Chapter 94

With the addition of Section Chief Li and others, the base on the other side of the river quickly established new systems and a relatively complete labor and exchange system.

This base, which brings together survivors from all over the world, has been given a hopeful name through everyone's collective wisdom – Spark Base.

The Xinghuo base is protected by ordinary soldiers, which is enough to deal with most emergencies. On the other hand, Tong Shu's side has to guard against people coming from the other side. Recently, there have been many outsiders migrating along the path that Tong Shu and his group have taken. Although Tong Songming had the foresight to set up an electric fence around the outer woods, before he could even turn on the power, several people broke through the fence and sneaked into their courtyard.

"Fortunately, they were just starving survivors. The electric fence outside your house is still electrified, so they suffered a lot but couldn't see anything clearly. Tian Zhaozhao has already taken these people in, so don't worry." Liu Wanqi and his group lived in Tong Shu's small courtyard. The area was sparsely populated, making it convenient for them to train and carry out their activities. They also patrolled the area to ensure the safety of this family.

"Thank you, you've all worked hard." Tong Shu carried a basket and delivered mung bean soup to the people working in the field, and also poured a bowl for Liu Wanqi.

Grandpa Tong took his bowl of mung bean soup, drank a few mouthfuls, and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "It's not easy for anyone to have survived this long. These corns are all planted outside the power grid. It wouldn't be a problem if they picked some to fill their stomachs, but some people are too ungrateful. They pick some and then ruin some. The corn that hasn't grown is either picked or trampled. It's such a waste."

Grandpa Tong pulled out the trampled corn stalks and shook his head repeatedly.

“They’ve never farmed before, so how would they know how to cherish it? Tian Zhaozhao has already arranged for these people to work in the fields, and they’ll soon understand how hard farming is,” Tong Shu said with a smile, comforting Grandpa Tong.

As they were talking, Wen Shaocheng approached from a distance. He glanced at Tong Shu first, then turned to Liu Wanqi and said, "You stay here. Old Yang and the others are looking for you on the other side."

"Oh, yes, he and I made plans to go hunting wild boars in the north." Liu Wanqi slapped his forehead and remembered, then said goodbye to everyone and hurriedly left excitedly.

"You..." Wen Shaocheng glanced at Tong Shu, then at the cornfield: "Are you busy right now?"

Tong Shu was cleaning up the empty bowls on the floor when she heard this, and looked puzzled: "...I'm not that busy. Is there something you need?"

"Yes, there is." Wen Shaocheng nodded, but then fell silent.

Tong Shu immediately understood what they meant; they wanted to avoid their family. She picked up the basket and slung it over her arm, saying, "Okay, I need to take the dishes back to wash anyway. Let's talk as we walk."

The two left together. Wang Jianye, who was holding a corn stalk, watched their backs meaningfully and nudged Tong Songming: "Songming, do you think Shushu and Major Wen are dating?"

Tong Songming paused for a moment, then turned his head sharply to look in that direction, but hesitated before saying, "...This can't be..." Then he thought of what had happened in the Chengbei residential area, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that his daughter might really like this major!

...

When there were other people around, it didn't seem like anything, but when the two of them were walking alone, Tong Shu felt that the atmosphere between them was a bit awkward. Unable to stand this atmosphere, Tong Shu spoke first: "What is it that you have to talk about in private? Is it the game space?"

Wen Shaocheng himself didn't know why he had called Tong Shu out alone. Perhaps it was because of what he hadn't said that night, or perhaps it was because he saw Tong Shu and Tian Zhaozhao getting close. Now he felt that something was wrong with him.

“…Hmm.” Wen Shaocheng hesitated for a moment. He had originally planned not to tell Tong Shu about the little guy yet, intending to catch it first and then tell Tong Shu. But given the current situation, he had no choice but to speak up: “I don’t know if you know anything about this… animal,” Wen Shaocheng said with unusual difficulty, “It has yellow fur, is about the size of a large dog, and… can talk.”

Tong Shusu suddenly turned her head to look at him: "Capybara? Is it a capybara?"

Major Wen was a man of wide learning, but this kind of uncommon small animal was outside his area of ​​expertise. He frowned and asked, "...I don't know, is it what I described?"

Tong Shu thought for a moment, then put the basket on the ground and rummaged through her backpack. A moment later, she pulled out a three-inch headshot: "Take a look, is this the one?"

Tong Shu handed the photo to Wen Shaocheng; it was Duoka's ID photo.

When they first met, Wen Shaocheng had just seen its face. With a photo for comparison, Wen Shaocheng immediately confirmed: "That's it. It really is related to you."

"It's more than just a connection!" Tong Shu's voice rose with excitement: "You have no idea how long we've been looking for it!"

She chattered on and on about how hard it was to collect faith points, then talked about the NPCs who had returned one after another, and then about how Duoka could never be brought back no matter how long they waited.

