A single-player post-apocalyptic game, but with an all-female teammate mod.

The result was that it was used as a fire poker and swung around a few times, then it obediently switched to a stone spear and started doing nucleic acid testing on the mechanical dog.

When dealing with monsters that lack intelligence and aren't even humanoid, practicing skills isn't entirely useless, but the cost-effectiveness is just so-so.

A fierce, powerful, and ruthless axe suited Qingye better.

"We still need long-range weapons, firearms... are pistols the only option?"

There were blueprints for making axes, but Aono estimated that no one but himself would choose an axe as their main weapon, so he opted for a more cost-effective method.

After buying both alloy battle axes from the store, he began looking for ranged attack methods.

If he had the right long-range attack method today, he could easily bump into those mechanical spiders hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"I'm not sure if it can break through the mechanical monster's defense, but I'll buy it anyway."

After buying a Desert Eagle pistol blueprint, Aono also purchased the corresponding bullet blueprints and the necessary manufacturing materials.

Some crafting materials, such as scrap metal and gears, can be obtained by defeating monsters in Aono, but things like gunpowder can only be purchased.

Firearms are more powerful than cold weapons, and correspondingly, they are more expensive.

If he hadn't been thinking that even if it was useless, he could still experience the pleasure of masturbation, he might not have bought it.

……

When Aono returned from the store, Dudu also happened to return from the manufacturing room.

It was noon, and since she was at home with nothing to do anyway, the young cook prepared a lunch.

Four dishes and one soup.

The little chef is having good luck today; all three of her dishes have a buff.

The two ate while discussing their next plan.

First, regarding General Raiden, if it's confirmed tomorrow that the trust level cannot be increased further, Aono will choose to recruit him immediately.

During the initial stages of clearing levels, the powerful Thunder General can provide significant assistance.

Her lightning abilities, in particular, might be surprisingly effective against mechanical monsters.

That silver-white metal suit can insulate heat, but it can't also be insulating, can it?

The matter of General Raiden was only briefly mentioned; the main point was that Aono planned to go monster hunting alone tomorrow.

This was a rare instance where Dudu, who is usually obedient, expressed her opposition.

"Brother Qingye, do you think I'm a burden?"

The girl put down her chopsticks and looked at Aono with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Aono twitched the corner of her mouth and lowered her head to avoid those misty blue eyes.

"no……"

After a few seconds of silence, he decided to speak frankly.

"You're not a combat class, and I don't have enough strength to protect you right now... The risk is too great."

He tried to make his voice sound gentle, "Once I level up a few times and figure out the movement patterns of those mechanical monsters, I'll take you with me."

In fact, if a way to bring the mechanical monster out is found, Aono doesn't plan to bring Dudu into the metal building again.

"Ultimately, it's because I'm not strong enough..."

The girl's voice was low, and her eyes began to redden.

"I really don't think you're a burden."

Aono interrupted Dudu, his voice firm and powerful.

"I just don't want you to be in danger."

"I'm not afraid of danger!" the girl said earnestly.

"But I'm afraid."

Aono frankly admitted, "I'm afraid that if I don't protect you well, you might get hurt or even die."

Having spent so many days together, and with Dudu being his first teammate, the two have developed a very deep bond.

If Dudu is really injured or even dies, Aono will be very sad.

Moreover, if anything were to happen to Dudu, it would be an even greater loss for him.

Not only will it consume Ark Energy and 10,000 gold coins, but it will also cause the loss of Trust Points and Cooking Bonuses.

Seeing Qingye's serious expression, the little cook's emotions gradually calmed down.

She wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and asked softly, "Really...?"

"real."

Aono nodded. "Everyone has things they are good at and things they are not good at. You should be in charge of logistics from the rear, not on the front lines."

33. Test Results

Dudu bit her lip, "But it would be more dangerous for you to be alone."

That's the truth. Without Dudu's help today, it would have been much harder for Qingye to kill all the mechanical dogs.

"Don't worry, I've already found the monsters' weaknesses, and I've also bought new equipment from the shop."

Aono showed Dudu the blueprints for the alloy battle axe, the standard long gun, and the Desert Eagle.

"Especially this thing called a pistol, it's a deadly weapon..."

……

After lunch, the cook cleared away the dishes, while Aono went to the manufacturing room to use the blueprints.

"Twenty rifles, two pistols, and a thousand rounds of ammunition..."

After submitting the drawings and the required materials, Aono set the production quantity.

"It will take six hours, that's quite a long time."

