"Ouch, big bro, help me! This hoe keeps chasing me!"
"Big bro, I got stuck in a water jar, help me, please!"
...
Danielle crossed her arms and sneered.
"Dora is so useless. She wants to cause trouble but brought such weaklings. Pathetic."
Wei You froze. Then the iron ladle slammed into his head again.
"How do you know that?"
Danielle rolled her eyes.
So dumb.
Each of Wei You's group had awakened some kind of ability, but none of them were strong.
Wei You seemed to be a speed-type; he was running all over the place.
Others had stretched-out legs or long arms.
One even had a stretchy neck and wobbled his head around like a ball to attack.
What a bunch of weirdos.
It was Danielle's first time seeing so many strange abilities. She was watching with interest when Zachary rushed out holding a black sword.
"Danielle, are you okay?"
He pulled her behind him protectively.
Danielle blinked. With a swoosh, all the weird, attacking things vanished.
Only a few bruised and bleeding people were left behind.
Wei You got the wrong idea, thinking Zachary was controlling those creatures.
Why else would they disappear as soon as he showed up?
"You… You awakened a power too? A control-type? Damn it, this job isn't worth the money."
Zachary was confused.
"What are you talking about? Get lost before I lose my patience."
Wei You and the others, still aching from their beating, didn't dare stay. They mumbled threats and fled in a panic.
Behind Zachary, Danielle waved a tiny fist at them.
Come back if you dare.
Wei You caught it in the corner of his eye and nearly cried.
Who said new folks in the zone were easy to bully? These two are clearly tough.
Zachary shut the door and looked like he wanted to say something.
"Just now…"
"Oh, they fell on their own. Had nothing to do with me. You know I'm just a simple space-type."
Danielle tilted her head and blinked.
"Come on, I'm starving. Let's eat before the food gets cold."
She didn't want him asking too many strange questions. Truth was, she didn't have the answers either.
Deep down, she felt her awakened power was different from everyone else's.
At dinner, Zachary felt torn.
Danielle was getting stronger. He felt like he didn't deserve her anymore.
After cleaning up, Zachary picked up his sword and headed out.
Danielle hugged little Rain, confused. "Where are you going this late?"
"To train."
He gritted his teeth. "I'm going to try awakening my ability."
Danielle's eyes widened. "Aren't you too old for that? Can you still awaken?"
They said after twenty-five, it was impossible to awaken.
Danielle had Rain at twenty and was twenty-three now. Awakening at her age was already considered late.
No wonder her family had given up on her.
Zachary looked at her serious expression, and a vein popped on his forehead. "Danielle, you heartless woman!"
"Huh?"
Danielle looked at him, completely lost.
Zachary didn't feel like explaining. He stormed off, still angry.
Rain let out a big sigh like a little adult and smacked his own forehead with a pa.
"Mom, you really don't care about Dad enough. He's only 21 this year!"
"21?!"
Danielle gasped in shock and started counting on her fingers.
That means Zachary was only 18 when the original host messed with him?
The original host really was a terrible person!
Rain shook his head slightly. "Mom, this won't do. A husband needs to be cared for. How could you forget his age? That's a big no-no."
The little guy's disappointed look made Danielle feel even more guilty.
She reached out, pushed down his little head, and tucked him into bed.
"Alright then, I'll go comfort your dad. You sleep on your own."
But just as she got up, the little guy grabbed her arm tightly and smiled sweetly.
"Mommy, what I said just now wasn't exactly right. Dad's a grown-up, he probably doesn't need to be comforted like that."
"Hmph."
Danielle poked his little nose. "Enough. Go to sleep now, or I really will go stay with your dad."
Hearing that, Rain quickly shut his eyes tight.
Kids fall asleep fast. In no time, he was snoring softly.
Danielle… well, she actually planned to go talk to Zachary, but ended up falling asleep herself.
Meanwhile, Zachary was outside practicing with his knife. He kept going until he was soaked with sweat, but Danielle never came to find him.
The veins on the back of his hands bulged in frustration.
Sure enough, that woman only married him for the child.
Shua, shua, shua!
Danielle slept restlessly through the night, feeling like there were swishing sounds coming from the courtyard.
The next morning, not feeling like cooking, the three of them each drank a bottle of nutrient liquid.
"Zachary, did you hear any strange sounds last night?"
Zachary snorted coldly, put down his empty bottle, and walked off without saying a word.
Danielle…
She looked at Rain in confusion. "What's wrong with your dad now?"
Sigh!
Rain slapped his own forehead helplessly.
"Oh, my silly mom… That was Dad practicing his knife skills. He probably stayed up all night again."
All night?
Danielle frowned a bit. "Isn't he tired from staying up all night?"
While quietly sipping his nutrient drink, Rain shook his head without even looking up.
"Our neighbor Sister Xiao Yue used to say, Dad works so hard to protect me. The stronger he is, the safer I'll be."
Thinking about the hard life Zachary and Rain had before, Danielle silently cursed the original host again.
Such a good man and such a sweet child—how could she not cherish them?
Well, if she had, Danielle wouldn't be here now.
Danielle gently rubbed Rain's head and promised, "Don't worry. Now that I'm here, your dad won't have to work so hard anymore."
Outside the door, Zachary's hand froze on the handle.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he quietly turned away to work in the vegetable garden for Danielle.
When Danielle came out holding Rain's hand and saw that, she felt even more thankful to have met such a great man.
"Zachary, are you going to the hunting hall today? If not, why don't we go out for a walk?"
They had been here for almost a week, but apart from visiting the housing agent, they hadn't explored the area.
Though the middle district wasn't as fancy as the central one, it was way better than the lower district.
On the street, they occasionally saw people wearing or carrying things made of cloth.
Zachary paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and stood up. "Okay. I'll take you two for a walk first, then head to the hunting hall."
Just as the three of them stepped out the door, a figure suddenly stumbled toward them.
"Danielle, y-you're going out today?"
Looking at the blushing man in front of her, Danielle's mouth twitched.
Dude, who are you?