Being precisely called by her surname by a stranger she had just met, Su Su felt a slight sense of doubt rise in her heart.
“You’re the base’s City Lord?”
“That’s right.” The man had a babyface, and the moment he smiled, it felt as if the distance between them had shortened. He extended his right hand in a friendly manner. “Miss Su can also call me He Heng.”
Before Su Su could extend her hand, the snake on her shoulder suddenly stretched its head forward and bared its fangs fiercely at the man trying to get close.
The usual intimidation that always worked failed this time.
He Heng was not scared at all. On the contrary, the right hand he had stretched out even attempted to touch the black snake’s head.
“This is Miss Su’s battle pet?”
“Hiss!”
The black snake abruptly butted away his hand, shaking its head in disdain right in front of him before retracting back to the female’s shoulder and neck, coldly staring at him.
He Heng shrugged helplessly. “Alright, it seems like it doesn’t like me very much.”
“Xiao Hei has quite the temper.” Su Su glossed over Xiao Hei’s provocation lightly.
“I can see that. Battle pets with strength tend to have a bit of a temper—just like my tiger.”
He Heng waved his hand, and the tiger behind him obediently walked up to his side and lay down, allowing him to stroke its head.
“Back to the main topic—about the conflict between Miss Su and Si Zhe, how about giving me some face and letting it go?”
When the City Lord spoke, all ability users in the base would show respect.
Moreover… Su Su had yet to discern the City Lord’s and his tiger’s strength, but she could tell that he was quite familiar with Si Zhe and the others.
She recalled what Brother Wang had said in the car—Si Zhe and Lin Weiran had saved the base when it was on the brink of disaster, and since then, the City Lord had treated them with great courtesy.
He Heng was still waiting for Su Su’s response, his clear, bright eyes looking at her earnestly and attentively.
With such an appearance, no one would believe that he was the one governing the entire Southern Base.
Su Su faintly curled her lips. “For the City Lord’s sake, I’ll let it go.”
“That’s great!” He Heng clapped his hands together. “Everyone, my place just finished cooking a clear broth lamb spine hotpot with radish, along with a waxed meat claypot rice. Why don’t you come and have a taste?”
Hearing such a luxurious meal, several people secretly swallowed their saliva.
In the apocalypse, food supplies were scarce. Only the City Lord could afford such provisions.
As someone who had been surviving in the base for a long time, Brother Wang understood the situation clearly—he knew that the City Lord wouldn’t invite a small figure like him for no reason. His true intention was obviously to recruit Su Su.
Instinctively, he turned to look at Su Su.
Qu Wen also glanced over.
They were all waiting for Su Su to decide.
If she agreed to go, they could naturally tag along for a free meal. If she refused, then there was no need for them to go either—after all, the City Lord’s food wasn’t something easily eaten.
Under everyone’s gaze, Su Su didn’t refuse. She nodded. “Alright.”
The City Lord’s intentions were unclear, and his strength was unknown. Since she had already drawn attention, there was no reason to refuse. Instead, she might as well take the initiative to find out what he wanted.
Besides—who wouldn’t love lamb spine soup with radish? Who wouldn’t enjoy waxed meat claypot rice?
Seeing the olive branch he had extended being accepted, the smile in He Heng’s eyes became even more genuine. “Then let’s go.”
Since Si Zhe and Lin Weiran’s vehicle had been burned, they had no choice but to ride in the City Lord’s car.
Su Su and the others, however, returned to their original vehicle.
The atmosphere on the way back was completely different from when they had arrived. Everyone in the car was subtly observing Su Su, as well as the large black python curled up on her lap, napping.
A Tier 5 battle pet actually existed—and not only that, but it could obediently follow the commands of an ability user!
Perhaps noticing their gazes, Su Su reached into her pocket and took out the crystals she had just obtained.
She handed one to Qu Wen and another to Brother Wang.
