Chapter 365: It’s Not Cowardice

Xie Ning stared at it, her gaze gentle. "Like, say, biting me at the critical moment? Would something like that happen?"

Little Spider was about to freak out.

"Imposshible!" Its electronic voice was trembling and timid.

’Seriously, Master is just too shcary!’

’Her chilly gaze looked a bit like... she was thinking of getting rid of it ahead of schedule.’

Little Spider scrambled forward, its two small claws desperately clinging to one of Xie Ning’s fingers. "I shwear! Future will never, ever betray Master!"

Xie Ning raised an eyebrow, gently patting Little Spider’s hard metal shell. "I know. Future is my capable little helper. I like you very much too, Future."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm," Little Spider responded. "Master, would you like to learn about o-other things? Like potions?"

"A Beauty Potion?"

"No-shir!" Little Spider’s voice cracked with excitement. "How could I posshibly help Master redeem such a useless item? It’s an enhancement potion! A potion that can boost your physical abilities for a limited time with no side effects."

"Future, you really are my good little helper."

"Mm-hm, Future is super useful! I can help Master achieve any dream! For sure."

’So terrifying. Master Ningning’s glare just now was clearly the look of someone about to ’take care’ of it...’

’I shwear, I will imposshibly have any disloyal thoughts!’

’Unless I want to die!’

’Ending up with a Master like this is exhausting.’

’She’s very strong, but her mind works differently from other Masters.’

’Very shcary!’

’I get the feeling that if those idiots from the X Realm face off against Master Ningning, not a single one of them will meet a good end.’

’So there’s nothing wrong with me pledging my allegiance to my Master early on!’

’This is called... adapting to the times, being pragmatic, and understanding the situation! Yes, that’s it.’

’This isn’t being a wimp, this is being a genius!’

Little Spider silently retracted the revolving Dimensional Space, skittered over to the head of the bed, and flopped down by the pillow with a sigh of relief.

’Good thing my moves were as fierce as a tiger’s. I managed to save my own skin from Master Ningning!’

’It’s all the fault of those morons from the X Realm. Couldn’t they have gone and tormented some other Earth people? They just had to pick a fight with my Master, who’s not to be trifled with.’

’They must have a death wish!’

’A genius like me would never pick a fight with someone ten thousand times stronger than myself!’

’Even if you’re looking to die, you have to choose the right path. Otherwise, you might not even get a chance to reincarnate.’

Wearing the unrestrictive Protective Clothing, Xie Ning rolled around on her bed and glanced at her phone.

’Oh, it’s almost one in the morning. I need to get to sleep.’

’I have a lot to do tomorrow.’

Xie Ning closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

With no further interruptions for the next few hours, Xie Ning slept soundly until dawn.

The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was check her phone, as usual.

9:30 AM!

Xie Ning shot out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and padded to the bathroom to wash up. "Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?"

’I still have to go relieve Comrade Xiao Gu on the city wall.’

"Master Ningning, you were sleeping so soundly. I felt I should let you wake up naturally."

Xie Ning was speechless. She finished washing up at top speed, wiped her hands haphazardly, and grabbed a carton of milk and a piece of bread from the table. Tearing open the bread’s wrapper with her teeth, she mumbled with it still in her mouth, "We now..."

She opened the door and came face-to-face with a frantic Song Shijun.

"Sis, something’s happened!" Song Shijun yelled, his mouth agape. "A base patrol squad leader is downstairs! He said a zombie horde attacked the base last night. Now all able-bodied adults are being summoned to the front lines!"

Xie Ning nodded repeatedly while chewing her bread. "Let’s go down and take a look."

Song Shijun followed Xie Ning downstairs, pounding on Song Kexin’s and Song Youzhi’s doors as he ran. "Uncle, Sis, hurry out!"

Song Kexin, decked out in full gear, yanked her door open and looked at them with a solemn expression. "Is this okay?"

Xie Ning saw that she had put a huge down jacket on over her windbreaker, making herself look like a bundled-up bear. The corner of Xie Ning’s mouth twitched.

"Aren’t you going to get hot when the fighting starts?"

Song Kexin flung open her down jacket, revealing two K30s and various other projectiles hanging from her waist.

The three of them hurried downstairs to find Wang Zongxuan, Ji Taixian, and the others already gathered in the living room.

"Why are you two back?" Xie Ning glanced at them.

"There’s trouble at the base. How could we stay home?" Both of them had gone home to check on their families over the past few days. Since everything was fine there, they had nothing to worry about.

With a major incident like this at the base, they were determined to act alongside their squad.

"Comrade, just tell us how we can help," Song You’ai said to a member of the patrol team at the door.

The squad leader said with a grave expression, "First, come with us to the public square. You’ll be assigned to a specific unit there."

"Alright, alright."

"Civilians and the elderly should stay here for now. Wait for orders from the higher-ups."

"Grandpa, Grandma, don’t you worry. Lock the doors. We should be back tonight." Xie Ning gave the elderly couple a few instructions, then went behind the door, grabbed several backpacks, and tossed them to her teammates who were heading for the front line.

It had become second nature for them to repack their backpacks every time they returned. When not in use, the bags were all stored on a rack behind the door.

This way, they didn’t need to repack when it was time to leave. They were grab-and-go bags, containing everything they needed, including the replenishment water that Superpower Users required.

The grandmother watched worriedly as everyone rushed out. She locked the door, went back inside, and exchanged a glance with her husband.

Su Xiyue and Zhu Nanxing sat side by side on the sofa. "Don’t worry, Grandma," Su Xiyue said softly. "My sister and the others will be fine, I’m sure of it."

The grandmother smiled and nodded, then turned to her youngest daughter. "Let’s prepare the vegetables. They’ll be exhausted when they get back tonight. We should cook a nice big meal for them to recover."

"Okay." Song Youxuan also felt uneasy. Keeping her hands busy was better than sitting in the living room letting her mind wander.

Zhu Nanxing whispered, "Yueyue, we can go help too."

"We’d better not go out and cause trouble right now," Su Xiyue whispered back. "If the situation changes later, then we can go."

Young Zhu Nanxing nodded. A mass of what looked like quicksand materialized in his small, clenched fist. "Yueyue, I can protect you."

The moment Xie Ning and the others stepped outside, a biting chill swept over them.

The temperature was still around ten degrees below zero Celsius. The thick snow and ice on the roadsides had yet to melt, and the air was frigid.

Xie Ning wore a short, form-fitting down jacket, unlike the bulky, bear-like Song Kexin.

Song Kexin glanced at her sister. It felt like Xie Ning was floating as she walked, swift and nearly effortless.

She looked down at her own "bear paws," which were covered in thick gloves, and silently quickened her pace to catch up.

"Xinxin, have some chocolate." Ji Taixian, walking beside her, stealthily tore open a small chocolate wrapper and popped the candy into her mouth.