Chapter 167 : Chapter 167
Chapter 167: Yi Ning Is Not a Vegetarian
After who-knew-how-long, the alien sun finally rose.
Lu Zheng sat beside the extinguished campfire, poking at it idly with a firestick—the universal tool transformed into yet another function.
He glanced up at the sky, then down at the soft, sunlit bottom of Yi Ning, which was currently illuminated through the entrance of the shelter.
The brilliant sunlight, combined with the reflective white lab coat she slept on, made the curves of Yi Ning’s backside shimmer.
Uh-oh.
He really wanted to give it a smack.
Lu Zheng inhaled deeply and forced down the impulse that had sprung up from the deepest depths of his soul.
It was time to wake up.
He patted his own cheeks and walked to the shelter entrance, crouching down, about to reach in and tap Yi Ning on the shoulder.
As he did so, her perky bottom entered his line of sight.
Just to clarify, Lu Zheng definitely wasn’t looking on purpose.
It was Yi Ning’s fault for pointing her butt directly at the opening!
His brain started to spiral, even as his hand reached forward and poked at her shoulder.
“Yi Ning! Yi Ning! Time to get up! The sun’s shining on your butt!”
“Mmmmh…”
Yi Ning groaned in annoyance, swatting his hand away and curling herself up tighter—hugging her knees into her chest.
That motion only made her well-shaped rear stand out more.
The tree branches forming the shelter blocked sunlight from hitting her face, but her slightly puffed cheeks still showed her discontent with being disturbed.
Meanwhile, the sunlight on her butt shifted. The changing angles formed shadows along the curves, making that already radiant backside appear even more three-dimensional.
Smacking it would feel so satisfying.
Lu Zheng forcibly averted his gaze.
This was tempting him into sin!
He gripped his left hand tightly around his rebellious right—the hand that had already mentally purchased a one-way ticket to the Kingdom of Buttocks. With sheer willpower, he redirected the rogue limb back to Yi Ning’s shoulder, attempting again to complete the S-rank mission of waking her up.
“Nnn…”
Yi Ning again batted his hand away.
Same move, same result. And it had barely worked the first time.
Worse, she scooted even deeper into the shelter, now completely hidden in the shadows.
Lu Zheng: “…”
Honestly, he had no issue with Yi Ning sleeping in.
They were on an alien planet. No jobs to rush to—sleeping in a little was fine.
But aside from the leftover fruit from last night, they had nothing left.
If they wanted to eat today, Lu Zheng needed to head out and search for food. He’d even set a few makeshift traps the night before—if he was lucky, they might’ve caught something.
But before he could leave, Yi Ning needed to be awake.
There were more dangers in the forest than just rabbits that shot ice spikes. During his night watch, Lu Zheng had sensed many beasts eyeing their clearing. It was only because he’d leveled the area for fifty meters in all directions and carried a weapon that they hadn’t been attacked.
If he left and some wolf or tiger dragged a sleeping Yi Ning away, it’d be beyond absurd.
Lu Zheng reached into the shelter again.
This time, instead of poking her shoulder, he gently tapped her smooth cheek, then slid his fingers upward, trying to pinch her little nose.
A few seconds passed.
“Hey!”
Yi Ning swatted him away, rolled over inside the shelter, and groggily poked her head out.
“So annoying! We’re already skipping work—can’t you let me sleep in a little?!”
She glared at him with sleepy eyes.
But now that she was awake, she didn’t bother crawling back in.
She pushed gently at Lu Zheng’s crouched body. Once he gave way, she crawled out, stretched both arms high into the air, and let out a long yawn.
“Mmmm… yaaaah…”
She reached into the shelter, pulled out both her and Lu Zheng’s clothes, shook the dust off her lab coat, and slipped it back on.
As for Lu Zheng’s T-shirt…
She casually tossed it to the ground and plopped her butt down on it.
“Lu Zheng, I’m thirsty.”
She extended her arms, mouth slightly open, like a baby bird waiting to be fed.
Lu Zheng was stumped.
Where was he supposed to conjure up a pitcher of water?
Maybe at dawn he could’ve gathered dew from tree leaves—but now that the sun was high, dew was long gone.
Thinking quickly, he picked up one of the leftover fruits from last night and tossed it to her.
The thing was juicy, at least.
“Chew on a fruit to tide yourself over. If you don’t want that, feel free to go lick some leaves—maybe there’s still dew.”
“Do I look like a dog to you?! Lick leaves?!”
Yi Ning caught the fruit and bit into it.
Sweet and juicy.
She also flipped Lu Zheng off while munching.
Lu Zheng didn’t bother arguing.
He turned away and told her he was heading into the forest to forage, reminding her of the important safety notes. Only after repeating them several times did he finally set off.
…
Yi Ning leaned against the shelter’s tree-branch wall, one hand gnawing on fruit, the other twirling her stun gun around her finger like a fidget toy.
In daylight, the forest was much safer.
Not long after, and without encountering any of the so-called threats Lu Zheng had warned about, she saw him returning through the trees.
He carried a bulging sack—his universal tool transformed into a makeshift bag—looking like he’d struck it rich.
Yi Ning’s eyes lit up at the sight.
She tossed her half-eaten fruit aside, leapt to her feet, and jogged over, swiping the bag from his hands before he could protest.
“What goodies did you find?” she asked excitedly, opening it up.
But the moment she peeked inside, her excitement evaporated.
“What the hell is all this?”
The bag was full of the same fruits she’d eaten before, and some plant roots that looked like alien yams.
No meat in sight.
Yi Ning dumped everything out and checked item by item—
Lu Zheng had actually brought back nothing but plant-based food.
What did this mean?
Did she, Yi Ning, look like someone who ate vegetarian food?!?