Chapter 164 The End of the Journey...
***
On the mountaintop covered with foxtail grass, a tall figure and a slender figure stepped into the dilapidated Taoist temple.
This Taoist temple is clearly a relic from a thousand years ago. The houses and walls have all collapsed, and trees have grown on the roof tiles. Only in the middle of the courtyard can one vaguely see a stone pagoda whose general shape can still be discerned.
A virtual screen floated in front of Tang Bufan, moving forward with him. Tang Bufan looked at the stone tower in front of him repeatedly on the screen, and nodded towards the landing point.
"It's this one."
Lu Yi immediately stepped forward, embraced the thick stone tower with both hands, and slowly moved the stone tower to the side by flexing the muscles in his arms.
Tang Bufan reached out and brushed away the screen in front of him, then quickly walked to Lu Yi's side, where a black stone slab was placed.
Lu Yi squatted down and moved the stone slab that was stuck in the mud, revealing a small space of less than one cubic meter underneath.
Inside was a small stone box.
Tang Bufan excitedly reached out to take it, but found it was still heavy, so he had to ask Lu Yi to take it instead.
Lu Yi took the stone box, which was about forty centimeters long, out of the box and gently placed it on the grass next to him. Tang Bufan opened the specially made stone box with force. Inside were more than a dozen books, dozens of diaries, a large and thick photo album, and a small USB flash drive.
The person who stored these items clearly conducted a professional examination; almost everything is preserved intact, undamaged by the passage of a thousand years.
Tang Bufan picked up the huge photo album first. He opened it and saw that the first photo was a group photo of Chen Fei and his family. Next to the seven-year-old child sat the grandmother whom Tang Bufan had seen before, but whose face he had long forgotten.
Tang Bufan covered his mouth with his hand, barely able to hold back his tears.
***
In a room in the Smith Estate tower equipped with an air filtration system, a man with only a left arm lay listlessly on his side on the bed, his long, unkempt black hair almost completely obscuring his face.
The airtight iron door suddenly opened, and Tang Bufan and Lu Yi walked in side by side.
The iron gate behind the two closed automatically to prevent too much polluted air from entering the room. The man lying on the bed moved slightly and then slowly sat up.
"I found what Chen Fei left us." Tang Bufan gently placed the box he was carrying on the table. He looked at Zero, who had become very thin and haggard, rubbed the USB drive in his palm, and then handed it to him: "This is the USB drive you gave him. He said he would return it to you."
Zero stared at the USB drive in Tang Bufan's hand with bloodshot eyes. He remained silent for a long time before laughing maniacally with his head held high.
"I don't understand... I don't understand..." His eyes grew redder with each laugh, his voice filled with deep resentment: "I guessed you were useless, so I started training that child after he woke up... I guessed you wouldn't let me travel to the 21st century, so I gave him the USB drive... And you did soften your hearts and let him go back to the past, but why... why... did I still fail?"
After saying that, he forcefully slapped the USB drive that Tang Bufan had handed him away, and roared hoarsely, "Why are you giving it back to me! You ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for me, it would just be a dead man's hair! It wouldn't even have a life!"
After he finished speaking, he started smashing things frantically. However, the room was very empty, and he could only use his only left hand to throw all the pillows and blankets on the bed onto the floor.
Lu Yi pulled Tang Bufan back a few steps, and Tang Bufan sighed deeply and put the USB drive into the box.
“Chen Fei is a very good kid,” Tang Bufan said slowly. “He was missing for two months. The school, the police, and the media all asked him if I had abducted him, and he denied it for me. Because he was worried that the USB drive on his body would be discovered, he deliberately took off his socks and hid it in his toes… He could have changed the world if he had just plugged the USB drive into the computer in the school’s computer lab, but… he didn’t want to change the world.”
Tang Bufan smiled slightly after speaking, his eyes revealing tenderness: "So his grandmother, his parents, and he himself all lived a very peaceful life in the 21st century. Of course, when he became a father, he was also anxious about his descendants, after all, he knew that the Third World War would break out in the 22nd century, but he... ultimately chose to respect the future."
After Tang Bufan finished speaking, he reached out and touched the box again, saying to Zero, who was hanging his head, "He grew up to become a science fiction writer and won several awards. The box contains his published novels and dozens of his diaries. As for the photo album he left us... I think you probably don't want to see it, so I took it."
Having said what needed to be said, Tang Bufan left the box behind and walked out with Lu Yi.
It was already late autumn, and the Smith family's castle remained the same, shrouded in a light mist. Tang Bufan reached out into the corridor, his fingers weaving through the thin fog, and said to Lu Yi, "Let's change the lights in the house. I want it to be warm and bright."
