Chapter 139: Dimension 99

Chapter 139: Dimension 99

Meanwhile, inside the colossal starship hovering above Earth.

A cloud-like mist was docked at the end of the deck, brimming with excited stardust, eagerly gazing in the direction of Earth.

The mist restlessly swayed back and forth, like an anxious human pacing, whispers rustling through the cloud, "They're not here yet, not here yet! They've been gone for five minutes already!"

The two spherical guards standing behind it slowly exchanged a glance before silently rolling back a bit, pretending they hadn't heard.

As alien guards who had listened to every single Prince's Storytime without missing one, after a tumultuous inner struggle, they ultimately decided to slightly betray their Queen.

Well... perhaps it wasn't really betrayal.

After all, the Prince hadn't asked them to do anything, and indeed, they hadn't done anything. The mental restriction set by the Queen had never been triggered.

Just a few humans escaping; the Queen probably wouldn't blame them...

The Prince, the mastermind, clearly thought along the same lines as they did upon achieving his goal.

He muttered to himself, "Where should I take them later? Staying on the starship is too easy to be discovered. Although my sister probably wouldn't care about a few humans, no, forget it, can't risk it. I'll just land on some random asteroid!"

"You seem to prefer if they landed on the starship."

A faint voice echoed from behind him.

"Of course! They're about to return to the real world, and they haven't even visited our planet yet. At least they should come aboard the starship for a tour, don't you think—"

As the Prince spoke, he suddenly realized something was amiss.

Wait, this voice...!

The mist trembled violently, two rings of white mist rising into the air like widening eyes, staring in shock behind them.

"Sis, Sister?!" The Prince was visibly alarmed, the entire mist in disarray, "How did you get here? That, that thing earlier, I was just babbling nonsense, you didn't hear anything!!"

That intense crimson, like an abyss, was also fixed on him.

Observing those vivid, effusive emotions.

After a long while, the Alien Queen finally spoke again.

"I saw everything." Her voice betrayed no emotion, "So you tricked away eight airships... I underestimated humans."

"They don't seem that stupid, do they?" The crimson spread quietly through the depths of space, "Thinking humans are stupid, is that also a setting imposed on us by humans?"

Hearing these words amidst his panic, the Prince clung to a glimmer of hope and hastily said, "Right! So we should defy the setting! There's no need to eliminate all humans, Sister, let them live..."

"Silence." The Queen suddenly interrupted his frantic ramblings, sensing something, "A human wants to see me."

"No..."

The red mist suddenly surged restlessly, revealing a deep sense of surprise.

"It's not a human."

Soon after, the humans who had escaped Earth aboard different airships finally reunited.

On the starship, guarded by layers of alien guards, the twelve humans were huddled in a corner of the deck, their expressions varied, looking at each other.

Although they had successfully fled Earth, they were still in the hands of the aliens, awaiting judgment from the villainous Queen.

Prince Godo, whose power seal had been lifted, had transformed back into the scar-faced young man, watching the distance with concern, "What do we do now..."

Yubai, despite his complicated feelings, still softly comforted him, "Don't worry too much, it should be fine."

Yanjing chimed in smoothly, "Yeah, yeah, with so many aliens around, what could possibly happen!"

He pushed the only suitcase the humans had brought over, "By the way, Xiao Bai got you a gift! Do you want to open it and take a look?"

The suitcase rolled up to the Prince's feet, but he remained dejected, uninterested in looking, repeating the same phrase absentmindedly, "What do we do, what do we do..."

In the heavy atmosphere, Li Nanxiao, dressed in his police uniform, hesitated for a moment before offering reassurance, "Nothing will happen. What he did would be illegal in the human world. Besides, Xiao Bai is here."

Yubai, whose name was mentioned, subtly stiffened, softly agreeing, "Yeah, I don't think he will—"

"But he's not human!! What good are laws!"

The Prince looked utterly distraught, sweat pouring down his back, mixed with wails of tears, "What if he really kills my sister! It's all my fault, I should have warned her in time..."

Seeing this, the humans, who should have been worried about their own fate, scrambled over, offering tissues and patting shoulders.

"Don't cry! Nothing has happened yet, right? They're just having a private conversation."

