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Chapter 008 Confession to Myself?

She really wanted to rest for a bit.

As “Realm of Divine Presence” entered its latter stages, the entire world was enveloped in a suffocating atmosphere. She used to have many friends, but not a single one could she confide in and let her guard down.

Sometimes she truly envied those who were paired off; perhaps they weren’t as strong as she was or couldn’t hold on until dawn, but at least in their last moments, they could embrace each other to greet death—was that not a different kind of eternal redemption?

Walking alone to the end was really exhausting.

Even after being reborn, facing so many changes, she found that she had to jump right back into making plans for her life without a moment’s pause; even a tightly wound spirit needed some relaxation.

She took off her shoes and sat on a large rock by the stream, dipping her legs into the water, the cold sensation made her let out a soft sigh.

It had been a while since she felt this comfortable.

Ling Mo stood behind her, somewhat at a loss.

“What are you dawdling for?” Xia Xinyan looked back at him and chuckled, “Come try, it’s really nice.”

Ling Mo hesitated, “Shouldn’t we be focusing on gathering supplies right now?”

“Ha… No need to rush, low-level dungeons can’t set up too many certain-death situations, plus we have an hour of prep time,” Xia Xinyan lightly swung her legs, enjoying the cool water flowing between them. “While playing a game, in addition to enjoying the target, one should also savor the game itself.”

Ling Mo thought for a moment and came to sit beside her, maintaining a little distance.

“Why sit so far away?” Xia Xinyan forcibly pulled him closer to her, leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder, causing Ling Mo to stiffen for a moment.

“Have you ever experienced this kind of feeling before?” she asked.

Of course not; he hadn’t even held a girl’s hand before.

Fool.

Ling Mo had no idea what she was thinking and only shyly replied.

“Well… from now on, you’ll get to experience this often.” Xia Xinyan took his hand, her voice soft, “I will become someone you can rely on, your girlfriend.”

Did she really want to date her past self?

Of course not.

She hadn’t even considered viewing herself as a girl.

The reason she was able to act so feminine now was simply because she had let go of many unnecessary persistences.

After dying once, many things became clear to her.

In this new life, her goal was quite simple—other than surviving the Cataclysm, it was also about making up for the regrets of her last life.

Make up for whom? Of course, it was this silly guy beside her.

She didn’t plan on using herself to feed this guy; she just wanted to train him to be less of a blockhead, so she wouldn’t end up unable to find a girlfriend herself—according to the system, as long as she completed its goals, she could become Ling Mo again and possess the memories from three perspectives: her past life, this life’s Xia Xinyan, and Ling Mo’s perspective.

Then, from the perspective of Ling Mo being trained, it might affect her future.

—At least that’s what the system said.

If that system dared to lie to her…

It seemed she didn’t really have any way to take revenge.

【The host’s thoughts are dangerous; the system advises the host not to doubt it. The system would never tell a lie.】

Is that so?

【It only causes bugs.】

“…”

She suddenly didn’t want to think that far ahead.

After reclining on Ling Mo for a while pretending to nap, she opened her eyes: “…Alright, I’ve rested enough. Time to go.”

“Just… just this little rest?” Ling Mo paused, “Not a bit more?”

Though he had been very interested in the game before, he couldn’t help but want to enjoy the feeling of a girl leaning on him a bit longer.

“No need,” Xia Xinyan knew exactly what this guy was thinking but didn’t plan on calling him out, “Now… I need you to help me with something.”

“What?”

“Help me…” She suddenly pulled her legs out of the stream and rested them on Ling Mo’s lap, “Wipe my feet dry~!”

A free rag shouldn’t go to waste.

Ling Mo was startled by her sudden move, feeling a mixture of confusion as he looked at the damp, fair legs resting on his stomach; he didn’t even know where to put his hands.

He had never initiated any intimacy with a girl before; the previous times were all due to Xia Xinyan approaching him first—now she wanted him to wipe her feet?

Really… is that okay?

“Don’t want to?” Xia Xinyan shook her legs.

Ah… what a drag this guy is.

He didn’t dare to take the leg benefits offered to him; why was he so timid?

Ling Mo was indeed a leg guy, and not just a leg guy—he once thought he was into small chests until he found out he also liked bigger ones, then he realized he was also interested in stockings, and eventually discovered he was a foot fetishist… in the end, he concluded he was just a plain old pervert.

But Xia Xinyan… her looks seemed to fit perfectly into his aesthetic, hitting all of his kinks, so facing her teasing him, Ling Mo felt uncertain about moving at all.

Such beautiful things often make one question their authenticity.

Like the dream from this morning.

He was afraid this might also be a dream, at least he wanted it to last longer.

Xia Xinyan gave up.

She realized she used to have lust without the guts, but didn’t expect to feel this scared.

This guy… training him seemed more complicated than she thought…

Casually drying her legs on his clothes, she put on her shoes and stood up: “Alright, let’s go. The sooner we get the supplies, the sooner we can relax.”

The first batch of supplies was generally not far from the players’ spawn point and was easy to obtain—also providing them with protection, so they wouldn’t be helpless if they encountered danger.

Inside a small black box were handguns and magazines packed to the brim.

There were five handguns in total, each a different model, including a Desert Eagle.

However, the magazines weren’t many; each handgun had only two matching magazines.

Additionally, there were some basic outdoor survival tools at the bottom of the box, such as knives and flint.

Though the bullets were few, these items ignited Ling Mo’s great interest as he picked up the Desert Eagle, his excitement resembling a man seeing his wife: “Whoa… this is actually a gun? The feel, the weight… amazing, I’m in love with this game.”

They say cars, guns, and balls are the three great loves of men, and Ling Mo was no exception; he had been a military buff for a long time, knowledgeable about various firearms, just shy of actually handling a real one.

So once he got a grip on it, he immediately showed off his skills: pulling the slide, loading the magazine, cocking it, and disengaging the safety—all in one smooth motion.

However, just as he was excitedly about to show off to Xia Xinyan, he noticed she had already taken a 1911 and was in firing position, firing three shots that hit unknown fruits on a nearby tree, and she seemed far more adept than him.

He was momentarily left in a daze.

Xia Xinyan naturally disengaged the safety and put the gun away, tilting her head at him with a slight smile: “In high school, my dad took me abroad to shoot real guns. It’s been a while since I used one; I’m a bit rusty.”

“…Oh.”