136: Sew up the ghoul, return to the meatpacking plant

Upon entering the room, Lin Keke deactivated her [Goddess Form], reverting to the chuunibyou teenage girl in tattered cosplay clothes.

Her face was a bit pale, but her spirit was high.

With eyes sparkling, she leaned in front of Chen Du, seeking praise: "Was my 'Holy Judgment' cool or what? Didn't I carry the whole team?"

"That light effect! Those feathers! Didn't it feel amazing?"

She puffed out her rather well-developed chest, trying to catch Chen Du's attention.

Only then did the surrounding girls snap out of it.

That angel who had descended like a deity just now was actually the usually eccentric Lin Keke?

In an instant, various looks of shock and envy were cast her way.

"Oh my god, is that really Keke? Did you awaken?"

"That was way too cool! How did you do it?"

Lin Keke grew even more smug, her chin tilting up toward the sky.

However, before Chen Du could speak...

A lithe figure suddenly darted out from behind and grabbed Lin Keke around the waist.

"Hehehe..."

Xia Lai had finished repairing that mechanical arm, and she was laughing like a lecherous old man.

One of her hands strayed toward the edge of Lin Keke's white silk stockings, even giving the slipping garter belt a little tug.

"It's cool, alright, but there's just too little fabric in this transformed outfit..."

"Come here, let big sister check if there's any damage~"

"Ah—!"

Lin Keke jumped away like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Clutching her skirt with both hands, her face turned bright red: "You pervert! Get away from me! This is Divine Gear! Do you even know what Divine Gear is?"

"Even Divine Gear needs maintenance~"

The two of them began chasing each other around the cramped cockpit.

The originally heavy and oppressive atmosphere instantly lightened up thanks to these two jokers.

Chen Du watched this scene and didn't stop them.

Tense nerves needed relaxation.

However, just then, a suppressed sound of sobbing came from the deck.

It was very abrupt.

The laughter of the group gradually died down as they looked toward the sound.

They saw several emotional girls gathered around a pile of shredded meat, wiping away tears.

It was Mao Mao.

That loyal Ghoul guard.

To defend the hatch, it had been literally torn to pieces by several gluttonous monsters.

Now, it looked like a doll taken apart by a bratty child.

Its head was rolled to one side, and its limbs were scattered in the corners, looking incredibly wretched.

Though it was usually ugly and drooled...

In that moment just now, it had truly fought with its life to protect everyone.

"Waaa... Mao Mao is so pitiful..."

"Is it dead..."

Grief began to spread once more.

Chen Du walked over.

There was no expression of sadness on his face.

He kicked Mao Mao's head, whose eyes were still slightly rolling.

"What are you crying for?"

Chen Du spoke coldly: "As long as I don't die, it is immortal."

He turned to look at the girls crying the hardest, remembering they were the ones from the nursing department who were good with their hands.

"Go get the first-aid kit."

"Also, find some thick thread."

The girls were stunned, looking at him blankly with tear-stained faces.

Chen Du pointed at the shredded meat on the ground: "Sew it back together."

"Huh?"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Sew... sew it back together?

"What are you standing there for?" Chen Du lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "This is the trait of a Ghoul—an undying body."

"However..."

He exhaled a smoke ring, his tone carrying a hint of playful dark humor:

"Make the stitches tight for me, and don't sew them crooked."

"This fellow might be ugly, but he's also vain."

"Pfft..."

Someone couldn't help but let out a laugh.

The girls wiped away their tears, their gazes becoming determined.

"Yes! Captain!"

"We'll definitely sew a bow on him!"

Watching the girls take the needle and thread, enduring their nausea to start piecing the Ghoul together like a puzzle...

That eerie yet heartwarming scene caused a flicker of barely perceptible relaxation in Chen Du's eyes.

This team was finally starting to look like something.

"Tang Ran."

Chen Du turned to look at the female Sports Committee Member, who was now able to walk around.

"Steer the ship under that cliff ahead."

"It's a visual blind spot, and with our backs against the precipice, it won't be easy for the beast tide or things in the sea to find us."

"We need to rest and reorganize there."

"Understood!"

Tang Ran gave a clumsy salute and limped toward the helm.

The vessel moved slowly, eventually vanishing into the massive shadow.

They were safe for the time being.

But Chen Du knew this was just the calm before the storm.

He looked toward the Meat Processing Plant; there were still tons of supplies there, along with Li Yaozhi and the others.

More importantly... that beast tide covering the whole city definitely didn't happen for no reason.

"Xia Lai."

Chen Du suddenly spoke.

Xia Lai, who was busy taking advantage of Lin Keke by reading her palm, jolted: "Ah? Here, I'm here!"

Chen Du pulled a palm-sized cyan wing from his chest—the [Swiftwind Wings].

He tossed it over casually.

"Catch! My flight time is on cooldown."

Xia Lai scrambled to catch it.

After seeing what was in her hand, her small face crumpled.

"Ah? Flying again?"

She weighed it in her hand, looking deeply aggrieved.

"Captain, even though this thing is fast, it doesn't have a windshield. It really ruins my hairstyle!"

Xia Lai touched her hair, which had been blown into a bird's nest by the sea breeze, and muttered softly, "Last time I used this thing, I felt like my hairline was blown back by two millimeters..."

"Enough nonsense."

Chen Du glanced at her, his tone brook no argument: "There are still several tons of frozen meat in the cold storage of the Meat Processing Plant; that's our rations for the next few months."

"Besides, you have the [dimensional toolbox], you can fit a lot of things!"

"I can, but..." Xia Lai had a bitter face; so she was being conscripted as a porter.

"If you can, then come with me. We're going back together."

Chen Du offered no further explanation, turning to walk out.

"Wait! I'm going too!"

On the sofa, Lin Keke sprang up like a carp flipping.

"Sister Yaozhi and Xiao An are still over there, I'm worried."

Lin Keke straightened her messy collar, becoming serious for a rare second: "We agreed when we came."

Chen Du stopped and looked back at her.

This girl usually seemed eccentric and unreliable, but she was quite loyal at critical moments.

"Are you sure?"

Chen Du sized her up: "Do you still have the stamina to use your ability?"

"Tch! Who are you looking down on!"

Lin Keke puffed her cheeks and rushed over to grab Chen Du's arm.

"I can just hang onto you!"

She blinked her big eyes, looking innocent: "Captain, you're so strong, what's wrong with carrying an accessory? Besides, this young lady is light and soft, I'm not heavy at all!"

"..."

A vein throbbed at Chen Du's temple.

This logic was impeccable.

"Fine, stop being poor."

Chen Du pulled his arm away and flicked her forehead: "If you're going, then be quick about it. The smell of blood is too strong over there; I can't guarantee what else it might attract."

Having said that, he looked at Xia Lai, who was still dawdling.

"Still not moving? Are you waiting for me to write you an application?"

"I'll fly! I'll fly, okay!!"

Xia Lai muttered under her breath: "...Chen Du, you're a bastard! A heartless scumbag!"

"Waaa... I was just fixing the ship for you..."