Chapter 77

No one had expected Dr. Xie to have hidden a spaceship in the east.
All the artificial intelligence units left behind by Dr. Xie went berserk, attacking the surviving humans.
Thermal weapons exploded within microseconds, igniting firestorms wherever the artillery landed.
Caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, the survivors on the Trash Planet had no time to blame Dr. Xie and could only quickly arm themselves and fight back.
Nan Yuan’s gaze locked onto Dr. Xie as he issued rapid commands: Protect the supplies, protect the supplies, rescue the wounded...
Tao Shushu, while spending heavily to produce medicines, also helped disrupt the artificial intelligence’s attacks.
Amid the chaos, no one noticed Tao Shushu’s invisible hands blocking the enemies.
Under the overwhelming force of the artificial intelligence, Dr. Xie gloated triumphantly, maneuvering the spaceship to its acceleration threshold.
Nan Yuan’s abilities spread out like a net of light, blocking the dense swarm of artificial intelligence.
But Dr. Xie seemed to have been prepared all along. Under the protection of the light-blocking material, the light always fell just short of reaching the spacecraft.
"I'll go after him." Tao Shushu shouted toward Nan Yuan before swiftly switching maps and jumping onto Dr. Xie's spacecraft.
She tried to hold the spacecraft back, but it was too heavy and didn't slow down in the slightest.
Tao Shushu made a quick decision and appeared right in front of Dr. Xie.
The spacecraft was indeed sturdy, but Dr. Xie was only human, and humans were fragile.
However, as soon as Tao Shushu entered the spacecraft, it emitted a red alert: "Warning: Unidentified life form detected in the space."
Dr. Xie sat at the main control panel, where the screen was displaying a real-time broadcast of the battle between humans and artificial intelligence.
Tao Shushu was puzzled about the authenticity of the alarm system. Aside from Nan Yuan, no one should be able to detect her presence on their own.
She guessed that her movements had stirred the air, which was picked up by the sensors.
Tao Shushu moved slowly and gently, aiming for the back of Dr. Xie's head.
But Dr. Xie suddenly chuckled, turning around sharply and looking directly at Tao Shushu. "See, without help, Nan Yuan can't even catch up to me."
On the screen, the display had switched to a targeting interface for homing missiles, with the crosshairs locked onto Nan Yuan amidst the crowd.
"This spacecraft is equipped with ten homing missiles. Guess how many Nan Yuan can withstand."
Tao Shushu's heart raced. She didn't understand what Dr. Xie meant by this, but she couldn't risk Nan Yuan's life.
Dr. Xie shook his head. "Nan Yuan can't even defeat artificial intelligence, let alone... Hah. Instead of supporting Nan Yuan, why not cooperate with me? Together, we can harvest energy more completely."
Tao Shushu looked at Dr. Xie in confusion, her mind struggling to process his words. What did he mean by "supporting Nan Yuan" and "harvesting energy"? Dr. Xie's thought process seemed completely out of sync with the people of the C1 Star System.
"Outsider. Press the launch button, and our deal is sealed. Otherwise, your plan to make Nan Yuan the protagonist will fail, all your efforts will come to nothing, and you'll face punishment."
Tao Shushu's eyes widened in shock. Outsider!
Dr. Xie was similar to the Academic Genius System, his goal was to plunder the energy of this world.
Fortunately, Dr. Xie probably didn't know how close she and Nan Yuan were. He likely assumed she was just Nan Yuan's golden finger, using him to consolidate the energy of the C1 Star System.
The spacecraft wasn't in a hurry to ascend and even arrogantly hovered above the Trash Planet base.
Dr. Xie sat there calmly, confident that Tao Shushu would agree to his terms. "Do you actually believe in the theory of self-generating energy? Weak energy only has value in being reclaimed. Even if we give Nan Yuan more time to evolve, the C1 Star System will never become more real."
