Chapter 1001: Interlude

Chapter 1001 Interlude

“……That’s the gist of it; in short, that missile cruiser is nothing to worry about for now.”

On the official website of *Wasteland OL*.

Yeshi spent a full hour updating the forum with the events that followed the Burning Corps’ encounter with the neutron torpedo.

It included Jiang Xuezhou activating the warp drive, the copy of “Luo Yi” reporting the second neutron torpedo before it could be stopped, and how he, unconscious, accidentally met the crew of the Orion from 215 years ago—who were also in a “superposition state”—while entering the hyperspace channel, along with the “Dawn” plan they had agreed upon, and so on.

To be honest.

As he typed out those thousand or so words, he himself felt a sense of unreality.

Whether from the calendar on his computer or the hot topics on the forum, only a few hours had passed since Fang Chang, Lao Bai, and the others went offline until he logged off to report.

Yet for him, half a month had already gone by!

Though it sounded like talking in his sleep, he was certain that what happened during that time was no illusion.

He had indeed lived on the Orion from 215 years ago for half a month, even if not a single trace of his existence could be found on the entire starship.

Even if this experience could be explained as a dungeon, the discrepancy in the passage of time still amazed him involuntarily.

It seemed the technology behind *Wasteland OL* was even more incredible than he had imagined…

But come to think of it, was it really just a game?

Remembering the sensation lingering on his lips, he felt his cheeks heat up uncontrollably.

Damn!

Why the hell is a tough guy like me blushing like a schoolgirl?

Seeing that his painstakingly typed post had received no replies, Yeshi vented his chaotic emotions on the keyboard.

“Come on! Give me some reaction!”

Usually, when I bait you with clickbait titles, you guys pile on dozens of floors in a flash, but now that I’m not clickbaiting, every single one of you is freeloading.

Is that fair?

Just as he grabbed the sofa and pressed F5, replies finally started popping up, and in an instant, hundreds of floors appeared.

“Got lost in it…”

“Stunned.”

“A bit confused, let me sort it out.”

“Giao! It’s already resolved?!”

“Awei’s Star Wars plan went bankrupt on the spot. (Ridiculous)”

“Already crying.”

“……”

Seeing the sudden flood of hundreds of comments, Yeshi, sitting at his computer, was startled.

Holy cow!

So many lurkers?!

Just then, a few familiar IDs caught his eye.

Clearly, during the time he was still online, his good brothers had been worrying about him.

Fang Chang: “Nice one, bro. I was just worried you might be down, but it turns out you’re the one carrying this time. (Sly smile)”

Yeshi: “Hehe, not really… I only did a tiny bit of work.”

Lao Bai: “No need to be modest, well done! Haha, this time we were the ones lying down. (Grinning)”

Jie Yan: “Comeback from behind! Feels damn good to win while lying down, haha! (Grinning)”

Bian Yuan Hua Shui: “Lao Bai can say that, but when have you ever not been lying down? (Eye roll)”

Jie Yan: “Damn! I’ve contributed too, okay! (Angry)”

Fu Zhai Da Yan: “Like trying hard to play dead? (Evil grin)”

Jie Yan: “@#%$!”

The thread was filled with laughter and joy.

Watching his friends’ replies, a smile involuntarily rose on Yeshi’s face, yet he felt something was missing.

As if answering his expectations, someone finally noticed the details he had casually revealed in his post.

Kuang Feng: “Just finished reading the post… So you’re at Alpha Centauri now?”

Yeshi: “Hehe, sort of.”

Though this guy’s words carried a hint of showing off, the other players in the thread had no time to care.

The promise of a pie five light-years away was actually real!

The extrasolar colony from the Human Federation era!

The moment they saw that reply, almost everyone was stunned by the news!

Weiba: “!!! Are there three suns over there? (Excited)”

Yeshi: “Uh, probably, but I’m still in the cabin, haven’t seen what it’s like outside.”

Ye Ao Nai Wo He: “Laugh.”

