Chapter 82

Nan Yuan's voice was magnetic, resonating like the sound of a zither by her ear.
"Nan Yuan, I'm fine now," Tao Shushu replied.
After answering, she realized she hadn't purchased the voice feature and had no idea how Nan Yuan could speak to her.
"That's good," Nan Yuan said with a strained smile.
Tao Shushu felt another jolt from his voice.
She rubbed her ears and suddenly realized something.
The language Nan Yuan was using was the same one she had spoken in her previous life during the apocalypse.
"Nan Yuan..." Tao Shushu's eyes widened. Was it a translation provided by the system, or was that Nan Yuan's original language?
Nan Yuan stared unblinkingly at the screen. "Shushu, what's wrong?"
He tapped near his eyes. "What has you so surprised?"
Tao Shushu curiously reached out to touch his eyes on the screen. "What do you mean?"
It was then that Tao Shushu realized this wasn't just a simple two-way voice system, it was a "video call."
She could see Nan Yuan from her side, and he could see her too.
Tao Shushu's face flushed bright red. She had gone straight from school to give a statement, and after that, she came directly home, her face still smeared with strange stage makeup.
Tao Shushu covered her face.
For their first meeting, she had to look like this.
Nan Yuan chuckled. "Shushu, you're so beautiful."
From the moment he saw Shushu, he felt certain, this was her. Exactly how he had imagined Shushu would look.
Tao Shushu snapped her phone shut. "Don't look! I'm going to wash my face."
"Okay." Nan Yuan obediently closed his eyes.
His eyelashes were dark and long, his eyelids trembling slightly, yet he never opened them.
Tao Shushu hesitated, then reached out to touch Nan Yuan's eyes.
Nan Yuan still didn't peek, keeping his eyes firmly shut. "Shushu, I was really worried today. Fortunately, I protected you. And I'm also glad, it seems I've found a way to see you."
A smile graced Nan Yuan's face as he sat obediently before Tao Shushu, only his red lips moving as he spoke.
Through the screen, the flutter of his eyelashes couldn't reach the palm of Tao Shushu's hand, yet she felt a tingling sensation that traveled from her palm all the way to her heart.
Tao Shushu quickly went to wash up.
And Nan Yuan kept his eyes closed, waiting for her. His heart was beating wildly at that moment; the moment he closed his eyes, the image of Shushu in his mind grew even clearer.
When he first learned she was in danger, Nan Yuan had been extremely tense. He hated that he couldn't reach Shushu's side to protect her, forced to watch helplessly as she faced peril.
Fortunately, the system had told him that as long as he had an energy sphere, he could also intervene in the situations around Shushu.
Nan Yuan gave the energy sphere without hesitation.
That sphere was from the first time he saw Shushu, she was standing on stage, receiving an award. She truly was remarkable; no matter the exam, she always came in first.
Thankfully, he could control light. The light fiercely attacked the person who tried to assault Shushu.
A trace of ferocity crossed Nan Yuan's face. The main thing restricting Shushu's actions had been something called the Academic Genius System. This time, he hadn't managed to harm the Academic Genius System, but next time, he wouldn't let it escape.
It was then that Nan Yuan realized he also existed in Shushu's world. In that world, he was Lu Nan Yuan.
Nan Yuan clenched his fist regretfully. If only he could have arrived in that world earlier, he could have gone to school with Shushu, grown up together...
Lost in his thoughts, Tao Shushu returned.
Seeing Nan Yuan waiting with his eyes closed, as serene as Sleeping Beauty, Tao Shushu smiled.
Though she wasn't yet used to the sudden two-way video, Nan Yuan was still the familiar presence she knew.
There had never been any sense of distance or barriers between them.
Tao Shushu relaxed considerably.
She secretly poked Nan Yuan's eyelashes, feeling a bit envious. Even in the resource-scarce post-apocalyptic world, Nan Yuan's skin was in such good condition.
The moment her finger touched Nan Yuan, he smiled.
"Open your eyes, Nan Yuan," Tao Shushu said.
