A single-player post-apocalyptic game, but with an all-female teammate mod.

"I'm going to clear out some monsters further away and also search for supplies."

"Oh..." Dudu nodded somewhat disappointedly.

She really wanted to go with them, but she knew it would be a burden to Aono.

Seeing how well-behaved and sensible she was, Aono was extremely gratified.

He brought Dudu along today and helped her level up so many times in one go, partly to free himself up.

After gaining access to the flamethrower, Dudu now has the ability to protect herself even when encountering elite monsters.

The scattered monsters near the Ark are perfect for her to clear out, allowing her to level up and hone her combat skills.

Aono can efficiently explore the map and clear monsters all by herself.

Get more in one fell swoop.

As they chatted, they unknowingly returned to the Ark.

Looking at the familiar energy shield, Qingye felt a moment of disorientation.

"Why do you feel like you got back so quickly today?"

"Of course it's because you've gotten stronger, Aono-nii."

Dudu finally relaxed completely and laughed, "We encountered a monster on the road, and before I could even react, you had already taken care of it."

"That's part of the reason, but I think it's more about having you with me."

Aono spoke from the heart.

Walking alone through the desolate ruins, time seemed to solidify like asphalt, each step so sticky it was suffocating.

With someone to talk to by my side, the half-hour journey felt like only a few minutes.

But to a young girl in her prime, these words took on a different meaning.

Her small face, covered in dust and bloodstains, inappropriately flushed with a thin layer of red, burning from her cheeks all the way to her ears.

His gaze frantically fell, fixed on the blue embroidered cloth shoes.

Her slender fingers gripped the stone spear shaft, her knuckles turning slightly white, before she released them.

They subconsciously rubbed and played with each other's index fingers, as if trying to hide the turmoil in their hearts.

The evening breeze blew by, ruffling her disheveled hair, but it couldn't dispel the warmth in her heart.

……

The last rays of the setting sun have faded.

Inside the Ark, following the principle of ladies first, Qingye took a refreshing shower in the bathroom after Dudu finished washing up.

This free time would have been perfect for the young cook to prepare dinner.

However, it's not necessary for the next few days.

With so much fried rice, it would take three or four days to eat it three times a day.

After taking a shower, Qingye washed and dried her clothes together with Dudu's clothes, then returned to the living room with a towel tied around her waist.

Although it's called a living room, it also serves as the captain's room and bedroom.

Currently, the captain's cabin consists of only two rooms.

There are two rooms: one with a large bed and a control panel, and the other with a bathroom for showering and using the toilet.

The captain's cabin contained only a bed; there wasn't even a table, let alone a chair.

Even if Aono wanted to keep her distance, she couldn't.

Not to mention he doesn't want to keep his distance.

He walked a few steps and sat down by the bed.

Qingye was at the head of the bed, while Dudu, wrapped in a sheet, sat at the foot of the bed.

Both of them only had one set of clothes, and until the clothes dried, they could only grab whatever was available to cover themselves.

Last night, Dudu asked him to put on clothes, but he ignored her and chose to cover his private parts with the blanket, which was for the same reason.

The two sat on the edge of the bed, speechless for a moment.

After staring at each other for a moment, Dudu couldn't take it anymore.

Her face flushed, and she looked away from Aono's handsome face.

Instead, it landed on his tall, strong body, which had become robust and powerful through repeated battles.

He doesn't have the exaggeratedly bulging muscles of a fitness model, but every muscle is like a steel wire that has been forged through countless trials—lean, sharp, and full of explosive power.

Broad shoulders connect to a smooth back line, with a deep spinal groove that rises and falls slightly with each breath.

His arms weren't frighteningly thick, but blue veins snaked beneath his skin.

What attracted Dudu's attention the most were the scars on Qingye's body.

On the left scapula, a hideous claw mark almost pierced through the entire shoulder and back.

That was a memento left from an early attack by elite mycelium zombies.

The skin and flesh were rolled up, and although they had long since healed, they still maintained an arrogant posture.

The scar did not diminish Qingye's charm; instead, it gave him an extra sense of primal and wild oppressiveness.

