Ch 135: TGCIR

Li Weilan was thinking the same thing.

He wanted to protect her, protect the world they lived in, and safeguard their peace and tranquility. So, he just smiled warmly, a small dimple appearing at the corner of his mouth, and said, “As long as I see you, everything is fine.”

“So sweet.”

Shen Cheng’s heart unexpectedly skipped a beat.

She carefully looked at Li Weilan, trying to discern something in his smiling face. But even though he had hidden it well, Shen Cheng knew him too well. She could see a faint shadow in his expression—something he was trying to keep from her. There was definitely some worry he hadn’t shared.

Could it be related to the final stage of the mission?

No, her little one was the type to grow stronger in the face of challenges, to never back down. If he was just worried about the strength of the final boss, he would be more determined and focused, but he wouldn’t have this unspoken concern in his eyes.

Clearly, there was something he wasn’t telling her.

What had happened during those few minutes when the game screen went black and he was facing off with Fu Yanzhou? Was there something crucial that he couldn’t tell her?

Shen Cheng had a vague sense that something wasn’t right, considering the appearance of the zombie monkeys in her world and the looming zombie crisis. She didn’t yet know how to connect all these fragmented pieces of information, but her sharp mind told her that something was definitely off!

She chose not to press further.

If a man wanted to bear a secret, perhaps it was better to let him.

Instead of questioning him more, she took his hand and showed him the “kingdom” she had prepared—how she had reinforced the doors and walls of their home, stocked up on food and supplies. Aside from the fact that the house was rented, she had prepared everything else she could.

Li Weilan cherished the moment as he gently stroked her hair: Shen Cheng’s hair was smooth, like silk slipping through his fingers, so different from the state of most people’s hair in the post-apocalyptic world.

In their world, most water was purified by water-based ability users, and since the amount was limited, it was primarily used for drinking. Only high-level ability users could afford to have enough water each day to stay clean and look their best.

This was the reality of the post-apocalyptic world.

This was the struggle of ordinary people trying to survive in that world.

In the beginning, before Noah’s Base was established, before she had come into his life, he had also been struggling to survive.

But eventually, he found her.

No matter what the app had in mind, bringing her to his side was the greatest kindness, the most profound compassion, and the best outcome he could hope for.

In the end, for her sake, he owed the app a great debt.

Li Weilan cherished the feeling of running his fingers through her silky hair, and in that moment, his heart finally calmed.

The little bit of bitterness and reluctance he had felt earlier sank deep into the ocean of his mind, disappearing into the depths as he touched on these small moments of connection.

Gathering up his fleeting emotions, he looked at all the supplies she had stored and smiled, saying, “I truly hope we never have to use any of this.”

“???” Shen Cheng was taken aback, her mind racing, but she followed his lead and said, “Better safe than sorry, right? Though I also hope we never have to use it.”

She then flashed a proud smile. “Not bad, right?”

Li Weilan knew what she was hinting at and couldn’t help but smile as he lightly brushed her nose with his hand. “Very impressive.”

“Lilan,” Shen Cheng suddenly grabbed the hand that had been stroking her black hair.

Her small face drew closer on the screen, and she asked, “What should I call you?”

“???” Li Weilan pondered for a moment, and then instinctively understood her meaning.

Roleplay!

He recalled those times in the game when he’d been playfully cornered against a wall—though he had been flustered at the time, wasn’t this a playful take on the same thing?

His lips curled into a smile, his heart racing. His voice deepened, and his gaze darkened with intensity, “Master.”

“Good boy,” Shen Cheng responded with a satisfied smile as she cupped his face.

Li Weilan’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly leaned in and kissed her deeply.

When they parted, a thin string of saliva connected them, and Shen Cheng’s heart raced wildly. She didn’t even realize that her ears had turned red, but she still felt the need to stay in character: “So, does that mean you can lie to your master?”

In the game, it felt fun, but saying the word “Master” out loud in real life, especially in front of him, felt like a total embarrassment.

Her ears burned even hotter.

But the sound of that word echoed in the air between them, making Li Weilan’s gaze grow darker and more intense. His breath quickened as he asked, “What does Master want to know?”

“Master wants to know,” Shen Cheng said, sensing that he had dropped his defenses, “if you’re hiding anything from her?”

Li Weilan surrendered completely.

There should be no secrets between them.

Faced with that tone, he had no room to resist.

He glanced at the phone on the table, pressed the power button, and watched as the screen dimmed and the phone powered off. Although he knew this gesture was probably pointless—whether it was the game system or the mysterious connection between the two worlds, it was unlikely that something as simple as turning off a phone would sever that link.

But this act was just a small attempt to feel a bit safer.

In that moment, Shen Cheng vaguely guessed what was on his mind. After all, being completely unguarded about a game system that could connect two worlds was unrealistic, but her feelings for this game were more affectionate than wary.

Just thinking about how the game had brought her together with her boyfriend was enough to make her appreciate it.

After finishing everything, Li Weilan finally looked up and asked, “Xia Jinshi and Fu Yanzhou’s plan is to open an interdimensional gate.”

“???” Shen Cheng was stunned for three seconds at first, still lost in the lingering dream of the moment. But when she realized what “interdimensional gate” really meant, she was suddenly shocked. “Are you saying they plan to transfer the zombies from their world to another one?”

Li Weilan nodded, “The opportunity to use spatial cutting skills has been quite frequent, and during this process, I occasionally felt that there was something on the other side of the space that we opened. But we never knew what that ‘something’ was, and we didn’t think much about it at the time.”

Shen Cheng was startled.

Yes, the so-called “space” created by spatial abilities and the items that materialized from “reality” through the App all suggest that there is indeed a certain connection between the real world and Li Weilan’s world, right?

