Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Aquaman Dad (End)

What are you looking at?

9972 was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered that these were the magic circles Cheng Su had prepared for Zhuozhuo's safety. These magic circles had various effects, were cheaper than magic scrolls, and were Cheng Su's original creations. He was quite proud of them for a moment.

But Cheng Su could never have imagined that Zhuo Zhuo would use these things to block him?

Zhuozhuo squatted down and rummaged around for a while before finding the teleportation magic circle. She placed her hand on it, trying to inject some magic power, but she was too exhausted to do anything else. She sat down on the ground and rested.

The little guy's eyes closed, his breathing gradually steadied, and he fell asleep. Her hands gradually relaxed and weakened, and the magic circle in her arms rolled to the ground, making a very slight sound, but it still woke Zhuozhuo.

Zhuozhuo looked around blankly, her large, unfocused eyes fixed on the air. It took a moment for her to remember what she was doing. She looked down at her empty hands, leaned forward, and pulled the magic circle back. She took a few breaths before placing her hands on her t-shirt.

The small ball of light flickered a few times and then went out.

Zhuozhuo uttered an "eh," but her face showed no surprise, as if she had expected this. Just like she hadn't asked why she felt so exhausted after waking up.

9972 looked distressed, but it was useless to say anything at this time. It just rushed out of his mind and floated beside Zhuozhuo in the form of a cat head.

Zhuozhuo smiled when he saw it, his eyebrows curved.

She felt her strength rapidly draining away. She cradled the magic circle in her arms, slowly curling up into a ball. A rich white light erupted from her heart. She opened her mouth and said, "Abyss."

The magic circle was finally activated, taking Zhuozhuo through time and space to the edge of the abyss under the sea.

The high pressure and suffocation of the deep sea forced Zhuozhuo to instinctively transform into a mermaid, but this also consumed her remaining energy and caused her to fall into a coma. A second before she lost consciousness, Zhuozhuo struggled to control her body and fell into the abyss.

The feeling of weightlessness and the whistling sound of flowing water brought about a short nightmare. In the dream, Cheng Su was standing on a high mountain, wailing in pain, with black flakes constantly falling from his body. When the wind blew, the scarlet flames on his still burning body were revealed.

"shining--"

A shrill howl.

"shining--"

Cheng Su was looking for her aimlessly.

Zhuozhuo shouted "I'm here", but Cheng Su couldn't hear him and he staggered in the opposite direction.

"Cheng Su!"

Zhuozhuo wanted to chase after him, but she couldn't feel her legs, so she could only twist her body with all her might. She cried anxiously, "Cheng Su! Cheng Su!"

"I'm here! Zhuozhuo!"

Cheng Su held Zhuo Zhuo in his arms, anxiously looking at her haunted by a nightmare. He held her frantically scratching hand and called out in a deep voice, "Zhuo Zhuo, I'm here, Cheng Su is here, open your eyes and look at me!"

Cheng Su wiped the tears from Zhuo Zhuo's face. He was so anxious that he didn't know what to do. He hugged Zhuo Zhuo tightly, his face pressed against hers, "Good Zhuo Zhuo, please wake up soon..."

Snap——

The crisp sound of slapping.

Zhuozhuo's waving little hand somehow slapped Cheng Su's face, leaving five red finger marks.

Cheng Su immediately turned around and saw Zhuo Zhuo's dull face and blank eyes. He suppressed his worry and said gently, "Zhuo Zhuo? I'm Cheng Su. Can you recognize me?"

Zhuozhuo rolled his eyes and saw the slap mark on Cheng Su's face. He asked confusedly, "Did Zhuozhuo hit him?"

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt." Cheng Su looked at Zhuo Zhuo with concern. "Baby, how are you? Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"Ah..." Zhuozhuo blinked, looking at the incredibly clear Cheng Su before her. She realized it was just a dream, and her anxiety and panic slowly dissipated. She had no strength and felt uncomfortable all over, so she leaned on Cheng Su's shoulder and said slowly, "It's not uncomfortable."

After a pause, she added, "Hot."

