Giant Stone City.

Inside the prosthetic surgery room of Huge Rock Military Industry, a young girl lay naked on an operating table surrounded by multi-axis mechanical arms.

Her skin was smooth and delicate, like flawless mutton fat jade, and her peaceful and beautiful sleeping face was like a meticulously crafted work of art, exuding an irresistible magic from the inside out.

In fact, it truly was a work of art.

This brand-new bionic skin seamlessly combined the academy's most advanced technology and the company's engineering prowess, and was installed with the Alliance's exquisite prosthesis surgery skills, perfectly replacing the original skin that was destroyed by neutron radiation to the point where not a single intact cell remained.

From a series of sensory perspectives such as vision and touch, this new skin was virtually perfect compared to the original, and could even be said to surpass it.

If one had to find fault, it might only be the insignificant detail that "its perfection made it feel less real."

Not only that.

This bionic skin also focused on enhancing the user's soft tissue defense capabilities.

When longitudinal cutting or piercing damage caused the skin's elasticity to reach a certain threshold, the bionic skin would automatically trigger a hardening effect, forming a protective layer with strength comparable to titanium alloy in a short amount of time, blocking cutting and piercing damage that penetrated the dermis.

Coupled with titanium alloy skeleton and buffer components, it wasn't much of a problem to withstand kinetic damage from light weapons like pistols and rifles.

Apart from the skin's built-in armor, Jiang Xuezhou went the extra mile to customize it with DIY modifications on this basis.

For example, to adapt to outer space activities and various complex special situations, she requested Huge Rock Military Industry to implant a series of plugins such as variable temperature, anti-negative, and positive pressure controls in her subcutaneous tissues during the skin grafting surgery.

This way, she could operate normally in a vacuum environment without wearing a protective suit.

This system was designed by her, and it also served as an improved version of the system on Night Ten.

With the support of numerous buffs, her body had indeed reached the category of a work of art.

Moreover, it was the peak of prosthetic art realized through technological strength!

As the prosthetic modification surgery concluded, the multi-axis arm dangling above the operating table retracted into a large spherical form.

Simultaneously, vaporized liquid nitrogen was sprayed from beneath the operating table, and Jiang Xuezhou opened her eyes, waking up from a sheet of white mist.

At the same moment she regained consciousness, a light blue loading window projected onto the retina of her prosthetic eye.

[Server logged in... Executing prosthetic integrity check protocol...]

[Check complete... All components operating normally.]

The light blue text and loading data vanished instantly, as if it had never appeared.

Jiang Xuezhou took a deep breath and proceeded to test the temperature regulation and positive-negative pressure balance functions, then pushed herself off the operating table.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she admired her brand-new body for a while, feeling refreshed inside.

"Not bad, not bad... Probably captures seventy to eighty percent of my peak charm!"

Although she wasn't sure what competition she was entering, she felt she'd already won at the starting line.

She had even thought of someone who would be utterly astonished.

Of course, if not, she wouldn't mind personally punching that person's jaw off.

"Cool, cool, cool..."

She admired herself in the mirror, growing more and more fond of what she saw, almost unable to resist bursting into villainous laughter with hands on her hips.

Initially, she restrained herself, coyly twirling a lock of hair around her finger, bashfully feeling a bit shy.

But perhaps realizing that there was no one else around, she soon indulged herself, first casually tossing her bangs back, then striking several vain poses.

It wasn't until she saw a medical robot on wheels approaching that she blushed, hastily stopped her preening, and hurriedly grabbed the clothes handed to her by the robot.

The satin-like dress draped over her shoulders like a light stream, cascading down like a waterfall.

The friction seemed to have vanished entirely.

Once fully dressed, Jiang Xuezhou returned to the mirror, this time appearing much more composed and proper than before.

Raising her wrist, which had returned to its original state, she looked at her skin, as smooth and delicate as silk, as fine and white as jade. After the rush of excitement, she suddenly felt a bit anxious.

Is this...

Truly her?

The person standing in front of the mirror was undoubtedly still her, every expression and smile carried the spirit she used to have, and the professional knowledge in her mind, not to mention, has always been her greatest pride.

If there were a difference, it was probably this prosthesis akin to a work of art...

Everyone loves beauty.

She was no exception.

However, what unsettled her was the feeling that everything on her body didn't belong to her, replacing the existence that was truly hers...

Am I still me?

Perhaps—

The true me has already died, and the one standing here is merely a replica...