Nan Yuan opened his eyes and saw Tao Shushu's face. She had washed off her makeup and changed into casual clothes, resting her chin on her hand. Her eyes were large, and she had tied her hair into a ponytail.
"Shushu," Nan Yuan said.
"By the way, Nan Yuan, what do I look like to you?" Tao Shushu asked. When she first saw Nan Yuan, he was in a chibi form.
Nan Yuan smiled. "Very beautiful."
The tips of his ears suddenly turned red.
"I mean, is the image normal? Not in chibi form or anything, right?" Tao Shushu asked.
"No," Nan Yuan replied. Finally, the mystery was solved, why Shushu had treated him like a child before was due to the image display.
"That's good," Tao Shushu said, rubbing her fingers. She knew her looks were good, she had even been elected as the campus belle of Huiwen, but hearing Nan Yuan's straightforward compliment still made her happy.
"By the way, how did you know I was in danger today?" Tao Shushu asked.
"I was outside when I suddenly heard the system's voice."
It must have been during the award ceremony when Tao Shushu sensed something was wrong and called out to the system, but there was no response.
"It said you were in danger." Nan Yuan frowned. Even now, recalling the scene he witnessed after connecting the two worlds, he felt a lingering fear.
"It said the Academic Genius System restricted your movements. You are an outsider in that world, and the Academic Genius System could eliminate you." When mentioning the Academic Genius System, Nan Yuan's voice turned cold.
"Shushu was amazing, she kicked the knife away in an instant." Nan Yuan smiled as he praised her, though in that moment, his heart had leaped into his throat.
That was the first time he had manipulated the light in her world.
He had to protect Shushu.
He absolutely could not let Shushu get hurt.
It was with this conviction that Nan Yuan pushed his supernatural ability to its limits.
"Thankfully, you weren’t in danger," Nan Yuan said.
He said it simply, but Tao Shushu knew that Nan Yuan must have paid some price to interfere in her world.
Tao Shushu gently patted Nan Yuan’s head. "Thank you, Nan Yuan. Thank you for protecting me today."
"Shushu has protected me many times. I want to protect Shushu too," Nan Yuan replied.
Tao Shushu smiled. "Nan Yuan, I suspect that the Academic Genius System, like Dr. Xie, aims to harness the energy of the entire world."
When Dr. Xie left the Trash Planet last time, Tao Shushu had already formed many suspicions, but she hadn’t fully pieced the logic together at the time, so she hadn’t discussed it with Nan Yuan.
"Actually, the Academic Genius System is the true outsider in this world," Tao Shushu accused.
She explained her suspicions word by word.
Nan Yuan watched her with a smile.
So Shushu always wore a smile when she spoke.
She liked to gesture with her hands while talking.
When she mentioned something infuriating, her lips would pout, clearly upset.
"Mm, no matter how difficult they are to deal with, we’ll face them together and protect our world," Nan Yuan said.
"Okay!" Tao Shushu replied. "Bad people deserve to be beaten up."
Tao Shushu waved her fist.
"Mm," Nan Yuan responded, also waving his fist.
"I think Dr. Xie might have already been assimilated by the system he’s bound to," Tao Shushu said.
"When he went crazy, I heard him say things like 'male lead.' At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant," Nan Yuan recalled.
Tao Shushu had vaguely noticed it too, but there were too many urgent situations that day, and Dr. Xie’s ramblings were endless. She hadn’t caught everything. "You remembered such a small detail."
Nan Yuan smiled slightly, "I installed a surveillance system in the base. Later, I reviewed the footage."
"Oh, oh." Tao Shushu gave a thumbs-up. "Nan Yuan is always reliable."
Nan Yuan pulled up the recording from that day and played it.
Tao Shushu sighed regretfully, "I should have stuffed a few more stink bombs up Dr. Xie’s nose. Who knows if I’ll get another chance in the future?"
"You definitely will. When the time comes, I’ll help hold him down," Nan Yuan said.
