314: Chapter 314 Otherworldly Resources

Su Yuling said, "Mom, you're right."

Li Ran glared at her, but she didn't speak, the corners of her mouth curling up.

Qin Lin looked at the mother and daughter; under the lights, Li Ran's face was mature and plump, while Su Yuling's was pure and slender.

He held both of their hands as the three of them sat on the edge of the bed, no one speaking.

The fragrance of the chinese rose permeated the room, faint and sweet.

After a long time, Su Yuling broke the silence: "Mom, you go first."

Li Ran's face turned red instantly.

Qin Lin looked at Li Ran; she kept her head down, the tips of her ears so red they looked like they might drip blood.

Qin Lin reached out to cup her face, his thumb lightly brushing the corner of her mouth. Li Ran closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.

Qin Lin leaned down to kiss her; her lips were soft, warm, and slightly trembling.

Su Yuling watched from the side, the corners of her mouth upturned.

Li Ran glared at her, her eyes filled with both shyness and doting affection.

As the night deepened, the The Ark sailed silently through deep space, the glow of its protective shield like a quiet star in the darkness.

For a long time following that, Qin Lin focused his attention on Su Yuling, Li Ran, and Han Qing.

Su Yuling was young and healthy; System scans showed that her conception window for the next few months was excellent.

Qin Lin visited her according to the frequency suggested by the System—not too much, not too little, just right.

"Brother Lin, are you tired?"

Qin Lin looked at her; her expression was very serious when she said this, not joking at all.

"I'm not tired."

Su Yuling nodded and added, "Then let's continue."

Li Ran was the eldest, but after her Physique was enhanced, her energy was not inferior to that of a young person at all.

In this regard, she possessed a certain bashfulness that Han Qing lacked, yet a maturity that Su Yuling did not have.

This contradictory combination felt fresh to Qin Lin.

Li Ran would never take the initiative, but she would never refuse either.

When Qin Lin came to her room, she would close the door; when Qin Lin took her hand, she would give it to him; when Qin Lin kissed her, she would close her eyes.

She wouldn't say "I want more," nor would she say "You should leave"; she simply accepted and cooperated, then fell into a deep sleep in his arms.

Han Qing was the most proactive of the three.

Perhaps it was because she had been repressed for too long, or perhaps because she finally didn't have to pretend anymore.

She was two completely different people in the Medical Room versus on the Third Floor.

In the Medical Room, she was the calm, professional, and serious Dr. Han; but once on the Third Floor, she would hang her stethoscope behind the door, let her hair down, take off her white coat, and transform into a woman Qin Lin almost didn't recognize.

"Didn't you say you were going to do a physical exam today?" Qin Lin asked her once.

Han Qing looked at him and replied, "Isn't this the exam?"

Qin Lin was speechless.

Han Qing laughed and reached out to hook her arms around his neck: "Stop talking nonsense."

Qin Lin was "examined" by Han Qing many times, and each time she had new tricks.

Qin Lin felt the System hadn't given her a score of ninety-nine for no reason.

The days passed one by one.

The The Ark continued its voyage through the starry sky as Qin Lin gathered the remaining upgrade Materials while attending to the "task progress" of the three women.

The System notification didn't sound, and none of them were pregnant yet, but Qin Lin wasn't in a hurry.

What is meant to be will come; the The Ark wasn't in a rush, and neither was he.

One morning, Su Yuling ran onto the Bridge holding something in her hand.

"Brother Lin, look! I bought this from the System Store."

Qin Lin took it and looked; it was a circular metal tag with a complex pattern engraved on the front and a line of text on the back: "Rule One of Otherworldly Survival: Stay Alive."

Su Yuling said this was a new arrival in the System Store, purchased with survival points.

Qin Lin opened the System Store to take a look, and the interface had changed.

Previously, there were only daily necessities and medical supplies, but now there was a new category: "Otherworldly Supplies."

