Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Body?

"Hey! Put me down!" Su Rui struggled, but Shining's grip was incredibly strong, and he could only kick his legs in vain.

Nightingale stood up and gently but firmly took Su Rui's arm. "Let's go, Su Rui, if we drag this out any longer, it'll get dark again."

Maria rubbed her eyes, finally waking up, and grinned as she leaned closer. "Su Rui, if you keep lingering like this, I'll have Shining carry you back!"

Su Rui's eyes widened. "This is kidnapping!"

Shining nodded expressionlessly. "Yes, kidnapping."

After saying that, she bent down and hoisted Su Rui onto her shoulder.

"Wait! Put me down! I can walk by myself!" Su Rui struggled even more, but Shining's arms didn't budge, and she even slapped his buttocks with a crisp "smack".

"Don't be willful," she said calmly.

Su Rui froze instantly, her face flushing red. "You... you actually..."

Maria laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, "Su Rui, you're shy!"

Nightingale covered her lips and chuckled softly, "Alright, we should get going."

Su Rui was carried on Shining's shoulder, struggling in vain until finally giving up and hanging her head, letting Shining stride ahead. Maria skipped along beside her, occasionally poking his waist. "Su Rui, you look like a rabbit caught by a hunter!"

"Shut up..." Su Rui muttered.

Nightingale brought up the rear, carrying the odds and ends she had gathered from the cabin. Her steps were light, but her eyes darted around every now and then, alert to any potential danger.

Volume 12, Chapter 738: I Don't Want to Exercise

"Put me down... I really can walk by myself..." Su Rui tried to negotiate again.

Shining didn't even turn her head. "You said the same thing just now, but you ran back as soon as you landed."

"That's because you're being so unreasonable!" Su Rui protested.

Maria grinned and leaned closer. "Su Rui, if you promise to go back obediently, I'll have Shining put you down."

Su Rui looked at her suspiciously. "Really?"

"Really!" Maria nodded confidently.

Su Rui hesitated for a moment, then finally relented. "... Okay, I agree."

Shining stopped and glanced at Maria, seemingly to confirm. Maria winked at her, Shining then put Su Rui down.

As soon as Su Rui's feet touched the ground, she immediately took two steps back, looking at them warily. "You're not going to suddenly grab me again, are you?"

Nightingale smiled, "As long as Su Rui keeps her promise."

Su Rui pouted and patted the wrinkles on her clothes. "... Let's go."

However, after walking for less than five minutes, Su Rui began to slow down, and her eyes unconsciously drifted deeper into the forest.

Maria noticed this immediately and grabbed his sleeve. "Su Rui, what are you trying to do?"

"... Nothing." Su Rui guiltily looked away.

Shining circled around behind him, blocking his escape route.

Nightingale gently shook her head. "Su Rui, please don't make things difficult for us."

Su Rui sighed, finally resignedly slumping her shoulders. "... I understand."

After lunch, Su Rui was finally allowed to return to his room to rest. He collapsed onto the soft bed and let out a long sigh of relief. Although the cabin was cozy, the castle bed was definitely softer...

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, the door was gently pushed open.

"... Who?" Su Rui asked lazily.

Nightingale's voice came from the doorway. "Just checking to see if Su Rui is behaving himself."

Su Rui rolled over and looked at her. "You guys don't trust me at all?"

Nightingale smiled slightly, "Given your performance today, you do indeed need more attention."

Su Rui sighed helplessly, "Fine, I give up."

Nightingale took a few steps forward and placed a glass of warm milk on the bedside table. "Drink this before you sleep."

Su Rui took the cup, sipped it slowly, and the warm liquid made him feel relaxed.

"Thank you," he said softly.

The Nightingale nodded gently, turned and left, but before closing the door, she looked back one last time. "Trying to sneak into the cabin again tomorrow?"

Su Rui blinked, then smiled, "... Not for now."

Nightingale's lips curved slightly upward. "Goodnight, Su Rui."

The door closed softly, Su Rui lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Although she was a little annoyed at being forcibly brought back... it didn't seem too bad?

The morning sun shone on the meadow outside the castle, and dewdrops glistened on the blades of grass. Su Rui was dragged out of his warm bed, supported by Shining and Nightingale on either side of him. He was still sleepy, his hair was a mess, and he looked like a cat being forcibly pulled from its bed.

"... I really don't need to exercise." Su Rui tried to struggle, but Shining's hand gripped his wrist like an iron clamp.

"No," Shining said calmly, but with no room for argument. "Your muscles have already started to atrophy."

Nightingale gently added from the side, "Appropriate exercise is good for your health, Su Rui."

Su Rui turned her head away and muttered under her breath, "Anyway, it'll disappear after a while..."

Maria skipped up from behind, a carrot in her hand, munching on it as she mumbled, "Su Rui, just accept your fate! Shining even dragged me out for a morning run!"

Su Rui's eyes widened. "You? Going for a morning run?"

Maria proudly puffed out her chest. "Of course! Although I only lasted one day."

Shining: "..."

Nightingale coughed lightly, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Let's start with a warm-up."

Nightingale stood in front, demonstrating with elegant and precise movements. "Come on, Su Rui, follow me—extend your arms, one, two, three..."

