Chapter 247
After leaving the space, Suzy reappeared in her bedroom.
It was time to try something and she had already chosen the perfect test subject. There was no one more suitable than Leonard.
Without wasting a second, she hurried to the door, pulled it open, and stepped into the living room.
Leonard was still engrossed in a video game with Thomas.
The match had reached a critical stage, and the advantage was clearly on Leonard’s side. He sat forward on the couch, eyes locked onto the television, excitement written all over his face.
"Uncle Leonard," Suzy called.
"Hold on, hold on. I’m about to win." He didn’t even look away from the screen.
Suzy said nothing further and simply stood behind him.
One minute passed.
The intensity of her stare became impossible to ignore. Leonard finally glanced over his shoulder.
"What is it? Is it really that urgent?"
"Yes."
He turned back to the game without another word. This time, however, his attention wasn’t fully on the battle anymore.
Suzy waited patiently and made no attempt to rush him.
Ironically, Leonard was the one who lost patience first. With a sigh, he set down the controller.
"Pause it for a second." Then he turned toward Suzy. "Alright, what is it?"
"Aren’t you playing anymore?" She pointed at the television.
"How am I supposed to focus when you’re standing behind me like that?"
Leonard rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Even Thomas turned around, curiosity flickering across his face.
"Uncle Leonard, come with me. I need to show you something."
Suzy gestured for him to follow.
"What exactly is this about..."
Leonard scratched his head in confusion, but he still rose and followed her.
Thomas had long grown accustomed to their mysterious behavior and didn’t bother asking questions. He simply returned his attention to the paused game.
Suzy led Leonard into her room and locked the door behind them.
Watching her go through the entire sequence made his heart pound uneasily.
"W... what’s going on?" he asked nervously.
What could possibly be so serious that she needed to lock the door?
"I want to show you something."
"What is it?"
Leonard’s curiosity immediately intensified.
Suzy stepped in front of him. Her expression turned unusually solemn. Then she reached out and took his hand.
"Close your eyes," she said softly.
That only made him more nervous. "Hey, don’t do anything weird."
His voice carried obvious suspicion. Suzy rolled her eyes.
"Relax. Do you really think I’d hurt you?"
"Who knows? Maybe you’re planning some elaborate prank."
Despite his muttering, he obediently closed his eyes.
Suzy focused her thoughts. The world around them shifted. In an instant, both of them were transported into the space.
This time, there was no resistance. No strain. The transition happened smoothly and naturally.
Joy exploded inside Suzy’s chest.
It worked. Her space could finally accommodate other people.
She was thrilled with the new ability. A new feature meant a new layer of protection for the people she cared about.
If danger arose in the future, she could simply pull them into the space and keep them safe.
The possibilities were endless.
Lost in her excitement, she completely forgot about Leonard.
Meanwhile, Leonard remained standing exactly where he was, eyes obediently shut.
He could feel that Suzy had let go of his hand. He could also sense that something around him had changed.
It was difficult to describe.
The faint scent unique to Suzy’s bedroom had disappeared. In its place lingered the fragrance of fresh grass.
He had no idea what had happened, but the air felt noticeably different. Cleaner... Like the breath of untouched nature itself.
Each inhale filled his lungs with a vitality he hadn’t felt in a long time. The more he breathed, the more energized he became.
His curiosity grew stronger by the second.
Yet Suzy still hadn’t said anything.
Trusting her completely, Leonard resisted the urge to peek and continued keeping his eyes closed.
After waiting for a while, Leonard finally couldn’t contain his curiosity.
"Suzy, can I open my eyes now?"
Suzy snapped out of her excitement and nodded quickly.
"Yes. You can look now."
With her permission, Leonard slowly opened his eyes. As his vision adjusted, the scene before him instantly froze him in place.
"W... what... where is this?"
His head turned from side to side as he surveyed the surroundings, convinced for a moment that he was hallucinating.
Wait.
Something wasn’t right.
A second ago, they had been standing in Suzy’s bedroom.
What was this place? How had he ended up here? Was he dreaming?
Leonard stared at the endless green landscape and felt as though he had stepped into paradise itself.
This had to be a dream. The only unusual part was that Suzy was somehow here with him.
