393: Chapter 393 is too slow, hurry up and have more babies!

Qin Lin looked at that line of text, stunned for two seconds, then smiled.

Free upgrade.

No high-grade crystals needed, no rare metals needed, no blessing points needed, no survival points needed.

It only required a single tap on confirm.

He stood up, walked to the holographic screen, extended his finger, and tapped on "Confirm".

The text on the holographic screen changed.

[Lv10 → Lv11 Upgrade Initiated]

[The Ark is undergoing modification...]

[Estimated time: 72 hours]

The Ark vibrated gently.

Purple-gold light poured out from every corner of The Ark, from within the walls, from beneath the floor, from the ceiling, washing over everyone's ankles like a rising tide.

The light grew brighter and brighter, shifting from purple-gold to pure gold, and from pure gold to incandescent white.

Everyone closed their eyes.

Qin Lin kept his eyes closed, feeling The Ark changing. It wasn't growth; it was a metamorphosis.

Like a snake shedding its old skin, like a seed breaking through the soil, like that first ray of light at the dawn of the Big Bang.

The Ark's hull elongated, widened, and rose amidst the light.

This wasn't a change in physical dimensions, but an expansion of a higher dimension, one that transcended space.

The patterns on the outer hull went from complex to non-existent—not that they had vanished, but they had become internalized; the Law had been etched into every atom of The Ark.

The protective shield shifted from transparent to invisible, merging into one with The Ark itself; energy flowed within the metal, and the metal breathed within the energy.

The thrusters went from existing to non-existent; The Ark itself became a thruster, acting directly upon space, navigating through time and space like a fish swimming in water.

The spherical dome of the Bridge shifted from panoramic to holographic.

It no longer used screens to display the starry sky outside; instead, it could directly perceive the starry sky outside.

Qin Lin stood in the center of the Bridge, surrounded by the Universe.

He reached out, and what his fingertips touched was not a vacuum, but starlight, the infinite.

The living room grew larger, going from two levels to three.

Upstairs were new bedrooms, and downstairs was the original living room.

The Ecological Plantations went from five to seven, with two new climate simulation zones added.

The medical center expanded from five floors to seven, equipped with more Advanced cross-species medical equipment.

The number of bedrooms increased from twenty-five to thirty-five, each equipped with a private bathroom and a skylight for viewing the stars.

Qin Lin's room was also upgraded; its area was three times larger, and its view was countless times wider than before.

The most critical change was in the System itself.

Qin Lin opened the System panel; the interface had completely changed. It was no longer a star map, but a holographic projection of the Universe—a real-time, updated projection covering the entire known Universe.

[Lv11 The Ark Upgrade Complete]

[New Core Functions:]

[1. Inter-universal Navigation: Can traverse the barriers of the Universe and enter other Universes.]

[2. Universal Holographic Projection: Real-time display of the map of the entire known Universe.]

[3. Life Support System Upgrade: Can sustain passenger life in any environment.]

[4. Intelligent Hub Upgrade: System response speed increased, functions fully optimized.]

[5. Spacetime Anchors expanded to 50.]

[6. Energy Shield V11: Can withstand Universe-level disasters.]

Qin Lin closed the panel and walked out of the Bridge. In the living room, thirty pregnant women stood in the upgraded space, looking up at the newly added ceiling, the new lights, and the new walls. No one spoke.

Han Yurou was the first to break the silence: "The Ark has gotten bigger."

Li Ying leaned back in a new massage chair: "It hasn't just gotten bigger; it has become more Advanced."

Liu Ruyan circled the living room: "There are so many more rooms!"

Su Yuran stood by the window, watching the starry sky outside: "The Ark feels more and more like home."

Qin Lin stood in the center of the living room, watching the room full of pregnant women, an indescribable feeling welling up in his heart.

Thirty pregnant women, thirty bellies, thirty new lives waiting to be born.

He remembered when the apocalypse first began, sitting alone in that dilapidated RV, thinking he wouldn't survive for long.

Now he stood on a space-faring The Ark, with thirty pregnant women by his side, dozens of children, and countless hopes.

He felt he was the happiest person in the world.

...

Three days after The Ark's upgrade was completed, everything had just settled down.

With new rooms, new corridors, and new lights, the thirty pregnant women walked around in the brand-new The Ark, adapting to this larger space.

Qin Lin stood in the corridor, watching those women walking about with their bulging bellies, an indescribable sense of satisfaction filling his heart.

Thirty pregnant women, thirty lives currently being nurtured.

He had done very well.

Then, he felt it.

The white crystal stone in his pocket was heating up.

It wasn't just warm; it was burning hot.

Qin Lin reached out, took the crystal stone out, and cradled it in his palm.

The crystal stone was glowing—a bright, blinding light, like a small sun.

The light poured out from inside the crystal stone, illuminating the entire corridor.

Qin Lin's heart rate accelerated as he quickened his pace through the corridor, walking to the door of Room No. 15.

The door was closed, but the light leaking from the crack in the door was brighter than the crystal stone in his hand.

He reached out and pushed the door open.

The room was so white it looked like it was covered in snow.

Everything was glowing.

The walls, the ceiling, the floor, and the woman on the bed.

She lay there, her body wrapped in a layer of intense white light, like a cocoon in the process of hatching.

Qin Lin stood at the doorway, cradling the crystal stone in his hand, its light merging with the light in the room.

Her eyelids moved.

It wasn't the slight flutter from before; it was the exertion of someone about to open their eyes.

Her fingers were moving, curling and uncurling one by one, and her lips were moving, opening and closing, as if saying something.

Qin Lin walked inside, knelt by the side of the bed, and placed the crystal stone into her palm.

The moment the crystal stone touched her skin, the light became even brighter.

Then, she opened her eyes.

Qin Lin looked into those eyes; they reflected the starlight, the nebulae, the entire Universe.

She looked at Qin Lin, her lips moved, and she spoke.

The voice was very soft, like a breeze coming from a very distant place.

"Too slow."

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Her lips moved again: "Too slow, hurry up and have more."

Qin Lin looked at her: "I… I already have thirty pregnant women."

Her eyes looked at him, filled with light—not reproach, but a realization that "you still have a long way to go."

"Not enough, far from it."

Qin Lin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but her eyes closed again.

The light slowly faded from her body, like the receding tide, disappearing bit by bit.

Her breathing went from rapid to calm, and from calm to almost imperceptible.

She had fallen asleep again.

Qin Lin knelt by the bed, holding the white crystal stone that was no longer glowing, and looked at her face.

Her face was still so white, so delicate, so unreal.

But the words she spoke echoed repeatedly in his mind.

"Too slow."

"Hurry up and have more."