Tao Shushu almost said “mama,” but fortunately, she reacted quickly and changed her words in time.

She hoped that the little one hadn’t heard that.

Tao Shushu glanced at the cub. The little one furrowed his brows, seeming to be deep in thought.

Tao Shushu thoughtfully tore the dried meat into small pieces and placed them by the cub’s hand, making sure not to disturb his train of thought.

Then, Tao Shushu went to the back of the truck to check and prepare some food for the cub.

Nan Yuan sat for a while, and to his surprise, she arranged the food and placed it by his side. Nan Yuan became even more frustrated. After he clarified that he was an adult, she stubbornly told him that adults still needed to eat.

What made it worse was that she had carefully torn the food into pieces and placed them by his hand, as if she were tending to a baby just learning to eat.

Nan Yuan’s expression immediately darkened further.

He was about to speak when he heard rustling sounds from the back of the truck.

She had run to the back of the truck.

Nan Yuan turned his head. Through the glass, he saw Cheng Feimao, an ability user with speed powers, struggling to reach for something while supporting his injured leg. Just as he was about to fall, it seemed like something propped him up. Cheng Feimao then shouted, “Hey, I almost fell just now, but then something suddenly supported me.”

Nan Yuan bit his lip and turned back around.

A few minutes later, Nan Yuan once again heard the girl’s excited voice: “Little one, there’s a medicine in the bag that works really well for treating external wounds. You should give some to them.”

Tao Shushu had just finished inspecting the little one’s small team. Although there were only about a hundred or so people, most of them were ordinary people without much combat ability. But since this was the little one’s first team, she had to make sure to nurture it well.

However, in the short time she spent inspecting, she heard several people mention that the little one looked too serious. While they were grateful, they didn’t dare to approach him. One person even shuddered every time they mentioned the little one.

Tao Shushu didn’t want these people to keep being scared of the little one. A leader needed to balance both kindness and authority.

So she decided that letting the little one distribute some medicine would be a good way to build rapport and bring them closer.

Nan Yuan paused for a moment. “Do you like Cheng Feimao?”

“Who?” Tao Shushu asked, confused.

“The speed-type ability user,” Nan Yuan said, his eyes briefly flashing with a sharp glint.

Tao Shushu couldn’t help but chuckle. So, the speed-type ability user was named Cheng Feimao. “Feimao” sounded like “flying legs,” and in the cartoonish image, his legs were really long. His name and ability were a perfect match.

“Legs are the most important part for a speed-type ability user. He was injured by you yesterday and then he was shot by an arrow. He needs proper treatment. Just give them some medicine,” Tao Shushu said.

“We gave him the medicine yesterday. The distribution of medicine is based on their own plan,” Nan Yuan replied.

Tao Shushu noticed a crying emoji appear above Nan Yuan’s head.

Ah! Cub was upset.

Tao Shushu went back to check the event logs and finally realized that many people had been injured while fending off the beasts last night. Nanyuan had distributed all the medicine, and because there wasn’t enough, everyone had been using it sparingly—just casually wrapping superficial wounds, saving the good medicine for serious injuries.

Seeing the cub’s dark expression…

Tao Shushu belatedly realized that although her intention had been to encourage the cub to interact more with others, from his perspective, didn’t it look like he shared the medicine with others, and she still suspected him of hoarding it and refusing to share?

If it had been her being suspected, she’d probably have flipped the table on the spot.

But the cub’s expression just darkened.

“Cub—” Tao Shushu poked Nanyuan’s arm.

“My name is Nanyuan,” Nanyuan said.

Alright then. Clearly, Cub was really angry—he was even starting to emphasize his name.

“Cub Nan Yuan, I was thinking that since Cheng Feimao runs fast, once he’s healed, he can help run errands and scout ahead for you. Of course, in my heart, you come first.”

But the darkness in Nanyuan’s eyes only deepened. She still called him “Cub,” yet she remembered Cheng Feimao’s name in one go. And if he wasn’t mistaken, there was even a hint of a smile in her voice when she said “Cheng Feimao.”

After trying to comfort him, Tao Shushu noticed that a crying emoji had popped up again in the dialogue box above the cub’s head.

Cub was very emotional right now. Tao Shushu thought for a moment and decided to stick with logic. “Nanyuan.”

Tao Shushu had long been used to calling him “Cub,” so afraid she might accidentally let it slip again, she deliberately put extra weight on the name “Nanyuan.”

After managing to say his name correctly, Tao Shushu continued, “Look at them all, laughing and chatting. If you share things with them, you’ll gradually build connections. I just don’t want you to be lonely. When I’m not with you, I hope you’ll still have someone by your side.”

The girl’s voice by his ear no longer carried its usual lightness. Nanyuan couldn’t see her expression, nor could he figure out what emotions were hidden in her tone.

When he heard her say she didn’t want him to be lonely, Nanyuan had originally wanted to say—

He wasn’t lonely.

He had her.

Others didn’t know—but he could hear her, and he could feel her presence.

But then, Nanyuan suddenly remembered: she had only appeared a few days ago.

For a long time before that, he had been all alone, struggling to survive on that desolate star.

She cared about him. Even if that care felt a bit like how a parent fussed over a child’s social life—even her tone sounded like she was explaining things to a kid.

But he was afraid of losing her.

She said she couldn’t always be there with him.

If he wasn’t obedient enough, not as cute as the human cub she imagined—

Would she stop wanting him?

Nanyuan said, “You can call me Cub, if you like.”

Tao Shushu had no idea why her Cub suddenly jumped back to the topic of names, but she immediately replied, “Okay, Cub!”

Her voice turned light and cheerful again when she called him that.

So she really did see him as a little kid.