In fact, Tang Bufan wasn't used to living in such a big house, but there was no other way. Lu Yi was now the head of state, and the West loved to hold banquets. He couldn't very well let Lu Yi live in a small house with him.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Lu Yi looked at Tang Bufan's fair profile, which was as gentle as a ray of light shining into the mansion, and he couldn't help but reach out to touch it: "Now you are the master here."
Tang Bufan turned to look at him, and Lu Yi's fingers landed on the side of his face. Tang Bufan's thoughts immediately shifted, and he shyly and self-consciously shrank his neck: "...Do I really look better with long hair?"
After leaving the Rebooter base, Tang Bufan got his hair cut again. He had haphazardly cut the back of his head with a dagger, and later cut it even shorter to achieve a better shape.
Tang Bufan's entire neck was now exposed. After five years of wandering and growing his hair long, he found it hard to adjust to this refreshing look.
More importantly, Lu Yi seems to like long hair.
"They both look good." Lu Yi spoke the truth. Since Tang Bufan recovered his health, his features have become even more striking. In his opinion, he looks good whether he has long hair or short hair.
Tang Bufan, expecting this answer, gave him a choice in a rather irritable manner: "Short hair or long hair, choose one."
Lu Yi then thought about it seriously and answered hesitantly, "Then... I'll stick with long hair. I like the way your hair looks when it's down... it's so white."
"Very fair-skinned?" Tang Bufan was slightly puzzled by this statement.
Lu paused for a moment, then made another request: "I also want to see the teacher wear Tang suits."
That was an Eastern culture that Lu Yi was unfamiliar with, and he often felt that Tang Bufan, with that appearance, had the feeling of a wonderful and charming character from another world.
"The atmosphere for wearing Tang suits isn't there here anymore," Tang Bufan muttered to himself, not that he was unwilling to wear one for Lu Yi again, but that "the atmosphere was more relaxed at Mr. Guo Wen's place, so I felt more comfortable wearing it. I feel like people here would look at me strangely."
As the two were chatting, a butler in a black suit walked over.
"Your Excellency, the Master is calling you."
Lu Yi and Tang Bufan exchanged a glance, and Tang Bufan released Lu Yi's hand, which was clasped together: "I'm going to the medical room to check on the child."
The fetus was already five months old and had taken on a human form. Actually, it was all red and not very pretty. The skull looked more like a cat's, but Tang Bufan just wanted to keep looking at it.
The child should have been inside his belly, not soaking in a glass container filled with tubes.
"Okay." Lu Yi nodded to him, and the two parted ways at the elevator.
Hans was in his study, his favorite place. Before leaving, Lu Yi had a very unpleasant argument with him, and the father and son had pointed guns at each other. Now that everything had settled down, Lu Yi calmed down and thought about it. He realized that he had gone too far by shooting and injuring Hans and damaging the red chair his mother had sat in.
So before going in, Lu Yi did some mental preparation before raising his hand to knock on the door.
"Come in," Hans's deep voice came from inside.
Lu Yi turned the doorknob and went inside. Hans was standing by the window with his back to him.
Lu Yi walked over slowly, and Hans turned around. Lu Yi looked at his face carefully. He still had his hair neatly combed and his beard cleanly shaved, looking very refined, except that there were gray hairs at his temples.
Long ago, orcs were a group of barbarians, transformed from criminals. They wore thin prison clothes and did dirty work on the ground. Later, they broke away from humans and created their own federation. They began to pay attention to appearances. The higher the rank of the orc, the more he liked to dress himself up as a traditional gentleman, as if doing so could cover up his shameful past.
But Lu Yi knew that Hans had treated him this way simply because his mother had once called them robbers and hooligans.
Even Lu Yi had to admit that her past love of dressing up might have been because she wanted to please her mother deep down, since no one would dislike a cute child.
Thankfully, I've moved on now. Lu Yi looked at his father with mixed feelings, wondering, "What about him?"
"I'm back, Father." Lu Yi greeted him politely, "Thank you for taking care of that child for me during this time."
“He is the heir of our Smith family.” Hans stated calmly that it was his duty, then asked Lu Yi, “I saw you park that RV on the lawn in front. Are you planning to drive it out again later?”
Looking out the window, Lu Yi saw that the dilapidated steel RV was shrouded in thick fog, but fortunately, the orange streetlights next to it had turned on, making it look less cold.
So that's what Hans was looking at. Lu Yi calmly replied, "Yes, after that child turns eighteen, I plan to take the teacher out to wander again."
Lu Yi cherished the days she spent with Tang Bufan in the RV, where the wind blew freely when the window was open and the sun shone brightly when they went outside.
Hans wasn't particularly surprised. He even smiled with a hint of sarcasm: "You've hated my strict upbringing since you were little, but in the end, you're planning to do the same thing as me."
