Arc 8: Interstellar Programmer Officer 1
Tao Yuan returned to the system. He looked up to the now taller peach tree. What initially began as a single peach blossom branch had now transformed into a full-fledged tree.
Tao Yuan always couldn’t shake the feeling that this pleasant fragrance shouldn’t be the scent of peach blossoms. But it was undeniably the scent emitted from the very peach tree before him. Closing his eyes, he inhaled the aroma deeply and instantly a wave of relaxation coursing through him. As he continued to breathe in the smell, he sensed an unusual lightness in his mind and body, as if his soul were drifting away. But now he is the soul, why would there be a feeling of soul out of body?
Tao Yuan felt himself floating higher and higher, farther and farther away. When he opened his eyes, he saw a vast expanse of whiteness, full of clouds and fog, and nothing else could be seen clearly. Suddenly, he seemed to have entered an ancient house, because his vision was very blurred, he could not see very clearly.
Tao Yuan’s heart is full of doubts. He has not yet understood the situation of the next life, so how could he cross directly? Just when he felt confused, he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from the front. He tried to float towards the sound.
“Master, are you saying Tao Yuan wished…?”
When he heard his name, Tao Yuan tried harder to get closer and hear clearly. But not only could he not see clearly, but he could only vaguely make out the silhouettes of two individuals. Even the conversation between the two was not entirely clear to him.
“In countless worlds, there are… unfortunate events caused by various reasons, such as accidents, terminal illnesses, and…, souls voluntarily exchanging due to choices made…”
Tao Yuan felt a bit irritable. No matter how hard he concentrated on listening, he could only catch the first half of each sentence, failing to hear the latter part. He didn’t understand why, but he had a persistent feeling that what they were saying was very important, and it probably had something to do with him. So, he wanted to hear their conversation clearly.
“So, when will Tao Yuan…?”
From the silhouette, it was vaguely apparent that the person with their back to Tao Yuan suddenly turned around to face him. Although Tao Yuan couldn’t make out his features, he was startled and subconsciously wanted to retreat.
“It’s not time for you to come back yet. What are you doing back now? Hurry up and go where you go!”
The man said in a cold voice, and with a wave of his sleeve, Tao Yuan felt a force enveloping him and was quickly taking him away from here.
“Is it Tao Yuan? Why did he suddenly come back?” Lu Jingqian grabbed Yisuo’s hand and said, “If Long Yue finds out you’ve been rude to him, he’ll be angry.”
“Long Yue owes me a huge favor. Even if he’s angry, there’s not much he can do about it,” Yisuo said expressionlessly.
Tao Yuan tumbled to the side of a peach blossom tree, his head still felt dizzy. The events that had just happened left him full of doubts. Once the dizziness subsided, Tao Yuan contemplated beneath the peach blossom tree for a long while. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make sense of it. He could only stand up, gather the information he needed to know, and proceed to the next world.
…
Tao Yuan opened his eyes and suddenly sat up. He quickly swung his legs off the bed and rushed to the bathroom, nearly stumbling due to weak legs. Once inside, he forced himself to vomit until there was nothing left. He weakly staggered out of the bathroom, collapsing onto the bed.
Activating the system for body repair, Tao Yuan waited until he felt a bit better. Then, he opened his eyes again, got out of bed, and headed to the living room to make himself a cup of milk.
While drinking the milk, Tao Yuan walked back to his room. Glancing at the medicine bottle on the bedside table, he tossed it directly into the trash. Then, he grabbed the farewell letter at the bedside, tearing it into pieces and throwing it in as well.
Seated on the sofa, tears welled up in Tao Yuan’s eyes. He felt an overwhelming sense of pain and sorrow. It wasn’t him shedding tears, nor was it his grief. It was the residual agony from the previous host’s recent departure, lingering emotions that the body couldn’t shake off just yet.
