Chapter 146

Chapter 146

"Why are you helping us?" Yun Wan asked Lao Xia curiously.

Lao Xia sighed.

"Perhaps, people shouldn't explore the outside world," Lao Xia said with a bitter smile.

Although Lao Xia hadn't seen Yun Wan's intelligent device, through his daughter's descriptions, he had gained a deeper understanding of the outside world. He realized that the outside world wasn't just a simple, linear existence; it was entirely different from their lives.

They didn't need to create energy cores, didn't have to leave early and return late, had no free time at all, and didn't have to live in darkness forever just to save a bit of energy.

Their planet was called the New World, but he felt that the outside world was more like a new world—a true home where humans could thrive.

For the first time, he understood the meaning of "happiness." Compared to people from the outside world, they were more like controlled and oppressed drones.

Yes, they possessed great power. Through the transformation of the sunflower nucleus, they gained the immense power of sunflowers and established a connection with them. The law of energy conservation meant that whatever the heavens gave, something else would be lost in return.

They became the strongest warriors, but their lives were controlled by a fragile plant. How tragic!

Lao Xia didn't want to remain so tragic forever.

"Now, you can extract my energy core," Lao Xia said.

Of course, he wasn't foolish. He had a backup plan. On one hand, he helped Yun Wan and the others find the laboratory and obtain the sunflowers. On the other hand, he disguised himself as a victim. This way, if Yun Wan and the others didn't succeed, he wouldn't be blamed.

After all, he had brought them to the sunflower repository, and it was the defensive energy shield that didn't alert anyone. It wasn't his fault.

"Aren't you worried that I might destroy all the sunflowers?" Yun Wan asked.

Lao Xia shrugged. "Go ahead. Continuing to live like that would be torture anyway."

A blind person who has never seen light wouldn't complain, but once a blind person has seen light, they can no longer endure the accustomed darkness.

Yun Wan admired his open-mindedness and respected his request, extracting the energy core.

The group returned to the front of the laboratory, which was built on a mountain peak. The wind was strong, and the chill was biting. Yun Wan felt a bit cold.

"Should we break the door down?" Lu Huai asked.

"No need, I've got this," Grandmother said.

She walked towards the main entrance, and everyone made way for her. She stood to the right of the door, and the facial recognition system lit up, identifying her. The heavy door swung open.

"Come in," Grandmother said.

Yun Wan followed her inside, curiously glancing at the facial recognition system. She wanted to know whose identity information the grandmother had recognized, but the system had already returned to darkness, revealing nothing.

This laboratory was no different from others. Following Grandmother, Yun Wan and the group gradually delved deeper into the lab. Along the way, the laboratory seemed deserted, as if abandoned. It wasn't until they reached the end that they saw a bald man wearing a white lab coat.

"You're finally back! I knew you weren't dead!" The bald man dropped the test tube in his hand. "Doctor! I've waited so long for you!"

"Doctor?" The group gasped in unison.

The guards paled, encircling Yun Wan, Lu Huai, and the young beastman.

Could this be a trap?

Yun Wan and Lu Huai remained expressionless.

Grandma paid no attention to the guards' movements and shook her head at the bald guy, "I am not her."

"Ah! You are indeed not her!" The bald guy realized this, his face suddenly turning cold, "So that's how it is, Mine and the Doctor's experiment actually worked!"

"Yes," Grandma said indifferently.

"Hmph, what are you? How dare you occupy the Doctor's body?! I order you to get out!" The bald guy was furious.

"You will be disappointed, I'm in control of this body now," Grandma said.

"It's just a damaged chip, just replace the chip," the bald guy didn't think it was a big deal.

"Hmph, you probably can't replace my chip, Ming Kai, We've taken over the New World, you are surrounded!"

Ming Kai didn't believe Grandma's words, slammed his fist against the wall, and the wall instantly transformed into a massive screen showing the situation at the sunflower storage area, which was now empty.