"Suzy, where are we?"
He hurried over and grabbed her arm. The touch felt completely real.
Suzy smiled and finally revealed the truth.
"Uncle Leonard, welcome to my space."
"My what?" Leonard blinked. "Your space?"
He knew Suzy possessed a storage space capable of holding supplies, but he had never imagined it looked like this.
Nor had he imagined people could enter it.
The beautiful scenery around them completely shattered everything he thought he knew.
"Come on. Let me show you around."
Suzy motioned for him to follow.
Still struggling to process what he was seeing, Leonard scratched his head and trailed after her.
The grass beneath his feet felt soft and springy.
The gentle breeze carried the scent of earth and growing things.
The entire place felt unreal.
Even now, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was wandering through a dream.
Suzy first led him to the nearest farmland.
Rows of vegetables stretched across the fields, thriving with remarkable vitality.
The moment Leonard saw them, his eyes widened.
"That’s a lot of produce."
Everything looked incredibly fresh.
"Want to try some?"
The two stepped into the field.
Leonard plucked a large, ripe tomato from the vine and bit into it. The skin burst instantly. Sweet juice exploded across his tongue.
His eyes widened.
"Wow. That’s incredible."
He couldn’t remember the last time he had tasted a tomato this fresh and flavorful. Even the expensive organic produce from before the apocalypse couldn’t compare.
The existence of the farm itself shocked him almost as much as the taste.
A space that could grow crops? The entire thing reminded him suspiciously of an oversized farming simulation game.
Before he knew it, he had devoured the entire tomato.
Juice dripped down his fingers.
"Suzy, I need to wash my hands."
His sharp eyes quickly spotted a stream winding through the distance.
Without waiting, he headed toward it.
As he walked, he continued taking in the scenery around him.
The more he saw, the more convinced he became that this place resembled a fairyland.
In fact, it looked remarkably similar to the retirement paradise he had always imagined for himself.
Who would have thought it existed inside Suzy’s space?
By the time he reached the stream, he was thoroughly amazed.
Crystal clear water flowed over smooth stones. The surface reflected his face like polished glass.
He crouched beside the stream and carefully washed away the sticky tomato juice before standing again.
"Uncle Leonard, over here."
Suzy waved at him from a distance. Leonard immediately headed toward her.
"Your space is unbelievable."
Suzy grinned proudly.
"That’s nothing. Come see this."
She led him toward the orchard.
During her earlier tour, she had noticed that Kitty had even built a fence around it.
The gate now stood open, allowing them to walk straight inside.
The moment they crossed the entrance, a rich wave of fruit fragrance rushed toward them.
The sweet scent mingled with fresh grass and rich soil, creating an aroma so pleasant that both instinctively took deeper breaths.
Even Suzy paused briefly.
No matter how many times she looked at the orchard, it remained breathtaking.
Trees laden with fruit stretched as far as the eye could see.
Apples, pears, peaches, and countless others hung heavily from the branches.
The vibrant colors alone were enough to lift anyone’s spirits.
Behind her, Leonard stood completely stunned.
"Th... this..."
His mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to form a complete sentence.
He hurried toward the nearest apple tree and looked up.
Large crimson apples clustered among the leaves. Unable to resist, he reached up and touched one.
The skin felt smooth and firm beneath his fingertips, covered by a delicate natural bloom.
Cool and fresh.
"Pick one," Suzy encouraged with a smile.
Leonard didn’t need to be told twice. He stretched up and selected the largest apple he could reach.
After wiping it against his sleeve, he took a huge bite. A sharp crunch echoed through the orchard. Juice immediately flooded his mouth and trickled down the corner of his lips.
His eyes lit up.
"This is amazing."
Even someone who wasn’t particularly fond of apples would have trouble stopping after one bite.
"Of course it’s amazing. I planted all of these myself. You clearly have excellent taste."
A voice suddenly interrupted from above.
The system leapt gracefully from a nearby tree branch.
Its tail stood proudly upright behind it.
Leonard wasn’t paying attention and responded absentmindedly with a grin.
"Suzy, why does your voice sound different all of a sudden?"
Only after the words left his mouth did he realize the voice definitely hadn’t come from Suzy.