Tao Shushu did not respond, carefully recording every word Dr. Xie said.
Of course, she didn't trust Dr. Xie either.
Whether she, an outsider, was present or not, Dr. Xie held the advantage in firepower and could launch tracking missiles at Nan Yuan.
If he refrained, it was either because he couldn't do it or because he had other schemes in mind.
At this moment, Tao Shushu felt grateful that her numerous encounters with the Academic Genius System had given her ample experience.
Dr. Xie emotionlessly looked downward, "I'll give you one last minute."
Footage continuously streamed back on the display.
Tao Shushu pressed her lips together tightly. Dr. Xie had always remained deeply hidden, and she needed to think calmly to find his true weakness.
Amid the crowd, Nan Yuan was locked in a constant struggle with the artificial intelligences.
Beams of light sliced through a large wave of AIs, many of which chose to self-destruct on the spot, causing localized explosive damage.
After the initial chaos, with Nan Yuan's command, the surviving humans temporarily gained control over the battle's rhythm.
At that moment, Nan Yuan's eyelids twitched violently, and a strong sense of unease surged within him.
He called out "Shushu" again, but there was still no response.
His energy was nearly depleted. Nan Yuan restrained himself and did not use an energy sphere.
But Shushu still hadn't appeared.
In the past, whenever he was in danger, Shushu would always show up.
Recalling Tao Shushu's mention of going to find Dr. Xie, the unease in Nan Yuan's heart grew even stronger.
Steeling his gaze, Nan Yuan ran toward the vehicle.
Zhou Yan quickly provided cover, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Come back."
"Shushu," Nan Yuan mouthed to him.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Nan Yuan charged headlong into the area most densely populated with AIs without looking back.
The AIs judged that he intended to stop Dr. Xie's spacecraft from taking off and immediately turned their attacks toward Nan Yuan.
"Overestimating yourself," Dr. Xie mocked. "At least the AIs don't suffer from individual heroism."
Dr. Xie tapped a few times on the controller.
Instantly, the AIs redirected their weapons, surrounding Nan Yuan.
"If I'd known Nan Yuan was this weak, I wouldn't have sent all my forces to attack him," Dr. Xie lamented, shaking his head. "See? Cooperating with me is much more efficient."
In a flash of insight, Tao Shushu realized something: since Dr. Xie understood the differences between AIs and humans so well, he wouldn't overlook human emotions.
Yet he had been deliberately provoking Tao Shushu with his words.
Emotions.
If Tao Shushu became angry, she would attack Dr. Xie.
And Dr. Xie indeed appeared to have no defenses on his spacecraft, even explicitly stating that he had sent all his forces to attack the Trash Planet.
Tao Shushu immediately withdrew her hand. She wasn't afraid of the AIs; the attacks on Nan Yuan's side wouldn't harm her.
But Dr. Xie, along with his goals similar to the Academic Genius System, made Tao Shushu somewhat wary.
Gritting her teeth, she directly switched maps, neither pressing the tracking missile launch button nor attacking Dr. Xie's head.
Only when she returned to Nan Yuan's side did Tao Shushu feel at ease. "Nan Yuan, why did you come here?"
"Shushu," Nan Yuan, who had been tense all along, broke into a smile upon hearing Tao Shushu's voice.
With Nan Yuan drawing the enemy's fire, the pressure on the surviving humans immediately lessened, and they managed to seize several tactical high grounds.
Tao Shushu joined Nan Yuan in attacking the AIs.
For the small-sized robots, a light clap of her hands was enough to sweep away a large group.
Since Dr. Xie had already spotted her, Tao Shushu no longer hid or held back, she openly assisted Nan Yuan.
"Dr. Xie's spacecraft has ten tracking missiles," Tao Shushu relayed all the intel she had just seen to Nan Yuan.
She didn’t think Dr. Xie would dare to directly attack Nan Yuan; most likely, Dr. Xie was under certain constraints as well.
