Zhao Yaxin handed her bewildered daughter over to Su Qi for care, then led Su Lin out the door, heading to the residence of Liu Lao, the captain of Search Team 2.
Su Lin carried the dozens of pounds of treasure meat on his shoulder, his steps slightly heavy as he followed behind his sister-in-law.
It was only after leaving the Su Family that he had the space to think about everything that had happened.
The information he'd received since that morning was overwhelming.
First, Chang Sanheng brought treasure meat, which triggered memories related to Genetic Martial Artists, then came the subtle dangers he sensed during the Su Family's internal conflicts.
Undoubtedly, Su Lin was now at the crest of the wave; one misstep and he might be doomed to sink with the leaking ship that was the Su Family.
"Chang Sanheng, Zhong Wubin, Hunting Group, Hunting Lord..." Su Lin mumbled these keywords under his breath.
They were all major headaches for the Su Family.
And yet, he lacked the strength to resolve these problems.
A fierce determination arose in Su Lin's eyes. He thought that after surviving last night's ordeal, he could have a brief respite.
Little did he expect that so many people and things would prevent him from peacefully developing, waiting for the next entry to arrive.
But he had no choice; apart from the entries, the Su Family was his greatest reliance.
Emotionally and practically, he could not break away from the Su Family.
"I still need to strive to improve myself.
"Upgrade the construction platform, create tenfold reinforced crossbow arrows, practice unlocking the genetic lock, then continue to upgrade the safe house, unlock more structures and creations, enhance bullet manufacturing efficiency...
"At the same time, I also need to earn more money, buy more bullets for reserve. I can't end up like Hou Yong, letting those two rifles gather dust.
"Finally, I can still wait for the weekly entry refresh!
"There are many things I can do."
Su Lin exhaled, mentally reviewing what he could achieve, calming down considerably.
Although he heard a lot of bad news earlier at the Su Family's old mansion, there was also plenty of good news.
Receiving the treasure meat for the Breathing Technique practice was naturally the biggest benefit.
Moreover, through sincerity and treasure meat, he greatly improved his relationship with his family, becoming no longer a fringe member of the Su Family.
His grandfather also sponsored him with the upgrade materials for various Level 2 Safe House structures and gave him ten silver coins to purchase new blueprints.
From Chang Sanheng's words, it was clear that elevating the level of the safe house was of utmost importance in current times.
Even the cultivation of Genetic Martial Artists to enhance strength was all for the purpose of improving the safe house level.
The safe house was the core of this rule-based apocalypse; who knows what benefits future upgrades might bring.
Su Lin was still considering gathering all the Shadow Cores needed for all structures tonight, then checking tomorrow if he could upgrade to a Level 3 Safe House.
What he valued most, undoubtedly, was the refreshed entry coming next week.
The "King of the Garbage Can" entry, with its massive versatility, had helped him immensely since his transmigration.
If the next entry drew something like [One Hundred Push-ups], it could also provide him with significant aid.
With a 35% damage reduction plus changes brought by unlocking the Skin Genetic Lock in the future, could he perhaps withstand bullets with just his flesh?
Of course, isolation for three years wasn't appealing to him; as a disgraced idler, he couldn't endure such a side effect.
Alternatively, another exploration-type entry to enhance resource search efficiency wouldn't be a bad choice, as he heard later upgrades to the safe house would require a lot of rare resources, a step where many people got stuck.
Better yet, an entry that could accurately guide him to ordinary Mutant Beasts yielding treasure meat would be fantastic.
If his whole family could become First-Transformed Martial Artists, he wouldn't need to worry about all those trivial matters.
What Hunting Group, what Lord? With enough strength, he'd crush them all!
Unsure if more versatile mechanism enhancement entries existed, that way, he could purchase better mechanism blueprints to arm his safe house, accelerating its upgrade...
Su Lin was filled with anticipation for the entry choices available next week.
His mood naturally relaxed as a result.
Soon, his gaze was irresistibly drawn to the swaying, graceful figure ahead.
The full, plump roundness contrasted starkly with the slender, tight waist, creating an intensely striking silhouette.
He, a person without flaws, has a major strength: the ability to appreciate beautiful things.
His standards for appreciation were also quite simple:
Good buttocks, good waist;
Good stomach, good legs;
Good bosom, good face!
—And the figure before him almost perfectly hit the "ultimate bomb" in his aesthetic preference.
It's just that...
"Alas, do not look at what is improper, do not look at what is improper."
He secretly warned himself, forcing himself to look away, quickening his pace to catch up with Zhao Yaxin and walk alongside her, trying to drive away that bit of amorous thought by making small talk:
"Sister-in-law, Yingying is almost six, right?"
"Mm."
"Has she started practicing the Breathing Technique yet?"
