Chapter 108

Da Jun, stingy as ever, had given her a small bottle of chicken blood, claiming it was precious free-range chicken blood—and now someone was using it by the bucketful.

Wait. Had she raided a chicken coop? Where had all that chicken blood come from!

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He immediately locked onto his three tasks—first, hold off the military to protect Lin Tu; second, let the infected through; third, take over the crane controls if necessary and sink the ship.

Da Jun activated his skills without hesitation: [Emergency Evacuation: Designate a target to follow the rescue captain] and [All-Out Rescue: When a designated target is in danger, the rescue captain gains the ability to teleport close to the target or the source of danger]. The former could send the infected charging onto the open deck; the latter could protect Lin Tu from gunfire!

But Da Jun noticed that Lin Tu wasn't standing at the top of the ship anymore.

She'd scrambled down from the ship's peak in a flash and disappeared into the cabin. When she broke a window, Da Jun spotted her pulling out a long blade he'd never seen before.

"Hey! You won't make it out if the ship sinks!" Da Jun shouted.

Lin Tu was really... adding chaos to chaos! The plan was supposed to be no plan at all, and fine, he could understand why she was doing this—taking both the infected and the upper-class passengers away would give this ship more hope. But couldn't she at least trust him as her teammate? How could Grandpa Lin's granddaughter be such a lone wolf? Shouldn't she have a crowd of people protecting and helping her?

But for all his shouting, his hands never stopped moving.

Lin Tu didn't turn around to talk to him. Of course she wasn't going to run. She was a walking, fragrant, zero-infection food source—staying on the ship was the best option.

Lin Tu had already scoped out which cabin on the ship was the most luxurious, and had even planted a few small surveillance cameras. So finding Secretary Pang De was easy. Raised on the maxim that "villains die from talking too much," she said not a single word—one strike, and Pang De was done.

This mountain that had weighed down the lower decks truly crumbled at last, with no chance of rising again.

After killing Pang De, Lin Tu made her way to the storeroom. With a cold smile, she slashed through every piece of lifesaving equipment—life rings, lifeboats, life jackets—then dragged the lot up to the deck.

By now, half the ship had already moved off the deck. On the side still connected to the open deck, infected patients covered nearly every inch, surging up in a frenzy, piling into a veritable bridge of star-crossed lovers, making the whole ship totter.

The dignitaries aboard, who had once thought themselves above everyone else, were now flooded with fear. Without a moment's hesitation, they dropped to the ground, scrabbling for the lifesaving gear Lin Tu had tossed down, brawling and cursing each other like common street thugs. The peace that had once been held together by profit and desire shattered in an instant.

Then they realized—this cursed pile of lifesaving gear was all damaged!

Lin Tu stood on the ship's peak, smiling down at them.

In truth, she could have stored all the lifesaving gear in her backpack. But she chose not to. She wanted to watch these animals grasp at hope and have it snatched away, like a perfect final act of a play—the victor's moment of settling. Lin Tu only needed to stand at the top of the ship and savor the quiet after the dust settled.

"You're the one who slashed all these! You crazy bitch, you're going to die too!"

Someone on the deck spotted her.

Lin Tu smiled sweetly. "I stand higher, so I'll die later than you. With you lot clearing the path ahead, I'll have no regrets."

"Ah!" The man roared helplessly, glaring at Lin Tu with hatred, fury, and fear. At that moment, he wanted to tear her apart more than he wanted to escape the infected.

"Quit joking around! Lin Tu!" Da Jun shouted from over there. "Get back here! My [Emergency Evacuation] has failed—you're on your own now. I know you can make it back, right?!"

Lin Tu spread her hands. She'd noticed her weakness while planning earlier—she had plenty of skills for trapping and killing enemies, and Blueberry's agility boost was only meant to improve combat. But she didn't have a single forced escape skill. [Emergency Ambulance] could flee quickly, but it only moved three meters—too short a distance.

Once this disaster was over, she'd need to stock up on escape gear.

"You've got to be kidding!" Da Jun nearly threw down the joystick.