And the spatial energy fluctuations that Li Weilan sensed during the materialization also confirmed this theory—establishing this connection requires Li Weilan’s spatial abilities.

If you follow this logic, then the storage, farmland, and spiritual spring in Li Weilan’s space…

Shen Cheng’s eyes widened. Li Weilan slowly nodded, confirming her suspicions. What they both realized was that those things weren’t simply “appearing out of nowhere.”

His space had established a connection with a corner of another world, and this ability to open a rift and establish a connection might be unique. Now, Fu Yanzhou and Xia Jinshi had also found a way to open such an interdimensional connection.

By maximizing their energy and combining it with the explosive force of a nuclear bomb, they could use the collision between energies to open a door to another world.

Then, the zombie army, which has been assembled and is now operating under Fu Yanzhou’s command, could follow Fu Yanzhou into an entirely new world.

No one knows where this world leads.

But even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that it leads to Shen Cheng’s world, Li Weilan couldn’t take that risk.

Even without the final task reward of 20% progress on the zombie vaccine—which would enable mass production of the vaccine—Li Weilan would still do everything in his power to stop their plan.

Their world’s survival should not come at the expense of another world.

For Fu Yanzhou, leading the zombies to that other world means he would remain the one and only Zombie Emperor. Perhaps these messages have already been conveyed to the other zombies, or perhaps not. But either way, Fu Yanzhou, who can command so many high-level zombies and devour the crystal cores of his fellow zombies without restraint, must clearly understand this plan.

It’s a perfect plan.

But now there’s only one final question: Why are Xia Jinshi and Fu Yanzhou so certain that the interdimensional gate will definitely open?

Where does their confidence come from?

Could it be that they’ve already conducted similar experiments, and the recent “anomalies” in Shen Cheng’s world are related to their experiments?

This was the question that Li Weilan did not voice.

Because he could see the anger burning in Shen Cheng’s eyes. She furiously rubbed her forehead, pointing at the TV that was still looping news reports and “rumors,” and said to Li Weilan, “If they dismissed the zombie deer as a false alarm, then our world is already in danger. And you’re telling me that all of this could be because some scientists have treated our world as just another test site?”

“…” Li Weilan saw the flames of fury burning in her eyes.

He lowered his head in shame. Although it wasn’t directly his fault, thinking about the “plague” that had spread from their world made his heart sink with an indescribable bitterness—this was also why he hesitated to tell her everything in the first place.

I can’t shake the feeling that, considering everything, as a spatial ability user, and one of the few who thought about the ‘spatial ability’ aspect, I bear some responsibility for this.

Shen Cheng, however, grabbed Li Weilan’s hand, her voice still full of vitality. Li Weilan looked up, dumbfounded, at the warm smile beside him. “Li Weilan, let’s beat them up, knock their teeth out, and then wipe out all the remaining zombies right in front of them. Let them know that causing trouble elsewhere is the only solution for the weak. It’s not us who can’t handle it; it’s them who are too weak!”

Li Weilan looked into her eyes.

His voice was husky, “Cheng Cheng…”

Shen Cheng then realized that his spirits were a bit low. After thinking it over for a moment, she quickly understood what was going on.

He had a knot in his heart!

He was overthinking things!

Way too much!

Her boyfriend, of course, was someone she had to cheer up herself.

Shen Cheng clearly distinguished between enemies and her own, and she had no intention of punishing her boyfriend for the mistakes of others. She hugged his head close, saying, “Li Weilan, this isn’t your fault. You’re the first spatial ability user, so it’s natural you didn’t think of these things. As for me, I’m also a first-time girlfriend,” she said playfully, blinking her eyes, “so, please bear with me, Li Weilan.”

He wished he could just pull her into his embrace.

She was his salvation.

His long-awaited dawn.

“There’s something I never told you,” Li Weilan said, “being pulled out of the desert by you, I think I’ve already used up all my luck.”

“That’s not right,” Shen Cheng shook her finger, “It’s all of our luck because if it weren’t for that, I might still be living in a shared apartment.”

The two of them chatted warmly for a long time.

When the time drew near, Li Weilan held her close, and as the unavoidable moment of parting approached, he slowly closed his eyes, hoping that this would only be a short separation, leading to an everlasting reunion.

Their conversations were filled with everyday matters, and Li Weilan eventually spent some time in the store picking out the most suitable weapon and armor for himself: a helmet that resists mind control, and instead of a traditional combat weapon, he chose a chip weapon designed to be installed in Xia Jinshi’s nuclear control room. This chip would directly ruin Xia Jinshi’s plan—because even if the coordinates in the control room were off by just an inch, the final landing point could be drastically different. The portal Xia Jinshi intended to open would instead become a means to destroy the zombies.

The two had already agreed that Li Weilan would lead the base’s fighters in the front line to stop Fu Yanzhou’s zombie army, while Shen Cheng would use the distraction to sneak in and find out where Xia Jinshi had hidden the nuclear control room.

To achieve this, Shen Cheng purchased the [Truth Serum: Makes the user speak the truth once. Please consider your questions carefully (Note: If you waste the opportunity by asking careless questions, this App is not responsible for the cost.)]

Using the truth serum required careful planning. For this reason, Shen Cheng and Li Weilan had already rehearsed their lines, ensuring they knew exactly how to question Xia Jinshi to get the most out of that one shot.

Shen Cheng watched as Li Weilan successfully landed back in the game, breathed a sigh of relief, and decided to focus on the mission at hand. She activated the projection, controlled her in-game character, and stealthily made her way to Xia Jinshi’s tent.

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