After the meal, Xiao Yang gathered everyone around the coffee table stacked with shimmering crystals. "Today, Sister You and I collected 320 crystals. Let's distribute them."
Lin Shishi gaped at the glowing pile. Earlier, Mu Wanqing had explained how these crystals fueled their "time energy"—a critical resource in this new world.
"Wait," Lu You interjected, her tone pragmatic. "You should absorb them all. With over 20 years of energy already, we're safe enough. But you need to hit 1,000 years."
Xiao Yang paused. At 1,000 years, his body would transcend mortal limits—bullets glancing off his skin. Nodding, he turned to the others.
Mu Wanqing gave an immediate nod of approval. Lin Shishi flushed, twisting her sleeves. "I didn't help today. I can't take any!"
Xiao Yang pressed 20 crystals into her palm. "You're team now. Strengthen your body, or you'll slow us down."
Guided by the women, Lin Shishi absorbed the crystals. Her pallor shifted to a radiant glow, skin luminous as polished jade. Standing beside Mu Wanqing in matching pajamas, they mirrored spring blossoms—though Xiao Yang's mind drifted to the cheongsam's thigh-high slit.
Power opens doors, he mused. Without this fortress and stockpiles, would these women orbit him? Unlikely. In the apocalypse, resources were the ultimate currency.
Xiao Yang's time energy now surged to 620 years. His frame sharpened—shoulders broader, jawline defined, presence magnetic enough to freeze the women mid-breath.
"Movie night!" he declared, savoring their dazed blinks.
The basement theater, stocked with imported snacks and Bordeaux, flickered to life with I Am Legend. As the women gasped at rabid hordes, Xiao Yang swirled wine, cigarette smoke curling around his smirk.
They demanded an encore. Waterworld followed—drowned cities mirroring their grim future. Yet here they sat, bathed in projector light, warm and sated.
Lin Shishi stole a glance at Xiao Yang's profile. However dark tomorrow, tonight whispered a truth: cling to this man, and paradise endured.