"Don't worry, I have another way." Lin Tu told him to keep going.

The ship continued to creep toward the sea, finally reaching a sufficient distance.

It didn't take long, but plenty of people had already been bitten and turned into infected, searching for others still in hiding.

"Watch the timing!" Lin Tu shouted.

At the same time, Da Jun yanked the joystick again, moving the ship a little farther out. Then he jumped down from the crane and sprinted away as fast as he could. Behind him came a thunderous "BOOM." Da Jun turned to see beautiful sparks blooming in the air!

Wait—in the air? Da Jun looked at the perfectly intact crane, then at the ship already blown into segments, splashing "plop plop" into the sea, along with the screaming bodies of those falling.

"Lin Tu! You moved the explosives?!" Da Jun sprinted over in disbelief, dropping to his knees at the edge of the deck like he was at a cliff's edge, staring into the bottomless abyss below. "Lin Tu? Lin Tu? Are you there? Damn it, why do you hate them even more than I do! Don't go and kill yourself! Hey?!"

He knew she'd reinforced her body with energy stones—if she were alive, she'd definitely hear him. Because he'd done the same.

Using his evolved eyesight, he scanned the debris in the water bit by bit, straining to hear any possible cries for help. Just as he was hesitating whether to dive in and search for her, a medium-sized houseboat nearly twenty meters long materialized out of thin air on the sea surface.

This "boat" was more of a house than a ship. Just from the structure, he could tell it was a typical one-bedroom, one-living-room with a bathroom, and an air conditioner unit hung on the wall outside the living room. Who in a disaster world still ran AC? It was hard to say whether she was here to clear the disaster or to enjoy herself.

Lin Tu pushed open the door and stepped onto the deck, raising her hand to wave at Da Jun—but her arm froze mid-air. "Why are you turning transparent?"

She thought it was some skill effect. But Da Jun stared at himself, equally bewildered.

He looked at himself for a moment, then murmured, "Weird... I think I know what your mission is. It's like it should have been my mission all along."

He stepped forward. Lin Tu watched in horror as Da Jun stepped directly onto thin air, like a weightless soul, floating up to hover right above her head—while he seemed completely unaware.

"I remember my mission, my origin, and my name now. This name shouldn't be unfamiliar to you. Deng Haixiang—he's dead, isn't he?"

Lin Tu stared at him in disbelief. She hadn't said a word, but she'd said everything.

"We were a seven-man team—me, Da Jun, Da Sima, Xiao Wu, Qu Qu... After entering the disaster, we boarded the Watchman. We quickly discovered a research project that could reverse the disaster. You know that if you change the entire landscape of a disaster world and earn an SSS-level world rating, you get more rewards. Of course, that's just the surface. The hidden benefits—no one can say for sure. Maybe you'd earn the chance to be reborn in that world. Maybe you'd receive the gift of the entire world."

Lin Tu: "...?" She'd earned four SSS ratings, and she'd never heard of this. Did being invited into the S-rank "Abyss of No Light" count? That sounded more like biting the hand that fed you.

"Anyway, we abandoned the safer plan and decided to fully support that research to the end."

At this, Lin Tu nodded in approval.

"But you know the plague was unavoidable on the Watchman. To protect the research, Da Jun got infected. He said he'd seen the day the research succeeded and wasn't afraid, but his infection was severe. We were worried about our teammate, so we forced the use of an S-rank item to accelerate time, trying to complete the research in one go."

"Then we realized the research was split in two—one half on the Watchman, one half on the Black Pearl. No matter how much we accelerated time, it wouldn't work. We had to bring the two ships together to develop the cure."

"But by then, the ship was almost completely overrun with infected. To regain control, we had to clear them out. Da Sima, Da Hai, and Qu Qu were infected one after another. Luckily, we took back the whole ship."

Watching Deng Haixiang's bitter smile, Lin Tu grew quiet. She already knew what happened next.

The Watchman—no fuel! No supplies! Those things must have been smuggled away while Deng Haixiang's team was desperately protecting the research.