She knew why it was hot. A basketball-sized fireball hung in the sky behind Cheng Su. Its temperature was so intense that the air around it twisted and distorted, burning the skin even through the barrier. She instinctively closed her eyes, afraid to look directly at it. The fireball's flames stretched toward them, as if possessing a consciousness of its own, eager to devour its prey.

Coming from the dark back of the continent, she was suddenly exposed to such a strong and bright light, and Zhuozhuo burst into tears uncontrollably. Before she could force herself to look more closely, Cheng Su, who had reacted, covered her eyes and said, "Don't stare at anything too bright or too hot. It hurts your eyes."

Zhuozhuo hummed and said calmly, "I can't watch. You might jump over and get burned."

Cheng Su paused, his heart pounding. He wasn't sure what Zhuozhuo was thinking, so he weakly changed the subject, "Zhuozhuo, why are you here?"

"Magic circle."

Zhuozhuo spoke weakly, his eyes closed, looking like he was breathing in and out more than he was breathing in, which was terrifying. Cheng Su didn't dare to ask her how she found out about him leaving and followed him. He just said, "I'll take you out."

The center of the earth wasn't an ordinary place; one couldn't just come and go as they pleased. The original teleportation magic circle was useless. Cheng Su, holding Zhuo Zhuo, began to set up a new magic circle on the spot. His movements were so fast that afterimages appeared, as if he was fighting for his life with the King of Hell.

Zhuo Zhuo did not move or stop him, but said slowly: "Bad guy Cheng Su, if you die, I will not come to see you again."

These words were contradictory, but Cheng Su strangely understood the meaning, but his actions did not pause at all.

"I never thought I would have a child. Children represent responsibility, and I wasn't ready to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. But after meeting you, the child in my heart materialized. Sometimes you're alert and smart, sometimes you're bewildered and cute, sometimes you're innocent, and sometimes you're cunning and vicious... You're like the perfect baby raised by the world's greatest parenting experts."

Cheng Su didn't look at Zhuozhuo. "I wanted you to be my child even before I realized it. But I was timid and worried that I wouldn't be a good father, so I kept covering it up with a half-hearted and half-joking attitude. If I had faced myself earlier, we could have had some wonderful parent-child time. But life is full of regrets. Zhuozhuo, I hope you can find a better father."

Zhuozhuo tried hard not to fall asleep and said slowly, "There are fathers who are better than you."

Cheng Su: “…”

“But, everyone is different.”

"Baby, just your words are enough."

Cheng Su covered his face, tears streaming through his fingers. He took a few deep breaths, placed Zhuo Zhuo on the new magic circle, and said in a deep voice, "I must send you away. I won't let you watch me being..." burned to death.

"Wait..." Zhuozhuo grabbed Cheng Su's fingers, "You don't have to die."

Cheng Su's expression changed slightly, thinking that Zhuo Zhuo was going to replace him. "There's no way I'm going to watch you die."

[Um...can I say a few words?]

The cat head floated cautiously into Zhuozhuo's arms, and made a weak sound, and immediately received Cheng Su's sharp eyes.

Zhuozhuo took charge and said, "Speak."

[Um, Cheng Su, let me be clear. Even if this world were destroyed, Zhuo Zhuo wouldn't jump into the Earth's Core Fire to restructure the rules. And even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Because after the host signs a contract with the system, their soul belongs to the main world, and no small world is allowed to capture or imprison them. Therefore, from the beginning, the world consciousness's target has been you.]

Of course, its target is also Cheng Su.

Cheng Su was stunned. This didn't match his assumptions. But he couldn't suppress his ecstasy, followed by a brief moment of emptiness, knowing that the desperate situation that had troubled him for so long no longer existed. After a moment of silence, he said, "Do you still want to complete the mission? If Zhuozhuo fails, it's your fault."

9972 I admire him. It’s already this late and he’s still thinking about Zhuo Zhuo’s mission. Is Cheng Su’s focus a little off?

Oh no, this is great fatherly love.

[Under normal circumstances, if a mission fails, regardless of whether it's the system's or the host's fault, both parties will be punished. However, Zhuozhuo and I aren't in a normal situation. Can you guess why?]

At this point, 9972 kept it a secret, and Cheng Su showed no intention of showing support. As for Zhuo Zhuo, she had already tried her best not to fall asleep.

