PSW - Chapter 168

Chapter 168

A lottery, huh. Zheng Yi took out a special physical enhancement potion. After examining it for a moment, she uncharacteristically tilted her head back and drank it.

She closed her eyes slightly, feeling the energy surging through her limbs and sensing the subtle changes in her body. How to put it? Her physical strength was somewhat suppressed by this world's factors, but her spiritual power was constantly recovering without any such limitations. If she wanted to delay her tribulation, she would need to slightly increase her physical strength.

But it was clear that while this special enhancement potion would be quite effective for an ordinary ability user or another host, her own physique was already powerful enough. Although she could feel a certain degree of improvement after drinking it, it was… ultimately unnecessary.

Zheng Yi didn't take out any more potions. Instead, she glanced at the so-called lottery wheel and saw it was densely packed with all sorts of 【Capsule · Portable】 items. A quick scan was enough to leave her speechless.

This wheel wasn't made by Zero One, nor did it specifically feature items worth buying. All sorts of miscellaneous portable items had been crammed into it. Zheng Yi fell into a contemplative silence as she looked at things like 【Capsule · Portable Table and Chairs】, 【Capsule · Portable Trash Can】, and 【Capsule · Portable Treadmill】.

'Why is there an automatic cat litter box in the prize pool?'

[Ah, well… the Capsule · Portable category is very large, covering all sorts of household items. On the bright side, what if you win the portable research institute?] Zero One wasn't sure about Zheng Yi's luck, mainly because there were too many small gadgets and too few complete room-type portables. [At least the probability of getting any of them is the same!] In this lottery, it wasn't a case where the probability for a complete capsule set was set to 0.00013% while small items were set to 0.13%.

[Perhaps we should first bathe and burn incense, or wash our hands. According to the data, humans before the apocalypse would do this before engaging in luck-based activities like lotteries or card draws.] Just as Zero One was speaking, it saw Zheng Yi pull up the interface and use all five of her lottery chances in one go.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 【Capsule · Portable Freezer】!]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 【Capsule · Portable Walk-in Closet】!]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 【Capsule · Portable Swimming Pool】!]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 【Capsule · Portable Home Theater】!]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received 【Capsule · Portable Full-Body Smart Massage Chair】!]

Before Zero One could even exclaim, You're just going to draw like that?, it was dazzled by the array of prizes. She… she actually hadn't drawn any of the worthless junk like portable tables, chairs, or even water cups… A pool! A home theater! Those two alone were worth thirty thousand Saint Points! The walk-in closet was a bit frivolous, but it was still a luxury item priced at 8,888 in the store! The freezer and massage chair were much cheaper by comparison, but they were still more expensive than the double bed Zheng Yi had bought before. The freezer was priced at 888 Saint Points, and the massage chair was 666.

Like the shower room she had purchased previously, these prizes would naturally refresh themselves after use, so there was no need to worry about cleaning or energy consumption. The freezer provided eternal refrigeration, the massage chair could be used nonstop all day, and while the home theater couldn't play films from other worlds, it could play any film produced in this one. The water in the swimming pool would never dry up or get dirty, and it would always maintain the perfect pH for the human body.

By comparison, the walk-in closet was probably the most useless of the bunch. All it offered were mirrors of any size, material, and position, as well as lighting from any angle and at any brightness for the person trying on clothes… Other than that, it only provided its most basic function: a portable space for storing clothes.

[It seems your luck is very good,] Zero One could only remark after a long silence.

Zheng Yi didn't reply. She just scanned the descriptions of each item to briefly understand their functions, then got up, pushed open the bedroom door, and looked at Yu Yinan, who was skillfully chopping vegetables for lunch. "Jiejie."

"Hm? What is it?" Yu Yinan immediately looked over. She quickly finished slicing the last half of a potato into uniform shreds, rinsed her hands in a nearby basin of clean water, and hurried over. It didn't seem to cross Yu Yinan's mind to wait for Zheng Yi to come to her, nor did she consider that such a strong reaction wasn't necessary for a simple call. Yet her series of actions was so natural and fluid, as if it was exactly what she was supposed to do.

Zheng Yi took Yu Yinan's hand and swung it gently a couple of times before taking out the potions. "There are five in total. Drink them."

"Okay." Yu Yinan accepted them and, without hesitation, downed them one by one. She moved quickly, finishing all the potions in just a few swallows. The moment the liquid hit her stomach, she could feel a surge of energy revitalizing her mind and body, but she didn't take the time to savor it. "These… they must not have been easy for you to get. It's a shame my talent is lacking. Even after drinking them, I still…" I still can't possibly keep up with you.

But Yu Yinan didn't say the last part out loud. The gap between her and Zheng Yi was just too vast; even saying it felt like a delusion.

"You're already very strong. Once you've digested these potions, you'll be able to hold your own against the zombie that captured Xia Cheng and the others," Zheng Yi soothed her gently. She held Yu Yinan's hand, separated her fingers, and placed the five capsules in her palm. "I got some little gadgets. Maybe you'll like them."