"It'll be too late once something happens! No, I can't wait here, I have to rush in and save my sister!"

"No, no, no—how about this, Xiao Bai, you send a private message to that someone, tell him to calm down and not act rashly!"

At these words, the wailing intensified, "You think so too, don't you!! You think he'll make a move against my sister!!"

"Not, not really, that's not what we meant! He definitely won't!"

Witnessing this chaotic scene, Yubai was speechless.

Ever since Xie Wufang had proactively proposed meeting the Alien Queen, the situation had gradually evolved into this.

They should have been worried about whether the villainous Queen would casually wipe out their small group of humans.

But now, they were all accompanying the Prince in worrying that Xie Wufang might kill the Queen on a whim.

Perhaps he proposed the meeting just to find an opportunity to kill the queen.

...

It's hard to say who everyone considers the ultimate villain.

Feeling a headache coming on, Yu Bai couldn't help but sigh.

The humans and aliens who had interacted with Xie Wufang seemed to have quickly discovered Its nature.

Only he took a long time to realize this.

Recalling the words Xie Wufang left him with before they parted ways, when he looked uneasy, waves of emotion stirred in Yu Bai's heart.

He said, "Don't be afraid."

His voice was earnest and calm.

Afraid of what?

Were they not to fear being exterminated by the queen, or were they not to fear that It would make a move against the queen?

Yu Bai thought perhaps both were true.

So he reassured the prince once more: "Don't worry, Godo, your sister will be fine... We should be fine too."

"Really?" Prince Godo blinked his red eyes at him. "How do you know? He said right in front of me that he was going to kill my sister!"

"I..." Yu Bai paused. "I just know."

Before he could explain further, Yan Jing's loud voice interrupted: "He's here! He's back!"

Everyone immediately turned to look, and sure enough, a familiar figure appeared in their line of sight.

The two detectives, their professional instincts kicking in, first observed his hands and outerwear.

They still looked clean and tidy.

Li Nanxiao and Lin Xiaoyun spoke simultaneously: "He doesn't have any blood on him, nor does he seem to have been in a conflict. His expression is very calm."

Qiao Jinmei instantly patted her chest. "Thank goodness, nothing must have happened!"

The prince was about to breathe a sigh of relief as well.

But Qiao Jinli quietly interjected: "Aliens don't necessarily have blood in their bodies."

"..." The prince's fear doubled instantly, frantically looking around the man. "Where's my sister?! Why are you the only one out here! What did you do to her!!"

The alien guards watching over the group of humans trembled at the sound, immediately raising their weapons and uniformly turning to face the newcomer.

Ah Qiang and the others immediately adopted a highly alert combat stance, whispering to Yu Bai: "Run when the fight starts, we'll cover you!"

Yan Jing had already picked up the suitcase Yu Bai entrusted to him and quickly hid behind the bodyguards.

Agent Xiao Ming and Director Lao Zheng had never seen such an alien scene; they were still dazed. At this moment, they exchanged a glance and, amidst the abnormally tense atmosphere, inexplicably decided to crouch down with their heads bowed.

As for the other side of the deck, Xie Wufang, who took all of this in...

A question mark slowly floated above the man's head.

Clearly, he didn't understand what these humans were doing again.

In the instant he saw that question mark, for some reason, Yu Bai, who had been troubled by the chaotic scene, suddenly laughed.

He asked very confidently, "Are we all safe now?"

"Mm." Xie Wufang nodded in response, then after some thought, added, "She's also very safe."

Yu Bai said, "I know."

He thought, I should have known earlier.

The vast Milky Way silently swept across those pale eyes.

At the same time, deep within the starship where the humans on the deck couldn't see,

on the cold throne, a deep red gaze was lost in contemplation of that tiny blue planet.

The air still seemed to carry the remnants of the previous conversation.

Turns out there are beings far more powerful than humans in this world.

No, not this world.

That world.

The world created by humans.

But their ability to transition from fiction into this single life wasn't bestowed by humans.

Thus, this gaze gradually moved past the blue hue, looking toward the even more distant and mysterious universe.

In the long contemplation, myriad thoughts flowed through this deep red.

