Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Form? Chapter 369

The maintenance passageway resembled frozen blood vessels. Icicles hanging from the pipes on both sides were as sharp as firing pins of a gun; when Franka cleaved them with her Thermite Sword, the melting ice water hissed and vaporized on the blade.

"Thermal indication..." Liskarm's scope glowed blue. "There are four heat sources around the corner ahead."

Su Rui suddenly grabbed Jessica. In the darkness, the sharp whistling of crossbow bolts pierced the air, and three steel arrows were embedded in the ground in front of them, their fletching still vibrating rapidly.

"Composite crossbow." Su Rui's sniper rifle was already resting against his shoulder. "Military standard issue."

Jessica spun the pistol halfway in her palm. Three red dots appeared in her night vision goggles. The instant she pulled the trigger, Su Rui's etched bullet simultaneously pierced the second crossbowman's scope. The gunfire illuminated the ice wall in an instant, and a third bolt grazed Franka's hair before she cleaved it in two with her Thermite Sword.

"Looks like someone doesn't want the heating to be restored." Franka flicked the molten iron off her sword. At her feet lay a composite crossbow, melted by the Thermite Sword, its bowstring still emitting wisps of smoke.

Liskarm deflected the fourth arrow with his shield. "The arrow was coated with a low-temperature poison." He flipped the shield to reveal the embedded arrowhead; an icy blue liquid was spreading across the metal. "Not ordinary bandits."

The blizzard howled outside the passage. Jessica suddenly noticed that Su Rui's sniper rifle was trembling slightly—not from recoil, but from muscle stiffness caused by the low temperature.

"Su Rui!" She grabbed his hand that was pulling the trigger, and could feel the cold metal of the gun even through her tactical glove.

"Focus." Su Rui shook off the magazine and reloaded, his knuckles cracking unnaturally as he ejected the spent cartridge. "Mission first."

There is a bar in Volume 14, Chapter 796.

The streets of the mobile city were covered with thick snow, and boots crunched underfoot. Jessica's breath condensed into tiny ice crystals in the air, and she shrank her neck, burying her face deeper into Su Rui's scarf.

"Franka and Liskarm went to check the engine core," she whispered. "We're in charge of investigating any unusual signals in this area."

Su Rui didn't speak, he just nodded. His sniper rifle was hanging on his back, the barrel wrapped with anti-freeze tape, but the metal parts still gleamed coldly in the low temperature. He squinted, scanning the buildings on both sides of the street, and finally his gaze settled on a small bar with an ice crystal sign.

"There," he said briefly.

Jessica followed his gaze and saw a sign that read "Ice Brew," with tiny frosty patterns forming around the edges of the characters.

The moment they pushed open the tavern door, a warm breeze carrying the aroma of malt liquor wafted out. The crackling fire in the fireplace dispelled the chill from their bodies. The tavern wasn't crowded; a few customers chatted quietly, the occasional clinking of glasses adding to the ambiance.

Behind the bar stood an Elafia woman with long, light brown hair tied in a neat ponytail, and several delicate ice crystal ornaments hanging from the antlers on her head. She was wiping the glasses, and when she heard the door open, she looked up, her amber eyes sweeping over Jessica and Su Rui before she gave them a gentle smile.

"Welcome to ' Ice Brew '." Her voice was like melting snow, clear and gentle. "It must be cold outside, right?"

Su Rui walked straight to the bar, took off his windproof mask, revealing his handsome but indifferent face. "Two warm drinks."

The Elafia woman—the tavern owner—raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze lingering on Su Rui's face for a few seconds before she suddenly chuckled, "Oh dear, that won't do."

Su Rui frowned. "What's wrong?"

"You don't look old enough to drink, young man." She winked, her tone teasing. "I don't sell to minors here."

Jessica almost choked on her own saliva.

Su Rui's expression froze instantly, a hint of disbelief flashing in her dark eyes. "... I'm an adult."

The tavern owner, resting his chin on his hand, looked him over with interest. "Really? But you look no more than sixteen."

Su Rui tapped her knuckles on the bar, her voice turning colder. "Hot drinks, now."

Jessica quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Um... we just wanted something to warm us up, it doesn't necessarily have to be alcohol."

The Elafia woman then turned her gaze to Jessica, her smile deepening. "Ah, this young lady is no problem." She turned and took a glass bottle from the shelf, filled with a golden liquid. "Honey ginger tea, a special recipe, guaranteed to warm you up."

Su Rui stared at the bottle of ginger tea, her brows furrowing even more. "I want some too."

"You?" The tavern owner deliberately drew out his words, "Well... unless you can prove you're really an adult."

Su Rui paused for two seconds, then suddenly drew a gun from her waist and slammed it on the bar. "Is this enough proof?"

The tavern fell silent instantly.

A few seconds later, the Elafia woman suddenly laughed and pushed the ginger tea in front of the two men, "Alright, Mr. Gunsmith, you win." She winked, "But remember to bring your ID next time."