"The wing," Nan Yuan said tersely.
Tao Shushu had always worked in perfect sync with him. As Nan Yuan aimed to strike the wing, she swiftly cleared the robots around him, continuously replenishing his health potions and energy orbs.
Nan Yuan manipulated beams of light, and as the spacecraft circled overhead once more, he abruptly attacked one of its wings.
Tao Shushu flicked away the robots near Nan Yuan with a single finger, then quickly tugged at the wing that had been sliced open by the light, creating a crack.
Under her forceful shaking, one of the wings teetered precariously.
Meanwhile, several maintenance robots crawled out from the spacecraft and began welding.
Tao Shushu snorted coldly. Sure enough, Dr. Xie had been lying, there were clearly other robots on the spacecraft.
With a push from her, several maintenance robots fell off.
However, the maintenance robots emerged again, this time equipped with grippers and flight systems, making it increasingly difficult for Tao Shushu to destroy them.
After expending some effort, Tao Shushu managed to drive the maintenance robots away once more and further damaged the wing.
But soon, even more maintenance robots swarmed out.
Tao Shushu sighed in relief that she hadn’t fallen for Dr. Xie’s tricks. If Dr. Xie could detect her presence and identify her, he might also have methods to harm her.
And he had so many robots.
After a moment’s thought, Tao Shushu spent a few stink bombs and tossed them into the passageway the maintenance robots used to enter and exit. She blocked the entrance for a while, hoping the bombs would land in the air ducts.
Just then, Tao Shushu noticed Nan Yuan weaving another large light net.
Given Nan Yuan’s special abilities, shielding the entire base under the net would consume an enormous amount of his energy.
Tao Shushu slapped the wing a few times, tearing open a larger gap, then abandoned Dr. Xie’s spacecraft and rushed to Nan Yuan’s side.
"Nan Yuan..." Tao Shushu called his name softly. It suddenly occurred to her that, at some point during battles, she had started seeking Nan Yuan’s opinion, just like every other surviving human who trusted him, eager to hear his tactical arrangements.
Nan Yuan’s face was covered in cold sweat, but fortunately, while he was using his abilities, the artificial intelligences didn’t dare approach.
Tao Shushu did not respond, carefully recording every word Dr. Xie said.
Of course, she didn't trust Dr. Xie either.
Whether she, an outsider, was present or not, Dr. Xie held the advantage in firepower and could launch tracking missiles at Nan Yuan.
If he refrained, it was either because he couldn't do it or because he had other schemes in mind.
At this moment, Tao Shushu felt grateful that her numerous encounters with the Academic Genius System had given her ample experience.
Dr. Xie emotionlessly looked downward, "I'll give you one last minute."
Footage continuously streamed back on the display.
Tao Shushu pressed her lips together tightly. Dr. Xie had always remained deeply hidden, and she needed to think calmly to find his true weakness.
Amid the crowd, Nan Yuan was locked in a constant struggle with the artificial intelligences.
Beams of light sliced through a large wave of AIs, many of which chose to self-destruct on the spot, causing localized explosive damage.
After the initial chaos, with Nan Yuan's command, the surviving humans temporarily gained control over the battle's rhythm.
At that moment, Nan Yuan's eyelids twitched violently, and a strong sense of unease surged within him.
He called out "Shushu" again, but there was still no response.
His energy was nearly depleted. Nan Yuan restrained himself and did not use an energy sphere.
But Shushu still hadn't appeared.
In the past, whenever he was in danger, Shushu would always show up.
Recalling Tao Shushu's mention of going to find Dr. Xie, the unease in Nan Yuan's heart grew even stronger.
Steeling his gaze, Nan Yuan ran toward the vehicle.
Zhou Yan quickly provided cover, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Come back."
"Shushu," Nan Yuan mouthed to him.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Nan Yuan charged headlong into the area most densely populated with AIs without looking back.
