Chapter 215: End of the Main Story

The elevator descended again. The three of them exchanged glances, a pang of regret hitting them as they recalled the first two scenarios.

The elevator paused for a third time, and the doors slid open.

This level was a single, vast, open space. Aside from a few instruments that looked like conveyor belts, it was completely empty.

Naiwa was the first to step out of the elevator. Its voice rang out, “You all can come out and have a look.”

Wen Bai led the way, with Shi Zhile right behind him and Sun Ci bringing up the rear as they exited the elevator.

A moment later, the conveyor belts whirred to life. A humanoid system suddenly materialized and began moving along one of the belts toward the far end.

The three watched intently, witnessing with their own eyes as the humanoid system reached the end, where it was torn to pieces before being reduced to a pile of scrap material.

Throughout the entire process, Naiwa never once approached the conveyor belts.

As they returned to the elevator, Shi Zhile asked, “Naiwa, do you have emotions?”

Naiwa’s voice remained as cold as ever. “I do! I have multiple modes, but the boss prefers my stable personality.”

Shi Zhile understood.

‘Its emotions were pre-programmed by the main system. It had expressions for happiness and sadness, but they had to be activated first.’

‘It had emotions, but it didn’t understand the reason for them.’

‘To put it bluntly, it was just a robot that existed through data and chips. Its language, movements, and emotions were all pre-installed.’

“What kind of system are you?”

“I’m a companion system, but my purpose isn’t just companionship. I’m also a qualified special assistant.”

Shi Zhile lowered her voice. “Is the main system a person or a system?”

Naiwa: “…”

It didn’t answer.

“Naiwa, is your boss a system or a person? This is a mandatory question!”

Naiwa opened its mouth, but the voice that emerged was a cold, male one. “I’m not human, but you can be a dog!”

Shi Zhile: “…”

‘Well, I’ll be!’

‘So they’re linked!’

The elevator opened again, this time arriving directly at the lowest level.

The system guarding the main gate was still there. Sun Ci strode forward and scooped it into his arms.

With quick eyes and even quicker hands, Shi Zhile snatched two small, passing systems from the hall and hugged them tight.

The next second, she was flying. It was as if she’d been struck by a badminton racket, her entire body shooting away like an Arrow Fletching released from a bowstring.

POP~

She felt as if she had passed through some kind of gas, before plunging headfirst into the soil—which, in fact, was exactly what had happened.

Mr. Wen was instructing some students on how to loosen the soil. The group had just sat down to rest when they saw what looked like a shooting star dive into the field.

They exchanged a look and hurriedly sent a message to the base commander.

Soon, a small squad of soldiers had surrounded the crater.

The base commander, who was leading them, glanced down and saw Shi Zhile sitting in the crater, covered in dust and grime, spitting out mouthfuls of dirt.

The base commander: “…”

He ordered someone to lower a ladder and personally climbed down to pull Shi Zhile up.

“How did you end up flying down here? Where are Wen Bai and Sun Ci?”

Before Shi Zhile could answer, Wen Bai and Sun Ci suddenly materialized nearby.

Compared to the other two, Shi Zhile looked exceptionally miserable.

She was still clutching two small systems, whose large eyes stared blankly. They didn’t look very bright.

Sun Ci was holding one as well. Seeing that Shi Zhile had two, he suddenly understood why she had been sent flying back.

“You were gone for two months, and you come back having stolen their systems?”

‘Two months?’

‘For them, it had been less than half a day, yet two months had passed on the outside.’

Shi Zhile shot him a disapproving look. “What do you mean, stolen? He clearly promised to give them to me. He said I could have two, so I took two.”

Sun Ci and Wen Bai: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

‘She took two, but then what about the one in Sun Ci’s arms?’

The base commander knew Shi Zhile well enough to have his suspicions. He had a feeling the system in Sun Ci’s arms was the intended gift, while the two Shi Zhile had were likely extras she’d swiped on her way out.

But that was unimportant.

“Quick! Let’s get back and have the researchers take a look at them.”

He grabbed Shi Zhile with one hand and Sun Ci with the other, pulling them toward a military vehicle parked nearby.

Wen Bai followed close behind, and the four of them sped away.

‘He was in such a hurry, but he’d never admit he was terrified the main system would come to snatch them back.’

Upon arriving at Stone Island, Shi Zhile discovered that security had been tightened considerably.

There were not only more human guards but also all sorts of new monitoring devices.

Shi Zhile used a special access corridor, while the base commander, Wen Bai, and Sun Ci had to pass through several rounds of scanning to enter Stone Island.

Once inside the secret base, they proceeded directly to a conference room, where the three small systems were placed on the table.

“Y-you… st-stole…”

“B-boss…”

“Kidnapper…”

The three systems stammered, each trying to say something different.

A dozen or so people gathered around, poking them curiously from time to time.

Seeing that they couldn’t even form a complete sentence, everyone was palpably disappointed.

The base commander remarked, “They don’t seem any different from our own robots.”

“Worse than no difference,” someone else added. “Our robots speak much more fluently than these things.”

BZZT! One of the systems placed its hands on its ‘waist’ and promptly snapped itself in two.

It then tinkered with its parts for a moment before reassembling itself.

“‘Stu… BEEP! Connection successful!'”

The large screen on the wall flickered on, revealing a video of the base commander dancing energetically in a bikini.

The base commander: “…”

Everyone else: “Whoa!”

Researchers rushed in, their eyes lighting up the moment they saw the systems. They immediately scooped them up and carried them away.

After all three systems were carried off, the video on the large screen also ended.

Shi Zhile then recounted what she had seen at the system hub.

“We don’t understand the source of the energy. The main system is too powerful. He doesn’t want to destroy the chips, and we’re in no position to bargain with him right now. But the good news is, he needs to study the chips, so he won’t let them get out of his control.”

Wen Bai spoke up. “The most important thing now is our own development. With the interstellar situation being what it is…”

The group went on to discuss the future direction for the secret base’s development.

When the meeting concluded, everyone dispersed, returning to their own lives.

With the game’s fusion with Earth, energy was now abundant everywhere. The Senior Suns, who had never before left the secret base, could now venture out thanks to this energy.

The Teleportation Gate opened, and the seniors stepped off the island, their faces filled with anticipation.

Outside the secret base was a sky full of stars.

Leaving Stone Island and Huaxia Base behind, they emerged into a world of towering skyscrapers. The city lights were just beginning to glow, illuminating countless homes.

The group strolled slowly along the sidewalk, occasionally spotting a few passersby walking in pairs or small groups.

They were filled with emotion—relief that their hardships were finally over, and hope for the future.

As they turned from a quiet path onto the western pedestrian street, the silence gave way to the lively, bustling atmosphere of the city.

Shi Zhile bought a few skewers of grilled squid from the first stall, only realizing she had no money when it was time to pay.

She turned and grabbed the base commander’s arm, blinking her big eyes until he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Alright, alright. I know you don’t have any money. To commend you young folks, our leader has approved a lifetime ‘on the house’ pass for you all. So eat your fill. Go wild. I’ll pay; the state will reimburse me.”

Shi Zhile grabbed one of the seniors by the hand and dashed into the night market.

It was an evening that began with excitement and ended in contentment.

On the way back, the base commander received a video from Wei Zhan.

In the video, the sun was just beginning to rise, its light exceptionally dazzling.

“Base Commander, mission complete!”

From this day forward, this land would know war no more.

[End of Main Text]