He glanced at the time required, stroked his chin, and muttered to himself, "But it's not a big problem, since I won't need it until tomorrow anyway."

The manufacturing station hasn't been upgraded; it's good enough that it can still manufacture, so it's understandable that it takes a while.

For the rest of the afternoon, Aono and Dudu rested in the captain's cabin.

After arriving in this world, they spent almost every day in a busy state, and the sudden free time made them feel a little unaccustomed to it.

Out of sheer boredom, Aono simply pulled out a deck of cards and started playing Joker with Dudu.

Besides playing cards, Aono also bought mahjong, Go, and chess sets from the store to pass the time.

However, with only two people now, we can't play mahjong or Monopoly, and playing chess is too boring.

Anyway, neither Aono nor Dudu were very interested in playing chess.

So the two of them played the simplest game of drawing jokers while chatting casually.

Aono tells Dudu about some knowledge of modern society, as well as some jokes and interesting stories.

Dudu shared her memories of the world of Cooking Master Boy with Aono.

As they chatted, Aono realized that Dudu was mostly talking about things before the story began.

Upon further questioning, he learned that Dudu's memories of the plot were not entirely absent, but rather vague.

Aono didn't know if Dudu was the only one like this, or if all the recruited teammates were like this, and he didn't care.

Whether you remember it or not, or whether you experienced the plot or not, it doesn't matter at all, because it has no impact on the present situation.

Rest time always flies by.

"I won!"

Aono tossed aside the last pair of Aces in his hand, stretched, and glanced at the time.

"It's already past six o'clock, Dudu, prepare dinner. I want to eat beef tonight."

“咕呜。”

The young cook puffed out her cheeks, looking defiant.

She played about twenty games in one afternoon and won three of them.

The beautiful girl with long orange-red hair put down the Joker card in her hand and questioned, "Aono-nii, did you cheat?"

"No, really."

Aono shrugged and said, "It's all about luck and intuition."

To make his point more convincing, he added another sentence.

"Actually, winning too much can get pretty boring..."

"Let's have dinner first, then we'll come back!"

The young cook felt like hitting someone.

After glaring at Aono, she huffed and puffed out a sentence before heading into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

After dinner, Aono was forced to play Joker for over an hour.

Even if he deliberately let her win, the little cook's chances of winning would only increase from 10% to 20%.

The game of drawing the Joker is basically all about luck and intuition. Even if Aono goes easy on him, Dudu still keeps drawing the Joker.

"It's time to take a shower and rest."

Seeing that Dudu was about to shuffle the cards again, Qingye quickly said, "It's getting late, you should take a shower and rest."

Upon hearing this, Dudu looked up and glanced at the time.

It was already past 10 p.m., and although I was reluctant, I had no choice but to give up on continuing.

After taking turns showering, Dudu did not immediately return to the dormitory.

It was almost midnight, and she wanted to wait for the results of Qingye's test on General Raiden.

If we can continue to increase the trust value, then there's nothing more to say; naturally, we should continue to increase it.

If not, she wanted to see what recruiting teammates actually looked like.

Aono told her about the scene when he recruited her.

However, what you hear from others is never as real as what you see with your own eyes.

"This is the first time someone has ever waited outside for me to do something..."

Before carrying General Thunder into the bedroom, Aono teased, "Dudu, don't eavesdrop."

"Pah! Who's eavesdropping?"

The girl's face flushed slightly, and she spat out in annoyance, "Hurry up, you'd better finish before midnight."

"Tsk tsk, Dudu, you've become bolder too."

Aono shook his head with feigned regret, "I'm starting to miss that little girl who used to get shy just by looking at her."

"It's not your fault."

The beautiful girl with long orange hair said irritably, "You walk around naked in front of me every day. Even if I'm shy, you've forced me to be bold."

Not to mention that the two had already slept together, and were only missing the final step.

"I didn't want to either, but I didn't have any clean clothes..."

Aono tried to argue, but Dudu pushed her directly into the bedroom.

"Okay, okay, stop dawdling and get this over with. I need to go back to sleep."

As she spoke, she yawned.

Upon entering the bedroom, Aono looked at the motionless purple-haired mature woman in his arms and smiled helplessly.

He wanted to lure the young cook in so the three of them could sleep together that night.

But Dudu didn't give him a chance at all.

It seems that we need to find another opportunity to break through to the final step.

After placing the purple-haired mature woman on the bed, Aono skillfully stepped forward to help her disarm.