At the other end of the city, Ni Shuang and the others found themselves in a massive shopping mall.
Yu Qi glanced at the news alert on her phone, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh my God, Captain and Sister Yun ran into a swarm of centipedes! Look how much experience they've racked up!"
Ruoruo raised an eyebrow. "There must've been hundreds of them."
"Should we go help?" Nako asked, her voice uncertain.
Mina chuckled softly. "The Captain is so strong, they won't need our help."
Nako nodded in agreement. "True."
Orange turned to Na Zi and said with concern, "Na Zi, you've lost so much weight recently."
Na Zi smiled proudly. "Yeah, since I leveled up, my physique has improved. I've even got vest lines now."
Ruoruo playfully nudged her. "You're looking better than ever!"
"If you fought as much as we do, you'd lose weight too," Nako added with a laugh.
At that moment, Natto chimed in, holding up a shining ring. "Look! Sister Yun sent me this third-rank ring! They must've found something better over there."
With excitement, Natto slipped on the ring and passed her old first-rank ring to Na Zi. "Here, you take this one."
Na Zi's face lit up as she eagerly accepted the ring. "Thanks, Natto!"
"Alright, everyone," Ni Shuang spoke up, her tone serious, "we're moving too slowly as a group. Let's split up to cover more ground. I'll go with Natto and Yu Qi. Mina, you take the others."
"Got it," Mina replied with a nod.
"I have flight," Nako interjected. "I can cover more area if I go solo."
"Good idea," Ni Shuang agreed. "With your seven-star combat power, you'll be fine. Just be cautious of any lingering zombies or monsters."
And so, they divided into three teams to gather supplies. Nako flew swiftly to a nearby shopping center, scanning for essentials. On the third floor, she found beds, mattresses, and other useful items. Though the space in her ring was limited, she managed to transport everything back to Yuto Saito.
Meanwhile, Mina led Hu Tuan'er and the others to a second shopping mall. Hu Tuan'er spotted a locked women's clothing store and gasped in surprise. "Wow, it's still packed with clothes!"
"People came here for food, but most couldn't carry much else," Mi Xian Xian remarked with a grin. "Guess that means more for us."
"Let's take everything!" Ruoruo suggested mischievously. "Maybe if we dress up in these, Brother Su will start noticing us the way he does Sister Yun!"
Excitement filled the air as they hurriedly packed all the clothing into their rings. Mina led Orange and the others to the fifth floor, where they found rows of beds. They began transferring everything they could to their rings, but as space ran out, they sent their loot to Yuto Saito, stationed on the floating island.
Back on the floating island, Yuto Saito and Yun Yun had already returned. They lounged on the sofa, chatting with warm smiles on their faces. Yun Yun's eyes gleamed with pride. "Husband, we really gained a lot of experience this time."
Together, they had slain 11,500 first-tier centipedes, each worth 100 experience points. Two sixth-tier centipedes brought in an additional 600 experience each. With Yuto Saito's tenfold experience bonus and Yun Yun's fivefold bonus, the total experience soared to astronomical levels—millions of points.
"It looks like everyone will be able to level up to six," Yuto Saito said, a pleased smile on his face.
Yun Yun nodded, beaming. "And you can finally reach level seven, my love."
Yuto Saito chuckled softly. "No rush. I'll think it over before upgrading."
As they relaxed, Yuto Saito reached into his bag and pulled out two glowing inner elixirs. "We managed to get these after killing the six-winged centipede."
Yun Yun's curiosity piqued. "What do they do?"
"Inner elixirs can sometimes drop from beasts above the sixth rank," Yuto explained. "Each one can increase combat power by two points. You can consume up to ten per level."
With a gentle smile, Yuto handed one to Yun Yun. "Here, take one."
Yun Yun's heart swelled with affection. "Let's split them, one each."
"Deal," Yuto grinned. "That way, our bond stays unbreakable."
After consuming the elixirs, Yun Yun felt her strength grow, two points added to her combat power. She mused aloud, "It makes sense now. The higher you go, the more experience you need. But things like these elixirs and strengthening potions help a lot."
Yuto Saito gently pulled her into his arms. "Shall we start bringing people to the island this afternoon?"
Yun Yun thought for a moment. "Once Xiaoshuang and the others return and we organize everything, we can begin."
Yuto scooped her up effortlessly, carrying her towards the stairs. "Alright, but first, let's go rest for a bit."
Yun Yun's cheeks flushed a deep red, her smile bright with happiness. She knew just how deeply Yuto Saito cared for her.
An hour later, Ni Shuang and the others arrived back at the island. Yu Qi walked into the living room, puzzled. "Where are Captain and Sister Yun?"
Ruoruo glanced around. "Maybe they're not back yet?"
Orange, using her special hearing ability, blushed fiercely. "Umm… they're… busy."
The girls giggled and decided to unpack their newly acquired supplies in the community area.
It wasn't until 11:30 that Yuto Saito and Yun Yun finally reappeared. The girls exchanged knowing smiles, fully aware of what had transpired.
Yun Yun quickly made her way to the kitchen, where Orange was already preparing lunch. Orange grinned. "Sister Yun, you're here!"
Yun Yun's cheeks reddened again as she asked, "Orange, how long have you been back?"
"More than an hour," Orange replied mischievously. "Don't worry, I know you and the captain were… busy, so I didn't disturb you."
For the past hour, Orange had listened in with her heightened senses, a little envious of the couple's closeness.