14 [END]

 According to his character setting, Song Yu couldn't refuse Chen Shuan's request.

Even without this restriction, he didn't seem to want to refuse.

—The man with bruises under his eyes looked exhausted and needed rest.

Song Yu glanced at Chen Shuan, then at his own bed.

Smaller than a double bed, but squeezing in a little should be… enough, right?

If not, he'd shrink a bit further against the wall; he used to be able to fit on the single bed in the dorm with Zhou Yanming.

Nodding, Song Yu ignored the slightly surprised look on the other man's face and ran to the wardrobe.

An extra blanket, wrapped in old cloth, was placed on top of the wardrobe.

Song Yu had to stand on tiptoe to reach it. He struggled to reach the blanket to both sides, trying to take it down, but his vision began to blur.

He was lifted aside by the man.

"Little Yu, so light."

Perhaps having gotten the chance to share a bed with the boy, Chen Shuan's tone was pleasant.

Song Yu felt mocked and looked at his thin wrists, looking like a little bully, fiercely saying, "Don't say I'm light."

Chen Shuan's lips curled up as he easily took the blankets from the closet.

Of course, if he could, he would prefer to share a blanket with Song Yu, but that might mean they wouldn't even have the chance to sleep in the same bed.

The man knew how to compromise and silently began making the blankets.

It seemed everyone was quite good at housework.

They were all better than him.

Well, let the one who's good at it do it...

Song Yu accepted this with a clear conscience, ignoring Chen Shuan and taking the basin to the bathroom.

When he returned, the blankets were already made, two neatly arranged.

Chen Shuan seemed to have a bit of OCD, dividing the space very evenly.

Song Yu had forgotten to mention that he could give up a little more space.

After having 009 help dry his hair, Song Yu lay down in the soft blankets. About five minutes later, Chen Shuan returned, still damp.

Song Yu was a little sleepy and closed his eyes again. Midway through, he felt the bed move slightly; Chen Shuan must have finished tidying up and gotten on.

He hummed softly, thinking of the man's tall stature and long legs, and moved a little closer to the wall to give the other more space to stretch out.

After doing this, he felt something soft touch his cheek.

The drowsiness vanished.

Song Yu opened his eyes, facing Chen Shuan's magnified face—too close, the other's breath mingling with his own.

"You… um—"

He only managed to utter one word before Song Yu's lips were sealed with a kiss.

…

The boy, worried that the professor wouldn't get enough rest, had kindly agreed to the request, never expecting to invite trouble.

But perhaps it wasn't the professor's fault.

Such a soft, fragrant little bundle, with fair and clean skin, so considerately curled up into a small ball, leaving extra room.

So adorable, he couldn't control himself.

In the end, Song Yu had been drooled over, his face wet and red, soaking a small patch of the pillowcase, his expression a mixture of pain and pleasure.

His wet chin was licked clean little by little, then his cheek was gently pecked.

He'd been tricked again…

Still dazed, Song Yu finally realized he'd been fooled by the man who'd played the victim.

He wanted to back out, but soon the man pulled him into his arms, his even, soft breathing gradually filling his ears.

Chen Shuan was asleep.

The dim light from the bedside lamp illuminated the man's profile, which, unlike his usual cold and quiet demeanor, appeared soft and vulnerable, without a trace of wariness.

Song Yu hesitated for a few seconds, but didn't wake him.

The cool breath wafted over, and he gradually drifted off to sleep as well.

*

When he woke up the next day, Chen Shuan was already gone.

Only after 009 reminded him did Song Yu realize one of his towels was missing; it had been taken by the other man.

He didn't know how many days it would take to get to the main base, and sufficient rest was important, so Song Yu didn't dwell on it. He was just a little curious.

So he opened the wardrobe, took out his other towel, and smelled it.

It didn't smell like anything…

but people can't smell their own scent, Song Yu asked 009: "Can you smell it?" "What exactly do I smell like?"

009 is an AI, lacking a sense of smell and unable to detect scents.

However, it has already determined its goal after leaving this world—to upgrade its sense of smell and experience the scent on its host.

The base leaders have all left, but everyone continues their work as usual.

Song Yu spent the day uneventfully.

The progress bar remained at 95%, and no new tasks were assigned.

He thought he might have to wait a few more days, but that evening, 009 suddenly rang.

"Host, your last task has arrived—"

Upon hearing this, Song Yu immediately jumped out of bed, straightened his back, and listened attentively to 009's words.