A sudden wave of discomfort surged in Jiang Xuezhou's heart, causing her to involuntarily clench her fists, but she quickly released them, calming down with a deep breath.

Firstly, such a thing is impossible.

Secondly, her current existence is incredibly real, and she can feel it.

In the face of rigorous logic, paranoia is meaningless.

However, perhaps she was too sensitive, and soon another question arose uncontrollably in her heart—

Where exactly is the boundary between bionic humans and real humans?

Or rather—

At what point does replacing parts stop making someone human and turn them into an object?

In that moment, standing from the same perspective, she suddenly understood the loneliness Night Ten had silently endured all along, and the expression of wanting to speak yet holding back.

"I see..."

She used to think that guy was ungrateful.

She clearly put a lot of effort into saving the comatose him, replacing him with the best prosthetic body, yet he was never satisfied. He even seemed unwilling and lifeless when thanking her.

Only now did she gradually empathize with the emotions he had experienced...

As she thought about this, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly felt a slight burning in her eyes.

It wasn't just him who was immature.

She was too.

"You feel regret."

A leisurely voice suddenly came from beside her; at some point, Yibers had already stood at the door of the surgery room.

"No..."

Jiang Xuezhou quickly collected her slightly lost composure, took a deep breath, lowered her raised arm, and looked at the flawless self in the mirror.

"I just feel... parts of my body have been replaced, it looks like me, but it's not me."

"Do you want me to put them back for you?" Yibers said gentlemanly, "Though it's a bit of trouble, it's not difficult for me."

"It's not necessary." Jiang Xuezhou almost blurted out without hesitation.

Yibers laughed aloud.

Listening to the unrestrained laughter, Jiang Xuezhou was somewhat annoyed and complained softly.

"Why are you laughing..."

"I apologize if my laughter displeased you." Yibers cleared his throat, though his smile did not express any genuine regret.

Jiang Xuezhou muttered softly.

"No need to apologize... Thank you for the surgery."

"You're welcome," Yibers said courteously, suddenly wearing an intriguing smile again, continuing, "I think I understand your confusion. If the constituents of an item are completely replaced, is it still the same item... am I right?"

"..." Jiang Xuezhou did not speak, but the silence was an answer.

Seeing he guessed correctly, Yibers' smile turned into a joyful one, and he slowly continued.

"Actually, you all shouldn't be tangled in such matters; the cells in your body perform self-renewal every cycle, lasting from seven years to over a hundred days depending on the person, though it's a shorter cycle for some. But despite this, some things, in my opinion, remain unchanged."

Jiang Xuezhou just wanted to ask what those things were when Yibers, as if predicting her question, continued to speak on his own.

"It's the soul."

"I have stayed in this city for a very long time, and due to this, I have gained eyes that can see things others cannot. Some people are just flesh in front of me, emitting a spark of life upon death that barely resembles anything worthwhile. Others possess priceless treasures that envy me; their souls are like burning torches, never tiring after watching."

Jiang Xuezhou couldn't help but retort.

"I think you're just past your expiration date..."

"Perhaps," Yibers nodded with a smile, "However, it's a pity I wasn't normally produced like a released person, but rather a special product of a special time..."

Before Jiang Xuezhou could reply, the lunatic suddenly began lamenting self-pityingly again.

"How saddening... The master's master designed the master's eventual death, but the master forgot to design my end; maybe I should huddle in a corner and draw some circles."

"..." Jiang Xuezhou looked speechlessly at the guy, unsure of what to say.

But it was also thanks to him.

With such a diversion, the bit of struggle in her heart vanished without a trace...

...

[...Above is the result of our negotiations.]

[The Tree of Life expresses willingness to establish closer symbiotic relationships with us, including repairing the damaged ecological environment on the Wasteland, providing biosphere establishment services for our stellar system's external development zones, and promoting agricultural product yield through various technical services.]

[In exchange, it hopes we can provide some fertilizers or similar nutrients to promote plant growth. Of course, if we could arrange for a few rangers skilled in nutrition and spiritual energy, that would be even better.]

City of Dawn, Alliance Building.

Sitting at the desk, Chu Guang read through Night Ten's report from start to finish, his expression one-third gratified, and seven-tenth appreciative.

"Not bad, this kid really has matured a lot, handling matters much more reliably than before."

Xiao Qi happily praised extravagantly.

"Hehe, mainly due to the master's excellent training."

"Hahaha, indeed, I am someone to reckon with."

Chu Guang smiled, indulging in pride for a while, then marked [Read] on the report, placing the tablet aside to handle other affairs.

