[Remaining Sentence: 0 hours.]

"Behave yourself."

With a casual farewell, the on-duty guard shut the prison door as if sending off a plague.

Looking at the three silver coins and a piece of paper in her palm, Grandpa Ao sighed softly, appearing as innocent as a newcomer.

The seven and a half days' sentence was ultimately halved.

Released early, she not only gained 10 Contribution Points but also received three silver coins as wages, along with a handwritten thank-you card from the Home of the Refugees—

[Thank you for helping us, the homeless. :)

—Pirusen]

Most of the tents ordered by the Home of the Refugees were sent to Bugra City, where the civil war had just ended.

These cards were probably made by the school's children when they were learning to read and write.

Although the paper was written in the United Human language, she had learned a bit in the detention center lately, and could guess some simple everyday phrases.

Feeling the heaviness in her hand, Grandpa Ao suddenly let out a silly laugh.

This crappy Game is kind of interesting.

"Hehehehe... Now you understand the value of a resident in the Shelter? Even though I'm just working on a sewing machine, my power can't be compared with any ordinary prisoner!"

Her face wore a joyful smile, but shortly after, it twisted into a fierce expression due to the "noise" drifting from the side.

"...Though you wasted some time, it's not a bad experience for a kid like you, better than suffering out in society."

Putting the three silver coins and card into his pocket, Professor Yang had already put back on his VM.

His lecturing expression made him look like an elder picking someone up from the detention center.

"...You old jerk, haven't you suffered enough?"

Grandpa Ao furiously stepped forward, and his fierce appearance immediately made Professor Yang tense.

Though he didn't want to act foolishly with this guy, expecting him to bow to a mere kid was absolutely impossible!

The two LV0 rookies faced off with the posture of an LV99 showdown, even the ants on the roadside couldn't help but curl their toes.

A great battle was about to erupt!

Just as they were about to re-enter the detention center, [Pig Remembered Backwards] finally arrived on his bike, shooting between the two of them.

"Calm down, there are plenty of opportunities to duel if you want, why do it in the safe zone? And don't you want to develop first, you don't want to respawn naked at the starting point, right?"

This speech had a slight effect.

Finally remembering he had something real to do, Professor Yang pouted and unclenched his fist.

Grandpa Ao gritted his teeth threateningly, then turned his head aside fiercely.

Kicking the bike stand, Brother Pig looked at the two who had calmed down quickly and felt a sense of achievement as he nodded with satisfaction.

Not bad, not bad.

His hard work was not in vain, although these two treasures were still very energetic, they were indeed more normal than before.

He had a feeling akin to watching pigs he raised grow up.

"By the way, have you guys not taken the Pass the Torch quest yet? Want to consider me?"

"You?" Professor Yang glanced at him, chuckled, and said, "Don't get too cocky, youngster, when I was a reserved player, you were still dreaming with 300 million mouse clicks."

Grandpa Ao reacted similarly, dismissively curling his lips.

"Tch, no interest, what's in it for me doing that quest?"

Brother Pig wasn't offended, only amused, and he laughed as he looked at the two treasures.

"Yes, yes, you two are amazing... To tell you the truth, I only reserved half a year ago, I can't match your understanding of the game, I might have to frequently ask for your guidance in the future."

Grandpa Ao: "Ke——"

Thunder Law King Professor Yang: "!? ?"

Seeing their shocked expressions, he lightly cleared his throat and continued.

"I might not be able to offer you much, at most I can show you around. By the way, I'm planning to head to the Wandering Swamp next, it seems there are quite a few quests there, and I might pass through the Free State and the Grand Canyon along the way... Want to join?"

Professor Yang looked at him in amazement.

"Can you go to level 20 maps at level 0?"

Brother Pig laughed and said.

"Of course, this game isn't that rigid, the recommended level only affects the insurance payout ratio, and you don't have gear worth insuring, do you? Staying in safe places can't level you up fast either."

