Chapter 69 - 68: Tsundere Doctor Jenkins

Doctor Jenkins’s gaze shifted back and forth between the person and the cub. Unable to hold back, he frowned and said, "Rose, you cannot share utensils with others, let alone a Mutant Beast cub. It’s unhygienic."

"But Silvy sleeps with us every night, and we give it baths. It’s very clean!" Rose retorted.

Doctor Jenkins was left entirely speechless.

When he finally took his first bite of the sweet egg custard, he felt as if every taste bud in his mouth had been awakened. The refreshing tartness of the lemon juice and the sweetness of the powdered sugar blended perfectly with the rich aroma of milk and eggs. It was incredibly smooth on the palate, far surpassing the savory egg custards he had eaten before.

He felt that Sev Steele had once again shattered his understanding of food. With her, there was no such thing as the most delicious dish—only an even more delicious one!

In that moment, he was overwhelmingly glad. It was a good thing Rick Kaye had arrived in time to protect this culinary master, Sev. Otherwise, it would have been a massive loss!

Doctor Jenkins ate until he was completely stuffed. Watching from the sidelines, Rusty felt a deep ache in his heart over the dwindling food. However, he knew very well that this man was a public official they had to curry favor with; he could not afford to offend him. He could only lower his head, clench his fists, and remain utterly silent.

Doctor Jenkins actually noticed the boy’s subtle expression, but he simply ignored it. If this ordinary orphan from The Slums hadn’t been adopted by Sev, he wouldn’t have even spared him a glance.

After the meal, Sev gritted her teeth and pulled out the S Level Dagger to hand it back to him. Her heart was bleeding with reluctance.

"Doctor Jenkins, this is the dagger you lent me. I’m returning it to you now." Sev tried her best to suppress the urge to pull her hand back.

Doctor Jenkins’s impression of Sev improved a little more. This woman was clearly reluctant to return it, yet she hadn’t deliberately delayed handing it over. It seemed she was a sensible person who knew better than to covet things that didn’t belong to her.

In all fairness, this dagger was indeed excellent. It was a token of gratitude given to him by a Fourth Tier Ability User he had accidentally saved in the wilderness back in the day.

Truthfully, he had acted out of selfish motives when he saved her. Because the woman hadn’t come from a major family and lacked a strong background, he had wanted to recruit a promising Ability user for his own family. Facts proved that he had made the right choice. Out of gratitude for saving her life, that person later joined his family. On the surface, she was subordinate to the family, but in reality, she became a mole he had planted within their ranks, passing along every piece of information she could get her hands on.

Since Doctor Jenkins almost never engaged in hand-to-hand combat, the dagger had barely seen any use since falling into his hands. He had only taken it out to lend to Sev in a moment of desperation. But now, he suddenly decided not to take it back.

"I’ll give this to you. Don’t overthink it, though," he said, pushing the dagger back with a nonchalant tone. "That guy Rick Kaye asked me to look out for you. Since you often go out foraging, your chances of survival will be higher if you carry this for self-defense."

Sev thought, "What a stubborn softie. He’s clearly worried about me, but he still uses his friend as an excuse."

However, she truly felt a warmth in her heart. She had only known him for a few days, and their only connection was that she had treated him to a few meals—most of which he had shamelessly freeloaded anyway. It wasn’t hard to guess just how precious an S Level alloy dagger was, judging by the excited looks in Hayden Hanson and Seth Jennings’s eyes when they saw it earlier. Yet he had given it to her so casually, without even mentioning its value.

Sev felt that she owed him a massive favor, but she really didn’t want to turn it down. She could refuse an expensive gift, but she couldn’t reject a friend’s care.

"Alright, I’ll accept this gift," Sev said, taking it generously and sliding it into her jacket’s inner pocket. She didn’t even say thank you, because a simple thank you wouldn’t be enough to express her gratitude.

Doctor Jenkins rummaged through his Space Button and pulled out an inconspicuous copper four-leaf clover pendant, handing it to her. "Have Rose keep this on her at all times. She is not allowed to take it off.

"It can conceal the Ability she subconsciously emits. As long as you don’t actively expose it, outsiders won’t discover her Ability," he added in a serious tone.

Finally, he brought out a rusty metal box. "These are seeds left over from before the nuclear war. They’ve been buried underground for too long. Take them and let Rose practice with them. Whether they sprout or not will simply depend on luck, so don’t worry too much about it."

He said this as if it were no big deal, but Sev could easily guess how incredibly precious these seeds were.

"Thank you!" Sev stood up and bowed. Although a verbal thanks felt far too light, she didn’t know what else to do right now besides expressing her gratitude.

Having handed over the items, Doctor Jenkins decisively got up and left. It was as if he had just finished a meal at a cafeteria, not wanting to waste a single extra minute.

Sev didn’t waste time overthinking things, either. She personally hung the pendant around Rose’s neck and tucked it inside her clothes. Then, with a stern face, she addressed the four children. "If you don’t want Rose to be taken away, all of you need to keep your mouths shut!

"You cannot breathe a single word about her Ability to anyone outside. Understood?"

The four little ones nodded in unison. Naturally, the three older brothers didn’t want Rose to be taken away, and Rose herself certainly didn’t want to be separated from her family. Even though their adoptive mother used to treat her poorly, her three older brothers had always been good to her. The five of them together made a family.

"But Mom, Mr. Hanson and Ms. Jennings probably know about this already, don’t they?" Rusty asked, a worried look on his face.

At the time, Rose had channeled her Wood Ability into the three exhausted adults, allowing them to rapidly recover their stamina.

"Mr. Hanson should keep this secret. As for Ms. Jennings, I believe she won’t leak it either," Sev said.

She was seventy percent sure of this because they had fought side by side back then. From beginning to end, she had gone all out without holding anything back. Coupled with the care she had shown for her down-and-out teammate, Hayden Hanson, Sev was willing to trust her character.

However, since this concerned her own daughter, she still decided to go find Seth Jennings for a private chat. But she had no prior connection with Seth, so she had to go to Hayden first to get her contact number.

Sev was just about to head out when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the small peephole and saw Hayden Hanson and Seth Jennings standing outside. When Hayden entered the yard, he was carrying a large tub filled with mixed mud and straw, while Seth held several bamboo scrapers in her hand.

After Seth had been urgently summoned back by the Mercenary Guild, she had followed her teammates to exterminate the remaining Mutant Rats and had helped transport their carcasses. Having some free time today, she had called Hayden. Upon learning that he had moved to a new place, she specifically came over to visit and see where he lived now.

Seth smiled and spoke first. "Miss Steele, hello!

"I came over to see Hayden’s new home and happened to eat the egg custard you brought over. It was absolutely delicious. It smelled so good I almost swallowed my own tongue!

"Hayden and I just finished patching the holes in his walls. He said that since we already mixed the mud, we might as well patch up your house too, so I volunteered to come over and help."

"Thank you so much, then!" Sev said, immediately rolling up her sleeves to work alongside them.