9972 could only continue calmly: "Because I'm a relative, when I linked Zhuozhuo, I didn't think she would complete the task."

Cheng Su was stunned again. Was it because he had traveled too long and was out of date? Were people with connections so arrogant these days?

In fact, the main reason 9972 dared to speak out was because this was the center of the Earth, the core of this Western fantasy world. According to the Universal Convention, even the main world had no right to explore the core of a small world without permission, so it was safe to speak here without worrying about being struck by lightning for leaking secrets.

The air was silent for a few seconds before Cheng Su finally reacted. "So, it doesn't matter whether Zhuozhuo completes the mission or not?"

[It does matter, as it relates to the number of points she earns.] But compared to human life, it's insignificant.

"Then I don't have to die?"

[Perhaps you still have to die. Because the rules of this small world are incomplete, if you don't die, the small world will fail to evolve and will have to be replayed and restarted. But if you die, Zhuozhuo won't be able to find you.]

Cheng Su fell silent. This brought him back to the original question. He and the world he inhabited were in a life-or-death struggle. Oh no, he was doomed. After all, as long as he didn't die, the world would keep rewinding and restarting, repeating the process of forcing him to death. It was like a ridiculous joke from the Arabian Nights.

His palm itched; it was Zhuozhuo blinking. Cheng Su moved his hand away and saw Zhuozhuo's bright eyes. He paused and said, "Zhuozhuo, parents can't be with their children forever. I just left a little early."

After she finished speaking, Zhuozhuo opened her mouth and bit one of his fingers. Her eyes were shining and she was almost crying with anger.

[Please stop talking. Zhuozhuo has never had a father as irritating as you.]

9972 bumped into Cheng Su, sort of defending Zhuo Zhuo. It quickly said, "Actually, I have a way to keep you alive."

"Please go ahead."

[I don't want to say it, it's too immoral.]

[I'll just say it.]

After a quick moment of self-reflection, 9972 said, "It's actually very simple. You don't belong in this little world. I can send you back to your original world, and you can return to your normal life."

Cheng Su's eyes lit up slightly, but he didn't show any excitement. He only asked reservedly, "What will happen to this world?"

[According to Wu Jingqiu's guess, and after calculations, I've found this guess to be 99.99999999%, it can be confirmed to be a 100% event. Specifically, you are a soul from another world that was drawn into this small world by T when it began to evolve. With your arrival, the plot of this small world has also been affected.]

[Originally, according to the plot, Angus, a native with the time traveler setting, would have been sufficient to throw himself into the Earth's core fire. However, after your arrival, the complete rules you carried with you affected the unformed small world, causing its 'lack of rules' to become more than just a setting, but a real lack. Therefore, a real time traveler was needed to throw himself into the Earth's core fire.]

[Of course, I can't just drag another time traveler here to get burned just to save you. I believe that after you leave, this small world has two possible evolutionary paths. One is that evolution fails, boom, it explodes. The other is that with your departure, the settings influenced by you return to normal, and only the native Angus needs to follow the storyline.]

Cheng Su wanted to just leave. He had no feelings for this world to begin with; as long as he could survive, he didn't care about the flood. But he glanced at Zhuo Zhuo. Zhuo Zhuo had been getting along well with Bethany and the others these days, and she definitely wouldn't want to watch them die.

Cheng Su couldn't help but think, "his inevitable death" and "the possible death of Bethany and others" were placed on the scale together. In Zhuozhu's heart, which side weighed more?

Not wanting Zhuo Zhuo to be caught in a dilemma, Cheng Su was about to speak when he heard a faint voice, "Send, Cheng Su, go."

Cheng Su's heart burned with excitement. Zhuo Zhuo had chosen him! But he didn't want Zhuo Zhuo to bear so many lives, so he shouted, "No! Wait! I have something to say!"

9972 was stunned for a moment, "Okay, go ahead."

"How can I determine the direction of evolution of this small world after I leave?"

[It requires a lot of energy, but don't be moved yet. Zhuozhuo didn't choose to let you live and give up others. Zhuozhuo has a way to have the best of both worlds. Even if you leave, she can still ensure that this little world will not disappear.]

Zhuozhuo had been misjudged by the main world once before, and the compensation given by the main system was a privilege, which has not been used yet.

