Thanks to Katari on kofi for the donation and thank you as well for alerting us of the issues with the site, it has been fixed. Enjoy the bonus chapter!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Jian Xingyi opened his eyes and nervously scanned his surroundings.

The exact same scene…?

No.

Two tombstones still stood before him, but they were visibly older and cracked. Not just the tombstones—the surrounding plants had also weathered considerable time.

The distant village had fewer people and houses, giving it a more desolate feel.

“Xinghe…?”

Jian Xingyi turned to see the man in the white coat, no longer young, with a hint of gray in his beard.

Jian Xingyi tentatively asked, “Doctor?”

The middle-aged man paused, then said, “You’re not Xinghe.”

Jian Xingyi didn’t respond.

The Doctor frowned. “You… I saw you ten years ago. Here.”

Jian Xingyi: “So now it’s… 2068?”

The Doctor nodded. “You still haven’t found your way home?”

Jian Xingyi shook his head.

The Doctor smiled. “Then do you still wish to pay your respects?”

Jian Xingyi glanced at the two gravestones. Having already claimed the reward, paying respects felt pointless, but… out of respect, he carefully selected the two most vibrant flowers nearby and placed them there.

Jian Xingyi bowed slightly, silently praying the two elders would show him a clear path home.

The Doctor suddenly had an idea. “Wait.”

With that, he walked away.

Having learned from past experience, Jian Xingyi wandered nearby while waiting, searching for memory bubbles and collecting along the way.

Besides the rice, radish, and wheat trio, the essence here was more abundant than in Jian Xingyi’s own timeline, though less than in the previous memory bubble.

So… it was true: the higher the pollution level, the fewer essences.

Jian Xingyi managed to collect a pitifully meager 3 essence points.

He had 94 essence points total—just 6 points short of upgrading two plots of land…!

Damn it… just give me 6!

Jian Xingyi diligently wandered around, finding a memory bubble beneath a mango tree. He glanced at the tree’s luscious, juicy mangoes, silently harvesting their light energy and stowing it in his backpack.

Later, he wandered into the village and spotted a chicken wandering about, clucking away.

Jian Xingyi activated his skill, but found nothing… though…

Jian Xingyi stared at the chicken with burning eyes, his gaze fixed, drool nearly dripping from his mouth.

Ah…

Such a lively chicken! So adorable, it must be delicious.

Running that fast, its leg muscles must be tender and springy.

He’d been making do with synthetic meat these past days, but synthetic meat was still just that—artificial flesh churned out by the synthesizer.

He hadn’t tasted a single bite of real meat since entering this game…

“What are you looking at?”

The Doctor returned and tapped Jian Xingyi on the shoulder.

“Chicken soup…” Jian Xingyi cleared his throat. “Nothing.”

The Doctor chuckled helplessly. “That’s mine. Want me to give it to you?”

“…? Thanks!” Jian Xingyi sprang forward to catch the chicken.

Doctor: “……?”

Jian Xingyi launched forward like some bizarre creature, using all four limbs. With speed and agility neither the chicken nor the Doctor anticipated, he snatched it up and stuffed it into his backpack in one fluid motion.

Not a trace of his legendary Combat Power 6.

“Thanks.” Jian Xingyi nodded politely after the capture.

Doctor: “…”

The Doctor couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Why must you be exactly the same in every timeline?”

The Doctor then handed Jian Xingyi a flask of liquor. “Here. I have a favor to ask. If you ever see my tombstone, use this liquor to pay your respects. Even in death, I’d like to have a good drink.”

Jian Xingyi blinked. “Oh…”

Then it dawned on him. “Where would your grave be? Nearby?”

Was the Doctor one of these five graves?

Doctor: “I don’t know… Doesn’t matter. Humans are dust, and after death, we’re dust again. Buried anywhere, it’s all the same… Might as well drink more wine.”

“But… the memory bubble will guide you through your own experiences and objects. It won’t randomly take you to irrelevant places. If fate permits, you’ll find me eventually. In fact… if you delve deep enough, you might even witness your own life and death.”

