Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 139

Chapter 139

The faint light emitted from the two eyes of the Biological Spaceship pierced through the deep universe. It hovered in the vacuum, its outer edges shimmering with a soft fluorescence.

Zhou Chuanning piloted the Biological Spaceship, attaching it to the Large Event Spaceship that Gu Huaiwei had rented. The vessel’s wings slowly retracted, resembling a juvenile whale sleeping in the depths of the ocean.

He pressed a few buttons, and Gu Huaiwei felt the stickiness of her seat diminish; the safety restraints had likely disengaged.

“If I hadn’t seen my Bonding partner die right before my eyes with my own two eyes, perhaps I would have mistaken him for someone else as well,” Zhou Chuanning said, his voice tinged with a nostalgia that might lead one to believe he was a sentimental man.

Aliens possessed emotions and desires, but their feelings toward humans were not those of equals; they were more akin to the bond between a master and a pet.

“Was your previous Bonding partner male or female?” Gu Huaiwei asked.

“A human male,” Zhou Chuanning explained as he brought the Biological Spaceship to a steady halt. “To an Alien, there isn’t much difference between a human male and a human female.

“We cherish your entire species. The differences in your physiological structures do not affect our ability to conceive new life with you after Bonding.”

The Aliens’ innate reproductive instinct drove them to attempt parasitic reproduction with native organisms after conquering a planet.

Aside from the Broodmother, who slept beneath the surface of the Alien home planet and had survived for tens of millions of years, all other Aliens were male.

“They look seventy percent alike. Could there be a blood relation?” Gu Huaiwei crossed her arms naturally over her chest, her long lashes drooping slightly. “I don’t quite believe in such coincidences. His appearance must be part of some scheme.”

The seats of the Biological Spaceship were exceptionally soft. Zhou Chuanning was in no hurry to lead Gu Huaiwei off the ship; instead, he looked out the porthole at the distant planets. “Is that what you think?”

“What else? There aren’t that many accidents in this world.” With someone so similar appearing, Gu Huaiwei couldn’t imagine any possibility other than a trap.

“Don’t you believe in fate or destiny?” Zhou Chuanning’s gaze softened, and the question he asked was unexpectedly romantic.

“If you believe in that kind of thing, you’ll get dumped by humans at least three times in your life.”

Zhou Chuanning let out a light chuckle. “Miss Gu, you truly are an outlier among humans.”

“Then do you want to try interacting with that Lu Beijiu? I noticed Chen Liuxiang cares quite a bit about that male guest. You should join in too-stage a ‘fated reunion.’ I’ll have the cameramen give you more screen time.” Gu Huaiwei took advantage of the idle moment to check the livestream ratings on her phone, finding that they hadn’t met the target yet.

She wanted to broadcast the entanglements between Chen Liuxiang, Zhou Chuanning, and the others to create some buzz.

Zhou Chuanning shook his head, declining Gu Huaiwei’s suggestion.

“Your intuition is correct,” he said, steering the conversation back on track. “That Lu Beijiu does indeed have an ulterior motive.”

“Hearing you say that, you must have found some clues.” Gu Huaiwei raised an eyebrow, wanting to know more.

“Before I tell you anything, I need to verify something.” Zhou Chuanning pressed a black button in front of him. The blinds on the Biological Spaceship’s portholes slowly lowered, like closing eyes.

The cockpit instantly became a sealed, private space.

He turned his head in the darkness. “Miss Gu, though it is offensive to say this… I must ask you to remove your clothes.”

“…” Gu Huaiwei grew wary.

“Please rest assured, I will not touch you. I only need to confirm a few things. You only need to expose the skin on your back, abdomen, and limbs.”
This request was essentially the same as wearing a swimsuit, which was within Gu Huaiwei’s comfort zone.

Zhou Chuanning didn’t want Gu Huaiwei to misunderstand, so he pulled a female Skin Suit from the back seat of the Biological Spaceship. “If it makes you feel awkward, I can change my appearance to speak with you.”

“Fine, change into the woman’s Skin Suit.” Gu Huaiwei thought for a moment and tilted her chin up slightly. “You change first, then I’ll cooperate. You’d better make sure your information is valuable enough, or else…”

Zhou Chuanning promised solemnly, “I assure you this is necessary.”

The two reached an agreement.

Zhou Chuanning prepared to unzip the female Skin Suit. The zipper was located at the forehead; once opened from the side, an Alien could slide inside.

Approaching this with a studious mindset, Gu Huaiwei wanted to see exactly how he changed.

Zhou Chuanning noticed Gu Huaiwei watching him intently, her gaze filled with unabashed curiosity. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

“Miss Gu, could you… um… turn your head?”

Gu Huaiwei had researched some basic Alien anatomy online, and she smiled. “To humans, your true forms are just a mass of soft tentacles. Basically, every one of you looks the same.”

“How can you say there’s no difference? The softness, color, elasticity, and size of our tentacles are all different,” Zhou Chuanning said, his voice dropping slightly as if he were a bit sulky.

“The Skin Suit is just an exterior, while our true selves exist beneath it.” Still somewhat miffed, he walked straight to the rear cabin and pulled down the Bio-curtain.

“Oh my, an Alien can be shy too?” Gu Huaiwei felt it was a pity. She had only seen pictures on the internet and really wanted to witness firsthand how that large, squishy mass of an Alien body could fit into such a small Skin Suit.

While Zhou Chuanning was changing, Gu Huaiwei slowly untied her sash and unzipped the side of her black lace dress, revealing the skin of her back, abdomen, and limbs.

When Zhou Chuanning finished his transformation and stepped out, he was surprised to see that Gu Huaiwei had already undressed.

“What do you need to check? Look quickly.” Gu Huaiwei prioritized efficiency. To get the information, she held her dress and did a slow turn in place, remaining calm and composed as she let Zhou Chuanning inspect her exposed skin.

Zhou Chuanning had transformed into a dark-skinned young woman with light brown hair curling slightly over her shoulders. Her skin was the color of chocolate, but her facial features were somewhat stiff. One eyebrow was higher than the other, as if he hadn’t quite finished adjusting them.

His gaze swept over Gu Huaiwei, confirming that there were no Prohibited Marks on her body.

“That’s enough. Zip back up so you don’t catch a cold.” Although he had switched to a female Skin Suit, Zhou Chuanning’s voice remained male. He averted his eyes. “I need to change back to my original Skin Suit. This new one is a low-quality product; I can’t control the facial features properly.”

“True. Not only are your eyebrows uneven, but your mouth is a bit crooked too.” Gu Huaiwei thought the expression on his new Skin Suit looked exceptionally silly. She pursed her lips, swallowing back a laugh.

“Are you laughing?” Zhou Chuanning noticed the slight quiver at the corners of her mouth.

Gu Huaiwei shook her head repeatedly, then said with a straight face, “How could I? I’m being angry on your behalf. You should demand compensation from the crooked merchant who ripped you off.”

Zhou Chuanning used his hand to try and adjust his straying features. He looked at her, and through the dull surface of the Skin Suit, a flicker of tenderness passed through his deep gaze. “Laugh if you want to. You have a beautiful smile-it’s different from other humans.”