However, privileged opportunities are hard to come by, and 9972 doesn't want Zhuozhuo to use them lightly. [If only I had the energy, I could accurately calculate the outcome of this small world.]

There is no need to be like now, feeling dissatisfied no matter what choice you make.

Cheng Su asked, "What kind of energy do you need? I'll find it."

He glanced at the fireball behind him. At worst, he would find a way to use the fireball to avoid burning in the center of the earth every day.

9972: [That must be something that doesn't exist in this small world. Don't even think about it.]

Cheng Su remained silent, feeling that this cat-head was truly wicked. He had given him hope time and again, only to destroy it himself. Did he want to see him lose his temper and behave terribly in front of Zhuo Zhuo? What hatred and resentment!

At this moment, Zhuozhuo opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to say something, but his voice was too soft for Cheng Su to hear. He leaned over and put his ear close to her. "Baby, what did you say?"

[I hear you. Baby says she has energy.]

9972 was surprised. [Baby, what energy do you have? I am the one keeping all your things.]

Cheng Su immediately said seriously, "Zhaozhuo, you can't hurt yourself."

Before he traveled through time, he read a lot of novels, all of which were about those hot-blooded, childish stories where the protagonist's energy exploded at the moment of life and death. He was very worried that Zhuozhuo would do the same.

Zhuozhuo glanced at Cheng Su in confusion, not knowing what he was talking about. She had difficulty speaking, so she simply communicated with 9972 in her mind, "It's my little light ball."

[I actually forgot this!]

9972 was surprised, then hesitated, "Baby, I'm a little scared. If I touch the things Yan Bufan left for you, will he tear me apart?"

It was a product of the Main World, and its energy consumption naturally came from that world. While the energy required wasn't rare, it could only be produced by a world that had successfully evolved. Yan Bufan's world was undoubtedly successful, and the golden light of merit and mana he bestowed upon it, as a being of the Heavenly Dao, could certainly serve as energy for the system. However, 9972 was frightened by Yan Bufan and didn't dare use it.

"Of course not. Tongtong, I'll protect you. No one dares to tear you apart." Zhuozhuo tried to summon the small ball of light, but she didn't have the strength to control it. She said, "Tongtong, I know the small ball of light is in my heart. You can take it yourself. Take as much as you need. Don't use it all at once."

The little ball of light has been with her for so long, Zhuozhuo is reluctant to see it disappear.

[I definitely won't take it carelessly, baby, don't worry.]

9972 wasn't claiming to be a virtuous person, selflessly providing services to its host. For a system, asking for commissions or service fees was perfectly normal. But this was its burning desire. From the moment they met, it had only wanted to pay her back, and now it wouldn't take a single cent from her.

However, 9972 was hesitant to extract the mana from Zhuozhuo's heart, primarily because he was so weak. 9972 felt that Zhuozhuo's ability to awaken and perform such a grueling act was likely due to this ball of mana. By the time it was extracted, Zhuozhuo would likely have passed out.

9972 told Zhuozhuo and Cheng Su about the possible consequences, worried that Cheng Su would do something extreme if Zhuozhuo really fell into a coma.

Zhuozhuo was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "I really won't die, right?"

She had no memory of her past missions, and no matter how 9972 described it, it felt unreal.

9972's voice was gentle: "Of course, baby, how could I lie to you? If faking your own death wasn't necessary to escape, I wouldn't have let you suffer this."

Cheng Su was worried: "Will Zhuozhuo be okay?"

Anything applied to the human body will have a certain impact. If it accumulates over a long period of time, who knows if it will lead to some unknown adverse consequences.

[With me here, how could anything possibly happen to Zhuozhuo? Even if the small world exploded right now, I could still get Zhuozhuo out.]

Originally, 9972's security measures didn't take into account such a low-probability event, but in the previous world, it was terrified by Yan Bufan, so upon its emergence, it installed everything it could. Now, it was terrifyingly strong.

After reassuring Zhuozhuo and Cheng Su, 9972 took another second to comfort itself before letting Cheng Su lay Zhuozhuo flat. It carefully hovered over Zhuozhuo's heart, extended a robotic arm, and began to collect energy.

A minute passed and nothing happened.

