132: Chapter 132 Husband

Su Jie approached Li Taiping aggrievedly, tugging at the corner of his clothes with teary eyes.

"Hubby... leave some food... otherwise, we'll starve to death..."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of pleading and a sob.

She really didn't understand.

Her man was clearly so powerful; he had taken down those bad guys in no time and even brought back so much food.

This should have been a wonderful thing.

But why did he want to trade this life-saving food for what seemed like worthless junk to her?

That roll of yellowed paper, that broken compass, and just now, he had used a can of luncheon meat to trade with another survivor for a rusty iron lump that looked like some kind of machine part.

Su Jie watched helplessly as the food in their backpacks—the very hope of survival—was traded away by Li Taiping, item by item.

Her heart was bleeding.

She couldn't wrap her head around it.

Wasn't staying alive more important than this scrap metal?

Without food, how would they last until the next day?

How would they survive?

It wasn't until she saw that Li Taiping looked ready to trade away every last bit of food that she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

But she didn't throw a tantrum, nor did she interrogate him hysterically.

She simply took the most humble stance, tugging at his clothes and looking at him with the most pitiful eyes.

"Don't trade anymore, please, okay...?"

Large teardrops rolled down her fair cheeks, landing with a soft patter on the back of Li Taiping's hand, feeling slightly warm.

Li Taiping was taken aback.

Only then did he realize that he seemed to have... forgotten about Su Jie.

He had been so focused on scavenging "treasures" that looked like upgrade materials, his mind filled with how to make his [Many Children, Many Blessings] stronger and how to give The girls a surprise after leaving this dungeon.

He was looking at things entirely from a "player's" perspective, maximizing the extraction of resources from the dungeon.

As for food?

You're kidding; as the world's number one, his physical fitness had long surpassed that of ordinary people. Forget not eating for a day—he'd be fine even if he starved for three to five days.

Moreover, in his view, once the 24 hours were up, he would be teleported out, so there was no need to consider long-term survival in this dungeon.

So, he had subconsciously treated Su Jie as... well, a very realistic NPC.

A tool who was responsible for carrying his bag and occasionally providing some key information.

He hadn't considered at all that this "NPC" needed to eat and could starve to death.

He had been constantly warning himself that everything here was fake, just data, and not to be sentimental or fooled by this woman who looked exactly like Su Mei.

But...

Why did his heart throb with a needle-like pain when he saw Su Jie weeping like that?

Damn, is the AI of this dungeon too intelligent?

It can even simulate emotional resonance?

Li Taiping complained wildly in his head, and his gaze turned cold.

No, I can't go soft.

I have to be responsible for the group of girls on the Many Children, Many Blessings! They are all my women!

And the one in front of me is just a fake!

Just as he was about to harden his heart and continue his "treasure-trading enterprise"...

The survivors nearby—those who had been beaten down and those who hadn't dared to act—started making sarcastic remarks again.

"Tsk tsk tsk, look at that, making his own woman cry."

"Exactly, what kind of man is he, unwilling to even give her a bite to eat!"

"Little sister, stop crying. What's the point of following such a spineless coward? Why not join us? We'll make sure you live the high life!"

A man whose arm had been broken by Li Taiping wailed while still finding the breath to maliciously drive a wedge between them.

Li Taiping's brow furrowed instantly.

He originally didn't want to lower himself to the level of this "data."

But they were simply too noisy.

Moreover, to provoke his... right in front of him...

...well, cyber-wife?

How the hell can I tolerate this?

Li Taiping's eyes turned fierce.

Anyway, he had traded for most of what he wanted, and he had figured out the rules of this shop: no killing, but it didn't say anything about not beating people up.

"What did you all just say?"

Li Taiping slowly turned around, the steel pipe in his hand dragging lightly across the floor, making a harsh "screeching" sound.

Those foul-mouthed men instantly shut their mouths when they saw Li Taiping's emotionless eyes.

Only then did they remember that the person before them was no saint, but a ruthless man who could break someone's arm without blinking.

"No... nothing..."

"Big brother, we were just joking..."

They quickly squeezed out smiles, even making strange gestures, attempting to act cute to get away with it.

Unfortunately, Li Taiping wasn't the type to be swayed by such antics.

"Joking?" He smiled. "Then I'll play a joke on you too."

Before the words had even faded, he moved.

His figure blurred into an afterimage as the steel pipe in his hand, carrying the sound of sharp wind, ruthlessly struck the mouths of those foul-mouthed men.

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

*Bang!*

After several dull thuds, the men all collapsed to the ground, clutching their bloodied mouths, unable to find a single intact tooth.

This time, they couldn't even let out a wail.

They fainted.

The entire shop instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned silly by Li Taiping's ruthless methods.

Even the door in the corner, which had been silent until now, creaked open a crack.

An aura even colder and more terrifying than the monsters outside leaked out from the crack in the door.

The hearts of all the survivors jumped into their throats.

The Boss!

The Boss is going to make a move!

They looked at Li Taiping with schadenfreude, waiting to see him torn to shreds by the Boss.

Li Taiping also raised an eyebrow.

Fuck, no way?

Did I accidentally kill them? Did I not control my strength properly?

He muttered to himself, but outwardly remained calm, even provocatively pointing the steel pipe at the door.

However, to everyone's surprise...

The aura inside the room merely fluctuated for a moment before falling silent once again.

The door slowly closed again.

The Boss... condoned it?

The crowd was instantly in an uproar.

"My god, from now on, the hierarchy here is going to change!"

"Killing isn't allowed in the shop, but beating people up is! The Boss actually didn't care!"

"This newcomer is a suicidal lunatic! He actually dared to test the Boss's bottom line!"

For a moment, everyone looked at Li Taiping with eyes full of awe and fear.

...