Meeting leaders who genuinely care for them like this, how could these low-tier ability users, who would never get such attention in other teams, not be touched?
Unfortunately, they felt they had nothing that Xu Nuo would find valuable; if it weren't for Lü Xia, they might not have been recruited this time.
Moreover, they had family back at the base, making it not so easy to follow Xu Nuo and Park Su on long journeys. Despite these thoughts, it didn't stop their admiration for Xu Nuo from soaring.
As time passed, Park Su found it strange. Given Cheng Mingxu's speed, it was odd enough that he wasn't there to boast about arriving first, but now, past 8 PM, with no sign of their team, something seemed very off.
Could something have happened to them on the road? It couldn't be that because he had given him half of Jiang City before returning to this apocalypse, Cheng Mingxu met with some accident and died on the way, could it?
Although he had a feud with Cheng Mingxu from their past life and wished him no good, he really didn't want him to die this way now. After all, they had made this bet, and the division of territory was Cheng Mingxu's doing. If something happened to him, who knows if the head of Base S would blame him and his team for Cheng Mingxu's demise?
Moreover, he wanted to get half the resources from him and also to see his arrogant face fall in defeat.
But then he thought, in his past life, he only met Cheng Mingxu five years into the apocalypse. Even if he suddenly appeared now to divide the area, when he last saw Cheng Mingxu, he was already prepared to loot Jiang City. He had just helped him with half; presumably, Cheng Mingxu would have looted the other half in his past life too. Since he survived well in the past life, this time around, he should be fine as well, at most, just injured.
Seeing Park Su pacing in the room with a worried look, Xu Nuo couldn't help but find it amusing. He took the opportunity when Park Su was close to suddenly pull him into his embrace, "You're so concerned about whether your enemy is dead or alive, why not care more for your lover?"
Park Su was puzzled, "What's there to be concerned about with you right in front of me? Haven't I seen both your good and bad sides?"
Seeing Park Su's matter-of-fact expression, Xu Nuo grabbed the back of his head, pulling him close for a deep kiss. After the kiss, he said in a slightly hoarse voice, "You've only seen the surface of my good and bad. What I need, good or bad, can only be fulfilled by your care."
Caught off guard by the kiss, Park Su was left a bit breathless, gently pushing Xu Nuo away, but Xu Nuo seemed to anticipate this move, keeping him in place before he could stand up.
What stirred Park Su's emotions was the realization that he was increasingly unable to resist Xu Nuo's occasional temptations. Like just now, it was only a kiss, yet he felt a surge of desire, making him curse his lack of self-control. After all, he was used to being the dominant one for six years; was he really so eager to switch roles?
Indeed, he shouldn't have indulged himself a few days ago. It was just a taste of the soup, yet why did he feel so hungry now?
However, in the end, Xu Nuo and Park Su didn't complete anything. Xu Nuo was worried they might be interrupted, especially since Cheng Mingxu still hadn't shown up, who knew when he might suddenly appear?
Park Su, feeling somewhat embarrassed, was relieved when Xu Nuo took a step back; he was willing, very willing, definitely not disappointed, right?
He obediently cultivated on the side, clearing his mind of distractions, while Cheng Mingxu's team didn't arrive at Gujiadi until 11:30 PM.
Even before they arrived, Park Su and Xu Nuo could smell the thick scent of blood, making both of them frown even though they weren't sleeping.
Park Su immediately stopped his cultivation, looking serious as he turned to Xu Nuo. They moved towards the door together; with such a strong smell of blood, it seemed many in Cheng Mingxu's team were heavily injured.
Staying here tonight might involve them too, which made Park Su curse Cheng Mingxu in his heart for being a jinx, making even a good night's sleep impossible, though he wasn't sleeping anyway.
He wondered about the extent of the injuries on Cheng Mingxu's side. Had he known they would be this badly hurt, he wouldn't have made such a bet or at least would have extended the duration of the wager.
Given the current situation, it looked like they wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight; they'd have to fight zombies all night. He was glad he had let his team rest earlier.
But now, they should complete the bet as soon as possible and leave first thing in the morning to find another place to rest properly.
Cheng Mingxu was not at all surprised to see Park Su and Xu Nuo waiting on the road to Gujiadi. He didn't rush to speak to them but first organized his team into groups.
Only after arranging his people did he approach Park Su and Xu Nuo to greet them, "I'm really sorry we're late. From your look, it seems you've had a good haul, very confident, huh?"