"Not bad!" Ming Kai's mouth twitched, "But, you are now in my territory, I've got nothing but plenty of subjects."

Ming Kai pressed a button again, the wall behind him slowly rose, revealing many glass compartments containing various subjects, all highly aggressive.

Yun Wan spotted Qin Yan among them.

Why was she here?

At Ming Kai's command, the glass doors opened, and the subjects came pouring out. Yun Wan and her group were already on alert, quickly jumping into their mechs to prepare for battle. Yun Wan tucked the little beastman into her own mech, Grandma's safety wasn't a concern, Ming Kai did not want to harm her, and the subjects also avoided her.

As the battle intensified, Ming Kai's expression grew darker, his proud subjects were actually losing in the war.

"Impossible!" Ming Kai was extremely agitated, "Trash, all trash!"

Furious, he sent a direct message to the New World Lord.

[Come over.]

Soon, the New World Lord arrived at the laboratory, filled with dying subjects.

As soon as he arrived, Ming Kai immediately gave the order, "Kill them!"

New World Lord: ?

You want me to fight a whole army by myself? My life is not a life?

He seriously considered playing dead, but Ming Kai had already taken out his sunflower as a threat, Reluctant as he was, he had no choice.

Fortunately, he had just obtained ten powerful and delicious energy sources, There were too many opponents, but it should not be a problem.

Hopefully I'll get my proper thanks from the new citizens tomorrow!

The New World Lord swapped in a new energy fruit and directly attacked the mechs. After a few moves, the New World Lord became serious, finding these mechs more difficult to deal with than he imagined, the spikes on the mechs were of unknown material, harder than his body, even though he was a mechanical body, he couldn't withstand every punch hitting a rock, the recoil was nearly shattering his bones.

If there was only one mech, it would be fine, but he was facing dozens!

"Boss, send backup! I can't hold on anymore!" the New World Lord said.

"Trash!" Ming Kai slammed the table in frustration.

Seeing that reinforcements were not coming, the New World Lord also gave up, directly falling to the ground.

Yun Wan seized the opportunity and immediately attacked Ming Kai, only to discover it was just a hologram.

"Hahahaha, you can't catch me!" Ming Kai laughed hysterically.

Yun Wan wasn't about to indulge him; she immediately grabbed the old woman. "Don't forget, the Doctor is still with me."

With a hostage in hand, Ming Kai's laughter stopped abruptly, his gaze darkening as he stared at Yun Wan.

"Let her go!"

"Come out, and I'll let her go."

Ming Kai considered Yun Wan's proposal.

"Fine."

A hole opened in the ground, and the real Ming Kai slowly rose on a lift platform, holding something in his hand but no weapons.

Something fishy was going on, and Yun Wan became even more cautious.

"I'm out; you can let her go now," Ming Kai said.

"No," Yun Wan said without hesitation. She wasn't foolish enough to discard her trump card, and besides, she was controlling her strength to ensure the old woman wasn't harmed.

Ming Kai was infuriated by her going back on her word.

"Do you know what I'm holding? This is a self-destruct device. If you don't let her go, we'll all die together!" Ming Kai said hysterically.

Yun Wan swallowed hard but stayed remarkably calm.

"I can let her go, but how do I know you won't trigger the self-destruct the moment I do?"

Ming Kai raised an eyebrow, "What do you want?"

"Let my people leave first, then I'll release her, and you toss the self-destruct device," Yun Wan said.

"Heh, aren't you afraid I'll blow you up?" Ming Kai asked.

"Better than having a lot of people die," Yun Wan replied.

"Fine," Ming Kai said, not dwelling on the matter.

Yun Wan tried to move the guards and others, but they resisted. "Leader! We're not leaving!"

"Don't mess around!" Yun Wan shot them a disapproving look. "Get out now!"

After Yun Wan repeatedly urged them, the guards finally left the lab. Just as she got the guards out, the little beastman clung to her leg, refusing to let go. Now, Yun Wan was truly stuck; with the old woman in her hands, she couldn't move.