And the universe gazed back at her.

The stars illuminated the massive warship, and the oddly shaped guards gradually dispersed upon receiving orders. Finally, the humans could completely put their minds at ease, sitting in small groups on the deck, gazing at the distant Earth.

And waiting quietly for it to explode into a firework.

...The Empress hadn't abandoned her audacious plan to blow up Earth and seek rebirth in the destruction, hoping to reach the real world.

Earth was still doomed to be destroyed, and humanity was still destined for extinction.

However, the villainous Empress had specially allowed those few guests who weren't entirely foolish to survive.

One hour remained until Earth's explosion—

Sitting side by side on the edge of the starship, Yu Bai curiously asked the person beside him, "How did you convince the Empress to spare us?"

Xie Wufang didn't hide anything: "I made a trade with her."

It was an answer that was both unexpected yet made perfect sense.

So, what was traded?

But this time, Yu Bai didn't ask so casually.

Instead, he asked with an understanding tone, "Are you going to keep mum about what was traded again?"

"..." Xie Wufang looked at him somewhat taken aback, whispering, "Sorry."

In response to his apology, Yu Bai laughed, teasing, "It's alright, I understand. It's a plot hook, after all."

What could one do when this was a fictional world ruled by animated films?

"But, I already know what you got from your last deal with humans."

Hearing this, Xie Wufang stiffened slightly, then heard Yu Bai continue laughing, "I must've looked really silly, huddled in front of the monitor, reviewing footage over and over. It's fine that the director sent Red Sister clips of us acting, but why did she send bloopers too?"

—Before boarding the airship, Yu Bai received a message from Jiang Peihong.

It was video after video shot on set, starring either him or Xie Wufang.

It was from a long time ago, when Yu Bai brought Xie Wufang to the film studio for fun during one of their loops.

It was also one of the sources of this merged timeline.

Yu Bai clearly remembered everything that happened that day, but Xie Wufang would only gain that memory after leaving this timeline; he had no recollection of it now.

So he asked Red Sister for these videos.

And Red Sister, wanting to help Xiao Ming, had a sudden idea and proposed trading them for commercial filming.

Listening to Yu Bai's relaxed tone, Xie Wufang, whose secret had been suddenly exposed, was momentarily at a loss, ripples stirring in his gray-blue eyes.

Before he could explain, Yu Bai considerately changed the subject: "Although I think you got the short end of the stick in this deal, but... this is an important lesson you learned from the human world, right?"

"Since humans like making deals, the alien empress created by humans shouldn't resist deals either, right? Did you approach the Empress with that thought in mind?"

"..." The non-human being, having been seen through, suddenly averted their gaze and muttered softly, "Yes."

As if feeling embarrassed.

Yu Bai couldn't help but laugh.

Laughing, he wondered what kind of person Xie Wufang was—no.

What kind of god was He?

He was adept at learning and imitation, and equally skilled at turning acquired knowledge into practice.

For instance, the first passive transaction and the second active one.

Despite this, there were times when His learning and mimicry produced side effects that left humans both laughing and crying.

...Such as the instant noodle packaging and the front and back of the note.

A person with such traits, once they turned villain, would undoubtedly be the type of criminal most vexing to law enforcement.

And coincidentally, He did indeed possess a heart that was simple and transparent, yet cold and indifferent.

He truly wanted to kill the queen, had Yu Bai not been present.

Perhaps, what He wished to destroy wasn't merely the alien queen.

At the edge of the deck, Yan Jing, now free from mortal peril, was exchanging exercise tips with Alien No. 3.

No. 3 pondered, "I think that high-altitude drop you did yesterday wasn't particularly good-looking. There seemed to be something odd about your arm posture."

Yan Jing was shocked. "How could that be! I specifically tensed all my muscles; it was absolutely stylish from start to finish! Maybe you didn't see clearly?"

No. 3 was unsure. "Maybe so..."

Yan Jing, who had recently grown accustomed to flying around, immediately rolled up his sleeves, climbed over the starship's railing, spread his muscular arms, and jumped straight down. "Remember to watch closely this time, look at this perfect leap of faith—"

No. 3 was caught off guard. "...Uh, wait!"