Jing Ling Wang Fu Gui: “What, your uncle went to Alpha Centauri to become a soldier king again? (Surprised)”

Jie Yan: “Hahahahaha.”

Yi Lei Na: “Ye Ao: Are you never going to let that joke go? (Ridiculous)”

Kuang Feng: “Actually, I’m more curious about what that hyperspace channel really is.”

Fang Chang: “By definition, it’s a gravitational link between massive celestial bodies. I don’t know the more technical explanation. But literally, hyperspace means multidimensional space, right?”

Kuang Feng: “That’s what I mean. I’m just curious what you can see in a hyperspace channel in the *Wasteland OL* universe.”

Yeshi: “I didn’t pay attention to that… When I entered the hyperspace channel in the game, I was in a hibernation pod.”

Kuang Feng: “What about in the dungeon? Didn’t you see outside?”

Yeshi: “Ah, I did see it, but there wasn’t anything special—just ordinary starry sky? But according to Dr. Wu, we were stuck in the hyperspace channel at that point, meaning time was frozen. Normally, it seems a white light flashes, the stars suddenly get very bright, and then the ship just passes through.”

Lei Dian Fa Wang Yang Jiao Shou: “Passes through? What the hell? (Confused)”

Kuang Feng: “Dr. Wu?”

Yeshi: “Wu Xinghuan from the Research and Technology Department, or the Fifth Division of the Orion missile cruiser… He told me all that messy knowledge. Honestly, I’m still confused, but I can sort of understand it.”

Kuang Feng: “You must tell me more when you have time!”

Quan Shui Zhi Hui Guan: “Funny how Kuang Feng is unexpectedly interested in such trivial details.”

Fang Chang: “After all, it’s his line of work. (Sly smile)”

WC Zhen You Wen Zi: “!!! Kuang Feng is researching warp drives?! Shocked!”

Meat Mountain Big Bun: "Giao! Why do you talk with such a tail-like tone?"

Tail: "!!! You guys used up all the words for Tail, what is Tail supposed to say?"

Gale: "Ahem, how could that be... I'm just interested in the principles part, purely personal interest."

Debt-Ridden Big Eyes: "Actually, I'm more interested in what happened next. Hehe, fess up—after you rescued Jiang Xuezhou, did anything happen? (evil grin)"

Crow: "Tsk, something so innocent, yet you make it sound so lewd."

Sis: "+1, your intentions are way too obvious. (side-eye)"

Brick Boy: "Big Eyes' reputation is ruined. (funny)"

Irena: "What do you mean 'reputation ruined'? It's already deeply ingrained, okay. (funny)"

Debt-Ridden Big Eyes: "Damn! I was just joking. What do you mean I made it sound lewd? And who in this server doesn't know this guy has no tools for the job! (angry)"

Fang Chang: "Pfft—"

Quit Smoking: "Hahahaha damn!"

Old White: "You've completely stripped Night Ten's pants off, little bro. (laugh)"

Night Ten, sitting in front of his computer screen, nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, furiously hammering at the keyboard.

"Are your eyes stuck in my crotch or what? Who told you I don't have one!"

He had just hit Enter, but soon he couldn't hold it together, because the body in the game really didn't have one.

But expecting him to admit defeat was impossible—everyone is as stubborn as a mule when young.

In desperation, he added another line.

"And who says you need that thing for something to happen?"

Although he meant to change the subject, he didn't expect that once this sentence came out, the entire thread exploded instantly.

Sis: "???"

Teng Teng: "Good heavens, it's starting already?"

Tail: "Oooh! I never thought you were this kind of Night Ten!"

Maca Bazi: "Did a wheel just roll over my face?"

Roller Washer: "Wait, what about Miss Teng Teng?"

WC Mosquito: "Damn, two-timing?!"

Teng Teng: "What does it have to do with me!!!"

Night Ten: "What does it have to do with me!!!"

And so, the thread about five light-years away completely derailed to five light-years away.

As it turned out, the vast majority of players weren't really concerned about the world five light-years away; they were more interested in the fun right in front of them.

Gaia, ah.

To be honest, it was still too far.

