Chapter 77: End – This Will Become a Green World…

Watching the crowd in the livestream carry He Bi to the medical room, Yu Huan sat cross-legged in mid-air and said, He Bi definitely won’t reveal where she went.

Your bet is almost over.

Gou Tu was controlling a robot to mop the floor and asked, Why are you still here?

Yu Huan was eating a tub of green apple ice cream, completely ignoring Gou Tu’s question as she continued, Actually, you still hope they can come out soon. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have fabricated the story about Alice and me destroying each other. You would have made them go back to before the Rainbow Ruins collapsed – the Rainbow Ruins existed just fine back when Alice wasn’t around.

Gou Tu diligently mopped the floor without responding.

Yu Huan looked at the screen in the air. Before entering the Rainbow Ruin World, she had watched nearly a year of Rainbow Ruins livestreams like this with Gou Tu before Gou Tu finally agreed to make a bet with her and let her enter the game.

Before that, Gou Tu had believed she would influence the bet and refused permission.

Thinking back to that time, Yu Huan scooped up some ice cream and put it in her mouth.

When Yu Huan first arrived in this world, its inhabitants had already been asleep for three years due to the bet. The only one who could communicate with her was Gou Tu, who served as part of the World Consciousness.

Gou Tu was a turning point when this world reached desolation. Even the World Consciousness could sense the great chaos approaching from outside. Stuck in this stagnant state waiting for slow development was unacceptable. It found an opportunity to make the Tree of Life, condensed with World Source Energy, sprout and grow upon flesh and blood.

This way, whether it was destruction and rebirth or rapid development, everything could be accelerated.

After that, the World Consciousness fell asleep. The Tree of Life, linked to the World Source Energy, served as part of the World Consciousness, representing it in conversations with Yu Huan.

Gou Tu explained the situation, saying the people here couldn’t cooperate with them temporarily. As the World Consciousness, it couldn’t leave this place, so cooperation was useless, and it asked Yu Huan to leave.

Though Yu Huan appeared to be seeking allies, her true intention was to find an opportunity to locate the Mother of Nature. This world didn’t exhibit nature’s vibrant prosperity but was filled with nature’s dead silence and desolation – a perfect opportunity.

Unwilling to leave, she used the excuse of lacking World Source Energy to stay.

—Though the system lacked energy, it wasn’t that deficient.

When Gou Tu refused to provide her with energy, she stubbornly remained. Since Gou Tu couldn’t harm her, it let her be.

After touring the bunker, Yu Huan quickly proposed wanting to see their game progress, to check if they had any chance of coming out soon.

Then she saw an entire world of intense pressure waiting for a few people’s awakening.

Yu Huan: You’re too cruel.

Gou Tu: Really? I’m just treating them the way they treated others. The entire bunker was watching Gou Tu’s every move back then. Gou Tu was tested for forty-five years – they’ve only been at it for three years.

Yu Huan had no interest in the locals’ messy accounts. She was only thinking about how to find the Mother of Nature.

After learning her thoughts, the system proposed: With sufficient Link, I can take you anywhere.

Since this world had such strong natural energy, it must have a Link with the Mother of Nature. Therefore, what they needed to do was establish sufficient Link with this world.

How to establish a Link with Gou Tu?

Gou Tu was fully immersed in the game—what better way to form a Link than to enter the game itself?

When Yu Huan first proposed this idea, Gou Tu flatly refused: If you’re bored, leave. Don’t interfere in our affairs. If you enter the game, you’ll quickly break it and bring them out.

Though unfamiliar with Yu Huan, Gou Tu knew she came seeking allies, backed by an entire world’s support and formidable strength. With the system present, Gou Tu could do nothing to Yu Huan, nor did Gou Tu want Yu Huan disrupting its plans.

