Chapter 64
When the System returned from hibernation, Shen Shuyu was gnawing on bread. The supplies he brought had been scattered like flowers from a celestial maiden and were all gone. Now he was eating the bread provided by the organizers in the safe house. The texture was average, the taste was average, but it was filling.
Shen Shuyu recalled that this bread seemed to be the brand Wen Jiafei usually ate. He ate happily, and even Wen Jiafei couldn’t help but glance at him. Noticing this, Shen Shuyu huffed at him, “Never seen someone eat bread?”
Wen Jiafei silently moved his gaze away.
[Master! Why are you still here!] Little One screamed in his brain. [Shouldn’t you have been eliminated?!]
Shen Shuyu closed his eyes against the noise. After letting his brain recover from the shock, he took another bite of bread and answered the System: [Yeah, I also want to know why I wasn’t eliminated.]
Shen Shuyu had been depressed about this for a long time. While resting, he carefully recalled the original novel’s content and found he remembered correctly. That brief meeting at the safe house was supposed to be his elimination point.
So why wasn’t he eliminated?
Could it be that when he approached He Mingyue, their cooperation was so seamless in capturing Ye Yang that Planet Puce didn’t have time to attack?
Shen Shuyu took another bite of bread but still felt something was off. Although the Main Brain said it wouldn’t zap him without reason anymore, that scene was the plot! Him surviving was the biggest bug in the storyline! And the Main Brain didn’t intervene?
Truly strange.
Little One quickly said: [Master, I just went to check what happened earlier. That scene seems different from what happened in the original text!]
[I know it’s different, but the Main Brain didn’t shock me into intentionally sacrificing myself.] Shen Shuyu chewed the bread in his mouth. [And I just feel something is wrong somewhere, but I can’t put my finger on it.]
The System was silent for a while. [When the Protagonist Shou said to you, ‘My sexual orientation is Omega,’ and when you confronted Planet Puce, the energy field of this novel world fluctuated.]
[Energy field?] Shen Shuyu didn’t quite understand. [What is an energy field?]
The System explained: [That explanation is too broad. Simply put, just like when we first entered, the world has changed. But this fluctuation is very small; I only sensed it faintly when the Protagonist Shou said those words.]
Did it change?
Shen Shuyu chewed slower. [What will happen if it changes? In movies I watched before, they said it would cause natural disasters.]
[No, the world fluctuation comes from people’s internal fluctuations; it will only change people’s choices and the direction of the story. This novel world centers mainly on Shen Xili, with Chi Yanxun as the secondary center. In that situation, Shen Xili shouldn’t have said such things to you. After all, in the original work, he and Chi Yanxun had just finished a heart-to-heart talk at that time, and he had feelings for Chi Yanxun. So, after he said ‘My sexual orientation is Omega’ to you, the world’s energy naturally fluctuated because of his words. It’s like the Butterfly Effect you mentioned in your previous life. Shen Xili is the center of the world, so his words naturally affect certain magnetic fields.]
Shen Shuyu understood. He asked: [Then will this fluctuation ultimately affect us?]
[I don’t know yet.] Little One said. [I will report this matter to the Main Brain. Master, be careful in everything. A slight anomaly can cause the progress not to reach 90%.]
Shen Shuyu hummed an acknowledgement, and the System left to find the Main Brain.
He took another bite of bread and lifted his gaze to look at Shen Xili, sitting diagonally across from him.
He was talking to He Mingyue about something, and his mood seemed quite good.
The center of the novel world.
Sounds really impressive.
Shen Shuyu quickly retracted his gaze from the World Center. So when Shen Xili looked at him, he only saw Shen Shuyu bowing his head, wrestling with the bread. His mouth was stuffed full, and his eyes were round, looking like a hamster.
Very cute.
Shen Xili thought.
It was now 3:00 AM. The further they went, the harder it was to find safe houses. Fortunately, there were quite a few caves here. The group found a slightly larger cave, squeezed in, and prepared to make do for the night.
