397: Chapter 397 Awakening Again

Bai Qianqian's due date had arrived.

That morning, Qin Lin was in the Bridge looking at the star map. Han Qing walked over with her large belly and patted him on the shoulder: "Bai Qianqian is about to give birth. Why are you still sitting here?"

Qin Lin stood up abruptly, the tablet in his hand almost falling to the ground.

He walked quickly out of the Bridge, through the corridor, and arrived at the door of the Medical Room.

The door was open. Bai Qianqian was lying on the delivery bed, her face pale, her forehead covered in sweat.

She saw Qin Lin standing at the door and pulled a smile to the corner of her mouth: "You're here."

Qin Lin walked in and crouched by the bed, holding her hand: "I'm here, don't be afraid."

Bai Qianqian shook her head: "I'm not afraid."

Han Qing commanded from behind: "Deep breaths, don't push yet, it's not time yet."

Qin Lin held Bai Qianqian's hand and could feel her fingers clenching tightly.

Her fingernails sank into the back of his hand, it was very painful, but he didn't pull away. His other hand helped wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Time passed second by second.

The door to the Medical Room was closed, and the corridor was full of people.

One hundred women, one hundred women waiting for the birth of the one-hundredth child.

No one spoke; everyone was waiting for that cry.

Finally, a loud infant cry came from the Medical Room.

Qin Lin's heartbeat skipped a beat.

Han Qing's voice came from inside: "It's born, it's a girl, both mother and daughter are safe."

Qin Lin let go of Bai Qianqian's hand, stood up, and walked to Han Qing.

Han Qing was holding a tiny infant in her arms, wrapped in a white swaddling cloth. Her face was wrinkled, her mouth open, and she was crying.

Qin Lin reached out and carefully took the infant from Han Qing's arms.

She was lighter than Qin An was when he was born, but her cry was very loud. Her small hands were clenched into fists, waving in the air.

Bai Qianqian leaned against the head of the bed, looking at the daughter in Qin Lin's arms, her eyes red: "Qin Lin, what is her name?"

Qin Lin looked down at the infant in his arms and thought for a moment: "Qin Xi, 'Xi' as in morning sunlight. She was born in the early morning, she is the one-hundredth child on The Ark, she is a new beginning."

Bai Qianqian smiled, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes: "Qin Xi, that sounds nice."

The System notification sound echoed in every corner of The Ark, not the usual short 'ding', but a long, horn-like melody.

Golden light poured out from every corner of The Ark, washing over everyone's ankles like a tide.

["Many Children, Many Blessings" permanent mission milestone reached!]

[Milestone Name: One Hundred Children]

[Achievement Condition: Total number of children on The Ark reaches 100]

[Reward: Overall Physique +10%, The Ark's energy protective shield strength +30%, The Ark's speed +20%]

Qin Lin looked at the numbers on the panel—Total children: 100.

He stood at the door of the Medical Room, holding Qin Xi, with the mothers of one hundred children behind him.

He walked into the corridor, and everyone looked at him.

No one spoke, but there was the same light in everyone's eyes.

Not exhaustion, but hope.

Qin Lin held Qin Xi and looked at them: "Finally, one hundred children."

The living room was quiet for a moment, then erupted into cheers.

Liu Ruyan was the first to jump up, bouncing twice with her big belly, and was pressed down by Su Han: "You, be careful."

Han Yurou held Qin Yue, laughing until tears came out: "One hundred! We really gave birth to one hundred!"

Qin Lin handed Qin Xi to Bai Qianqian and turned to walk towards the corridor.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, but every step was steady.

At the end of the corridor, the door numbered 015 was open.

White light shone through the crack in the door, not the blinding light from before, but a soft, moonlight-like glow, casting a patch of silver-white on the floor of the corridor.

Qin Lin walked to the door, pushed it open, and went inside.

She was sitting on the bed.

Not lying down, but sitting.

She was wearing a white dress, her hair was loose, and her face carried a hazy expression, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

She looked at Qin Lin, and the corners of her mouth lifted: "You're here."

Qin Lin sat down on the chair opposite her: "The one-hundredth child has been born."

She nodded: "I know."

Qin Lin looked at her: "You said it was too slow last time, what about now? Is it still slow?"

She looked at him and was silent for a while: "It's not slow now."

Qin Lin let out a sigh of relief in his heart, but he still had one more question, a question that had been weighing on his heart: "What would happen if I had always been slow?"

She looked at him, her expression unchanged, but there was a light in her eyes: "The Ark would gradually downgrade."

Qin Lin was stunned: "Downgrade?"

She nodded: "From Lv11 to Lv10, from Lv10 to Lv9, downgrading step by step. If you never had children, The Ark would get smaller and smaller, and eventually return to how it was at the very beginning."

Qin Lin's voice was a bit dry: "The way it was at the beginning? That broken RV?"

She looked at him: "Yes."

Qin Lin was silent.

Downgrading, returning to that dilapidated RV, no protective shield, no Ecological Plantation, no Medical Room, not enough supplies, not enough people.

He couldn't go back to that time.

"Does this have anything to do with you?" Qin Lin asked.

She looked at him: "It does, my body and The Ark are connected. My energy supports the upgrading and stability of The Ark. When you have children, new life force is injected into The Ark, which nourishes my fundamental Law, and I can recover my body. The more you produce, the faster I recover, and the more stable The Ark will be, and it won't downgrade."

Qin Lin looked at her: "So you asked me to have more children so that you could recover yourself?"

She looked at him: "Yes."

Qin Lin was silent for a long time.

He thought of Su Yuran, thought of Han Qing, thought of all the women who had given birth to children for him.

They didn't know that The Ark would downgrade, didn't know how important their giving birth was to The Ark.

But he knew now.

"Do I need to keep having children?" Qin Lin asked.

She looked at him: "Yes, as long as you continue to have children, The Ark can remain stable. If you can keep the number of children above one hundred, The Ark can even continue to upgrade, and I will recover better, waking up from time to time to give you some advice."

Qin Lin looked at her: "Then how many do I need to have for you to fully recover?"

She was silent for a while: "The more, the better, but I will wake up every time you reach a milestone and tell you what to do next."

Qin Lin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the starry sky outside.

Behind him was The Ark, one hundred children, and one hundred women.

He thought one hundred children was the end point, but now it seems, this is just another starting point.

He turned around and looked at her: "I understand, I will continue."

The corners of her mouth lifted: "That's good."

Qin Lin turned and left.

When he reached the door, he looked back at her: "What is your name?"

She looked at him: "My name is Ling."