"Ohhhh, cross-level monster hunting, huh? Sounds kind of interesting," Grandpa Ao finally showed an interested expression, "Alright, newbie, let this old grandpa have a look!"

"No problem! Leave it to me!" Brother Pig smiled and looked at Professor Yang, "How about you? Want to join?"

"North, huh... You have a good eye, it's indeed a place full of opportunities," Professor Yang touched his nose with his index finger and gazed toward the sky, "Alright, it's the same route anyway... Newbie, accept that Pass the Torch quest."

Brother Pig smiled and made an OK gesture.

"Got it!"

...

Beta Universe, Summer of 2026, Earth.

It's been half a year since "Shelter 404-Beta" completed its historical mission.

During this half year, not only did the "Game world" of Wasteland OL step into the gates of a new epoch, but the "Real World" also saw the budding of a new era.

The landmark event among these was undoubtedly the ignition of the "Pangu" controlled fusion reactor.

Although first-generation nuclear fusion technology using deuterium-tritium fuel is a relic fit for a museum in the Wasteland, for the Beta Universe, still in the "Classical Epoch," this outdated technology could still be described as fashionable.

Under the influence of the "Pangu" reactor, changes in the entire East Asia region and even Southeast Asia and South Asia could be described as earth-shaking!

And, backed by energy comparable to a star, Huaxia, which was the first to achieve controlled fusion ignition, had a stunning chemical reaction in a series of forward-looking arrangements in fields like new energy and information, directly creating several trillion-scale markets out of thin air!

In the face of strong economic growth, all debts incurred during development were resolved.

Not only that.

The power grid extending outwards from Daya Bay not only radiated the industrial belt of the two rivers basin but also permeated westward to the Bay of Bengal and southward to the Solomon Sea through submarine cables.

Transmitted along with the power grid were not just endless and cheap electric energy, but also the supporting infrastructure and low-end manufacturing factories with high energy consumption and dense labor demands.

These were jobs that most of the residents of Hua Nation were increasingly unwilling to undertake.

In the past five years, the wealth created by technological innovation has been channeled into the national development fund, and the workers who lost their jobs due to technological replacement only lost their labor, not the "right to survive" that was once closely tied to work in the old era.

With five years of continuous development, the social development dividends distributed by the national development fund have gradually surpassed the income from screwing bolts.

Without worrying about survival, marriage, medical care, and retirement, most of the uneducated people tend to use subsidies to study or learn a skill, while educated people tend to engage in more creative work.

Whether it be an idea about ascending the skies or diving into the sea, or creativity concerning short videos.

Though no job is inherently superior or inferior, it must be admitted that some jobs are indeed more equal and dignified than others.

No one is born to move express deliveries or bricks, nor is it possible to do it for a lifetime, especially since the back can't handle it.

If given a choice, almost everyone would choose a more relaxed life and wouldn't mind spending more time on enjoying social welfare, as well as leaving those troublesome manual labor jobs to workers from developing economies.

Although a downside is the increase in a bunch of freeloaders, leading to more and more bad jokes online, the silver lining is that everyone has become happier, and there is more time to spend with their families.

Things that aren't good enough will gradually get better.

In reality, those who are happy are also kinder and more tolerant towards others.

And as society as a whole improves, a consumer market far larger than any previous epoch is also steadily rising.

Perhaps it won't take long for this rising brilliance to benefit the entire blue planet and illuminate the other barren lands in the Solar System...

And when even those regions contributing low-end labor and jobs that wear down the body and spirit are all replaced by new things over time, the Prosperity Epoch belonging to this planet will have truly arrived.

...

On a picturesque resort island in the Southern Ocean, a golden beach buzzes with activity.

Besides those well-known emerging economies, even this little-known island has recently integrated into Hua Nation's controlled nuclear fusion power grid through submarine cables.

Thanks to this, RMB's influence locally has surpassed USD and is warmly welcomed like the generous Chinese tourists.

Although this has brought some inconvenience to the work of "Shelter 404-Beta," it has, on the other hand, saved a lot of trouble for the former.

