TFRLTOP Chapter 81 Part 1

Chapter 81 – The Captain’s Little Widow 

◎ The Wonderful Uses of Tentacles (Part 2) ◎

“According to a message from the neighboring city’s Ability Corps, a massive arthropod-type mutant is moving south. They were unable to stop it and have asked for our assistance. Originally, we planned to head there to eliminate it, but by the time we received the message, the creature had already changed course and is now heading toward our city.”

“Our mission this time is to intercept it in the northeastern mountain forest outside Hedou River. We can’t allow it to cross into the main urban area. Most of the birds and beasts in that forest have already mutated, so everyone—be cautious.”

Before departure, Guan Yi gave his final briefing.

Because his oversized gold chain ruined his “wise and heroic captain” image, Ming Ming had firmly demanded he take it off and leave it in their room as decoration.

A convoy of several dozen vehicles set out in full force. Guan Yi had his arm around Ming Ming in the back seat, his tendrils subtly coiling around her waist. No matter how she tried to pry them off, they wouldn’t budge, so she eventually gave up.

An Ning rode in the same car, sitting in the front passenger seat. The driver was Li Hua, a silver-haired water-type ability user who kept trying—awkwardly—to strike up a conversation with her.

At first, Ming Ming had thought his hair was dyed, but it turned out to be silver naturally after he gained his powers.

It was strange and fascinating.

Each ability user’s awakening was triggered by something different, and so far, science had no explanation. Li Hua had been swimming when it happened—he alone survived and awakened as a water-type user, while everyone else in the pool died. The fire-type who forged Guan Yi’s gold chain had probably awakened through years of working with flames in a jewelry shop. As for An Ning, rumor had it that hers awakened while she was drinking a can of “Six Walnuts.”

So… does “Six Walnuts” actually make you smarter?

Curious, Ming Ming asked Guan Yi, “How did you awaken your ability?”

Guan Yi’s expression immediately stiffened. He forced a change of subject. “Uh—Dr. An, what exactly did you say we needed to collect again?”

But An Ning wasn’t about to let him off the hook. She exposed him mercilessly: “You don’t know? He was out on a mission, ran out of ammo and food, and was on the verge of death. He caught an octopus in the water and ate it raw just to survive. When he got back, he had a high fever for days and kept grabbing the doctor’s arm, insisting, ‘I ate a live octopus! It might be parasites! If necessary, just cut me open!’”

“In the end, it wasn’t an infection—it was a mutation.”

Ming Ming: “…”

Guan Yi rubbed his forehead, visibly regretting that piece of personal history.

An Ning continued calmly, “Anyway, the purpose of this mission is to collect arthropod mutant gene samples. Captain, shouldn’t you be the one most aware of that?”

Guan Yi: “…Traitor.”

Ming Ming looked down at the tendrils still coiled around her waist and took a sharp breath. “So… these are actually octopus tentacles?”

The last thing Ming Ming could handle were cephalopods. She’d been deceived by their smooth, rubbery appearance before—but now that she knew, she wanted nothing to do with them. “I’m allergic to seafood! Let go! Don’t touch me!”

“What octopus? These are just normal rubber tentacles—rubber!” Guan Yi insisted, tightening his grip as the “rubber” tendrils pulled her closer.

She struggled hard, realizing the suction cups were real. No wonder! The man was a walking sea monster. She should’ve known—this kind of power was just asking for trouble.

Kicking and thrashing, she nearly sent the car swerving off the road. From the driver’s seat, Li Hua said nothing—just kept his eyes forward and pretended not to exist.

“Easy, easy! You’ll shake your gear right out of your storage space again!” Guan Yi said, trying to calm her down.

“Oh, don’t even start! Whose storage ability drops things every time they move? Every piece of equipment I’ve lost is your fault! Maybe we’re just incompatible!”

“Incompatible? Impossible! We fit together perfectly—like a lock and key, like a pot and lid, like a turtle and—uh, green bean! The perfect match!”

Ming Ming: “…”

“Go to hell! You’re the turtle! Your whole family is turtles!”

In the front, An Ning hid her face, shoulders trembling from laughter, while pretending to look out the window. After a while, the noise quieted down—apparently, Guan Yi had managed to appease her somehow.

When An Ning peeked into the rearview mirror, she saw the two of them cuddled together like a pair of affectionate lovers. If not for Ming Ming glaring daggers at him while his tendrils mischievously fidgeted around her, it might’ve looked romantic.

Guan Yi murmured near her ear, “Seriously though, sweetheart—keep your space sealed tight. You’ve got dangerous stuff in there. If you keep dropping things along the way and find your explosives gone when we need them, we’re in trouble.”

He added, teasingly, “Can you promise to keep it all secure?”

