System 003 projected a blue holographic screen into the air and opened the Interstellar Federation marketplace. Entering the Interstellar Federation marketplace required facial recognition from the Host.
System 003 quickly took care of all of that.
“Host, since you don’t have an Interstellar Federation optical brain yet, you can’t use your consciousness to enter the virtual marketplace for shopping. Once you have enough money in the future, you can buy an optical brain and enter the virtual marketplace.”
“An optical brain? A virtual city? Consciousness?” Xia Mu asked curiously. She still didn’t quite understand what they were used for.
Acting as a tour guide, System 003 happily explained the optical brain, consciousness, and the virtual city to her.
“The optical brain is basically the equivalent of the mobile phones on Earth. It’s used to contact your friends and family.”
“Consciousness is simply your mental power. Every person’s consciousness is unique. Once you have enough money to buy an optical brain, you can bind it to your own consciousness.”
“After the binding is complete, you’ll be able to enter the virtual city. It’s another reflection of the real world, almost identical to the actual city, though there are still some differences.”
After listening to the explanation, Xia Mu looked at the blue screen, where the categories had already appeared.
She was curious about everything System 003 had described, but the moment she thought about having to buy an optical brain, she instinctively shrank back.
She was already one hundred million Interstellar Federation Credits in debt. There was no way she could afford something like that, so she shouldn’t let her desires grow too much.
An optical brain wasn’t an urgent necessity anyway. She could always buy one after she had earned enough money.
Then another thought occurred to Xia Mu.
Since this was the Interstellar Federation marketplace, belonging to a civilization far more advanced than Earth, then surely their medicine would also be much better than anything available on Earth.
She tapped on the medical section.
As soon as she entered, she found countless detailed categories.
The overwhelming number of options dazzled her eyes. She wasn’t a medical professional and had no idea which medicine she should buy for her father.
Turning to System 003, she asked, “I want to buy medicine for my dad, but I don’t understand all these labels in the Interstellar marketplace. Can you help me take a look?”
“Of course! Just wait a moment, Host.”
Cheerfully, System 003 switched the interface to an online consultation section.
“Host, upload your father’s medical records here. A doctor from the Interstellar Federation will review them and prescribe the appropriate medication.”
System 003 deliberately didn’t mention the treatment pods.
They were far too expensive, costing even more than simply seeing a doctor.
Not only did one have to purchase the treatment pod itself, but specialized medicinal solutions also had to be bought for use inside it.
A treatment pod alone cost one million Interstellar Federation Credits, while each medicinal solution, depending on its type, cost no less than ten thousand Interstellar Federation Credits.
Not everyone in the Interstellar Federation was wealthy.
There were poor people there too, just like its Host.
Seeing a doctor and buying medicine directly from the marketplace was actually the most economical option.
A smile finally appeared on Xia Mu’s face.
She looked unbelievably beautiful.
System 003 had seen countless beauties throughout the Interstellar Federation, yet it still felt that its own Host was the prettiest.
She reminded it of the crystal blue ice outside, bright, transparent, and sparkling, like a flawless mirror reflecting everything in the world, pure, innocent, and clear.
System 003 searched through every descriptive word stored in its optical brain, but no matter how many it found, it could only conclude that its Host was truly beautiful.
It also felt immensely proud.
This was the Host whose soul resonated perfectly with its own.
That could only mean one thing.
Its countless billions of light years spent searching and waiting had all been worthwhile.
Xia Mu’s voice brought System 003 back to reality.
“003, how do I get back now?”
She already knew how to enter the Apocalypse, but she had no idea how to return.
“Host, you return the same way you came. Your base in the Apocalypse is the model of your own home. If you ever want to renovate it or change the interior, just let me know. I’ll open the interior design section for you, and you can switch to any decorating style you like.”
“I understand. Right now, I need to go back first and get my father’s medical records.”
At this moment, Xia Mu wasn’t thinking about anything else.