There might not even be a single living soul there, just some... uh, old ball that had lived for who knows how many years?

But hearing that the Gaia planet five light-years away wasn't just a pie in the sky that you could look at but not eat, and that it had even been implemented into the universe of "Wasteland OL," many veteran players were quite relieved.

It was like fulfilling a wish!

The topic on the forum gradually shifted from the Burning Legion's defeat to how awesome the big shots were.

It seemed the server wouldn't need to be shut down.

Medical Miracle was still asking for advice on how to pretend to be an idiot and infiltrate the Enlightenment Society.

And Battlefield Vibe Squad was still trying to make the former understand that these two things were contradictory.

As for Fang Chang and Mole, they had once again overturned their previous predictions for the next version, and their analysis gradually shifted from pessimistic to optimistic.

As long as Night Ten kept "carrying," and brought that "Age of Prosperity" nuclear arsenal back into synchronous orbit, they could blow the Lagrange point space station to smithereens in no time.

Of course.

In theory.

Provided he could bring it back, and that the "Celestials" had no other cheats besides a few androids.

After a long, long time, Big Eyes, who had been silent for who knows how long, suddenly popped out a sentence.

"Damn... Night Ten actually got a girlfriend? (horrified)"

He had just been teasing the guy for fun, but he didn't expect the kid to actually wise up?!

No way—

Why him!

That kind of thing, no!

...

"These bastards are so damn boring."

Looking at the thread that had completely derailed, Ye Wei shook his head and clicked the X in the top right corner.

After browsing the forum for a long time, he felt his stomach growling, so he got up and pushed open the door to the living room.

As expected, Jiu Jiu was lying on the sofa playing games, with takeout boxes on the coffee table beside her.

That girl had let herself go as soon as she got into college, even forgetting to eat while gaming.

He had no idea what she was thinking.

She was already playing the world's most awesome fully immersive virtual game, yet she was still interested in those small-screen mobile games.

But then again, maybe that was one of the reasons Brother Mole's game sold so well in Ideal City.

The essence of happiness is the secretion of dopamine.

And stimulating dopamine secretion doesn't necessarily require complicated things.

The threshold for happiness keeps rising, but once it reaches a certain level, simple happiness becomes something new again.

After all, Jiu Jiu was still young...

She had only owned her own phone for two years, and he was the one who bought it for her.

Thinking about it that way, the game helmet and the phone might as well be new things that appeared at the same time for her, which was obviously different from his own situation.

As he thought, Ye Wei suddenly realized he wasn't young anymore; in a few years, he'd be an old man too.

Hearing the noise at the door, Jiu Jiu, still tapping on her screen, took a moment to reply.

"Bro? You're awake. I didn't order takeout for you."

Ye Wei rolled his eyes.

"Thanks a lot."

"Hehe, you're welcome."

Ye Jiu cheekily tossed back a reply, then soon resumed jabbing at her screen with murderous intent.

Just as Ye Wei flipped open his phone to order takeout, his little sister, sprawled on the sofa playing a game, suddenly piped up out of nowhere.

"So, I never would've guessed—I always thought you were totally devoted to Miss Tengteng, but in the end, you still ended up with her."

Ye Wei's mouth twitched.

"What weird nonsense are you talking about..."

"Hmph, am I wrong?"

Meeting that mischievous grin, Ye Wei couldn't help recalling what had happened two hours ago, and his gaze involuntarily darted away.

"...Not really."

Seeing her brother flustered, Ye Jiu perked up instantly. She tossed aside her phone, sat up straight on the sofa, and asked with sparkling eyes.

"Spill it—what happened?"

The girl had suddenly turned gossipy.

Ye Wei scratched the back of his head and eventually told his sister what had gone down.

He wasn't ashamed to admit it—this was his first time dating, and he was curious about what girls thought.

People's double standards were just like that.

Though he used to call her a "paper cutout," now that it was real, he couldn't treat Jiang Xuezhou as just a fictional character anymore. Instead, he grew anxious and uncertain.

As for Ye Jiu—

The little girl had always treated *Wasteland OL* as real people, so she didn't mock him about it.

