"Jiang Fan!"
Zhou Niannian's voice drew Jiang Fan's attention.
"Snap!"
He severed another branch and turned to look.
Night had fully fallen.
Various creatures of the jungle began to reveal themselves.
Among a patch of grass, several water-red fruits, shaped like inverted pumpkins with near-transparent skins, revealed their rippling contents.
Several fruits emitted a faint water-red glow. Zhou Niannian lightly touched one, causing a cluster of red fruits to sway as if greeting them.
Upon seeing the fruits, the talent [Herbal Mastery] instantly activated.
"Crimson Juice Fruit. Rich in juice, its skin glows, and it's flammable, perfect for making torches for nighttime illumination..."
Jiang Fan's voice trailed off as he spoke.
He looked at his teammate.
The water-red light illuminated her face, resembling a tempting blush, making her appear exceedingly alluring.
The light in her eyes was captivating.
Even with her face smudged like a little kitten, her curious expression made her seem pure and unblemished.
Like a sprite fallen into the jungle.
One dared not approach, to shatter such a beautiful scene.
Jiang Fan gazed silently at Zhou Niannian, momentarily unable to look away.
A man and a woman, spending a quiet moment in the woods, a sight that made any single person's eyes ache.
"So this is what it means to be a dog watching a dogfight, isn't it?"
"Damn! Damn!!! You're looking at the scenery, and you've become scenery in someone else's eyes. This is too romantic!"
"What are you waiting for, Jiang Shen? Just go for it! You've taken care of her all this way; everyone knows what you're thinking. Just charge!"
"I'm single, so why am I torturing myself by watching a sci-fi romance?"
"You in front, why don't you find a girlfriend? Don't you want one?"
The interaction between the two instantly set the comments ablaze, with thousands of messages appearing per minute, reflecting their excited hearts and trembling hands.
Some had even established a fan club for the Jiang Fan x Zhou Niannian pairing.
Many who enjoyed shipping couples found their community and happily indulged in the "dog food."
The audience was thrilled, and even Zhou Niannian's brother felt he could no longer intervene.
Having fallen into the underground world, survival was paramount. Returning alive was the best outcome.
If she and Jiang Fan were truly together, Zhou Ye would only offer his respect and blessings.
And he would inform his parents that they need not worry about arranging blind dates for his sister.
She! Found a boyfriend!
Alas, this was merely a dream for now.
Noticing Jiang Fan's gaze, Zhou Niannian suddenly grew nervous, swallowed hard, and her expression became a bit unnatural.
"You... why are you looking at me?"
"I was thinking..."
Jiang Fan said slowly.
At this perfect moment, it was almost a prelude to a confession.
The fans could never have imagined that after just starting to ship Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian, they would witness their confession and official announcement.
Zhou Niannian even accidentally plucked off a leaf, her breathing becoming slightly rapid.
"Thinking about what?"
"I was thinking... eating too much of this fruit's skin might make your face turn as red as it is now, like Guan Gong."
Jiang Fan nodded thoughtfully and concluded.
"While historically, redder faces were considered more attractive, for us, it's probably best to avoid it."
"Right, and we should also consider bathing. I noticed your hair has attracted quite a few bugs."
He said this as he picked up the bundle of processed branches. This would be enough.
"Be careful, and pick some Crimson Juice Fruits to drink back there. The tree sap won't be enough."
"......"
"Zhou Niannian?"
"......"
Hearing Jiang Fan's puzzled voice and his undisguised disgust, Zhou Niannian felt a part of her heart...
*Crack.*
...shatter.
It was her budding girlish heart that longed for romance.
And the little deer that had been leaping wildly had been put down.
From this day forward, if she were to harbor any unrealistic fantasies about this oblivious man, Jiang Fan...
She,
Would be a pig!!!
Zhou Niannian was utterly heartbroken and shed tears of 'excitement,' wiping them away as she picked the fruit.
Jiang Fan didn't understand why picking fruit would make someone so emotional, but he ultimately remained silent.
He was the first to walk towards their small campsite.
The live stream's comments had gone silent.
Large strings of ellipses appeared on the screen, a spectacular sight.
It was as if everyone was silently mourning for Zhou Niannian, who had encountered a hopelessly dense man in his later years.
"Too tragic, too tragic. I shouldn't have expected Jiang Fan to say anything human."
"I declare the CP fan club disbanded on the spot. Given this trend, there's no chance they'll ever be together."
"Hahaha, Sister Zhou is too pathetic. While she's a 'reverse-charge fighter,' it doesn't mean she can't be charged up, right? Is Jiang Shen even human?"
"No, he's a god. Gods don't have human emotions, you understand? [Wink]"
"Understand, he's a eunuch."
The CP fans were furious, genuinely angry.
In such a dreamlike scene, a perfect opportunity for confession was so carelessly thrown away by Jiang Fan.
It made one wonder if he was allergic to romantic atmospheres.
Why hurt Zhou Niannian's heart so much?
What was even more infuriating was that Jiang Fan appeared completely oblivious to his own dense behavior.
Wouldn't it be better to just have a romance?!
Please, let them have a romance!
However, amidst the flood of comments criticizing Jiang Fan's denseness, a few discordant voices emerged.
"Stop! That's a new species! Stay away from it!!!"
"Don't harm endangered creatures; it's illegal!"
These discordant messages were dismissed by other viewers as troll comments.
Most people didn't even bother reading them.
Only a few, very straightforwardly, asked:
"In the underground world, if they don't eat these, will they starve to death?"
"In the wild, pandas can eat anything! This is emergency survival, understand?"
"What kind of bookworm is this, talking about laws, hahaha... did you just come out of a church? So saintly?"
Their sarcastic remarks rendered some of the professors who spoke out speechless.
Only Elder Lin stubbornly cursed,
"What kind of nonsensical ideas do these people have? Their awareness is too low!"
Meanwhile, outside the mine, an explosion had already begun.
"Boom—"
The dynamite detonated, shattering the surrounding rocks.
Rocks flew everywhere, and the entire mine collapsed due to structural damage.
However, when a small squad of soldiers cleared the debris, there was nothing inside.
Elder Lin was completely dumbfounded.
Now, there was no way to find them...
The clue was completely lost. The route to the underground was nowhere to be found. Thinking of how Jiang Fan and the others had caused so much 'destruction,'
Elder Lin fainted on the spot.
There was another chaotic scene.
But no one paid it any attention.
In the small underground camp.
Dai Xiaomei came to welcome the returning duo. Upon seeing Zhou Niannian, who was dejected and had red eyes, she was startled.
"What's wrong? Did Jiang Fan bully you?!"
Before Zhou Niannian could answer, Jiang Fan, who had put down the large bundle of branches, frankly said:
"She probably got too excited after finding some fruit she'd never seen before."