CH 75

Thank you to Luoyuan for the ko-fi~

Liu Du actually felt quite wronged. He sneaked out at night. His legs had gone numb from crouching and discovered a fluffy little cutie.

On the winter night devoid of the moon, Liu Du could only vaguely sense the color of Shu Shuishui’s friend and realized that it seemed different from Shu Shuishui. But that didn’t matter—they were all rodents!

So without hesitation, Liu Du took out the food he had prepared, and bit by bit, he approached the differently colored mouse1Liu Du mistook the rat for a mouse. At that moment, Liu Du was secretly delighted that the little mouse didn’t run away. It seemed he had a good connection with mice.

The little mouse ate the food that Liu Du offered, and Liu Du naturally thought the mouse agreed to go with him. He eagerly reached out to pick up the little mouse and leave.

But when he turned around, he found a circle of huge mutant rats surrounding him. The shock can be described as nothing less than significant. Moreover, the rats probably understood his incessant chatter about taking the little mouse away. They slowly closed in step by step. Recalling that scene now, it still feels incredibly intense.

In the end, not surprisingly, Liu Du was besieged by a group of massive mutant rats. During his escape, he also stumbled a few times, ending up with bruises and a swollen face, making his situation even more miserable.

Fortunately, the mutant rats only used their paws and didn’t attack Liu Du’s face. It was probably because they knew he was a guest. So when Liu Du ran a distance away, the rats stopped pursuing him.

Liu Du returned to his tent and then realized that Shu Shuishui’s friend was indeed a rodent too, just not at all like Shu Shuishui—neither gentle nor kind.

His attempt to steal a rat ended up with getting beaten instead. Liu Du naturally couldn’t admit such a shameful incident, but he never expected that the rats would come knocking at his door! At that moment, a thousand suns rose in Liu Du’s heart, shining ever so brightly…

Liu Du felt that if this incident got out, he’d have no face to show to the world. Nonetheless, Shu Shuishui was still Shu Shuishui—intelligent, gentle, and warm-hearted. He sensed his embarrassment and successfully resolved the situation. Although it cost him ten sweet potatoes, Liu Du let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling that ten sweet potatoes were no problem at all.

Even Shu Shuishui didn’t expect that Liu Du would actually attempt to steal a rat, resulting in the rat brothers coming to report him and demanding compensation. Who would’ve thought that Liu Du, who appeared so dignified, would also engage in such mousey antics?

With a few pitter-patter steps, Shu Shuishui came over to Liu Du’s side and jumped up to pat his knee, comforting him. “It’s okay, Xiao Du. I won’t look down on you because of this.”

Liu Du squatted down and patted Shu Shuishui’s furry little head, deeply moved. He finally understood that not all mice are like Shu Shuishui.

Although others around them faintly felt that something was off, since Shu Shuishui said so, they didn’t want to embarrass Liu Du and chose to give Shu Shuishui face. Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the incident.

Breakfast was still delicious, and there was porridge and fish soup personally prepared by Shu Shuishui. Compared to the grilled fish from yesterday, it was much lighter and more suitable for the morning. Shu Shuishui kept circling around several bowls of porridge, occasionally tiptoeing to stir with a spoon. The seemingly small bowls, when compared to the little dormouse wearing a chef’s hat, magically transformed into giant pots.

The milky white fish soup paired with the clear porridge was truly appetizing.

During this breakfast, everyone ate in silence, savoring every bite of food. Both the paddy rice and upland rice couldn’t adapt to the harsh environment of Cang Zhan Star. They had almost forgotten the taste of rice. And these bowls of porridge were tirelessly prepared by Shu Shuishui, seemingly brimming with the flavor of happiness.

Shu Shuishui held his mini-bowl, which contained around twenty to thirty grains of rice. He scooped them out with a small spoon, one grain at a time. Occasionally, Gu Langu’s spoon would reach over, and Shu Shuishui would tilt his little head to drink a sip of fish soup.

Shu Shuishui was the first to finish eating. The little dormouse patted his tiny belly, then sprawled on the ground and sighed, “It’s a pity that there’re no little pickled vegetables. Breakfast without pickled vegetables is soulless.”

Liu Po laughed helplessly. “This kind of food has already made us not want to leave.”

Shu Shuishui stood up energetically. “You can join us like Big Brother Hu Sichen.” Shu Shuishui still remembered the events of the galaxy’s end. The more people, the stronger they would be. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to protect Gu Langu on his own. That’s why he planned to gather more people to protect him.

In the distance, Hu Sichen, who was eating meat, sneezed.