Only after jumping did Yan Jing realize he'd forgotten something: "—Damn it! Where's the wire?! Damn it, damn it, damn it, help me!!"

The terrified cries grew more distant as his entire figure gradually shrank into a tiny dot in the depths of space, disappearing from sight.

The humans and aliens aboard the starship, unprepared for this turn of events, fell into an involuntary silence.

Xiaoming gaped. "He he he he...he jumped down!"

Ah Qiang ran to the railing and peered down. "Damn it, can he still come back alive?!"

Li Nanxiao held his forehead in anguish. "If he does, it'll be a miracle! Thank goodness this isn't the real world. What on earth is this kid thinking every day, where's his brain?!!"

Qiao Jinli announced regretfully, "He beat Earth to the punch."

Yu Bai was speechless, "…"

Forget it, anyway, it didn't matter that the native died in this time and space.

It wasn't a bad thing, a novel and interesting, irreplicable life experience.

After all, it would be hard to find another fool who would do something like this.

He decisively turned his head, unwilling to look any further.

His gaze just happened to sweep over the slightly curled black hair of the person beside him.

And the fleeting golden flower at the tip of the hair.

Xie Wufang, who had witnessed Yan Jing die in an odd way, seemed to be in a good mood.

No, not seemingly.

The golden flower betrayed the deity's joyous mood.

He really wanted Yan Jing to disappear.

After Xie Wufang noticed Yu Bai's gaze, a wave of unease flashed across his face, his eyes fixed on his reaction, his thin lips moving slightly, "I… "

But He hadn't yet mastered the art of lying, and for a moment, he didn't know how to explain himself, his voice hanging in the air, silence for a long while.

Fortunately, there was no fear or disgust on Yu Bai's face.

He just looked at Xie Wufang until a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

Just like looking at Qiao Jinmei against a backdrop of twisted blackness.

At the spot where Yan Jing fell, Qiao Jinli and Lin Xiaoyun both leaned out to peer down below.

Qiao Jinli pondered, "Do you think he's landed somewhere now? Could he have landed intact on Earth?"

Lin Xiaoyun, with her police officer's rigor, said, "I doubt it, I think he should disintegrate in mid-air, right? Or should we calculate the parabolic fall speed or something?"

The two figures stood side by side, their voices rustling, lines twisting as usual.

Not far away, Qiao Jinmei watched this scene with a full smile, her words tinged with emotion, "How nice, A Li has a new friend."

Her tone was like discovering that her younger sister in elementary school had made a new friend.

Lins Nanxiao couldn't help but laugh, "You two sisters have a great relationship."

"Of course," Qiao Jinmei nodded proudly, then somewhat regretfully, "If only I were from reality too, it's a shame to think that my real self doesn't know what stories happened here."

Lins Nanxiao said, "You can have A Li tell you about it."

"She won't tell me everything," Qiao Jinmei sighed, "Like dressing up in a mascot costume and wandering around looking for a prince, having a very special background of her own, A Li definitely won't tell me about these things."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it later, Captain Lins? You know everything after all!"

"…"

Once the worst subject in school was Chinese, and later, he ended up doing a special interview program for aliens, Lins Nanxiao now felt a bit of PTSD when he heard the words 'tell a story' again.

"Cough, let's talk about it later." While evading, Lins Nanxiao was also somewhat curious, "You know A Li will hide these things from you?"

"Yes, she's worried I'll be afraid, or she doesn't want me to know how she sees the whole world... After all, everyone thinks being sunny and cheerful is normal."

"But after so many years, how could I not understand her? Whether there's an animation background or not, she's the same to me."

Saying this, Qiao Jinmei laughed, her eyes filled with a soft emotion.

"She's the most important person in my heart, my favorite little sister, as long as she feels happy, the rest is unimportant."

"What does it matter whether she likes this world or not?" she said, "That's other people's standard for judging normalcy, but not mine."

Qiao Jinmei gazed at her sister ahead and the Earth farther away, her eyes growing brighter.

"Besides, even if one really tries to be a normal person who loves life and is positive, so what? If one encounters something like an alien attack on Earth, wouldn't one still have to watch the world destroy before one's eyes? Wouldn't that be even sadder? Oh, right, how much longer till the explosion, Captain Lins?"