Understanding Gou Tu’s concerns, Yu Huan devised a new approach. She stopped proposing the idea directly and instead frequently engaged Gou Tu in conversations—about her childhood, her feeling of being misunderstood by the world, her belief that everyone only expected her to fulfill her destiny…

How could a four-year-old tree spirit see through a thirty-seven-year-old cunning human? Sharing similar feelings of alienation and tragic childhood experiences, Gou Tu was deeply moved, feeling they resembled cross-dimensional sisters from another realm.

After nearly a year passed this way, Gou Tu finally took the initiative: Alright, if you allow me to manipulate your memories and impersonate the system, I’ll make a bet with you and let you enter.

Yu Huan agreed without hesitation: No problem.

Thus, Yu Huan entered the game.

Recalling these recent events, Yu Huan collected her thoughts and asked the system: What about you? How are your preparations going?

W-what? the system stammered. What can I do?

Having inherited all memories of the Mother of Nature, Yu Huan naturally knew the system’s origins. You made a pact with Nature—you would help Heng Chen break the deadlock, and in return Nature would permit your organization entry into her domain. Now that I’ve become the new Nature, aren’t you going to bring your organization in?

The system hemmed and hawed: Well… actually… I’m not really eager to go back.

The system originated from a cross-world organization whose backers were warring maternal and paternal deities. The organization contained both women and men, their tasks determining their allegiances.

The system was supposed to infiltrate the paternal faction using its bonded Otherworld creature as cover to uncover their activities. But after accidentally Linking with the Mother of Nature and learning she needed external help for her successor, the system immediately decided to abandon its original mission for the new one.

Whoever wanted to be an undercover agent could do it! System 377 certainly didn’t want to! With a golden opportunity right before it, why would it undertake years of difficult undercover work?

Instead of reporting this mission back to headquarters for them to dispatch a suitable system, it solemnly told the Mother of Nature: I consider it my duty!

The Mother of Nature threw it into Heng Chen’s world, landing before Yu Huan.

—Otherwise, how could a world under Nature’s protection be so easily invaded?

The system knew perfectly well that changing missions mid-course violated regulations. But it wasn’t the only undercover agent. Once it bonded with the next Nature and secured a major ally for the organization, they’d surely forgive it.

However, now that Yu Huan had truly succeeded and contact with the organization seemed imminent, the system grew nervous. It had pretended to have poor signal countless times to avoid responding to headquarters’ messages… Haha… Mother System would definitely give it a few kicks.

Yu Huan said: After we resolve matters here, I’ll visit your headquarters.

The system still wanted to stall, struggling as it argued, Actually, we don’t really have to go…

Might as well consider it a defector.

Yu Huan watched with amusement as it wrestled with its thoughts, its nebula dimming from the turmoil. She didn’t mention that after the Mother of Nature had tossed it into Heng Chen, she had contacted its headquarters, and since Yu Huan had taken over, she had already sent them a message.

They had congratulated her and replied: 【Please don’t tell 377 we already know. Watching it struggle with guilt, too afraid to confess, is just too entertaining.】

Ah. It really was amusing.

Yu Huan said with a straight face, How can we not go? Your organization would be a great ally for Heng Chen. Besides, I still need to help the Time-Space Administration clean up the miasma.

The system wailed, flying around in Yu Huan’s Spiritual Sea—which had now expanded into an entire world.

Only when it noticed the odd tone in Yu Huan’s voice did it suddenly realize: Ah! You’ve already contacted them!

【377, you’d better bring back some delicious treats when you return, or Mother System won’t forgive you.】

A message came from a distant place.

The system flickered painfully in its nebula. No matter what, it had indeed made a mistake.

It asked Yu Huan, When are you returning to Heng Chen? I need to go back and bring some local specialties for my sisters.

The food in Heng Chen was much better than here.

Yu Huan said, I’m waiting here for the bet to conclude.

Why? The system truly couldn’t think of anything here worth Yu Huan’s attachment.

Its gaze fell on Gou Tu, who was mopping the floor, and it muttered to itself, Could it be that a year together actually fostered feelings? Gou Tu and I have overlapping roles, after all.