"The bastards on the Watchman fled, leaving nothing behind. We ran aground on the shore, could only send a message to the Black Pearl, and then waited—waited and waited—until Da Jun turned first, then Sima, then Da Hai, then Qu Qu... I killed them one by one, and recorded their names. They shouldn't be forgotten. I'll never forget them."

As Deng Haixiang spoke, tears of pain, despair, and rage spilled from his eyes. That tear seemed to take physical form, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, drifting through the air before slowly falling to rest before Lin Tu.

"This is a skill I evolved with evolution points: [Ultra-High-Difficulty Escape Technique]. Its passive effect triggers when I'm dying—I relive my life in a flash, select the recent cause of my death, rewind to that point, and try to avoid it. If I succeed, I change my fate and even others'. If I fail, as punishment, I lose my memories and fall into a loop of escapes."

"Like now—in my memories, I've experienced this scene no fewer than a thousand times. I stayed on the Black Pearl for a very, very long time. It wasn't until you blew up this ship that my loop truly ended."

Energy stones? Lin Tu didn't ask about that first. She said excitedly, "Then... was your fate changed?"

"The biggest change is resurrection, isn't it? But so much time has passed—even if I came back to life, I'd still be dead..." Deng Haixiang chuckled. "But saving a whole ship full of people—that's a fair trade."

He had no regrets now. It was time for him to die. "I'm giving this skill to you. But its passive is unique—it can't be used again. It's just a special item now, for escaping. Don't pull a stunt this big next time."

Lin Tu wanted to say something more, but he added, "I could only give you this because we share the same name and identity. Don't ask for anything else."

Lin Tu: "..." I absolutely did NOT have that thought!

"Don't enter disasters this way again—it's extremely dangerous!" Deng Haixiang put on a stern elder's air. "So many years have passed—you must be a descendant of Grandpa Lin's descendants' descendants. As your elder, I warn you: players aren't that simple! Evolution points can change more than just skills—they can change a person's very personality. Some players become extremely extreme, and plenty of them have fallen in disaster worlds. 'A centipede dies but never stiffens.' I could take your place right now and leave this disaster world."

Lin Tu shuddered—not because Deng Haixiang said he could replace her, but because his dead-serious elder routine gave her goosebumps all over.

"I won't do it. But that doesn't mean others won't."

Lin Tu nodded, acknowledging the warning. "Can I record your information? Would it be okay if I sent you an invitation to come visit my home in the future?"

Deng Haixiang looked at her in silence for a moment. "Only if I'm still looping here. But the good news is—I'm finally about to die."

Why did he say it like he didn't want to visit her home? Watching Deng Haixiang's figure about to fade, Lin Tu asked one final question: "Did my grandfather ever say where he'd wait for his granddaughter?"

Deng Haixiang had just firmly established himself as Lin Tu's elder, so when she suddenly asked this, and it didn't seem like a lie, he was caught off guard. A scene appeared in his mind—one he'd never understood before.

After the Evolution Club annual meeting ended, he'd snuck up to the rooftop of a tall building for a smoke. He found the old man there too. The old man was looking at the bustling, thriving city they'd worked so hard to build—but there was a hint of loneliness in his eyes.

The old man muttered to himself, "What should I leave for her? What won't fade like smoke, and can stay with her forever in my place..."

Seeming to sense his arrival, the old man turned around. "Ah, it's you. Though the Wheel of Fate's guidance is vague, please remember these words: if anyone ever asks where I am, tell them I'll be waiting for her when the dust settles. Da Huang and I are both here. Tell her not to rush—take her time."

"This is payment." The old man tossed over a brilliant gem, arcing beautifully through the air. Deng Haixiang caught it on instinct, somewhat bewildered.

Later, Deng Haixiang used that evolution point to evolve the skill [Ultra-High-Difficulty Escape Technique], eventually becoming a squad leader. Now it was returning to its rightful owner, he thought.

As he finished describing the scene, Lin Tu didn't have time to grieve—she quickly asked, "Do you know Yu Zhonglin?"

