Mu Jiashi is silent for a while before telling the old man, “please continue.”

He can’t really lie and say that he never hoped that humans outside could save them. Of course he did.

But, it turns out there are barely tens of thousands of people left outside?

It’s even less than the number of people trapped in the Tower in total!

Mu Jiashi doesn’t know what to say… He feels complicated for sure.

He looks around to see that there are only strangers. His familiar companions are nowhere to be found.

Nervous, with the excitement from before fading, he is barely feeling relaxed anymore, realising that they’re going to be facing a grand, unfamiliar world outside.

But, spying those grey nutrient pods lying around…

Anything is better than trapped forever in that Tower.

In any case, two hundred years, huh, it’s almost like a transmigration, no?

The humour helps soothe Mu Jiashi’s mind some.

He continues listening to the old man.

“Seeing all the AI robots seizing up, I was worried… I wanted to see if anything might go wrong here, if the maintenance is down, and your bodies…
I came over, for the first time in my life. Thank the ancestors, that all the AI outside are also downed. Anyway… I’m glad you all woke up.”

The old man’s voice is gravelly, and shaking, but he repeats himself again, “I’m glad you all woke up.”

Mu Jiashi is silent again, not knowing what to say, even though he really should say something.

Finally, he says, to this old man, who risked his life just to come check up on them, “thank you very much…”

The old man’s hands, all wrinkled and spotty, is trembling. He is looking at Mu Jiashi.

“We woke up,” Mu Jiashi says, “we’re back.”

The Tower is empty for real.

All the players have logged out, leaving only Xü Beijin and Lin Qin behind.

Xü Beijin can feel all the burden and pressure on him disappear entirely. Standing at the window, he looks outside peacefully——The grey fog is gone.

As per the game’s own setting, outside the Tower is simply barren, blighted land.

But it is at least a fairer sight than the endless rolling grey fog; besides, he can even see the sun now that the fog is gone.

After taking some time to appreciate the view, he turns back to Lin Qin Lin Qin, “we actually succeeded.”

The excitement and joy fades, and Xü Beijin returns to his calm self.

He knows they still have such an uphill battle ahead, but he really wants to say, they actually did it.

Xü Beijin has never been very expressive, so he is only saying, with that slightly antagonistic face and a calm, ‘all is under control’ look, that——He has achieved this great victory, look.

Where Xü Beijin’s reticence falls short, Lin Qin’s straightforwardness makes up for it.

Lin Qin has this beaming smile on towards Xü Beijin, and he hugs him tightly, proclaiming, “yes! We did it!”

Xü Beijin freezes up for a moment before chuckling along. They’re still hugging and kissing – until Xü Beijin remembers that his stream is still on.

He didn’t close it on time… honest!

After the Ultimate Nightmare, he was busy fighting with NE, talking to the Maertons, catching up with how the humans are doing…

The stream’s screen has become transparent a long time ago from inactivity. How is he supposed to remember he forgot to shut it down?!

After the game is over, and the players have left… the stream naturally fixes its camera on Xü Beijin.

Xü Beijin “…”

He was excited for sure, but now… great. His smile is gone entirely.

He prepares himself mentally for a while before clicking on his stream again.

All the comments rushing past are utterly embarrassing. Just a glance and he can see ‘encore’ and stuff. His ears are going red too.

At least he still has his facial expression under control, or who knows what bollocks the audience will spout to tease him with.

The uncooperative Lin Qin, though, asks, “what’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?”

The viewers of the stream are having a field day.

“hahahaha the little apple doesnt know!”
“oh my Bei, are you going to tell the little apple we all saw? [doge emoji]”
“not just saw, we heard too!”
“the little apple sure is romantic”
“oh Beibei, i don’t mind you continuing to defile my eyes with these, we get it we get it [doge emoji]”
“yes yes! dont mind us! I dont care at all, I can watch some more!”

Xü Beijin “…”

He cares!

Xü Beijin is thinking about a suitable response. Should he explain? Make an excuse? Ignore?

Well, he is still quite happy, to be sure.

So instead of becoming embarrassed and angry, he just whispers, “I won’t let you watch.”

The viewers “!”

“oh Bei, you monster [cry emoji]”

The comment barrage is just cry emojis all the way now.

Xü Beijin is amused by this, smiling.

Then he parts with the viewers in earnest, and is going to shut down the stream.

He already knows these viewers are actually humans still living outside, but they are also unaware of what happened to humanity or humans in the Tower.

The information isn’t entirely lost, but normal people outside of specific circles actually know nothing.

Not that he knows how many people still lived outside either, or how many years have gone past, or if anything major happened during all this time.

Maybe, the people that knew what happened to them, have already passed away.

The people emerging from the Tower will surely need a great amount of time to adapt to this world, this new society, this new status of humanity.

But whatever the case, freedom is good.

Thinking so, he shuts down the stream, and feels relieved once more.

Then he tells Lin Qin, “now we just have to wait for the Maertons to contact us about our new cyborg bodies——Then we can leave the Tower after that.”

Lin Qin, curious, wonders, “so what’s the outside world like?”

Xü Beijin thinks about it, but he really hasn’t a good way to answer. So instead, he describes it thus – “I like the world outside more than here.”

And so Lin Qin replies, “then I’ll also like it for sure.”

“Love what your love loves?”

“Of course,” replies Lin Qin without even blushing, “we promised to make new memories together, so of course I have to like that world first.”

Xü Beijin chuckles. He wants to keep chatting, but words are falling out of his mind.

He just looks closely at Lin Qin instead.

Lin Qin seems confused, looking at him, asking, “what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Xü Beijin, looking slightly hesitant, then says, “I just feel…” He raises his right hand, dragging a line along from the left to the right, then says, “it’s already been so long, and so much has happened.”

His hand comes to a stop in the air, pointing somewhere in the air.

Then Lin Qin pokes that finger with his own, and says, “and from now on, we’ll have a new journey.”

Xü Beijin can feel his chest——Well, the lungs and heart probably aren’t going to be there. Anyway, his cyborg-to-be chest——touched by something. He looks down, at their touching fingertips.

He smiles.

“Yes, you’re right…”

He really, really should say something… anything. His little apple is always giving him these cute one-liners and cute gestures; however, he is quite often unable to express how he feels honestly.

All the dry words can never convey feelings as well as – Xü Beijin leans over, to kiss his lovable boyfriend.

Yes, from this moment on.

They shall have a brand new future. Their life once took a turn – quite the turn into a convoluted dark and cramped alley. They almost lost themselves inside, but, they’ve emerged, together.

And start a new life after emerging they shall. All will begin anew.

From this moment on.

Then Lin Qin says,
“So… should we be doing something?”
“What do you mean?”
“You promised me a long time ago, Beijin.”
“Uh… Just let me check. I need to make sure no players are going to log in for now…”
“You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

Xü Beijin “…”

Embarrassed? Who! Who are you even talking about?!

Anyway, at last, Xü Beijin has fulfilled Lin Qin’s longstanding desire. It’s quite a shock this game actually has that type of function, really.

What a happy ending.

Those few hours were one where no players logged in, and no one came to disturb them either.

Xü Beijin really doesn’t have anything to worry about anymore. They can do what they want in the Tower now, as much as they want.

Since all the rest of humanity is also jubilant and celebrating excitedly,
That they’ve finally escaped.