Tony walked through the park, munching on a smoked meat sandwich. The previous night had left him hungry and sore, so he had only eaten a few things when he got home. This morning, despite having some food prepared by his mother, he still felt hungry. On his way to the park to meet Young, Tony stopped by a bakery to buy a sizable smoked meat sandwich to fill his stomach.
Unlike his usual brisk jogging to meet Young in the park, Tony leisurely strolled under the tree canopy today. Enjoying his sandwich, he listened to the rhythmic chirping of crickets, which eventually fell silent.
The "vee" sounds transformed into a sharp "ekk" and then fell silent. They were being hunted by Tony's army of worker ants.
For those exercising or strolling in the park, the sight of fallen wasp bodies under the trees would go unnoticed. Even if someone did notice, they would likely not care about their deaths, nor would they investigate the reasons behind it.
Tony brought almost the entire wasp colony to the park, leaving a few to protect the queen and the nest.
Feeling the urgency to increase his life points, Tony decided to tame some dogs to provide protection when he wasn't around. Additionally, he wanted to level up quickly using the abilities he possessed. Through the system, Tony knew that fused abilities also had levels. One level enhanced his ability by a factor of five, two levels by ten, and three levels by twenty, doubling each time.
Not only did the worker ants work tirelessly, but Tony also dispatched his swarm of hornets to hunt as much as possible. After rain, it was the time when the hornet larvae hatched the most.
The ant army had a more relaxed mission of protecting the vegetable garden. Moreover, the wet ground made it less convenient for the ant swarm to move on the surface due to numerous puddles. Otherwise, Tony would have sent a small group to infiltrate the nearby farmland to massacre insects in the adjacent grasslands.
Tony also calculated to expedite the process of making money. He planned to adopt and raise a few dogs, tame and train them first, and then post them for sale on online pet markets. Tony initially intended to focus on this after Young entered college to spend more time with her before she started her studies.
However, everything changed when he became involved with Anna. Tony was concerned that sooner or later, Young would find out. Before that happened, Tony wanted to conquer her completely. If Young's feelings for him were strong enough, she wouldn't leave him. The affection had to be significant, but the financial means needed to be substantial to sustain it; otherwise, everything would be in vain.
Tony sensed that Young's two Alaskan dogs were nearby, but he couldn't see them or Young.
Standing at their usual meeting spot, Tony scanned the surroundings for any sign of Young.
Unable to spot Young but hearing rustling sounds from stepping on leaves, Tony smiled. He knew Young wanted to play a game.
It's not like Tony always threatened Young. Today, Young wanted to take the initiative.
Tony pretended not to know, and as Young approached, ready to threaten him, Tony suddenly turned around with a strange, smiling face.
Tony's hands swiftly grabbed Young's breasts and squeezed them a couple of times.
"A!"
Startled by Tony's actions, Young gasped, feeling a mix of fear, anger, and embarrassment.
Seeing Tony laughing mischievously, Young, irritated, punched him in the chest.
"A!"
Tony didn't expect Young to punch him, and it hit the wound from yesterday, making him wince in pain.
Thinking that Tony was pretending, Young, even more annoyed, delivered another punch.
This time, Tony paid attention, and he raised his hand to block it.
Feeling that his fake injury was exposed, Tony thought about how to lie to Young.
Seeing that Young was about to speak, Tony acted quickly.
"Tony, why is there blood on your chest?" Young exclaimed, shocked.
Tony hastily pulled his shirt collar, checking inside. He couldn't prevent Young from discovering the wound in an unexpected way.
"I got injured when an iron rod in the farm fell on me," Tony lied.
"Yesterday, I called you more than twenty times. Couldn't you hear because of this?" Young asked.
Tony nodded.
Young, feeling heartbroken, hugged Tony and said, "And I didn't even know, and I ended up hitting you."
"It's just a little blood, it's okay," Tony comforted Young.
"No, I insist on taking you to the hospital," Young said, releasing Tony.
"No need. I'm really fine. The wound has been stitched up; you just made it bleed a bit. Going to the hospital won't solve anything," Tony said.
Young didn't insist on taking Tony to the hospital anymore but started crying.
