Reborn as the Darling of the Delta

Page 4

As she spoke, Mai Xiaowen brought over a medicated ointment and gently applied it to Zhang Hao's calves and ankles. The fair skin was rubbed raw, revealing a faint red tinge.

"Sigh, I never thought I'd get cramps after running just 5 kilometers. But it's okay, I don't believe it. With my superhuman physical talent, I'll be able to pull Brother Weilong out of his wits in a few days."

Looking at the boy still whining beside her, Mai Xiaowen smiled slightly and shook her head helplessly.

"With your superhuman physical talent, you should focus on improving your basic physical abilities first. As you are now, you can't even outrun me."

Mai Xiaowen gently patted Zhang Hao's leg, causing the boy to wince in pain.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Sister Xiaowen, please stop bothering me, I'm already pitiful enough ( ?oωo` )"

"Hmph, who told you to be so good at bragging even though you're not capable? Hmm? Why are you still fighting this level? I even applied the medicine for you. Sigh, looks like you're not so good after all."

Mai Xiaowen rolled her eyes defiantly at the person who couldn't even pass the first level of the game console.

"Hmph, I was just distracted by chatting with you. Watch closely, this time I'm serious and I'll pass him 100%."

After being provoked, Zhang Hao, like an enraged kitten, began a new round of challenges amidst Mai Xiaowen's mocking smile.

"Hmm, that's great. The organization hasn't assigned me any missions, no one around me is injured, and I have such a cute little brother with me. If only the war between Asara and Hafk would end, I could take Xiao Hao home with me when peace is restored, and then... Oh dear, why am I thinking about such things again?"

Mai Xiaowen blushed as she glanced at Zhang Hao, who was still diligently working through the game, but her mind was already wandering to outer space. A blush gradually crept onto her fair face.

“Mai Xiaowen, Mai Xiaowen, what are you thinking about? Zhang Hao is still a child. Your thoughts are too dangerous. This is illegal.”

After letting her mind wander for a while, Mai Xiaowen looked back and saw Zhang Hao still making various attempts to pass the level. Seeing his furrowed brows, all the success she had just thought of was forgotten.

"Oh dear, such a cute child, we must start raising him from a young age. In ancient times, people often said that a life-saving grace should be repaid with one's body. Hehehe, I'm fine with this too."

"Yes, Xiaowen, look, look! I told you that as long as I'm serious, I can definitely pass the level easily. Hey, Xiaowen, why is your face so red? Are you sick?"

After tireless efforts, Zhang Hao successfully defeated the first boss. He turned around, ready to share his joy with Mai Xiaowen, only to find her staring blankly with a flushed face.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's probably because the room was too hot without the windows open. Haha, you finally passed! Back in the day, I beat this game on my first try!"

Seeing Zhang Hao discover her awkward expression, Mai Xiaowen quickly came up with an excuse. She couldn't very well tell this kid, who hadn't even grown his hair yet, that she'd been eyeing him for a long time and was about to start playing a pet-raising game with him.

"Hmph, that's because you've been bothering me the whole time. Just watch, I'm the man who's known as a video game genius."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao's competitive spirit flared up, and he couldn't help but grumble and complain.

9527 stared speechlessly at the video game prodigy, watching him struggle to defeat the boss with its guiding abilities, and couldn't help but sigh:

"As expected, it doesn't matter whether the host's intelligence is increased or not, no wonder he got so excited when he got the Heart of Africa in his previous life."

"Little Hao Hao, I'm going to take a shower now. It's getting late, you should go to bed early too, you have to learn hacking techniques with me tomorrow!"

Mai Xiaowen shook her head, banishing the strange thoughts from her mind. She glanced at the time and saw it was 10:30. She then spoke to Zhang Hao.

"Okay, Xiaowen, I'll go to sleep after I defeat this boss."

When Mai Xiaowen came out after taking a shower, she only saw the word "failure" displayed in big letters on the game console, while the protagonist who kept saying he wanted to beat the game was already fast asleep on Mai Xiaowen's bed.

"Sigh, you must be exhausted after practicing all day. You even fell asleep halfway through the game."