"Mm."
"The little girl looks quite skinny."
"Mm."
"..."
Su Lin's awkward conversation was met with a series of cold and brief nasal responses from Zhao Yaxin, who occasionally squeezed out one or two words.
This was not entirely due to her still holding grudges against Su Lin; the main reason was...
After unlocking the Skin and Flesh Genetic Locks, the heightened perception made her acutely aware of the subtle changes in her surroundings!
Especially those two practically tangible, searingly hot gazes glued to her lower back, making her feel as if sitting on pins and needles!
"People might have changed a bit, but his lecherous nature seems completely unaltered!"
Zhao Yaxin felt a mix of shame and annoyance.
Thinking about how the owner of that gaze was the rascal brother-in-law who once shouted "after the brother, comes the younger brother" wanting to marry her, a wave of inexplicable heat and shame surged up again.
Her expression turned even colder, and the frequency of her long strides quickened suddenly, practically at a fast walk.
Su Lin was taken aback by the sudden acceleration, completely at a loss.
In the useless memories of his former self, there was no knowledge of the body's perception becoming so heightened after unlocking the Genetic Lock.
He could only feel completely bewildered, shouting, "Hey? Sister-in-law, slow down!" while panting heavily, trying to catch up.
The two were practically in a game of tag, hastily arriving at the market area under the collapsed highway bridge.
Zhao Yaxin kept walking, heading straight to the Gouhuo Tavern where Su Lin bought meat yesterday.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the tavern was not yet open for business in the early morning, appearing somewhat deserted.
Only the freckle-faced teenager Xiao Lu was behind the bar, focused on polishing a glass.
Upon seeing the visitors, he looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Huh? Sister Yaxin, why are you here?"
Zhao Yaxin's tense expression slightly relaxed: "Xiao Lu, I'm here to see Old Liu."
"Oh, looking for my grandpa..." Xiao Lu responded, immediately turning his head to shout loudly inside, "Grandpa!! Sister Yaxin and that lazybones from the Su Family came together to see you!"
Su Lin twitched a corner of his eye at this.
That "lazybones from the Su Family" part was completely unnecessary!
However, taking the blame for his former self was already a common occurrence. He was slightly upset for a moment but quickly regained composure, swaggering forward, placing the Treasure Meat wrapped in red cloth on the bar with a "thud," and sat down on a chair himself.
The curtain to the back kitchen lifted, and Liu Jun, lean but as upright as a pine, came out, his old eyes gleaming with sharpness.
Seeing the uncle and sister-in-law pair at the bar, a hint of surprise clearly flashed in his eyes.
"Oh? I thought my grandson was just yelling blindly, didn't expect you two to actually come together?" Old Liu approached the bar, sweeping his gaze over the two, "What's this old fellow Liu being sought after for?"
"Hello, Old Liu." Zhao Yaxin nodded slightly, directly getting to the point.
She extended her fair and slender fingers, pointing at the red cloth bundle: "The old man asked you to make this Treasure Meat into dietary supplements. Note the cost of ingredients and labor on the tab first. Afterward, please have someone deliver two-thirds to my brother-in-law's house during each meal, the remaining third to my house."
"Whoa!"
Liu Jun's eyes lit up, quickly stepping forward to lift the red cloth.
Instantly, the strange and rich aroma of the meat wafted out, causing Xiao Lu's eyes to widen, his Adam's apple moving, almost drooling:
"Wow! (╯▽╰) So... so fragrant!"
Liu Jun was accustomed to the aroma, his expression turning serious: "It really is Treasure Meat."
He extended two fingers, stabbing them into the meat as if they were iron skewer, and then pinching the touch and the remaining grease on his fingertips after pulling them out:
"What a pity, it's a piece of frozen meat, conservatively estimated to have been kept for fifteen or sixteen months, losing most of its active factors. This should be Treasure Meat from a regular Tier One Mutant Beast, the Treasure Meat produced by a Tier One Lord Beast has much better preservation qualities than this."
"Still, Old Liu is professional." Zhao Yaxin sincerely praised, "My dad could only tell the meat had been kept for at least a year but couldn't distinguish if it was from a regular beast or a Lord Beast."
At her words, Liu Jun's face revealed a slight professional pride:
"That's normal. I've been a chef for most of my life before the apocalypse, dealing with meat for half my life. After the apocalypse, most of the Treasure Meat in our village has been handled by me, I've long gotten the hang of it."
He neatly rewrapped the meat, isolating the fragrance.
"Alright, I'll remember this, and do as you said."
Old Liu nodded in agreement, then shifted the topic with a bit of teasing smile at Su Lin, "However... my tavern is the most well-informed on news. From yesterday to today, the things about you, this lad, have been spreading like wildfire."