Tao Shushu laughed. She loved how, no matter how absurd her ideas were, Nan Yuan always took them seriously and tried to make them happen.
Nan Yuan watched Tao Shushu laugh, his gaze lingering greedily on every expression she made, whether she was speaking, thinking, laughing, or even angry. Each expression was vivid and full of life.
They were his most treasured treasures.
Tao Shushu remained completely unaware. After watching the footage, she commented, "Dr. Xie must have been really desperate at that moment. I’ve often wondered, can someone truly follow a system’s every command without question? Especially those in high positions; they must have some pride and temper of their own."
As soon as she finished speaking, Tao Shushu paused. It seemed like no matter what she said, Nan Yuan would agree and indulge her. But she didn’t appear often in his daily life, and he still had plenty of freedom.
Quietly, Tao Shushu stuck out her tongue.
Nan Yuan nodded. "Right."
He chuckled at her adorable gesture.
"Right about what? Nan Yuan, what are you laughing at?" Tao Shushu felt that she shouldn’t let Nan Yuan agree with everything she said. After all, he was usually such a decisive leader in front of the other survivors.
Nan Yuan smiled as he looked at Shushu. "Dr. Xie is usually very cunning. From the apocalypse until now, he’s managed to hide for so long. It’s unlikely he’d suddenly expose himself over something trivial."
Only then did Tao Shushu nod in satisfaction. "Exactly. We were live-streaming today, and security was tight. Qin Rui isn’t usually that foolish, he couldn’t have harmed me without ruining his own reputation."
Nan Yuan silently noted Qin Rui’s name. Both Qin Rui and the Academic Genius System were his enemies.
Tao Shushu pondered, "I didn’t provoke him too much today. Even if he was angry, he wouldn’t have acted so recklessly."
Nan Yuan fast-forwarded to a part of the recording where Dr. Xie was shouting that he could definitely take Nan Yuan down. "Dr. Xie is the same. He seemed convinced he could deal with me, which is why he chose to reveal his true colors."
"Mm. The same goes for Qin Rui. The Academic Genius System probably promised him a way to control my actions, making him think he could overpower me physically. That’s why he chose to act in public," Tao Shushu said.
Based on the irrational behavior of both Qin Rui and Dr. Xie, Tao Shushu concluded that if the Academic Genius System wanted to control someone who wasn’t fully compliant, it would inevitably lead to actions that compromised their intelligence.
"Good news, the Dr. Xie we’re up against has been dumbed down," Tao Shushu said optimistically.
"Mm, his weaknesses will only grow," Nan Yuan agreed.
Tao Shushu asked, "So, have you figured out how to deal with him?"
Nan Yuan replied, "Restore communications and unite the survivors. At the same time, I’ll take control of Chu first."
Nan Yuan’s strategy was well thought out.
Communications between the Trash Planet and the outside world were restricted, and survivors on other planets remained unaware of Dr. Xie’s true stance.
Dr. Xie could easily reinvent himself and continue exploiting other survivors. With his psychic abilities, he could easily persuade others and rise as the leader of an organization.
Time was actually running short for Nan Yuan.
Tao Shushu refreshed the survivor map, the territory occupied by artificial intelligence was expanding rapidly, gradually taking over the areas near the Central Star and forming a tight defensive network.
"Alright, Nan Yuan, just do what you need to. I’ll always be by your side."
Tao Shushu leaned closer to the screen to operate her phone. As her face drew nearer, Nan Yuan’s ears flushed slightly at her ambiguous words. "Okay."
Tao Shushu and Nan Yuan discussed their plans further.
The spaceship that had arrived from the barren planet was still usable, but its capacity was limited and couldn’t carry all the superhumans.
Tao Shushu searched through the system marketplace, but spaceships were too expensive, and she couldn’t afford one with her current assets.
Tao Shushu said, "Nan Yuan, one day, I’ll get you the best spaceship."
Nan Yuan nodded. "I suspect there’s a spaceship buried beneath the Trash Planet. I’ve already sent Zhou Yan to look for it."