Jian Xingyi froze. This memory bubble was different from the ones he knew in games.

The memory bubbles in games lacked this recognition and customization feature, offering only cookie-cutter dungeons and bosses.

Doctor: “As for now, it’s time for you to go.”

Jian Xingyi glanced at his hands, which were beginning to turn transparent, bid farewell to the Doctor, and entered the memory bubble.

After a wave of dizziness, he found himself floating in a void, surrounded by a dense cluster of memory bubbles.

Jian Xingyi froze. Was this asking him to… choose?

Two of them glowed faintly. One was a gravestone, where he could vaguely make out the characters for “Doctor.” The other was… himself.

But this version wore different clothes. Though the facial features were identical, the expression and aura were entirely different.

—If you delve deep enough, you can witness your own life and death.

Jian Xingyi suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over him. The Doctor had also said the memory bubbles wouldn’t randomly take him to irrelevant places.

But… what connection did those tombstones have to him?

The scene shifted. The “Jian Xingyi” bubble transformed into a tombstone, while the Doctor’s bubble flashed images of the Lone Wolf and Chacha.

Without hesitation, Jian Xingyi charged toward the Doctor’s bubble.

—As long as you’re deeply immersed…

But he refused to go deeper. He only wanted to live well.

“Thud!”

Jian Xingyi landed hard in a patch of grass. Fumbling to his feet, he realized he’d returned to… Peace Mountain?

The surrounding trees looked familiar. He even activated his skill to scan the nearby vegetation.

Jian Xingyi felt a strange sense of relief.

He immediately opened his terminal chat window.

Lone Wolf: [Where are you? Are you okay?]

Lone Wolf: [Are you dead??]

Lone Wolf: [……]

Heaven and earth, he was finally back.

Xinghe: [I’m not dead, but I don’t know where I am]

Lone Wolf: [!]

Lone Wolf: [Are you hurt? Send your location]

Xinghe: [No injuries, /location/]

Lone Wolf: [? You’re already very close to our guild. Just head back to the guild and meet up at your place.]

Really…?

Jian Xingyi rose to survey the surrounding paths and tombstones. He remembered seeing the Doctor’s grave marker in the bubble—why wasn’t it here?

He circled the area several times, finally sensing something hard beneath his feet.

Jian Xingyi’s blood ran cold instantly, fearing he’d triggered another alarm.

Fortunately, nothing stirred.

Jian Xingyi cautiously peered down. It was a flat… stone slab?

…!

Jian Xingyi quickly stepped back to examine it closely.

Words were carved into the stone.

Tombstone No. 04: The Doctor

Epitaph: Humans are but dust

—Was it right or wrong to spend a lifetime exploring humanity and the world? Was it truly meaningful?

True to the epitaph’s sentiment, this tombstone was remarkably unassuming—half-buried in earth, the rest obscured by weeds, resembling nothing more than an insignificant rock by the roadside. Most people would never notice it unless they deliberately sought out this awkward spot.

Jian Xingyi took out the liquor from her backpack and poured it over the stone.

【Player successfully paid respects at Grave Marker 04! Reward: [Dawn coin] x6666】

【Peace Mountain Map Side Quest [Peace Grave Marker] Progress 3/5】

Just then, a tiny daisy sprouted from the stone monument, drenched in wine.

Jian Xingyi froze.

He scanned it with his skill.

[Collection Successful, Absorbed [Essence] x10]

…!

Jian Xingyi leaped to his feet.

10 points of essence meant he now had… 104 points of essence!

His two plots of land were secured!

Two plots—enough to upgrade both…!

Jian Xingyi grinned foolishly with joy, bowing again before the tombstone. “Thank you, Doctor! Thank you, both Builders! Thank you, Commander!”

He couldn’t wait to rush home, upgrade his fields, plant crops, and figure out how to list them in the marketplace.

Today’s harvest was so bountiful that he could upgrade two fields at once, so he changed his plans. The mission at the peaceful tomb would have to wait. Time was short now—he couldn’t delay any longer. He needed to harvest quickly, then synthesize food to list in the marketplace.

