Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 759 - 631: Sleeping

Chapter 759: Chapter 631: Sleeping

"The old ones hid in the towers to escape the witches and the stars," Xu Yang observed the cemetery, its design logic similar to that of the old human cultures, deeply buried underground.

"So such places can shield against the influences of witches and the stars?" Pan Ruiyi glanced around.

"Perhaps." No sooner had he spoken than Pan Ruiyi opened her face mask, cupped Xu Yang’s face, and kissed him, their lips and tongues intertwining, inhaling each other’s scent.

Their bodies pressed together as if to melt each other.

Out of the corner of her eye, Pan Ruiyi saw Little Fool watching them intently, trying to learn, and couldn’t help but pull away slightly, licking the corner of her mouth.

"Why does Little Fool keep staring?" Pan Ruiyi mocked.

"I’m not called Little Fool." Little Fool hated being called that, it was a nickname from a long time ago.

"We should take this information back." Pan Ruiyi said indifferently, picking up Little Fool, "How come I never noticed such a cute little thing when the sun was hot before, now carrying you, even through thick cotton."

Little Fool still felt uncomfortable inside and pushed at Pan Ruiyi with her hands, but it was as weak as a kitten kneading.

They passed through a corridor filled with debris.

The Scaled Beasts that Pan Ruiyi had crushed lay on the ground, their limbs and severed parts scattered, the walls smeared with thick blood.

Little Fool glanced at them, scared by their grotesque appearances, and involuntarily took in a sharp breath, wrapping one hand around Pan Ruiyi’s neck and climbing onto her. Pan Ruiyi was quite large, offering many points to grab onto. Other witches would slip with a single step, but Pan Ruiyi was robust and had a wide support base.

"Farosa will kill you," Little Fool whispered into Pan Ruiyi’s ear.

"I’m not afraid," Pan Ruiyi said with a smile.

"Why are you so brave?" Little Fool didn’t understand.

"I don’t know," Pan Ruiyi couldn’t explain either. She just knew that next, she was going to have a good time pounding with Xu Yang, enjoying this period of time.

Xu Yang caught up shortly after, having recorded all the images and materials in the tomb, then sent them back to Nestor Headquarters for analysis. Then he and Pan Ruiyi disappeared into the tunnel together.

The technical department commenced a highly confidential and intensive discussion, ultimately compiling quite an extensive set of data.

[Ancient Artifact 1: Pitch-Black Weapon]

The black weapons scattered in the tomb and the Black Long Spear used to suppress the old humans at the bottom of the tower were made of the same material. They seemed to be special weapons used by the Samurai and possessed some sort of outstanding special attack effect. However, the particulars of their uniqueness required bringing back the weapons from the tomb for in-depth research. Considering the long passage of time, the ore and technology required to forge these weapons might have been completely lost, necessitating the collection of more knowledge about the old human culture to discern the related techniques.

[Ancient Artifact 2: Tomb Inscription]

These inscriptions extolled the great achievements of the tomb’s master, who seemed to be a low-ranking war noble and had, during a self-defense war, piloted a flying vehicle to fight against alien races, successfully breaking through to deliver messages, then went on to destroy an enemy space knight squadron eager to warp, preventing their surprise attack on the orbit. The contents described in the inscription were quite peculiar; the tomb’s master might have fought against an extraterrestrial army and accomplished significant feats, or perhaps the events took place on this planet, but modern humans find it hard to understand some of the technologies they employed back then.

[Ancient Artifact 3: Burial Dragon Remains]

The two Drake skeletons laid beside the main coffin were identified by experts as two highly regarded pets of the tomb’s master. They were immediately preserved after death and relocated to the tomb alongside the master when he passed. The Scaled Beasts surrounding the area might be descendants of such dragon monster pets. Their ancestors were a popular domesticated animal in this civilization, whereas their own kind had evolved over thousands of years into blind, savage creatures.

[Ancient Artifact 4: Tomb Master’s Coffin]

The stone coffin of the tomb’s occupant was intact, so it could not be hastily opened. It would wait for professional technicians and archaeologists to arrive at the scene to open the coffin and reveal the master’s true face. Since it is unknown if the tomb’s owner is an "old human" himself, the connection between this ancient civilization’s information and old human culture is yet to be known.

The technical department transmitted these messages to Xu Yang’s portable terminal.

"Qua..." Little Fool lay on the ground, scrolling through the interface on the screen, browsing the intelligence sent by the research personnel.

Snowball squatted on one side behind Little Fool, while Wolf Girl scratched her furry face with her paw.

"Woof, woof!" Snowball looked up and barked at Little Fool, its mechanical body tensing as if ready to pounce at any moment. Then it turned around and bared its teeth in the direction of the Ancient Tunnel.

Little Fool saw Pan Ruiyi and Xu Yang supporting each other as they climbed up the tunnel.

They were exhausted, as if they had encountered a monster at the bottom of the tunnel and had emerged strange after a deadly fight.

Xu Yang and Pan Ruiyi stuck together inseparably, both drenched in sweat, Pan Ruiyi wearing a tired but satisfied smile, while Xu Yang’s expression was indecipherable, walking with a pronounced lean.

When they reached Little Fool, Pan Ruiyi stretched and moved to a long table in the distant miner’s living area to rest.