Su Rui: "..."

Jessica's shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her laughter. Taking the ginger tea, she whispered to Su Rui, "She was just teasing you."

Su Rui snorted coldly, picked up the cup and took a big gulp, then frowned as she was burned.

The tavern owner looked at him with a smile, "Drink slowly, little one."

Su Rui: "... I'm not a child."

"Okay, okay, you're not." She waved her hand, turned around to greet other customers, and added before leaving, "Just call me if you need a refill, handsome young man."

Jessica finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, only to be glared at by Su Rui.

"Don't laugh," he warned in a low voice.

Jessica pursed her lips, trying hard to suppress a smile, "... I wasn't laughing."

Su Rui narrowed her eyes, then suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek. "Your lips are practically pointing to the sky."

Jessica slapped his hand away, picked up the ginger tea, and took a sip. The sweet and spicy taste warmed her from her throat all the way to her stomach. She secretly glanced at Su Rui —his ear tips were still red, whether from the cold or from anger, she couldn't tell.

Su Rui was curled up in a corner booth, a thick blanket wrapped from her shoulders to her knees, revealing only her pale face and half of her hand holding a hot ginger tea.

Jessica sat at the bar, holding a warm ceramic cup in her hands, her fingertips finally regaining some color from their frozen state. Ice Brew —the Elafia proprietress—was leaning against the bar, the ice crystal ornaments hanging from her antlers swaying gently as she spoke.

"So you're from Blacksteel?" Ice Brew wiped the glass with a cloth, her amber eyes appearing exceptionally clear in the firelight. "No wonder you're carrying guns."

Jessica nodded, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Su Rui in the corner. He was staring blankly at the fireplace, a sniper rifle leaning against the table, the frost on the barrel melted, water droplets slowly sliding down the blued metal.

"The city's engine has failed, and the heating system is mostly down," Jessica said, turning her gaze away and lowering her voice. "How's the situation here?"

Ice Brew sighed and hung the cleaned glasses on the wine rack. "The temperature in the cellar is just right for storing wine, but we can't get the ingredients in." She pointed to the empty kitchen window. "The last half bag of flour was used up this morning, and now all we have left are cured meat and frozen potatoes."

A soft "gurgling" sound came from the corner.

Jessica and Ice Brew turned their heads at the same time and saw Su Rui bury her face in the blanket, only her dark eyes showing, her expression saying "I'm not hungry."

Ice Brew couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Looks like someone's protesting."

"... I didn't." Su Rui's voice was muffled by the blanket.

Jessica got up and walked over to him, reaching under the blanket to poke what looked like his stomach. "Want me to share half a compressed biscuit with you?"

Su Rui stretched out a hand from the edge of the blanket, palm up, the meaning clear: hand it over.

Jessica smiled and pulled a sealed package of emergency rations from her tactical waist pack. Before she could hand it over, Su Rui had already dragged the package and biscuits into the blanket with the speed of a sniper reloading a bullet.

Ice Brew walked over with a cup of freshly brewed ginger tea and gently placed it in front of Su Rui: "Drinking something hot will make you feel better." She glanced at the increasingly fierce blizzard outside the window, "In this kind of weather, even Originium Slug would freeze."

Su Rui poked half her head out from under the blanket, her black hair sticking out in a mess. "Do you have any wine?"

"Su Rui!" Jessica glared at him.

Ice Brew chuckled. "Didn't you just say you were an adult?" She turned and took a bottle from the shelf; the amber liquid shimmered like honey in the firelight. "Polar Special Brew, made with snowfield berries and malt from volcanic hot springs."

Su Rui's eyes visibly brightened.

Volume 14, Chapter 797: Who is she to you?

"But—" Ice Brew suddenly raised the bottle high, "You have to answer one question for me first."

Su Rui squinted. "What?"

"This blue-haired lady," Ice Brew pointed to Jessica with the bottom of the bottle, "Who is she to you?"

The tavern suddenly fell silent, save for the crackling of the fireplace.

Jessica froze instantly, her ear tips turning red at a visible speed. Su Rui stared at the Ice Brew for two seconds, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Jessica's wrist, pulling her to the seat next to her.

"My man," he said curtly, his other hand still stubbornly reaching for the bottle.

Ice Brew into laughter, finally placing the bottle in his hand. "Wouldn't it have been better if you'd said so earlier?"

Jessica was practically burning up, staring down at the tips of her boots, too ashamed to look up. Su Rui, on the other hand, calmly unscrewed the cork and took a swig, her Adam's apple bobbing as she squinted her eyes in satisfaction, like a cat finally getting a fresh fish.

Outside the window, the blizzard pounded against the glass, and the intermittent hum of city engines drifted from afar. Ice Brew returned to the bar to continue wiping glasses, humming a lighthearted folk song.

