Best of both worlds

The evening wind was cold and Alice walked forward in the darkness, humming a nursery rhyme.

"The stars are twinkling in the sky, and there is a rag doll on the ground; let me take you home, rag doll, and share you with your father and mother. Let you occupy my home, and become mine, rag doll, and let us exchange bodies..."

The construction of the new safety zone has not yet been completed. The land planned for the garden has just been cleared of all the grass and trees, waiting to be re-tilled, the grass transplanted, and the planned flowers and trees planted later.

Alice walked briskly, and curiously rubbed the undried cement next to her with her fingertips. A little bit of cement stuck to her fingertips, making her feel uncomfortable. She shook it off in disgust, and heard the man ask.

"Are you sure you want to go during his sensitive period?"

Alice tilted her head slightly.

Even though they were similar movements, they were different from Ivy's.

Ivy is confused and attentive, while Alice is more naive and cute.

"No?" Alice said, "I haven't tried this type of man yet... He is a perfect match for 3303, so he will be a perfect match for me - after all, I am the closest to 3303."

Yu Mo, with his hands wrapped and a pale face, looked down at her.

"It's very strange," Yu Mo said, "You don't like being treated as a substitute for 3303, but you always compare yourself with her, as if you want to surpass her in every way."

"Because I am the most perfect, but both you and 'Mom' think that she is perfect without her emotions. This is wrong," Alice said, "Why do you think that 'emotions' are the source of human sin? I remember that humans advocated universal love - me, Yu Bai, and my uncle, the man who listened to me very much in the dark zone, and..."

She counted ten men in one breath, puzzled: "We are getting along well, without any dissatisfaction - I love them and am willing to give each of them a home, isn't that good? Do I have to be like you, liking 3303, but having to push her away because of my mother's order - are you happy when you are emotionally cleansed? When you were in love with Ivy, I remember that you secreted a lot of dopamine every day -"

"Emotions can cloud one's mind," Yu Mo said with a smile, "You have proved this again, Alice. Was it Yu Bai who gave you my data? He has been destroyed once because of useless emotions."

Alice said, "So you can never be with 3303."

"My duties do not include being her lover," Yu Mo said, "You don't need to get close to Lorraine during her sensitive period. That guy is a monster... Don't think that a high genetic match will bring any benefits, Alice. He is not Song Feng, and he will not be attracted to you purely because of genes."

Alice understood a little. "Like a puppy marking everything—did Ivy bite him?"

"I don't know. I can't see them - I can't rule out this possibility." Yu Mo's face turned even paler. It was unclear whether it was because of anemia or something else. "You can try if you think you have a chance to escape from him."

Alice was silent.

She could feel the fatal attraction of a high genetic match. Lorraine was like a delicious steak cooked to medium rare.

But there was no disappointment in the way Lorraine looked at her.

He didn't seem to be bothered by this primitive impulse - in fact, every time Lorraine looked at Ivy, his eyes were completely different from when he looked at anyone else.

Alice said, "Don't forget 'Mom's' goal, Yu Mo."

"What goal? I don't remember it including asking you to seduce Lorraine," Yu Mo said, "Lorraine belongs to No. 3303."

"But she's obviously out of control, right?" Alice looked up, her beautiful eyes, which were no different from Ivy's, were filled with a different kind of brilliance. "You can't deny... I'm an improved breed based on her."

Yu Mo said: "The fact that you can describe yourself as a 'species' once again proves that I disagree with this view. You have never considered yourself a human being."

"Why do you have to demand yourself as a weak person?" Alice spread her hands and said, "Well, you can hold me back today, but not necessarily tomorrow. It seems that you are also troubled by the things you hate, Yu Mo."

Yu Mo did not respond to Alice's provocative words. He stood firm with a resolute attitude, warning Alice not to go any further.

Alice didn't dare to disobey him, and except for verbal provocation, she didn't do anything out of line. After walking a few meters, she suddenly stopped and asked Yu Mo: "Actually, you are not sure whether Lorraine can fight against her genetic instinct, right?"

Yu Mo said, "You should go."

Alice continued to hum the nursery rhyme as she strolled leisurely in the evening.

