Today, I Have Yet to Become a Doll

As dusk approached, Shen Mo's car reached the outskirts of Hangzhou.

They didn't immediately enter the fog, but instead found a place to stay, planning to scout the surroundings after daybreak before making further arrangements.

As usual, they prioritized hotels for accommodation. These places had ample bedding and pillows, a large stock of disposable toiletries, and each room came with a private bathroom, making for a convenient stay.

Shen Mo found a suitable hotel and carried Bai Youwei out of the car. The girl's head rested against his shoulder, eyes closed.

She had been drowsy in the car and now had even less desire to move.

More accurately, she had been listless ever since leaving the game. The real world seemed to struggle to hold her interest.

Shen Mo placed her on the bed and then went out to inspect all the hotel rooms on the same floor.

Staying diagonally across from their room were Tan Xiao and Cheng Wei Cai.

Tan Xiao rushed out and waved to Shen Mo: "Brother Mo, come here quickly!"

Shen Mo asked: "What's up?"

"It seems like there's someone over there," Tan Xiao pointed towards the room's window.

The window of their room faced a street, offering a view of a considerable distance. Cheng Wei Cai, holding a pair of binoculars, was hunched over, straining to see.

"…It's no good, the magnification isn't strong enough. I can't see clearly if there's anyone in that building over there," Cheng Wei Cai muttered.

Shen Mo walked to the window and looked in that direction. He could see a few faint lights, as if someone had lit candles or some other illumination.

Such lights were conspicuous in the night.

He counted them. There were four such light sources in total.

They were too far away to see clearly, and it was late. It would be unwise to investigate rashly.

Shen Mo said: "Cheng Wei Cai, please keep watch. If any of the lights go out later, it likely means someone is there. We'll go check it out tomorrow."

Cheng Wei Cai nodded, "Alright, I'll watch here. You guys go ahead and do what you need to do."

Shen Mo then took Tan Xiao downstairs and started a fire in the open space in front of the hotel lobby.

—First, find a few bricks, or use tools to chip some off the edge of the flower bed. Arrange the bricks in an enclosed square shape with only one opening at the bottom. Place an iron pot on top and light a fire underneath, creating a makeshift stove.

Other resources could be substituted, but without electricity and gas, cooking and boiling water could only be done using the most primitive methods.

They still had a small stove in the car, suitable for cooking noodles and porridge, but it would be too slow for boiling water.

Tan Xiao retrieved a few packs of instant noodles from the trunk, skillfully tore open the packaging, and began cooking.

Their food was broadly divided into two categories: rice, flour, oil, and other staples collected from the supermarket, and cured sausages and roasted chicken that Tan Xiao had previously obtained from a food processing plant.

Overall, they lacked vegetables and fruits.

Going without them for a few days wasn't a problem, but a prolonged lack of fresh produce would weaken their immune systems and make them susceptible to illness.

Shen Mo thought for a moment and said to Tan Xiao: "I'm going to take a look around."

Tan Xiao, who was ladling water into the pot, replied: "Brother Mo, come back soon. Otherwise, Youwei will throw a tantrum if she can't find you."

Shen Mo paused, a smile playing on his lips: "Are you afraid of her?"

Tan Xiao nodded honestly.

"What are you afraid of her for?" Shen Mo asked with amusement. "Did she scold you or hit you?"

Tan Xiao thought back, and then he fell into deep confusion—

Bai Youwei had neither scolded nor hit him, so why was he afraid of her?

"The water's boiling," Shen Mo reminded him, waving his hand and turning to leave.

Near the hotel were shops, residential buildings, and a park… all the structures immersed in the night.

Shen Mo walked and observed, finally turning into a residential complex.

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