My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 78

Mu Ning was indeed addicted to fishing. By the time noon approached and Chen Gu and the others came to find her with their bags overflowing with loot, she was almost in a trance. She didn’t even want to go through the trouble of returning to the base for lunch; she wanted to stay by the shore, grab a quick bite, and continue fishing through the afternoon.

This proposal was immediately met with a protest from Ren Chenxi. Eating a makeshift lunch at the beach was one thing, but Tantan had been left behind in the small villa at the base! If she didn’t go back, what would happen to Tantan, who had already grown accustomed to having several meals a day?

Mu Ning had no choice but to call over the group, who were all happily shoveling seafood, to pack up. They would head back to the base for a short rest and then return to the beach in the afternoon.

Ren Chenxi didn’t quite know what face to make when she heard that Mu Ning wanted to come back in the afternoon! In just one morning, Mu Ning had caught seven Level 4 mutant fish, nine Level 5 mutant fish, and four Level 6 mutant fish. Since the Level 8 overlord octopus had vanished from this region of the South Sea, the other mid-level sea creatures—who were supposed to be its prey—were now competing fiercely. They were killing and devouring each other in a desperate race to grow and become the next high-level ruler of these waters.

There is a significant hurdle when moving from mid-level to high-level. It’s not an easy gap to cross, which is why the fish Mu Ning caught that morning was mostly mid-level—Grades 5 and 6. Such a harvest made Chen Gu and his team green with envy. However, they lacked Mu Ning’s Level 6 strength and her long vines. No matter how much they coveted the big catch, they had to suppress their greed and focus on digging up the low-level seafood on the beach.

It wasn’t just the Level 3 ability users like Zhang Tongqi; even the ordinary people without powers, like Huo Keyu and Du Tian, had shoveled up a significant amount of shellfish. Naturally, the seafood caught by Huo Keyu’s group was mostly Level 1 and 2, while the Level 3 ability users targeted Level 3 mutant seafood.

Before boarding the bus, everyone carried one or several plastic bags. Some of the seafood inside was still alive, so Ren Chenxi couldn’t very well help put them directly into her backpack. In fact, Mu Ning hadn’t intended for Ren Chenxi to store them yet. According to Mu Ning’s plan, they would carry the morning’s catch back as is. Each person would keep the crystal nuclei from the seafood they caught, and only after everything was processed and bagged would it be stored in Ren Chenxi’s space.

This proposal was met with unanimous approval. Besides, on the way back, they might encounter other groups returning to the base. If everyone else had visible harvests while their team appeared empty-handed, it would only invite suspicion.

As it happened, they didn’t run into any other successful scavenging teams at the base entrance. Instead, on the way back, they encountered Qi Sheng and his group resting and grilling fish in a small roadside grove.

Spotting the familiar bus, Qi Sheng greeted Mu Ning warmly and even invited her to join them for lunch. From the sound of it, they planned to rest by the sea for the noon hour and continue scavenging all afternoon. In the apocalypse, food was the most vital resource. Instead of wandering aimlessly looking for supplies or hunting land beasts, any sane person would choose to stay where food was literally scattered all over the ground.

After a morning of cautiously picking up seafood, Qi Sheng had confirmed that the dangerous octopus was truly gone. Only then did he feel safe enough to let his brothers go wild on that stretch of beach. The morning’s harvest had left them exhilarated; they were reluctant to leave, wanting to stockpile as much as possible while the beach remained safe. Processing it for rations was one goal, but the crystal nuclei inside the seafood were equally important.

In fact, many teams like Qi Sheng’s were blinded by the massive harvest and were unwilling to leave the shore at noon. Some didn’t even want to leave the sand to eat, choosing to sit right there, gnawing on dry rations or eating raw seafood sashimi before greedily searching for anything others might have missed. The weather was turning colder; once autumn passed and the long winter arrived, the ensuing cold and hunger would be terrifying.

As Qi Sheng greeted Mu Ning, Wei Yuze slowed the bus down. However, in that brief moment as the bus passed, Qi Sheng’s sharp senses picked up on Mu Ning’s power level.

“Why can’t I sense your level anymore? Did you rank up? How did you do it?”

Qi Sheng didn’t mince words. In the apocalypse, every ability user instinctively pursued higher levels. Seeing someone who was previously at his own level suddenly jump ahead made it impossible not to care.

Faced with Qi Sheng’s question, Mu Ning signaled Wei Yuze to stop the bus. She hadn’t seen Qi Sheng since she reached Level 6. Even when Huo Keyu and the others went out at night, she had stayed home. Mu Ning knew her advancement would be discovered sooner or later, so she figured it was better to use this opportunity to provide a plausible explanation.

“We were attacked by a Level 6 mutant fish on the beach back there.”

“A Level 6 mutant fish?”

“Yes. Ren Chenxi and I teamed up to restrain it, but the process was extremely dangerous. Likely due to the excessive consumption of energy during the fight, we both leveled up in the process.”