She only wanted to cure her father’s illness.
Her father suffered from a herniated lumbar disc and lymphoma. His conditions repeatedly relapsed, and because the family had so little money, he was often unwilling to go to the hospital for treatment.
If the Interstellar Federation Landlady System could solve this problem for her, she would willingly work for System 003 for the rest of her life.
Climbing into the attic through the side entrance, Xia Mu looked at the black and white dial on the wooden door and turned the pointer to the black half.
She opened the door. A flash of light swept past her.
Blinking several times, Xia Mu wasn’t even sure whether she had returned to Earth until she rushed to the window.
Outside, she saw the familiar courtyard, blue skies, white clouds, and the bright sun overhead.
She had really returned to Earth.
It all felt like a dream. She had no time to admire it.
Running downstairs, she entered her parents’ bedroom and searched out her father’s old hospitalization records.
Beside them, she noticed a sealed envelope.
After hesitating for a moment, she picked it up and opened it.
The instant she saw her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, tears poured down her face like a flood as she desperately covered her mouth.
The medical record was dated in May of this year.
It was already August.
“How… How could this be? Mom… she…”
Xia Mu cried so hard she could barely breathe.
She didn’t know whether her father was aware that her mother was ill, but she knew one thing for certain.
Her mother had hidden it from her completely.
“Dad… Mom… you can’t leave me. You’re all I have. You can’t leave me…”
She sobbed uncontrollably.
Even System 003 was moved to tears.
Its Host’s life was simply too miserable.
Fortunately, it had found her in time.
“Host… sob… hurry and put the medical records down. I’ll scan them right away and send them to a doctor in the Interstellar Federation.”
Quickly wiping away her tears, Xia Mu nodded.
That’s right. She still had System 003.
It could help her. She carefully laid both her father’s and mother’s medical records on the bed so System 003 could scan them.
She absolutely refused to let her mother leave her.
Never! Her eyes remained fixed stubbornly on the two medical files.
Several blue rays flashed across the holographic screen as it scanned them.
Then an elegant female voice announced,
“Scan completed. Awaiting doctor’s response.”
In a soft voice, System 003 said, “Host, it’s finished.”
Still crying, Xia Mu gently returned the medical records to where they had been before leaving the room with heavy footsteps and climbing back to the attic.
She felt unbearably miserable.
A suffocating weight filled her heart, making her desperately want to vent it somehow.
Looking up at the holographic screen again, she bit her lip and asked,
“I still have to pay in Interstellar Federation Credits, don’t I?”
She had completely forgotten to ask.
System 003 answered quietly,
“Yes, Host. After the doctor reviews the records, you’ll be told whether your parents need medication or further treatment. The consultation fee is already included.”
“Medical treatment requires payment in Interstellar Federation Credits.”
“So that means I need to rent out the house as quickly as possible, right? Only after collecting rent will I have enough money to buy medicine and pay for my parents’ treatment.”
System 003 nodded.
“That’s right, Host. There’s another way to earn Interstellar Federation Credits as well.”
“What way?”
“Host can kill zombies personally and obtain zombie crystals.”
“The zombies in this Apocalypse have already evolved zombie crystals. Rent is also collected in the form of these crystals, after which the Interstellar Federation system evaluates their purity and exchanges them for Interstellar Federation Credits.”
Instantly, Xia Mu recalled the frozen figures she had seen after opening the front door in the Apocalypse.
Some still looked like ordinary humans.
Others were hideous beyond recognition, neither human nor ghost, with enormous tick-like parasites clinging to their backs.
Only these ticks were gigantic, each about the size of a rabbit, parasitizing the zombies’ bodies.
Some zombies had countless tentacles growing from their mouths, while others possessed grotesquely swollen heads.
At the time, Xia Mu hadn’t dared look closely.
Just one brief glance had left her trembling with fear.
But now…
She thought of her mother’s illness.
It was far more serious than her father’s.
She couldn’t wait any longer.