Lu Huai approached, opened the mech cabin, and gently ushered the little beastman inside. "Listen, we'll wait outside for your sister. Don't make trouble for her!"

The little beastman sobbed, hiccuping, "Will sister be okay?"

"She will," Lu Huai assured him. "I promise!"

"Sister will be fine. Let's go!" Yun Wan added.

The little beastman believed them and followed Lu Huai to leave in the mech.

"Leader, be careful," Lu Huai said before leaving.

While others might not have understood Yun Wan's plan, Lu Huai certainly did.

She was determined to take this lab down with her.

Once everyone was safely evacuated, Yun Wan set her grandmother down and stepped out of the mech cabin.

"You really have no fear of death!" Ming Kai exclaimed as he looked at Yun Wan, who was also unarmed. "Doctor, get over here now!"

The grandmother didn’t budge, and Ming Kai, out of patience, hit the button to trigger the self-destruct. He dashed to the grandmother, seized her hand, and dragged her to the cliff’s edge. A hovercar swooped down from above.

Ming Kai turned back to Yun Wan and said, "Goodbye—and don’t ever come back!"

As Yun Wan watched in shock, the grandmother wrapped her arms around Ming Kai, and the two plummeted off the cliff. Her hands morphed into vines, coiling tightly around Ming Kai, immobilizing him completely.

‘It’s over,’ Yun Wan lip-read from the grandmother.

As Yun Wan rushed to the cliff’s edge, she saw a transformed grandmother. At this moment, her vines were embedded into the cliff, preventing the two from falling further. Her eyes burned with ferocity as she looked up.

Yun Wan knew that the Doctor had returned.

Ming Kai, dangling precariously, let out a relieved sigh.

"Doctor, it's good that you're back!"

"Stop crying! You’re useless! Can’t even handle something this simple!" the Doctor scolded angrily, commanding the vines to climb up bit by bit.

Seeing this, Yun Wan didn’t sit idly by. She grabbed the freeze gun and fired at the cliff below, but the Doctor evaded every shot. As the self-destruct countdown was about to end, Yun Wan jumped onto the hovercar. At the last second, two figures leaped onto the hovercar after her.

It was Qin Yan and the New World Lord.

Qin Yan was badly hurt, while the New World Lord feigned unconsciousness. Yun Wan ignored them and piloted the hovercar towards the cliff below, aiming the freeze gun at the Doctor. Burdened, the Doctor’s movements, though swift, grew sluggish over time. Under Yun Wan's interference, she was completely unable to climb up.

The Doctor changed her strategy, using her vines to reach for Yun Wan's hovercar. The shortened distance gave Yun Wan an opportunity, and the difficulty of aiming the freeze gun decreased. With one shot, she froze one of the Doctor's vines.

With one less vine, the Doctor's situation became even more precarious. Seizing the moment, Yun Wan swiftly switched to a new energy source and unleashed a barrage of shots at the Doctor. By sheer chance, she froze a few more of the Doctor’s vines. Finally, Yun Wan aimed at the Doctor herself and delivered the final blow.

"No—" The Doctor’s furious roar echoed off the cliff as she and Ming Kai plunged to their deaths.

With the Doctor dealt with, Yun Wan exhaled in relief. Before she could rest for a few seconds, she felt a breeze behind her and nimbly dodged. Qin Yan lunged from Yun Wan’s former spot, but losing her balance when Yun Wan dodged, she tumbled out the open side of the hovercar.

Qin Yan managed to grab the hovercar’s edge, dangling in mid-air.

‘Tsk!’ Yun Wan sneered, ‘You’ve got no one to blame but yourself!’

Before Yun Wan could start debating whether to save Qin Yan or not, Qin Yan’s foot stretched unnaturally, morphing into a mechanical claw that latched onto Yun Wan’s leg. Then, with a ghostly smile, she let go, and the force of the fall dragged Yun Wan down with her.

