Chapter 185 Empty Stomach

Sun Zhiyuan's mind raced. Back in the car, things hadn't been this formal. Why was he turning hostile faster than flipping a page?

"Then what should I call you?"

"Call me car owner lord."

Sun Zhiyuan's mouth twitched again. "No, that's just too..."

"It's not important, Uncle Sun."

"We'll each have our own terms."

Chen Yu smiled slightly. "What matters is... before your eyes, there are only defenseless girls and one guy who can kill you with a single punch. Tell me, who should be the one cutting down trees?"

Sun Zhiyuan's expression changed. For a moment, he found it perfectly logical and couldn't find a way to refute it.

He swallowed hard and could only look toward Liu Manqing as if seeking help.

He had saved her so many times, protecting her since the very first day the apocalypse arrived.

At a time like this, surely she should say something?

Liu Manqing felt his gaze and then let out a soft sigh.

Before Liu Manqing could speak,

Chen Yu spoke first. "Aunt Liu, in this Vehicle, my word is law. Do you agree?"

Liu Manqing was stunned; she had never seen Xiao Yu be this forceful.

He could resolve her predicament while simultaneously displaying his authority.

The last time she saw him, he was still that blushing young boy.

Back then, she had wondered to herself if this child was too shy and how he would ever make a living in society.

It seemed that after the apocalypse,

he had changed quite a bit.

However, this was a good thing.

In Liu Manqing's eyes, this was the correct way for a reliable man to act in the apocalypse.

It seemed Mengyao's luck wasn't bad after all,

meeting such a powerful boyfriend to protect her during the end of the world.

Liu Manqing suddenly smiled. "Of course I agree. Xiao Yu is the car owner. On this island, whatever you say goes!"

Sun Zhiyuan lost all hope. He looked down at the large blade in his hand, then at the endless jungle and trees in the distance, which all seemed to be beckoning to him as a manual laborer.

"Uh..."

"Xiao Yu... car owner... lord, um... how many trees do I need to cut?"

Hearing Sun Zhiyuan's words,

Chen Yu stroked his chin and gestured with one finger. "Just keep cutting."

"???"

Sun Zhiyuan's eyes widened like copper bells!

He quickly wailed, "Lord Xiao Yu—no, car owner lord, I've got old arms and legs. If I keep cutting, it'll be the death of me!"

"Like hell it will!"

Chen Yu spoke directly. "We have an on-board doctor here. She definitely won't let you die!"

Qiao Xi stepped forward, showing a kind smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Sun, you definitely won't die. Chen Yu specifically instructed that your life is very important..."

Sun Zhiyuan: "?"

Left with no choice, Sun Zhiyuan took a deep breath and turned toward the nearest palm tree!

He took large strides, as if trying to vent his emotions!

He used his full strength on the first swing!

There was a dull *thud*!

The entire canopy shook, and fallen leaves rustled down, covering his head and face!

"Cough, cough, cough..."

He choked on the leaves and coughed, frantically brushing them off his face!

[The Seventh Island has secured its second victory]

[Would the seed team No. 2 of the First Island please send out their Vehicle pet]

"Whoa, they won that fast?!"

Wang Mengmeng was squatting on the ground picking up vines. Hearing the commotion, she looked up at the sky and moved closer to Li Mengyao. "Mengyao, I don't know if I should say this or not."

Li Mengyao was taken aback. "Then you'd better not say it."

Wang Mengmeng insisted on speaking. "The way Auntie looks at Brother Chen Yu now is like she's looking at her own son-in-law."

Li Mengyao pursed her lips. "You... stop talking nonsense!"

"I'm talking nonsense?"

Wang Mengmeng lowered her voice even further. "The way I see it, Auntie is just one step away from having you two get married on the spot!"

Li Mengyao turned her head away, feeling a bit helpless. "Why are you saying all this?"

"We can't keep it hidden forever, can we?"