Shen Shuyu’s eyelids were heavy. According to the plot, he should have been sound asleep in the soft bed specially ordered by Shen Yisi right now. But due to the energy field fluctuation, he was still squeezing into a cave.
However, did this mean he could also survive until the second they succeeded? Thinking about it this way felt pretty good.
Shen Shuyu yawned. The other five Alphas were still discussing the plan to break through the sixth barrier tomorrow. After separating from Planet Puce, they had cleared two barriers in one go. After dawn, they would head to the final barrier.
Apart from fatigue and encountering some messy, unseen Zerg species along the way, the journey had been relatively fine.
Shen Shuyu yawned again, really unable to resist the drowsiness. He looked left and right, spotted a corner of the cave, carried his bag over, took out the jacket he brought, draped it over himself, leaned back against the stone wall, and fell asleep peacefully.
Chi Yanxun glanced at him and frowned, but whatever crossed his mind made him look away again.
Shen Shuyu’s actions were naturally seen by the others. Shen Xili, who was speaking, paused and deliberately lowered his voice.
Honestly, Chi Yanxun felt a complex mix of emotions and psychological discomfort. He didn’t understand why he felt this way, but seeing Shen Xili’s gaze fixed on Shen Shuyu made him irritable. He had never felt this before; it was as if Shen Xili’s gaze should have been on him.
This thought was truly terrifying. Both he and Shen Xili were top-tier Alphas. Why would he have inexplicable thoughts about another Alpha?
Could it be the aftereffects of the false rut again? This aftereffect was really killing him—a top-tier double-S Alpha feeling overwhelmed.
Chi Yanxun moved his gaze away in annoyance.
The next day.
Everyone had rested fairly well, and Shen Shuyu was full of energy.
He stretched his back. Just as he was about to lower his arms, Lin Xuyi leaned in. “Young Master, happy? We’re about to finish and become number one.”
Shen Shuyu said, “Happy, of course I’m happy. Ready to go home and eat delicious food.”
Lin Xuyi looked at his face. “You have lost a lot of weight.”
Nonsense!
Shen Shuyu remained expressionless. The five Alphas looked a bit ragged at most, but their physiques were still excellent. He, however, had genuinely lost weight. Since transmigrating to this world, he had almost never suffered like this.
Shen Yisi treated him well; the Shen family treated him well.
He was already starting to miss the meals Shen Yisi cooked for him. His brother could do everything.
However, thinking of Shen Yisi, he estimated that by now, Shen Yisi knew he had entered the Survival Battle. When he went back, Shen Yisi would probably still be fuming. He had to think of how to coax him.
Shen Shuyu couldn’t help but sigh softly. Being cannon fodder was simply too hard.
“Alright, next we are entering the desert map. Everyone cover your mouth and nose to avoid getting too much dust in your eyes.”
The final level of the Survival Battle was the same for everyone. The entire team entered the desert map. They had to walk non-stop in the desert for at least two hours. During this period, they also had to prevent sandstorms and various chaotic desert crises.
It was a level that tested human willpower and nature. After all, under extreme conditions, the human body’s senses would be amplified countless times.
For this level, everyone simplified their gear, but in reality, after a few days in the Survival Battle, there wasn’t much left anyway.
Lin Xuyi pulled out a few portable silk scarves from the inner pocket of his bag. “Prepared these beforehand. These are more useful than masks.”
Silk scarves were softer and allowed for easier breathing. They were also more effective. Desert survival was an old map, so everyone had made complete preparations to strive for a clear pass in one go!
Shen Shuyu received a scarf and imitated Lin Xuyi to put it on. He wasn’t worried about his performance in the desert map because if he really couldn’t take it, the System would more or less go easy on him and help him out.
After everyone put them on, Chi Yanxun said, “From now on, everyone try not to speak. Conserve your breath and stay stable.”
His gaze swept over Shen Shuyu, intentionally or unintentionally, and added, “Inside, even if you feel like you’re dying, you have to persist. If not for yourself, then for the team.”
Shen Shuyu didn’t mind the gaze directed specifically at him; he just nodded to show he understood.
“Let’s go!”
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