Chapter 403: Chapter 403

When Lu Ting returned in the evening, all the grime and filth that had been on him had been completely dealt with. Dressed in ordinary short sleeves and pants, his expression was calm, showing no other unusual signs at all.

Apart from An Ning, who was paying close attention in real-time, no one else could tell that this man had just, without changing his expression, reduced dozens of people in an entire underground laboratory to ashes.

Quietly picking at the vegetable porridge in her hands, An Ning also pretended not to know.

It was Lu Ting, however, who couldn't help but sigh as he looked at his daughter, who was clearly less lively than before. Especially at the dining table, when faced with the couple's obviously affectionate gestures, the child's first reaction wasn't familiarity, nor was it the happiness from before. Instead, it was an instinctive awkwardness.

Like now, watching as her mother occasionally put dishes she used to love into her small bowl, the little girl only politely said thank you.

She didn't show much joy over the previously favorite dishes in her bowl either.

"Alright, Ning Ning just woke up and has lost her memory. We have to take it slow."

Before bed, looking at his clearly dejected wife, Lu Ting had no choice but to comfort her.

As shrewd as Lu Ting was, he could naturally see that after losing her memory, their daughter was clearly wary of her surroundings.

Right now, the more they expressed closeness, the more uncomfortable this child would become, even wanting to distance herself.

Shen Qing couldn't help but tear up.

That's easy to say, but who wouldn't feel terrible seeing their daughter, who was once so well-behaved and adorable from childhood, become now, looking at them like strangers?

Especially since the cause was their own incompetence as parents.

Thinking of that day's scene, Lu Ting's gaze also dimmed slightly, but what's done is done. He could only tell himself now,

"It will get better. After some time, once Ning Ning adapts, it'll be fine. It's good that it's just memory loss, and there are no other issues with her health."

However, after his words fell, the room fell into silence once again.

Everyone knew it was different. Something like memory, once lost, is lost. All the beautiful memories of family from the past would no longer exist.

In the darkness, Lu Ting couldn't help but sigh again, but he quickly sat back up.

Thinking of himself that day, who was almost completely powerless to fight back... in the end, it all came down to his own lack of strength...

Glancing at her husband, who had already entered a cultivation state, Shen Qing also quickly sat up.

For a time, except for An Ning, all three members of the family entered another period of fanatical cultivation.

During this period, as the news of An Ning waking up spread, undoubtedly, almost the entire base breathed a sigh of relief.

The fact that she was their benefactor was one reason, but more importantly, even though the large army had retreated and there had been very few reports of zombie rampages in the surrounding areas lately, within Blaze Base, everyone who witnessed that brutal battle that day would not forget.

That zombie commander, whose mind was different from other high-level zombies, escaped quickly that day and was not completely eliminated. It might even be planning the next siege against humans in some corner right now.

Moreover, zombies inherently level up faster than supernatural ability users.

But now it's different. In the eyes of many, as long as Miss Lu, this fifth-stage supernatural ability user, is still here, even if that one attacks again, what is there to fear?

Thinking of this, many people couldn't help but show a few more smiles on their faces.

For a time, countless gifts once again flooded the Lu family villa. Even more people secretly inquired about the news.

Even though An Ning consistently disliked showing her face, it couldn't affect everyone's gradually growing sense of security.

However, at this moment, inside the Lu family villa, except for An Ning, the family's expressions were particularly grim.

No other reason. After several months of getting along, aside from diligent cultivation, and with the couple's countless efforts and various attentiveness, it seemed An Ning's sense of unfamiliarity was gradually fading, finally showing a bit of her former lively demeanor.

But before the couple could even be happy.

After just one day of waking up, the coldness and distance returned to the young girl's eyes:

In the morning, meeting the couple's clearly astonished gazes, the wariness in An Ning's eyes only then receded slightly:

"Um, excuse me... who are you?"

"And where is this place?"

Just ask, what does it mean to go back to square one overnight? In short, after understanding the situation, Shen Qing almost fainted on the spot.