"...I'll let you occupy my home, become my doll, and let's exchange bodies..."

Yu Mo stood there quietly.

On the first day I arrived here, there was a tall maple tree with bright red and orange maple leaves. Ivy and I walked side by side at night, and the maple tree branches and leaves fell on both of us.

Now, in order to build a new safe zone, the tall maple trees have been completely cut down, leaving only the flat tree roots on the ground. Year after year, Yu Mo leans over and touches the growth rings on the tree stumps. There are 99 rings in total, the same as the time of Yu Mo's memory of this world.

He will live on for a long time, witnessing how humans who claim to be at the top of the food chain dig their own graves, witnessing the wars caused by human greed, witnessing humans killing each other, and witnessing humans researching how to deal with their own kind and capture other species with lethal weapons.

Witness the rise and fall of ginkgo trees, and how ginkgo seeds that had lain dormant in a wasteland for a century sprouted again under the cultivation of artificial intelligence. You can also once again witness a maple tree grow 99 growth rings.

"...Uh, Doctor Yu," Tiger scratched his head behind him, puzzled, "Are you picking up trash? It's really hard for you. Your hands are injured like this, but you still insist on doing good deeds..."

Yu Mo turned around.

Tiger said, "Ah, you look really good. That military blood tonic is really useful."

Yu Mo asked: "Your leg is injured, why are you still out wandering? I remember reminding you not to take the stairs, there are too many stairs here——"

"Yeah," Tiger sighed and replied worriedly, "I can't take the stairs, and I have to wait for the elevator. These days I can only climb through the dormitory window by climbing on the water pipe... When do you think I can take the stairs? Climbing on the water pipe and climbing through the window is not very comfortable!"

Yu Mo: “…”

"Tiger," Yu Mo suggested tactfully, "after we return to the safe zone, can you go to the hospital for a detailed examination? Especially regarding your brain and thinking, I think this examination will make you even more powerful and even better."

Tiger said, "Oh! By the way, you mentioned the check-up... Did Ivy hit her head while running yesterday? I just found out that she voluntarily returned the military blood tonic that Admiral Hector gave her... That's military blood tonic!"

Yu Mo smiled: "We are going back to the safe zone soon, which means we are out of danger for the time being; Ivy does not have the greed of humans... She will naturally save the blood tonic for those who need it most."

Tiger couldn't figure it out, he just thought Ivy was too stupid.

Just because you don’t need it now doesn’t mean you won’t need it in the future.

Ivy, who was considered too stupid by Tiger, just received two pieces of news from Xin Lan.

Good news: Although it is already past ten o'clock, Lorraine should not have gone to bed yet; at least he had not washed up before Xin Lan left.

Ivy knew that Lorraine had the habit of carefully cleaning every spot before going to bed. He seemed to think that the bed he rested in must be spotless.

Bad news: Lorraine's current physical condition makes it impossible for him to resist Ivy's attraction. In other words, it's like the courtship period of a certain animal.

Today's contact with Ivy has already caused certain effects on his body.

The soft-hearted Ivy immediately became uneasy: "Because he helped me? Will he be in pain?"

Xin Lan said: "I don't know either. After all, you know, Luo Lin doesn't want to talk about his discomfort. He hates showing weakness."

Ivy said: "This is not a sign of weakness..."

"In fact, this is it," Xin Lan handed a pass to Ivy and said earnestly, "You can go in or not, the pass is here. Don't worry, he won't die, he will just suffer pain - it won't be life-threatening."

Ivy took the pass like it was a hot iron.

"Normally it's fine..." Xin Lan sighed calmly, "Two days ago, he was chasing after 'Yuan' - oh, I forgot to mention, he was the murderer who caused Yu Mo and Tiger to fall into the pit."

Ivy was surprised: "No, hasn't 'Yuan' been under our control for a long time?"

"That's the best artificial intelligence," Xin Lan said. "In fact, it has been out of control for some time... Don't tell this to others. I shouldn't have told you, but Lorraine was seriously injured by this incident. The internal reporter interviewed him because of this incident... Otherwise, where do you think the blood tonic for the two armies came from?"

Ivy felt even more guilty.

This powerful and expensive military blood tonic was originally used as a "supplement" after Lorraine was seriously injured.