Cheng Su looked serious, his eyes kept moving between Zhuozhuo and Maomao's heads, and he didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Zhuozhuo couldn't help but urge in his mind, "Tongtong, are you okay? I'm almost falling asleep."

[Hmm...baby, let me be clear. I can indeed use the energy from the little light ball. However, I also can't extract it. It seems like it's deliberately hiding from me.]

To be precise, it is not hiding, but the small ball of light is lurking in the dark, waiting for the opportunity to capture 9972.

9972 was worried that if he delayed any longer he would be killed by the small light ball, so he had to call for external help in a tactful way.

Zhuozhuo felt it carefully, and his dulled perception took effect, and he realized something was wrong. "I'll call it out."

After saying that, the little guy closed his eyes and didn't move. From the outside, it was impossible to tell whether he was asleep or unconscious or just had his eyes closed.

Cheng Su felt that his breathing also stopped the moment Zhuozhuo closed his eyes, until his lungs instinctively started to pump again. He couldn't help but mouth the words to the cat's head, "What's wrong with Zhuozhuo?"

The cat's head didn't respond.

Cheng Su didn't care whether it didn't want to pay attention to him or there was no camera facing him. He circled the cat's head and mouthed the words from all directions to make sure it saw him.

9972:[……]

But the situation is unclear now and there is nothing to say, so it still ignored Cheng Su.

Cheng Su became increasingly anxious, but fortunately Zhuozhuo quickly opened his eyes, moved his mouth, and silently said, "Quick!"

A white light suddenly appeared at the position of Zhuozhuo's heart. The cat head reacted very quickly, and the mechanical arm immediately grabbed the white light and took a big sip.

Bai Mang paused for a moment, as if he was very shocked and aggrieved, and then drilled back in at a faster speed.

9972 was calculating rapidly when he saw this and quickly said, "Baby, hurry up and get it out! That last bite wasn't enough."

Zhuozhuo was extremely sleepy, and he kept hearing 9972 calling in his ear, and he gradually became irritated. "Then eat a big mouthful."

[Then my mouth is only that big...]

9972 felt guilty and dared not say a word, concentrating on calculating the evolution of the small world.

Cheng Su observed Zhuozhuo the entire time and immediately noticed her impatience and irritability. Ultimately, it was due to her being unwell. He felt a surge of pity for her, and after a moment's deliberation, he tiptoed over to her, took her hand, and channeled his magical power into her to help her mobilize the white light within her body.

Ever since he knew who left the white light to Zhuozhuo, Cheng Su had been secretly thinking of a hundred ways to separate the white light. He never expected that he would actually have the chance to put it into practice.

Thanks to his previous consideration, he wasn't panicking. Cheng Su adjusted his technique slightly, and actually managed to force the white light out of the way, where it was caught by the waiting robotic arm.

9972 couldn't help but praise you in the midst of his busy schedule, "You're quite impressive."

Cheng Su was too lazy to pay attention to this guy.

Seeing that Cheng Su was there to help, Zhuozhuo simply stopped caring about Bai Guang and stopped trying to stay awake. He mumbled "I want to sleep" and fell asleep.

Cheng Su's face suddenly darkened.

9972 couldn't sit still and started chattering, "Can't you handle this? Be prepared. Usually, when Zhuozhuo becomes unconscious, it means the mission is in its later stages and about to end. Success or failure, we'll be leaving soon."

After saying this, it felt too cruel and began to coax people: "But you don't have to be too sad. I said I would send you back to your original world, and no matter what happens in this small world, you will definitely survive. And you and Zhuozhuo are from the same world, so we will meet again someday."

Cheng Su remained unmoved and coldly pointed out the ambiguity in 9972's statement. "So what if we're in the same world? If the timeline is so different, and I died before she was even born, what would she see? What would she bring? Would she see my urn or my tombstone?"

[…No matter how pitiful you sound, I won’t send you to a time that doesn’t belong to you. Besides, the difference isn’t necessarily that big. You both lived after the millennium.]

Cheng Su curled his lips, "That's good."

9972:[……]

I was tricked.

It's a pity that it's still worried about him being sad! It's really like a dog biting Lu Dongbin, and all the kind people are bullied!

