Looking at the fields of fully ripened wheat before her, Su Yu felt a flood of emotions.
If she hadn’t died, she probably never would have encountered something this magical.
Both her pants pockets and clothing pockets were stuffed with various seeds.
Since she had nothing much to do these days, Su Yu planned to thoroughly explore the wonders of this space.
“What’s that over there?”
Just as she was about to walk into the wheat field for a closer look, a flash of white light suddenly appeared in the corner of her eye.
She immediately chased after it.
When she got closer, she discovered it was 001.
It seemed to have fallen from somewhere.
The impact had been so strong that it left a large crater in the ground.
“001, what happened to you? Are you alright?”
Su Yu instinctively tried to help it up.
But she discovered that she couldn’t touch it.
001 wobbled and floated out of the crater on its own.
For some reason, even though its facial features were just data assembled on a screen and it showed no expression, Su Yu felt that it was very angry.
“Host, I am fine.”
It truly had not been easy.
Within the system world, it had been the champion for three consecutive years.
The hosts it guided always completed their tasks the fastest.
Most hosts chose to remain in the worlds they had traveled to.
Originally, it had assumed Su Yu would be the same.
Instead, her progress was far too slow.
As a result, 001 had received punishment from its superiors and had been unconsciously thrown into this place.
Su Yu watched the system in silence.
Since it wasn’t speaking, she simply stood quietly as well.
After a while, the system finally turned its square face toward her.
“Host need not worry. I am merely data. Nothing will happen to me.”
“Mm.”
Su Yu nodded.
“I came today to see more of the space’s special features. I think this space is very advanced.”
For example, wheat seeds only needed one hour inside the space to mature.
Vegetables grew even faster.
They only required half an hour.
In the future, perhaps she could even use the space to start a business.
After all, the concept of “entrepreneurship” would become very popular later on.
001 nodded its square head.
“Your thinking is good. However, I hope you will take the tasks seriously. Tasks are assigned randomly. The first one had no time limit because you are a beginner. The next one may not be the same.”
A time limit?
That meant if she failed to complete a task within the required time, reward points would be deducted.
“That is correct, Host.”
Hm?
Su Yu had been looking down, seriously thinking about the matter.
Then she suddenly heard 001 answer the question in her mind.
Could it hear her thoughts?
Wouldn’t that be incredibly embarrassing?
Last night, she had dreamed about constantly scolding Tang Chen.
Scolding him for disappearing back then.
For vanishing without even saying a word.
If 001 had heard all of that, it would be mortifying.
“Host, rest assured. Systems have no hobby of eavesdropping. Nor do we enjoy invading privacy. During necessary situations, I automatically block such information.”
001 deliberately emphasized the words “necessary situations.”
Unfortunately, Su Yu immediately misunderstood.
Her face flushed red.
The atmosphere in the space became extremely awkward.
Meanwhile, 001 clearly did not understand human emotions.
Tilting its head, it scanned Su Yu with its bar-shaped eyes.
After checking her body temperature and finding it had reached thirty-seven degrees Celsius, it spoke seriously.
“If Host is ill, I recommend immediately visiting a human hospital.”
…
She refused to continue communicating with this mechanical “straight man.”
Su Yu followed behind 001 as it led her around the space.
While walking, 001 continued introducing its features.
“The vegetables and crops grown in this space are completely natural and harmless. Consuming them regularly benefits the body.”
She nodded.
Walking over to a vegetable patch, she casually picked a leaf and placed it in her mouth.
The first bite carried a slight bitterness.
But once the juices spread across her tongue, a subtle sweetness emerged.
The vegetable was tender and juicy.
It truly tasted much better than vegetables grown outside.
One of the best things about this space was that the sun never set.
The temperature also remained perfectly comfortable.
Su Yu almost wished she could stay here forever.
She only wondered when she would finally be able to bring Tang Chen and Tangtang inside openly.
When she reached the edge of the space, she suddenly realized something.
The entire space seemed shaped like a box.
A perfect square.
Just like 001’s head.
The edges emitted a faint blue glow.
Curious, she continued walking forward.
Then—
Bang!
She slammed directly into an invisible barrier.
“001! Where did this glass come from?”
A large bump instantly formed on her forehead.
No matter how she looked, there had appeared to be nothing in front of her.
001 floated over and glanced at the bump on her head.
Expressionless, it explained,
“That is not glass. It is an air barrier designed to prevent you from falling out.”
An air barrier?
That was certainly a new one.
It was the first time she had ever heard such a thing.
“What would happen if I fell out?”
Could there be another space beyond this one?
Like the universe itself?
So vast that it was impossible to imagine.
Something humanity might never fully explore, no matter how many years passed.
“Host, 001 does not have authorization to answer that question.”
Alright then.
It seemed that 001 was just another overworked employee.
Glancing at the large cabbages she had picked from the field earlier, Su Yu felt relieved.
At least tomorrow’s meal was taken care of.
This visit had taught her many new things.
Looking up at the sun hanging overhead, Su Yu closed her eyes and silently recited the command to leave.
The next moment, she returned to the heated brick bed.
The following morning, Su Yu woke unusually early.
Dark circles lingered beneath her eyes.
Looking at the sleeping Tangtang beside her, she gently brushed aside a strand of hair from the little girl’s face.
“This time, nothing bad will happen.”
“It definitely won’t.”
She repeated the words over and over.
Unfortunately, Tang Chen happened to overhear them.
Looking at Su Yu sitting on the bed in a daze, he quietly cleared his throat.
“Ahem.”
“Did you have a nightmare last night?”
As usual, he set the washbasin onto its stand and walked over to her.
Leaning slightly closer, he studied her rosy face.
A hint of distraction appeared in his gaze.
Looking at the man before her, Su Yu didn’t know what to say.
Tang Chen fetched water from the village well every day.
If outsiders saw it, they would probably think she was a lazy wife.
While Su Yu was lost in thought, she suddenly felt warmth against her forehead.
Tang Chen placed one hand on his own forehead and the other on hers.
His expression remained serious.
Several seconds later, he suddenly smiled.
“Good.”
“You don’t have a fever.”
Looking at the gentle smile on his face, Su Yu felt as though something inside her heart had finally broken through the soil and begun to grow.