Is anyone there? If not, I'm coming in.

Chapter 25 · Anyone Home? If Not, I'm Coming In

That night, Sally felt a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time, as if she were lying in Grandma Oran's embrace once more, a blissful smile on her lips.

'Hey, hey! Drool, drool, it's dripping on me!'

In the early morning, as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the forest, the sleeping girl in the wooden cabin was covered by a sky-blue blanket. Her small hands clutched the jelly-like blanket tightly, and a trickle of crystal clear liquid dripped slowly from the corner of her mouth.

Drip.

Just as the crystal clear liquid was about to fall from the corner of the girl's mouth, Lu Minghao quickly retracted that part of his body. The sudden movement also startled the sleeping girl awake.

Sally looked at the Slime that had completely enveloped her. Recalling the long-lost warmth from last night, a strange light shone in her large purple eyes, and her heart became a mix of emotions.

Growing up, apart from her deceased parents and Grandma Oran, Sally had never known what it felt like to be cared for. Since her parents died, Sally had survived by scavenging in garbage heaps, sometimes even fighting wild dogs for food.

Later, she finally met Grandma Oran, but not for long before Grandma Oran died. Sally was once again alone, driven out of the village by the villagers, forced to fill her stomach with wild fruits and various insects.

Sometimes, Sally wondered if her birth into this world was a mistake. Would it be better if she died?

And now, for the first time since Grandma Oran's death, Sally felt that it was good to be alive.

"Thank you, Slime. Sally is so happy to have met you!"

Sally hugged Lu Minghao tightly, burying her face in his jelly-like body, and whispered softly.

Lu Minghao returned to his round, streamlined form. He didn't say anything, but silently extended an arm and gently stroked Sally's long hair. The morning sun shone through the gaps in the wooden cabin, falling on them, their shadows overlapping on the ground.

A half-human, half-ghost and a Slime embraced, leaning on each other.

It formed a beautiful picture.

Warm and wonderful.

A few minutes later, Sally let go of Lu Minghao and raised her hand to pat her own cheek forcefully. A hint of blush appeared on her sallow skin, and Sally revealed a spirited smile.

"Sally is going to prepare today's food, including your share, Slime."

Saying that, Sally gently placed Lu Minghao on the bed, then nimbly jumped down. She reached out and fumbled in the corner, finding a tattered little basket. She skillfully slung it over her arm, then turned back to wave at Lu Minghao and instructed it to wait obediently at home and not to run out.

"Well, I'm leaving. Slime, you must stay home obediently and wait for Sally to return."

With a spirited voice, Sally's frail body walked out of the small wooden cabin. She carefully closed the door and ran towards the place where she often picked wild fruits, facing the morning sun.

"She really is just a child. Anyone normal would have noticed something was wrong."

Lu Minghao looked at the closed wooden door. His elastic body easily jumped off the bed. He opened the door and looked at Sally's receding figure disappearing into the depths of the forest, sighing softly. Any ordinary person with a bit of common sense could have easily noticed something was amiss from Lu Minghao's series of actions that were completely unlike a normal Slime.

After all, what normal Slime would turn itself into a blanket with a heating function? Moreover, when Sally woke up, Lu Minghao's shadow manipulation, which he had used to seal the gaps in the wooden cabin, had not yet been removed. And then there was the action of stroking Sally's head.

"Never mind. If Sally still hasn't noticed in a few days, I'll tell her then."

The next second, Lu Minghao turned around and walked back into the wooden cabin. He had no intention of hiding his complete sentience from Sally. After all, if he truly intended to hide it, Lu Minghao wouldn't have quietly brought his main body here.

What Lu Minghao didn't know was that as he returned to the wooden cabin, a pair of large eyes were watching him from the distant forest. Especially when he saw Lu Minghao's human-like movements, he couldn't help but jump up.

Thwack!

"Ouch, that hurt! But Sally was right. You are indeed different from ordinary Slimes!"

In the low bushes, Sally, lying on the ground, clutched her bulging forehead, a small bump forming. A happy smile spread across her small face as she looked at her home. Although she looked less than ten years old, her experiences since childhood had given Sally keen senses. Otherwise, she wouldn't have survived this long.

In fact, Sally had felt that Lu Minghao was different from ordinary Slimes yesterday when he refused to leave. Until she woke up this morning and saw Lu Minghao as a blanket covering her, and the shadows sealing the gaps in the wooden cabin.

Especially when Lu Minghao stroked her hair, Sally was already certain that Lu Minghao possessed complete sentience. However, Sally didn't say anything. Instead, she used the excuse of picking wild fruits to sneak over here and secretly observe the wooden cabin.

"Hehe, Sally has family now!"

The next second, Sally sat up and stared blankly at her wooden cabin, giggling foolishly. Although she didn't know why Lu Minghao stayed by her side, Sally could feel that Lu Minghao had no ill intentions towards her. Instead, he seemed to pity her, as if they were each other's only kind.

And when she discovered everything Lu Minghao had done for her this morning, Sally had already decided that the Slime in her arms was her family. For Sally, who had endured countless malice, loneliness, and despair since childhood, the suddenly appearing Lu Minghao was the only light illuminating her path.

"Sally, you have to work hard! Today, you need to prepare food for two!"

Sally stood up, carefully brushed the grass and dead leaves off her skirt, looked up at the sun in the sky, and a smile appeared on her small face. The sun today was truly warm.

Meanwhile, in the dilapidated wooden cabin.

Lu Minghao was looking at his thumb-sized clone opposite him. Today, he planned to continue what Sally had delayed yesterday: figuring out his current location. As for why he was using a clone instead of his main body?

Of course, it was because Lu Minghao was still worried about a hidden threat in the village. Although he had probed yesterday, what if it was a conspiracy by someone hiding in the village?

"Go, clone number three."

The next second, clone number three squeezed through the gaps in the wooden cabin and quickly headed towards the nearby village. Soon, the fence outside the village appeared in front of clone number three.

However, this time, because clone number three was only the size of a thumb and had been changing its color to match the environment the entire time, the villagers on the distant watchtower didn't notice its presence at all.

"Anyone home? If not, I'm coming in?"