"Ah," Yu Yinan uttered. The sight of the capsules immediately made her think of the shower room, and then of its high price of "10,888."

"I won them in a lottery. They didn't cost anything," Zheng Yi explained with a low chuckle, instantly understanding Yu Yinan's thoughts.

Yu Yinan averted her gaze slightly and hummed in acknowledgment, picking up the capsules in her palm to examine them. "Are they all… similar to the shower room?"

"A freezer, a walk-in closet, a swimming pool, a home theater, and a massage chair. None of them require any resources. The freezer can store food, and the walk-in closet can store clothes. With these, you basically have a semi-portable space ability." It just wasn't as convenient as a real one. As Zheng Yi spoke, she detailed the special features of each capsule. Seeing Yu Yinan's brow furrow as if in distress, she chuckled again and repeated, "They were all from the lottery. I didn't spend any Saint Points."

"I know." Yu Yinan clutched the five small capsules, but they felt incredibly heavy. Even if they were from a lottery, how did Zheng Yi get the chances to draw? She had never mentioned anything like this before. Maybe it was a new ability, or maybe it had a cost in other ways. But Yu Yinan didn't ask. This was a token of Zheng Yi's affection. "I love them. I really love them," she repeated earnestly, then suddenly looked up at Zheng Yi. "Can you hold me?"

Zheng Yi opened her arms and pulled Yu Yinan into an embrace. Yu Yinan hugged her back tightly. After a long moment, she pulled back slightly and tentatively kissed Zheng Yi's cheek.

"I love you so much. I don't even know… if you left me one day, how I could possibly go on living." Yu Yinan's voice was a whisper as she planted a series of soft, fleeting kisses on Zheng Yi's brow, eyes, cheeks, and the corners of her lips. Her words were as light as a weightless feather, landing gently on Zheng Yi's heart and creating faint ripples.

"Jiejie, please don't place that on me-"

"I understand! I'm not… I'm not looking to you for my reason to live, and I don't want you to save me. I just… I just…" Yu Yinan spoke with an urgent nervousness, her words becoming jumbled at the end. She accidentally bit her tongue but ignored the pain, her voice dropping to a low sigh as tears welled in her eyes. "I just love you."

"I'll be independent. I can live on my own." Yu Yinan met Zheng Yi's dark eyes, seeming to see her own reflection in them. She swallowed, then continued, both timidly and bravely, "I'm just scared you'll leave me, scared you'll leave me all alone…"

'Have I been acting strangely?'

Suddenly, Zero One heard Zheng Yi's voice in its mind. It paused, thinking Zheng Yi was asking it a question, and carefully reviewed her actions over the past few days. It seemed… there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary. But if one were to look for subtle abnormalities, they weren't entirely absent, though they had been there for a long time—ever since Zheng Yi had remembered everything.

Just as Zero One was formulating a reply, Zheng Yi's voice sighed in its mind: 'She's just too perceptive.'

Only then did Zero One realize Zheng Yi hadn't been asking it a question at all.

"Don't worry, Jiejie. I won't leave you alone." Zheng Yi gently wiped the tears from Yu Yinan's cheeks. She held her close, looking down into Yu Yinan's bright, wet eyes. Her fingertips traced the corner of Yu Yinan's eye, touching the warm, soft eyelid as Yu Yinan was forced to close her eyes, feeling the fragile eyeball tremble beneath her touch. Sensing Yu Yinan's slight unease, Zheng Yi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, gently pinched her earlobe, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips.

"Jiejie, you seem to be getting hot."

Yu Yinan could barely think. She could feel her body temperature rising steadily. Even though they had done the most intimate things, whenever Zheng Yi took the initiative like this, her heart would still flutter uncontrollably. She couldn't control her temperature or her heartbeat, nor could she control her body's reactions.

With just a slight movement, a single word, she would cast aside her armor and surrender without a fight.

"…But-but the food isn't ready yet…" In the pause between another deep kiss, Yu Yinan's peripheral vision caught sight of the kitchen. The last vestiges of her rationality surfaced, reminding her of the shredded potatoes she had just finished cutting and hadn't yet soaked.

Her only response was another low chuckle. Without using much force, Zheng Yi easily half-carried her into the bedroom. The moment the door closed, Zheng Yi took a mouthful of nutrient solution and quickly shared it with her through a kiss.

A sweet flavor spread through her mouth. The instant she swallowed, the abundant energy she already had from the enhancement potions felt like it was about to explode. A feeling of fullness instantly filled her stomach, leaving her with no more excuses to think about shredded potatoes.

"Jiejie…"

With just a light push of a fingertip, Yu Yinan collapsed onto the bed. She stared at the familiar ceiling, dazed and feverish, as the last remnants of her sanity vanished completely, swept away by a fierce tide and pulled down into the bottomless current.

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