The wind roared past their ears as they fell. Qin Yan thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of the wind exploding in her ears. She said, "It's over."

Yun Wan tried to shake off the claw, but it had embedded itself into her bone, causing her to tremble in pain. Her Mana was utterly drained, so she gave up fighting. It was just a matter of life and death, after all.

"Happy? Yun Wan, you're so outstanding, yet you still have to die with me," Qin Yan said with some pride.

The moment they heavily hit the ground at the bottom of the cliff, Qin Yan heard Yun Wan say, "I won't die, only you will."

Those words left her dying in disbelief. Could it be that Yun Wan really wouldn’t die?

Before her consciousness faded, she kept staring in Yun Wan's direction. In her blurry vision, she saw Yun Wan smashed into a pulp like her, and then miraculously restored!

How is that possible?!

Qin Yan widened her eyes, trying to see more clearly, but unfortunately, she could no longer see anything.

With a karp flip, Yun Wan stood up and shouted with full vigor, "Holy crap, that hurt!"

As she was contemplating how to climb up the cliff to reunite with the guards, she saw a familiar flyer descending from above. The person inside was looking down, and their gaze met Yun Wan's upward glance.

"Holy crap, it's a ghost!" The New World Lord was so frightened that he fell inside the flyer, then got up in disbelief to look down again, "Holy crap, it really is a ghost!!"

He was scared out of his mind, grabbed the steering wheel, and was about to step on the accelerator when Yun Wan quickly called out, "Lord! Lord! I'm not dead!"

The New World Lord looked at the lively Yun Wan with skepticism. She indeed didn't look like a dead person, but how was this possible?

Even if he fell from such a height, he might not have a complete corpse. Could it be that this new citizen, who hasn't been modified yet, is a more powerful semi-robotic being than him?

"Lord, Lord, I still have energy fruit here, I'm not lying to you!" Yun Wan took out a purple crystal fruit.

The New World Lord was very tempted upon hearing this.

It's good she's alive; he can have the energy fruit!

The New World Lord landed the flyer in front of Yun Wan, "Get in."

He extended his hand to Yun Wan, and with his help, Yun Wan got into the flyer.

The New World Lord flew the flyer back to the mansion. Yun Wan retrieved a signal device from her system's space, went online, and sent a message to Lu Huai. During this time, the New World Lord kept glancing at Yun Wan.

"What's wrong?" Yun Wan asked.

She looked up just in time to see the New World Lord's gaze hurriedly retract.

"By the way, how did you end up flying down to the bottom of the cliff?" Yun Wan asked curiously.

"For this fruit? Or my mech?" Yun Wan continued to ask.

The barrage of questions left the New World Lord a bit speechless.

"Both," he answered, "but it's also good that you're still alive."

"Thank you," Yun Wan said.

The New World Lord glanced at Yun Wan again and asked, "By the way, do you have many energy fruits?"

"Huh?" She thought he would be more interested in asking why she was alive, but it turned out he was a foodie, "Quite a lot."

"How many is quite a lot?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's... endless!"

...

Back at the mansion, Lu Huai and the others had been waiting for a while. As soon as they saw Yun Wan, Lu Huai rushed forward and embraced her tightly, his hand quietly reaching into her waist, feeling the flower there had disappeared. Lu Huai knew Yun Wan had gone through a near-death experience and felt deeply distressed.

"It's okay, I'm fine, right?" Yun Wan reassured Lu Huai.

The issue with the Black Ram Organization was finally settled. Yun Wan made sure to return the sunflowers to their rightful owners. Everyone in the New World could finally keep their own sunflowers.

Many still couldn't believe it was real, constantly asking Yun Wan when receiving their sunflowers, "Can I really take my sunflower?"

Yun Wan replied patiently, "Yes, you can."

Then, she watched these robots holding their sunflowers and crying tears of joy.