The AIs judged that he intended to stop Dr. Xie's spacecraft from taking off and immediately turned their attacks toward Nan Yuan.
"Overestimating yourself," Dr. Xie mocked. "At least the AIs don't suffer from individual heroism."
Dr. Xie tapped a few times on the controller.
Instantly, the AIs redirected their weapons, surrounding Nan Yuan.
"If I'd known Nan Yuan was this weak, I wouldn't have sent all my forces to attack him," Dr. Xie lamented, shaking his head. "See? Cooperating with me is much more efficient."
In a flash of insight, Tao Shushu realized something: since Dr. Xie understood the differences between AIs and humans so well, he wouldn't overlook human emotions.
Yet he had been deliberately provoking Tao Shushu with his words.
Emotions.
If Tao Shushu became angry, she would attack Dr. Xie.
And Dr. Xie indeed appeared to have no defenses on his spacecraft, even explicitly stating that he had sent all his forces to attack the Trash Planet.
Tao Shushu immediately withdrew her hand. She wasn't afraid of the AIs; the attacks on Nan Yuan's side wouldn't harm her.
But Dr. Xie, along with his goals similar to the Academic Genius System, made Tao Shushu somewhat wary.
Gritting her teeth, she directly switched maps, neither pressing the tracking missile launch button nor attacking Dr. Xie's head.
Only when she returned to Nan Yuan's side did Tao Shushu feel at ease. "Nan Yuan, why did you come here?"
"Shushu," Nan Yuan, who had been tense all along, broke into a smile upon hearing Tao Shushu's voice.
With Nan Yuan drawing the enemy's fire, the pressure on the surviving humans immediately lessened, and they managed to seize several tactical high grounds.
Tao Shushu joined Nan Yuan in attacking the AIs.
For the small-sized robots, a light clap of her hands was enough to sweep away a large group.
Since Dr. Xie had already spotted her, Tao Shushu no longer hid or held back, she openly assisted Nan Yuan.
"Dr. Xie's spacecraft has ten tracking missiles," Tao Shushu relayed all the intel she had just seen to Nan Yuan.
She didn’t think Dr. Xie would dare to directly attack Nan Yuan; most likely, Dr. Xie was under certain constraints as well.
"The wing," Nan Yuan said tersely.
Tao Shushu had always worked in perfect sync with him. As Nan Yuan aimed to strike the wing, she swiftly cleared the robots around him, continuously replenishing his health potions and energy orbs.
Nan Yuan manipulated beams of light, and as the spacecraft circled overhead once more, he abruptly attacked one of its wings.
Tao Shushu flicked away the robots near Nan Yuan with a single finger, then quickly tugged at the wing that had been sliced open by the light, creating a crack.
Under her forceful shaking, one of the wings teetered precariously.
Meanwhile, several maintenance robots crawled out from the spacecraft and began welding.
Tao Shushu snorted coldly. Sure enough, Dr. Xie had been lying, there were clearly other robots on the spacecraft.
With a push from her, several maintenance robots fell off.
However, the maintenance robots emerged again, this time equipped with grippers and flight systems, making it increasingly difficult for Tao Shushu to destroy them.
After expending some effort, Tao Shushu managed to drive the maintenance robots away once more and further damaged the wing.
But soon, even more maintenance robots swarmed out.
Tao Shushu sighed in relief that she hadn’t fallen for Dr. Xie’s tricks. If Dr. Xie could detect her presence and identify her, he might also have methods to harm her.
And he had so many robots.
After a moment’s thought, Tao Shushu spent a few stink bombs and tossed them into the passageway the maintenance robots used to enter and exit. She blocked the entrance for a while, hoping the bombs would land in the air ducts.
Just then, Tao Shushu noticed Nan Yuan weaving another large light net.
Given Nan Yuan’s special abilities, shielding the entire base under the net would consume an enormous amount of his energy.
