112: I suspect you guys are eating braised pork knuckle.

"Yeah, Yueyue, it's impossible to hide this ability forever; it'll be found out sooner or later," Ai Guosheng said, his excited expression fading.

Ai Yue's expression turned serious. "Indeed, one must guard against the schemes of petty people."

"Hey, what's there to fear? Sister is so powerful, who can do anything to her? If this place won't have us, there are other Safety Towers; I'm sure they'd all be fighting to have us. We're all so powerful! Right?" Ye Rui stood up and said fearlessly.

Ai Yue was infected by her fearless attitude. "That's right. We already have enough strength to survive in the Apocalypse; we could leave safely right now if we wanted to.

Besides, we're fully capable of living safely without joining any Safety Tower."

Ai Guosheng and Li Shilan looked at each other. That's right! With their two daughters and Dawang, the family would be fine anywhere.

"By the way, Ai Yue, why hasn't Dawang come out? He's been cooped up in the space all day; can he really stay in there that long?" Li Shilan thought of Dawang and realized he hadn't come out for a whole day.

Ai Yue shrugged helplessly. "Him? He thinks it's too noisy out here and it disturbs his sleep, so once he goes into the space, he doesn't want to come out."

It was because Gu Xiheng, Cheng Siyu, and the others kept coming over; Dawang was so annoyed he could only hide in the space for some peace and quiet.

"Tsk, ever since Dawang woke up, he's changed. Even his personality is different; he's not lively like he used to be at all," Li Shilan said, unable to hide her loneliness.

"I think he hasn't fully awakened his Superpower yet and is making up for it by sleeping. Just like me! I only truly awakened by chance," Ai Yue speculated.

She and Dawang had absorbed the same stone, so they likely belonged to the group that wouldn't awaken their Superpowers too early.

Li Shilan could only accept this possibility; it made her feel a bit better. After all, Dawang had been clingy with her since he was little, so his sudden lack of clinginess left her feeling a bit empty.

"Alright, today is a happy day after all. Let's celebrate and have a big meal," Ai Guosheng suggested.

"Mm-hmm, I agree! I've been craving that braised pork hock we had last time; it was so delicious," Ye Rui said with a reminiscent look.

Ai Yue readily agreed. Although the actions of Gu Xiheng and the others were disappointing, overall, she was still happy.

"Okay, what does everyone want to eat?" Ai Yue took a large bowl of braised pork hock from her space and handed it to Ye Rui.

Ye Rui's eyes lit up and her mouth watered, but she didn't rush to eat. Instead, she sat obediently in her chair, waiting for everyone else.

"I really want to eat hot pot. I haven't had it once since coming here," Ai Guosheng said wistfully, smacking his lips.

"Hot pot won't work, the smell is too strong. I'm afraid our door would be pounded down before we even started eating," Li Shilan waved her hands repeatedly. "Don't you think we have enough trouble already?"

"I was just saying. Who said we had to eat it?" Ai Guosheng retorted defensively.

"You shouldn't even mention it. You've gone and triggered all our cravings," Li Shilan glared at him. Hearing him say it made her crave it too.

Ai Yue and Ye Rui watched the amusement from the side and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, Mom, here, how about some shredded lemon chicken? Does that satisfy your craving?"

Ai Yue took a plate of shredded lemon chicken from her space and placed it in front of Li Shilan.

"And a portion of spicy diced chicken!" Li Shilan sat down satisfied, ignoring Ai Guosheng.

"Okay, I'll provide everything."

Then she took out a serving of steamed sea bass, stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, Mapo tofu, home-style mixed dried tofu, and a large bottle of sparkling water.

The few of them finished every single dish, leaving not even a drop of soup. They all slumped in their chairs, clutching their stomachs and unwilling to move, having eaten to their hearts' content.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

Everyone stood up instinctively. Ye Rui ran to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me! Gu Xiheng!"

A magnetic, deep voice came from outside the door.

The group looked at each other, brows furrowed. "Why is he here?"

Ai Yue said nothing. She placed her hand on the table, and the messy tabletop instantly vanished. She said to Ye Rui, "Let him in!"

Ye Rui obediently opened the door.

Seeing Gu Xiheng at the door, she immediately asked, "What are you doing here?"

Gu Xiheng nodded to her, reached out to push her aside, and walked into the room on his own.

Ye Rui, pushed to the side, had a sharp look in her eyes. An arc of electricity instantly flickered in her hand as she prepared to throw it at him, but Li Shilan stopped her with a shake of her head.

Ye Rui glared unwillingly at Gu Xiheng and unhappily closed the door.

Gu Xiheng acted as if nothing was wrong and nodded to Ai Guosheng and Li Shilan, but he received no response from either of them.

He wasn't embarrassed either. Looking at Ai Yue, he said, "Ai Yue, I came specifically to apologize to you. I hope this incident doesn't cause you to have negative feelings toward the base."

"What I did before was wrong, but the matter has already happened. I'm not looking for excuses. To be honest, everyone was at fault in this matter. For the sake of our past friendship, let's just move past it!"

Ai Yue's face remained expressionless as she said indifferently, "Since this is the Young General's wish, we wouldn't dare to disobey! Is there anything else?"

Gu Xiheng hadn't expected this reaction. Her easy agreement left the rest of his words stuck in his throat, making him feel quite uncomfortable.

But fortunately, Ai Yue didn't persist, and the matter was settled, which was a good thing.

As for her sarcastic tone, he simply ignored it.

He even felt that Ai Yue had changed her usual stubborn temper and become quite reasonable.

"In that case, we're still good friends. If there's anything you need, just tell me, and I'll help you resolve it," Gu Xiheng said, feeling relieved.

Only then did Ai Yue realize that Gu Xiheng's perception seemed a bit dull. Did he really not understand the subtext of her words?

Whether he was playing dumb or truly couldn't sense it, from the moment he attacked her, they were no longer friends. No matter how eloquently he spoke, it wouldn't change that.

She couldn't afford a friend like that!

Ai Yue felt a hint of impatience. "Please see yourself out!" she said, issuing an order for him to leave.

Gu Xiheng stood up to leave as requested. Suddenly, he paused, turned back, and said with a meaningful smile:

"Ai Yue, Uncle Ai, Aunt Li, and little sister, your place smells wonderful. It reminds me of my favorite braised pork hock from before the Apocalypse. If I didn't see that your home was empty, I'd suspect you were eating some right now!"

Even after Gu Xiheng left, the feeling of trepidation among the four hadn't dissipated.

"Uncle, Ai Yue, Sister, he..." Ye Rui swallowed nervously. "What did he mean? Did he discover something?"