The nearly dissipated Deng Haixiang shook his head slightly, unable even to say goodbye before he vanished completely.

Lin Tu tilted her head back, clutching the tear-drop pendant of the escape technique, as if she could see the scene he'd described. So her grandfather was dead, then. She looked at the image of the old man flickering in midair, sitting by the door fanning himself—and her eyes suddenly welled with tears she couldn't name.

Damn it. It had been so long since she'd cried. Lin Tu irritably wiped the tears away, refusing to let them fall.

The heart that had crumbled to ash began to beat again at those words—"when the dust settles."

On the way to the gas station, Lin Tu finally pieced it together. So she was supposed to live in the Golden Age, be Deng Haixiang's contemporary, and inherit her grandfather's vast fortune—who the hell just casually throws an evolution point around! That should have been hers! But for unknown reasons, she had only entered the disasters now, with just a run-down house to her name.

A towering building rises from the ground; glory can only be built with one's own hands~ Damn it, that cursed lyric echoed in her head.

Grandpa told her not to rush, so Lin Tu decided to indulge herself out of spite. She'd make up for all the suffering of not living in the Golden Age. Along the way, she ate and drank freely, letting the Butler steer the boat as she headed for the gas station.

This world's oceans were especially vast, and people's lives were inseparable from the sea, so they protected it well. Lin Tu couldn't detect any pollution even with her contamination detector, so she relaxed and started fishing and diving.

Compared to the storm-battered sea life in the [Sunken Land], this was the real life.

In the mornings, Lin Tu would take the chicks for a stroll around Back Mountain and dig up some worms. During the day, she'd fish from the stern with bait, wearing loose clothes, listening to music while watching dramas, reading, or sketching. A little table beside her would hold milk tea, desserts, or cola and fried chicken—whatever suited her mood.

When she didn't feel like fishing, she'd practice her shooting on seabirds. She'd thought she might add some game to her diet occasionally, but seagull meat was chewy and got stuck in her teeth, nearly ruining her appetite. She never picked up fallen birds from the sea again.

Or she'd lie in a rocking chair, doing nothing at all, and doze off in the afternoon sun until she woke naturally.

In the evenings, she'd grill barbecue or cook hotpot by the bright moonlight. All in all, sitting by a warm fire while the cool sea breeze blew—there was nothing more comfortable.

As for food—what else was there to eat at sea but fish? Lin Tu had some fishing experience, so she usually caught something. When she got tired of fish, she'd anchor the boat and put on the diving suit from the disaster before last, diving down to see what else she could find.

Interestingly, the waters along her route weren't deep, and she often spotted coral reefs and islands big and small.

In the coral reefs, she could find all kinds of shellfish—perfect for a delicious stew. Sometimes she'd encounter sea urchins, eels, and octopuses. The islands had coconut trees, mango trees, and durians, and under the golden coconut palms, she could catch fresh shrimp and crabs. Lin Tu grabbed whatever she saw—she wasn't picky.

The wooden rack she'd made for drying jerky was now full of fish, not enough. So Lin Tu used the lumber she'd stockpiled from the disasters to build two more racks, specifically for drying octopus, eels, mangoes, and durians.

She also tried making preserved fish with her cured meat sauce, and smoked fish with dried meat. They all tasted great, so she stocked them all in the warehouse.

Why does time seem to pass faster as you get older? Lin Tu figured it was because the older you get, the better you are at enjoying life and pleasing yourself. For instance, lying on the deck watching dramas all afternoon—she could barely feel time flying.

Before she knew it, two months had passed. Lin Tu, having refilled her 30-ton fuel tank, finally arrived at the Watchman.

The ship showed no signs of life at all—not even bodies. Still, Lin Tu put on her protective suit and walked in cautiously.

How was time calculated here? Deng Haixiang had looped on the Black Pearl a thousand times, and now that the loop was broken, how much time had passed here? Pondering this, Lin Tu made her way into the hospital.

She went to the lab first, planning to leave some hints for newcomers like Malin En. But she found the place nearly stripped bare. The vast room was empty, and though it had clearly been cleaned, it was still covered in dust.