Seeing Cheng Mingxu acting as if he was unaware of the danger he was bringing, Park Su wanted to award him an Oscar, though such awards were non-existent in the apocalypse.
Xu Nuo, however, spoke bluntly, "Our haul was indeed good, but everyone's tired. With your team's strong scent of blood so close to us, it's bound to cause trouble for us. You know my team only has first-tier ability users; large groups of zombies would be disastrous for them, and they can't coordinate like your team to fend them off.
How about this? You report roughly how much you've collected, and I'll show you ours. We can compare, and if it's close, you win. If it's clear we've collected more, you'll give us half, and we'll leave immediately so as not to disturb your rest, Young Master Cheng."
Cheng Mingxu was taken aback by Xu Nuo's straightforwardness. He knew his arrival would affect them, but he thought, considering they were a force too, and with three third-tier ability users and Xu Nuo, whose depth he couldn't gauge, they could hold off any zombies long enough for his team to rest. His team was already in no condition for more trouble, which was why they rushed to Gujiadi overnight.
He hadn't expected Xu Nuo to be so blunt about it and to firmly state they wouldn't engage in their battles, even wanting to leave immediately.
This made Cheng Mingxu's expression darken, especially since he never had a good opinion of Xu Nuo. He dropped his fake smile and turned to Park Su, "You chose a guy with no sense of righteousness? He'd abandon others for his safety today; he'll abandon you for the same reason in the future."
Park Su didn't understand how he was dragged into this comparison, but seeing Cheng Mingxu's real emotions was somewhat refreshing. More importantly, he thought everyone else might have the right to say such things to him, but not Cheng Mingxu. After all, wasn't it this guy who abandoned him back then?
So, he didn't bother beating around the bush and said directly, "If by 'others' you mean yourself, then I agree with Xu Nuo's approach. Our team is far too small to compare with yours, Young Master Cheng."
"To win this competition, we've expended a lot of energy on the road; we can't handle any more fights. Even for the sake of my teammates, I have to agree with my lover's proposal, don't I?
Besides, I've always thought everything my lover says is right, as for whether he'd abandon me!
To be honest, if he's the one abandoning me, then even if he does, I'll stick to him like a piece of gum. There's no way around it; I've got a condition where I'll die if I leave him, that's how much I love him!"
Cheng Mingxu didn't expect to be hit with such an unexpected display of affection, which only worsened his already sour mood. Moreover, he had always thought that this 'little cutie' had some interest in him, but it turned out this rose had thorns, making it quite painful to pluck.
Now, with many of his ability users injured, especially Lin Fei who got seriously hurt protecting him, he desperately needed the help of strong fighters. The fact that the other side was not only unwilling to help but wanted to leave them in danger was unsettling. If another horde of zombies came, he might get injured too. He had to control his anger and adjust his tone, speaking to Park Su, "Little Cutie, don't be like this. It's too late to count the resources now.
Plus, I'm covered in blood and need a good wash, and I'm too tired to deal with this bet tonight. Let's compare in the morning, shall we?"
Before Park Su could respond, Xu Nuo gave a cold laugh, pulling Park Su into his embrace, "Since you're afraid to lose and don't want to compare, fine, we'll forfeit this match to you.
Park Su, wake everyone up; we're leaving now. It's not worth risking our team's safety over such petty resources; we might as well gather more at the next stop.
Lastly, Mr. Cheng, the 'little cutie' you're referring to is my boyfriend. He just expressed his love for me in front of you, and you still call him that; it really displeases me. If you don't want to lose what little fighting strength you have left, don't let me hear that term from you again."
Park Su, at this moment, wouldn't cause trouble for Xu Nuo. Although he felt a bit embarrassed by Xu Nuo publicly acknowledging his confession, he leaned into Xu Nuo, who had called him 'little cutie', making him want to retch.
Hearing Xu Nuo's last words, he almost wanted to give his man a standing ovation. So, upon receiving the command, he immediately said, "Sure, no problem, I'll wake them up right away!"
If Cheng Mingxu couldn't see now that Xu Nuo knew his intentions and was completely unwilling to help, then he'd be truly foolish. So, he dropped the pretense and quickly stopped Park Su, who was about to leave, saying, "Wait, I do need your help. You can set your conditions; as long as it's within my capability, I'm willing to agree."
Hearing this response, Xu Nuo was finally somewhat satisfied and called back Park Su, who was ready to leave, before beginning to negotiate terms with Cheng Mingxu.