199: Daily life sailing in the abyss

Seven standard days.

This was the first time Lin Mo, Gu Zhixia, and Gu Nianqiu had experienced a truly 'peaceful' period since the apocalypse began.

The scenery within the warp channel was no longer just monotonous data and distorted light and shadows. Lin Mo, utilizing a portion of the heart of dreams' authority combined with the World Tree's massive database, projected a deep and magnificent virtual star sea onto the Natural Selection's portholes. This star sea, based on astronomical observation data from old-era Earth, perfectly replicated every detail of the Milky Way.

It was as if they weren't tearing through a warp channel in a violent subspace, but rather leisurely sailing through a serene, homelike galaxy.

This false tranquility was an expensive umbrella of protection that Lin Mo, with the power of the heart of the world, had propped up for this scarred little team.

And Gu Nianqiu, in turn, transformed this tranquility into a tangible entity called 'Life' in the most direct way.

"Ding-dong-ding-dong—! Please taste! This is 'Starlight Shimmering Potato Stew,' which I carefully simmered, combining the tentacles of 'Starlight Jellyfish' from the M-79 Nebula's specialty with the small Blue Earth potatoes we cultivated ourselves!"

In the huge circular dining room, Gu Nianqiu, like a little witch presenting a treasure, brought three steaming bowls of thick soup, emitting a soft golden glow, to the dining table. On the surface of the soup, there truly were tiny points of starlight shimmering—a wondrous reaction of the special proteins contained within the jellyfish tentacles after being cooked at high temperatures.

An aroma, a blend of rich milky fragrance, the mellow taste of potatoes, and an indescribable freshness, as if from the ocean, instantly permeated the air.

Gu Zhixia leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, maintaining her usual cold and beautiful demeanor. She first scrutinized the slightly glowing, translucent objects floating in the bowl, and her eyebrows involuntarily twitched.

"This stuff... it won't make me glow at night, will it?"

"Of course not!" Gu Nianqiu puffed out her cheeks, hands on her hips, and retorted somewhat indignantly, "The World Tree said that Starlight Jellyfish are rich in a 'photosynthetic psychotropic element.' Eating it can effectively relieve mental fatigue and make your skin more radiant! It's perfect for someone like you, Big Sister, who always has a stern face and is prone to wrinkles!"

"Gu, Nian, Qiu!" A vein seemed to be throbbing on Gu Zhixia's forehead.

Lin Mo silently picked up his spoon and took a spoonful into his mouth.

The soup was smooth and mellow on the palate, with the soft stickiness of the potatoes and the crispness of the jellyfish tentacles creating a wonderful textural contrast. And that fresh taste, upon touching his taste buds, seemed to truly transform into a wisp of breeze, brushing past the nerves that were always taut due to his constant connection with the World Tree and the two Hearts of the World.

That heavy, tense feeling he had always carried did, indeed, seem to have lessened by a fraction.

He looked up at Gu Nianqiu, who was gazing at him with bright, expectant eyes, and the lines on his perpetually icy face seemed to soften ever so slightly.

"It's very delicious."

"Yay!" Receiving affirmation from the supreme leader, Gu Nianqiu jumped up happily, then shot a triumphant, 'See, I told you so' glance at her sister.

Gu Zhixia let out a soft hmph, but in the end, she couldn't resist the alluring aroma and picked up her spoon somewhat reluctantly. With just one bite, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly without her even realizing it.

The taste was, indeed, good.

But what that girl had said earlier still annoyed her greatly.

"So-so," she put down her spoon, giving a concise evaluation, but the fact that she quietly took several more sips betrayed her true feelings.

After lunch, it was a rare period of free time.

Gu Nianqiu dragged the reluctant Gu Zhixia and plunged into the holographic entertainment center in the middle of the battleship. This was the most popular place on the Natural Selection, besides the kitchen and the Hangar.

The core of the entertainment center was a huge spherical space. Once activated, the entire space could simulate any environment. It could be a snow-covered polar ice field, a tropical island with coconut groves, or a concrete jungle city.

At this moment, it was set to an old-era Earth, a sunny afternoon park.

Soft lawns, warm sunshine, and even a breeze carrying the scent of grass.

Gu Nianqiu had changed into a beautiful goose-yellow pastoral Lolita dress, running barefoot on the lawn, chasing virtual butterflies, letting out peals of bell-like laughter.

Gu Zhixia found a large tree and sat leaning against it in the shade. She didn't participate in her sister's game, just watched quietly. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on her black jk uniform and cold, beautiful profile. Her gaze was no longer as sharp as it was on the battlefield, but carried a hint of tenderness, which she herself hadn't even noticed, called 'protection.'

This scene, on the Earth of the past, was so ordinary, so readily available.

Now, however, it had become a fake luxury that required immense energy to barely maintain.

She watched her sister running in the sunlight, then remembered the little girl crying beneath the cold throne. The two images overlapped in her mind, making her heart clench.

No.

She would never let that happen again.

No matter who it was, whether The Collector or some damn the inspector, no one would ever again take this small, even if false, piece of sunlight from her side.

Her hand instinctively tightened, as if she were once again grasping that cold spear, stained with the blood of gods.

Unlike the sisters' leisure, Lin Mo's figure appeared in a room deeper within the battleship, a room designated as a highest-level restricted area.

The "Central Deduction Room."

There were no decorations here, only endless darkness, and Lin Mo's throne, suspended in the center of the darkness.

He sat on the throne, eyes closed.

In his mental world, silent yet extremely dangerous wars were constantly being simulated at speeds exceeding that of light.