The two of them were momentarily stunned as they accepted the crystals.
Su Su explained, “This is your share of the spoils.”
Looking at the Grade 4 crystal in his hand, Brother Wang recalled what she had said when they first met—”I hope you can prove your strength. As long as the hunt is successful, I can give you two Grade 4 crystals.”
Yet the outcome had completely flipped.
Feeling ashamed, Brother Wang wiped his face. “How can I accept this? We didn’t really help you much.”
Though he said that, his hand honestly clenched tightly around the crystal.
Qu Wen also hadn’t expected Su Su to be so generous. They had only known each other for four or five days, and yet Su Su handed over a Grade 4 crystal—something others would risk their lives for—without hesitation.
After a few seconds of silence, she patted her chest and threw a bold wink.
“So this is what it feels like to be a freeloader. Su Su, if I kick Junzhi to the curb, would you—”
Su Su abruptly covered Xiao Hei’s head and started coughing violently.
She was genuinely afraid Qu Wen would say something outrageous, provoking the snake into launching itself at her and biting her to death.
“Hiss?”
Suddenly plunged into darkness, the black snake flicked its tongue against the female’s palm in confusion.
What’s wrong?
Under Su Su’s frantic signals, Qu Wen’s sentence was cut off mid-way.
With a regretful sigh, she changed the subject. “Junzhi has followed me for so long, I can’t just throw him away the moment I hit the jackpot. Su Su, I’ll remember this favor. If you ever need anything, just call me—I can at least be a good fighter.”
At this, Brother Wang furrowed his brows. “I wonder what the City Lord wants from you.”
Su Su didn’t know either—which was exactly why she needed to go.
A lingering doubt remained in her mind—why had the City Lord been able to call her name so clearly the moment he arrived?
And what exactly was the origin of that massive tiger beside him?
The two off-road vehicles followed behind the black SUV, passing through the eastern hunting zone unimpeded, until they finally drove into an extraordinarily luxurious villa district.
A teammate muttered quietly, “Privileged people really know how to enjoy life. When I first arrived at the base before awakening my ability, I had to squeeze into a dormitory bed with ten others in the urban village.”
Everyone present was an ability user, so they all heard this statement clearly.
The members of Si Zhe’s team immediately cast scornful glances his way.
“Hick.”
The one who spoke was Wan Pengfei, whose wounds had only just stopped bleeding.
Brother Wang smirked. “If we’re hicks, then what does that make you, someone who climbed up by relying on a woman?”
That one sentence laid bare Wan Pengfei’s dirty past.
His face darkened, and he stopped responding.
At the front, He Heng ignored this minor dispute behind him. “Si Zhe, Weiran, you two are old friends and have been here many times. As usual, head to the backyard—I won’t bother with formalities.”
The two of them, along with their teammates, smoothly made their way into the backyard.
He Heng slowed his pace, eventually stopping beside Su Su, his arm barely a dozen centimeters away from hers.
“Miss Su, I’ll take you over.”
Su Su nodded but suddenly thought of that massive tiger. She instinctively asked, “Where’s the tiger?”
“It’s already back in its own territory. Don’t worry, someone will take care of its food.” He Heng glanced at the large python nestled in her arms and thoughtfully offered, “Would you like me to have someone look after your battle pet? There will definitely be enough meat for it.”
The black snake suddenly opened its eyes and glared at this annoying human in disgust.
Hiss!!!
“No need.” Su Su declined politely. “I’m used to eating with Xiao Hei.”
He Heng chuckled. “Xiao Hei? That’s quite a plain name.”
Sensing the teasing in his tone, Su Su pursed her lips unhappily. “Is that so? I think it sounds just fine.”
“My mistake.” He Heng immediately corrected himself, showing no airs of superiority.
Su Su didn’t stand on ceremony either, naturally accepting his apology.
Pa.