"Host, this group of people was sent by the higher-ups of the main base. They disguised themselves as expelled ability users to gain the protagonists' trust and get them to leave Base 07. Their goal is to capture you."

Song Yu's face paled.

009 immediately reassured him: "Host, don't worry, the protagonist group has seen through their true identities and has already dealt with them. They are on their way back."

Song Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was a little uneasy: "What's my mission?"

"This group's goal is to trap you and lure the vine. So they won't take you away for now. Your mission is to get caught up in their fight, accidentally startled by the pollutants attacking the base, and fall to your death."

"Host, this is your last mission in this world, with a two-hour deadline."

"Once the progress bar reaches 100%, you will leave the world, and the post-apocalyptic world will begin data recovery."

"Before that, if the vaccine is successfully developed, you will receive points for the hidden mission."

Song Yu pursed his lips and whispered, "I probably won't get the hidden mission points..."

After all, he only had two hours left, and Chen Shuan was still on his way.

Song Yu got up and peeked through the crack in the door. Sure enough, the situation was as 009 had described. Three people dressed in black stood guard at his door, looking tall and powerful, all from A Zhao's team.

Jiang Ran and the other remaining ability users were all bewitched by one of the hypnotists, while the others were still unaware of their true identities.

After confirming that everyone was safe, Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

He was curious about what the pollutants that could scare him so much that he accidentally fell from the building looked like, and 009 satisfied his curiosity by showing him a picture.

Upon seeing it, Song Yu immediately let out a small "Ah!"

The several ability users at the door heard the commotion, pushed open the door, and peeked inside. When they saw the boy sitting on the bed looking at them, they were stunned.

He looked so innocent, his eyes red at the corners, as if he'd been bullied even before anything happened.

The group stared at him for a while, none of them daring to rudely tell Song Yu to behave. Seeing nothing else unusual in the room, they said nothing, closed the door, and continued their watch.

Their leader hadn't given any orders yet, just told them to keep an eye on him.

Song Yu, still reeling from the visual shock, took a while to recover, blaming 009: "Why did you show me such an ugly picture?"

009: ...

Voices began to chime in from within the space.

"Why did you show Xiao Yu these?"

"Couldn't you have blurred them out?"

"Knowing Xiao Yu is delicate, you still showed him?" [

That's it? Artificial intelligence?]

[Resign, let me take your place, I think the baby needs me.]

009: ...

It put away the photo and accidentally enabled the mute function.

The fragments: "???"

*

Half an hour later, 009 reminded Song Yu that the pollutant had arrived near the base.

[It's 500 meters away from here.]

Song Yu nervously clenched his fingers.

[300 meters.]

[Host, you need to go to the window.]

According to the original plot, Song Yu was ostracized by the people in the base, and even his room was the worst, with a very flimsy window.

But now his window had been repeatedly checked by the men and was safe.

To complete the mission, 009 helped remove the protective gear.

A damp, cold wind blew in, and it was hard to tell if it was the pollutant's own smell, but it was damp and had a bit of a sea smell.

Despite being mentally prepared, Song Yu was still startled when he saw the ugly, giant pollutant.

The pollutant moved very fast, extending sticky branches, and shattered the entire window in an instant.

The sound of glass shattering on the ground was exceptionally crisp. The people outside finally realized something was wrong, opened the door, and were horrified by the scene before them. Having

probably never seen such a massive pollutant outside the window before, they froze, forgetting even to use their superpowers.

By the time they reacted, their limbs were already bound, and they were thrown roughly to the ground below.

Song Yu's breath hitched.

...Being bound and thrown down was worse than jumping himself.

009 was already prepared: [We will disengage as you approach the ground.]

With all worries eliminated, Song Yu bit his lower lip, steeled his resolve, closed his eyes, and jumped from the windowsill—

it felt like experiencing bungee jumping.

The whistling wind rushed past his ears, and Song Yu felt dizzy and lightheaded, unsure if his heart was pounding too hard or about to stop—

the countdown beeped in his mind—

3—2

—

The mission completion notification didn't sound as expected. Song Yu felt his waist being bound, and then the dizziness slowly subsided.

A familiar scent wafted over him.

Upon realizing who it was, Song Yu instantly opened his eyes, a look of surprise in them.

He was back!

His cheek was gently caressed by soft branches, and his waist was firmly wrapped around them, giving him a sense of security, like being on solid ground.

Although the mission was likely unfinished, knowing the little vine was alright was enough.

However, the pollutant opposite him seemed hostile.