Drying his tears, Tao Yuan thought the previous host had been too foolish. If only he had been a bit more selfish, he wouldn’t have chosen the path of suicide. But Tao Yuan could understand his pain and felt a deep sympathy for him. The agony of being tired of life, the desperate desire to follow a loved one, the resentment of seeking revenge. He was tormented by unbearable suffering, leading him to choose suicide.
Tao Yuan continued to wipe away tears, but they kept streaming down, forcing him to activate the system to stabilize his emotional state.
Taking a deep breath, Tao Yuan stood up and headed towards the original host’s studio.
Sitting down on the sofa, Tao Yuan picked up the framed photo on the table and glanced at it. In his heart, he wished, “May you reunite in another world and find a good ending.”
Setting the photo frame aside, Tao Yuan turned on the computer, starting on an important task. Other than seeking revenge for his beloved, the original host had no other wishes to fulfill. So, aside from avenging the original host, is his own mission. Every lifetime, his mission remained the same. To live happily ever after with his lover.
Although the original owner successfully shook off those pursuers and returned here, the original host was bound to be caught up with soon. Time was of the essence, and Tao Yuan needed to quickly accomplish what needed to be done.
Tao Yuan’s fingers kept tapping away for several hours without a moment’s pause. Finally, just before those individuals arrived, with the assistance of the system, he completed what he had to do.
After a few hours had passed, Tao Yuan was completely exhausted, but he didn’t lie down to rest. He shut down everything that could be closed in the room and eliminated everything that needed to be eliminated. Retrieving a small silver box from the safe, he sat down on the living room sofa, closed his eyes, and rested.
An hour later, a group of tall figures dressed in black suits stormed in. Spotting Tao Yuan on the living room sofa, they immediately surrounded him.
Although Tao Yuan didn’t get enough rest during the past hour, he no longer felt as fatigued as before. Opening his eyes, he stood up, holding the small box, and said, “Let’s go.”
Those people were stunned when they saw Tao Yuan seemed to be expecting them, and showed no intention of resistance.
“I’m just here to pick up some things. Even if you didn’t come, I was planning to leave. There’s really no need for such a show of force,” Tao Yuan said and walked directly towards the exit, with those people immediately following suit.
In reality, Tao Yuan had more than enough time to escape during this lengthy period. But he chose to personally present the items in his possession to those people and clarify everything right in front of them.
Although Tao Yuan did not intend to resist, because the original host had already escaped twice before, those who were ordered to find the original owner and bring him back did not dare to relax.
After completing the formalities and boarding the civilian aircraft, Tao Yuan carried the box and headed towards the room he had booked. As he walked down the corridor outside a long row of rooms, he was taken aback when he unexpectedly encountered someone walking towards him.
Tao Yuan was genuinely surprised. He didn’t expect to encounter his lover of this lifetime here. As expected, fate was a very magical and unpredictable force.
As the corridor wasn’t particularly spacious and had quite a few people on both sides, passing through simultaneously meant forming a single file.
Tao Yuan walked in front and kept his eyes fixed on Maxwell1. Naturally, Mai Siwei sensed it. He looked back at Tao Yuan and couldn’t help but pause. The inexplicable sense of familiarity made him feel puzzled. The two locked eyes for a moment before brushing past each other.
After walking a distance, Maxwell suddenly stopped, casting a glance back at Tao Yuan’s retreating figure.
“General?” Wei Ke2 called out in confusion, seeing him abruptly stop and turn around.
Maxwell spread his palm, gazing at the chip in his hand. A sense of indescribable reluctance welled up within him, and he couldn’t tell why.
Within that chip was what Tao Yuan had spent several hours completing. Originally, he planned to find a way to meet Maxwell during his next escape and hand over the item. Although he hadn’t anticipated running into him here, Tao Yuan felt it a rare opportunity. So, as they brushed past each other just moments ago, he placed the chip into Maxwell’s hand.
After entering the room, four individuals stood guard outside in shifts, preventing any further attempts at escape.