“…I will let him take over when he is eighteen, but I will still assist him remotely in managing the Federation. I will not really let go immediately.” Lu Yi explained, looking at the middle-aged man in front of him: “Just like you are still helping me now.”
Hans paused for a moment, then told Lu Yi, "After that child leaves the cabin, I plan to retire completely."
“…Yes, Father.” Lu nodded to show he understood, then asked with concern, “What are your plans after you retire?”
"Maybe... we'll go check out the underground city," Hans said uncertainly. "Your mother's parents are still alive there, and I heard they have many photos of your mother."
“Okay.” Lu Yi indicated that he understood: “The opening of the dungeon to orcs is also under negotiation, and the policy should be finalized next year.”
After finishing their conversation, the father and son fell silent. Lu Yi waited a while before speaking, "If there's nothing else, I'll go upstairs to check on the child."
"Okay, go ahead."
Lu Yi turned and walked towards the door, but as soon as he opened it, Hans called him back.
Louis.
Lu Yi turned around, and Hans looked at him with his deep golden eyes: "You made a very good decision. You have greatly increased the goodwill of humans towards orcs, and the orcs are also full of expectations for the arrival of humans. In just six months since you took office, your reputation has already surpassed mine."
Lu Yi remained silent for a while, then looked at Hans with a gentler gaze: "You also led the Federation to make great progress during your tenure, Father."
The father and son looked at each other, and they seemed to have reached some kind of reconciliation. Then Lu Yi nodded slightly to Hans, closed the door, and left.
He went up to the fourth floor, where Tang Bufan was sitting next to the complex incubation chamber, looking at the developing child inside.
There was a doctor on duty and two guards inside. Lu Yi wanted to be alone with Tang Bufan, so he gestured for them to leave with his eyes.
After the door closed, he walked behind Tang Bufan, bent down, and hugged him.
"What did you talk about with your father?" Tang Bufan asked him curiously.
"His retirement is a matter of course," Lu Yi said, leaning his elbow against the back of the chair and playing with the short hair at the back of Tang Bufan's neck with his fingers.
"Oh..." Tang Bufan responded, then, thinking of Anderson's matter, he asked hesitantly, "Anderson really doesn't intend to clarify?"
Anderson went home. He had been away from home for too long and needed to reunite with his family. Lu Yi had long since restored his status as commander, but Anderson refused to return to the army. Even after his wife, who had falsely accused him of domestic violence, came to apologize, he refused Lu Yi's suggestion to reveal the truth.
“My first wife did indeed die because I fell off a cliff, and my second wife was also someone I married on my own whim for revenge. As for this third wife… although she was a pawn arranged by Hans, she was probably afraid of me deep down.” Anderson was enjoying the breeze in the garden with Lu Yitang at the time. He seemed much more at ease, his long silver hair still hanging loosely.
“She’s only coming to apologize to me now to protect her current husband and children.” Anderson looked at the gloomy, foggy sky of the city and gave a self-deprecating laugh: “But even if she apologizes, my life is already like this… I know what it feels like to have your life ruined. At least she was married to me for a month before, so I won’t let her experience that.”
Tang Bufan listened with emotion, and in terms of responsibility, the woman was indeed just following Hans's orders. Once the truth of what happened back then is revealed, not only will she have to face people's criticism for the rest of her life, but her innocent husband and several children will also be in an awkward situation, and their family happiness will be destroyed.
He then thought, "Anderson is indeed sharp-tongued but soft-hearted."
"What about Hans?" Tang Bufan asked Lu Yi across the bench, "Is he not seeking revenge because of me and Lu Yi?"
Once Hansgan's bad deeds are made public, they will naturally affect Lu Yi and Tang Bufan.
Anderson sneered, mocking him: "You're really arrogant. You're just afraid of affecting my father and brother."
Tang Bufan thought for a moment and immediately understood. General Angus had served Hans his whole life and probably found it hard to accept that the superior he had loyally followed was the one who had ruined his son. And although Andy and Anderson were brothers, they were not close at all. This was because Anderson had long been convinced that he would take over the family territory and business after being admitted to the mental hospital. If Anderson were to clear his name at this time, Tang Bufan would probably have an even greater rift with him.
“Maintaining the status quo is best,” Anderson said calmly. “I don’t want to go back to the army either; having a history of mental illness is a good excuse for being discharged.”
“But the Federation has to pay you a salary,” Lu Yi said. “You have to do some work. Go out and explore freely?”
Anyway, with him around, Anderson could just take a few field photos as a report and he would approve them. It wasn't that he was worried Anderson didn't have the money, but rather that he wanted to preserve Anderson's commander title and reputation, since social interactions in high society are very snobbish.
“My mother’s health has been poor these past few years, and she doesn’t want me to go too far.” Anderson was somewhat troubled, wanting freedom but also not wanting to continue bringing shame to his family.