First, flights to and from the island have increased, allowing the shadow agents of Shelter 404-Beta to travel on business more efficiently, and secondly, the electricity problem has been solved.

This is especially true for the latter.

Originally, they had to secretly repair ocean current generators on the seabed, but now they only need to put up a pretense of building a few data centers or declare they're mining digital currency.

Paying for electricity is much more convenient than operating a power plant themselves; although Shelter 404-Beta may face an issue of insufficient high-end capacity, it never lacks money.

For the reborn who have previewed the script, and even "write the future script themselves," managing to get some "extraneous stuff" reasonably and legally is just too easy.

Even before Shelter 404-Beta went into operation, the "Professor" had already resolved the basic issue of operational funding.

As for future issues…

That's a matter for the kids themselves.

"It's almost time for me to leave."

At an inconspicuous fisherman's dock, the professor, with a suitcase in hand, bid farewell to colleagues he had worked with one by one, then paused in front of Doctor Principle.

Seeing the face filled with reluctance, his face softened with a smile, patting his proud student on the shoulder.

"You're an unexpected surprise in my plan... To be honest, I thought you might come to find me at the post-war reconstruction committee, so I specially instructed 'Conclusion' not to reveal my whereabouts, but I didn't expect you to find out and chase me here."

"It's an honor to be an unexpected surprise in your plan," Principle nodded slightly, then raised his head, looking at him sincerely and said, "If you don't mind, please let me continue to follow in your footsteps. I am willing to go with you to the ends of the Milky Way!"

That wasn't just his thought.

It was also the thought of many present.

Not everyone has established their own family locally and started a new life with a sense of accomplishment; some people still live in that already past epoch to this day.

After all, they themselves are people of that era.

Although some were ready to return the way they came, others felt that even if they returned, they wouldn't find their place in the new epoch.

They have dedicated their entire lives to the 404 project.

Understanding their thoughts, the professor remained silent for a while, then looked at those eyes and said.

"You don't have to follow me… Nor do you have to return to the Alpha Universe. If you truly miss the past, just continue forward on this timeline, you will surely return to that prosperity epoch, and perhaps even help the people here overcome the problems we encountered during the prosperity epoch."

Doctor Principle lowered his brows, speaking in a hoarse voice.

"Perhaps… According to our model's evolution, it's only a matter of time before the people of this world enter the prosperity epoch. However, on this timeline without you, no matter how far we go, we will never meet our 'Professor' again."

He didn't know what others thought.

But at least for him, what he missed was never the prosperity epoch itself, but his mentor—the one who stood at the pinnacle of human intellect and took him to the prosperity epoch.

It was for this reason that he chased from Spring City in the Alpha Universe all the way here.

Seeing the reluctance written on his student's face, the professor cheerfully laughed, patting his shoulder forcefully.

"Isn't that great? There used to be only one of me, but now all of you are me."

"My mission is over, and it's time to leave some room for myself… This is also for your own good."

Having said this, he withdrew his hand from Doctor Principle's shoulder, picked up the suitcase placed on the dock, and boarded the submersible that surfaced.

The spacecraft components deployed at the center of the Pacific Ocean have entered the final stage of launch preparation, ready at any moment to break free from the shackles of gravity and head towards the outer space orbit.

Since last winter, when the "Pangu" fusion reactor first ignited, he had been preparing for this.

Now it's finally complete.

It's time to bring some shock from a "high civilization" to the "real world"!

Watching the closing cabin door, the professor cheerfully shouted to the reluctantly leaving Doctor Principle.

"This is as far as I need to be seen off!"

"Oh, by the way, the manager of Shelter 404—also another 'me,' he wants to have a chat with you."

"As for the saying 'a timeline without me,' it's not entirely accurate. I've always been here, whether it's me or my continuation, and I've never truly left—whether it's the alpha universe or the beta universe!"

"From the very moment our plan started, the fate of the two universes has been entwined!"