"It's up to you," Xin Lan nodded politely to Ivy, "to visit him, or not. Sorry, I can't pass on this blood tonic because the relationship between the two of you is more complicated than I expected, and I shouldn't get involved."

After saying this politely, he left.

Ivy hesitated for a long time before she made up her mind. She held the blood tonic and used the pass to open the door.

Xin Lan refused to hand over the blood tonic, and the guards were unwilling to pass it on - it was too expensive, so expensive that even the guards treated it with respect.

Ivy knew what would happen when she went in. She had also felt Lorraine clearly and knew what would happen.

It was so contradictory that she even felt a little confused at this moment.

Wasn't the divorce because she realized that Lorraine had chosen her simply because they were a perfect genetic match? Because she could "cure" his physical abnormality?

Ivy also knew that he would never give her love, that he would always be cold and sharp-tongued, that he would always think only of work and war, that he would always be arrogant and rude, that he would always act like a superior, and that he would always suppress everyone.

She could point out a hundred faults about Lorraine.

But she would still step in at this time for this guy who has a hundred shortcomings.

Ivy really wanted to attribute the reason to "overabundant sympathy".

She is so pitiful that she actually sympathizes with someone of such high status and power.

He lacks nothing.

Ivy walked along, tangled and cursing herself. The only explanation was that Lorraine's appearance was very much to her liking. He really helped her a lot today. She was grateful and did not reject him.

The more I think about it, the weirder it gets.

The pass gave her smooth travel.

Ivy held the hemostatic agent and walked to the Lorraine dormitory that Xin Lan had mentioned.

After knocking gently on the door and almost without saying a word, the angry man opened the door and easily pulled her into the room with one hand.

Then he asked in a stern voice: "What are you doing here? Who gave you the pass? Xin Lan? He told you -"

"Tell me everything," Ivy said quickly. "I thought you might need help."

He said coldly, "No need."

Ivy said, "Liar, your words are not as honest as your actions - who dragged me into the room so quickly just now? Your hands are shaking, your breathing and heart rate are very fast now, and your pupils are dilating, proving that you are particularly excited when you see me!"

Lorraine scowled. “I wish you could look in the mirror and see that someone else has dilated pupils.”

Ivy said, "Uh, I forgot to mention that Xin Lan mentioned that you were injured a few days ago, so I think I should give you this now."

She carefully handed the blood tonic to Lorraine: "I ate pig liver at night, and this kind of thing is not necessary for minor illnesses, you——"

Before she could finish her words, Lorraine grabbed her wrist tightly and tried to restrain himself from pushing it away.

He said, "You get out now - Xin Lan should have told you about my current situation; I don't want to be -"

"Lorraine," Ivy looked at him steadily, "I don't mind." Lorraine said, "You are still anemic."

"Well... just like the first time, I can help you in other ways," Ivy offered. "It's okay. Now I understand. I can feel the mutual attraction of genes, and I can also feel your discomfort."

Lorraine suddenly asked: "Who did you feel the genetic attraction with?"

Ivy paused. "...Are there any other people who are a 100% match for me?"

Lorraine said nothing.

Ivy continued magnanimously: "It's okay, I can treat it as just playing house or a normal physical education class."

"I'm sorry, I'm not as magnanimous as you," Lorraine said. "When you return to the safe zone, you will receive a formal divorce document. It will contain the information we gave each other when we got married. You can take a closer look at it this time. It includes the clause 'no premarital sex'. This is my principle."

"You don't accept premarital sex?" Ivy hesitated for a moment, then suddenly came up with an idea, "If you sleep with me and never get married, wouldn't that be the same as never having premarital sex?"

Lorraine: “…”

"Or," Ivy said friendly, "you can symbolically resist and pretend that you are threatened by me - wouldn't that be against your principles?"

Lorraine looked at her with complicated eyes.

He said: "I can't imagine what you learn in your so-called ordinary victory education class."

After taking a slow breath, Lorraine said calmly, "Principles cannot be broken. In fact, I have a good idea that can solve the problem."

Ivy pricked up her ears: "What good idea?"

"Remarry me," Lorraine said, "now, immediately, and immediately."