Chapter 163: Chapter 151: My Pets Just Eat Crystal Cores

But Flora Bloom overlooked one thing. Although she was only a Level 2 Water Ability User, her spiritual power was amplified by a vortex in her sea of consciousness, and her body had been enhanced when she bonded with a mystical space. Among those at the same level, no one could match her in strength.

Not even Level 2 Power-type Superpower Users, like those with Metal or Earth abilities, could surpass her.

That was why Cynthia Grant tried several times, using all her might, but still couldn’t pull the rose out of the ground.

Just then, a plainly dressed man ran over from a short distance away, stopping beside Quinn. "Captain, breakfast is ready," he said.

Quinn nodded, dismissing him. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Leader, breakfast is ready. Should we all go get something to eat first?"

Morgan Sterling nodded and glanced at Flora Bloom. Without a moment’s hesitation, before he could even speak, she smiled and said, "Then let’s go have breakfast first!" She started down the gravel path on her own. "Cynthia Grant, come on, let’s go eat."

Morgan Sterling watched the two girls, who were about the same age, walk side by side, whispering to each other. ’Does this mean that after they’ve eaten their fill, they’re going to come back and wreak havoc on the plants in my villa complex?’ The thought left Morgan Sterling with an unprecedented mix of amusement and exasperation.

Soon, the group entered Morgan Sterling’s villa.

The early morning sky was still dim, but upon entering the villa, the bright chandeliers and accent lighting made the grand hall feel exceptionally luminous.

The team of eighteen, plus Morgan Sterling and Quinn, filled two tables. Fortunately, the villa’s great hall was quite spacious, so even with both tables full, it didn’t feel crowded.

Flora Bloom was in the habit of washing her hands before meals. Besides, after a night in the isolation room and being tainted by the smell of blood, she doubted she could stomach food without washing up. So, she stood, borrowed Morgan Sterling’s kitchen, and filled a bucket with water for everyone to wash their hands in turn.

In an apocalypse where water was so precious, the sight of this group lining up to wash their hands so matter-of-factly took Morgan Sterling by surprise.

Everyone else was washing their hands; it would seem antisocial if he and Quinn were the only ones who didn’t. So, Morgan Sterling and Quinn got in line at the very end, waiting their turn.

As they looked, they saw the large bucket of water shimmering with a faint, deep blue light. But what truly shocked the two men was that after summoning all that water, Flora Bloom wasn’t even flushed or out of breath. She looked as if she had plenty of energy to spare.

There was no shortage of Water Ability Users at the base. But most Level 1 Water Ability Users would exhaust their superpower after creating just a few cups of water.

A Level 2 user could manage a basinful at most, and that was their limit.

The base’s entire water supply depended on five Level 3 Water Ability Users who worked day and night, continuously creating and storing water, a process sustained by feeding them countless Crystal Cores.

’This Flora Bloom... is she Level 2? But it seems like she’s even higher than that.’

The breakfast on the tables was sumptuous. There was congee, egg pancakes, and even pan-fried dumplings and seaweed soup. Each table also had a carton of Guangming milk and a large bowl of tea eggs.

The golden millet congee was incredibly fragrant, and the aroma of the essential scallions sprinkled over the egg pancakes was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. The pan-fried dumplings were standard pork-filled ones, and the seaweed egg drop soup was absolutely packed with ingredients—not just several pieces of seaweed, but also pickled mustard greens, dried shrimp, and celery leaves.

The few who had been in the isolation room had been starving all day, especially the two pregnant women, Flora Bloom and Selina. Flora was over three months along, while Selina was at seven months. Both their eyes lit up at the sight of food. Flora, in particular, didn’t stand on ceremony. She ladled herself a bowl of millet congee and downed it in one go, then single-handedly polished off a plate of egg pancakes, a bowl of seaweed soup, and two pan-fried dumplings.

Flora Bloom’s eating prowess was astonishing. When everyone saw her reach for the carton of milk after all that, Jade immediately called out to stop her.

"Flora! If you eat that much, you’ll make yourself sick!"

"Oh, don’t worry, I won’t! I’m still hungry."

After being stunned for a few seconds by Flora Bloom’s voracious appetite, everyone else quickly joined in the feast. Seeing the humans eating, the little white tiger suddenly let out a tiny "AWOO, AWOO," while the big white goose began to cackle bizarrely, "HONK HONK HONK HONK!"

Flora Bloom knew, of course, that the little white tiger was getting greedy and wanted something to eat. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she turned to Morgan Sterling.

"Morgan Sterling, since you’ve treated us all to breakfast, you wouldn’t mind feeding my two little ones as well, would you?"

Morgan Sterling gave a magnanimous smile. "Of course not. Quinn, uh..." He trailed off, turning to Flora Bloom with a puzzled look. "Does your little tiger eat its meat raw or cooked? And does the goose eat grain or vegetables?"

Flora Bloom took a large gulp of milk and answered while catching her breath, "Oh, they don’t eat meat or vegetables."

"Neither meat nor vegetables?"

"Mm-hm." Flora Bloom patted the little tiger’s head, already communicating with it through their mental link.

’Crystal Cores? How many?’

’Master, if I have about five or six hundred more Crystal Cores, I’ll be able to level up.’

Flora Bloom nearly spat out her milk.

’Five or six hundred?’

’Morgan Sterling might seem friendly and accommodating, and he appeared to have good intentions toward them. But if she dared to rip him off like that, he’d probably have her gift-wrapped and thrown out in the next second.’

’Ten. And not one more!’

’No way! Twenty, and not one less!’

’Oh, right, Goose Sis says she wants fifty!’

"PFFT! COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!" The milk went down the wrong pipe, and Flora Bloom choked, coughing uncontrollably.

’Goose Sis? The goose is female?’

’Wait a minute, you can talk to that fat goose?’

’Yeah. Goose Sis insists on fifty!’

Flora Bloom shot the big white goose a sideways glare, then composed herself and turned to Morgan Sterling.

"My two pets don’t eat meat or vegetables. Just give them thirty or forty Crystal Cores. That should do it."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a mouthful of millet congee got stuck halfway down Morgan Sterling’s throat. He wanted to cough but held it in, his face turning bright red. After finally managing to swallow, he looked down to see a small tiger and an enormous fat goose wagging their tails beside him like a pair of dogs.

With his eyelid twitching uncontrollably, he waved Quinn over and told him to prepare the Crystal Cores.

A tiger that didn’t act like a tiger, and a goose that acted like a dog. The two of them then trotted out after Quinn in a remarkably human-like fashion.

Flora Bloom soon ate her fill and settled onto the sofa in Morgan Sterling’s living room to watch a DVD. It was a Michael Lynch zombie movie. ’Leave it to Morgan Sterling to have such an old classic,’ she thought.

Seeing that Flora Bloom wasn’t leaving after the meal, the rest of her group also stayed in their seats, resting and chatting among themselves.

Morgan Sterling sat down beside Flora Bloom, crossed his legs, and rested his chin on one hand, watching her.

Flora Bloom glanced at the man staring unabashedly at her, then pursed her lips. "Don’t go falling in love with me. I’m not interested in old men like you. Don’t waste your time!"

"..." Morgan Sterling’s face, which had finally returned to its normal color, flushed red all over again at her words. He thought for a long moment, wanting to explain that he wasn’t hitting on her but trying to recruit her. But after an internal struggle, the words that finally came out formed a strange question.

"Do I... really look that old?"