Su Rui raised her hand perfunctorily, her movements as stiff as a piece of wood.

Shining frowned, walked directly behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and helped him adjust his posture. "Relax your shoulders, don't shrug."

Su Rui froze, startled by her sudden closeness. "Wait, wait... that's too close!"

Maria was doubled over with laughter beside her. "Su Rui, your ears are red!"

Nightingale glanced at Maria helplessly, then continued patiently guiding, "Okay, next is the waist twist..."

Su Rui tried to follow suit, but his movements were too big, and he almost twisted himself. Shining reacted quickly and grabbed his waist, preventing him from falling directly into the hay.

"... You really need to exercise," Shining concluded.

Su Rui: "..."

After warming up, Nightingale suggested jogging.

"Just run two laps around the meadow, it's easy," the Nightingale said with a smile.

Su Rui looked at the endless grassland, her lips twitching. "... You call this easy?"

Maria had already skipped and hopped ahead. "Su Rui! Come and chase me!"

Su Rui sighed and resignedly started running. However, before he had run fifty meters, he was panting like a stranded fish.

"No... I can't take it anymore..." Su Rui bent over, her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

Shining ran beside him, not even out of breath. "Only fifty meters."

Su Rui looked up at her and glared. "You... are you a monster...?"

Nightingale followed, her breathing steady. "Su Rui, adjust your breathing, don't breathe through your mouth."

Su Rui tried to do it, but almost choked. "Cough cough... This is too difficult!"

Maria had already finished her lap and came back, grinning as she approached, "Su Rui, you run slower than a tortoise!"

Su Rui: "..."

After finishing the run (although Su Rui mostly walked), Shining somehow produced a few dumbbells.

"Next up is upper body training," she said expressionlessly.

Su Rui looked at the dumbbells, her eyes filled with despair. "... Just kill me."

The Nightingale comforted her, "Start with the lightest one, and take it slowly."

Su Rui managed to pick up the smallest dumbbell, but after only two lifts, her arms started to tremble.

"I hate you all." Su Rui gritted her teeth.

Maria sat to the sidelines, watching the drama unfold, and even added fuel to the fire, "Su Rui, keep it up! You can do it!"

Su Rui: "... Shut up."

Shining stood behind him, supporting his wrists with both hands to help him maintain his posture. "You need to perform the movements correctly, or you'll get hurt."

Su Rui froze like a stone as the woman pressed against his back, instructing him. "... Could you teach me from a little further away?"

Shining: "No."

Su Rui: "..."

After training, Su Rui collapsed on the grass, like a melting ice cream.

"... I'm dead," he said, utterly despondent.

Nightingale crouched down and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a damp towel. "It's always like this the first time, you'll get used to it eventually."

Su Rui suddenly looked up. "There's a future?!"

Shining nodded. "Every day."

Su Rui: "... Is it too late for me to run away now?"

Maria grinned and leaned closer. "Too late! Shining will catch you!"

Su Rui let out a wail and buried her face in the grass. "This is torture!"

Nightingale gently ruffled his hair, her tone tender yet leaving no room for argument. "This is for your own good, Su Rui."

Shining bent down and scooped him up from the ground. "Go back and take a shower, then have breakfast."

Su Rui clung to her arm like a salted fish, completely giving up resistance. "... Whatever."

Volume 12, Chapter 739, is good, so what did you say?

After his morning exercise, Su Rui lay limply on the long dining table like a fish with its bones removed. His cheeks were pressed against the cool wooden surface, and he didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

"Su Rui, your fried eggs are getting cold," Nightingale gently reminded him, tapping his shoulder lightly with her finger.

Su Rui managed a muffled sob from her throat. "... Let me die here."

Shining sat opposite him, slowly slicing bacon. "After we finish eating, let's go to town to buy some daily necessities."

These words made Su Rui suddenly raise his head, his light-colored eyes filled with terror. "You... you're going out again?!" His voice changed, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Maria, who was spreading a thick layer of jam on her bread, came over with a grin when she heard this. "Yes, yes! There are fresh strawberries at the market today!"

"I'm not going..." Su Rui buried her face back on the table, her voice muffled, "I can't even lift a finger right now..."

Nightingale gently patted his back. "Eat slowly, no rush."

An hour later, Su Rui was still dragged out of the castle gate. He clung to Shining like a human pendant, letting her pull him forward.

"Could we... take a taxi...?" Su Rui pleaded weakly.

Shining glanced at him. "Only two kilometers."

"Two kilometers!" Su Rui wailed in despair, "I don't even want to walk two meters now!"

Nightingale walked on the other side, holding a lace parasol to shade them from the sun. "Consider it a way to relax your muscles."

Su Rui was on the verge of tears. "What kind of relaxation is this...?"

Maria skipped and hopped ahead, turning back every now and then to urge, "Hurry up! The strawberries will be all gone if we're late!"

The city market was bustling with activity, with stalls of all kinds lined up along the stone-paved road. The fresh aroma of fruits and vegetables mingled with the sweet scent wafting from the bakeries, creating what should have been a pleasant atmosphere—if only Su Rui hadn't looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.

"Su Rui, what do you think of this hair accessory?" Maria picked up a bow hair clip and held it up on her head.