The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu looked into her eyes and remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his tone slightly slower than before, but his meaning was clear. "I'm going to hunt some high-level monsters. If you come with me, the pace will be different, and it might actually be dangerous."

He didn't say "You can't keep up with me" or "You're too weak".

But Lin Xiaohe understood.

Her eyes dimmed for a moment, but quickly brightened again. It wasn't the kind of bright light that comes from being ignited, but a deeper, more profound light, as if something had taken root deep within her heart.

She didn't argue, didn't say "I'm not afraid," or "I can keep up." She just nodded.

"Um."

Then she started taking things out of her backpack.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces... equipment, props, materials, scrolls, a dozen or twenty items, piled up on the ground in a small heap.

Some are white, some are green, and some even have a faint blue glow.

Su Mu was stunned for a moment. Had she racked up these numbers all day?

How many monsters would that require killing?

When Su Mu first met this woman, he thought she was just a college student who had just entered society and had no sense of caution.

How could things change so quickly? Accidents do make people grow, but the speed of this growth is too fast.

Su Mu's gaze swept over the pile of things on the ground.

Their levels are not high, so they are not very useful for his current needs.

But when Lin Xiaohe looked at him, her eyes held an eager anticipation, like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to check their homework.

Her fingers were still clenched on the hem of her clothes, her knuckles still white. Su Mu knew he couldn't leave empty-handed.

Knowing Lin Xiaohe's personality, if he didn't take anything, she would definitely feel that he looked down on her, that she was useless, and that his things were worthless. He thought that taking just one thing would be a way of returning the favor, and that way she would feel a little more at ease.

He crouched down, ready to grab something at random. His gaze swept over the pile of things and stopped.

A pendant. A silver-white chain, the pendant a small, pale green stone, about the size of a fingernail, with fine veins on its surface, as if carved. It shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Su Mu picked up the pendant, and a system notification popped up.

【Disguise Pendant (Green)】

【Type: Jewelry】

[Effect: Can block detection from items three levels or lower than the user's own level or of purple quality or lower.]

[Note: After wearing the device, the wearer's basic information will be obscured and cannot be obtained by detection methods below the effective condition.]

Su Mu's eyes lit up.

This thing solved one of his problems... his information was too easily detected.

Previously, Bai Liuxi's glasses and Zhang Peng's detector could directly read his level, profession, and even combat power assessment.

With this pendant, those who are three levels below him or whose detection methods are below purple quality will be unable to obtain his true information.

In this world where information is life itself, the value of this thing far exceeds what its grade can measure.

"This is very useful, I want this." Su Mu put the pendant into his pocket, his tone softer than before.

Lin Xiaohe's eyes lit up. No.

It wasn't the light that surged from beneath the ice before, but a more direct, purer kind of joy, like a child being praised. She nodded vigorously, the blush that had spread from her ears to her neck still lingering, but the corners of her mouth had already involuntarily turned up.

Su Mu put on the pendant, adjusted the chain length so the pendant was hidden under his collar. He stood up and dusted off his pants.

"Then I'll be going now," he said.

Lin Xiaohe nodded. She didn't say "be careful," "come back soon," or anything else.

She just stood there, watching him turn around, watching him walk through the crowd, watching his back recede into the distance.

Su Mu took a few steps without turning back.

He is not used to saying goodbye, nor is he good at comforting others.

He knew Lin Xiaohe wanted to come with him, but the place he was going to and the things he was facing were beyond her current level to handle. He couldn't take her with him, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.

Lin Xiaohe stood there, watching Su Mu's figure disappear into the crowd.

She still clutched the hem of her dress in her hand, her knuckles still white, but her eyes were no longer the empty, numb, indifferent look they once had. There was a flame in those eyes, small but steady, as if someone had pulled it from a nearly extinguished pile of ashes, added kindling, and reignited it.

She crouched down and carefully packed the pieces of equipment that Su Mu had rejected into her backpack.

Her movements were a little faster than before, her eyes were a little brighter, and there was a slight smile on her lips that she herself was unaware of.

She clenched her fists.

You must become stronger. Strong enough that next time, he won't say things like, "If you follow along, the rhythm is a little different."

......

Su Mu found a quiet spot, leaned against a broken cement pillar, and closed his eyes.

He originally wanted to grind some monsters, but gave up after observing the surroundings.

The level distribution of monsters in this area is completely mismatched with him... The highest level is only slightly above level seven, and most of them are level four or five mobs.

He's level 8, but the experience he gets from killing these monsters is pitifully low; killing a hundred of them isn't even enough to make the experience bar jump once.

Moreover, revealing his strength in such a crowded and conspicuous place would only attract unnecessary attention and trouble. It wasn't that he was afraid of trouble, but rather that he didn't want to waste his time on such meaningless trouble.

There is an abandoned staff dormitory building on the outskirts of the power plant. Most of the rooms are empty, the doors and windows are broken, and the walls are peeling, but it is quiet.

Su Mu chose a room on the second floor at the corner, with the window facing the direction of the power plant, where he could see the hazy horizon in the distance.

He put his backpack in the corner, sat down against the wall, and closed his eyes.

He was enjoying a rare moment of leisure and wanted to take a short rest.

Having fought my way from the zoo, my physical strength has almost recovered, but my mind has been constantly on edge, and I haven't really been able to relax much. The military camp is now the safest place in the area; at least I don't have to worry about monsters suddenly attacking from behind.

He had only closed his eyes for less than two minutes when his body suddenly tensed up.

A sense came from a certain direction, not a sound, not a smell, but something more primal, more instinctive, as if etched into one's genes.

That feeling... was like when he first smelled the egg liquid, every cell was screaming "Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!"... even stronger than that, so strong that his body reacted without his brain's permission.