Dr. Xie, being someone they distrusted, couldn’t find a way to open the underground vault beneath the Trash Planet. However, Nan Yuan had seen the method in Man Qian’s memories.
Tao Shushu nodded. "We’re bound to find something good."
"Mm." Nan Yuan still had to train the superhumans, gather enough weapons and supplies, and plan their route.
He was both the brains behind the Trash Planet’s operations and its strongest fighter, with many responsibilities to manage daily.
As they discussed each step of their plan, Tao Shushu felt an increasing sense of familiarity with Nan Yuan’s way of speaking, the language he had used in his previous life during the apocalypse. It felt as if they had been having such discussions for decades.
Tao Shushu asked, "Nan Yuan, is the language you’re speaking the common language of the C1 Star System?"
"Yes. The C1 Star System was the earliest to unify its language," Nan Yuan replied.
Tao Shushu quietly noted this question in her mind, planning to ask the system about it later.
She ruffled Nan Yuan’s hair. "Nan Yuan, you’re amazing."
"Shushu is the most impressive." Nan Yuan smiled. "I saw you receiving an award today."
Tao Shushu said, "That was my third project. Qin Rui was especially unreasonable today, making us perform on stage ahead of schedule. Thankfully, I didn’t make any mistakes."
"Shushu was well-prepared and has a strong memory, so of course you wouldn’t make mistakes," Nan Yuan said. "It’s a pity I didn’t get to see your performance today, but I know your world has recordings. Will you show me later?"
It was a promise.
Tao Shushu had never asked Nan Yuan about his plans for the future. In the apocalypse, he would undoubtedly become a respected leader. She never doubted that Nan Yuan could stand against the artificial intelligence and lead humanity in rebuilding order.
Upon learning that Nan Yuan also existed in her world, Tao Shushu had wondered if he would ever be willing to come, but she also knew that Nan Yuan had family in his own world and many responsibilities tied to him.
Tao Shushu smiled, "If you want to see, I’ll show you."
Nan Yuan kept smiling, "Okay."
He quietly clenched his fist.
Tao Shushu studied it a bit more and realized that as soon as she opened the game, Nan Yuan would be able to see her in real-time as well.
She felt a little regretful, she wouldn’t be able to secretly log in to admire Nan Yuan’s sleeping face anymore, since he would definitely notice.
After chatting about this and that, Tao Shushu started working on her homework problems.
She didn’t exit the game.
Every time she solved a few problems, she would glance at her phone screen, and each time, Nan Yuan would smile back at her.
In this two-way interaction, Nan Yuan also paid close attention to Tao Shushu’s every move, responding to her every glance.
Tao Shushu rubbed her face, feeling for the first time that studying while watching Nan Yuan was lowering her efficiency.

The school anniversary events finally came to an end.
Now, whenever Tao Shushu walked around campus, she felt like a rare animal. After Class One students found out that Qin Rui’s target had been Tao Shushu, they grew even more worried.
Especially Li Anyu, "Shushu, you really scared me that day. You have to know that the deranged Qin Rui had a knife, and he was coming straight for you. I’m not leaving your side no matter what."
The other classmates clearly felt the same way, even during breaks, a crowd would gather around Tao Shushu.
Tao Shushu felt a sweet kind of trouble; she couldn’t even chat with Nan Yuan during her lunch breaks anymore.
Recently, campus security had also tightened significantly to prevent any further serious incidents.
Even Li Xin stopped organizing after-school training sessions, allowing students to head home early.
After Gu Lanchun learned about Qin Rui’s actions, she blamed herself for a while, "Shushu, I shouldn’t have hesitated back then. If I had exposed Qin Rui’s misdeeds earlier, he wouldn’t have had the chance to go on stage and would’ve been kicked out backstage long ago."
Tao Shushu comforted her, "It’s Qin Rui’s fault. How can we blame ourselves for not being vigilant enough?"
She immediately gave Gu Lanchun a few books on resisting emotional manipulation.