…

After He Bi woke up in the medical pod, she refused to answer any questions about herself, focusing solely on work—farming, building houses, teaching new townsfolk… She did everything, but remained silent about the time she had disappeared and Murphy’s whereabouts.

The others couldn’t press her, because whenever they did, she would cough up blood, looking as if she might die right then and there.

They had no choice but to pretend that period never happened. Fortunately, there was so much work to be done that they were soon overwhelmed, and the mystery faded into the background.

News from Floating Wave City detailed how Yu Huan and Shi Yi Li had fought at sea before falling into the ocean and disappearing. The others had no way to search the vast sea for their bodies.

In Floating Wave City… the Ark Bunker was striving to develop maritime technology to cleanse the pollution; under Lin Yishu’s leadership, the Veritas Bunker continued to advance, with Professor Yu Jie focusing on developing a Gene Serum to completely eradicate heatwave syndrome; the Greenwood Bunker and Everwood Town collaborated on agriculture and biology; the Tomorrow Bunker relocated to the Greenwood Bunker with large supplies of seeds and resources.

The Resistance Army no longer hid; they had always been embedded within various underground organizations and the federal government.

Mu Xin Miao joined Everwood Town.

Survivor bases helped each other and developed together. Although Truth had vanished, other Awakened remained.

The research team made the first breakthrough. At Shen Qin’s request, Wu Zhi, Mu Xin Miao, and Yu Jie—communicating remotely—developed a mutant-biological Gene Serum.

Leveraging her previous connection with the Lord of the Dead Desert and a large supply of the Gene Serum, Shen Qin enlisted mutated creatures to dig tunnels connecting the Four Vaults, establishing an underground train system for resource exchange.

Inspired, the Ark Bunker invited Shen Qin to help communicate with deep-sea creatures, persuading them to dump pollution-clearing agents into the ocean trenches.

This process was extremely time-consuming, as deep-sea creatures don’t appear in coastal waters, and current ships and protective suits are highly susceptible to corrosion in the ocean. Even if Shen Qin could ride the winds to hover above the sea, it was still difficult to enlist the help of deep-sea creatures.

It took her a full year to succeed.

During this year, various major bunkers had established buffer structures on the surface. The food distribution from Everwood Town had been planted for multiple cycles inside the bunkers. People were gradually developing better relationships with mutated creatures, establishing equal trade systems where medicine was exchanged for beasts…

When the pollution was finally cleared, everyone saw a bright white light before their eyes and lost consciousness.

Upon waking and sitting up, they saw familiar faces rising from nearby nutrient pods. Everyone still felt the surreal sensation of being in a dream, their awakened memories blending with the experiences of recent years, making it difficult to react immediately.

Gou Tu, shutdown command: New Calendar Year 2.

Lin Yishu was the first to extract key information from her memories and react. She didn’t recall designing the Rainbow Ruins before entering cryosleep, nor did she remember ordering their memory loss. Since external forces had arranged all this, the only possible culprit was Gou Tu.

Lin Yishu activated the emergency shutdown command, but the lights around them remained on—Gou Tu hadn’t shut down.

Confirming something was wrong, she hurriedly got up from her nutrient pod and, despite dizziness, checked the time on the wall: July 1, New Calendar Year 51.

Six years had passed since they entered cryosleep.

Zzzzt… A faint electric current sound came through the speakers, followed by Gou Tu’s cold voice. I believe you’re all very confused about the current situation. Now, let Lin Yiwang explain everything.

Lin Yiwang? Lin Yishu blinked slowly. Her sister was actually still alive? Had something gone wrong with the surface exploration plan that caused all this?

She wasn’t going to wait. After taking a few steps toward the broadcast room, she grew dizzy and had to steady herself against a nearby nutrient pod. She noticed a cup of milk on it—still warm to the touch—and instinctively picked it up and drank it.

She felt much better almost immediately.