Grinding her heel into his foot, Ming Ming muttered under her breath, “Don’t worry. I’ll clamp down tight.”

Guan Yi burst into laughter so loud that Li Hua nearly drove off the road again.

The convoy traveled for half a day before stopping at an old gas station to refuel and scavenge for supplies at the adjacent convenience store.

Ming Ming slipped behind the counter to play cashier. “You want this pack of instant noodles that expired two and a half years ago? That’ll be eighty-two bucks.”

Guan Yi raised a brow. “Eighty-two?!”

“These are 1984 vintage noodles,” she said dryly. “Collector’s edition. You’re getting a discount.”

He leaned forward, hands braced on the counter, smirking as he loomed closer. She thought he was about to pull something shameless and instinctively leaned back—but instead, he simply opened the cash drawer and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill. Just as she was about to call him out, he turned and kissed her—quick, firm, and unexpected.

She blinked up at him, stunned. He grinned and leaned in again, brushing his lips over her eyelid.

She retaliated with a punch to his stomach that nearly doubled him over.

“God—babe, at least warn me next time,” he groaned, clutching his abdomen.

Ming Ming calmly took the bill from his hand. “No refunds, no change.”

Her face was cool, but the faint flush at her ears gave her away.

Guan Yi propped his elbow on the counter, eyes glinting with amusement and affection. Just as she tried to slip out from behind the register, he caught her by the waist and effortlessly lifted her onto the counter.

She gasped, and before she could protest, his lips were on hers again—gentler this time, but no less insistent. She pressed against his chest, trying to push him back, but her strength faltered, her resistance melting into the warmth of the moment.

Just as things were getting heated—

“Hey!” An Ning’s voice cracked like a whip. “You two—no flirting on company time! Even the captain’s not exempt from work duty!”

Ming Ming froze. Mortified, she buried her face against Guan Yi’s chest and twisted a painful pinch into his side.

Shameless! Absolute menace!

Guan Yi stifled a laugh, keeping his arm around her as he turned to the others with complete composure. “Everyone ready? Let’s move out!”

The rest of the team: “…”

How can you say that like nothing just happened?!

They spent another hour scavenging. After nearly three years of apocalypse, any food left was long expired, but basic items like soap and toothbrushes were still usable.

Ming Ming didn’t bother searching—her job was to collect whatever the others found into her spatial storage.

As she wandered through the aisles, she noticed something uncanny—some packaged bread, over two years old, still looked soft and fresh. She poked the plastic bag in disbelief. “How many preservatives did they put in this thing…”

She grabbed a bottle of iced tea and noticed the “Instant Win” label on the cap.

Just then, Guan Yi came around the counter to play cashier. “Welcome, customer,” he said with mock charm. “Our goods are rare collector’s items. Can’t pay cash? I accept… alternative forms of payment.”

Ming Ming twisted the cap off, read the inside, and wordlessly placed it in front of him.

The message read: “Try again—one more bottle.”

His grin froze. Then he reached for another bottle, handed it to her, and said smoothly, “Guess that means I’m buying the next round.”

And once again, a certain tentacle quietly curled around her waist.

“Screw you, old man!”

Ming Ming grabbed her iced tea and nearly threw it at Guan Yi’s tentacle. He wisely retracted it with a quick whoosh.

“Tsk, tsk…” Guan Yi muttered, watching her storm toward the door. “She’s really climbing on top of my head now, huh?”

At the city’s edge, deep in the Hedou mountain forest, the scouting team had already gone ahead.

The arthropod mutant was grotesque—a fusion of several species. From the visible parts, they could make out centipede traits, though one member who’d grown up in the countryside swore it looked a little slug-like.

A giant slug…

Yeah. Disgusting.

When the creature entered the forest, it caused such a commotion that all the other nearby mutants gathered toward it.

“Perfect. These things don’t recognize their own kind. Let them tear each other apart for a while.”

Taking advantage of the chaos, the ability users slipped into the forest.

The deeper they went, the louder the sounds grew. The team split into smaller units, advancing separately. Guan Yi shot a tendril around a thick tree branch, swung upward with Ming Ming, and set her down high in the canopy.

“You stay here. Don’t get any closer.”

He took a few of her mushroom bombs. “I’ll bring these up front. If anything comes near you, just blow it up—don’t hesitate.”

Still uneasy, he arranged for a flying-type ability user to stay nearby and guard her. Before leaving, he gave her a quick, loose hug and whispered in her ear, “If there’s danger, just yell ‘husband.’ I’ll fly right back.”

Ming Ming nodded rapidly, like a pecking chick, and waved him off impatiently. She was in high spirits, itching to prove herself—and honestly, she thought Guan Yi was just in the way.

“You ungrateful little thing.” He flicked her forehead, pressed a kiss to her lips, and turned to join the fight.