As Lu Yi pondered, he saw his own house in the distance, the two tall towers standing out prominently in the fog, and suddenly an idea struck him.
“Otherwise, once the island prison where Zero is held is built, you can go there and be the warden,” Lu Yi said. “It’s very close to here, only half an hour by speedboat. There won’t be many people on the island, just the cook and doctor arranged by Miss Fang Yue.”
Zero was imprisoned as a Class A war criminal for advocating war and refusing to surrender. Meanwhile, the Rebooters were angry because Zero had activated the quantum time machine without authorization, causing nuclear contamination of their research institute, and did not come out to protect him.
Guo Shen somehow learned about Zero and Fang Yue's sibling relationship and wanted to lock her up on his own territory to threaten Fang Yue. Fang Yue naturally refused and hurriedly packed up her brother and sent him to Smith Manor.
Lu Yi did not shirk this responsibility. Despite the pressure from the Eastern Federation and the Northern Federation, he insisted on keeping Zero here.
Besides making Fang Yue owe him a favor, it was also because someone as extremely dangerous as Zero had to be kept under his watchful eye to prevent him from creating a new time machine or mutated poisoner one day.
The special prison where Zero is currently being held is still under construction, so he is temporarily being held in the Lu family's castle. There are several rooms in the tower with sophisticated air purification systems, which were previously used to house high-ranking underground city officials who came to the manor.
Once the prison is completed, Lu Yi will transfer people there. At that time, in addition to the people Fang Yue has placed, he will naturally send his trusted confidants as well. Lu Yi was originally worried about the candidates, but now he thinks that Anderson is quite suitable.
Anderson, however, was not happy to hear this. He smirked and said sarcastically, "You want me to guard that guy? Aren't you afraid I'll kill him?"
He still has the scar on his face from Zero's knife.
“It’s close to us, you’re free and no one’s watching you, you don’t need to manage anyone, and it’s a proper position. What do you think, should you take it?” Tang Bufan said with a smile, also thinking that the position was good and very suitable for Anderson.
“Warden…a warden who oversees Class A war criminals…that’s fine too.” Anderson wanted some stability for the time being, so he reluctantly agreed. He figured he would probably be going back to wandering the streets anyway, so this would just be a temporary measure.
After the matter was discussed, Anderson went home. Tang Bufan, as a friend, was quite worried about his situation. Sure enough, he heard from the servant that Anderson was still being gossiped about by some people after returning home, and his younger brother Andy was also very indifferent to him.
“He chose not to clarify in order to protect his family and everyone else, but unfortunately his brother doesn’t understand.” Lu Yi sighed softly, comforting Tang Bufan: “I have already sent a message to Anderson, asking him to come and stay with us after he has finished spending time with his mother.”
"But he and Hans don't get along..."
“Let’s go stay in that cabin by the lake,” Lu Yiqian said with a smile. “Actually, I don’t want to live in a big house. I just want to live a life with you, Teacher. We’ll stay here when we entertain guests or hold banquets, and stay there the rest of the time.”
Tang Bufan's eyes lit up, and he looked up at him: "Is that the holiday cottage? I haven't been there yet, how big is it?"
"Two hundred square meters, I guess?" Lu Yi recalled for a moment: "There are six rooms in total, each with a fireplace. Behind it is the manor's large lawn, and in front is a courtyard and a lake."
"Six rooms...not bad, that's enough." Tang Bufan couldn't wait to go there and take a look. Looking at the little things soaking in the container in front of him, Tang Bufan felt a warmth in his heart. He grabbed Lu Yi's hand that was on his shoulder and felt the real sense that he was building a family with him.
"It's wonderful," Tang Bufan couldn't help but say, having no regrets about staying in this world.
Lu Yi wrapped his arms around Tang Bufan from behind, lowered his head and kissed Tang Bufan's head. With his long eyelashes lowered, Tang Bufan inhaled the fresh, delicate scent and said contentedly:
"Yes, that's great."
I met you when I most wanted to escape everything, and since then the world has become incredibly fulfilling and peaceful.
It's so good to have you.
[End of text]
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Author's Note: The main story is finished, but there are still many side stories to add, including information about Tang Bufan's profession, their child, their married life, and so on.
Anderson and Zero's story will appear in the bonus episode. Their relationship isn't a forced pairing; it's one of exploitation and being exploited. Is it purely based on hatred? Zero, dissatisfied with a world where humans and beasts coexist, forcibly reverts to a world of humanity hundreds of years later, at his own cost. ← He didn't kill the beastmen, but rather made their genes uncompiled DNA code.
I haven't done any bonus content before. I heard you can set a subscription threshold for free viewing, and I'm thinking of setting it to 80% for free viewing, but I'll have to look into whether that's actually possible later.
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