What on earth is he up to...

“Master, you should rest for a bit!”

Liguang blinked at Fang Qi, then set the bulging woven bag down on the lab table.

Fang Qi leaned against the core calibration device, watching her untie the bag’s opening and pull out its contents one by one.

Canned goods, compressed biscuits, energy bars, bottled water, strawberry sandwich cookies...

She arranged them neatly on the table.

With each can, she brought it close to her face to read the text on the packaging, her amber pupils focused and earnest.

Fang Qi watched her like this, and the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up.

Then...

Yeah.

After all that eating and drinking just now...

He kind of needed to use the bathroom.

Uh...

He blinked and looked around the room.

This place should have a restroom, right?

He glanced toward the corner of the research lab.

...Oh, there it is!

There was a small door over there.

The door panel was light gray, almost blending perfectly into the metal walls—you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely.

He walked right over, pushed the door open...

And then raised an eyebrow.

It really was a simple restroom!

The toilet and sink were spotless, and there was even a small showerhead tucked into the corner.

The tiles on the wall weren’t pixelated, and the faucet wasn’t distorted.

In this crumbling underground research facility, this place still maintained a reassuring sense of completeness!

And it was clean—someone had clearly tidied it up not long ago.

Lin Xiaoyou, probably?

He quickly took care of business, then turned on the tap and splashed some water on his face.

The cold water hit his skin, washing away a bit of his drowsiness and fatigue.

He braced himself against the edge of the sink, staring at his own wet face in the mirror...

“Hah...!”

He let out a long breath.

This safe room really had everything!

Food and drink, instruments and tools, even a restroom!

When he walked back out, he felt noticeably lighter!

Liguang was still sorting through the supplies at the lab table.

She’d grouped the cans by type, lined up the energy bars by flavor, and even arranged the water bottles so their label directions all faced the same way.

Right now, she was holding a pack of instant porridge, squinting her amber eye at the expiration date, focused and gentle.

And inside her right eye socket, fine metallic lines were faintly glowing.

Quiet and mysterious.

There was an indescribable beauty to it.

But...

Fang Qi pressed his lips together.

Having it exposed like that all the time wasn’t really ideal.

So he moved without thinking.

He walked over to the core calibration device, pulled open the row of metal drawers where the Crimson Eye container had been stored, and rummaged around for a moment...

“Got it!”

Fang Qi’s eyes lit up as he picked up a roll of medical gauze. He turned and walked straight up to Liguang.

The silver-haired girl lifted her head, blinked her amber eye, and looked a little confused.

“Master?”

Fang Qi didn’t explain.

He unrolled the gauze and gently covered her right eye with it.

The gauze masked the metallic patterns, covered the hollow eye socket.

He then wrapped the gauze around her silver hair and tied a loose, comfortable knot at the back of her head.

Liguang obediently tilted her face up, blinking her left eye at him, staying perfectly still as he worked.

After tying the knot, Fang Qi stepped back half a step and looked.

The white gauze lay diagonally across her right eye, covering the empty socket.

This look...

His pupils trembled slightly.

Back then, when Liguang hated herself for thinking she was a monster, hadn’t she covered her eye like this too?

But this time was different!

This time, he had personally covered his wife’s eye for her!

“Looks good!”

He nodded with immediate satisfaction!

“This way, no dust will get in!”

A shimmer of moisture flickered in the silver-haired girl’s eyes. She raised a hand and gently touched the gauze over her right eye...

Then her single amber left eye curved into a smile!

“Master is so kind!”

Then she lowered her head, fished a piece of candy out of the pile on the table.

Pink wrapper.

She peeled it open, tilted her head up, and gently popped the candy into Fang Qi’s mouth.

Sweet.

Strawberry flavor!

Fang Qi blinked at her: “Delicious!”

“Hehe!”

Liguang turned back around and continued tidying up.

Her movements were still clumsy and endearing.

Outside the door, that writhing mass of static might still be slowly churning.

But the light inside the research room was steady and warm.

Through the door...

It was like two completely different worlds.

Fang Qi leaned against the lab table, watching Liguang—her little head wrapped in gauze—crouch on the floor, her back to him as she kept sorting the supplies.

The candy in his mouth was sweet.

But...

His heart slowly sank.

A safe room, huh...

This trip out, he’d found food. He wouldn’t starve for now.

Compressed biscuits, energy bars, bottled water—enough to last him several days.

Enough to keep searching for a way out of here.

...But what about Liguang?

This safe room didn’t have any equipment to recharge her!

They’d wandered through the maze for so long, and they hadn’t seen a single charging pod along the way!

The one they used before was in the living area on Floor B1, but that place...

They hadn’t gone back there today at all!

And even if they did, would that charging pod have been corrupted too...?

Fang Qi felt the container in his pocket through his clothes—the one holding the Crimson Eye.

The Crimson Eye was already calibrated. But he still hesitated to install it back.

Not just because he was afraid of those rule fragments swarming again, but also because...

The Crimson Eye drained too much power.