Lin Tu frowned. What about the research results? She was about to search elsewhere when she noticed a doorplate on the floor pressing down a few old slips of paper.

She walked over, picked them up, and was stunned to see the doorplate read "442." The paper read—

First slip: "Thank you for your warning, Miss Lin. Knowing you're safe puts my mind at ease! We've taken the research results with us. We'll unite and do our best! Looking forward to hearing from you. Phone..."

Second slip: "Three years have passed. Cracking the plague is too difficult, but our scientists are still working. That research is crucially important. Thank you for your warning. Looking forward to hearing from you..."

Third slip: "Another three years have passed. Some of the newly formed council members have been corrupted by wealth and are demanding the re-establishment of the upper class. Have they forgotten our past? The others and I strongly oppose this. If the upper class returns, all those sacrifices will have been meaningless! I hope you know my resolve. Looking forward to hearing from you. Phone: ..."

Last slip: "Miss Lin, where are you? Are you well? This is my phone... The old number was reset when the telecom company reorganized, but this number won't change again. Looking forward to your call!"

These notes were obviously from Mamira. So her time flowed differently from Lin Tu's?

Lin Tu looked at the blurry phone numbers, an idea forming. She picked up a slip and wrote—

"The research on the Watchman, combined with the Black Pearl's, is the key to curing the plague... The upper class are all dead. I'm certain of it. Don't worry about them making a comeback... You can leave messages for me here. When I see them, I'll contact you..."

As soon as she finished writing and set it down, the phone numbers on the old slips became clear.

Lin Tu picked up her phone and dialed.

"Doo—"

"Hello? Is that you..." A trembling voice answered. She... She had so many questions, but couldn't voice them. Like where Lin Tu had been all these years, or why they'd seen Deng Haixiang's name when burying the dead on the Watchman—and why the reconstructed skull of Deng Haixiang looked exactly like that friend of Lin Tu's she'd once met.

"Long time no see." Lin Tu smiled. "Tell me how you've been."

Mamira instantly forgot her doubts. Now past forty, she chattered on as happily as the girl she'd once been.

The new nation had been established; the cure still wasn't finished, but it was close; her mother, her body broken by the plague, had passed away a few years back; she now not only kept chickens but had started a supermarket, and her business was thriving—no plans to marry for now...

Finally, she asked, "What about you? Can I come visit you? Or I'll send a ship to pick you up right now—I've got money!" She stressed those last three words heavily.

Lin Tu: She'd spent "these years" eating and drinking on the sea, doing nothing at all.

"No need. I'm leaving in a couple of days. I only called to check on you and ask one more thing," Lin Tu replied. "Did you all collect the bodies from the ship back then?"

"We did. They're on the sunny slope of the hill, three hundred meters northeast of the Watchman." Mamira hesitated, then asked, "If I may... why did that Deng Haixiang appear on both the Watchman and the Black Pearl?" She sensed this would touch on a secret—a secret about why Lin Tu's voice sounded exactly the same after all these years—so she added, "I don't have to know."

Lin Tu thought for a moment, then told the truth: "Because he wanted to end that disaster, he did something risky and lost his life in the end. But fortunately, though he couldn't change his own fate, he changed yours."

"..."

After hanging up, Mamira stood frozen for a long moment. Then she hurriedly called out, "Quick! Go bring more flowers and fruit baskets to Mr. Deng Haixiang's grave on the Watchman! And I'm donating to build him a statue! Oh, and find out if he has any descendants—I want to support them!"

On her end, Lin Tu put away her phone. She'd told Mamira what Deng Haixiang had done, but hadn't told her about the Infinite Calamity. Why should she, living in a peaceful world, need to know so much?

The more you know, the sadder you get—a truth Lin Tu had come to understand deeply now that she'd confirmed her grandfather's death.

Following Mamira's directions, she reached Deng Haixiang's grave. Lin Tu pulled out a shovel, dug open the grave, and found the pale blue ticket underneath.

"Sorry for the disturbance," Lin Tu said, reburying it. "Rest in peace."