After finishing, she gave the New World Lord the signal receiver from the starship as a thank-you. "After I return, I will send you a batch of AI cores, and then you will be able to connect to the star network."

"Thank you," said the New World Lord. "We also have a gift for you, Shennong Star Lord."

"What's the gift?" Yun Wan asked.

Suddenly, the New World Lord, Joan, knelt on one knee in front of Yun Wan, placed his right hand on his chest, and began to swear an oath. His people followed, swearing the same oath.

"I, New World Lord Joan, declare that I will forever be loyal to Shennong Star Lord Yun Wan in this life, and voluntarily make the New World a subsidiary star of Shennong Star..."

Yun Wan thought, ...What's going on here?

She wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but since everyone had already sworn, it would be awkward to refuse.

Before Yun Wan could refuse, Lu Huai intervened.

"No," Lu Huai said, stepping in front of Yun Wan. "You're Joan, right? She's got my loyalty; she doesn't need yours, got it?"

Suddenly, the oath led by Joan took a different turn.

"Why not? Who are you to Yun Wan? Why do you get to decide?" Joan snapped.

"...None of your business!" Lu Huai shot back, unsure what else to say.

Who was he to Yun Wan? He didn't know either.

He didn't even have a proper title yet!

"Enough, stop arguing," Yun Wan said, stepping between them. "Listen to me, both of you!"

"New World Lord, I understand why you want to become a subsidiary of Shennong Star. If it's just the purple crystal fruits you're after, we can strike a deal. You can use..."

[Energy cores, host," the system chimed in.

"...Yes, trade with energy cores. No need to pledge loyalty to me."

"It's fine. I think pledging loyalty to you is great," Joan said casually, throwing a challenging look at Lu Huai.

"Lu Huai!" Yun Wan quickly covered his mouth, and he stayed quiet. "New World Lord, your independence is hard-won. Cherish it."

Perhaps sensing Yun Wan's reluctance, Joan didn't push further. "Alright, we won't become a subsidiary, but I declare that the New World will always live in peace with Shennong Star!"

"Good!"

As the New World's people bid her farewell, Yun Wan boarded the starship and left the planet. Its mysteries were revealed, and its scars needed time to heal.

On the way back, the little beastman finally asked Yun Wan, "Sister, why didn't grandmother come back with us? Where did she go?"

"She's become the guardian spirit of the little beastmen, always watching over you."

"Why?" Ah Huang asked, confused.

"Because grandmother wants to protect you."

*

Not long after returning to Shennong Star, Joan sent the first batch of energy cores, completing the first friendly transaction with Shennong Star.

"System, do you really need these energy cores?" Yun Wan asked.

The system never acts without purpose.

[Yes, thank you, host.]

After converting all the energy cores into Green Points, the system spoke.

"No problem."

[Host, it's time for us to leave.]

"Leave?"

The sun was blinding, making Yun Wan squint her eyes. "Why so sudden?"

The system stayed quiet, and Yun Wan thought it wouldn't answer, but then it spoke.

[The time has come, host.]

"But didn't you say before that you weren't sure if you would leave? Why are you certain now?" Yun Wan asked anxiously.

[Because it has been determined.]

Yun Wan didn't quite understand the system's meaning.

"Are we leaving now?" She felt down.

[You can take some time to say your goodbyes.]

"Okay."

Yun Wan had no idea what would happen to the interstellar world, to Shennong Star, or to the two affiliated stars after she left. When the time to leave finally came, she only had one person in her heart—Lu Huai.

She didn't know how to mention this.

Uncertain of her feelings, Yun Wan rushed into Lu Huai's room, hugged him, and gave him a deep, lingering kiss.

"What's wrong?" After the kiss, Lu Huai was still stunned.

"Lu Huai, do you want me?"

Her words set off a spark.

This was the first time the two had connected deeply in a completely sober state, and it was also the first time Wanwan had taken the initiative.