Under the blanket, Su Rui quietly took Jessica's hand in his. His palm was still warm from the liquor, so warm that she didn't want to pull away.

Jessica subtly moved closer to him.

At least on this cold night, we can keep each other warm.

Su Rui suddenly stood up, the blanket slipped off his shoulder, and he casually draped it over the back of his chair before walking straight to the bar entrance.

"Click."

The sound of the door being locked from the inside was particularly clear in the quiet bar. Jessica and Ice Brew looked up at the same time, while Su Rui had already turned and walked to the bar, taking out a storage module from his tactical pouch and tapping its surface a few times with his fingertips.

"Splash--"

Bags of ingredients appeared out of thin air on the bar: fresh meat, root vegetables still covered in soil, sealed spice jars, and even several unopened bottles of sauce. The Ice Brew deer ears perked up slightly, and its amber eyes widened a little.

"Can I borrow the kitchen?" Su Rui said briefly, already rolling up her sleeves. "As a thank you, you can eat with me."

Jessica blinked. "... When did you bring all this?"

"Before the mission," Su Rui said without looking up, her fingers deftly unpacking the meat, "Franka said we might have to spend the night in the wild."

Ice Brew leaned in with interest, gently fiddling with a plump potato. "Good quality, it's hard to find this kind in the frozen soil region."

"The supply channels for Blacksteel," Su Rui replied briefly, already picking up his knife and heading towards the kitchen. He couldn't very well say that he had stored a lot of it himself.

Jessica hesitated for a moment, then followed, saying, "I'll help."

Ice Brew smiled and took a bottle of aged wine from the shelf, "Then I'll take care of the wine pairings."

In the kitchen, Su Rui's movements were clean and efficient. He held the meat down with one hand, the blade slicing along the muscle fibers, precisely cutting the meat into pieces the right thickness for frying. Jessica stood to the side, carefully peeling potatoes, occasionally stealing glances at his movements.

"Do you... cook often?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm." Su Rui didn't even look up. "Back in the army, the logistics were unreliable."

Ice Brew leaned against the doorframe, shaking the bottle in his hand. "What do you need me to do?"

"Chop the onion," Su Rui said, pointing to the purple bulb next to the cutting board. "Slice it thinly."

Ice Brew raised an eyebrow. "You trust my knife skills that much?"

Su Rui finally looked up at her. "You own a bar."

The implication is that if a restaurant can't even cut vegetables, it should have gone out of business long ago.

Ice Brew laughed heartily, rolled up his sleeves, and walked over. "Interesting."

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of frying oil. Su Rui tossed the meat in the wok with one hand, turning the surface of the pork chops golden brown, while adjusting the heat of the stew pot next to him with the other hand. Jessica handed him the chopped potatoes, her fingertips accidentally brushing against the back of his hand, and she immediately pulled them back.

"Did you get burned?" Su Rui frowned.

"N-nothing!" Jessica shook her head, but the tips of her ears turned red.

Ice Brew promptly handed over a glass of chilled ale. "To ease the tension."

Jessica took the cup and sipped it. Su Rui glanced at her, then suddenly reached out and wiped a bit of flour off her cheek with the back of her finger.

"Clumsy," he said softly, but there was no blame in his tone.

Ice Brew watched them with great interest, and Luer twitched happily.

On the table, steaming stews, fried meats, and toast were laid out. Ice Brew poured everyone a glass of his specially made mulled wine, the aromas of spices and fruits mingling in the air.

"Try it," Su Rui said, pushing the plate towards Jessica. "It should suit your taste."

Jessica forked a piece of meat, took a careful bite, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Delicious!"

Su Rui's lips curled up almost imperceptibly by 0.5 degrees.

Ice Brew, resting her chin on her hand, asked with a smile, "So, your 'relationship'... is that you're mission partners?"

"Cough--!" Jessica almost choked.

Su Rui, without batting an eye, continued cutting the pork chop, "More than that."

The Ice Brew deer ear mushroom stood up even higher. "Oh?"

Jessica's face was flushed red to the roots of her neck, and she lowered her head to gulp down red wine to hide her panic. Su Rui glanced at her, then suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Drink slowly," he whispered, "You'll get drunk."

Ice Brew smiled and raised her glass, "To the warmth in this cold night."

Outside the window, the wind and snow continued, but inside the tavern, it was warm and cozy.

The fire in the fireplace gradually died down. Ice Brew added a few pieces of pine wood, sparks crackling and releasing the aroma of pine resin. Jessica leaned on the bar, her long blue hair shimmering softly in the firelight, her fingertips lightly tapping the rim of her empty glass. Su Rui sat beside her, holding a glass of hot mead that Ice Brew had just handed her, her gaze sweeping over the workers in the corner, their cheeks flushed from the cold.

"They deducted another 30% from my salary this month," a bearded man said hoarsely, taking a swig of strong liquor. "They said it's a 'heating surcharge'."