With sufficient energy, 9972 calculated the result in less than five minutes. Without Cheng Su's complex and subtle thoughts, it simply recited, "...It can be determined that the future evolution of Small World No. 3098 will be primordial evolution. Excellent, Cheng Su! I can send you away without having to worry about wasting precious treasure!"

The end of this small world was in sight, and 9972 was brimming with energy, unable to wait. "I need to bring Zhuozhuo with me, but I can't teleport here directly. So, I'll send you to the system space first, and then a colleague back in the main world will take you there. Then, I'll ask my uncle to send you directly back to your original world, without having to go through all the registration, review, and queuing!"

Cheng Su smiled: "Thank you, I'm not in a hurry."

[I'm anxious.]

Cheng Su's expression turned cold again. He ignored 9972 and made no response to its urging, simply guarding Zhuo Zhuo. The cat circled around Cheng Su, barking several times but getting no response, so he simply gathered his strength to ram him. Cheng Su used his magic to neutralize the repeated impacts of 9972, remaining steady and unwavering.

[…Are you still here?]

"Um."

[……]

9972 looked at the sleeping Zhuozhuo and didn't know what to do next.

Cheng Su was unwilling to leave first. Zhuo Zhuo was unconscious and the progress of the mission seemed to be stuck.

Cheng Su couldn't possibly be hoping for a lifetime of stuck, could he? It reminded him: [If Zhuo Zhuo's body in this small world dies before the rules are complete, the mission will be considered a failure.]

9972 subconsciously looked towards the other "party" and was caught off guard by a tall figure. He screamed in shame, "Ah!"

Not only did it emit a real sound, it also synced with Zhuozhuo's mind, jolting her awake. She struggled to open her eyes, mechanically turning her neck. When her eyes and brain began to function, she saw the tall figure of Cheng Su and the strange man standing across from him.

This person was the one who was picked up twice by Zhuozhuo.

She asked in her mind, "What's wrong?"

9972 said with a slight unease, "I don't know what happened, but that fireball turned into this strange man. Zhuozhuo, you were right before. He must be connected to the world consciousness. I don't know what he's trying to do by showing up now. Cheng Su didn't even bother to talk to him before charging in."

"He won't speak the truth either." Zhuozhuo lazily defended Cheng Su.

Cheng Su kept a close eye on Zhuo Zhuo. He hadn't turned around or heard any sound, yet he realized she was awake. This contradicted what 9972 had said, and he was surprised but also worried that something had gone wrong with the mission. Wary of the strange man, Cheng Su quickly turned around to examine Zhuo Zhuo and asked gently, "Baby, how are you feeling? Is there anything you need to do?"

Zhuozhuo didn't have the energy to speak. He shook his head slowly and pointed at the strange man, his little face full of confusion.

After receiving the instructions, Cheng Su immediately turned to the strange man with a murderous, cruel and cold look, as if he was going to catch the man and torture him to extract a confession.

However, before he could make a move, the strange man took the initiative to speak, "Zhuozhuo, you guys, hurry up and leave. Take Cheng Su away."

Zhuozhuo was bewildered, but Cheng Su understood. Fireball had been eavesdropping on their conversation, and naturally knew that the best option at the moment was for him to separate from this world and return to his own place. Seeing them dawdling, Fireball lost his patience. Perhaps the origin of the world couldn't bear even a moment of erroneous evolution, so it impatiently appeared to chase them away.

Cheng Su was in a melancholy mood and didn't even bother to argue with Huoqiu. He turned around and half-knelt on the ground, looking at Zhuozhuo, "Zhuozhuo, can you..."

Can I stay? Can I go back to the original world with him? Can I take him on quests?

Cheng Su knew that there was only a negative answer to these questions without even asking them.

Finally, looking at Zhuozhuo's tired and sickly appearance who was trying hard to stay awake, Cheng Su smiled gently, "You must live well. I will wait for you to come home to me."

Zhuozhuo's eyes were filled with tears. She was very reluctant to leave the bad guy Cheng Su. She raised her arms with difficulty and said stumblingly, "Daddy, hug me."

Cheng Su leaned over and hugged Zhuo Zhuo, rubbing the back of her head, "Goodbye Zhuo Zhuo."