Chapter 397 Encounter of Masters

Another night.

But this night was quite ordinary, and Xia Xinyan wasn’t as out of sorts as the previous night.

Because they spent tonight in the Dark Zone.

Since the expedition was already on the agenda, extensive preparations had to begin, and the focus of the Chicks shifted to the Dark Zone.

As for whether the shift in focus to the Dark Zone would lead to another surprise attack like the one in the real world, there was no need to worry too much—major powers would undoubtedly not trip over the same stone twice; otherwise, they wouldn’t be major powers. The invasion incident in Linjiang City had sounded an alarm for all factions, and until the mastermind was identified, everyone was enhancing their defenses in the real world.

With Linjiang City at the forefront, several major forces had reached a temporary collaboration to ensure that at all times, at least one faction’s main force was present in the real world. Even if other factions prioritized the Dark Zone, there wouldn’t be a situation where strongholds in the real world turned into ghost towns—initially, they never thought anyone would dare strike at their comrades under the current circumstances, but now it was under consideration.

Perhaps due to this incident, tight connections between major powers had inadvertently formed, which also laid a foundation for the expedition.

As for the Ability Bureau, they concentrated all their efforts on tracking down the mastermind behind the Linjiang City invasion. They were uncertain about the means the mastermind employed that caused such a significant impact and whether those guys could replicate the operation, so the internal atmosphere of the Ability Bureau was relatively tense until this enormous hidden threat was eliminated.

However, this atmosphere had remarkably stabilized society, as small chaotic and evil factions that liked to fish in troubled waters refrained from causing trouble during this period. Otherwise, they could end up as ashes, making this the safest time since the Cataclysm had struck.

But the movements in reality were no less than those in the Dark Zone.

Under the fat man’s method of management, the Eagles Alliance’s cohesion had grown stronger, and after strictly punishing and expelling several unruly affiliate factions, other faction members had settled down quite a bit.

The alliance network had also been officially established, which became a significant advantage of the Eagles Alliance compared to other major powers—driven by interests and bounty task rewards, even without orders, many people were willing to voluntarily venture into the hazardous areas of the Dark Zone for information gathering, which was entirely different from the passive dispatching of other factions.

Moreover, with Xia Xinyan having a general memory of the Demon Stronghold, their intelligence-gathering results surpassed those of other factions.

It seemed everything was proceeding according to Xia Xinyan’s plan.

—Except for her relationship with Ling Mo.

Ever since that day, Xia Xinyan felt a bit nervous every night.

She always sensed that Ling Mo wanted to overpower her.

However, up until now, Ling Mo hadn’t taken any further actions.

This left Xia Xinyan quite conflicted, feeling as if she was outsmarting thin air; if things continued on this path, before Ling Mo truly overpowered her, she might end up crumbling herself.

It wasn’t a viable solution.

She felt she should talk to Ling Mo—she could no longer guess his thoughts, and that was why she was always overthinking, and Ling Mo’s attitude in bed indeed made her unable to decipher, so… regardless of whether he wanted to overpower her or not, she felt she deserved a definite answer.

In any case, it would be painful regardless.

So why not just be straightforward.

Thus, on a starry night, she rarely managed to calm herself down.

Her bed was near the window, and sitting on it allowed her to admire the starry sky. The scene reminded her of a soothing power she had experienced in her previous home.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Mo returned from his shower, climbed onto the bed beside her, and gently asked, “Can’t sleep?”

“Not really tired,” Xia Xinyan shook her head and habitually leaned against him. “The night sky is beautiful.”

Ling Mo smiled slightly: “Yeah…”

He remembered their first exploration of the Dark Zone, when they first found their home in the Dark Zone; that night was just as beautiful.

Xia Xinyan narrowed her eyes and muttered, “Mo Mo, do you want to marry me?”

Ling Mo paused.

Then he nodded: “Yes.”

How could he not want to?

It’s just not the right time yet.

Although everything seemed peaceful on the surface in reality, beneath it lay hidden currents, with the looming threat of another eruption, and the Dark Zone world was full of dangers; the expedition was already on the agenda, and various factions were commencing further interactions. Even the Chicks received an invitation as the leader of the Eagles Alliance, which proved that the Eagles Alliance had been completely recognized by this level of existence.

It also represented that greater things were about to happen.

In this context, he wouldn’t propose to Xinyan.

He wanted to give Xinyan a wedding filled with beautiful memories—including the entire process from the proposal to marriage. He didn’t want anything unfriendly to interrupt that, so he wanted to wait until everything was settled before preparing for the proposal.

Having waited this long, waiting a little longer was no rush.

Xia Xinyan didn’t think that far ahead.

She just continued to ask, “So… do you want to… sleep with me?”

She didn’t know how to ask this question anymore, so she decided to go for a direct approach; if she could get Ling Mo’s answer, then it would be a success.

Then she successfully caught Ling Mo off guard: “Cough cough cough… Xinyan… why such a sudden question?”

“I just want to know your real thoughts.” Xia Xinyan tilted her head to look at him, her expression very serious.

Ling Mo met her gaze for a moment but then returned the question to her: “Then, is Xinyan willing to give it to me?”

Xia Xinyan: “…”

This guy…

After a moment of silence, she responded: “I am willing.”

The scene was quiet for two seconds.

Then Ling Mo suddenly embraced her, pushing her down onto the bed, pinning her down.

Xia Xinyan was taken aback and instantly transformed into a black cat.

Ling Mo seemed to have anticipated she would do this. As he pounced on her, he used his arm to prop himself up, preventing her from squashing herself after transforming, maintaining this position while staring into the eyes of the black cat that lay beneath him, which was wide-eyed and looking nervous.

Then he smiled: “Heh, Xinyan isn’t being honest.”

Xia Xinyan paused for a moment, flicked her cat tail: “That’s because you were too sudden just now…”

“Because Xinyan’s reaction is very cute,” Ling Mo continued laughing, “Alright, change back, I won’t do anything to Xinyan.”

Xia Xinyan stared at him for a moment, then hesitantly transformed back into her human form.

The cat belonged to one of the catgirl forms, so when becoming human, she would default to the catgirl stance and would need to dispel her abilities again to return to an ordinary person’s appearance.

However, before she could react, Ling Mo suddenly reached out—grabbed her tail.

“Yah—?!”