But soon, something even more ferocious and monstrous caught the girl's attention.

Because of her posture, most of Koono, who was fast asleep, peeked out from under the bath towel.

"That's really exaggerated..."

Whether in a dream or witnessed with my own eyes, this is not the first time.

But she quickly lowered her head, her ear tips turning slightly red, and muttered something unconsciously.

Only then did Aono belatedly realize that she had exposed herself.

Sorry, I didn't notice.

Just like yesterday, he was very calm, only a hint of helplessness appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He really didn't mean it.

Since he came into this world, he has been basically naked at home at night.

One reason is that there are no clothes to change into.

Besides, there's no one else around anyway.

To avoid frightening the naive young girl, Aono finished speaking and began to straighten the bath towel, covering the sleeping dragon again.

After tidying up, he took the initiative to start a conversation and break the awkward silence.

"Dudu, aren't you hot wrapped up like that?"

The temperature inside the ark is constant, always maintained at 25 degrees Celsius.

It's not very intelligent, but there's nothing we can do about it, since Ark is only level 1 at the moment.

"It's...it's alright."

Dudu dared not look directly at Qingye; the scene just now was indeed too stimulating for a young virgin.

"How can you eat like this?"

As he spoke, Aono took out several plates of fried rice from his backpack.

"I'll eat in the kitchen."

Dudu had obviously thought of this beforehand, and asked Qingye to help put her portion on the kitchen table.

"Brother Qingye, you can't come in until I've finished eating."

"Good good."

Looking at the girl's slightly flushed cheeks, Aono really wanted to tease her, but in the end he thought better of it.

If such jokes are not handled with care, they can easily become vulgar and offensive.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how old Dudu is this year... Judging from her figure, she's definitely older than 14..."

Without a table, Aono sat on the edge of the bed, eating fried rice with eggs while idly thinking.

In the anime "Cooking Master Boy," Dudu was only fourteen years old at the beginning, just the age when she wouldn't be sentenced to death.

After that, she traveled around China with Little Master, which must have been several years later.

Aono can no longer recall the specifics.

It's been almost twenty years since I last read it, and I hadn't really watched it systematically back then.

After finishing the last bite of fried rice, Aono put the strange question out of his mind.

It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I didn't really care.

Back when he was playing mods, he saw quite a few legal loli characters.

A few minutes later, Dudu, wrapped in a bed sheet, took small, laborious steps and made her way back to the captain's cabin.

When she came in, she just saw Aono close his personal panel.

Checking his personal panel and backpack every night before bed to tally his gains is a habit of his.

Since I had already checked it once today and was stuck at a certain level, I was able to view the panel very quickly.

He mainly checked the various materials and supplies in the backpack.

"We've almost got all the materials needed to upgrade the Ark, except for one material called Symbiotic Seed..."

"This thing should also be dropped by monsters, but I've never gotten one before."

"Could it be a special material that only drops from bosses? If so, where are the bosses...?"

Dudu didn't disturb Qingye's thoughts, but instead opened her own personal panel to take a look.

She had accepted it, but every time she saw it, she still found it incredibly magical.

------

Name: Zhou Meili

Occupation: Chef

Level: 6 (565/600)

Talents: Ultimate taste (rare), First-class Chinese cuisine (legendary)

Talent effect: (folded)

Combat strength: 18

Trust value: 69% (Bonus: None)

------

The girl's gaze finally settled on the talent section.

In her memory, she herself had only average talent in cooking, while the people around her, whether her father or her friends, were all more talented than her.

Deep down, she longed to be able to cook delicious food and receive praise from her father and friends.

They just never showed it.

Because even if you say it, it won't change anything.

If you don't have talent, you don't have talent. No matter how hard you try, you can't make the food taste better.

Not to mention it glows.

But after arriving in this world, she possessed an extraordinary talent for cooking.

I made fried rice with eggs last night, partly because I was hungry, and partly because I wanted to try it out.

13. Boundary

"I never imagined that my wish would come true in this way..."

Dudu tossed her long, orange-red hair, still damp with moisture, and sighed softly, "It's a bit of a pity that we can't surprise Dad and the others."