The next morning, Nguyen Thanh An woke up groggily. Having rested enough, her previously tired and even drowsy mind seemed much clearer and even worked faster.
037: [Good morning, my ancestor!]
"Why do I feel like, ever since Eleven asked me if I could still be my system, you've been getting more and more eager to make your presence known, little system? I've never seen you ask so excitedly before, okay?"
037: ...It's just a useless mascot to begin with. If it doesn't have any presence, it'll be replaced!
There's no wall that can't be dug up, only a hoe that doesn't work hard enough. I must be aware of the constant threat of being laid off, and I can't give him any opportunity to take advantage. I am the legitimate system, your ancestor!
Ruan Qing'an: "...Then good luck?"
【come on! ! ! 】
Ignoring 037, who had inexplicably become hyped up, Ruan Qingan sat up from the hammock and rubbed his temples.
Just then, a low, husky, and sexy voice came from behind.
Good morning, Qing'an.
Eleven was sitting next to the hammock, the vines that served as the "roof" had dispersed, and the orange-yellow light of the rising sun shone through from the outside.
As it gently landed, it lightly caressed Shi Yi's handsome and elegant eyebrows, which had a touch of androgyny—he didn't like to smile, but at this moment, his dark green eyes were filled with a smile.
Looking at that face, Ruan Qing'an subconsciously and hastily looked away, her love and hate intertwined. However, the God's subsequent actions had nothing to do with Shi Yi, even though he came from "his" consciousness. She originally wanted to kill him or avoid seeing him altogether.
But whether it's symbiosis or Shi Yi's subtle yet forceful attitude, it makes things really difficult for Ruan Qing'an to handle.
Eleven suddenly asked, "What's wrong?"
Ruan Qing'an paused, then quietly changed the subject: "No, it's nothing. Why didn't you wake me up to keep watch last night? We should take turns, otherwise you won't get a good night's rest."
"It's alright. I can control the mutated plants. This place is within the root system, so I can detect any unusual activity. I slept last night."
Eleven would never say that he didn't even feel sleepy. This mechanical construct used the Bureau's most advanced computing system. The low-level method of restoring physical strength through sleep had long been eliminated. The fatigue in his consciousness was just a simulation of wanting to become a human.
He will be a "human" just like her.
Seeing that Shi Yi insisted, Ruan Qing'an stopped asking questions and stood up to tidy up his appearance.
Soon, after the two had settled down, they prepared to return to the base.
The container truck that the action team brought had already been torn to shreds by the surging root system. No matter how powerful Ruan Qing'an and Shi Yi were, they couldn't conjure up a truck out of thin air.
Forced to return on foot, the two were given the opportunity to hide the roots of the mutated plant underground and spread it.
A slight tremor came from the ground, and the roots continued to spread forward. Shiyi paused, and when she turned around, her dark green eyes instantly turned into an inorganic color, as if she was monitoring something.
The virus is present;
Zombies are here;
Mutant plants exist.
"What's wrong, Eleven?"
"No, I think I just heard some sound."
Shiyi shook her head, took a long stride, and followed in Ruan Qing'an's footsteps. The petite girl still held the hilt of her sword with one hand, walking straight ahead towards the rising sun.
She turned her head, her leaden eyes seemingly glowing in the sunlight: "Speaking of which, there's something I'd like to ask Shiyi."
“Zhou Ziqi told me—oh, Zhou Ziqi is my target for this mission. He is a researcher specializing in biological research and has his own views on the zombie virus. He means that this apocalypse is man-made, including by the virus.”
Ruan Qing'an paused: "S City was the first city to experience the outbreak, and you're here too, Eleven. What does this have to do with you?"
"This one..."
Eleven pondered for a moment and said, "If I had to say, the zombie virus outbreak this time originated from me."
"Qing'an should still remember, right? We did a mission in this small world. Well... anyway, after our operation, the mission was indeed completed, but this small world no longer belongs to the doomsday classification number, until it becomes a fragmented world, carrying a consciousness projection."
"However, as you know, due to an accident, the original plan failed, and even my consciousness was imprisoned, unable to regain consciousness before you arrived. Therefore, the development of this fragmented world became uncontrollable."
“The secret laboratory in S City found me, but I was still unconscious when I was taken back to the laboratory. They began to try to use me for research and record my body data. My body was originally created in this fragmented world when it was still in the apocalypse.”
"Therefore, they obtained data on the zombie virus, which, in short, brought a virus from a parallel future into the present."
Ruan Qingan couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.
She countered, "So, the world wasn't supposed to experience the apocalypse; it was the people of S City who brought it upon themselves?"
Eleven nodded slightly: "That's one way to understand it. In short, after they extracted the zombie virus, they tried to use this power to create an army of superhumans, but they ultimately failed, leading to the apocalypse."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingan was speechless.
The two chatted idly, and as they were talking, after half a day's journey, the third human base finally came into view, a steel fortress that looked like a giant beast.
This time, however, there were no long lines of escapees. The entire base sat there alone, with only a squad of superhumans guarding the entrance.
Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but frown: "What's wrong?"
"Let's go take a look first."
As Shiyi spoke, she and Ruan Qing'an approached the base. The team of superhumans guarding the base entrance seemed to have been waiting for a long time. As soon as they saw Ruan Qing'an, they rushed over to greet him.
"Miss, you're finally back."
"What are you doing...?"
But before the leader of the superhuman team could answer, footsteps sounded behind him. He was startled and instinctively turned around, bending down to say, "Mr. Zhou, you've arrived."
Ruan Qing'an subconsciously looked up and saw a tall, slender man walking towards her. He was still wearing that white research coat, and seemed to have rushed over from the research institute. The smell of chemicals in the research room hadn't even dissipated yet.
The man's features were exceptionally handsome, similar to Shiyi's, possessing a refined, androgynous elegance, like the bright moon in the night sky. But unlike Shiyi, he was different—
Zhou Ziqi loved to laugh, his eyes sparkling with affection, like those of a Peking Opera performer.
"Have you had enough fun, Xiao Ruan?"
"come over."
Ruan Qing'an's fingertips paused: "Mr. Zhou, we..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Ziqi interrupted her, his smile deepening: "I am a little angry, so Xiao Ruan, don't provoke me anymore. Besides, it's dangerous for you to come back alone."
"No, the person next to me is—"
As Ruan Qing'an spoke, he subconsciously wanted to turn around and introduce Shiyi.
Zhou Ziqi merely glanced at Shi Yi, his gaze meeting those dark green eyes, and casually asked, "Oh, is anyone here?"
\u0001
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com