Liu Duo nodded beside him. “Sure, sure.”

However, it was clear that this wouldn’t be easily achieved. B District was different from Hu Sichen’s base, both in scale and history. Joining another force wasn’t something Liu Duo or Liu Po could decide.

Liu Po had no intention in that direction anyway, but they did come to an agreement on cooperation.

After breakfast, Shu Shuishui took out his little whip and prepared to start his herding career. As for the buying and selling, that was left to Nan Ge to handle.

The figure of the little dormouse gradually disappeared among the increasingly lush grass. However, from afar, everyone could easily determine Shu Shuishui’s location just by looking at where Gu Langu was standing. Because wherever Gu Langu was, Shu Shuishui would definitely be nearby.

Gazing at the thriving valley in a harmonious atmosphere, Nan Ge and Liu Po finalized their trade. Nan Ge didn’t have a greedy intention in bargaining, and Liu Po wasn’t stingy either. It could be said that both sides were satisfied.

After exchanging their simulator contact codes, the B District team began to pack up their supplies, getting ready to return at dawn tomorrow.

Although the temperature-controlled valley felt like heaven, they had to return to the base before the freezing season arrived. B District was known for its discipline and rules, and no one had ever chosen to stay behind. This alone showed Liu Po’s managerial abilities. At the very least, he had chosen the right team for this trading expedition.

Liu Po had already counted the exchanged goods. Unlike when they arrived, they had brought food and energy stones. Even without vehicles, they could carry these in by hand.

However, their departure was quite unusual. They carried eight square meters of sturdy wooden boards, each adorned with peculiar patterns. According to Nan Ge’s explanation, the meat of mutant creatures could be placed on these boards, and after some time, the violent energy on them would be purified.

But most importantly, there were thirty miniature micro-farms, ranging in size from one to eight square meters, and their shapes varied as well. Though not easy to transport, every person from B District wished they could cradle these micro-farms in their arms. Thirty might not seem like much, but they were truly life-saving.

The faces of every member of the B District team that had come on this trip were marked with undisguisable hope, a sentiment not seen on Cang Zhan Star for a long time. Because of this hope, no one complained about the difficult mountain road, and no one complained about the difficulty of carrying these items.

When the sky was still dim, and outlines of objects could barely be seen, the members of the B District team had already awakened and were busy organizing their belongings by the light of flashlights.

Liu Duo’s eyes were almost brimming with reluctance. Nan Ge, Yu Jin, and others were also up early, getting ready to see them off.

Calling it a farewell wasn’t an exaggeration. Even in B District, they couldn’t guarantee one hundred percent that they would return safely to the base. This was Cang Zhan Star, this was the harsh winter.

Liu Duo looked around and saw Gu Langu, but Shu Shuishui wasn’t around Gu Langu. He couldn’t help feeling disappointed, thinking he wouldn’t see the little mouse before leaving.

However, it didn’t take long for a series of huge mutant rats to quickly dash out of the dense jungle in the distance, heading straight towards where the B District was situated.

Liu Duo was scared to death. Was this ever going to end? Didn’t they already give them ten sweet potatoes? Why were they massing again?

Liu Po was also startled. By the light of the distant spotlight, he saw the charging group of mutated rats and found it quite daunting. “Mr. Nan Ge! Didn’t you say that the mutant rats in the valley wouldn’t go berserk?”

Nan Ge was slightly puzzled for a moment but quickly realized, seeing the composed Gu Langu nearby. “Don’t worry. The transportation crew is here. They’re swift and agile, and they won’t damage the items being transported.”

Liu Po: ?

Liu Duo: “What’s going on?”

Before the words even fell, the leading huge mutant rat had already dashed through the crowd and arrived at Liu Duo’s side.

Liu Duo was so scared that he stepped back a few paces, dropping a small bag of rare seeds at his feet. Those were the seeds Liu Duo had obtained from Shu Shuishui. He planned to plant these delicate plants in the micro-farm.

The mutant rats didn’t need any orders. They walked up to the bag, hoisted it up, and dashed away. Their agile figures quickly disappeared into the night.

Liu Duo didn’t even have time to exclaim or give chase. One after another, the mutant rats were like wandering knights, agilely shuttling through the hazy valley.

Some mutant rats acted alone, some cooperated in silence, carrying things together, carrying bags together, and even cooperating to lift the micro-farms and the purification array.

The people from B District gradually recovered from their panic. They noticed that the direction the mutant rats were leaving in was the same direction they would take to go up the mountain. Among them, there was even a special tiny cub trailing behind, holding a small flag that bore a few familiar words: “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!”