What was even more distressing was Lu Ting. Seeming to have thought of something, his entire face looked particularly terrifying.

Fortunately, their daughter was still in front of him, so Lu Ting restrained himself somewhat, though his originally somewhat calm expression clearly turned serious.

After the usual round of "family recognition," Lu Ting directly bent down, meeting the young girl's clearly somewhat flustered gaze:

"Ning Ning, even though you've lost your memory, I know feelings can't be deceived. I'm your dad!"

Seeing An Ning hesitate slightly before nodding, Lu Ting then took a deep breath, lowering his head to look directly into his daughter's somewhat curious eyes:

"What Dad says today, Ning Ning, you must remember. In the future, I mean, just in case Dad isn't around, even for just a little while, you must keep your protective ability activated."

"And you must always carry this photo with you. Later, Dad will make you a little booklet that you must also always carry with you..."

Looking at the photo of the clearly happy family of three, An Ning's expression seemed touched. Next to the three of them, engraved one by one, were the words: Dad, Mom, Ning Ning.

Along with their full names for good measure.

On the back was their current address, and in large letters: DO NOT TRUST OUTSIDERS.

It could be said to be quite thoughtful.

As if sensing something, even though she was still confused, An Ning quickly smiled, her originally bright big eyes curving into crescent moons, harmonizing perfectly with the Donald Duck nightgown she was wearing.

"Don't worry, I understand, Dad!"

Another pang of pain shot through Lu Ting's eyes. Watching his daughter's obedient figure go upstairs, this pain quickly turned into deep worry.

After breakfast, the family gathered together again, but this time, including the Shen elders, there wasn't a trace of a smile on anyone's face.

Even someone as simple as Shen Qing knew how dangerous her daughter's current situation was. What if someone took advantage of her having no memory, what if...

At the same time, listening to the clearly anxious and uneasy voices coming from downstairs, then looking at the host who was cozily reading a book in bed, and thinking of the couple's struggles over the past few months, the system couldn't help but twitch the corner of its mouth:

"Host, you really are something. But I remember the original host didn't seem to have any thoughts of getting back at her parents, right?"

"Yeah! That wasn't in the original's wishes."

"But aside from herself and her important relatives being safe, the original also had wishes like 'hoping Mom and Dad won't argue' and 'not wanting Mom and Dad to be too far apart,' right?"

"So..." An Ning raised an eyebrow:

"Don't you think it's great now? Want to bet? From now on, these two definitely won't dare to stray even half a step away!" Besides, more motivation and diligent cultivation are good for surviving the apocalypse, aren't they?

An Ning understood clearly in her heart. She was still young now, and no matter how high her cultivation was, she was destined not to be suitable for holding power, and she was too lazy to expend much effort on it. The new power system was far more valuable to her than temporary authority.

But in this high-risk world, without sufficient eyes and ears, leaving everything in the hands of outsiders was too dangerous.

So, someone just had to work extra hard.

Glancing at the couple downstairs, their brows tightly furrowed, with several strands of hair having turned white in a short time.

The system couldn't help but click its tongue lightly. Tsk, with its host's personality, it wouldn't believe this wasn't intentional if she said so.

Then, just as An Ning expected, who knows what the family said that day. In short, from then on, while the couple busied themselves taking turns staying by their daughter's side to look after her, they clearly became even more desperate in their cultivation.

And as one of the only two high-level supernatural ability users in the base, with Lu Ting's intentional efforts, the number of trusted followers gathering around him began to increase...

Only An Ning, aside from daily cultivation, exploring her abilities, enjoying herself beautifully, and occasionally resetting things, continued her little life as usual.

Everything seemed to be developing in a good direction, until one day, news arrived that another large base in the north had been destroyed. Simultaneously, news spread that the commander was suspected to have advanced in level.

"It's changed, it's changed!" In the main hall, a survivor who had barely managed to flee and escape said with a face full of terror:

"That one... it... it no longer looks like a zombie, it completely looks like a human..."

As these words fell, the expressions of everyone present couldn't help but change.