Inside, it was divided into several subcategories: "Cultivation," "Magic," "Technology"... each category contained a vast array of goods, ranging from the lowest-level healing Medicinal Pills to the highest-level Spiritual Artifacts and Magic Treasures, from apprentice-level Magic books to legendary staves—everything one could imagine was there.

Looking at this store interface, Qin Lin felt that the The Ark was no longer just an apocalypse survival tool; it was more like a universal backpack for a cross-world traveler.

The The Ark flew slowly through the endless starry sky ahead.

Qin Lin set the next coordinates while Su Yuling sat beside him reading that coverless book.

The sound of a baby's laughter drifted from the The Ark's cabins behind them. Qin Lin didn't know which child was laughing; it could have been Qin An, Qin Yuan, Qin Yue, or perhaps Qin Xu, Qin Xue, Qin Yao, Qin Yang, Qin Xiaoxing, Qin Xiaoyue, Qin Xia, Qin Yi, Qin Tian, or Qin Zheng.

But he heard that laughter, carrying the Warmth and weight of life, traveling through the The Ark's corridors and through the door of the Bridge.

Qin Lin leaned back in the command chair, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

The apocalypse hadn't ended; it had simply moved to a different place.

And he was no longer the Qin Lin who survived the apocalypse alone.

He had the The Ark, his women, his children, and a mobile home. The starry sky spread out outside the window, boundless and bottomless.

But Qin Lin wasn't afraid, because he wasn't alone.

...

The The Ark sailed through deep space for an unknown amount of time.

Time lost its meaning in the starry sky—no sunrises or sunsets, no change of seasons—only the numbers ticking away on the System panel reminding them that another week, month, or quarter had passed.

The changes in the children were the clearest markers of time.

Qin An learned to walk at the age of one year and two months.

He took his first step in the living room, then a second and a third, wobbling until he tumbled into Su Yuran's arms.

Su Yuran laughed and picked him up for a spin; Qin An was spun dizzy, but instead of crying, he burst into laughter.

Qin Yuan learned to say "Daddy."

The one she was calling wasn't Qin Lin, but her plush teddy bear.

Lin Wanwan had named the bear "Daddy" because its scarf was made from an old necktie Qin Lin used to wear.

Qin Yuan hugged the bear and called it "Daddy" for an entire week, until one morning she looked at Qin Lin and also called out "Daddy."

Qin Lin froze for a moment, and Qin Yuan called out again, even more clearly this time.

Qin Lin answered, and Qin Yuan smiled, revealing four tiny teeth.

Qin Yue was the least shy of all the children.

She not only loved to laugh but also loved greeting people. When Han Yurou took her for walks in the The Ark's corridors, she would reach out for a hug from anyone she saw; if they didn't hug her, she would laugh, and then they would feel too embarrassed not to.

Han Yurou said this was the effect of her "Warmth" talent, but Han Qing said, "What talent? She's just thick-skinned."

When Qin Yue was held by Han Qing, she reached out to grab Han Qing's stethoscope. Han Qing held it up high; unable to reach it, the baby didn't cry or fuss, but just tilted her head back and looked at Han Qing with a smile.

Looking at that smile, Han Qing set her down and let her play with the stethoscope.

Qin Yue grabbed the stethoscope and shook it, making a clinking sound, and she laughed even harder.

Qin Xu started running at one year and three months.

Not walking, but running.

He ran from one end of the living room to the other, then back again; his steps were unsteady but his speed was fast, like a little launched cannonball.

Li Ying couldn't catch him and stood in the middle of the living room shouting, "Qin Xu, stop right now!" but Qin Xu ignored her and kept running.

Li Ying turned to look at Qin Lin and said, "Your son takes after you."

Qin Lin said, "I wasn't this mischievous."

Li Ying huffed, "You weren't this mischievous? There are over a dozen women on the The Ark, and you're telling me you're not mischievous?"

Qin Lin was speechless.