【Simulation #774: Encounter with the gardener of Narcissus Plain.】

【Target ability analysis: Suspected plant manipulation, spatial lockdown, Life force absorption...】

【Our countermeasure: Activate "Nightmare Form" for mental suppression. Failed. Target's mental stability is extremely high, immune to illusions.】

【Plan B: Gu Zhixia's "Thunder Dragon" mecha frontal assault. Failed. Target's true body is hidden among countless plant creations, unable to be locked on.】

【Plan C: heart of space warp surprise attack. Failed. Target's location space is confined by laws on par with the World Tree.】

...Time and time again, simulations, time and time again, failures.

That mysterious entity known as the gardener stood before them like an insurmountable mountain. Lan Yue's intelligence only provided the target and location, but no specific information about the gardener's abilities. Lin Mo could only make the most malicious conjectures based on this codename.

And the result of each simulation made his heart grow heavier.

"World Tree," he suddenly spoke, "Add Gu Nianqiu's Talent 'Master Chef' as a variable and re-simulate."

【Command confirmed. Variable 'Master Chef' loaded. This variable contains extreme uncertainty. Proceed?】

"Proceed."

【Simulation #775: Encounter with the gardener.】

【...We are in a bitter struggle. Gu Zhixia's mecha energy is almost depleted.】

【At this moment, variable 'Gu Nianqiu' introduced the 'Super Invincible Universe's Most Delicious victory crab roe bun'.】

【...】

The World Tree's simulation, for the first time, experienced a several-second pause, similar to a 'hiccup.'

【Simulation result: Unknown.】

【Reason for analysis: After smelling the victory crab roe bun, the laws maintaining the spatial lockdown of target 'the gardener' experienced a violent fluctuation of 0.001 seconds. The cause of this fluctuation cannot be analyzed.】

Lin Mo: "..."

He opened his eyes and looked at the dark void before him. On his frozen face, a rare trace of confusion appeared.

victory crab roe bun?

Could it be that the mysterious gardener was a foodie?

This deduction was so absurd that Lin Mo himself found it a bit outlandish.

But, this seemed to be the only breakthrough at the moment?

He exited the Central Deduction Room and returned to the Bridge. Outside the porthole, it was still that serene virtual galaxy.

The two sisters in the entertainment center seemed to be tired from playing. Gu Zhixia leaned against the tree trunk, seemingly asleep. And Gu Nianqiu, like a small cat, curled up beside her sister, sleeping soundly.

Lin Mo did not disturb them.

He pulled up the Natural Selection's internal structure diagram, and his gaze fell on a large circular area at the stern of the ship, an area that had never been activated and was a huge circular area.

That was the "Ecological Cultivation Zone."

A giant greenhouse that could simulate any planetary environment, used to cultivate and breed various animals and plants.

Perhaps... he silently issued a new command to the World Tree.

【Command confirmed: Activate Ecological Cultivation Zone. Environment setting: Blue Earth, 30 degrees North latitude, subtropical marine climate. Humidity 75%, light 14 hours.】

【Cultivation species imported: 1000 fertilized eggs of the rare Blue Earth species 'Seven-Colored Glazed Crab'.】

【Estimated maturation time: 5 standard days.】

After doing all this, Lin Mo turned off the screen.

He didn't know if his guess was correct.

But this might be one of their few trump cards to increase their chances of victory.

Navigating the abyss, any seemingly ridiculous trump card could potentially determine Life and death at the most critical moment.

Night fell.

Of course, there was no day or night in the warp channel. This was merely the battleship's automatic adjustment of lighting effects based on biological clocks.

Gu Nianqiu awoke from a sweet dream, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and the first thing she did was rush into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

Gu Zhixia also stretched, moving her somewhat stiff body. That virtual lawn and sunshine had indeed relaxed her tense nerves quite a bit.

"Lin Mo, what are you up to?" She returned to the Bridge, only to find Lin Mo standing in front of the main console, reviewing some ecological cultivation data that she couldn't understand.

"Preparing ingredients," Lin Mo replied.

"Ingredients?" Gu Zhixia was taken aback.

Just then, Gu Nianqiu excitedly ran over, carrying a large plate of golden-brown, crispy, and richly fragrant unknown meat chops.

"Big Sister! Brother Mo! Come and taste! These are 'Juicy Energy Roasted Ribs' made from the tenderloin of a 'Dolido Beast'! After eating them, you won't feel hungry all night!"

The three of them once again gathered around the dining table.

Outside the window was a brilliant galaxy, and on the table was steaming delicious food.

This scene was so heartwarming that it didn't feel like they were on a battleship escaping the apocalypse, but rather a leisurely, family interstellar trip.

Gu Zhixia looked at her sister, who was eating small bites with a happy expression, and then at Lin Mo opposite her, who, though expressionless, was clearly eating much faster than usual. A corner of her heart was quietly touched.

She suddenly asked, "Lin Mo, is there a movie theater on this ship?"

"Yes," Lin Mo swallowed a bite of meat chop, "It's in Entertainment Center Zone C. The film library contains ninety-nine percent of old-era video archives."

"Then..." Gu Zhixia's gaze drifted elsewhere, seeming a bit unnatural, "After dinner, how about we watch a movie? Just as... a post-dinner pastime."

Gu Nianqiu's eyes instantly lit up: "Yay! Movies! I want to watch 'Ratatouille'!"

"Rejected," Gu Zhixia immediately vetoed, "What's the point of watching that? If we're going to watch something... let's watch 'Star Wars.'"

"What's that?"

"Shut up, children don't need to know."

Lin Mo watched the bickering sisters, saying nothing.

He merely, silently, through the World Tree, adjusted the lighting, temperature, and seat comfort in Entertainment Center Zone C to their optimal state in advance.

He even preheated the popcorn machine.

Although he didn't know if they would need that.

Although he didn't know if they would need that.