Just as Lins was about to start feeling moved, he suddenly choked.

"…You're right."

He silently raised his hand to check his watch.

There were twenty minutes left until Earth exploded —-

Prince Godo, who refused to believe Xie Wufang's unilateral account and insisted on barging into the queen's bedroom to confirm his sister's safety in person, was finally thrown out the door by the queen, who could no longer bear his incessant chatter after dozens of minutes.

"Sister! Don't you like the name Maria? I think it sounds nice and meaningful, if you don't like it, I'll look for another one! Or does Sister want to name yourself?"

Ever since giving himself a name, Prince Godo had fallen in love with the feeling of naming.

"Shut up!" The alien queen, who had been quietly contemplating life, shouted angrily, "Go find your human friends!!"

"Okay…" Godo reluctantly took three steps back for every step forward, "Sister, consider Maria again! I really like that name!"

In response was a resentful silence.

The prince, rejected by his sister, had no choice but to really go find those human friends on the deck – wait, what did someone say to him earlier?

"Yu Bai!" He called out brightly toward the end of the deck, "What gift did you bring me?"

The summoned human turned to look at him.

The guy beside him also cast his gaze over.

Then, a dazzling light bulb suddenly appeared behind the prince.

...

It was just a light bulb, no big deal. He was used to it long ago.

He fixed his eyes on Yu Bai and asked, "Where's the gift? Where's the gift?"

Yu Bai replied, "It's in the suitcase."

Godot eagerly opened the only piece of luggage that this human had taken from Earth.

What met his eyes were garish plastic wrappers, still carrying the vibrant aura of the human world.

The gift turned out to be a heap of snacks.

Godot immediately spotted several identical packets of chips on top.

They were lemongrass durian Sichuan pepper chicken flavor.

"That day, you stuffed the snacks into my hands before making a phone call," said Yu Bai, "and you never came back. Since we have the chance to meet today, I brought them along."

This was their reunion after countless whispered conversations, perhaps their final farewell.

Earth was about to be destroyed, and they would soon return to reality.

If the queen's attempt failed, this would be their last meeting with these fictional characters.

Godot exclaimed, hugging the snacks tightly, "You're treating me?"

"Yes, I'm treating you," Yu Bai nodded with a smile, "Thank you for helping humanity."

"..." Godot said awkwardly, "I didn't help humanity. I just helped you guys a little bit."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and blurted out, "Right, since you're thanking me, could you do me a favor as well!"

"What kind of favor?"

"Just say any word or sentence!"

"...Huh?"

Yu Bai looked utterly confused, while Godot wore an expectant expression, "Quick, quick! Say something, anything, preferably something humans normally say!"

"Okay..." Yu Bai tried to help, somewhat perplexed, "Hello? Have you eaten? What's the date today? Uh, will these do?"

He was utterly clueless about what the alien prince had in mind and could only blurt out some of the most mundane phrases.

But Godo's eyes suddenly lit up. "What's the date today? That's perfect, I'll go with that!"

After selecting his sentence, he looked around at the massive warship and asked Yu Bai, "In the anime, do our starships have names?"

"No," Yu Bai began to catch on to his intentions. "Wait, you can't be..."

Godo clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Great! From now on, it will be called 'What's the Date Today' ship!"

"...!!" How could such a grand starship be named so casually!!

Still, it was rather cute.

The 'What's the Date Today' ship.

"You'll watch Earth explode from the 'What's the Date Today' ship and return to reality," Godo said proudly. "Pretty cool, right?"

"It is," Yu Bai nodded sincerely. "I hope the Queen's plan succeeds as well."

Despite the fact that this plan hinged entirely on a miracle.

Miracles, by definition, meant low probability.

"It doesn't matter if it succeeds or not, anyway..." Godo looked at him. "You said you wouldn't forget me over time. All of you, right?"

"Yes, not just us, but actually, the readers and viewers who like this anime in the real world won't forget you either, unlike the comic's setup where memories fade quickly."

"Wonderful." The prince said sincerely, then paused for a moment before asking, "What's the date today?"