Tao Yuan didn’t care whether they guarded outside or not. He had no intention of escaping now. Finally able to rest properly, he went to sleep right after freshening up.
Several hours later, the spacecraft arrived at a planet on the southern border of the Nandi Kingdom3. From there, they transferred to a domestic civilian spacecraft to return to the main star.
After getting off the ship, Tao Yuan went through the exit hall and got into a vehicle, which took him to a hotel. Although he wasn’t directly taken home, Tao Yuan felt neither panic nor confusion. He had already guessed who they were taking him to see.
The bodyguards outside opened the door to the private room, and Tao Yuan entered alone, leaving everyone else outside.
Bruno4, who was sitting and sipping tea, turned to look at Tao Yuan and then at the box he was holding. “So, this is your dedicated escape plan?”
Sitting down and placing the box on the floor, Tao Yuan looked at Bruno and said, “Enough with the small talk. Say whatever you want to say directly.”
“Do you think I want to waste words with you?” Bruno coldly stared at Tao Yuan. “You should know, I don’t like you, and the person I want to marry isn’t you. In this union between our families, sacrifices aren’t just limited to you. It also includes me and my lover.”
Tao Yuan sneered. “Well, excuse me for inconveniencing you. Let me make things clear today. Your family caused the death of my lover, and I’ll definitely seek revenge. No matter what it takes, I will make you regret it!”
“If it weren’t for you planning to elope with him, he wouldn’t have died. So, the one who caused his death is essentially you,” Bruno said emotionlessly. “If you’re seeking revenge, remember to include yourself in the count.”
“I can’t stand the sight of you. It makes me sick. Doing the most disgustingly selfish things, all in the name of family honor. And as for your so-called sacrificing lover, do you think I don’t know what you both were thinking? Due to his blood attributes not aligning with yours, conceiving your child was an incredibly difficult task, let alone giving birth to a child with a mental level of A1. To you both, I’m nothing more than a tool for bearing children. Once I deliver the child, you can continue your lovey-dovey days.”
“You’re a capable individual. Honestly, I don’t want to break ties with you. As long as you give birth to the child, a few years later, I can let you go and pursue whatever you want to do.”
“Your family caused the death of my lover, and now you have the audacity to say you don’t want to break ties with me?!” Tao Yuan widened his eyes, looking at him mockingly. “And you talk about letting me go a few years after giving birth. Should I be endlessly grateful for your kindness?”
“Your parents have agreed to anything we do to you. You have no other choice.” Bruno remained indifferent to his hatred and mockery.
“For a child with mental power level A1, it must be conceived and born from the mother’s body to prevent mental breakdown. If you force me to get pregnant, I have plenty of opportunities to ensure the child doesn’t come into this world,” Tao Yuan said with a sinister expression.
“If you can truly heartlessly let your child die before even being born, then I’ll consider it my defeat.” Bruno and his family were gambling. They believed that as long as they found a way for him to give birth to the child, the original host would surely be reluctant to harm the child and would focus entirely on the child’s well-being. If he couldn’t bear to part with the child, controlling him in the future would be even easier.
“I have nothing to lose my heart over. You forced me to conceive this child, which I never wanted. As long as it makes your whole family suffer, I can do anything,” Tao Yuan spoke to him with the mentality of the original host. These people, for the sake of their family’s interests, caused the death of the original host’s lover and wanted to use the original host as a tool for reproduction. Tao Yuan was determined to retaliate fiercely, making them experience how it feels to be dehumanized.
If they hadn’t caused the death of the original host’s lover, the original host wouldn’t have chosen to end his life. He couldn’t bear to part with his lover. But with the death of the original host’s lover, he completely lost the will to live.
Bruno silently looked Tao Yuan. He could tell that Tao Yuan’s mental state was off, but they had come this far, and there was no turning back. They had to proceed with their original plan.
New Arc!
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