A sharp whip sound rang out as the pitch-black tail of the snake smacked hard against He Heng’s forearm. It deliberately used the thinnest part of its tail, making the sting especially sharp.
If he rolled up his sleeve, there would probably be a bruise.
He Heng lowered his gaze and locked eyes with the black snake, whose tail was now swaying lazily.
In those dark green vertical pupils, a flicker of malice flashed.
He Heng caught it instantly.
Lifting his head to look at Su Su, he realized she hadn’t even noticed her battle pet was unilaterally bullying a human.
His babyface tensed for two seconds before he slowly relaxed again. “We’re here.”
The backyard of the villa was both spacious and extravagant. Two rows of white long tables were arranged in the center. The main dishes hadn’t been served yet, but a plate of fruit was placed at each person’s seat.
Looking at this scene, it was hard to remember that they were still living in a post-apocalyptic world where survival was uncertain.
“There are a lot of people today, so I asked the housekeeper to move the dining setup to the backyard. Everyone, sit wherever you’d like.”
He said “sit wherever,” but everyone present had a clear understanding of the unspoken rules.
The four frontmost seats were left open, naturally reserved for the City Lord, Su Su, Si Zhe, and Lin Weiran.
The two rivals, who had just been fighting earlier, were now seated face-to-face—an arrangement so awkward it was enough to ruin their appetite.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward.
Yet He Heng seemed completely unfazed, clapping his hands lightly. “Serve the food.”
Five or six steaming hotpots of lamb spine soup were placed on the table. The rich, savory aroma of the lamb mixed with the fresh scent of radish, filling the air. The milky-white broth was sprinkled with vibrant green cilantro. But that wasn’t all—each person was served their own pot of waxed meat claypot rice. The moment the lids were lifted, the warm, comforting fragrance of the rice dominated the senses.
Before the apocalypse, these ingredients were nothing more than staple dishes at an ordinary gathering.
But now, in the post-apocalyptic world, such food was exclusively for ability users… No, even most ability users couldn’t afford such luxurious ingredients! Take Brother Wang, for instance—no matter how many zombies he killed, it would be impossible for him to exchange a large number of crystals for lamb spine soup at the base.
He Heng was the first to pick up his chopsticks.
He scooped up a spoonful of broth, taking a light sip. A moment later, he let out a satisfied sigh. “As expected, this is the taste. It was worth trading dozens of sheep from other bases for this. Humans truly cannot live without good food.”
Si Zhe and Lin Weiran, whether it was because they saw Su Su not eating or because they had grown tired of such meals over time, barely touched their food.
Su Su, however, completely ignored everyone’s gaze and had already fished out over a dozen pieces of lamb spine—feeding every last one to her black snake.
If this meal was poisoned, it wouldn’t be able to kill the snake. At the very least, it would serve as the first test subject.
Su Su patted Xiao Hei’s belly. Realizing that it was now swollen from all the lamb bones, she finally stopped feeding it.
He Heng had been silently watching the entire process when he suddenly spoke. “Xiao Hei is so obedient to Miss Su—could it be because you take care of it personally in every way?”
Su Su looked up and caught the flash of frustration between his brows.
“The battle pets I raise are impossibly difficult to control. But Miss Su has raised hers so successfully—do you have any advice?”
He sounded like he was genuinely asking for guidance.
Yet Su Su instinctively felt wary and replied vaguely, “Perhaps it’s a matter of sincerity.”
“Sincerity for sincerity, hmm?” He Heng stroked his chin. “So, for example, if I personally feed my battle pets, bathe them, and even sleep with them, over time, they’ll start listening to me?”
Su Su remained perfunctory. “You can try.”
“…Alright.” He Heng sighed regretfully.
After finishing the meal, while everyone was leisurely digesting their food, the persistent City Lord once again turned to Su Su.
“Miss Su, after thinking about it, that method doesn’t seem very reliable.”
“How about accompanying me to visit my collection of battle pets later and helping me analyze them?”