Exiled Immortal: "..."
John: "..."
"Aren't you going to say something?"
"Say... what?"
"Why do you have canned braised pork? Did you stock up on food in advance?"
Meeting Exiled Immortal's gaze, John nodded and continued, "I'm secretly a doomsday prepper. I like to stock up on canned food, and it turns out it came in handy. It's not just braised pork; I've got other things too."
As John spoke, he took off his backpack and unzipped it. Immediately, the rich aroma of meat stew filled the air.
"I've got canned beef, canned ribs, military rations, fruit cans, and freeze-dried vegetables."
Watching John pull out a dazzling array of cans one by one from his backpack, Exiled Immortal involuntarily swallowed, and his stomach growled loudly.
"Hmm, that's about it. There's more where I live, but the variety is roughly the same, just different flavors."
After speaking, under Exiled Immortal's longing gaze, John nonchalantly put the cans back into his backpack one by one. The words that were about to come out of Exiled Immortal's mouth were swallowed back down.
Exiled Immortal: "?"
John: "...Do you want to eat?"
"Well, not really. I'm not interested in canned food. Who knows if the ingredients are clean?"
Exiled Immortal turned his head away, clearly being stubborn.
John nodded, put the backpack back on, and said, "Alright then."
"Hey, no, no, no, I was just kidding. Don't really put them away! It's been over ten days, and I haven't had any meat or even vegetables. I've been living on bread and I'm about to be sick of it. Come on, let me have a taste!"
"Ha, you little rascal, you think I can't handle you?"
John rolled his eyes and pushed Exiled Immortal's head away, saying in a low voice, "This isn't the place to eat. Can't you see all those eyes watching us? Let's leave here and go to my base."
"By the way, can't you fly? Take me with you. You can stay at my place; I've got enough food to last us a long time."
"Leave it to me. But John, I didn't know you were from Riverside too. If not for this chance encounter, I'd never have known."
"Same here. I never heard you mention it either."
In his past life, John had lived in Riverside for many years but had never met Exiled Immortal offline.
He had only heard Helena mention in passing that she had gotten a Targeted Teleportation Scroll that could be used in the real world, and Exiled Immortal had used it to visit Helena's hometown.
"Anyway, let's get out of here."
John scanned the surroundings. Ever since he had taken the food out of his backpack, many people had started eyeing him, inching closer. If they stayed any longer, chaos would likely ensue.
"By the way, John, how much do you weigh?"
"How much do I weigh? Isn't that a bit of a presumptuous question?"
"Oh, come on. You're not a girl. Just tell me."
"74 kilograms."
"That's not too bad. Just don't move around too much when we take off."
With that, Exiled Immortal grabbed John's shoulder without giving him any time to prepare.
In the next moment, a whirlwind of cyan winds surged around them, lifting them both into the air!
As the ruins beneath them grew smaller and smaller, John clicked his tongue in admiration, feeling a twinge of envy.
To achieve such a feat, besides the versatility of Exiled Immortal's talent [Windwhisper], it also required Exiled Immortal's own hard work.
"I say, John, you're definitely more than 74 kilograms! You lied about your weight!"
Compared to the excited John, Exiled Immortal didn't look as relaxed.
The weight of both of them was on his shoulders, and he had to concentrate every second to control enough wind to keep them afloat.
"Are you stupid? I am 74 kilograms, but don't forget the backpack filled with cans. It must weigh at least ten pounds."
"Why didn't you say so earlier! Where exactly do you live?"
"We're almost there. Why are you so impatient, kid?"
"I'm already sixteen, not a kid anymore!"
Exiled Immortal's face flushed red as he clenched his fist in protest. But John's next words ended the argument abruptly.
"But in the game world, you still have a juvenile physique, and I'm an adult."
"You! I won't stoop to your level!"
"Alright, alright. What's wrong with being underage? Lily is underage too. She's still a few days away from turning eighteen."
"What, she's older than me? She looks younger than I do."
"That's called being a little maiden. You're not in the same league. Besides, once she's an adult, she won't be a little maiden anymore; she'll be a lady."
Exiled Immortal was taken aback and asked in confusion, "John, how do you know?"
"It's for sure. Lily herself said she doesn't want to be cute; she wants to become a lady."
"Why? I think being cute is pretty nice..."
Exiled Immortal muttered softly. Following John's direction, they slowly descended and finally arrived at John's shelter: an abandoned warehouse that was still mostly intact.
"This is it. You can stay here from now on. I have extra sleeping bags and plenty of food."
"Is it really that great? Just so you know, I'm at an age where I'm growing, and I can eat a lot."
Exiled Immortal pouted, obviously skeptical of John's claims.
But the moment they pushed open the warehouse door, Exiled Immortal was instantly stunned.
"So much? John, are you rich or something?"
He stared in amazement at the neatly stacked boxes of canned food, piled up like a small mountain.
"Don't mention it. If it weren't for the earthquake, I would have had the whole warehouse full."
"This isn't just being a doomsday prepper; you're a hardcore fan! This entire warehouse must be worth millions."
"I think it cost over three million? Anyway, all the canned food in Riverside is here."
John smirked, walked over to a handmade shopping area sign, pulled out a shopping cart, and smiled, "Life needs a sense of ritual. So, what do you want to eat?"
"John, would you be willing to take care of me? I'm very handy, just need food..."
Exiled Immortal quickly followed, overwhelmed by the sheer variety of cans.
"This one, this one—mango cans! I love mangoes! And a meatball one, oh, oh! Canned yellow peaches, and ribs!
Man, John, you even have military rations?"
"Of course, boy! If you want it, just grab a pack!"
"Thirteen days, thirteen days! How did I survive these thirteen days!"
Before John could light the stove, Exiled Immortal eagerly opened a can of yellow peaches. Staring at the golden peaches, he swallowed hard.
"Then I won't hold back, John."
"Go ahead. While I heat up the cans, I've got rice and drinking water here. We'll make some rice to go with it. Carbs will lift your spirits."
"John, from now on, you're my big brother, really, even closer than the boss lady!"
...
Meanwhile, in the center of Riverside.
At the central ruins where John had lingered earlier, the ground seemed to tremble.
Countless stones rolled off the top of the ruins, crashing down and stirring up clouds of dust.
The monsters that had gathered there fled in terror, as the tremors grew stronger, as if the ground was about to split open again!
No, the ground really was splitting open!
The tremors appeared suddenly, then abruptly stopped, leaving nothing but chaos in their wake.
No one knew what was happening, but it didn't seem particularly dangerous.
After all, last time the ground split, monsters poured out of the fissures.
This crack was so small it could barely fit a leg through.
How could any monsters crawl out of that?
Some bolder souls stepped forward, eager to uncover the truth of the matter.
He slowly approached the edge of the chasm and peered downward.
The dark rift seemed bottomless, as if it could pierce through the entire planet. Just a single glance brought a sense of overwhelming oppression!
Moreover, from within the fissure, there seemed to be a sound...
It was like a whisper, like murmuring.
"Time... has been... deceived."
"But you cannot deceive me."