Even Jia Xu sincerely apologized to Tao Shushu, admitting that he had wrongly blamed her before and that it was all Qin Rui, that troublemaker, who was at fault.
Now, Qin Rui was universally despised.
In the Luo Liming incident, it turned out Qin Rui had been the mastermind behind the scenes, such cunning was truly frightening.
Moreover, after going abroad, Qin Rui used the reputation of Huiwen to swindle and deceive everywhere, trying to lure talented experts and scholars into joining his lab, which was utterly ridiculous.
Everyone also discovered that he had been in contact with Su Momo all along, and he often acted mysteriously and hypocritically.
On the campus forum, people cursed Qin Rui every day. The student council members, in particular, couldn’t believe how his image had collapsed and felt the need to vent by criticizing him daily.
Tao Shushu occasionally browsed the campus forum as well. The more she read, the more she realized that Qin Rui’s downfall was inevitable. Even before binding with the Academic Genius System, Qin Rui had already displayed traits like hypocrisy, arrogance, and two-faced behavior.
It was puzzling why the Academic Genius System always had such poor judgment in selecting protagonists.
Perhaps it only chose those who were easily manipulated, like Qin Rui, or Su Momo.
The Academic Genius System had also pulled some petty tricks targeting Tao Shushu.
For instance, they attempted to fabricate some scandals to smear Tao Shushu, but all were promptly detected by Xun and the system.
Tao Shushu remained unscathed.
Now, the Academic Genius System was like a grasshopper in late autumn, making its final leaps.
Tao Shushu and Nan Yuan had discussed it: the key to dealing with the Academic Genius System should be energy. This world was real enough, so real that the Academic Genius System had no authority to plunder, which meant its days were numbered.
Tao Shushu gradually grew accustomed to two-way conversations with Nan Yuan.
Perhaps it was Nan Yuan's good luck, but they actually found a spaceship that only needed some repairs to be operational.
Dr. Xie had schemed for so long without finding anything of value, while Nan Yuan obtained it effortlessly.
Another week passed.
The results of the preliminary physics competition were announced.
Tao Shushu achieved a perfect score in both the theoretical and experimental sections, earning first place in the city. She would represent the provincial team in the competition two weeks later.
As Tao Shushu packed her luggage, she chatted with Nan Yuan, "Nan Yuan, I'm about to head to the provincial team for training."
"I believe Shushu can definitely win the gold medal," Nan Yuan said.
"Mm. I think so too." Tao Shushu had always been confident in her achievements.
She secretly glanced at Nan Yuan.
Both of them had their own responsibilities, and with their academic workload increasing recently, they still made time to chat casually every day.
Tao Shushu realized she was gradually starting to feel like she was in a relationship.
It was also time for Nan Yuan to leave the Trash Planet.
Nan Yuan was conducting final checks with his team.
Tao Shushu reminisced, "Nan Yuan, I still remember the first time we moved from the barren planet to the Trash Planet."
Back then, they had no idea about the situation outside.
Everyone worked enthusiastically to pack their things, full of hope for the future.
Now, they knew there were many enemies out there, not just artificial intelligence, but also people like Dr. Xie.
Yet, they remained hopeful for the future.
Nan Yuan had recently created several artificial intelligences, which could be sent ahead to gather intelligence.
He had also assembled the equipment needed to restore communications.
When Dr. Xie proposed this plan, he only intended to send Nan Yuan to his death, never expecting it to actually be carried out.
But Nan Yuan had accomplished it for real.
The first rays of morning sunlight shone upon the Trash Planet as the spaceship accelerated, breaking through the atmosphere and heading toward the vast C1 star system.
Nan Yuan stood in the spaceship's control room, dressed in the Second Legion's distinctive combat uniform, spirited and solemnly arranging the battle plans one by one.
The surviving humans all gazed at Nan Yuan.
Tao Shushu also watched Nan Yuan, in any crowd, he was always the most dazzling one.
Tao Shushu’s eyes always found him first.
"Nan Yuan, you will definitely succeed," Tao Shushu said.