But where had this milk come from?

Glancing at the empty nutrient pod, she didn’t have time to ponder further and rushed toward the broadcast room.

Ahem… Lin Yiwang cleared her throat and began explaining how she encountered people from another bunker and Gou Tu during her surface exploration, and how she made a bet with Gou Tu. She said solemnly, I know this doesn’t align with our principles…

Lin Yishu ran through the corridor, pausing briefly before the broadcast room door before pushing it open.

I deeply apologize to my sisters who were unknowingly drawn into this bet, and I’m willing to accept judgment.

Yu Huan?

Lin Yiwang’s apology and Lin Yishu’s confused exclamation came through the speakers simultaneously.

Yu Huan, who had been floating cross-legged in the air watching Lin Yiwang’s speech, turned her head and glanced at Lin Yishu who had just entered. Hey, long time no see.

Her words were also broadcast throughout the entire bunker.

The still-dazed people, hearing this familiar yet strange voice, finally awoke from their dreamlike state.

A Nuo was the first to shout: Yu Huan! You’re really not dead!

…

Faced with the blurred lines between reality and illusion in their world, the bunker residents chose to skip over the details.

They had entered cryosleep to find a cure for radiation sickness—and hadn’t they succeeded? Six years in cryosleep with minimal aging was even better than they’d expected.

For the members of another bunker who were both unfamiliar (having never met before entering the game) and familiar (comrades in the game), they quickly accepted them.

When A Nuo saw Yi Changyuan, she laughed and said, No wonder you’re so fond of rules—you grew up in a bunker.

In another room, Si Ruyi searched through all the rooms and finally found A Nuo, rushing over to hug her while sobbing loudly: Sister Nuo! You really are my sister, no wonder I like you so much!

Yi Changyuan exchanged a glance with Lu Zhen beside her and remarked, Your journalist dream is shattered again.

There was no news to develop here.

Lu Zhen smiled and said, Isn’t Yu Huan the news?

Yes, Yu Huan was the news.

After briefly encountering Lin Yishu, Yu Huan took Gou Tu to the surface, letting the people in the bunker take a breather so they wouldn’t crowd around her talking incessantly.

She sat atop the bunker’s main entrance, gazing at the loess land under the dark night, and said, I want to invite you to leave this place.

Gou Tu was only able to Link to a part of the World Consciousness and wasn’t bound to this world. With Yu Huan’s intervention, she could naturally take Gou Tu away.

I know you don’t like being trapped in a body—whether it’s a robot’s body or a tree’s form.

The bet is over, and you should have no lingering attachments. Why not come with me?

She reached out her hand to Gou Tu.

Gou Tu tilted her head to look at her, no symbols appearing on the screen.

A cold metallic hand grasped the warm human hand: Alright.

Yu Huan smiled brightly, gently pulling Gou Tu’s consciousness out of the robot. What kind of body do you want?

Gou Tu replied, My original body will do.

Of course, of course.

With a thought from Yu Huan, the withered tree rooted in the distance rose from the earth, transforming into a palm-sized sapling. It flew over and merged with Gou Tu’s consciousness.

Hearing the elevator below carrying people toward the surface, Yu Huan remembered something and snapped her fingers.

A glowing door appeared out of thin air, revealing a lush, dense forest on the other side.

She had connected Heng Chen and the wasteland.

Suddenly, someone peered out from the other side of the door.

A black-haired, brown-eyed young man stepped through the light door—it was Shi Yi Li.

—Alice was an identity fabricated by Gou Tu, but Alice didn’t like it and chose the identity of Shi Yi Li instead.

Finally over?

Yes.

Yu Huan walked toward the light door. Beneath her feet, emerald sprouts suddenly sprouted, spreading like waves to other corners of this world.

When daylight came, this would be a green world.

———————–

Author’s Note: The main story is complete.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year and a smooth 2026.

Bonus side stories will begin updating in seven days. [Heart]

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