Lu Shang looked at Xu Nuo and, seeing that he didn't seem to have any negative reaction, continued, "The reason for forming a team is simply to make it easier for everyone to support each other during breakthroughs. For example, consider what happened this time—if they hadn't come in from the courtyard, but from somewhere else, do you think your friend could still sit here so calmly?"
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Or, if the people who came in were mentally stronger and not easily trapped by the formation, or if they understood the formation and could break it themselves to enter the room, I think not only would your breakthrough fail, but your friend would likely be injured as well."
"I'm sure none of us wants to see that. Similarly, I am about to break through too, and I can't feel at ease leaving my lover outside alone."
"Although his ability is now at an intermediate level 2, who knows if someone as powerful as you or Park Su, or even the three people outside, will show up?"
"I don't mind getting injured, but if my lover is hurt, I won't stand for it. I see that your abilities are not inferior to ours, and as for the resources we need, we can hunt and gather ourselves. We'll try not to touch your reserves. We can protect ourselves and help deal with the dangers from zombies outside."
"When we reach a new place, if you need to leave, we won't stop you. We're only suggesting forming a small team for now. I think this should be a win-win situation. After all, during the next breakthrough, we don't know what the circumstances will be, and having an extra person for protection would be better, right?"
Xu Nuo had to admit, after listening to all this, that this person had quite a talent for persuasion. If he had made up some lofty reasons to form a team, Xu Nuo might not have been so receptive.
But his reasoning centered around Park Su, and this breakthrough had indeed made Xu Nuo realize how uneasy he felt leaving Park Su outside alone.
Furthermore, the other side's intentions were clear: they wouldn't cause trouble, and were simply offering to help when others couldn't look after their loved ones. This reason did make him feel somewhat moved.
However, he was genuinely surprised by their relationship. He had heard of men being together before, but he had never actually seen it in real life.
Now, seeing how they interacted, he didn't find it strange at all. In fact, it almost seemed like they were meant to be together. He wondered if the strange dynamics Park Su had shown when they were together before had something to do with their relationship. Thinking this, he couldn't help but glance at the two of them.
Ge Qing and Lu Shang noticed his gaze, and it was quite awkward, especially for the more sensitive Ge Qing, who immediately picked up on it.
He smiled bitterly and said, "You don't need to doubt it. We are indeed a couple, and we were together even before the apocalypse.If you're unwilling to travel with us because of this, we won't force you. After all, we don't plan to separate just for survival. The reason we want to form a team with you is to increase everyone's chances of survival. But that doesn't mean we can't survive independently."
Park Su, who had been listening, was startled when Ge Qing suddenly said this. He turned to look at Xu Nuo, silently wondering, Does he really mind if someone is gay?
If he finds out I'm gay, will he ask me to leave?
Xu Nuo hadn't expected that just a single glance would lead Ge Qing to say this. Now, all three people in the room were staring at him.
This gave him the feeling that he had done something terribly wrong. He immediately refuted, "I don't have any objections to your relationship. It's just that I've never seen a same-s*x couple in real life, so I was a little surprised. Please, don't overthink it."
After hearing what Xu Nuo said, Ge Qing simply gave Park Su a faint glance. If what this person said was true, and the one he liked was indeed this man, then pursuing him might not be easy.
But after all, this was someone else's matter. Since he still had something to ask of Xu Nuo, he didn't comment further and simply kept quiet.
Lu Shang didn't dwell on the topic either. He continued, "Since you don't mind same-s*x couples, that's great. If we do manage to form a team, it won't be awkward between us. I've already sincerely shared my thoughts. Now, would you be willing to consider the idea of forming a team with us?"
Xu Nuo smiled and pointed at Park Su beside him, saying, "I already turned you down earlier, but I forgot to mention that although there are two of us, we are actually one team. And the leader of our team isn't me, it's him."
"So, if you can get him to agree to form a team with you, I won't object. Of course, after we form a team, there's something else we need to do for a short time, so we may not leave right away. If you're planning to leave, then it might not be suitable to join our team. However, if you do join, and you're about to break through, I'll also help you by providing protection during the process."