Tao Shushu slapped the wing a few times, tearing open a larger gap, then abandoned Dr. Xie’s spacecraft and rushed to Nan Yuan’s side.
"Nan Yuan..." Tao Shushu called his name softly. It suddenly occurred to her that, at some point during battles, she had started seeking Nan Yuan’s opinion, just like every other surviving human who trusted him, eager to hear his tactical arrangements.
Nan Yuan’s face was covered in cold sweat, but fortunately, while he was using his abilities, the artificial intelligences didn’t dare approach.
"Shushu, the tracking missiles might be targeting others," Nan Yuan said.
Tao Shushu paused for a moment. Zhou Yan was also driving over in this direction.
Cheng Feimao, relying on his speed, was shuttling back and forth through the AI clusters, planting bombs.
Bob stood like a small mountain, blocking the outer perimeter of the temporary medical point, protecting the wounded and firmly preventing the robots from approaching.
There was also a group of artificial intelligences created by Nan Yuan, nimbly launching attacks within the AI clusters, coordinating seamlessly with the surviving humans.
Even the golden-maned lion, working in tandem with the Bloodsucking Grass, charged at the front line of defense.
Tao Shushu instantly understood Nan Yuan’s meaning.
Countless survivors trusted Nan Yuan and had been following his tactics on the battlefield.
Now that Dr. Xie had lost the trust of the survivors, he also wanted to destroy their faith in Nan Yuan.
And the tracking missiles were his weapon.
Tao Shushu wished she could punch Dr. Xie. Mental-type ability users were truly despicable, so adept at manipulating people’s minds.
Just like now, Tao Shushu couldn’t be sure whether Dr. Xie would attack others or Nan Yuan.
They could only defend with all their might, they were too passive.
Suppressing her anger toward Dr. Xie, Tao Shushu rushed to Zhou Yan and the others, quickly reminding them.
Nan Yuan’s light net could also block some of the attacks.
After completing all this, Tao Shushu swiftly returned to the spaceship.
She wasn’t the type to passively endure attacks before retaliating. She didn’t know who Dr. Xie would target, but waiting outside the missile launch bay was undoubtedly the most efficient approach.
A few minutes later, the spaceship swayed a few more times, and the sound of electric currents crackled.
Dr. Xie’s voice came through the speakers, "If you hadn’t followed Nan Yuan, you wouldn’t be facing what’s coming next. Haha, cherish the last moments of your lives."
One after another, tracking missiles dropped from the launch bay.
Tao Shushu grabbed one, then another.
In her previous life during the apocalypse, she had worked with the military and knew how tracking missiles operated.
Now, she exerted all her strength, gripping the control section of the tracking missiles.
Then she threw them toward Nan Yuan.
Nan Yuan’s light net was like spider silk, catching the missiles that flew right into it.
He pulled out a particle gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger.
A dazzling energy light enveloped the missiles, causing them to explode.
Tao Shushu took the opportunity to throw the remaining missiles into the blast wave.
She silently counted: eight, nine, ten.
The spaceship abruptly began to ascend, quickly surpassing the maximum distance Tao Shushu could maintain from Nan Yuan.
Tao Shushu returned to Nan Yuan’s side.
Given Dr. Xie’s cunning, there were likely more than ten tracking missiles.
Sure enough, the moment the spaceship flew out of sight, several tracking missiles shot through the air, some aimed at Nan Yuan, others at Zhou Yan and the rest.
Nan Yuan used his ability again, all the light radiating outward from him as the core.
Tao Shushu looked into the distance. At the center of the light was Nan Yuan’s face, illuminated by the glow.
She even felt she could see the look in Nan Yuan’s eyes.
Like a sacred god of war, about to cleanse the filth from the land.
Tao Shushu blinked and focused on intercepting the missiles.
Nan Yuan could protect himself.
Zhou Yan had served in the Second Legion and had plenty of experience dealing with tracking missiles.