Wang Mengmeng shuffled forward a couple of steps while squatting to be side-by-side with her. "Auntie still thinks you and Brother Chen Yu are a couple right now and is full of joy. If you keep hiding it..."

"Can you please stop talking."

Li Mengyao interrupted her, her voice muffled.

Wang Mengmeng hummed and said no more.

As the sky gradually darkened, the light in the forest turned from golden to orange-red, then from orange-red to gray-blue.

Palm trunks were stacked neatly one by one in the clearing, with several bundles of vines tied up.

Chen Yu picked the three thickest ones to use as base beams, tied them tight with vines, and wedged them between the thick aerial roots of two banyan trees. Palm leaves were laid down one by one, pressed tight, and lashed down so that rainwater couldn't seep in.

The four walls were made of palm trunks. Starting from the east side, he enclosed it wall by wall, leaving an opening on the south side with a small door made of branches, making it convenient enough to enter and exit.

And so, a simple treehouse frame was built.

"We'll refine it slowly later."

Chen Yu sat on a grass mat and nodded with satisfaction. "Class Monitor, how are things outside?"

Zhang Wanyue crouched down from outside and only spoke after entering. "After watching the duel, everyone started imitating our dwelling. Their efficiency is quite high."

"We're closest to that door. To our left is Officer Pei and his group, about three hundred meters away. To our right is Captain Zhou Ting and his group, also about three hundred meters away."

Chen Yu nodded. "Mm. Notify Li Mengyao and the others in a bit that they don't need to pick up branches anymore. After a quick rest, they can prepare to mine building materials for pet upgrades."

Zhang Wanyue sat down against the wall, catching something moving in the doorway out of the corner of her eye.

A round, blue-and-white blob poked half its body through the crack in the door, its two small black dot eyes rolling around as if checking who was in the room.

"Gulu?"

Zhang Wanyue couldn't help but smile and reached out. Water Bubble hopped up and landed in her palm.

Then its body flattened out like a round pancake...

Chen Yu's mouth twitched. "It seems to like you especially."

Zhang Wanyue explained, "It's probably because my Talent is water-related, so I'm very compatible with it."

"By the way, Chen Yu..."

Zhang Wanyue's expression suddenly turned solemn. "We kept it, but after all, it's only D-rank. If subsequent missions really require combat, what will we do?"

The corners of Chen Yu's mouth lifted slightly. "It is D-rank, but it also isn't..."

Indeed.

In essence, Water Bubble was just a D-rank pet. Forfeiting the first round was also out of fear that it would be killed instantly.

But...

Who knew what would happen in the second round?

Chen Yu certainly wouldn't choose a Vehicle pet at random. The reason he chose Water Bubble, besides everything from his past life, was a very important reason: its skill!

[Pet: Water Bubble]

[Description: Legend has it that it was born at the bottom of a deep pool, a spiritual being formed from the condensation of water essence. It has a gentle and clingy personality.]

[Rank: D]

[Level: Lv1]

[Comprehensive Stats: 40]

[Growth Skill: Void Stomach Pouch — Consumes massive amounts of building materials to increase stomach capacity. During combat, it can actively reveal its Void form. The larger the size, the stronger the comprehensive stats! Current void index: 10!]

Ordinary pets can only level up by devouring specific building materials!

For example, the Lava Guardian Lizard eats Iron, the Moss Fluff Ball eats Wood, the Ice Crystal Shrimp likes Energy Cores, and so on...

Even if they level up, the increase in their comprehensive stats is very slight, unless they unlock a skill, which is considered a qualitative change!

But Water Bubble didn't need that!

It could devour any building material to increase its [Void Stomach Pouch] index!

After all, for Water Bubble...

the significance of the void index far exceeded pet levels!

Of course!

The drawback was also obvious: the amount of building materials it consumed was terrifying, far exceeding what was required for normal leveling!

A normal convoy could never afford its appetite!

But if one could afford it... its skill, just like its level, could grow infinitely!!!