Lu Huai felt like he was going crazy, wishing he could become one with the person he loved.

"Lord, Lord, Wanwan..." He repeated her name over and over.

"Lu Huai—"

Only in moments like these, when joy was at its height, could Yun Wan forget about the looming goodbye.

But eventually, she had to face it.

When Yun Wan took the initiative for the third time, Lu Huai finally realized something was off.

"Wanwan, what are you thinking about?" She wasn't one to indulge in desires, yet she had been so uninhibited with him these past few days.

"Lu Huai, I'm really glad I met you. In the future, don't forget me, alright?"

"What do you mean?" Lu Huai asked anxiously.

"I might have to go away."

These words left Lu Huai stunned; he thought Yun Wan might be joking.

"Where to?"

"I don't know."

"Wan Wan," Lu Huai hugged Yun Wan tightly, "No matter where you go, I'll find you."

"Lu Huai, you can't find me," Yun Wan said.

Her tone scared him.

"There's nowhere in the galaxy I can't reach," Lu Huai insisted, trying to prove he could find her, but Yun Wan's next words left him speechless.

"What if it's not in this galaxy?"

He couldn't comprehend—if not the galaxy, where else could it be?

He'd always had this nagging feeling she wasn't from this world, and now, it turned out to be true.

How could this happen?

Lu Huai felt a lump in his throat.

"Wan Wan," he buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply, "Come here."

He held her waist, captivated by her expression—a mix of discomfort and pleasure.

"Don't you dare forget me!"

He poured all his passion into making it the most unforgettable night for both of them.

From the moment he learned Yun Wan was leaving, they spent every night together, waking up to each other's faces, as if trying to cram a lifetime of moments into the time they had left.

Lu Huai wanted to ask when Yun Wan would leave, but he held back, knowing the answer would only make things harder.

But that day arrived sooner than expected, and he could feel it coming.

That morning, Yun Wan rose early, moving quietly so as not to wake him, but he was already awake.

She could vanish at any moment—how could he possibly sleep?

Yun Wan slipped away quietly. When the door clicked shut, Lu Huai fought the urge to run after her, sinking into the pillow in despair.

Wan Wan was cruel, not even letting him say goodbye.

On the day she left, Yun Wan expected to break down in tears, but she didn't. After memorizing every detail of Lu Huai's face and etching it into her heart, she walked away without looking back.

The streets were empty, the morning still young. Reaching a quiet corner, Yun Wan summoned the system:

"I'm ready to go."

The system seemed to glitch, taking its time to respond.

Yun Wan waited, and after a crackle of static, the system finally spoke:

[Host, you can no longer leave.]

"?" Yun Wan didn't understand. "System, are you joking with me?"

[Host, it's true. You have developed a connection with this world, so I'm sorry, but you have to stay here.]

"What kind of connection?"

[You're expecting a baby.]

"!" Yun Wan instinctively touched her flat stomach. "Really?"

[Yes.]

[Host, I must leave. The Green Points are left for you. You can still use them to exchange for whatever you want.]

"Totally! Thanks a lot!" Yun Wan said.

[You're welcome.]

After a moment, Yun Wan felt the system disconnect. When she reopened the system, it had transformed into an exchange system. Besides various plants and animals, there was also something Yun Wan had been longing for for a long time,

"My dragon form! My treasured dragon form!"

Yun Wan immediately exchanged for her original form. The exchange was successful, and she instantly felt much stronger.

Today is such a great day!

Yun Wan quietly returned to the room. Lu Huai was still in the same position, likely unaware that she had left. She happily found a spot and nestled into his arms.

"Back?"

A raspy voice came from above her. Yun Wan was startled, then held Lu Huai even tighter.

"Back."

"Not leaving anymore?"

Yun Wan sensed the tension in Lu Huai's voice as he asked this question.

"Not leaving anymore."

"That's a relief." He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Mmm."

"Let's get some sleep."

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