---

Chapter 060 I Take the Initiative with My Girlfriend

Her earlier comment was meant to be teasing, just like those ambiguous remarks before.

Not long ago, it was mentioned that Ling Mo’s shy, old virgin demeanor was quite amusing to her. After experiencing it a few times, teasing Ling Mo seemed to have become Xia Xinyan’s guilty pleasure.

And it was particularly easy—just one ambiguous, flirtatious line could completely fluster him, to the point where he would struggle to even speak coherently.

How to put it… it felt like playing with a pet dog, finding amusement in its adorable reactions—uh, no offense intended with that analogy.

However, this time, Ling Mo’s reaction was completely different from what she had imagined.

She thought the hint in her remark was already quite clear, and surely, with Ling Mo’s seasoned experience, he would catch on. Yet the fact that he could catch on made him even more flustered due to his lack of experience in handling such situations—at least, that was the norm.

But why was it that he was able to respond so normally to her comment this time? He even gave a response that hinted even further.

Such a seemingly normal response coming from Ling Mo was the greatest anomaly of all.

Hmm… rationally thinking, she felt Ling Mo must have been possessed.

【… Host is overthinking. This kind of operation is impossible.】

‘If you can have that kind of system, why can’t he be possessed?’

【Impossible, host… it’s just not possible.】

Xia Xinyan ignored it.

Seeing her stay silent for a long time, Ling Mo’s smile deepened a bit: “By the way… should all of this game point go into physical attributes?”

At his words, Xia Xinyan finally snapped back to reality and cleared her throat: “Well… I still recommend doing that early on. Investing in physical fitness is always the most effective way to deal with dungeons. But… if you want, you can allocate some to other aspects as well.”

Ling Mo nodded: “Then let’s invest in physical fitness for now. Speaking of which, the effect upgrade is quite noticeable. I feel like I’m turning into a superhero.”

Though it was merely a sensation from the game, this enhancement to his physique was indeed profound—much faster than regular workouts.

If this enhancement could also affect reality, that would be amazing.

“Do you remember the end of the last dungeon?” He said with a light chuckle, “At that time, I actually didn’t have much strength left, yet I still managed to carry you all the way to the opposite building. Even I was shocked.”

Xia Xinyan tilted her head and took a look at him, noncommittally responding: “That’s why I said you’d surpass me eventually… um… no, you probably already have.”

The physical attribute upgrades in the game would indeed eventually reflect in reality, starting from the very launch of the game—much earlier than the Cataclysm. It’s fair to say this was one of the earliest impacts the game had on the real world.

However, the rapid enhancement like Ling Mo’s obviously couldn’t mirror reality one-to-one; otherwise, it would be way too noticeable. Hence, the changes in real-life physical fitness would happen gradually, like a frog boiling in water. By the time players realized the change in their physical condition, it would be similar to how they fared in the game, right before the Cataclysm hit.

It’s possible that even when the Cataclysm arrives, not many would pay attention to their physical changes, as most people today were unwilling or had no time to exercise.

Even someone like Ling Mo, who often worked out, might just think he was making rapid progress during this time.

Of course, Xia Xinyan wouldn’t say any of this outright.

Ling Mo continued to smile: “Maybe, after maxing out my game points this time, I could become quite strong… Last time, I ran across two buildings while carrying you; now maybe I could even carry you to the lakeside without breaking a sweat.”

Xia Xinyan paused.

Ling Mo turned to look at her, his gaze somewhat perplexed: “Want to give it a try?”

“…No thanks.” Xia Xinyan immediately took a step back, creating some distance, her smile stiffening. “Just a nice, slow walk is good.”

Something was off.

Absolutely off.

Was he taking the initiative??

Where did he get the guts from??

—Actually, Ling Mo had no guts at all.

If she had readily agreed, there was a chance Ling Mo would actually back down.

The reason Ling Mo dared to make a move this time… was that he wanted to probe a little.

Mainly due to a little discovery from the previous dungeon that led to a guess in his mind—Xia Xinyan’s flirtatious remarks weren’t her genuine thoughts; she just wanted to tease him. Essentially, she was just an innocent girl who had never dated, right? How could she have so many flirting tactics?

If he accepted this premise, it turned out to be quite thrilling.

He enjoyed pretending to be a smooth talker flirting with his pure girlfriend.

However, this was just his guess. After pondering for a long time, he decided to give it a test to confirm whether his guess was correct.

This was his chance.

As for the result of this test—no need to even say, it was obvious.

This time, it was Xia Xinyan who broke down.

It was also the first time Ling Mo had seen this side of Xia Xinyan—hidden beneath her calm exterior was a touch of helplessness, quite cute.

And it made him inexplicably happy.

He was generally a slow-burn kind of person, and since he hadn’t interacted much with girls, facing a lively and affectionate girl throwing herself at him was a bit overwhelming, even triggering a sense of rejection—so until now, Xia Xinyan had maintained the right balance, but in Ling Mo’s mind, her current behavior ranked higher among the types of girls he liked.

He had a relatively strong personality, so he didn’t want his partner to be stronger than him, which left him feeling lost. He preferred to have some control, even if just a bit, as it gave him a sense of security.

On this point, he and Xia Xinyan were in agreement.

Now, it was clear: he had the initiative.

And… it seemed he had discovered Xia Xinyan’s weakness.

Feeling quite pleased.

“Just kidding,” he awkwardly shifted the topic, “By the way, Xinyan, how did you control all those infected in the last dungeon? At the time, I seriously felt like you were an angel, saving the world all by yourself.”

Xia Xinyan paused for a second and explained: “That was one of my items, um… a special redemption code that came with the first batch of Game Pods, allowing me to gain great power with three uses.”

What she referred to was the God of War Mark, but how she acquired it required some explanation. After all, Ling Mo wasn’t familiar with the game yet; she could simply cover it up easily.

The God of War Mark maximized her abilities, and her item’s effects were plausible. However, the sheer power she displayed was beyond her expectations—originally, her primary ability was beast transformation, and the widespread mental charm she unleashed had practically captivated all the infected in the city.

This ability was even stronger than mind control; it made those charmed believe they genuinely liked her and acted according to her will, even after the ability faltered, they wouldn’t feel any backlash—at most, they’d think they had developed a crush on someone else.

——It even worked on any biological entity, including those infected and zombies.

Truly fitting for a succubus.

Of course, at that time, she had shielded Ling Mo and Fatty; otherwise, given her strength back then, Ling Mo might have ended up being pushed down right then and there.

As for the passive skill’s charm effect, it was much weaker than mental charm—akin to an infinite goodwill halo, leaving people with excellent first impressions of her, and strengthening feelings for those who already had a good relationship with her, but without control, it didn’t mean she could have her way.

At least when used on Ling Mo, the effect was top-notch—all around.

Though she wasn’t aware of it just yet.

 

---