DSAW Ch.382

Chapter 382 – Extra (Xi Chunzhi & Xie Xu)

 

“Sister Xi, your communicator has been repaired.”

Xi Chunzhi wiped the sweat off her face with a towel, stepped off the treadmill, and took the communicator.

This was her personal communicator, and usually, no one sent her messages.

There was only one message inside.

[Sender: Tu Ran.]

Xi Chunzhi’s fingers froze. Hadn’t Tu Ran gone to the Rulers World? When did she come back? She quickly tapped the message open, sat down in the lounge chair, and read its contents.

[My dear Chunzhi,
Did you miss me? [Blowing kiss.jpg]]

Xi Chunzhi: “…”

A critical hit right from the start. She gritted her teeth and endured it.

[I came back from the Rulers World!! Are you happy? Excited? [Cheering.jpg]]

Xi Chunzhi rubbed her forehead, feeling slightly relieved. The Tu Ran she had worried about day and night seemed to be doing well over there.

She continued reading.

[But I have to leave again. There’s no time to see you. [Sad.jpg]]

The smile that had just started forming on Xi Chunzhi’s lips slowly faded.

[I found a way to resolve the cosmic fusion issue.
If we make the Supreme Leader of the Rulers World consume the last fragment of the Order Cube and then lure him into self-destructing, the Order Cube will be restored using his body as energy, and universal order will be restored.
Sounds easy, right? Well, it’s not! [Crying facepalm.jpg]
You have no idea how powerful their self-destruction is. Last time, I was almost blown up to the point of meeting my great-grandmother.
So this has to be carefully planned.

Luckily, I met someone really smart in the Rulers World. She seems unreliable at first glance, but… how do I put it? A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

With her help, my chances of success have skyrocketed.

Wait for my good news!]

Xi Chunzhi rested her wrist on her knee, staring absentmindedly at the gym equipment for a moment before suddenly standing up. She yanked the towel from around her neck and tossed it onto the chair.

“Sister Xi, where are we going?” her subordinate asked as they quickly followed.

“The research institute.”

*

“Director, someone is here to see you.”

“Who is it?”

“Xi Chunzhi.”

Xie Xu paused in his work, as if contemplating the reason for her visit. After a moment, he removed the specialized monocle from his right eye, took off his gloves, and stood up from the desk. “Take her to my lab.”

“Yes, sir.”

Inside the lab.

Xi Chunzhi took in her surroundings, scanning the room before finally settling her gaze on Xie Xu. “I heard you’ve been researching space travel recently.”

Xie Xu sat on the sofa, poured two cups of tea, and pushed one in her direction. He picked up his own cup, swirled the liquid inside, and spoke in an indifferent tone. “Bounty hunters sure have sharp intel.”

“Send me to the Rulers World,” Xi Chunzhi said bluntly.

“Tu Ran doesn’t need you.” His voice was polite yet distant.

Xi Chunzhi took a step forward, suppressing the surge of emotions threatening to escape. “She’s alone.”

Xie Xu slowly set down his teacup and lifted his gaze, his voice unhurried. “Even alone, she’s better off than bringing along a burden.”

Xi Chunzhi took a deep breath, strode forward, and sat down on the sofa opposite him. Locking eyes with Xie Xu, she declared with certainty, “I can help her.”

Xie Xu lowered his gaze, seemingly lost in thought. After a brief silence, he asked, “What abilities do you have now?”

“Damage transfer—I can redirect any damage I receive to my enemy.
Possession—through touch, I can control another person’s body.
Eye of Fortuna—I can foresee a person’s life and death.
And a few other combat-related abilities.”

“I’ll give you one more ability.”

“What is it?”

“Life sharing.”

…

The research institute’s space-travel device had only been successfully developed recently and was still in the experimental stage. So far, it had only been tested on objects and low-level animals—Xi Chunzhi was the first human to use it.

This device allowed for precise teleportation, but there was a time limit. A traveler could only remain in another world for two hours before being forcibly returned.

After drinking a specially formulated potion, Xi Chunzhi’s body formed a connection with the device. Then, she lay down inside the equipment chamber.

The machine activated, and in an instant, she vanished.

Two hours later.

The chamber door opened, and Xi Chunzhi stepped out.

Waiting outside weren’t just Xie Xu but also Xie Zhao—now the Federation’s Prime Minister.

“How did it go?”

Someone asked, but Xi Chunzhi couldn’t register who. Her head was still buzzing, and all she could see was the final scene from the Rulers World: Hache Bulu detonating his own body to intercept the hurtling star. In that instant of explosion, the entire world turned blinding white, leaving her nearly sightless.

“…It worked,” she finally said.

“Director! Director! The Threshold wall has collapsed! The Threshold gate has disappeared!”

A researcher came sprinting into the lab, spreading the news.

The order of the universe had truly been restored!

However, due to the flaws in the experimental device, Xi Chunzhi’s body suffered severe damage, and she was sent to the medical division’s nutrient chamber for recovery.

During this time, Meng Fancheng and his friends visited her many times, even arranging for staff from other departments to take care of her.