In a situation like this, every bit of charge was precious.

He couldn’t bear to add any unnecessary drain on her.

Because...

Fang Qi lowered his eyes.

He was too afraid of her running out of power.

Now that they were trapped in a place like this—

A rift in the world, a crumbling maze.

As long as Liguang was with him exploring, he didn’t think any of it was so bad.

He even felt like he was playing a weird survival adventure game with his wife!

No pursuers, no fate hunting them down, none of those messy conspiracies...

Just the two of them finding their way through the maze, scrounging supplies off the shelves, sorting cans in a safe room.

It was nice.

But...

What if Liguang ran out of power?

What if, like last time, she closed her eyes in his arms, her body going limp, even the last display window going dark...

Leaving him all alone in this quiet, static-writhing ruin...

...That would be too terrifying.

Too terrifying.

“Is Master still hungry?”

Liguang’s voice suddenly cut in, snapping him out of his thoughts.

She was crouched on the floor, holding a can in one hand and an energy bar in the other, tilting her head at him and blinking.

“Do you want something more to eat?”

Her tone was light.

But Fang Qi could tell...

She was a little scared too.

The can in her hands—she’d flipped its label over and over again already.

Maybe she was just keeping busy in that clumsy way of hers, not letting her hands stop...

Putting up a brave front.

Fang Qi took a deep breath, then—

“Liguang, I’m rested!”

He straightened up suddenly!

“Let’s go!”

He looked at her, his expression serious!

“We’re going to find you a charging pod!”

He couldn’t take it anymore!

He couldn’t bear sitting here, watching Liguang slowly burn through her battery!

They had to move—now!

But the silver-haired girl gently shook her head.

“Master, by my estimate, it’s already pretty late now, you know?”

She set down the canned food in her hand, her amber pupils glistening as she looked at him.

“Master should rest too, or it’ll be bad for your health.”

…Huh?

Rest?

Are you kidding me?!

“How am I supposed to sleep at a time like this?!”

Fang Qi glared at her.

“Liguang, you’re almost out of power!”

He then glanced toward the door, narrowing his eyes.

Sure, he was a little tired, but that wasn’t the issue!

There didn’t seem to be any danger outside!

As long as you kept moving, you wouldn’t sink through the floor!

The walls would shrink, but they wouldn’t actually crush you!

At least for now…

There wasn’t any real danger outside!

“Anyway, there shouldn’t be any real danger out there…”

He turned back to look at Liguang.

“Tell you what, Liguang, you stay here, and I’ll go—I’m joking!”

Fang Qi abruptly changed his tune!

“We’re going out together!”

He immediately put on an earnest expression!

Because, the moment he said “you stay here”…

The smile on Liguang’s face instantly vanished!

She was crouching on the ground at that moment, tilting her little face up, her amber pupils staring at him eerily.

The white gauze still covering her right eye made that look carry a strangely oppressive weight!

Fang Qi’s eyelids twitched a few times.

No, wait, babe…

You’re terrifying me!

Stop looking at me like that!

“Together!”

He quickly emphasized again!

Liguang blinked gently, and then…

That gaze that sent chills down one’s spine finally began to fade.

The corners of her mouth curled back up, and she transformed back into that obedient, adorable little thing.

“Master, there’s no rush~”

She rose gracefully, circled around to Fang Qi’s side, and lifted the silver hair at the back of her neck.

“Liguang still has plenty of charge right now. See for yourself, Master.”

Fang Qi looked over and saw that on the pale skin of her nape, the small indicator window was glowing faintly.

[Remaining Battery: 21%.]

Fang Qi: “…?”

Babe, you call that no rush?

You’re just giving me anxiety!

“That’s plenty?!”

He immediately panicked!

Wasn’t it 32% when we just finished charging?!

How has that much already been used up?!

It hasn’t even been that long!!

“Don’t panic, Master.”

Liguang let her silver hair fall and turned to face him, her pretty face all smiles.

“Let Liguang explain. 10% of the battery was consumed before Liguang removed the Crimson Eye!”

Fang Qi: “…?”

Before removing the Crimson Eye…

Ah!

Because…

“Does Master not remember?”

Liguang tilted her little head.

“Back then, the native core had barely woken up, but Liguang forced it into action—using it to suppress the Crimson Eye while also dispersing the ‘rules’ around us, so…”

She bit her lip.

“So it did drain a bit more power.”

But then she puffed out her chest again.

“But since removing the Crimson Eye, up until now, Liguang’s battery has only dropped less than 1%!”

She extended a finger, looking at Fang Qi with a serious expression!

“21% is enough for Liguang to last more than ten days as she is now.”

Fang Qi stared at her blankly.

That really sounded familiar.

Liguang…

Didn’t you say something like that before, back on the raft?

“So you see, Master, no need to rush!”

She stepped forward, tilting her face up slightly to look at him.

“Rest up first, regain your energy, and then help Liguang find a charging device, okay?”

“And also…”

She gave him a playful wink.