"After searching for so long, I never imagined it would end up with you!" Tong Shu shook her head, quite emotional. "If we hadn't met it again this time, wouldn't Doka have never come back? And I would never have been able to complete my Faith Point quest..."

"Wait a minute." Wen Shaocheng, who had been listening to Tong Shu talk, suddenly stopped her: "It's out again. I'll go look for it."

Before Tong Shu could ask any questions, Wen Shaocheng vanished on the spot. It was the first time Tong Shu had ever seen someone outside her family display such an ability, and she couldn't help but marvel.

Wen Shaocheng moved very quickly and soon reappeared in the same spot.

"How is it? How is it?" Tong Shu eagerly leaned forward: "Did you find it?"

Wen Shaocheng shook his head: "It's very fast, and it's hiding in a cave. The entrance to that cave is too small for me to get in."

"Oh dear, what should we do?" Tong Shu asked worriedly. "Is there any way for me to get in?"

The little capybara could clearly sense Tong Shu's presence, and it would only come out of its burrow when Tong Shu was nearby. Perhaps only when it actually saw Tong Shu would the little guy feel safe enough to come out.

"...I don't know how to get you in." Wen Shaocheng was also a little troubled. His game space was not like Tong Shu's, which would issue quests and have other NPCs to assist him. He was at a loss as to how to do it.

“Okay,” Tong Shu thought for a moment and handed over her hand, “you take my hand and then you go in and see if you’ll take me in with you.”

Looking at the slender fingers in front of him, Wen Shaocheng's heart skipped a beat. After a long while, he let out an ambiguous "hmm" and then reached out his much larger hand to gently hold hers.

Tong Shu had originally intended to solve the problem by offering her ideas, but Wen Shaocheng's ambiguous actions added a touch of romance to the serious atmosphere between them. When she felt the warmth of his hand enveloping her, Tong Shu's face flushed red, and her bright eyes quickly looked away, her whole demeanor exuding embarrassment.

Wen Shaocheng pursed his lips, tightened his grip, and pulled Tong Shu closer in a low, husky voice: "...Ready? I'm going in."

The sound pierced her eardrums, sending a tingling sensation through the back of Tong Shu's head and scalp. She nodded haphazardly, "...Okay, I'm ready. Let's go!"

The scene from before played out again, only this time the two were closer together. The warmth in their hands suddenly vanished, and even the scorching breath sprayed on their heads was replaced by a gentle breeze.

Tong Shu clenched her fists, feeling lost and disappointed. She didn't know whether her regret was about not being able to enter Wen Shaocheng's space or the warmth that left her palm.

"I can't get in." Wen Shaocheng came out quickly, his face showing regret at not being able to bring Tong Shu into the space.

Tong Shu looked up at his expression. He had his arms crossed and was still thinking: "Why don't you put your hands on my arms? The game is stuck there, maybe that will work."

Tong Shu angrily picked up the basket from the ground, turned around and walked towards the courtyard: "I'm going home first! We'll talk about this tonight!"

Wen Shaocheng looked puzzled, wondering what he had done to offend her.

"You think pressing the game card won't work? Are we not close enough? Or should I carry you?" Wen Shaocheng easily caught up with Tong Shu with his long legs.

As soon as the word "hug" came out, Tong Shu's face flushed again. She turned to look at Wen Shaocheng's face and saw that he looked serious, as if he was waiting for her approval. Tong Shu was immediately annoyed again.

"...You wish!"

Tong Shu shuffled her legs and walked quickly ahead, scolding herself inwardly for thinking about such nonsense at a time like this, while secretly criticizing Wen Shaocheng for being such a clueless straight man.

"What am I thinking...?" Wen Shaocheng was confused, but a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately became unnatural.

With their own thoughts, the two returned to the courtyard one after the other. Tong Shu slipped into her own house, while Wen Shaocheng went into the wooden cabin. The two tacitly hid themselves away.

Tong Shu felt a mix of sweetness and annoyance. She was so frustrated that after washing the dishes, she simply went to the island. Since Wen Shaocheng was so determined to help her find Doka, she would try her best to avoid doing anything that would make her a laughingstock.

As soon as Tong Shu entered the island, Nini ran towards her, followed by a string of her lost and found friends. They seemed to have been waiting there for Tong Shu to come in.

“…Island, Island Master!” Nini rushed up to her, panting, and called out to her.

"Nini, you've come at the perfect time! I have some good news for you!" Tong Shu's face lit up with joy as she thought of Doka.

But Nini and the others didn't look so good. Upon closer inspection, Nini's fluffy little face even showed a panicked expression. Tong Shu's heart skipped a beat, and she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Nini rushed up and grabbed Tong Shu's sleeve, pulling her forcefully towards the cabin: "Island Master! The crystal ball! The crystal ball has changed!"

Tong Shu's expression changed instantly, and she immediately forgot about Doka and ran wildly towards the magic hut.