People from B District: “…”

Liu Duo: “…” Why did this cub look so familiar? Or did all the cubs look the same?

The cub that was at the back was clearly guiding them. Shu Shuishui also quickly dashed over from the direction of the jungle with pitter-patter footsteps. It went without saying that these mutant rats were definitely brought over to help by Shu Shuishui.

The perspectives of the people from B District were once again refreshed. It turned out that mutant creatures could even become a moving company!

Because there were no longer limitations on transporting goods, going up the mountain seemed much easier. Reluctantly bidding farewell to Shu Shuishui, Liu Duo turned around and followed the rest of the group.

Shu Shuishui sat on Gu Langu’s shoulder, waving his chubby paws. He kept waving until the figures of the departing group gradually faded from view. Then he leaned in close to Gu Langu’s ear and said, “Gu Gu, we can go into hibernation now.”

Gu Langu’s eyes brightened. No wonder the little mouse went to find the mutant rats for help early in the morning. It turned out he wanted them to move faster so they could hibernate quickly.

Unaware of this, Liu Duo’s group was still immersed in their emotions, and even the sight of the giant mutant rats seemed refined and delicate.

In the valley, the sky was still early, and most people were still asleep. Yu Jin had already plunged back into his tent for a nap, and Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu naturally returned to their own tent.

However, the tent at this moment looked quite empty, and even the sleeping bags were nowhere to be found.

Gu Langu took out a simulator and placed the cube-mode simulator in the center of the tent. After scanning the surrounding environment, the simulator activated. Soon, the familiar simulation cabin appeared before the human and the dormouse. Fortunately, the tent that Shu Shuishui had prepared was spacious enough, otherwise, the two of them would have had to hibernate outside.

Shu Shuishui took a deep breath, and his little ears kept trembling. “Gu Gu, are you ready? If you’re not ready, we can wait a bit longer.”

Gu Langu gently touched Shu Shuishui’s head. “It’s okay, we can go in now.”

Carrying Shu Shuishui, Gu Langu lay down in the simulation cabin. The cabin gradually sealed shut. During the wait, Shu Shuishui mimicked Gu Langu’s posture and lay down properly, positioning his four little paws very neatly.

After lying down for a moment, the little dormouse didn’t move his head and inquired, “Gu Gu, what’s the best sleeping position?”

Gu Langu felt the small mouse on his chest stiffen, and he couldn’t help but curve his lips. Even in a corpse-like position, Shu Shuishui was still so cute. “Shui Shui, you can do whatever you like. There are no restrictions on posture. You can even do somersaults.”

Upon hearing this, Shu Shuishui cautiously extended one of his chubby paws and waved it in the air. After confirming that there were no issues, he suddenly stood up. Then, with his little head tilted curiously, he examined the simulation cabin.

The last time they entered the simulation cabin, they quickly entered the landing space. This time, Gu Langu intentionally left time for Shu Shuishui to become familiar with the simulation cabin. After all, they’ll hibernate inside it.

Stepping on Gu Langu’s chest, Shu Shuishui trotted around for a while, carefully examining the simulation cabin before he started looking for his sleeping spot.

Hopping around, Shu Shuishui eventually settled on Gu Langu’s chest. Crouching down, he extended his paw and patted Gu Langu’s pectoral muscles, exclaiming, “Gu Gu, your chest is so big! It can be used as a pillow!”

Gu Langu: “…”

Saying and doing, Shu Shuishui took out a cotton cloth to use as a small blanket, and then he lay down himself. His little head found a spot on Gu Langu’s pectoral muscle to rest. After lying down for a while, it seemed a bit hard. He even turned around and patted, as if he was truly using Gu Langu’s pectoral muscle as a pillow. “Gu Gu, relax.”

Gu Langu: “…”

After patting the “pillow,” Shu Shuishui settled back down and then exclaimed, “Feels nice, but Gu Gu shouldn’t get too proud.”

Gu Langu: ??? “Proud?”

Shu Shuishui: “Yeah, aren’t humans proud of having a big chest?”

Gu Langu: “…” Surprisingly, that didn’t seem incorrect.

“Gu Gu, why haven’t I been able to develop chest muscles no matter how hard I exercise?” Saying this, Shu Shuishui even demonstrated a motion of flexing his paw, trying to make his short arms look like they had bulging muscles. However, it was quite clear that all he could see was fluffiness.

Persistently, Shu Shuishui extended his paw and pushed the fur on his chest upward, as if trying to imitate chest muscles.