Meanwhile, in the southernmost part of the Central Continent, Potato Harbor at Baiyue Strait.

Sitting in the hotel's executive lounge, killing time, Night Ten finally received a reply from the Manager.

However, upon seeing the reply which contained only a single character, he almost spat out the cola in his mouth.

"Damn! I wrote so many words, and the reply is just a 'read'?"

Seeing his inexperienced look, Old White laughed heartily and said.

"You're still young, you don't understand the value of that one word."

Night Ten: "…What do you mean?"

Sitting across from him, Fang Chang smiled faintly and said.

"Simply put, the Manager thinks it's all good, and encourages you to keep up the good work."

After a pause, he continued.

"From my past experience, the fewer words he uses in his task briefings, the higher the completion evaluation. If there's a long paragraph of text, it means he's in a hurry."

Fang Chang himself hadn't encountered such a situation, but he heard from Brother Battlefield that he often ran into it until he became a Thousands of leaders, and it gradually stopped happening.

Night Ten scratched the back of his head, not dissatisfied, just a bit regretful.

"I thought it would've been grander."

Old White teased and said.

"Like giving you a big red flower?"

Night Ten: "Wouldn't be bad."

Old White: "Hahahaha."

Seeing Night Ten acting coy despite his gains, Fang Chang couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"That's enough, the rewards you've already gotten are quite enviable, what more do you want?"

Night Ten chuckled sheepishly and said.

"Well... the more, the merrier, right? Who would mind more rewards?"

Actually, he was too embarrassed to say.

At that moment of his complaint, as if the dog plan overheard his grumbling, a series of pop-ups appeared on his VM screen.

[Congratulations to player "I Get Up Ten Times a Night" for completing the task "Exploration of Baiyuexing Province Hive"!]

[Task completion: 100%]

[Evaluation: S]

[Rewards: Exclusive title "Jungle Conqueror," ten thousand contribution points, and one million silver coins!]

[Server announcement: Baiyuexing Province Hive has evolved into the Tree of Life, with an "ally" status with the Alliance, unauthorized hostile actions are prohibited. The Tree of Life's guardian beast "Dragon Lizard" is also a friendly unit, unauthorized hostile actions are prohibited… Awakening "Spiritual Energy" will trigger dialogue.]

[Server announcement: Map level within 100 km around Potato Harbor downgraded to 0, included in the safety zone. Recommended level for areas beyond 100 km is set to Level 30…]

The subsequent announcements flooded the screen, Night Ten didn't read them carefully, only quickly checked his task earnings.

In general, what Ah Guang provided was quite substantial.

Ten thousand contribution points seemed negligible compared to his seven-digit contribution points, as his contribution level had long been maxed out.

However, the one million silver coins and "Jungle Conqueror" title were quite appealing.

Especially the latter, it could be used to taunt the Chicken Slayer.

Putting down his coffee cup, Wild Wind sitting by the table suddenly remembered something and looked at Night Ten, saying.

"By the way, once this journey is over, are you really planning on seeking out that so-called precursor civilization's ruins?"

The news of forming an exploration team outside the Solar System hadn't stirred much on the official forums, but in the NPC world, it was causing a huge commotion.

Especially in the most avant-garde Ideal City, many residents even took flights to the Southern sea area and Potato Harbor to inquire about registration locations.

These folks were indeed real homebodies, but their execution ability wasn't ordinary.

Facing the curious look from Wild Wind, Night Ten also dropped his playful demeanor and nodded seriously.

"Yes, I've made up my mind."

At this point, he paused for a moment, then continued.

"Sometimes I feel... this game is like a real world. Actually, there was never any so-called main storyline, the so-called main storyline is discovered by ourselves in the course of the game. Remember at the beginning? When we made cement together."

Hearing Night Ten suddenly mention events from long ago, a nostalgic smile unconsciously formed on Old White's face.

"Of course I remember... Come to think of it, we've been playing this game for so long now."

"Yes, it has been quite a while, for me, it's like... a different life, a completely different life from reality."

Night Ten nodded and continued.

"Actually, from that time, I've been searching for what this game means to me, much like pondering my real-life existence, such as why I'm in this world and what others in this world mean to me... Although I might not have realized it, in retrospect, perhaps since then, I haven't thought of the people in this world as mere NPCs."

If there was a turning point, it might be the death of an old man named Ji Xiang.

Of course, not just Ji Xiang, but many other NPCs whose names he could call.

He'd rather sacrifice himself than let them suffer any harm.