"Come on, I'm okay," Tony said, trying to reassure Young.
"Even though it's just a little blood, I can't believe I hurt you," Young sobbed.
"It's okay, really. Don't blame yourself. I'm fine," Tony assured her.
Young wiped away her tears and said, "I just can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry, Tony."
"Don't worry about it, Young. Accidents happen," Tony said, comforting her.
Young hugged Tony tightly, trying to make up for what she had unintentionally caused.
"Alright, alright. I forgive you," Tony said with a gentle smile, patting Young's back.
Young sniffled and said, "I'll be more careful next time."
"Sounds like a plan," Tony replied, still smiling, glad that Young cared so much about him.
Tony looked at Young, who was crying. He wiped the tears from her face, trying to comfort her, but the more he wiped, the more she cried.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Tony gently embraced her, patting her back softly.
"Do you love me?" Young suddenly asked.
Tony found Young's question a bit puzzling at this moment. He hadn't expected her to bring up this matter now.
Although slightly surprised, Tony quickly responded, "Why ask such a question? Of course, I love you."
However, Young didn't seem satisfied with the answer.
Noticing Young's continued sadness, Tony sincerely reiterated, "I love you."
He then kissed away the tears rolling down her face.
"Your tears are salty. It shows how much you love me," Tony said, tasting the salty tears on his lips.
"You think you love me just because I'm pretty," Young said.
Tony replied, "If I loved you only for your looks, would I be here with you in this condition?"
"Why hide it from me if everything is fine? Why not tell me?" Young felt Tony's sincerity but still questioned him. She had a stubborn streak and wanted him to be completely honest.
"Because I love you. I hid it to prevent you from worrying. I don't want to see you worried and crying like this. I just want to see you smile. Even my parents don't know I got injured," Tony explained.
Hearing this, Young felt warmth inside.
She gave Tony a deep and long kiss.
After parting from Tony's lips, Young said, "Next time, no matter what happens, you have to tell me. Okay, Tony?"
"If I get injured again, I'll let you take care of me," Tony replied.
Unhappy, Young said, "Do you still want to get hurt?"
"That's life. Can't avoid it. As long as you're safe, I'll accept any injury," Tony said.
"I don't like it when you talk about unlucky things like that," Young said.
As usual, after spending about an hour together in the park, the two would say goodbye and head home.
Today, however, Young decided to go with Tony to his house.
She couldn't leave Tony alone, wanting to help him disinfect the wound she had caused.
Inside Tony's house, no one was present. Tony's parents had gone to the vegetable garden to check if the rain yesterday had caused any damage.
In Tony's room:
Tony lay on the bed, allowing Young to use alcohol to disinfect the wound on his mouth.
Tony occasionally made sounds of comfort, not because of pain but because his hands were busy doing something else.
"Can you lie still, Tony?" Young said, feeling that Tony was somewhat restless.
Even with such an injury, his hands kept exploring her body.
Tony acted as if he hadn't heard, ignoring Young.
Young struggled to help Tony deal with the wound.
Seeing that Young had finished, Tony immediately pulled her down next to him. His hands roamed over her body.
"You think about that even when you're injured. I don't understand how I can love you," Young said.
"That can help me feel less pain. Don't you know? Young, can you undress?" Tony said.
Young didn't believe Tony's words, but she still complied. She didn't understand why she found herself taking off her clothes and lying down hugging Tony. Even when Tony asked her to help him take off his pants, she did it.
In fact, Tony didn't do anything to Young.
He just caressed her body, hugged her, and eventually fell asleep at some point.
It seemed that Tony was very tired, as he fell asleep quickly.
Young looked at Tony sleeping soundly, feeling happy herself.
Young relaxed and eventually fell asleep too.
In this way, Young could be so comfortable, not afraid that Tony's parents would suddenly come into the room and see the two nakedly embracing each other.
The Alaska dogs were guarding outside the door, and the room was locked from the inside.
Tony's parents were usually busy in the garden and wouldn't return until noon for a break.
Besides, lately, they had seen Tony dating Young. Occasionally, they even brought her upstairs.
Tony's parents knew Tony wouldn't go too far, and they had no intention of disturbing the privacy of the two young people.