Gu Langu allowed the little mouse to fiddle around on his chest. The smile on the corner of his mouth never faded. If he recalled correctly, even the human-form Shu Shuishui had some slight muscle definition. But it was only enough to make him look slender and well-proportioned, definitely not muscular. He just hoped the little mouse wouldn’t be too disappointed.

After Shu Shuishui got tired of fiddling, he smoothed the fur on his chest and pulled the small blanket higher, then obediently lay down. “I’m ready, Gu Gu, let’s go inside.”

Gu Langu softly hummed in agreement and activated the simulator.

After a brief connection wait, the human and the dormouse entered the landing space once again.

When Shu Shuishui opened his eyes, he instinctively took a step back. Unlike the void from the last time, he felt as if he was standing before a vast expanse of pure white.

Looking up, after retreating quite a distance, he realized that there was a gigantic snowman in front of him! And it was a familiar snowman. “Gu Gu, is this the snowman we built during our migration?”

Gu Langu nodded gracefully. “Yes, this is the one we built.”

Shu Shuishui had never seen such a huge snowman before. It was at least as tall as a two-story building, and the level of detail was extremely high. Unable to resist, he approached and reached out his paw to touch it, exclaiming in astonishment, “Gu Gu, this snowman is warm!”

Gu Langu continued to nod gracefully. “Yes, it’s warm, perfect for hibernation.”

Shu Shuishui rubbed his cheek against it. It felt like touching snow, but it was pleasantly warm and showed no signs of melting. He curiously circled around the snowman. When he faced the front again, he pointed at the snowman in surprise. “Gu Gu, there’s a door here!”

Gu Langu nodded with grace. “Mhm, there’s a door.”

Shu Shuishui didn’t hesitate to praise, “Gu Gu, you’re really amazing!”

A smile curled up at the corner of Gu Langu’s lips. “I’ll take Shui Shui inside.”

Shu Shuishui immediately trotted over, and Gu Langu bent down to scoop up the little mouse. Then, he walked in front of the snowman and opened the door on the snowman’s belly.

Once inside, they discovered that the interior of the snowman held a hidden world. It wasn’t just a simple gigantic snowman; it was a two-story structure. The second floor was the snowman’s head, with windows as its eyes, and its long nose served as a balcony.

Compared to the first floor, the second floor was a bit smaller, but it still covered an area of about forty to fifty square meters. It was furnished with furniture and daily necessities, giving off a neat and cozy ambiance. However, everything inside was made entirely of pure white snow – snow tables, snow stools, and even a snow-made big bed.

The white snow beneath their feet felt like a woolen carpet, a novel sensation combined with a comfortable temperature. Everything about this place helped Shu Shuishui relax both physically and mentally. “Gu Gu, I really love this place!”

In reality, when he was on Earth, Shu Shuishui loved snow a lot. During his travels, he had spent considerable time in both the North and South Poles. However, even the furry Shu Shuishui was sensitive to cold, so he eventually chose to settle in the northeastern region of China, where he could build snow houses in winter.

Gu Langu’s eyes curved with amusement, and for a moment, Shu Shuishui seemed dazed. “Gu Gu, when you smile, your eyes look like crescent moons. Gu Gu, you even have dimples! Gu Gu, your teeth are so white!”

Gu Langu: “…” Before becoming partially mechanized, Gu Langu didn’t smile often. The reason was right here – when he smiled, all his solemnity vanished.

“No need to be shy, Gu Gu. My teeth are very white too! Look!” Shu Shuishui grinned, showing off his own pearly white front teeth, and even tapped them with his claw tip.

Watching Shu Shuishui’s antics, Gu Langu couldn’t help but smile again.

About six days ago, Gu Langu had been trying repeatedly to modify the landing space. After depleting his psychic energy, the landing space still remained empty.

Just when Gu Langu thought he had failed once again, tiny crystalline snowflakes began to fall.

Gu Langu raised his head and saw the small snowflakes drifting down from the endless dark void. At that moment, his eyes even grew a bit moist.

Snowflakes descended from the emptiness above to the emptiness below. Against the pure black backdrop, each glistening snowflake looked like the most exquisite decoration. Gu Langu had never known that his heart could hold such a beautiful moment.

Soon, due to reaching his psychic energy limit, Gu Langu was expelled from the simulation space. However, from that day on, it was as if Gu Langu had opened the door to a new world. The landing space was gradually changing, which was also the reason why Gu Langu had been frequently disappearing those few days.