On the way back, Jian Xingyi kept calculating.

Now he had three fields: one planted with chili peppers. The remaining two could be divided—one for carrots, the other for white radishes. That way, he could make a mixed pickled radish jar and a special edition chili-radish jar.

Would they sell, though…

The big shots probably… need food too, right? And even if they weren’t big shots, they should have some cash to buy food? After all, dawn coins could still be farmed with effort, but food wasn’t guaranteed even with hard work.

His radishes could serve as filling carbs or side dishes, while the chili peppers would go great with rice. With everyone so short on food now, this should work.

If it works, he could earn money to help cover the guild’s 200,000!

If it doesn’t work… and the 200,000 can’t be raised, then he won’t need a Memory Bubble. He can see his own death and tombstone directly.

Half an hour later, the three gathered at Jian Xingyi’s home.

Lone Wolf was right. Jian Xingyi also realized the Doctor’s gravestone was at the foot of the mountain.

“You’re okay…! Thank goodness!” Chacha kept patting her chest upon seeing Jian Xingyi unharmed. ” Thank goodness… You scared us to death! Lone Wolf said you vanished after falling into the lake! He kept going back and forth searching, but couldn’t find you… The lake bottom was empty too. We thought…”

Jian Xingyi noticed Lone Wolf sitting on a bench in the courtyard, soaking wet and disheveled, water dripping from his hair.

Jian Xingyi hurried inside to fetch him a towel. “Thank you for going down to look for me…”

But could the tombstone be randomly spawned? How could Lone Wolf not have seen it when he went into the lake?

The teenager’s ears flushed crimson upon hearing this. He lifted his head sharply and snapped, “Who said I went looking for you on purpose! I went because I was worried about losing guild points if a member died!”

Jian Xingyi chuckled softly. “Right, right, right. Go ahead and dry off.”

Lone Wolf and Chacha had intended to ask Jian Xingyi what had happened, but before they could speak, they watched him skip off joyfully toward his fields.

Then, they watched in astonishment as both plots instantly upgraded.

With a splash, the two barely usable wastelands transformed into proper farmland, making one want to sow seeds immediately. Well-maintained empty fields always sparked high hopes for a harvest, especially when everyone was running low on food.

Chacha: “…?!

Lone Wolf: ”…?!

Seriously, what the heck just happened to Jian Xingyi?!

After the upgrade, Jian Xingyi planted carrots and daikon radishes in each field. Turning to face the stunned stares of the two, he scratched his head and said, “Um… The story’s a bit complicated. How about I make some chicken soup for dinner, and I’ll explain it properly then? I unexpectedly got a chicken.

Chacha: “A…”

Lone Wolf: “Chicken?!”

Both of them jumped up from their stools, sending the stools flying.

For days, they’d only been able to fill their stomachs with dry rations made from scraps of wheat provided by the guild and wild berries. Hearing about a chicken was a huge shock.

Their stomachs began to rumble. They sensed Jian Xingyi wasn’t quite ready, but their mouths were already watering.

In an instant, Lone Wolf and Chacha froze, like two children carefully repositioning their stools. They sat back down, eyes fixed on the food, afraid the chicken might fly away.

Jian Xingyi happily transferred the chicken from his backpack to the synthesizer.

He was also looking forward to this dinner.

While the terminal was open, he noticed an unread email in his inbox.

Hm…?

The email was sent half an hour ago. Jian Xingyi clicked to view it.

[Congratulations! Player [Xinghe] has progressed past the halfway point in the Peace Mountain map side quest [Peaceful Tomb]. Unlocked achievement [Worshipper]. Would you like to claim your reward?]

…!

This was truly an unexpected delight!

He’d assumed rewards only came after completing the quest, never expecting one for reaching halfway?

Jian Xingyi clicked to claim.

[Player [Xinghe] unlocked achievement [Worshipper], receiving Dawn Coins x6666, Business Exchange Vouchers x2, Combat Exchange Vouchers x2]

Simultaneously, this achievement… broadcasted across the public chat.

This time, Lone Wolf and Chacha’s chairs flew even farther.