Mai Xiaowen looked at the little guy collapsed on the bed. The little cutie had fallen asleep in the time it took to take a bath. What she didn't know was that Zhang Hao had already mastered a magical skill back in college: one second he'd be laughing heartily at Douyin (TikTok), the next he'd see his phone lying under the bed, and then hear snoring. Luckily, Zhang Hao slept in the lower bunk; at most, they'd just replace the screen protector. Otherwise, he might have ended up with his phone.

Looking at the white fluffy ball sleeping soundly on the bed, Mai Xiaowen suddenly felt her maternal love overflowing.

"Well, it's so late. Carrying him back to his room might wake him up, and then he won't be able to sleep. I don't want him to doze off during my lecture tomorrow morning. Yes, that's right. So, let's let this little guy have his sleep tonight, let his dear sister take care of him!"

(≧?≦)ゞ

After mentally preparing herself, Mai Xiaowen gently laid Zhang Hao flat on the bed. Looking at the "beauty" in front of her, her heart, which had cooled down during the shower, burned with desire again.

"Hai Claw, are you asleep? Is Xiao Hao in your room? I knocked on his door but no one was inside. Wei Long said he came to your room to play earlier."

Just as Mai Xiaowen was about to snuggle up to the soft, white fluffy ball and go to sleep, Luna's voice came from outside the door, which made Mai Xiaowen experience a moment of utter shock.

She quickly got out of bed, rushed to the door, and her nimble steps made no sound at all (like a mouse hiding behind you). She opened the door and shushed Luna.

"Keep your voice down, Luna. Xiao Hao just fell asleep, don't wake him up. (What if he goes back to sleep if we wake him up? (。o_o))"

After hearing what Mai Xiaowen said, Luna turned her head to look inside and saw a white fur ball lying on the bed, curled up in the quilt with its eyes closed. She then turned back and stared at Mai Xiaowen with a half-smile.

"Um, Sister Luna, what brings you here so late? Haha, he was playing video games here, and when I came out of the shower, I found him asleep. I was just worried he'd wake up when I carried him back home, hehe."

Seeing Luna looking at her like that, Mai Xiaowen felt a little uneasy and quickly explained.

"It's nothing. I just heard from Weilong that Xiaohao's ankle was blistered, so I brought my special ointment to apply to Xiaohao."

"It's alright, it's alright. I saw it when Xiaohao came to my room to play earlier. I just applied some medicine for him. Is there anything else? If not, I'll go and put Xiaohao to sleep now!"

After hearing Luna's words, Mai Xiaowen breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought that Luna shared the same thoughts as her and almost regarded Luna as her competitor.

"...That's all, I'll head back now. Don't tire Xiaohao out tomorrow. Learning these things takes time, especially since Xiaohao is still a child, understand?" (What if Xiaohao gets tired and falls asleep in my class the day after tomorrow?)

"Of course, I wouldn't want Xiao Hao to get tired, unlike someone who exhausted him on the first day. Don't worry, Sister Luna, if there's nothing else, then goodnight!"

After saying that, Mai Xiaowen closed the door, slipped back onto the bed, looked at Zhang Hao's fair face and his steady breathing, raised her eyebrows, and couldn't help but give him a kiss on the cheek.

Goodnight, Hao Hao.

.........................

Luna returns to her room:

"Damn, it seems I was too slow. That girl Mai Xiaowen got lucky. She was even thinking of applying medicine to Xiao Hao to make him get closer to me."

"Looks like I'll need to have more physical contact with Xiao Hao during the lesson the day after tomorrow!"

Luna thought about what would happen the day after tomorrow, and returned to her room with a smile on her lips.

Chapter 8 I really can't learn it!

My name is Zhang Hao, I'm from China, and I've been single for 19 years. When I was in junior high, a senior girl confessed her feelings to me and I believed her. But it turned out she was just teasing me after losing a game of Truth or Dare. From then on, I decided to shut myself off from love and become an emotionless learning machine, so that those women who once looked down on me would regret it.

But fate had other plans. I encountered a surge in the cutoff scores for the high school entrance exam, and as someone who was second only to the worst student, I ended up in a third-rate high school. Seeing the mockery in their eyes, I decided to study hard in high school and make those women who once looked down on me speechless.

Alas, I miscalculated again. My grades in high school remained mediocre, and what's more, why did the college entrance exam change for me? Just as I expected, I could only watch as the girls who once looked down on me either went to prestigious universities or studied abroad, while I could only attend a relatively good junior college.