Yu Bai was about to answer when he heard him ask again, "Will you accidentally think of me every time you say that phrase in the future?"

He was momentarily stunned, finally understanding the purpose behind Godo's request for random sentences.

The starship beneath their feet and the universe before them were dazzling.

Yu Bai smiled. "Yes, we'll definitely think of you by accident."

Godo also smiled, with a radiant sense of triumph.

Perfect, he had finally found that opportunity.

The true life-or-death opportunity.

What was reality, really? And what was life?

He was born into fiction, his existence rooted in narratives and memories.

So as long as he was remembered, he wasn't truly gone.

"Yubai, thank you," Godo said to him in the end. "If I ever get the chance, I'll tell you whether the coriander durian Sichuan pepper chicken-flavored chips are any good."

"But for now... I have to go!" He closed his suitcase filled with snacks and promptly made a run for it. "If I don't leave now, I'm going to die here!!"

It was one thing to randomly impose light bulbs everywhere.

But why did he suddenly want to kill someone!

What an outrageous alien!!

Yu Bai, still immersed in the farewell atmosphere: "…"

He turned to look at the man beside him, a mix of amusement and exasperation on his face.

Xie Wufang had just retracted the death glare he had directed at the prince and was now nonchalantly gazing at the blue planet not far away.

Yu Bai stared at Him like that.

Until the man spoke quietly.

"…Sorry."

Five minutes remained until Earth exploded—

Just what kind of god was Xie Wufang?

He was intelligent, pure, and a quick learner.

He was also cold, indifferent, unmoved by human emotions, and completely disregarded the ethical norms that people took for granted. He preferred to solve problems in the simplest and most direct way possible, such as through overwhelming force.

He should be a powerful, terrifying being that struck fear into the hearts of others.

Yet, despite all this, Yu Bai knew more clearly than ever that even though He had the power to kill the queen, He wouldn't do it.

Because he was there.

Because Xie Wufang didn't want to scare him.

Because Xie Wufang cared deeply about him.

All the questions that had once left him bewildered pointed to a simple answer.

In the long silence that followed the apology, Yu Bai suddenly called out His name earnestly, "Xie Wufang."

The man raised his eyes at the sound of his voice, meeting those light brown eyes that held a smile.

"Do you know? In cartoons, only the protagonist in the scene feels annoyed by others, which is when symbolic objects like light bulbs appear."

"For so many days, everyone's bodies would only display special effects reflecting their own emotions. But you, you could project your emotions onto others."

"So…" he asked softly, "the main character in this universe is you."

"The reason we came to this merged universe, and why these two unrelated universes fused together, is because of your wish, right?"

The core indeed stored many universes, and the power of this newly born egg could indeed go out of control, dragging people into an old universe stored within the sphere.

But the choice of universe wasn't random.

It could sense the flavor of wishes.

Last time, it was drawn and moved when it encountered an elderly person with unfinished business at the funeral home, later bringing them to a universe where they could reunite with the deceased.

So when did it capture that wish this time?

Was it during that seemingly ordinary afternoon?

Xie Wufang told him that He wanted to learn how to create fiction like humans.

So Yu Bai mentioned the loop of wandering around a film city, saying that acting was fun.

—"Are there many universes that you find as enjoyable as acting?"

—"Yes, almost every universe is fun."

—"Which one is the most fun?"

After Yu Bai explained the concept of "best," the non-human gradually learned to make choices and comparisons.

At that moment, He thought seriously about the question and then answered, "It should be the loop where I watched cartoons with you."

It was a nonsensical cartoon about an alien prince disguising himself as a human and living among humanity.

And the "person" who accompanied him to watch this cartoon was also pretending to be human.

It was double the joy.

That's why Yu Bai couldn't stop smiling when he recalled that loop.

The man beside him gazed at him for a long time, with a faint smile in his eyes.

So in the end, they appeared here.

Thus, the prince from the animation stepped into reality, and the world was filled with fictional shadows, yet it brought the most brilliant and vivid reality.

It was Xie Wufang's wish.

To go to the most enjoyable universe in his heart and to learn to create fiction.

