeared on the sand, a new red dot that had been lurking on the edge of the mini-map quietly retreated. Even in death, and even with its crystal removed, the pressure exerted by a high-tier mutated sea monster lingered on its remains. Even as a player, Ren Chenxi could still feel that daunting, oppressive aura emanating from the corpse.

But so what if it was oppressive? Right now, you’re just seafood waiting for me to cook you, she thought. An octopus this size could probably feed their group for a whole year.

Vigorously eyeing the meat, Ren Chenxi pulled out two large machetes from her backpack. She handed one to Mu Ning and hacked at one of the tentacles with all her might.

The blade struck, but the tentacle didn’t sever. Though it felt somewhat soft to the touch, the flesh was incredibly resilient.

Thud! Mu Ning struck beside her, but the sound wasn’t the wet slice of cutting meat; it sounded more like someone hitting a heavy punching bag.

This was a problem. If even Mu Ning, a Level 6 ability user, couldn’t cut through it, they wouldn’t be able to eat it even if they wanted to. As expected of a Level 8 monster, its toughness was far beyond the reach of ordinary humans.

“What do we do?” Ren Chenxi looked at Mu Ning, troubled. “I can’t cut it. Should I just toss the body back into the sea  to feed the other fish?” The thought of wasting it made her heart ache. In the apocalypse, food was precious. A massive octopus like this could be poached, stir-fried, or grilled on a teppan  it was such a waste to let it go!

Mu Ning looked at the carcass with equal regret. “Mutated meat contains a small amount of energy. Even if one piece isn’t much, the cumulative energy of an 8th-rank creature is significant. Maybe  put it back in your space? Though it does take up a lot of room.”

“But what’s the point of keeping it in my space?” Ren Chenxi didn’t care about the slot, but the fundamental issue remained: “If our knives can’t cut it and we can’t chew it, it’s useless even if we keep it.”

“We can’t chew it, but Tantan has a very strong bite. I think he might be able to manage.”

Mu Ning swung her blade several more times, but she still couldn’t leave even a tiny nick on the tentacle. She summoned an ice spike, which managed to pierce the flesh, but pulling it out was a struggle. At her current stage, her control over ice was limited to freezing things and summoning spikes; she hadn’t researched further applications. Moreover, her wounded palms began to throb with pain from the exertion.

“If you have the space, let’s keep it. We can bring Tantan to the beach occasionally to let him eat?”

With the biggest threat in the water gone, their group would likely be visiting the coast much more often.

When Mu Ning mentioned Tantan, Ren Chenxi had already pulled up the Apocalypse Mall panel to search for a sharp cutting tool. She was loath to feed the meat to the fish, and hearing about the energy content sealed the deal—she’d much rather feed Tantan.

However, the carcass was too large to pull out at the base, and bringing Tantan to the sea every time was risky. What if they ran into other survivors? Besides, Tantan had been obsessed with seafood since he lived in her apartment; if she actually brought him to the ocean, he’d probably lose his mind.

No, she couldn’t bring the cat here. She had to find a proper tool in the mall.

Ren Chenxi eventually found a cool, sharp-looking longsword. The original price was 100,000 shop points. The description claimed the blade was made from a rare ore combined with a rare metal and a series of materials Ren Chenxi had never heard of. The materials sounded fancy, the name was flashy, and the price wasn’t cheap—which, in her mind, made it reliable.

After some hesitation, she purchased the “Apocalypse Super Starfall Goshawk Blade.” She shook her head at Mu Ning, who was still trying to poke the octopus with ice, and pulled the flashy sword from her bag. “Let’s not bring Tantan here. He loves seafood too much; I’m afraid he’d cause a scene. I found this sword in my space—I’m not sure when I collected it, but let me try this.”

Mu Ning looked at the blade, which was adorned with various over-the-top decorations, with deep skepticism. “Is that  actually meant for cutting things?” It looked more like a decorative art piece.

“…” On the store page, it had just looked a bit flashy, but holding it now, Ren Chenxi realized it was excessively gaudy. She just hoped that if it turned out to be useless, the mall would support returns.

Fortunately, her worries were unfounded. The sword might have been gaudy, but it was worth its 100,000-point price tag. Ren Chenxi picked a section of a tentacle and swung; the limb that had resisted her machete was sliced clean through in an instant. Mu Ning stood by, dumbfounded.

“That sword  it’s quite sharp.”

“Haha, I thought it was just for show too, which is why I never took it out. Who knew?”

With her new blade, Ren Chenxi began dismembering the giant octopus. She didn’t need to mince it, just break it down into chunks that could fit in their villa’s first-floor hall. Even with a sharp blade, it took her nearly twenty minutes of hard work to finish—and that was with her final SR Acceleration card active.

Mu Ning tried to help several times, but Ren Chenxi refused, citing the injuries on her palms. Left with no other choice, Mu Ning watched as the small girl systematically dismantled the mountain of flesh and stashed it in her inventory.

By the time she finished, Ren Chenxi was inevitably covered in octopus slime. Combined with the ink stains from earlier, she knew she couldn’t return to the base like this without raising suspicion. Mu Ning was even worse; her clothes were covered in massive black ink splotches. Returning like that would be like announcing to everyone: Hey, I was fighting a mutated octopus at the beach today!

Ren Chenxi suggested they change their clothes before heading back. Mu Ning’s eyes lit up with anticipation as she stared at Ren Chenxi. “I didn’t bring a change of clothes. Are you going to lend me yours?”

Using her thermos and now wearing her clothes… this trip was definitely worth it, Mu Ning thought.

Seeing those “sparkling” eyes, Ren Chenxi rolled her eyes and tossed an Outfit Change card at her. “Keep dreaming! I have cards that can change your clothes instantly!”

The moment the words left her mouth, Mu Ning’s stained outfit transformed. Fortunately, the new outfit had long sleeves, a long skirt, and a high collar. It looked like a fairly normal maid outfit… wait! A maid outfit???

Ren Chenxi’s eyes widened in shock, while Mu Ning pulled at her long skirt, looking conflicted.

“You… so you actually have those kinds of interests?”

What is that look for? I’m perfectly normal! Who would have a weird interest like that? Ren Chenxi threw another card at the maid-clad Mu Ning, huffing: “The clothes are random! How was I supposed to know what it would give you!”

On the second attempt, Mu Ning was changed into a gender-neutral, black athletic set with long sleeves and pants. This kind of clothing was very common in the apocalypse—it was practical for fighting zombies and mutant beasts.

Mu Ning seemed quite satisfied with the second outfit. she smoothed out the fabric and looked at Ren Chenxi with even more expectation. Now that her clothes were changed, it was Ren Chenxi’s turn. She wondered what the random card would give her. A maid outfit would be nice… if it were a short-sleeved, miniskirt version, that would be even better!

Unfortunately, before Mu Ning could indulge in more fantasies, Ren Chenxi simply unzipped her dirty outer jacket and pulled a clean beige trench coat from her inventory.

The light in Mu Ning’s eyes died instantly. “Why didn’t you use a card…” she asked, sounding aggrieved.

 Ren Chenxi found her behavior baffling. “Only my outer layer was dirty, and I have clean clothes in my space. Why would I waste a card?”

“But you saw me in a maid outfit…” Mu Ning’s voice grew even more pouty.

Well, Ren Chenxi thought, making a Level 6 powerhouse and a team leader wear a maid outfit was a bit uncalled for. She tried to comfort her: “Don’t worry, I won’t tell the others you wore it when we get back.”

Is that what I meant? Is it?!

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