He knew that Xi Chunzhi was Tu Ran’s close friend.

“A clone ability? So cool! I can’t believe such a power exists—my goddess is incredible!”

Xi Chunzhi, leaning back against the bed, rolled her eyes at the pristine white ceiling. This was already the fifth time today that Meng Fancheng had exclaimed, “My goddess is incredible!”

Meng Fancheng placed a perfectly arranged fruit platter on the table in front of Xi Chunzhi, even thoughtfully sticking a fork into it.

“Sister Chunzhi, thank you for sharing your lifespan with Tu Ran. From now on, you’re my benefactor. All the fruit you eat while you’re in the hospital—it’s on me!” He patted his chest confidently.

Xi Chunzhi chuckled softly, shaking her head in amusement as she quietly ate the fruit with her fork.

“But, Sister Chunzhi, now that you’re back in the Federation, where did Sister Tu Ran go? To Blue Star?”

Xi Chunzhi’s hand paused mid-air.

She wasn’t sure. When she was forcibly pulled back, Tu Ran had still been holding her hand, not letting go.

“Maybe she went back,” she said. Tu Ran had always loved that world Blue Star.

“Will she ever come back to the Federation?” Meng Fancheng scratched his head awkwardly before asking.

Xi Chunzhi shook her head. “I don’t know.”

She knew well that Tu Ran didn’t like the Federation.

Meng Fancheng looked disappointed. “Oh… alright.”

He had really wanted to see his goddess again.

…

After seven days of treatment in the medical department, Xi Chunzhi had fully recovered. Huo came to pick her up, and she started packing her things to be discharged.

But an unexpected visitor arrived.

Seeing who it was, Xi Chunzhi clicked her tongue, leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms. “Director Xie showing up at a time like this… doesn’t seem like a friendly hospital visit.”

Xie Xu ignored her sarcastic remark—so similar to Tu Ran’s—and simply parted his thin lips. “Zero.”

A holographic screen appeared in midair. On the screen, amidst a vast black ocean, a familiar island structure came into view.

“Mildred Archipelago,” Xi Chunzhi identified immediately. “The last pearl of the Federation’s seas.”

The image shifted.

On the deck of a massive cruise ship, a nearly three-meter-tall genetic monster with a catfish-like mouth and whiskers was savagely fighting two pioneers, tearing apart the body of a third.

And in the bottom corner of the screen, Xi Chunzhi noticed a familiar figure—Tu Ran—dressed in a pioneer combat uniform.

“You were hospitalized in the medical department due to your inner core being extracted, and during that time, Tu Ran took on a mission. This cruise ship encountered a genetic monster, and Tu Ran was ordered to rescue the humans onboard and eliminate all the monsters,” Xie Xu explained.

The holographic screen shifted again, showing Tu Ran killing the catfish-like creature. As it exploded, countless white substances erupted, splattering over Tu Ran.

Tu Ran then jumped into the sea to wash off.

“These white substances are highly contaminated bugs,” Xie Xu said, enlarging the image with his finger. The wriggling insects that had stuck to Tu Ran’s body were now visible.

“Now, in the waters surrounding the Mildred Archipelago, many mutated fish have appeared, all originating from this contamination. Because other sea areas are severely polluted with strong, lethal toxins, they are unsuitable for survival. These creatures have all come ashore to the Mildred Archipelago, posing a tremendous danger to both the island’s environment and its residents.”

“So?” Xi Chunzhi plucked a lone flower from the vase on the bedside table and sniffed it. “Don’t forget, I’m no longer a pioneer.”

Xie Xu paused for a moment, then spoke calmly. “I am negotiating cooperation with the ‘Assassin’ of the Hunter Organization as a guest.”

Xi Chunzhi threw the flower back into the vase. “Then we need to go through the proper procedures. Director Xie, prepare the money and meet me at the nighttime bar in the Dark Evil Black Market, where we can discuss the details.”

With those parting words, Xi Chunzhi waved to Huo, and the two of them left together.

 

---

Author’s Note:

The holes left behind by Tu Ran in the Federation world will be filled by Chunzhi.

Because Tu Ran doesn’t like the Federation and has no fondness for it, she won’t return specifically for the Federation.

However, to visit Xi Chunzhi, she may come back occasionally. Xi Chunzhi will also find ways to visit Tu Ran’s world.

(Although the universe’s order has been restored, the female lead’s [Space-Time Manipulation] ability is real, and the Federation has also invented time-traveling machines. With the presence of the Haenden Star System and its inherent strength, inventing similar machines is not a big deal. Therefore, many people will still be able to traverse time and space.)

Xi Chunzhi is a native of the Federation. What she hates is the Federation’s oligarchic system. But she still hopes the Federation can improve and become better (this was also briefly mentioned in the main text). It’s perfect for her to fill in the gaps.

As for the specific details of what gaps to fill and how to fill them, I won’t go into them here.

 

**TN

Reminds me of my other TL – DSAM, with mutations, etc. It’s like they’re connected (´◡`)