Chapter Fifty: An Abrupt Confession

Three days had passed, and during this time I had scarcely appeared before anyone. As the genetic ecological chain predicted, I had completely sunk into a life of leisure and comfort.

Each day, I lounged in my room, idly flipping through books from the Old Era, while Han Shuqing fed me peeled grapes, and the precocious little Chen Yunyun massaged my back and waist. To be honest, old Cao finally understood what it meant for a king to neglect his duties—every day, the big and the small beauties attended to me, granting me the luxury of having everything done for me. All that was missing was someone feeding me directly.

To use a cliché: after all these years fighting, is it so wrong to enjoy a bit of pleasure? Who knows how long I’ll live—stealing a moment of peace is no crime. Since awakening in the Ruined Era, I hadn’t enjoyed a single day of ease.

Strangely, these days Huo Bing hadn’t come looking for me either. Her father said she was busy recruiting new team members. Although Shen Dong was officially in charge, Huo Bing couldn’t resist supervising personally. Of course, the final selection still had to pass through Huo Tian.

Since Huo Tian and Shen Dong had resolved their previous conflict, the gathering zone had become entirely dominated by Huo Tian; no one dared disobey his orders.

“Mr. Cao… What would you like for lunch today?”

Han Shuqing sat quietly at the edge of the bed, close to me. This had become routine over these days. Not only had I stayed indoors, but Han Shuqing and her daughter rarely went out as well. Perhaps because of my significant contributions, we were exempted from the rule of using contribution points to buy supplies.

Whatever we needed, Huo Tian arranged for someone to deliver directly.

“Well, I trust your cooking. Make whatever you like, I’ll eat anything you prepare. But no matter how delicious, it can’t compare to you.” I glanced at the novel in my hands, “Wasteland of Eternal Night”—it looked quite good, but I wondered who the author was. If I knew, I’d give them a reward.

Unfortunately, the networks and signals of the Ruined Era were mostly dead; whatever I wished to do was impossible.

“Mr. Cao, you’re in such good health, Shuqing can barely keep up… You keep me up so late every night.” Han Shuqing’s cheeks suddenly flushed. Her daughter, Chen Yunyun, was still sprawled on the bed, likely not expecting me to speak so bluntly.

Watching this mature woman in her thirties blush, I felt a surge of delight—she was truly a rare treasure.

If she dressed up a bit, put on some makeup and certain uniforms, she would surely drive men wild.

Suddenly, I sensed a murderous aura. My nerves tensed, and I glanced over to see Chen Yunyun glaring at me. The little girl’s face was so red it seemed she might bleed. She shot me and Han Shuqing a huff, then ran off to the other room, clearly too embarrassed to stay on my bed.

“Mr. Cao… It’s all your fault for saying such things… Yunyun may be young, but she understands,” Han Shuqing pouted, though she didn’t seem angry.

I shook my head with a wry smile. “I’ll be more careful next time. Ah, I’ve corrupted a child. You go take care of your business.”

“All right.”

After a moment, someone knocked at the door outside.

I was too lazy to get up, so I used my sight to see through the door—it was Shen Dong.

“Come in, the door’s not locked.”

“Master! I haven’t seen you in days—I missed you to death!” Shen Dong wailed theatrically as he entered.

I sat up abruptly, scolding him, “What are you howling for! You nearly scared me to death!”

Han Shuqing happened to walk out from the kitchen, spoon in hand. She paused upon seeing Shen Dong, then greeted him, “Captain Shen…”

Shen Dong’s eyes darted, a bit embarrassed as he scratched his head. “So you… oh no, so Mistress is here…”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Shen Dong’s awkwardness. This guy used to curse so fiercely, but now he was so timid.

“Ah! I didn’t mean… You two talk, I’ll… I’ll go cook.” Han Shuqing whispered and hurried back into the kitchen, not daring to come out again.

“You brat, when did I ever agree to be your master? Our relationship isn’t that close. You used to be so hostile to me,” I said, picking up my teacup and teasing the uneasy Shen Dong.

Shen Dong gave a couple of dry chuckles, pulled up a stool beside me, and said, “I didn’t recognize greatness before, Master. Just think of it as me talking nonsense. But I was standing up for Brother Chen He—he’d just sacrificed himself, and his wife and kid… I’m not blaming you, Master, I’m blaming Uncle Huo. He’s too heartless!”

“What, you’re blaming my father for something?” Huo Bing suddenly appeared at the door, and, seeing it open, walked right in.

I struggled to keep from laughing at the pair. Oh, Shen Dong was truly a character.

“Xiao Bing! You’re here too… I’m not blaming anyone, just running my mouth—always saying the wrong thing. Let me explain, I absolutely meant no disrespect to Uncle Huo…” Shen Dong quickly stood up when he saw Huo Bing. Clearly, he was afraid of her.

“All right, all right. Why are you two great Buddhas visiting me together? Is the scavenger team selection finished?” I interrupted their impending argument.

Huo Bing and Shen Dong were quite different; perhaps she felt much closer to me, because after coming in, she sat right next to me.

“It’s done. Based on the weapons you brought back last time, after keeping some in reserve, we can arm sixty or seventy people. We recruited about that many, but the final approval is up to Uncle Huo; he wants to personally review each candidate,” Shen Dong explained.

Huo Tian’s review was necessary—he was the gathering zone’s leader, and this new team selection was critical. The firepower this time was many times greater than mere pistols; if these weapons fell into unreliable hands, disaster would follow.

Scavenger team members in the Solitary Land gathering zone had to have family; no loners were chosen. Those with loved ones had scruples—they’d want to return after going out. This was a common practice in most survivor zones.

“Master, I really want to thank you, but I have nothing good to offer right now. If I get the chance in the future, I’ll repay you, even if it costs me my life!” Shen Dong looked at me earnestly, speaking with dignity.

The boy’s blood ran hot.

“If you hadn’t helped me reconcile with Uncle Huo, I’d probably be dead by now. And Xiao Bing, you were ruthless enough to consider killing me—that really hurt.” Shen Dong snorted coldly but showed no sign of anger.

“Right! You’re not really trying to make Mistress mine, are you? Every time you see Master, you’re glued so close, as if you want to meld yourself into him.”

Huo Bing took a deep breath and snapped, “Shen Dong! No one thinks you’re mute if you keep your mouth shut! And yes, I do like Brother Cao! So what! I’m telling you, you’ll never have a chance in this lifetime, so give up! Ugh, you’re making me angry!”

Shen Dong hung his head, sighing repeatedly. His disappointment was genuine; it seemed he was really upset.

I coughed twice, pretending not to hear Huo Bing’s deliberate confession. At my age, I’d never had a girl confess to me before—how reckless.