Seeing the rare serious expression on Night Ten's face, Wild Wind raised an eyebrow lightly.

"So, did you find it?"

"Sort of," Night Ten replied with an embarrassed smile. "I can't really say when exactly I figured it out, but by the time I realized it, everything was already planned out... including what I'm going to do next and where I want to go."

He wants to explore distant worlds.

Of course, the most important thing is to go with the person he promised.

"Congratulations," understanding his feelings, Fang Chang reached out and patted his shoulder. "Also, I'm behind your choice."

"Haha, don't make it seem like I'm going far away or something, it's just that I probably won't be able to game together for some time. Plus, I'm not leaving right away; we still have one more mission."

Night Ten smiled awkwardly and then earnestly looked at his buddies and said.

"Thanks... for always sticking with the not-so-mature me."

"Haha, don't act like you're going far away or something, we can still meet offline," Old White laughed and patted his shoulder, returning his words. Then he earnestly said, "Come back and visit when you can, there's always a place for you in the Burning Corps."

Night Ten nodded vigorously, touched.

"Mm!"

Wild Wind rubbed his nose.

"I won't say anything sentimental, but if you find the edge of the map, remember to let me know... I'm curious, after all."

Fang Chang said with a smile.

"Why don't you go with him? It's always good to have company on the road."

"I haven't made up my mind yet, and..."

Wild Wind lightly sighed, was about to say something, but suddenly thought of something else and changed his tune, looking at Night Ten and speaking half-jokingly.

"If I really go with you, you wouldn't mind me being a third wheel, would you?"

"What are you talking about? There are more people on the ship than just Jiang Xuezhou and me," Night Ten said with a laugh. "And we're actually planning on kidnapping a few scientists onto the ship. You're welcome to join us! What do you say? Want to come? If you're too shy, just nod and I'll tie you up and bring you along."

"No need to tie me up."

Seeing Night Ten not joking, Wild Wind didn't directly answer the question, just laughed heartily and said.

"We'll talk about future things in the future, but it's not too much to reserve me a bunk, right?"

"Approved!"

Night Ten patted his chest.

"I'll take charge of this!"

Just as Night Ten and his bros were laughing and bragging, a group of clueless rookies were standing beside the Sacred Tree in the North Suburb of Potato Harbor, pointing and discussing the massive lizard with a cockscomb head.

Actually, not everyone here was a rookie; there were also some unreliable veteran players.

For example, the already Jungle Corps member, "Genie Turtle."

As a Level 30 player, although he couldn't compare to the T1 or T0 veteran players, he was still considered a solid force on the "Wasteland OL" server.

However, Genie Turtle was not satisfied with just this.

Like most players, although he lacked the strength, it didn't stop him from aspiring to be a powerhouse.

With this imagination, he couldn't help but fix his gaze on the Dragon Lizard crouching next to the Tree of Life.

Although the server classified it as a friendly entity prohibiting hostile actions, and he indeed couldn't defeat it, the server didn't say he couldn't take it away, did it?

If he could use this thing as a mount, who in the entire server could match him?

Even the Manager might get stomped into pulp!

Gaga... Gaga...

Thinking about this, his mind quickly activated—oh no, got excited.

"How much food do you think such a big lizard consumes in a day?" Genie Turtle mumbled to himself as he rubbed his chin, feeling increasingly hopeful.

Standing next to him, Squirtle and Fool Turtle paused and exchanged a puzzled look.

"No idea."

"Why do you care how much it eats..."

Genie Turtle immediately replied.

"I want to raise one."

The brothers beside him were instantly astonished.

"What the hell?"

"Are you serious?!"

Genie Turtle glanced at these guys with no dreams.

"Look at you losers, the server said no hostile actions, but didn't say we can't feed it! If I feed it enough and it acknowledges me as its dad, demanding to follow me, how can the GM break us up?"

"Isn't that—but," Squirtle looked at him, exasperated, and said, "Big bro, have you raised lizards before?"

"I have... uh, the palm-sized ones, but that's not important!" Genie Turtle seriously looked at him, placing both hands on his shoulders, resuming his momentum. "You just need to tell me one thing: Do you want to be a Dragon Knight?"

"I do..."

"Then go grab two buckets of nutritional paste for me, once I tame this guy, we'll take turns riding it!" He patted his shoulder, then turned to Fool Turtle who was standing dumbfounded, and gave him a pat too. "You go too, hurry up!"

"Don't let any other botch plan beat you to it!"

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