20: Sister, do you like Brother Mo?

This tender question was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

Gu Zhixia's crying stopped abruptly.

She froze as if a pause button had been pressed, her body instantly rigid like a statue.

The next second, she sprang from Lin Mo's arms, her movement so forceful it almost knocked over the chair behind her.

Her delicate face flushed from her ears to her neck at a visible speed, so red it seemed about to drip blood.

She frantically wiped away her tears, her gaze darting away, not daring to look at her sister in the doorway, and even less daring to look at Lin Mo.

"No... nothing!"

She stiffened her neck, her voice urgent and sharp, hoarse from crying, yet she tried to sound fierce.

"Lin Mo, he... he had dust on his clothes! I was just helping him brush it off!"

The excuse was so clumsy that even she blushed.

Gu Nianqiu tilted her small head, her big, round eyes filled with innocent confusion.

She walked out from behind the door, her bare little feet padding on the floor, step by step, until she stood before Gu Zhixia, looking up with her small face and asking in a very serious tone.

"Sister, do you like Brother Mo?"

Boom!

A bomb seemed to explode in Gu Zhixia's mind, instantly leaving it blank.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about!"

She bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her voice rising by eight octaves.

"How could I possibly like him! This unreliable guy! I... I..."

She 'I-ed' for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence, only able to glare at Lin Mo with furious eyes, as if she wanted to devour him alive.

Lin Mo rubbed his nose, choosing to ignore Gu Zhixia's murderous gaze.

He stood up and walked over to Gu Nianqiu, naturally changing the subject that was about to make her sister explode on the spot.

"Your sister made dinner, egg fried rice. Come eat now."

"Wow! Really?!"

A foodie's attention is indeed the easiest to divert.

Gu Nianqiu's eyes instantly lit up, and she immediately cast her previous question to the back of her mind.

"Yay! I want to eat sister's cooking!"

...Terrace restaurant.

Gu Nianqiu sat at the dining table, looking at the rather unappetizing egg fried rice on her plate, but instead of being disgusted, her eyes gleamed.

She picked up her spoon and eagerly scooped a large mouthful into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a cute little hamster's.

"Mmm... mmm..."

She chewed heartily, saying indistinctly.

"Delicious! Sister's cooking is really delicious!"

Gu Zhixia sat opposite her, a composed expression on her face, her hands neatly in her lap, but she couldn't help but steal glances at her sister, a small, unconscious smile curving her lips.

That hint of relief and pride was impossible to hide.

"Hmph, you're just hungry."

Her tone was still as tsundere as ever.

"There's more in the pot, eat a lot."

"Mhm mhm!"

Gu Nianqiu nodded vigorously, burying herself in her meal, and soon devoured the entire plate of egg fried rice.

Full and satisfied, fatigue washed over them again.

The two sisters leaned back in their chairs, neither speaking.

Lin Mo walked to the railing of the terrace, gazing into the distance.

The last trace of the setting sun had already sunk into the sea, leaving only a brilliant afterglow in the sky, painting the deep blue sea with a warm orange-red hue.

The sea breeze blew, carrying a salty scent, but also dispelling the bloodiness and heat of the day.

The three quietly watched this magnificent scenery, their moods gradually calming.

"If only it wasn't the apocalypse right now..."

Gu Nianqiu rested her chin on her hand, looking at the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, her voice filled with longing.

"We'd be on a big ship like this, sailing carefree, enjoying the scenery, fishing, playing every day... How wonderful that would be."

Her words plunged Gu Zhixia into silence.

She looked at the magnificent scenery before her and softly echoed.

"Yes, the scenery in this sea area is indeed beautiful."

If there were no monsters, no human hearts more terrifying than monsters, perhaps this place would truly be paradise.

"Since that's the case, why don't we just take a vacation?"

Lin Mo turned around, leaning against the railing, and said calmly.

Both sisters turned their heads simultaneously, looking at him with puzzled eyes.

A vacation?

In a world where they could lose their Life at any moment?

That idea was too luxurious.

Lin Mo saw their expressions and knew what they were thinking.

He explained.

"You see, for the Natural Selection to upgrade, there's only one way: accumulate mileage."

"Our current location is relatively safe; there are no other players around, and no high-threat monsters have been detected."

He paused, then continued.

"We can use this time to take a few days off, let the ship run up some mileage on its own, and gain a few levels."

"This way, we can rest and get stronger at the same time. It's hitting two birds with one stone."

Gu Zhixia's eyes lit up.

She adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose; this man always came up with the most effective solutions from the most practical perspective.

"That makes sense."

She nodded in agreement.

"As expected of Brother Mo! So amazing!"

Gu Nianqiu immediately clapped her hands in approval, and a few more hints of admiration appeared in her eyes as she looked at Lin Mo... In the afternoon.

Both sisters had returned to their rooms to rest.

Lin Mo, alone, returned to the bridge.

He sat in the spacious captain's chair.

He set the autopilot route, heading in a straight line away from the previous black fog.

He calculated.

The experience required for upgrades was increasing.

To go from Level 5 to Level 6, a full 60,000 experience points were needed.

According to the conversion rate of 1000 experience points per 1 kilometer of travel, it meant the Natural Selection had to travel a full 60 kilometers to gain one level.

At the current base cruising speed, it would take about four hours.

And that was just to reach Level 6.

Not to mention the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of experience points required later.

The higher the rank, the slower the upgrade.

He understood this principle better than anyone.

Time was Life.

He had to find a way to improve efficiency.

He clicked on the ship's upgrade panel, his gaze swiftly scanning through the many modules, finally resting on the [Power Module] icon.

[Engine Module (Basic)]

[Effect: Increases the ship's base cruising speed by 20%]

[Upgrade Requirements: Ship Exchange Points * 3, Rare Metals * 50]

He chose to upgrade without hesitation.

"Exchange points are sufficient, Rare Metals... I looted a lot from the Goblin outpost before, that's enough too."

"Upgrade!"

[Confirm consumption of Exchange Points * 3, Rare Metals * 50 to upgrade Engine Module?]

"Confirm."

As his command was given, the entire hull of the ship vibrated slightly.

On the control panel screen, the structural diagram representing the engine part flashed with dazzling blue light.

Countless data streams flashed by.

[Engine Module upgrade successful! Current level: Intermediate!]

[Effect: Increases the ship's base cruising speed by 50%]

[Speed: 18km/h]

[Cruising speed has been increased. Ship level is estimated to increase to LV6 in 3 hours and 15 minutes.]

Very good.

Lin Mo nodded in satisfaction.

Speed was efficiency.

Efficiency was the guarantee of survival.

After completing all this, he did not go to rest.

Instead, he leaned back in the captain's chair, closed his eyes, and began to experience the Captain's exclusive skill he had just acquired.

Remote Control.

His mental power, following a strange link, extended outwards, merging with the entire Natural Selection.

He could "see" the sea outside the ship.

He could "hear" the sound of waves hitting the hull.

He could "feel" the engine humming steadily deep within the ship.

This feeling was very strange.

It was as if this massive steel behemoth had become a part of his body.

A thought flashed through his mind.

The Natural Selection, which had been sailing steadily, turned its bow slightly five degrees to the left, then quickly corrected itself.

It worked.

Lin Mo opened his eyes, his gaze deep.

From today, he was, in the true sense, the master of this god-tier warship.