Shen Mo: “…”
Everyone else went still as well.
A few seconds passed, then one by one people burst out laughing.
Ada teased, “Mo Ge, your wife loves you so much~”
Still buried in Shen Mo’s arms, Bai Youwei turned her flushed face to the others and said sheepishly, “Sorry — couldn’t help myself…”
“It’s fine! Don’t help yourself!” Ada laughed. “Never help yourself!”
Natasha held back a smile. “Ada, don’t say that — you’ll embarrass Weiwei.”
Shen Mo patted Bai Youwei gently on the back and said softly, “Go back to the rear.”
“Okay…” Bai Youwei reluctantly took her place behind Yuri, then gave Shen Mo an encouraging gesture. “Go get ’em, honey!”
Shen Mo smiled and continued pressing up toward the higher floors.
…
Commentary: 【The full squad continues to advance. Destination: currently undisclosed.】
Live comments:
【The commentary just lost its soul.】
【Hahaha the commentator fell out of love in one second flat!】
【I bet the commentator’s brain completely broke — who could have predicted Little Cabbage would suddenly go absolutely smitten like that?!】
【Right, so on top of being dead weight, she’s also a lovesick fool. Yuri really misjudged this one as team captain — a complete dereliction of duty.】
【Hey, watch your mouth — where’s the proof it was Yuri who brought her? Keep your assumptions to yourself.】
【Wait — has anyone else noticed that the Newcomer King turned RED?! 】
【…Holy—!】
【Oh my—!】
【Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!】
…
Shen Mo’s expression showed nothing — but the tips of his ears had gone a very obvious shade of red.
After climbing several more floors, that faint, telltale flush slowly faded…
The live comment section erupted:
【Where’s the commentator?! Say something! Stop playing dead!】
【This little cabbage is poisonous — Newcomer King, hold strong!】
【Hold nothing — his ears are already red!】
【If it were me, honestly… I’d probably buckle too…】
【Women are nothing but trouble! Soft feelings for a girl will ruin a man’s iron resolve! I declare — the Newcomer King is done for!】
【The commenter up front — how many peanuts did you have with your drink? You’re absolutely wasted.】
…
By the time they reached the seventh or eighth floor, the floor and walls had begun to change. A tar-like viscous fluid had appeared, coating the ceiling and walls. Even the solid concrete floor had become sticky underfoot.
Shen Mo stopped. “This is it — the movie theater.”
Yuri nodded. “Alright. We split here. Natasha and I will hold the guards off at this floor. Once the Queen leaves the nest, pour the fuel into the nest!”
This differed from the original plan — Bai Youwei had been meant to stay with Yuri’s group, but since all the fuel was in her backpack, she would need to go with Shen Mo to the nest at the top.
“Watch yourselves,” Shen Mo said to his teammates.
“You too — stay safe.”
The five-person squad split. Yuri and Natasha held position on the movie theater floor, while Shen Mo and Ada took Bai Youwei and continued toward the top.
Climbing flights of stairs was no easy thing, but fortunately Bai Youwei had decent stamina. The one real problem was that the viscous fluid on all sides was growing thicker and more pungent with each floor, and every step produced a sticky, squishy sensation underfoot that was genuinely revolting.
After climbing a few more floors, Shen Mo, who was leading ahead, stopped.
Bai Youwei stopped too and asked, “Are we there already?”
Shen Mo walked back to her and crouched down. “Get on — I’ll carry you.”
Bai Youwei blinked. “…I’m fine. I’m not even tired yet.”
Ada called out from the side with a smirk: “You said you thought it was disgusting, didn’t you?”
Bai Youwei couldn’t help but reach up and touch her own face. She thought: was it really that obvious?
“Just let your husband carry you!” Ada said with a laugh. “Every time you take a step you’re gritting your teeth. Your expression is suffering personified!”
Bai Youwei: “…”
Shen Mo said, “Come on up. Even if I weren’t carrying you, I’d be carrying the fuel at this point anyway.”
Bai Youwei climbed onto his back with mild reluctance — feeling a little warm in her chest, even as her lips stayed in a slight pout. “Don’t blame me for slowing you down later~”