After listening seriously to her brother's story, Ye Jiu rubbed her chin and nodded, then suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"See, bro? You still like girls who are nurturing and caring."

"What dumb thing are you saying? When has she ever been the nurturing type? I'm the one who's more caring, okay?" Ye Wei muttered awkwardly, for once lacking his usual swagger in front of his sister.

Ye Jiu, on the other hand, was the opposite. She gave a noncommittal, sly chuckle at her embarrassed brother.

"Hmph, is that so?"

Ye Wei was silent for a moment, but this time, instead of arguing, he muttered.

"...Fine, you win."

He suddenly remembered things from the past.

Not just on the Orion cruiser—it had always been like that.

Whenever he was in danger, she was more anxious than anyone. When she heard he had a crush, she'd get jealous and sulk alone, but later she'd still help him.

Of course, he'd helped her plenty too—they always looked out for each other.

So from that angle, Jiujiu wasn't entirely right—only half right.

Better to say she won half.

Watching her brother suddenly introspect, Ye Jiu curled her lips in satisfaction.

"Not easy, not easy—looks like the stubborn donkey finally learned to lower its head and find a carrot."

Ye Wei shot her a glare.

"What carrot? You're the carrot! Pfft, you're the stubborn donkey! Where am I stubborn?"

"Oh my, still playing favorites? Bro! I'm your flesh and blood—how can you side with an outsider!"

Ye Jiu put on a heartbroken expression, her big eyes glistening as if truly wounded.

Ye Wei wasn't buying it. He made a shooing motion with his hand.

"Scram, scram—don't give me that act."

"Hahaha, but your reaction is just too funny... Oh, right, right."

Grinning cheekily at her brother, Jiujiu suddenly stopped joking as if remembering something.

"Speaking of which, you two were the only ones on that starship, right?"

Ye Wei blinked, looking at her.

"What's up?"

Jiujiu's expression turned serious.

"I don't really have a concept of how far five light-years is... but are you sure it's okay to leave her alone in that pitch-black place?"

Ye Wei's face froze for a moment, but the words slipped out anyway.

"The reactor's been restored... it shouldn't be dark anymore."

Ye Jiu held her forehead and sighed.

"Are you an idiot?"

Actually, even as he said the first part, Ye Wei's face already showed guilt.

It had just hit him—before logging off, he'd said he'd be back in two minutes, but over two hours had passed.

He looked at the clock on the wall, and his expression completely changed.

"Holy crap!"

Without a second's hesitation, he grabbed the unopened takeout from the coffee table with lightning speed and rushed back into his room like a tornado tearing through a parking lot.

The moment he slammed the door shut, he heard a wail through the crack.

"That's my takeout! Damn it!"

"Eat mine!"

Wolfing down the food in record time, Ye Wei quickly ordered Jiujiu her favorite sour cabbage fish on his phone, then snatched the helmet off the table and put it on.

*Wasteland OL*—

Launch!

As Ye Shi rushed back online in a hurry, Ye Jiu, sitting in the living room, made a helpless face.

"Ah, this guy."

Oh well.

That takeout was originally for him anyway—his favorite braised pork trotter rice.

She was pretty open-minded.

Maybe their parents cared about carrying on the family line, but she didn't really mind whether her sister-in-law was a real person or a cyber-person.

Wasn't there always that rumor online?

That *Wasteland OL* was actually a game developed by aliens, and the world inside was real.

There were plenty of believers in that rumor, especially after *Wasteland OL* went mainstream—some even claimed to be players and listed a series of "evidence."

Though she thought those so-called experiments were stupid, who knew? Maybe it really was a real world.

Few can truly tell the difference between "existence" and "proving existence"—they appear to be the same question, but in reality belong to two entirely different dimensions.

That is something no textbook will ever teach.

But no matter what, seeing her own brother alive and kicking put her mind at ease; her greatest worry had been that he would never wake up and no one would want him, leaving her to change his diapers and clean up after him.

In short, as long as he was safe, that was all that mattered.