As soon as Mu Ning finished speaking, Qi Sheng snapped his head around to look at Ren Chenxi on the other side of the bus. Hearing Mu Ning’s cue, Ren Chenxi cooperated perfectly by placing a Level 6 mutant fish at the back of the bus. When Qi Sheng looked her way, she pointed toward the rear with a smile. “That Level 6 fish is right there.”

Following her finger, Qi Sheng indeed saw a massive mutant fish lying at the back. It was nearly as wide as the bus itself and half its length. For a moment, Qi Sheng’s expression was complex. He didn’t know whether to feel lucky that he hadn’t been attacked by a Level 6 monster, or to be envious that Mu Ning and Ren Chenxi had not only ranked up but also gained a Level 6 nucleus.

A Level 6 nucleus!

Glancing at the fish once more, Qi Sheng asked urgently, “That Level 6 nucleus, could you…”

“No!” Mu Ning cut him off before he could even finish the question. “Qi Sheng, you know as well as I do this is a Level 6 nucleus. I need it more than you do right now.”

“…”

Rejected so bluntly, Qi Sheng’s face soured momentarily. However, he didn’t press further. He knew that if he were in her shoes, he wouldn’t trade a Level 6 nucleus either. “Which beach were you on when you were attacked?”

“Keep going past the beach you were at this morning; it’s about another thirty minutes’ drive,” Chen Gu piped up helpfully on Mu Ning’s behalf. “Brother Sheng, our bus leaves pretty heavy tracks. If you follow the ruts, you should be able to find the beach where we were attacked.”

Hearing such a detailed answer and seeing the clear tire tracks on the dirt road, Qi Sheng stopped pestering Mu Ning. He gave a hearty wave and bid them farewell.

Ren Chenxi knew the reason Qi Sheng let them go so easily was twofold: first, it was “only” a Level 6 nucleus; second, he believed that if a Level 5 Mu Ning could kill a Level 6 fish, his own team could likely do the same.

If it had been a Level 8 nucleus, Qi Sheng would never have let a bus full of people leave so easily.

Back at the base and inside the villa, poor Tantan—who had been left behind began meowing incessantly the moment Ren Chenxi walked through the door. He sounded aggrieved, complaining, and clearly demanding compensation.

Ren Chenxi felt truly sorry for him. Usually, when everyone went out, one or two people would stay behind to keep him company, but this time, he had been truly alone. Hearing his rhythmic, sorrowful meows, her heart ached with guilt. She didn’t just slice a huge bowl of octopus for him; she even peeled two large mutant shrimp as well.

With such a massive bowl of seafood to soothe him, Tantan finally stopped his mournful crying and began purring happily over his lunch. Seeing him eat, Ren Chenxi felt relieved. As long as her compensation was enough to satisfy him, he would likely cooperate the next time he had to be left behind.

However, was this unilateral arrangement she made for Tantan actually good for him? After all, it was the apocalypse. Tantan wasn’t the soft, defenseless kitten he had been two years ago. Now, he was a Level 4 mutant cat with combat power comparable to a mutant leopard!

From the side, Mu Ning watched as Ren Chenxi cycled through sadness and sighing while looking at the cat. She suddenly spoke up: “When we go back to the beach this afternoon, let’s bring Tantan along.”

“Eh?”

Mu Ning’s suggestion caught Ren Chenxi off guard.

“Tantan is a mutant beast, no longer a kitten in a greenhouse. If you keep pampering and protecting him, you’ll smother his combat instincts. Have you thought about what would happen if, one day, you were forced to leave him behind again? Without you, how would he survive?”

“I won’t leave him again…” Ren Chenxi instinctively started to argue, but she cut herself off halfway. How could she be so sure? Before the apocalypse, she never thought a simple trip would separate them for two years. Now, in the apocalypse, the future was entirely unknown. Who could guarantee that another accident wouldn’t force them apart?

Ren Chenxi fell silent. Mu Ning studied the regretful and conflicted expression on her face and continued, “In the future, if the villa is empty when we go out, we should probably take Tantan with us. So, stop keeping him cooped up. Let’s take him to the beach this afternoon and see how he does.”

“But look at how much he loves seafood. If we get to the beach and he can’t control himself, what if he just charges into the ocean to catch fish? What then?” Ordinary cats might fear water, but Tantan hadn’t even feared it when he was a normal kitten—he didn’t even mind baths. Now that he had mutated, he’d probably go for a swim!

“It’s okay, I’ll keep an eye on him~” Seeing Ren Chenxi’s agitation, Mu Ning hurried to reassure her. “With my current strength, it’s easy to restrain him. I can control my vines to not grow thorns. If he doesn’t behave this afternoon, I’ll just tie him up and toss him back on the bus. Does that make you feel better?”

If it was Mu Ning… Ren Chenxi recalled how she had tightly bound the Level 8 octopus and the mid-level fish from that morning. She looked at the cat eating frantically and finally nodded.

Tantan was a mutant cat; she couldn’t keep him tethered to the house forever. Most of her own cards were for attacking or support; she didn’t have a way to restrain him without hurting him. But with Mu Ning’s vines helping, they could give Tantan a proper lesson if he misbehaved.

Tantan is going on an adventure!

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