Xu Nuo didn't see any reason to refuse such a straightforward request. Especially since Lu Shang was direct in his approach and the benefits he offered addressed Xu Nuo's concerns.
However, Xu Nuo was more inclined to let Park Su make the final decision. After all, their next step was to help Park Su find ability-enhancing plants for his dantian. If they helped Lu Shang with his breakthrough, that would likely delay their plans, so he left the decision to Park Su.
Although Xu Nuo believed Park Su would probably agree, Lu Shang didn't expect him to respond in this way. This made him view the relationship between Xu Nuo and Park Su from a different perspective.
He then turned his pleading eyes to Park Su and said, "Please consider this team arrangement as a favor from us. Actually, I think your friend already noticed that I'll soon need to break through. So, if you agree to form a team with us, it would be as if we owe you a favor, and we will repay it when the opportunity arises. Please allow us to join forces."
"Don't worry," he added, "We also have our own secrets, so we know how to respect others' privacy. We will never overstep our bounds."
Park Su hadn't expected Xu Nuo to pass the decision to him. He actually had a good impression of both of them, and if it were just him, he would be quite willing to form a team with them.
However, since Xu Nuo was with him, he had to consider his feelings too. He knew Xu Nuo preferred not to have others around when doing certain things.
Park Su couldn't deny that when Xu Nuo said that their team's leader would be him, he was genuinely happy. It felt like a sign of respect from Xu Nuo.
But because of this, when it came time to make a decision, he couldn't just think about his own feelings. After some thought, he turned to Lu Shang and asked, "Since you want to form a team with us, I obviously need to know more about your situation. At the very least, I need to make sure you won't be a burden.So what are your ability levels?" Park Su asked. "Of course, after you tell us, we'll also share ours."
Park Su's inquiry wasn't abrupt. After all, if they were to form a team, it was indeed important to understand each other's strength.
Lu Shang politely responded, "I have metal abilities, peak level two. He has ice abilities, mid-level two."
Park Su had already envied their abilities before. When he first met them, he had thought they seemed quite powerful. However, when they revealed their ability levels, Park Su was still taken aback.
He finally understood why Lu Shang had said that if they teamed up now, it would be like they owed them a favor. It was clear now that Lu Shang was preparing to break through to level three, and Park Su had already witnessed the dangers in their surroundings.
To put it simply, they wanted Park Su and Xu Nuo to help protect Ge Qing while Lu Shang broke through. Park Su thought about it for a moment. Having such high offensive abilities this early in the apocalypse was already impressive, but they had advanced so quickly—achieving mid-level two and peak level two abilities in such a short time, and were about to break through to level three. People like that either had extraordinary talent or were incredibly lucky.
No matter which, Park Su felt they were worth making connections with. If he could make them owe him a favor, it would certainly be beneficial for the future. He hesitated for a moment before looking at Xu Nuo.
Xu Nuo, seeing Park Su's glance, immediately understood his decision. He smiled and said, "Since that's the case, let's temporarily form a small team. I don't want to move from here, so if you need our help, you'll have to move to the next room."
"However, now that we've formed a team, we'll be sharing information. Why don't you tell us more about those idiots outside, and whether you've encountered any unusual plants while hunting nearby?"
When Xu Nuo referred to the group of "short, tall, fat, and thin" people as idiots, both Ge Qing and Lu Shang couldn't help but agree. Those people had assumed they were stronger without even understanding the situation, which was indeed foolish.
So, they shared with Xu Nuo the details about the situation outside, including the fact that the zombies there were stronger than the ones in the surrounding area. They also mentioned that the crystal cores in the zombies' brains could help improve their abilities, which improved Xu Nuo's impression of them.
As for the strange plants Xu Nuo had asked about, they had indeed encountered them once, at the same time they encountered the powerful zombies. They warned Xu Nuo that if they didn't have absolute confidence or special preparations, it would be best to avoid those areas.