Chapter 89: Inventory Tally, Together?
Su Ning collapsed onto her soft, comfortable bed like a lazy cat, enjoying a rare moment of peace and comfort.
However, her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the recently completed [Cosmic Mining Field] instance—especially that chilling experimental base.
She tried to force her brain to stop thinking, pushing out those haunting scenes. After all, this dungeon run had made her realize that she really wasn’t suited for instances requiring deep interaction with the native NPCs.
Though such instances often yielded valuable loot and resources, she was also forced to witness the darker, more grotesque side of the world.
So she concluded—this kind of instance just wasn’t for her.
“Sigh, forget it. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Looks like I need to work even harder and improve my strength. At the root of all my worries is still my own weakness.”
Su Ning couldn’t help but sigh.
As the saying goes: “All fear stems from lack of firepower.”
As long as she kept strengthening herself, she wouldn’t have to fear any hardship or threat again.
Thinking this, she felt a little more at ease and decided to take stock of the gains from this instance.
With a thought, her figure vanished and she entered her private planting space.
The first thing she saw was a brand-new hibernation pod, quietly standing in a corner, glowing with a mysterious and alluring light.
Su Ning’s eyes lit up with delight. “This hibernation pod is a treasure. I can crawl into it after every dungeon run and fully relax.”
Sure, the thing needed electricity to operate—but luckily she had Honghong, her trusty assistant. So power wasn’t a problem.
Next, she looked at the neatly stacked boxes of energy bars and considered what to do with them.
Personally, she didn’t need them much, as she wasn’t short on food.
Still, the energy bars had their value—great as a bargaining chip to trade with others, or she could stock them in her “Survival General Store” to sell and make a decent profit.
That said, Su Ning didn’t plan to sell any items from the “Cosmic Mining Field” dungeon in that shop.
Thanks to the popularity of her previous merchandise drops, her little store had already garnered quite a bit of attention.
Players from around the world were keeping an eye on her, curious what new and exciting things she might release next.
People in chat channels were even speculating on the identity of the mysterious store owner—many believed the owner must be powerful, and they were eager to guess who she might be in real life.
Thinking of this, Su Ning gently shook her head.
If there were a way to hide her identity, she could run her business freely. But for now, she could only shelve the idea.
She turned her attention back to organizing her inventory.
In the final chaotic battle, a large number of miners had died.
Su Ning hadn’t forgotten their gear—especially the thermal mining suits with excellent insulation and heat resistance. She had gathered many for future use.
She counted: around 200 sets.
And finally, what filled her backpack the most was the ore that Unit 2 had dug up.
She wasn’t in a rush to deal with the mining suits or ores. When the time was right, she planned to cooperate with Shelter No. 6 or a higher authority.
Once her inventory check was done, Su Ning took a day to rest.
Other players had also started returning to the real world. Many of them posted their haul and experiences in the chat channels.
Everyone had entered different versions of the instance, so their gains varied greatly.
The Next Day
Su Ning prepared to head out to work, but as soon as she stepped outside, she noticed something unusual—the air wasn’t as hot as usual, and there was even a slight chill.
She was stunned.
“Temperature dropped this fast?” The usual scorching heat had vanished, replaced with a noticeable cool breeze.
Soon after, the shelter issued a new announcement:
Extreme Cold Incoming. Everyone is urged to prepare for its arrival.
Su Ning frowned. “No telling how long this cold snap will last…”
Work itself hadn’t changed. But Su Ning noticed something different about Jiang Nana lately.
She seemed… distracted.
At first, Su Ning didn’t want to get involved. Jiang Nana’s look screamed love troubles, and Su Ning wanted no part of that drama.
But unexpectedly, Jiang Nana walked straight up and asked, “Su Ning, do you think I should say yes if Kou Dingshan proposes?”
Su Ning: ??
Excuse me??
Girl, he’s proposing to you, not me! What’s this got to do with me? Why ask me?
Jiang Nana sighed. “After our trip to Shelter No. 9, Kou Dingshan said the world’s getting more dangerous. So when we got back, he asked if we could become family. I was caught off guard… I told him I’d give him an answer after this dungeon run.”
Su Ning, gathering her things, just wanted to end her shift. Work was annoying enough, and now she had to listen to someone else’s sappy romance? Please just destroy the world already.
Of course, she didn’t say that out loud. Finding love in a doomsday setting deserved respect. That kind of commitment was rare.
Still—had nothing to do with her.
“So what are you even whining about?” Su Ning said. “You’ve got two options: yes or no. Pick one.”
Jiang Nana blushed, covering her face. “Kou Dingshan’s a good guy… but if I say yes, I’ll have to move away. He wants me to live in the core zone of the shelter—it’s safer there.”
With more refugees flooding in and multiple instance runs completed, many people were growing restless.
The place Su Ning lived in had decent security, but it couldn’t compare to the core area of the shelter.
“That’s it? If it were me, I’d have moved out already. What are you even hesitating for?” Su Ning replied bluntly.
Jiang Nana fell silent. The sweet, emotional atmosphere had been thoroughly ruined by Su Ning’s practicality.
“Fine! Of course I’ll move—there are perks! Hmph, I was going to live next to you for a few more days, but now I’ll move out tomorrow. Bet you’re jealous!”
Su Ning: …
“Oh, and I’ll invite you over to my new place. You better come!”
Su Ning nodded.
She was in a rush to get home—the vegetables in her planting space had matured, and today was the day she planned to enjoy a long-anticipated hot pot.
But when she got to her dorm room door, she unexpectedly encountered someone.
Su Zonggang.
At the sight of him, Su Ning’s expression darkened. She didn’t know how he had found this place.
(End of Chapter)
