Retreating to advance was the best plan Xu Lin could come up with while Su Ling was collecting energy crystals.
Being slow-witted, it was the only plan he could think of.
Seeing Su Ling watching him coldly, Xu Lin didn't rush. He simply said, "Eat your noodles first. They'll get mushy."
Xu Lin said no more and picked up the pot of noodles, starting to eat.
Su Ling watched Xu Lin bury his head in the noodles, then looked at the bowl of instant noodles, the few energy crystals, and the bottle of water.
How to put it?
At least at this very moment, her feelings were a complex mix.
She could feel that Xu Lin had no ill intentions. And he genuinely wanted to join her.
However, she was indeed afraid of repeating past mistakes, afraid of tragedy striking again.
But—
Perhaps she could try. She shouldn't let the lessons of her past life confine her.
If Xu Lin turned out to be unsuitable, she would kill him herself.
Sister Na and Han Han would arrive in less than a week. A week was more than enough time to assess Xu Lin.
With this thought, Su Ling's heart felt suddenly lighter. She felt a wave of relief, a surge of warmth sweeping through her body.
She was not unfamiliar with this sensation. She knew the bottleneck she had been stuck at had finally broken, and her ability had upgraded.
Su Ling calmly waited, waiting for the surge of warmth to cleanse her every inch.
When it was all over and peace returned, Su Ling discovered her ability had broken through to level five.
She was surprised and delighted by this outcome. When she died in her previous life, her ability had only reached level eight.
In this life, with her portable space, she was even more formidable, and her ability had already reached level six.
The bottleneck that had been preventing her progress had ended, and her ability had advanced to level six. All these changes stemmed from the catalyst brought by Xu Lin.
With this thought, Su Ling looked at the bowl of instant noodles and reached for it. She said nothing, just quietly ate.
As for Xu Lin, though he was focused on eating, his heart was entirely on Su Ling.
The waiting time felt like an eternity. Fortunately, he finally received the result he desired.
Happy, Xu Lin, without looking up, sped up his eating.
Soon, both were full and satisfied. Xu Lin collected Su Ling's discarded bowl and chopsticks, placing them back into the pot. He looked at her and said, "I'll go to the restroom to wash the bowls. Wait for me. I'll be quick, I won't keep you waiting long."
Without waiting for Su Ling's reply, he quickly stood up.
His demeanor suggested he was terrified Su Ling might refuse him.
Su Ling said nothing, instead picking up the few energy crystals and examining them in the firelight.
They were blue crystals, pure and without impurities, beautiful and of high quality.
Since they were for her, she wouldn't refuse. She seemingly placed them in her bag, but in reality, she put them into her portable space.
Su Ling took out a bread from her bag, tore off the wrapper, and took a bite. Before she could even chew, she heard the sound of bowls and pots crashing in the restroom.
She quickly put away the bread, grabbed her Tang knife, stood up, and ran towards the restroom.
By the time Su Ling reached the restroom, Xu Lin had already dealt with the zombie that had rushed out and was using a dagger to cut open its head in search of an energy crystal.
He looked up upon hearing the sound and, through the beam of his flashlight, saw Su Ling. He handed her the white energy crystal he had found.
Noticing the crystal was still dirty, he quickly wiped it on his pants. Once clean, he handed it over, "Here you go."
Su Ling had been worried about him running over. Seeing his actions, how could she describe it?
She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She remained silent, simply taking the crystal and putting it in her bag.
Then, she looked at the shattered bowls on the ground and the dented pot. She merely said one sentence to Xu Lin: "Go to the rooftop."