“Master is so amazing, maybe you’ll find a way out tomorrow!”

“Then there won’t even be any need to charge Liguang!”

“And then Liguang will—!”

Her amber gaze drifted to Fang Qi’s neck, and she opened her little mouth…

And made an “awoo” motion!

Then she grinned at him with crescent-shaped eyes.

Fang Qi stared at her for a long while…

Then let out a helpless chuckle.

Alright, alright…

His own wife really did believe in him, huh.

She always seemed to believe in him that way.

Ten days, huh…

He pressed his lips together.

If it could really last ten days, then there probably wasn’t much to worry about.

No way they’d be stuck here that long, right?

…No way, no way!

With that thought, his taut nerves relaxed a little.

And then…

Exhaustion came crashing down like a flood breaking through a dam!

Ah…

Fang Qi felt his eyelids starting to droop.

The moment he relaxed even slightly, all the fatigue suddenly hit him.

Too much had happened today, honestly.

Now that he was fed, hydrated, and had taken care of his bodily needs, and his mind was finally unwinding…

His body was finally starting to protest, wasn’t it.

So tired…

Liguang watched him in this state and blinked.

“…Master, one moment!”

She turned at once, ran over to the cabinet beside her, crouched down, and reached in—

And pulled out a rolled-up yoga mat!

Oh…?

Fang Qi’s eyes widened slightly.

…A mattress!

“Master, look!”

The silver-haired girl came running back, holding the mat.

“I found it while sorting the supplies earlier!”

“We can use this to sleep on!”

She spread the yoga mat across the floor with eager, nimble movements.

Then…

She suddenly knelt down at the edge of the mat, looked up at Fang Qi.

And started blinking that single amber eye—rapidly!

Blink, blink, blink!

Eyelashes fluttering furiously!

“Master…!”

Her tone became a little shy as well, her cheeks flushing slightly, her small hands tugging at the hem of her skirt.

But her amber pupils were still sparkling!

Fang Qi: “…?”

He stared at the silver-haired girl kneeling on the mat, completely baffled.

Babe, what are you getting at?

…What else could she possibly be getting at!

Instantly, half of his drowsiness evaporated!

He glared at Liguang, who was still frantically blinking at him!

What the hell!

No, wait, babe…

Is this really the time for that kind of thing?!

Shameless!

He strode over, reached out, and grabbed Liguang’s soft, squishy cheeks directly!

“At a moment this critical, what in the world is going through that little head of yours?!”

He glared at her, pulling hard!

“How can we do something so… so battery-draining!”

He yanked her cheek flesh outward!

Liguang’s little mouth was pulled out of shape, letting out muffled protests of “Mmmph mmmph!”

“Mastah… Liguang doesn’t have a little head…”

Her cheeks still being stretched, she looked at him with tearful amber eyes.

“Liguang only has a core…”

Fang Qi: “…”

Don’t play word games with me!

Then she blinked, cheeks flushing slightly.

“And besides, that kind of thing… doesn’t drain the battery.”

She gave a little wiggle.

“…It uses even less power than walking.”

Fang Qi’s mouth twitched.

You crazy girl, you think I believe that?!

Don’t you dare try to tempt me!

“Or maybe, Master…”

The silver-haired girl’s gaze slowly shifted again.

There was still a watery sheen swirling in her amber pupils, but deep within them…

That familiar, spine-chilling feeling began to gather once more!

Her cheeks were still being pulled, her right eye still covered with white gauze, as she tilted her head and looked at him.

“Master, you wouldn’t…”

“be disgusted by Liguang, would you?”

A pitiful, pleading tone.

And that eerie, unblinking single eye.

She was the very picture of a wronged little wife full of veiled threats!

Fang Qi: “…”

Don’t you try scaring me either!

His expression immediately grew even more serious!

Looking at the silver-haired girl before him, he felt a mix of disappointment and frustration!

In such a critical moment of life and death, how could they do this?

Is there no self-control left at all?

Sister An Lian and Lin Xiaoyou are still waiting for them to be rescued!

Fang Qi took a deep breath...

Then his gaze sharpened!

"Liguang, no...!"

...

...

What is the meaning of life, really?

Is it to fulfill that...

biological instinct that, in moments of crisis, leans toward passing on one's genes?

Fang Qi lay on the yoga mat, holding the warm, soft silver-haired girl in his arms, staring blankly at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.

The fluorescent light tube was still glowing steadily, occasionally letting out a faint hum.

He felt like something was floating just below the ceiling...

Looking down with contempt at this man on the mat who, right after saying "I can't do this," went back on his word at the speed of light.

But then again, when it came to him and Liguang...

they couldn't really pass on genes, could they?

She doesn't have that function, right?

So then, what was all that fuss just now even for?

From his arms came a soft whimper.

The silver-haired girl buried her face in his chest, the gauze over her right eye having shifted slightly askew.

She was probably tired too, her whole body pressed softly against him.

Fang Qi slowly raised one hand and covered his face.

No, seriously.

What the hell was he even doing...