Nanyuan quietly ate his food like a good boy, but deep down, he was already thinking—

He would slowly prove to her…

that he wasn’t a child anymore.

“Cub, I’ll bring you some good food next time,” Tao Shushu wanted to improve his meals, but unfortunately, there weren’t many coins left, and she had to keep some for emergencies. She didn’t dare to spend recklessly.

“This is already very good,” Nanyuan said. He spoke sincerely—food was scarce in the apocalypse, and the fact that he hadn’t been devoured by starving wolves but instead could eat wolf meat was already quite fortunate. If it weren’t for her, he would have died when surrounded by the bloodthirsty grass.

Tao Shushu gently ruffled the cub’s hair. He really was a good kid.

Thinking that maybe Cub didn’t like interacting with others, Tao Shushu didn’t insist on him going to the back of the vehicle to take a look.

But after finishing the food, he suddenly stopped the vehicle and went to the back to check.

Standing next to her cub, Cheng Feimao, who had speed-based abilities, looked a bit comical.

They were the same height.

But Cheng Feimao’s legs were disproportionately long, while his torso and head were short, creating a strange proportion.

Cub, on the other hand, had perfect proportions.

Tao Shushu couldn’t help but laugh as she took a screenshot. She nudged Cheng Feimao’s ridiculously long legs.

“Ah.” Cheng Feimao awkwardly grabbed the edge of the vehicle. “My leg suddenly itched a bit.” After saying that, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his back; it felt hard to breathe.

Once he sat down, the feeling eased. “I think I’ll stop trying to do the work. I’ll rest more.” He said this without noticing anything wrong.

“Mm.” Nanyuan nodded, casually adjusting his clothes, revealing his legs hidden beneath his loose hoodie.

He had kept his evolved hearing active to catch any movements around her, so the moment she touched Cheng Feimao’s leg, he knew.

Tao Shushu didn’t pay any attention to the small details on the little figure’s clothes.

Seeing her cub kindly helping the injured Cheng Feimao, Tao Shushu felt deeply relieved. Cub was thoughtful and kind—despite Cheng Feimao having attacked him before, Cub held no grudge.

“Beautiful inside and out,” that was exactly what her cub was.

After he finished checking on the people in the three compartments and returned to the truck’s driver’s seat alone, Tao Shushu gently rubbed his head.

Watching as Cub set the direction for the autopilot driving system,Tao Shushu asked, “Cub, where should we go to find the base?”

The spaceport on the desolate star was established over 100 years ago, but Nanyuan didn’t mention the textbook knowledge about it.

He simply explained, “The spaceport is the most technologically advanced place on the planet. Desolate stars are known for their precious mineral resources, and every such planet with a spaceport builds underground chambers to store the mined minerals. Lin Wei had once sent people to search, but they never found a way to enter.”

“Then, Cub, let’s head towards the spaceport.” Tao Shushu strongly supported her cub’s decision. She hadn’t forgotten that they still had the mission of finding a safe base.

The mission reward was a spaceship, and the spaceship had to take off from the spaceport. Tao Shushu was certain that this direction was the right one.

At this moment, a message popped up on the screen:

[Side Mission 5: Help Cub reach the spaceport safely. Mission reward: 20 gold coins, 1 sobriety card.]

“We’re about 20 kilometers from the spaceport,” Nanyuan said.

Tao Shushu thought to herself, since the side mission had popped up, it meant there would likely be obstacles on the way. Sure enough, the road became increasingly difficult as they went further.

The buildings on the desolate star were concentrated around the spaceport, but most of them had collapsed and now blocked the main roads.

Nanyuan stopped the vehicle, opened the door, and got out to survey the road.

The other vehicles also came to a stop.

Seeing the condition of the road, everyone’s mood turned grim. The midday sun was intensely radioactive, and even staying inside the vehicle carried a risk of being burned, let alone getting out to clear the path.

But if they waited for the sun to set, the mutated beasts would begin to stir.

It was a difficult dilemma.

Ordinary people who had come from the Slaughterer Base were used to being treated as sacrificial pawns. Some of them habitually planned to get out and clear the road.

Meanwhile, some of the ability users, who had long been fed up with the ways of the Slaughterer Base, believed that ability users had a greater responsibility. They rushed ahead and opened their car doors.

At that moment, Nanyuan, cloaked in a hood, stepped forward and blocked the way, shutting the car door behind him. “No need to get out.”

Nanyuan, dressed in white with a hood over his face, looked even more distant and unapproachable. His voice was cold, carrying an undeniable authority that left no room for refusal.

He stopped them from facing the radiation, yet he stood out in the scorching sun.

In that moment, it almost made them think of him as a deity.

Cheng Feimao hesitated then offered, “Then I’ll go scout the road. I run fast.”

“No need.” Nanyuan still coldly refused.

He walked alone to the front.

After a brief moment, he heard the girl’s voice: “Cub, this path has the least obstruction. I’ll move the obstacles, and you can drive behind me.”

“Okay.” Nanyuan nodded.

He blinked, watching as the shattered buildings ahead were gradually cleared away, one piece at a time.

He kept his eyes on the road ahead, then directed the vehicles behind him to follow. The truck switched to autopilot and slowly moved forward.

Nanyuan stood at the side of the road, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.

Tao Shushu cleared a section, then turned around, only to see Nanyuan still standing by the side of the road, not getting in the car as she had asked him to.

“Cub, why aren’t you getting in the car?” Tao Shushu asked.

Nanyuan smiled. “I want to watch you.”

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TN:

I’m so sorry for the no updates thingie, I got super busy this month. And no, this novel isn’t dropped, I double updated today and I’ll keep updated, thanks for reading ❤️