But! It wasn't all bad news. In my senior year of high school, my handsome looks started to show, so I decided to have a passionate romance during my college years. In my sophomore year, I met what I thought was my true love. Unfortunately, in the end, I could only watch helplessly as she took the money I had saved for meals and got into a rich kid's car.

After that, I felt like my life had turned completely dark. I thought love was nothing but a joke. I gave up on myself and became obsessed with online games, playing them all night long. So, what is this situation now?! (Hysterical)

Zhang Hao stared blankly at Mai Xiaowen, who had buried her head in his stomach. Mai Xiaowen's arms were tightly wrapped around him, preventing her from moving. Her warm breath tickled Zhang Hao's lower abdomen. Seeing that Mai Xiaowen wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Zhang Hao also held her head. The sunlight shone on her face, making even the fine downy hairs on her skin visible. At this moment, everything was peaceful and serene.

"Hehe, little Hao Hao, don't run away, hehe, take off your pants and let your older sister see how you're developing, hehehe."

Unfortunately, the next moment, Mai Xiaowen's voice, which sounded like that of a lovesick woman, came from Zhang Hao's stomach, leaving Zhang Hao speechless.

He remembered when he was in kindergarten, his aunt would tease him like that every time she came to visit. But now he was at least 16 years old, and Xiaowen didn't know how to tone it down a bit.

Suddenly, Mai Xiaowen shouted, her whole body jolted, and then she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Zhang Hao, who was almost curled up like a shrimp.

"Hey? Hao Hao, what's wrong? Is your stomach upset?"

( ?oωo` )

"It's okay, I'm fine. It's just that next time you sleep, please don't bury your head in my stomach. Luckily, I don't have anything in my stomach right now, otherwise, after what you just did, you'd probably have to wash your hair first thing in the morning."

As Mai Xiaowen gradually regained consciousness, Zhang Hao broke free from her embrace, rolled up his clothes, and looked at them. A bright red mark was clearly visible on them.

(?⊙ω⊙`)

"Waaaaah, Hao Hao, I was wrong (????)σ, please don't refuse to sleep with me, I promise I won't make that mistake again!"

Amidst their playful banter, at 8:30, the two finished getting ready and prepared to begin [Zhang Hao's training plan].

"Since you're only 16 years old, you wouldn't understand a lot of hacking knowledge if I explained it to you now. So I'll start with the basics and explain it to you. You have to listen carefully, because I'll ask you questions after I finish."

Looking at the little one in front of her, Mai Xiaowen suddenly realized a serious problem: it was unrealistic to explain complex code to a small child. It seemed she had to start from the basics.

"Don't worry, Xiaowen. I'm a genius when it comes to computers. You know, I passed the first level of that game last night."

Looking at Zhang Hao's confident face, Mai Xiaowen and 9527 both fell silent. However, not wanting to dampen the child's enthusiasm, Mai Xiaowen smiled and encouraged him:

"I definitely believe in you, Hao Hao, so let's start with the simplest university-level computer science! This is the foundation, you know, if your foundation isn't solid, it will be hard for you to keep up later."

Upon hearing that it was a university computer science program, Zhang Hao instantly became incredibly excited. It seemed like it was time to give them a little shock from a top student. Nobody would have guessed that my soul was that of a 19-year-old, hehehe ヾ(*?? ˋ*)ノ.

"Then let's begin..."

As knowledge continued to pour in, Zhang Hao's originally confident smile gradually disappeared, his once lively eyes lost their luster, and he exuded the same "lifeless aura" he had when he was in school.

"So, that's the basic content we covered today, understand? Hmm? Xiao Hao, Xiao Hao, what's wrong? Don't scare me, Xiao Hao! Roy, where's Roy? Xiao Hao's gone mad!"

Hearing the shouts, the crowd rushed over, and Roy squeezed his way out:

"Hey, make way, make way, don't crowd together. Are you doctors? Come on over. Hey, David, what's that smell on you? Haven't you showered in days? Get out, get out, don't let Zhang Hao get sick from the stench."

Squeezing his way to Zhang Hao, Roy fiddled with Zhang Hao for a while, then stopped and looked back at the crowd:

"What's going on, Roy? What's wrong with him?"

With red eyes and a trembling voice, Mai Xiaowen asked, "This is Zhang Hao's first time teaching me, and he's already made me stupid? Am I cursed?"

