186: The person who never returns, the door that never opens

Time, in waiting, always passes exceptionally slowly.

In Gu Nianqiu's small kitchen, the pot of “Universe Super Invincible Awesome Mushroom Soup” had been simmering on the lowest heat for two hours.

The rich and dominant aroma had long permeated every corner of the Bridge. It was a peerless delicacy, brewed from seventeen rare fungi from different planets, mixed with the last packet of matsutake brought from Blue Star, a taste potent enough to make any deity drool.

The broth presented a warm, melted amber-like color, with several “Star Fungi” floating on the surface, shimmering with a soft glow, like a tiny, boiling galaxy.

Lunchtime had long passed.

Gu Nianqiu had arranged the dining table perfectly. Polished silver cutlery, napkins folded into cute rabbit shapes, and a small bottle of sweet and sour pre-dinner drink she had brewed herself with Nebula berries.

She herself had changed into her favorite deep blue Lolita dress, themed with the night sky and stars, and wore a matching small hat adorned with silver stars.

She wanted to be in her most perfect state to welcome Brother Mo and her sister back.

She sat primly at the dining table, chin resting on her hands, her eyes unblinkingly fixed on the tightly closed Hangar door.

An hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Outside the window, the orange dwarf star's light began to soften, casting a lazy, orange-red halo over the colorful nebula.

Twilight was approaching.

They still hadn't returned.

“Is… is there too much ore?” Gu Nianqiu whispered to herself, trying to find an excuse for them. “Is that small asteroid belt… much larger than Brother Mo said?”

She stood up and paced back and forth in the Bridge, her small leather shoes tapping on the metal deck, making a “tap, tap, tap” sound, lonely yet crisp.

Silence.

Too quiet.

This deathly silence, like an invisible hand, slowly squeezed her heart, making her feel a little breathless.

She tried to chat with “World Tree” as usual.

“World Tree, World Tree, do you know where Brother Mo and sister went?”

In the air of the Bridge, a line of soft, emerald green luminous characters slowly appeared.

“The Captain and Miss Gu Zhixia are performing a routine resource collection mission. Please wait patiently.”

The words were cold and formulaic.

Gu Nianqiu's brows unconsciously furrowed.

No, this isn't right.

Before, when she spoke to “World Tree,” “World Tree's” voice… was like Brother Mo's. Although it was also calm, it wasn't this… instruction manual-like feeling.

“Then… when will they come back?” she pressed.

“They will return upon mission completion. Everything is normal, please do not worry.”

Again, this cold, standardized answer.

The panic in Gu Nianqiu's heart grew heavier and heavier.

She ran to the main console of the Bridge, which was Brother Mo's throne. She stood on tiptoe, her small hands frantically patting the huge holographic screen, wanting to pull up their coordinates, wanting to see their situation.

However, the screen only showed a peaceful, beautiful nebula map. The coordinate point that had previously glowed green had disappeared at some unknown time.

All her operations were like a stone sinking into the sea, receiving no response.

It was as if the entire Natural Selection had become an exquisite, but soulless, empty shell.

Night finally came.

Outside the window, the nebula, illuminated by distant starlight, presented a deep and cold blue.

On the dining table, the once steaming mushroom soup had completely cooled. A thin layer of grease had congealed on the surface of the broth, and the “Star Fungi” that had once shimmered also dimmed, no longer glowing.

Just like her mood at this moment.

Gu Nianqiu could no longer deceive herself.

She sat on the cold deck, hugging her legs, burying her small face in her knees.

She began to frantically recall everything that had happened this morning.

Every detail was infinitely magnified and scrutinized in her mind.

Brother Mo's smile… was too calm, so calm that there wasn't a ripple, like a perfectly drawn smile.

Sister's voice… was too gentle, so gentle that there wasn't an edge, like a carefully recorded, sweet voice message.

That shuttle… why was it a shuttle? For such an important resource collection, Brother Mo would definitely take fire god, because fire god's furnace could refine ore on site, which was the most efficient.

And that star map… it was too simple, simple like a child's doodle. Every one of Brother Mo's actions would list hundreds of data streams on the screen, undergoing countless deductions and simulations; it would never be such a simple, solitary light spot.

One doubt after another, like cold needles, pricked her heart.

She finally realized that something had been terribly wrong from the very beginning.

This isn't real.

Everything here is fake.

But if this is fake, then what about the real one?

Where are the real Brother Mo and sister?

Did they… really go to fight that big bad guy called Leviathan?

Did they… encounter danger?

As soon as she thought of this, an unprecedented fear, enough to swallow her whole, instantly gripped her.

She could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

“Sister… boo hoo hoo… Brother Mo…”

Her cries echoed in the empty and silent Bridge, but received no response.

Only her own tearful echo, again and again, returned to her ears.

“…Come back…”

“…So cold…”

When she was tired of crying, she curled up under the throne of the main console. That was Brother Mo's seat, and a faint, almost imperceptible trace of his scent lingered there, giving her a tiny sense of security.

She hugged the no longer new carrot pillow, like a kitten abandoned by the whole world.

Time completely lost its meaning here.

Outside the window, the orange dwarf star rose and set, set and rose. But every “day” and “night” seemed to be stretched countless times, maddeningly slow.

She no longer cooked or spoke. She just hugged her knees, quietly watching the Hangar door that would never open again, watching the nebula outside the window, day after day, from brilliant, to warm, and then to cold.

When the unknown slow “day” arrived, she suddenly realized an even more chilling problem.

She… didn't seem hungry at all.

She subconsciously touched her flat stomach. Since that fake breakfast, she hadn't eaten anything, not even a sip of water. Yet, her body didn't feel the slightest hunger, not even thirst.

This isn't right. As a Master Chef, she knew her body best.

This discovery, like a basin of ice water, completely extinguished the last faint spark in her heart.

Her eyes gradually lost their luster. Those big eyes, once as clear and bright as obsidian, became hollow and bewildered. Her small face also turned pale from extreme mental exhaustion, but it wasn't the thinness of hunger, but a lifeless, porcelain doll-like coldness.

She felt so cold, so empty, so tired.

Perhaps, a good sleep would fix everything.

Once asleep, she wouldn't feel scared anymore.

Once asleep, she wouldn't feel lonely anymore.

Once asleep… would she be able to see them again in her dreams?

She slowly closed her eyes, a tear still clinging to her long eyelashes.

“Sister… Brother Mo…”

She used her last bit of strength to softly call out in her heart.

“Nian Nian… I miss you all so much…”

“When… will you… finally… come back…?”