Cheng Feimao had the assistance of the Bloodsucking Grass and some of the artificial intelligences.
The ones truly in danger were the ability users who had relocated from the east earlier.
They were also the key to Dr. Xie’s plan to undermine trust.
Tao Shushu shielded the people around her.
Dr. Xie had an arsenal of weapons, launching missiles one after another.
Tao Shushu’s arms grew sore from intercepting them all.
On Nan Yuan’s side, overusing his abilities had left him drenched in sweat.
Tao Shushu quickly consumed several Health Potions and distributed them to the other ability users.
In the sky, Dr. Xie’s spacecraft had long vanished.
Fortunately, after the fierce battle, the artificial intelligence left behind by Dr. Xie was nearly depleted.
The surviving humans joined forces, advancing with unstoppable momentum, and finally eradicated all the artificial intelligence.
The brutal battle had finally come to an end.
Not just the survivors, but even Tao Shushu, watching from behind the screen, felt exhausted.
It was the kind of weariness that followed every battle.
Even after finishing a physics competition or completing several sets of problems in a row, Tao Shushu had never felt this drained.
She could barely recall what state she had been in during her past life, constantly embroiled in fights.
Tao Shushu shook her head and was about to help clean up the battlefield when she saw Nan Yuan stand up, intently listening to the sounds in the distance.
“What’s wrong?” Tao Shushu asked.
“Something’s flying this way,” Nan Yuan said.
Nan Yuan had enhanced hearing, and his words were always reliable.
The surviving humans immediately grew tense.
Tao Shushu glanced at the sky, thinking how despicable Dr. Xie was, even after leaving, he had left behind an endless supply of missiles.
As she lowered her head, it occurred to her that the only way to leave the Trash Planet was by spacecraft.
Dr. Xie had one, and Nan Yuan and the others had arrived in one as well.
“Nan Yuan, could the target be our spacecraft?” Tao Shushu asked nervously.
Nan Yuan picked up his particle gun. “I’ll send someone to handle it.”
Nan Yuan quickly organized everyone for defense.
Within a minute, two more missiles came flying toward them.
Drawing from their experience with the previous missiles, they detonated them before they could get close.
“Dr. Xie is truly despicable. Thankfully, he didn’t succeed,” Tao Shushu said bitterly.
“It’s because Shushu was here that he failed,” Nan Yuan said.
“Huh?”
“If Shushu hadn’t continuously supplied me with energy, I wouldn’t have been able to hold out for so long,” Nan Yuan explained.
Dr. Xie’s assessment of combat capabilities was incredibly precise, he had even accurately gauged the rate at which Nan Yuan’s abilities would deplete.
If it weren't for Tao Shushu continuously purchasing Health Potions, energy orbs, and some healing medicines, many ability users would have died in the first wave of attacks due to injuries or depleted abilities.
Dr. Xie was indeed clever, but the one thing he miscalculated was that Tao Shushu would keep providing supplies to Nan Yuan and the others.
"But Nan Yuan, you're also incredibly amazing." Tao Shushu was still upset about what Dr. Xie had said on the spaceship.
"Because it's you, that's why I became... friends with you. That's why I've always taken care of you and protected you," Tao Shushu said.
If it had been Dr. Xie or Cheng Feimao whom she had encountered as her "cub," she might have quit the game during the phase when she still thought it was just a child-rearing game.
Even if she hadn't quit, she wouldn't have treated them the way she treated Nan Yuan, always logging into the game as soon as possible to spend time with her cub, enthusiastically solving problems to earn gold coins and raise him.
The reason she helped the protagonist of the C1 star system unreservedly was that, in this world, the protagonist was Nan Yuan.
Tao Shushu rubbed Nan Yuan's head. "Anyway, Nan Yuan, you're really wonderful."
The light and shadows elongated Nan Yuan's silhouette, making him appear exceptionally tall and handsome.
Outside the screen, Tao Shushu whispered, "It's my favorite look."