Emotions are indeed contagious. As someone who spends every day with Gu Qingqiu, Luo Ze'en's anxious emotions also affected Gu Qingqiu, making her worry about the safety of her child. So one night, after closing her eyes, she quietly called upon the male protagonist system in her mind.
"System, are you there? How is my child doing? Will he be born safely?"
Male Protagonist System: [Host, don't worry. The child is fully developed. You can feel a response when you talk to the child, can't you? It's just that this item is a two-way protective item; the eggshell will only break when the child wants to come out. So right now, the child doesn't want to come out, perhaps because it feels insecure, or perhaps for some other reason.]
So that's how it is...
Gu Qingqiu explained the system's explanation to Luo Ze'en in a more scientific way. Luo Ze'en seemed relieved and stopped staring at the egg nervously every day.
However, the experience bar progress remained unchanged at 99.9% for three years.
Over the past three years, Luo Ze'en and Gu Qingqiu changed their names and moved to a town in the north, where they rented an underground warehouse as their living quarters. After all, rebuilding one's life and society takes time.
Both of them found new jobs locally. Because of his superpowers, Luo Ze'en was quickly given important responsibilities, while Gu Qingqiu, due to her high level of expertise, entered the research and development department of a local pharmaceutical company. Later, because the company provided accommodation, the two moved to a place with better conditions.
As Gu Qingqiu and Luo Ze'en's relationship grew stronger, the male protagonist system began to get anxious: [Host, if the experience bar in this world doesn't fill up, we can leave sooner. If we were in another world in these three years, we might have completed another mission.]
It has to be said that Gu Qingqiu was able to stay here indefinitely because of the male protagonist system's initial dereliction of duty, which led him to apply to the main god system to cancel the countdown mechanism in this world. Moreover, this world originally had a time reset mechanism, so the countdown was completely useless here. In other words, Gu Qingqiu could stay here as long as she wanted.
If that's the case, why did Gu Qingqiu leave? In the end, completing the mission and grinding experience points wasn't her intention. It was a mission given to her by the system. If she could, who wouldn't want to spend their life with their lover? In each previous departure, Gu Qingqiu had to endure excruciating pain in her internal organs and use system items to cleanse herself of her "burdensome" emotions before entering the next world.
How could Gu Qingqiu bear to leave such a rare peaceful life? If she could, she even had the idea of staying here for the rest of her life and dying together with Luo Ze'en.
Anyway, she's already died once, so she has nothing to be afraid of. Even if this is a virtual world, as long as Lozen is still in front of her, talking to her and smiling at her, then Lozen is real to her, and that's enough.
The male protagonist system quickly realized that Gu Qingqiu did not want to leave. Sometimes it tried to persuade her earnestly in her mind, and sometimes it angrily cursed her. However, Gu Qingqiu acted as if she did not hear it at all and remained unmoved. In the end, the male protagonist system gave up and never spoke in Gu Qingqiu's mind again.
Ten years have passed, twenty years have passed, thirty years have passed.
Gu Qingqiu had completely integrated into the local life, and even felt that this place was originally a part of this world. Sometimes she even doubted whether the "system" in her mind was a dream or an illusion.
Only the perfectly intact eggs displayed at home served as a reminder to Gu Qingqiu that it wasn't an illusion.
Gu Qingqiu is now sixty years old. When she looks in the mirror, she can see her natural aging appearance. Most of her hair has turned white, with only sparse black hair. Her fair and smooth face has become dull and dry, and freckles and wrinkles have appeared.
But Luo Ze'en's appearance hasn't changed much, except that he looks a bit more mature. Judging by his appearance alone, people might think he's just a man in his thirties and wouldn't think he's the same age as Gu Qingqiu.
It was only later that people discovered that people with superpowers seem to age much slower than others. Gu Qingqiu had taken Luo Ze'en for a check-up when the hospital reopened more than 20 years ago. His organs were all normal, but his cell activity was significantly lower than that of ordinary people. It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse for people with superpowers.
When the two of them went out together, some people would even mistake Gu Qingqiu for Luo Ze'en's mother. Every time, Luo Ze'en would loudly retort, "She is my lover!" Then, ignoring the astonished looks of those around them, he would wrap his arms around Gu Qingqiu's waist and devoutly kiss her lips.
Gu Qingqiu sometimes felt embarrassed herself, "Don't you think I look old and ugly now, and am completely unworthy of you? I heard the little girl next door confessing her feelings to you the other day."
“Then you should have heard me reject her immediately! You’re not old or ugly at all! You’ll always be the most beautiful in my heart!” Luo Ze’en immediately declared his loyalty, then smiled: “Dr. Gu, have you forgotten? The question you once asked me.”
"What?" Gu Qingqiu asked him.
"If I were just an ordinary girl, and not the way I am now, would you still love my soul?" Lozen repeated his answer from years ago: "I would. As long as it's you, I'll love you."
Gu Qingqiu smiled and gave the same answer as before: "Thank you."
Five years later, Lozen fell seriously ill from a minor cold. Gu Qingqiu was somewhat prepared. In fact, news reports of the deaths of superhumans had been circulating for more than a decade, but research had only revealed the causes of their deaths to the world a few years ago.
Having talent does come at a price; the average lifespan of people with superpowers is very short, and most of them die between the ages of fifty and sixty.
Therefore, Gu Qingqiu already felt very lucky that Luo Ze'en had been able to accompany her for so long.
Luo Ze'en's face was still handsome, but his cheeks were somewhat sunken. He tremblingly reached out his hand to Gu Qingqiu by the bedside with a look of longing, and Gu Qingqiu quickly placed her hand in his palm.
"Am I going to die?" Luo Ze'en smiled at Gu Qingqiu, his expression filled with deep reluctance.
"...I love you." Both of them knew the ending, but Gu Qingqiu couldn't bear to say the truth.
Lozen managed a weak smile. "I want to see the baby."
Gu Qingqiu quickly carried the egg to Luo Ze'en's side.
Luo Ze'en continued to hold Gu Qingqiu with one hand, while placing the other on the eggshell. "I have no regrets about meeting you in my life. I'm leaving. Don't be too sad. Live well, but if you really can't go on living, I won't force you to stay alive."
Upon hearing this, a hint of shock appeared in Gu Qingqiu's eyes.
"...The only regret is perhaps not being able to witness the birth of my child." Feeling the movement under his palm, Lozen smiled again. "Baby, Daddy loves you."
The moment Lozen closed his eyes forever, Gu Qingqiu heard the male protagonist system's voice again after more than thirty years.
[Host, the experience bar is at 100%. Do you wish to return to the standby space station?]
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