Seeing Tang Mo immediately produce a bowl of spicy hotpot skewers, even the well-prepared Qinling was momentarily stunned.
He hadn’t expected the girl before him to be so straightforward after her hidden abilities were revealed. He had thought there would be some drawn-out game of cat-and-mouse—it was both interesting and cool.
“How about I trade a package for it?” Qinling lifted the items he was holding.
“Deal.” Tang Mo agreed immediately. In her previous life, she had eaten from Qinling many times, so she knew exactly what was in there: chocolate, cookies, soda, and her favorite—beef jerky.
“Don’t you want to know what’s inside?” Qinling placed the package on the ground and took the hotpot, eating heartily, showing no hesitation despite half of it already being eaten by Tang Mo.
“Oh, what’s in it?” Tang Mo asked, smiling as she watched him eat.
After leaving the school, she had only seen him in Alliance News and on the rankings. Back then, he wasn’t as lively as now; he was always frowning and not cute at all.
“Nothing you’d be disappointed in. If you ever need anything, come to me. Trade me cooked food, and I can get you anything,” Qinling said. He wasn’t bluffing; in these chaotic times, he really could obtain anything.
“Okay,” Tang Mo replied.
Back in the dorm, Tang Mo didn’t immediately wash up and go to bed like usual. She carefully placed the package in the innermost part of her locker.
“You don’t look like you’re calling your mom. Feels more like a date with a boyfriend,” Li Lanlan teased.
“Could it be a gift from a boy?”
“Hm.” Originally just a joke, Li Lanlan was surprised when Tang Mo responded seriously.
“Really a boy?” Li Lanlan put down her phone, and even Song Qing glanced over.
During her years in college, many had pursued Tang Mo, but no one had ever heard of her receiving gifts, let alone dating.
“Who is it?” Lanlan pressed.
“The person I like,” Tang Mo said, leaving the room with her items. She had to wash up; she sweated a lot every day, and no matter how precious water was, she needed it to clean herself.
Li Lanlan and Song Qing were left looking at each other, curious which lucky guy had earned Tang Mo’s favor.
The next day was Monday. Tang Mo woke early, gathering to wade into the water to catch fish as usual.
The weather was getting colder, and fewer people could tolerate going into the water.
Tang Lianwei stood on the shore, holding his new girlfriend, reportedly the beauty of the Foreign Language Department. He had long forgotten Tang Mo. Recently, he had tried pursuing Wen Qing, but Wen Qing had ignored him, chatting with the senior Anyang instead. Without her space ability, Tang Mo’s appearance alone would never have caught his attention. He tightened his hold on the girl in his arms and spat in disgust.
“This is…” Shortly after entering the water, Shi Xuan standing beside Tang Mo suddenly exclaimed.
“Why is this fish silver?”
Tang Mo immediately realized something and stepped closer to Shi Xuan. A silver fish swam in the clear water at their feet, standing out brilliantly.
“Catch it!” Tang Mo called to her class monitor.
The nearby waters only had her and Shi Xuan. Tang Lianwei, far on the shore, was too busy flirting to notice.
Shi Xuan acted immediately—this was valuable.
Tang Mo, with her increased agility, was fast with the cloth bag. But limited by her tools, she still couldn’t move as quickly as Shi Xuan, who struck the fish on the head with a tennis ball. Tang Mo mentally noted his strength—his force value was impressive.
Any strike to the head would stun something, let alone a fish. The fish’s eyes rolled back, and Shi Xuan scooped it up. But now he faced a dilemma—how could he hide it while still holding it?
“If you give it to me for now, I’ll return it later,” Tang Mo suggested.
Shi Xuan didn’t object and handed over the fish. Tang Mo, wearing a one-piece suit, could conceal it easily. And since it was a girl, no one would suspect much. She slipped the fish along her pants into her space. Shi Xuan couldn’t see clearly since her legs were out of the water.
Soon, the activity ended. The two exchanged a glance as they walked to a nearby teaching building, found an empty classroom, and locked the door.
“This should be a rare treasure. Class monitor, try the watch’s appraisal function,” Tang Mo said.
In the third month after the apocalypse, the authorities had announced the existence of rare treasures, and the watch’s appraisal feature was public knowledge.
The fish didn’t look ordinary. Tang Mo didn’t bother fabricating a story—any fool wouldn’t be convinced.
Shi Xuan activated the watch’s appraisal function, a beam of light shining on the still-unconscious fish.
Soon, text appeared on the screen:
[Agile Silver Fish:
Attributes: Provides 10 Agility Points
Usage: Consume]
As expected, it was a rare treasure. Tang Mo and Shi Xuan weren’t surprised. Given its appearance, if it wasn’t a rare treasure, it would feel out of place.
However, the name made them both roll their eyes— “agile” and “quick” for a fish stunned by a tennis ball? Hardly accurate…
It wasn’t the fish’s fault—it had simply been discovered too late. Living comfortably in the lake, it had grown fat eating smaller fish every day, losing its agility and destined to be stunned.
“Class monitor, you found it and caught it, so it’s yours. But I really want it. Why don’t you sell it to me?” Tang Mo said.
Tang Mo didn’t dispute ownership—the fish rightfully belonged to Shi Xuan.
“This…” Shi Xuan hesitated.
He didn’t really need 10 agility points. His strength was high, enough to protect himself. Running wasn’t necessary at school; walking faster or slower didn’t matter. People at school were mostly ignorant of the treasure’s value. For him, the fish’s edible value outweighed the 10 agility points.