Entering the room, Zheng Zha gently placed Lori on the sofa. The young girl had already been blushing deeply out on the square, and now, as soon as she entered, she tightly shut her eyes. Having just lost her innocence to Zheng Zha, her thoughts naturally wandered to certain matters, especially as he set her down on the sofa. Her face was painted with indescribable shyness.
"Not... not here... let's go to the inner room," Lori murmured softly, her voice barely audible.
Contrary to her expectations, Zheng Zha didn't make any unusual moves. Instead, he lay down and rested his head on her lap, staying completely still. Lori was initially surprised but soon gently placed her hands on his hair.
In a soft voice, she said,"...I was so worried about you. Seeing you like that back there... it scared me to death."
"Mm…"
"I was terrified, Zha. Jie-jie said you'd return after just one day here. But there was always the chance that one of us would suddenly disappear, like another older sister did... or maybe we'd both disappear. I was so scared I'd never see you again. Even if I had to die, I wanted to at least see you one last time…"
Lori paused for a moment, then continued softly,"All day, I kept thinking... Zha, if I hadn't died back then, maybe you wouldn't have been so disillusioned with reality. Maybe you wouldn't have been forced to choose between'yes' and'no'... and you wouldn't have been hurt so badly. When I saw you covered in blood, your body broken all over, I was so scared of losing you... so scared…" Her voice trailed off as tears fell, and she clutched Zheng Zha's head, crying quietly.
Zheng Zha simply felt exhausted—not just physically, but mentally, indescribably so. He was utterly drained after struggling to survive in such a place of despair and death, carefully calculating every step and risking his life at every challenge. By the end, he had completely depleted his strength and spirit. Now that they were finally safe, all he wanted was to lie on Lori's lap and rest quietly.
"We won't die... Lori, we won't die! None of us will! I promised you that I'd stay alive and take you back to the real world. We'll see the northern lights in the Arctic, take a cruise across the Pacific, lie on the deck at night counting stars, visit Easter Island to see the Moai statues and dream about humanity's mysteries. Then we'll listen to bagpipes on the Scottish Highlands, feeling like we're floating in the clouds. We'll visit Greece and mourn the ruins of ancient brilliance. Finally, we'll go to the Great Wall and walk hand-in-hand across Badaling... No matter what, we'll survive! I haven't fulfilled any of those promises yet... No matter what, we have to live!"
The night passed quietly. Exhausted beyond words, Zheng Zha simply held Lori and slept peacefully through the night. It wasn't until after 10 a.m. the next day that he slowly opened his eyes. Lori's delicate face, as pure and beautiful as jade, was right in front of him. The young girl was still sleeping quietly, but as if they shared a connection, she blinked awake soon after he did.
"Good morning," she said softly, scrunching her nose and yawning.
Zheng Zha was utterly captivated by her appearance. In his memories, they'd occasionally slept together when they were about eleven or twelve years old. She had looked just like this when she woke—lazy and kitten-like. Using a phrase that had recently become popular, she was simply adorable. Without realizing it, Zheng Zha leaned in and kissed her.
Lori let out a muffled"mmph," but soon melted into his arms. By the time he released her lips, she was gasping for air.
Catching her breath, she pouted,"So gross! First thing in the morning... You haven't even brushed your teeth yet! Move over; you've been crushing me all night…"
"Well then... What's a little more?" he teased.
"No way! You big pervert…"
With love filling the room, the scene didn't need to be shared with others. When the two finally emerged, it was almost noon. Lori's face was flushed with a peculiar blush of charm and shyness. Even more oddly, she wore a high-collared outfit that completely covered her neck, while her hands relentlessly pinched the flesh on Zheng Zha's back.
Zheng Zha, his thick skin impervious to pain, grinned. If he wasn't afraid of the Alien Queen's tail and claws, why would he fear a young woman's pinches? Though both were female creatures, the Queen was undeniably scarier. Smiling broadly, Zheng Zha thought so to himself.
When they stepped out, they found several people already gathered in the square. From a distance, he could see Chu Xuan, Zero, and Zhang Jie talking together. Judging by their expressions, it seemed like they were discussing something important. Zheng Zha immediately thought of Chu Xuan's extraordinary deductive abilities and guessed he might have discovered something significant. Quickly, he grabbed Lori's hand and hurried over.
Chu Xuan, now wearing new glasses and dressed in a plain black outfit, bore an air of menace. No matter how Zheng Zha looked at him, he couldn't shake the impression that Chu Xuan resembled a Gestapo officer from the movies—his cold, impassive expression fit the role too well.
Zero and Zhang Jie hadn't changed much, each simply donning new clothes. They nodded at Zheng Zha as he approached, and Zhang Jie gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder. It was Chu Xuan who spoke first.
"Now that everyone's here, we'll wait for Zhan Lan to return, and then I'll share the conclusions I've reached."
Before Zheng Zha could reply, Lori's face turned red as she asked loudly,"Zhang Jie-ge, where's my sister? Is she inside?"
Zhang Jie chuckled."Your sister and Zhan Lan are working on some kind of cream fruit salad. She's been talking about you since this morning."
Lori nodded softly, gave Zheng Zha's back one last pinch, and skipped off toward Zhang Jie's room. Moments later, Zhan Lan emerged, smiling cheerfully.
With all five now assembled, Chu Xuan began speaking calmly,"I've identified three key points. The first is creating people. Based on the conditions provided by the'God' system, it seems you can create almost anything, even gods, as long as you can imagine it—regardless of race, age, gender, or ability. But there are hidden limitations. I tested this myself yesterday… Arnold!"
Chu Xuan called out, and moments later, a massive man over 2.4 meters tall ducked through the doorway of Chu Xuan's room. He stood silently next to Chu Xuan, his expression just as cold and impassive.
"At first, I tried selecting creatures like Xenomorphs and Lickers, but'God' gave no response. It seems you can't choose alien organisms. So, I opted for a human subject. The height limit is around 2.45 meters, gender doesn't affect combat ability, so I chose male. For age, I selected the optimal combat age of 22. As for abilities, I initially tried omnipotent gods, but'God' didn't create the entity. I gradually reduced its capabilities, even attempting to incorporate genetic traits and bloodlines from the exchange list, but those didn't work either. My conclusion is that the created entities must be based on human standards."
"I then maximized his abilities within the limits. After gradually reducing those limits, I managed to create a being with about twice the physical capabilities of an average human. I also gave him the experience and personality of a special forces soldier. And thus, Arnold was born. Given his appearance, I decided to name him that."
Both Zheng Zha and Zhang Jie chuckled at this, surprised that even someone as stoic as Chu Xuan had a playful side.
"This isn't the important part!" Chu Xuan said, his voice steady."What's crucial is that he can also be enhanced! I tested this by having'God' enhance his intelligence slightly, and it worked. Do you realize what this means? It means the beings you create can enter the horror film cycles! For just 500 points, you can create a special forces-level bodyguard with twice the strength of a normal person. This means that the rewards from a single horror film could net you two bodyguards."
"You all had the wrong idea from the start! The free creation slot wasn't meant for making women for pleasure—it was meant to save your lives by giving you bodyguards! This is the hint'God' provided from the beginning. In the early stages, when your physical capabilities are weak, the key to survival is creating protectors. It's a lesson in human nature... a reflection of humanity's flaws and shortsightedness."