009: [Host, the pollutant is extremely interested in you and is currently trying to seize you. This pollutant is a top-tier evolved pollutant with high skills and has already used a protective umbrella for you.]

"Give it to the vine too—" Song Yu wanted to say he'd give one to the vine as well, but before he could finish speaking, the pollutant spat a fireball at the vine's roots.

The fire raged, almost instantly scorching the base of the vine.

Thick smoke billowed, but Song Yu didn't inhale a drop; he was tightly wrapped by the vine's most saturated branches.

He didn't know that from the day this vine delivered him to the human, it had been striving to grow, gradually regaining its abilities, wanting to transform into human form as soon as possible.

The laboratory, the new base—it followed them all the way, every crack in the window witnessing its arrival.

Its vines slowly thickened, gradually beginning to recover.

However, it couldn't wait for a full recovery, because its beloved humans were in danger.

The branches burned by the fire withered quickly, and countless new branches grew back, forming a protective layer for the humans.

This plant, whose consciousness hadn't fully evolved, climbed relentlessly along the dilapidated apartment wall, trying to send the humans it protected back.

Just like the fairy tale the humans had told it.

"Princesses live in castles; you have to climb to the top of the wall to see them."

"Bang!"—

The pollutant attacking the vines sensed another smell, and then its mouth, from which it spat fireballs, was shot twice.

The vines seemed to sense it too, glancing into the window. After seeing the people who had rushed into the room, it shoved Song Yu inside along the windowsill.

Shen Songchen reacted quickly, immediately catching the boy.

Song Yu hadn't seen the light for a while and was still dazed when he was placed in the man's arms. He stared at Shen Songchen's chin for a moment, then immediately glanced towards the window.

The fire had already spread to the tips of the vines.

Black smoke billowed into the sky, and even Pei Feng's efforts to extinguish it with copious amounts of water were futile.

The plants couldn't make a sound.

But Song Yu felt it was in pain.

No more of this.

No more injuries because of him.

"Quickly take Song Yu away, leave this to us!" Seeing Song Yu safe, Qin Fei immediately blocked the window with Pei Feng. One man swiftly attacked the pollutants, while the other used a water gun to extinguish the fire.

The view began to recede into the distance.

Without hesitation, Shen Songchen carried Song Yu away from the danger zone. The next moment, a voice rang in his ears—

"Wait, wait a minute..."

The voice sounded like it was about to cry.

Shen Songchen stopped and looked at Song Yu.

The boy's cheeks were deathly pale, his face covered in ash and wet with tears, tiny water droplets clinging to his eyelashes, making him look dirty and pitiful.

"Shen Songchen..." Song Yu whispered, then pointed to the windowsill.

Shen Songchen looked in the direction the vine was pointing and saw a thick book hanging on the messy window.

Half of the book was burned, and the cover was blackened by smoke.

It was clearly something the vine had brought.

Shen Songchen paused for two seconds, then quickly carried Song Yu to the windowsill.

"Could you pick that branch?" The boy in his arms seemed to know that Shen Songchen was always willing to help him, and asked for more, "The one with the flower."

009 had just told him that he had used a protective umbrella on the vine, but the vine was too big and could only protect the most important branch.

This branch would sprout again, grow, and become larger.

Shen Songchen, of course, would always grant the request; he would even do something like saving a love rival.

Especially since this vine had saved Song Yu at a crucial moment.

The man activated his supernatural ability, extending the vines from his body to entwine the slender branch with the dodder flower.

But when he looked down, he saw Song Yu reaching for the book.

"Hot!"

Shen Songchen panicked and immediately shoved the flames off the book before the boy could react.

Song Yu heard the sizzling sound of burning flesh and froze in mid-air. Shen Songchen

remained expressionless, taking the book with him and carrying Song Yu quickly downstairs.

*

There was a safe area downstairs, and Shen Songchen put Song Yu down there.

Everyone surrounded Song Yu, asking if the seemingly delicate and easily injured boy was alright.

Song Yu's mind was a mess, and he repeatedly replied that he was fine. After everyone dispersed, Shen Songchen had already returned to the second floor. Before leaving, the man placed the book beside him.

The vine branches he had just picked were placed on top of the book.

Song Yu carefully put the branches away and then picked up the book.

The book cover was badly damaged, but the pages inside were intact.

He randomly opened one of the pages.

There was an illustration on the page.

A princess in a castle was standing at a small window, gazing at the sunset.

*

The pollutants were successfully eliminated two hours later.

Qin Fei and Pei Feng only suffered minor injuries. When they went downstairs, Shen Songchen even took the small flowerpot that had been on the table.