Little Fool blinked her bright eyes, didn’t say anything, and just handed the terminal over to Xu Yang.

"... In the past, before Yibei City was established thousands of years ago, there may have been a very advanced civilization here. We still don’t know what that was. Not just here, but surely other places in the world too. If we were to suddenly vanish from the earth, future generations would also excavate our culture," Xu Yang said, bending his head to study the information.

"Are we really going to suddenly disappear from the world?" Little Fool asked anxiously.

"Look at the heavy snow. If we were really to be buried by a snowstorm, people ten thousand years from now would dig through the ice layers to our fortresses, warehouses, and hiding places we left behind," Xu Yang explained, pointing at the alloy ceiling of the mine tunnel.

Xu Yang understood the miners’ intentions and realized that the miners here had all chosen to stay, even though Nestor Corporation advised them that the mines would collapse or be breached by powerful enemies one day. However, the miners were conservative in their attitude, preferring the familiar and deep-rooted thinking of sticking to their native land, as they had more faith in their familiar environment.

Then, before heading off to Yibei City, Xu Yang, Pan Ruiyi, and Little Fool rested in a separate guest room.

There was only one large bed covered with goat fur, the floor was a suspended wooden lattice, and the equipment was simple with no smart screens or terminals, just an electric lamp hanging by the bed providing minuscule light, with two rows of heating pipes by the side of the bed to satisfy their heating needs.

"Get some rest early; we leave at five in the morning," Xu Yang said as he quickly climbed onto the bed.

"Quack." Little Fool sat in a chair, reading her Ninja Scrolls.

Snowball and Wolf Girl lied down in corners of the room, with Wolf Girl taking shallow breaths, her soft and furry belly rising and falling. Snowball entered standby mode, curling into an exquisite sphere.

"Enjoy the moment... Enjoy this instant," Pan Ruiyi murmured. She lay beside Xu Yang wearing only her undergarments, her hands behind her head and her long legs crossed over each other.

Xu Yang could smell a strong scent from her. When Little Fool had finished her book, climbed onto the bed, and lain between them, she almost passed out but gradually adapted to it.

After that, she first turned toward Pan Ruiyi, lying in her solid embrace with her hair scattered over Pan Ruiyi’s front.

"I don’t have any milk for you," said Pan Ruiyi as she repeatedly stroked Little Fool’s hair.

"Mmm..." Little Fool felt there couldn’t be a better mother than this; she could fully embrace Little Fool.

Xu Yang turned off the light, and the world plunged into darkness.

Little Fool felt peaceful and warm. She had never experienced such a harmonious and serene environment, lying between her dad and "mom" like this—it was a completely new experience for her. She felt toasty and cozy; no matter how fierce the snowstorm outside, it couldn’t affect her.

"Are you happy?" Pan Ruiyi sensed Little Fool was exceptionally joyful.

"Happy... I wish it could be like this forever," Little Fool said with her eyes closed.

"What’s there to be happy about?" Xu Yang asked.

"Here, everyone is good; there are no bad people. We must eliminate the bad people," Little Fool thought of Farosa as a bad person.

"Simply eliminating bad people is meaningless," Xu Yang explained to Little Fool, "In a society where people have to become bad to survive better, even if they are reluctant, they must rely on wrongdoings to improve their living situation, or else they will be exploited or taken advantage of by others. In such cases, merely eliminating bad people does nothing to impact the societal foundation that allows bad people to exist, nor does it make life better for good people... That’s why we have to transform this society, reshape the rules, so that when people find out they get enough rewards for taking proper actions, they will tend to not become bad."

Little Fool thought about the happenings at the Witch Academy, where everyone tended to follow Yuuki and Laila in tyranny and bullying the weak because it earned them Farosa’s favor. Thus, as Xu Yang said, in such a situation, only by being a bad egg could one gain enough benefits for oneself; others could at most choose to stay out of it, with no one coming forward, as interfering brought no benefits.

"Quack..." Little Fool listened carefully and learned.

"I’ve been thinking about what you told me before," Pan Ruiyi looked up at the aluminum ceiling in the darkness, "You asked why I would make the risky choice. I can give you an answer now—because we are meant to take risks in making decisions. Little Fool, you’ll encounter many complicated matters and dilemmas in the future, and you’ll choose your path in life under tremendous pressure. It is at that moment, when you’re under the greatest pressure and the decisions are hardest to make, that your true nature... your instincts will show."

"My name is Xu Cheng, not Little Fool," Little Fool heeded Pan Ruiyi’s words.

Pan Ruiyi closed her eyes, both of them slightly facing Little Fool.

Ah, the warmest dad and mom in the world... Little Fool felt cherished by them.

How she wished she could become a powerful Witch right now, to put her own ideas into action, to be of help to everyone. They were the best role models for Little Fool, making her secretly decide on what kind of person she wanted to become.

But then, Little Fool began to cry in the darkness.

She knew it was just this precious night they spent together.

After this precious time had passed, they would separate, become estranged, distant, forgetful. Little Fool cried for herself, and for Xu Yang and Pan Ruiyi.

As Little Fool wept for the hopeless future, Pan Ruiyi suddenly drew her in to kiss away the tears.

"Goodnight, Xu Cheng."