"Well, let me put it this way, Zhang Hao is actually fine. In today's parlance, his brain's CPU probably overheated and got stuck while processing things. He'll be fine on his own after a while."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, the bee doctor forced a wry smile and revealed his test results.

"??????"

"The CPU burned out? This... I taught him the very basics, and I even explained it to him in plain language. This can't be serious, Roy. Are you sure your checks are correct?"

After the results were announced, everyone turned their attention to Mai Xiaowen. This time, Mai Xiaowen broke out in a cold sweat. You see, Zhang Hao is the darling of the entire GTI right now. If he were to be ruined by her, what would happen?

"Haizhua, Zhang Hao might still be too young. Why don't you stop teaching him this course for now and let him learn more about wilderness survival from me? That might be more helpful. What do you think?"

Hearing Luna's words, Mai Xiaowen stared at her with wide eyes. "You, Luna, I treat you like an older sister, and you actually want to take my child away from me?"

Before anyone could speak, Mai Xiaowen suddenly jumped onto the stool and shouted:

"No, if you only know how to survive but don't have any theoretical knowledge, then you'll be just like Uluru. You know, he's a survival expert, and he almost died out there, but in the end, he was rescued by Veelong."

Seeing the two women locked in a tense standoff, Uluru outside timidly raised his hand:

"I can still operate loitering munitions; I'm not illiterate as you say."

Unfortunately, everyone's attention was on the two women, and no one paid any attention to Uluru.

Just as the two were preparing for their second encounter, Roy suddenly said:

"Stop arguing, Zhang Hao has calmed down."

Upon hearing this, the crowd gathered around again.

Zhang Hao had just come to his senses when he realized that his soul had seemingly left his body and was drifting towards a vague, ethereal place. There, he seemed to see a river and a small boat. Unfortunately, before he could get there, his consciousness returned.

Looking around, Zhang Hao was stunned to see everyone staring at him. What was going on? Why was he surrounded like this? Just then, Mai Xiaowen suddenly reached out and picked him up, looking at him and saying:

"Xiao Hao, are you alright now? Is there anything wrong with your body or brain? Why did you suddenly act like you lost consciousness?"

After listening to Mai Xiaowen's words, Zhang Hao couldn't help but fall into his own memories.

At first, he thought it was a computer course from a world university, but as Mai Xiaowen explained, he suddenly realized that he couldn't understand anything. The knowledge he remembered seemed to have disappeared. Wasn't it supposed to start with computer codes? How did it suddenly start teaching programming?

Looking back, Zhang Hao felt increasingly aggrieved. He thought to himself, a college student, that even after being reborn, he couldn't escape his fate as a poor student. He buried his face in Mai Xiaowen's shoulder and burst into tears.

"Waaaaah, Xiaowen, I can't learn it, I really can't learn it, waaaaah (╥﹏╥)."

Seeing such a cute little one lying on her body crying her eyes out, not only Mai Xiaowen, but everyone's heart ached.

"It's okay, Xiao Hao, don't cry. You've cried like a little kitten. If you can't learn it, we won't learn it for now. Come on, how about I take you to learn archery?"

Just as everyone was thinking about how to comfort Zhang Hao, Luna's words broke the balance, and she clapped her hands at Zhang Hao, signaling him to come over to her.

Mai Xiaowen: ΩДΩ, damn it, I didn't expect the betrayal to come so suddenly, you brainless idiot, hurry up and think of a way to comfort and keep Xiao Hao Hao!

Unfortunately, after hearing this, Zhang Hao saw Luna clapping her hands at him with a smile, and he actually leaned into Luna's arms as if possessed.

Mai Xiaowen: No way! (??ω`?) I don't want this to happen to me!

Chapter 9 Friction

Unlike the cheerful atmosphere at GTI, the conflict between Hafk and Asara intensified.

“Doctor, we did not find any trace of Zero during the conflict with Asara at Dam Zero, as if he were not in Asara’s guard.”

At the top of the Tower of Babel, Rometheus listened to the report from the soldiers behind him, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth:

"Oh? You came to report to me right after you finished surveying Dam Zero? You know what I want to know, right, hmm?"

After Rometheus finished speaking, he turned around and gave the Hafk soldier a cold look. Under Rometheus's gaze, the soldier began to sweat profusely, feeling as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.