Song Yu stared blankly at the flowerpot handed to him, looking up at the other man.

Shen Songchen had several wounds on his face, which were now healing little by little. After Song Yu took the flowerpot, his expression changed, and he immediately thought of something: "Your hand..."

Shen Songchen opened his palm to him.

New flesh had grown from the burned areas, different in color from the surrounding skin.

"It's healed."

Song Yu stared for a few seconds, his voice low: "I'm sorry..."

Shen Songchen had done many bad things to Song Yu, and had deliberately acted pitiful many times to attract the boy's attention, but this time he didn't do that.

"There was a scar there to begin with, left for someone unimportant."

The man squatted down and wiped away the tears rolling down Song Yu's face, but unfortunately his fingers weren't clean, and the more he wiped, the dirtier it got, until he ended up looking like a little cat covered in tears.

But his heart had never felt so happy.

“Now, the scar I left for you has finally covered up the other one.”

“Don’t be sad.”

“At least it was left for someone I consider particularly important.”

Song Yu stared at him blankly.

He felt that if he thought of Shen Songchen in the future, he wouldn’t remember the bad things the other person had done to him, but rather… some brave and beautiful things.

The atmosphere suddenly heated up, but unfortunately, the two men next to him who heard these words were incredibly jealous.

Qin Fei said his face hurt a lot and he didn’t have the ability to heal himself, so he needed someone to bandage it for him; Pei Feng said he was almost dehydrated from putting out the fire and needed to drink a lot of sweet water to relieve it.

Song Yu was flustered and didn’t know who to help first, but luckily everyone came to help.

“Song Yu is injured himself, don’t order him around!”

“Captain Qin, I’ll help you, I’m very good at it!”

“Brother Pei, you want sweet water? It seems we’re out of sugar, can we add vinegar?”

Pei Feng: “…”

He wanted to drink the sweet water from Song Yu’s mouth, but in the end, he only got a bellyful of sour water.

Song Yu did nothing, a little embarrassed: "I'm not injured, I—"

"Even if you're not injured, you must be frightened. Go sit down and rest!"

"..."

Song Yu was pushed onto a stool by one or several people, listening to the discussion about the fate of A Zhao's group and their future plans.

"Pei Feng used to work at the main base. After talking to him a lot, he naturally saw through their schemes."

After realizing that this group was sent by the high command of the main base, the group immediately thought of Song Yu's safety, so their attack became more ruthless, which is why they returned in such a short time.

Fortunately, the boy was unharmed.

Of course, this group also exposed some secret information of the main base. Qin Fei pressed on, slightly adjusted the battle plan, and without wasting any time, went to the main base using a ruse.

The remaining logistical work was left to Jiang Ran.

The contaminated corpses had to be disposed of, and the damaged rooms had to be repaired.

Song Yu's room was the most damaged. He thought he would be busy for a while, but it seemed that he didn't even have to move anything...

He looked at the figures coming and going to help, not quite understanding why the plot had turned out this way.

Those who should have hated and despised him now seemed quite helpful.

Shouldn't they have thought he was too delicate, troublesome, and annoying?

But the progress bar hadn't regressed, so it wasn't a bad thing.

Song Yu didn't have much stuff to begin with, and with so many people, they finished moving it in no time.

A rather handsome young man helped move the blankets, and feeling that he smelled fragrance on himself, he couldn't help but sniff the blankets.

"It smells so good..."

He had just muttered when he turned around and saw the boy standing at the door, his face turning bright red as he left.

Song Yu looked at the clean room and came in carrying a small flowerpot.

He found some soft soil in the base, planted the small vine branches in it, and watered them.

His warm fingertips gently stroked the green leaves.

Grow well, please.

It's okay if it's slow.

Two days later, light-colored new buds sprouted from the vine branches.

Five days later, the top management of the main base stepped down.

Ten days later, Base 07 and the main base merged, and new rules and regulations were formulated.

Song Yu's progress bar reached 99%.

009: [Host, your fate has completely deviated; there's no need to fall.]

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he wouldn't have to experience the weightlessness again: [What about the remaining 1%?]

009: [Soon.]

Half a month later, Chen Shuan's vaccine was successfully developed.

The first thing the man did after leaving the lab was to pick up the boy and spin him around.

Song Yu: "?"

He did seem quite light.

The others were unhappy, but seeing Chen Shuan's eyes were bloodshot from working on the experiment, they didn't say anything, swallowing their jealousy.