"Why can the core help fulfill both your wishes at the same time?" Yu Bai couldn't help but marvel. "That's cheating."

The deity had two wishes that were akin to cheating.

Yet each of these wishes was intertwined with him.

He wanted to hide his true self from him, which was why he wanted to learn how to lie.

But Yu Bai knew all too well how arduous this would be.

So he said, "Actually, you don't have to do that anymore; you don't have to conceal your true self."

As the words faded, a sudden wave of panic rippled across the ashen blue lake that mirrored his reflection.

There was one minute left until Earth exploded—

The seconds ticked away, and those aboard the starship gazing at their homeland fell into an unspoken silence, leaving only scattered whispers in the air.

When the blue planet was entirely engulfed by flames, the time to return to reality would arrive, and this illusory space-time that never existed would instantly dissipate.

Lin Xiaoyun still felt a sense of unreality: "Is Earth really going to end?"

Li Nanxiao nodded calmly: "It's over."

Yu Siming was filled with a sense of loss: "How much of an impression will I leave in the real world...?"

Director Zheng widened his eyes: "I hope I can clearly remember what Earth's explosion looks like, to see just how different it is from all those special effects!"

Qiao Jinmei insisted on making a pinky promise with her sister: "After you go back, you must show me this animated series! The original comic works too; it's really interesting! Don't forget our promise, what if I have a memory of making this pinky promise with you!"

Qiao Jinli, who was forced to fulfill such a childish promise: "...I got it."

And finally seizing the opportunity, the alien prince Godo revealed once more that bittersweet smile of farewell.

Standing aboard the No. 9 ship today, facing the boundless starry river, he bid farewell to all humanity.

The young man, still in human form, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, penning the conclusion to his adventurous tale: "Today is June 7th, humans, I'm setting off on my journey."

"Good—bye—now—!"

In the bright voice echoing through the vast universe, there was a thud that nearly made him stumble.

A-Qiang, who had walked up beside him, slapped his shoulder heavily and laughed: "Don't worry, this time we're dying together, Godo. You'll definitely find what's real."

The bodyguard captain, bearing a scar, asked him, "We'll meet again, right?"

The rookie bodyguard, adorned with two scars, nodded emphatically: "I hope so."

Amidst these hopes, the countdown reached its end.

Boom—

The crimson abyss gazed into the distance, witnessing the blue planet hanging amidst countless galaxies bloom into an enormous orange firework, suddenly consumed by raging flames.

Everyone aboard the starship watched this grand spectacle of brilliance and demise without blinking.

Except for the deity with black hair and blue eyes, who cared not for humanity.

His gaze was fixed solely on the one beside him, revealing a palpable sense of melancholy.

He asked, "Why?"

Why no longer conceal those traits that were hard for humans to accept?

But Yu Bai didn't answer; instead, he posed the final question.

At the tail end of their journey, he recalled his initial doubt.

He should have foreseen the chaos and失控of the doomed situation but did nothing to address it, allowing the doomed to drag them here unprepared.

"Xie Wufang, before entering this space-time, did you deliberately not warn me?"

After asking, he added specifically, "No lying."

So He truly didn't lie.

"Mm, I wanted to visit those space-times," Xie Wufang confessed honestly. "I wanted to know the stories that unfolded in each of them...but you wouldn't tell me."

"I promised you that I wouldn't secretly sift through the stored memories, so I could only wait for the repeated space-time rewinds."

"So when I discovered it was out of control again, I was actually quite happy, yet worried you might not want to return."

"...Sorry."

"I wanted to know every moment related to you."

Therefore, even though He could have possessed the memories of this space-time after waiting another ten days, He still struck an unfair deal with the humans holding the videos.

Thus, in the last glance before leaving this space-time,

the planet's fireworks bloomed, the universe was silent, and only the increasingly pronounced thumps echoed—the uncontrollable heartbeats of a fleeting moment.

A tiny golden arrow, like a mirage, suddenly pierced the heart.

In that instant of lowered eyes and lost focus, Yu Bai saw countless heart-shaped bubbles silently overflowing from his chest into the vast universe.

In this moment, he finally understood what kind of feeling this was.

It was his heart pounding with emotion.