Chapter 90 - 85: An Inkling

Chapter 90: Chapter 85: An Inkling

"Need help?"

Leo asked, glancing at the old-fashioned lock on Ning He’s door.

Ning He immediately raised her hands and gestured, refusing Leo’s help without hesitation. She took out her key and fumbled for the keyhole.

Watching the small key shift left and right, failing to enter the keyhole, and the tiny beads of sweat gradually forming on Ning He’s forehead, Leo suddenly found himself in a rather good mood. He crossed his arms and watched leisurely from the side.

Finally, a few minutes later, with a "CLICK," the door opened.

’Tch, I told you I could open it with my eyes closed.’

Ning He turned and shot Leo a smug smile, raising her foot to step inside the house.

The very next second, she tripped and fell flat on the floor.

Leo suppressed the twitch at the corners of his mouth and coughed lightly.

"Let me do it."

Before Ning He could react, she felt herself being lifted by the armpits, carried into the house like a little chick, and finally placed on the sofa.

Ning He grabbed a throw pillow to cover her face, which was burning with embarrassment, and let out two muffled hums as a way of saying thanks.

Leo, without even breathing hard, stood in the center of the living room. He looked around and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Aside from the two adjacent bedrooms, there was an open mini-classroom set up opposite the living room.

It featured a whiteboard covered in writing, a few chairs, and an old table in the middle. On the old table sat a portable gas stove, a frying pan, and a set of seasonings.

"Is everything ready for tomorrow’s banquet?"

Ning He suddenly remembered that he was also a guest for tomorrow’s banquet.

She raised her right hand and made an "OK" gesture, then frowned and pointed to her eyes and mouth. Leo understood.

"Don’t worry, it won’t delay the banquet."

His tone was as reassuring as always. Ning He breathed a sigh of relief and felt a bit better, gesturing for him to sit down and have some water.

Then, she fumbled to stand up, but after just two steps, she stubbed her toe on the sofa leg, wincing in pain.

"Ahem, you just sit there. I’ll get it myself."

Ning He’s hearing was particularly sensitive at the moment, and Leo’s voice clearly carried a hint of amusement. She fought the urge to roll her eyes and gave up trying to be brave, pointing toward the corner next to the whiteboard.

There was a small refrigerator over there.

Leo walked over, took out two bottles of mineral water, handed one to her, and then sat down beside the sofa.

Ning He took a sip of water and suddenly remembered a question she had been meaning to ask. She quickly made a few more gestures at Leo.

This time, Leo didn’t understand. He spread his hand out and leaned closer to Ning He’s hands. She immediately caught his drift, grabbing his palm with one hand and writing two words on it with the other.

"What poison?"

Ning He had followed Johnny into the dense forest many times. Combined with the information provided by the system, she knew about some common dangerous creatures. What kind of trick had she fallen for this time?

"Well, it should be Snake Toad feces. Do you remember smelling a sweet fragrance?" Leo said.

Ning He quickly recalled that she had indeed smelled something similar when she was burying the Dragon Red Fruit.

’What kind of feces is actually fragrant? Are you kidding me?!’

Seeing her nod, Leo continued, "The smell of Snake Toad feces is highly toxic and can paralyze sensory nerves. It’s originally meant for dealing with its prey. Did you encounter any strange creatures at the time?"

Seeing her nod again, Leo was slightly surprised.

"Snake Toads attack very quickly. It’s quite lucky that you weren’t injured."

Ning He’s face twitched, and she gave a perfunctory grin.

’What kind of luck is this?’

’This is pure bad luck!’

"But why did you go into the forest alone? Macken is always cautious; this isn’t like his usual style."

Ning He’s expression stiffened. Instead of answering the question, she patted her stomach and made a gesture for eating.

’Running away might be shameful, but it works.’

Sure enough, Leo didn’t press further. Under her guidance, he took out a portion of tomato meat sauce she had made in her previous class from the small fridge. Then he ignited the stove, boiled water to cook the noodles, and stirred in the sauce. A pot of tomato meat sauce noodles was thus completed.

This tomato meat sauce recipe had been upgraded by Ning He. She added a small pat of butter, black pepper, bay leaves, a star anise, nutmeg powder, as well as dried herbs like basil, thyme, and rosemary. The meat had also been changed from just pork to a mixed mince of pork and beef, striking a perfect balance between aroma and texture.