The vaccine was first administered to a small group of volunteers, and after achieving the expected results, it began to be rolled out.

Humanity had finally overcome the disaster.

They would usher in a new era, and at the same time, they would have even greater reverence for nature.

The wall was smashed down, the mutated plants returned to normal, and after the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared in the corner of the sky.

This land was desolate and destroyed, but it was also full of hope.

Humanity began to build its new home.

Everyone was busy, and Song Yu's attention was focused on the little vine. He followed Chen Shuan's example and gave it plenty of nutrients, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to grow much.

“Maybe the flowerpot is too small, not suitable.” Chen Shuan’s indifferent expression carried a hint of disdain. “This can hardly be called a flowerpot.”

“…” Qin Fei remembered that it was his toothbrush cup, coughed, and found a way to save face. “It was because the conditions were terrible back then.”

“No wonder it didn’t grow.” Pei Feng seized the opportunity to say, “It must hate you.”

Shen Songchen added fuel to the fire: “Not should, it definitely does.”

“…”

Qin Fei scoffed: “Who would like it?”

It had taken up so much of Song Yu’s time.

If the little vine had a human form at this moment, it would definitely retort to Qin Fei with two words—bad luck. Unfortunately, it was just an unconscious plant.

The group gathered together, discussed for a long time, and then started arguing with each other. Finally, Chen Shuan made a suggestion: “Why not put it in the forest and let it grow properly? It’s a dodder, it needs to grow on other plants.”

Song Yu also thought it made sense.

He carried the flowerpot and, accompanied by the others, found a very suitable place.

It was located deep in the forest, surrounded by lush trees, but not so much that it couldn’t get any sunlight.

Song Yu carefully removed the branch from the flowerpot, then took out the small shovel he had prepared, only to have it snatched away by Shen Songchen.

The man silently began digging a hole.

"Done,"

Shen Songchen said quickly.

Song Yu placed the branch in, planted it, patted off the soil, and covered it with a layer of fallen leaves.

Finally, he took out the gift he had bought with points from 009 and placed it on a nearby stone.

*

Human infrastructure construction progressed rapidly; soon, railroads, skyscrapers, and residential facilities began to be repaired.

On a day with a light snowfall, Song Yu welcomed the New Year in this world.

Everyone gathered together, set up the fireworks, and began the countdown—

the fireworks soared into the sky, blooming brilliantly.

Song Yu looked up, his eyes reflecting the beautiful fireworks.

"Want to make a wish?" Chen Shuan suddenly asked.

Song Yu shook his head: "I've already used up my wish; I can't be so greedy."

Is that so?

Chen Shuan's eyes were gentle as he said, "I haven't made a wish yet, here's mine for you."

Song Yu paused, looking at the man, only to see several tall figures appear behind Chen Shuan.

"Keep yours for your own experiments." Shen Songchen put a scarf around Song Yu's face, covering it completely except for his bright eyes. "Little Yu, make a wish using mine."

"Why? Are you so unlucky? Little Yu, use mine."

"Use mine!"

...

Human wishes are precious.

One cannot be greedy; only one wish can be made at a time for a chance to come true.

But Song Yu wouldn't be like that.

He was destined to be surrounded by love, and what he wanted, he would surely get.

The sound of New Year's fireworks pierced through the branches, reaching the deepest part of the forest.

The gift on the stone had already been opened.

Inside was a brand-new fairy tale book

and a few sparklers.

On the title page of the fairy tale book, written in neat handwriting—

"The day a human is born is called a birthday.

So, today is your birthday too.

Happy birthday, little dodder.

You can make a wish now."

It was a monster; monsters don't need to make wishes, monsters only need to fulfill human desires.

And the human's wish was—

the monster understood, he wanted it to live.

It couldn't tell him that this wish would come true, but it would prove it with its actions.

The vine monster, now in human form, stared at every word on that page. Then it carefully put away the book and sparklers, tightly wrapping them around itself with vines, layer upon layer.

Like a sleeping dragon guarding its treasure.

The monster could die for its beloved human, and it could live for him.

[Progress bar 100%.]

[Congratulations on completing the Apocalypse World. Due to its S-rank level, it is dangerous, and you will immediately leave this world.]

[All data in this world will be immediately recycled.]

[World level S, your overall rating is A.]

[Congratulations on gaining 40,000 points.]

[You can stay a while and enter the next world: the Grand Mansion Crematorium World.] [

You will be playing the role of—]

[A lackey in the crematorium who wants to steal someone's partner but lacks the guts.]

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