“Gu Gu, how about calling this place Snowman Castle from now on?” Shu Shuishui stood by a vase, using his paw to tidy up the pure white “snowflakes.”

Suddenly, Shu Shuishui tilted his little head. “Gu Gu, everything here is made of snow. Does that mean the showerhead snows when you take a bath?”

Gu Langu was taken aback; he hadn’t really thought about that question. “We can try it out.”

Shu Shuishui was immediately eager to give it a shot. “Sure!”

In an instant, the two of them teleported to the bathroom. Shu Shuishui suddenly pointed at the toilet. “Thank goodness the snow is warm, otherwise, what if Gu Gu catches a cold while using the restroom?”

Gu Langu: “…” Thankfully, no one actually uses a restroom in a simulation space.

Under Shu Shuishui’s curious gaze, Gu Langu turned on the showerhead.

Suddenly, fine snowflakes gently descended, so light that they were carried far by Shu Shuishui’s breath alone. Shu Shuishui’s small ears twitched, and he puffed up his cheeks to blow at the showerhead.

The bathroom instantly became a flurry of snowflakes, shining like shattered diamonds and filling the room with radiance.

Shu Shuishui spread his little paws and caught several snowflakes. He murmured softly, “Gu Gu, look, every snowflake is different!”

Gu Langu carefully observed and indeed noticed that each snowflake was unique.

When they exited the bathroom, Shu Shuishui sincerely exclaimed that this was the most beautiful snow he had ever seen.

Gu Langu’s composure had been cast aside long ago, replaced by a goofy grin.

After exploring the bathroom, Shu Shuishui tried drinking from a snow cup, eating snowflake cookies, and even burying himself in the snow.

Since the main purpose of their entry into the simulator was to hibernate, they had no rush to leave the landing space. Just like the previous time, they lingered in the landing space. After Shu Shuishui tired himself out from playing, the two of them even lay down on the warm snow bed and took a nap.

…

In the valley, as the sun gradually rose higher, by the time it was approaching noon and Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu still hadn’t emerged, the others came looking for them. They found a sign hanging outside the tent that read, “Hibernating, please do not disturb.”

Yu Jin was so surprised that his jaw nearly dropped. “No way! This sudden?”

Nan Ge pondered for a moment and felt it wasn’t entirely impossible. After all, Gu Langu and Shu Shuishui didn’t need to eat or get hungry for a short period of time. Shu Shuishui must have prepared the so-called spirit stones to provide energy. Perhaps the two of them could really hibernate until the end of winter. “This might be good too. After all, we’re about to enter the simulation space. Let the boss familiarize themselves with the environment first.”

Yu Jin sighed helplessly. “I suggest you don’t get your hopes up too much. For all we know, by the time we start logging in, the boss might still be hanging around at the login interface.”

Nan Ge: ???

Xie Feng looked at the tent thoughtfully. “Hasn’t it been a long time since we had food cooked by Shu Shuishui? Can we cook in the simulation space?”

“Brother, you’re overthinking things,” Nan Ge patted Xie Feng’s shoulder. “But if it’s set up like this, the boss won’t be able to discuss dungeons with us. That dungeon Liu Po mentioned before he left isn’t going to open immediately. I heard no one has cleared it until now. Hey? It sounds like we’re going to play a game, but we’re clearly going to risk our lives.”

Nan Ge led the group away from Gu Langu and Shu Shuishui’s tent. “The reason for setting it up like this is to make it easier for people of different backgrounds to accept the world of the simulator. If you use high-end technology to describe it, there are very few who can understand. Gradually, terms like ‘clearing,’ ‘dungeon,’ and ‘quests’ have become widely accepted. To put it simply, everyone understands terms like ‘clearing dungeons,’ but not necessarily terms like ‘temporal distortion,’ ‘multi-dimensional world,’ or ‘curved space.'”

At this moment, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu, who were in the simulation space, were still lying on the snow-white bed. Shu Shuishui was covered with a snow blanket and had a snow pillow under his head. He also held a small miniature snowman plush toy in his arms. This plush toy was newly made by Gu Langu for Shu Shuishui before they went to sleep.

The little dormouse turned over while holding the snowman plush toy and mumbled in his sleep, “Gu Gu… Gu Gu… hug… hug…”

Gu Langu, who was still awake, immediately opened his eyes and curved his lips. He was about to reach out and hug the little mouse when he heard it continue, “Hug the pillow… Gu Gu… don’t snatch… Shui Shui is hugging the pillow…”

A twitch appeared at the corner of Gu Langu’s mouth, but he still reached out and patted the mouse. The little mouse quickly quieted down again.