Such a serving of tomato meat sauce noodles cost much more to make than the version previously sold in the shelter, but naturally, the taste was also several times better.

Leo had never cooked before. Ning He simply sat on the nearby chair, using gestures to tell him how many noodles to take and how much water to add. She then relied on the sound and smell to judge whether the water was boiling, if the noodles were cooked, and if the sauce had melted.

Her instructions were clear, and Leo’s execution and comprehension skills were excellent. Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were each eating a bowl of piping hot, fragrant, sweet and sour meat sauce noodles.

After taking his first bite, Leo had to admit that the girl in front of him truly had a gift for cooking.

Both of them cleaned their plates. Leo consciously took the bowls to the sink, and Ning He didn’t stand on ceremony with him, heading over to the sofa to rest.

If an outsider saw this scene, their jaw would definitely drop in shock, and they might even point at Ning He’s nose and curse her out.

"The hero of Beiluo City, the esteemed Lieutenant Colonel Leo, was actually made to wash the dishes himself?

Do you even have a conscience?!"

But at this moment, neither of the two people in the house felt anything was wrong.

After placing the clean bowls back on the rack, Leo turned and took a few steps. As he passed the living room wall, he caught a glimpse of a piece of thick black velvet cloth pinned casually with a few pieces of paper.

The numbers on the paper caught his attention.

It was a printed electricity bill.

It showed that Ning He’s electricity bill for the previous month was 347 original coins.

The residents of Beiluo City did not have high incomes. While food was extremely expensive, other basic living expenses were relatively cheap.

The monthly rent for an ordinary apartment in the Fourth Ring was only two or three hundred, and twenty-something was usually enough for the electricity bill.

An electricity bill of over three hundred original coins was simply unbelievable!

"I’m a little full from the food. I’m going out for a walk."

Ning He was also lying on the sofa, experiencing a food coma. Hearing this, she raised her hand and waved a couple of times, signaling for him to do as he pleased. Leo turned and walked out of the house.

With such a steep electricity bill, the only possibility he could think of was that someone was stealing her power.

Leo didn’t like to meddle in everything, but since he had stumbled upon it, he had no reason to ignore it. He walked around Ning He’s small building, carefully observing the wiring structure on all four sides, but didn’t find anything suspicious.

Just as he was considering whether to have someone from the Power Bureau come and take a look, he suddenly noticed something. He looked up at a small window on the second floor.

The window was about one square meter in size and of the most ordinary style. It had a layer of black fabric pasted on the inside. The entire window looked like a black screen, completely inconspicuous.

But the superior observational skills Leo had honed through countless life-or-death situations allowed him to spot a subtle discrepancy.

He shifted his feet, constantly adjusting his viewing angle. Finally, from a position pressed tightly against the wall, he discovered a faint glimmer of light seeping out from the window.

Leo’s keen intuition told him that this matter was not simple.

He frowned slightly and eventually unclipped a grappling hook launcher from his belt.

「One minute later.」

Leo returned to the ground.

His expression was incredibly grim.

Brows tightly knit, he strode back inside, ready to grab Ning He and give her a proper interrogation, only to find that she was already fast asleep on the sofa.

Leo reached out, intending to shake her awake.

’Such a serious matter must be questioned thoroughly!’

The next second, however, his hand froze in midair.

"Ma... ma... boo-hoo... miss... you."

Low whimpers escaped Ning He’s lips, and Leo’s expression froze in surprise.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand and stood up straight.

He stared intently at the person on the sofa for a while. Finally, he let out a sigh, shook open the blanket nearby, and draped it over her.

"I’ll settle the score with you after the teacher’s banquet is over."

Leo exhaled a heavy breath and left Ning He’s house.

At this moment, Ning He had no idea she was already able to speak again, as she was still having a sweet dream.

In her dream, she was out on a dinner date with her idol from her past life.

She accidentally bit into a Sichuan peppercorn and deliberately made a huge fuss, crying out, "Ma... ma..." to complain about her tongue going numb. She then took the opportunity to snuggle into his embrace, letting out a few fake sobs before adding how much she missed him and loved him.

’Tch, how incredibly cheesy.’

It really wasn’t her style.

Even in her sleep, Ning He couldn’t quite stand it. She rolled over and began having a new dream.