Welcome to My World

"They... what about them?" At Snow Mountain Peak, Hua Xi, wrapped in a thick, tattered cotton coat, forced back her tears, her eyes red as she asked in a hoarse voice.

Lin Tuo knew she meant those humans and animals.

"As you heard, they've already gone to the Transit Hub and settled in temporarily. Before long, they'll be relocated to the New Continent. It'll be... well, at least much better than this Wasteland."

Lin Tuo sat beside her, comforting and explaining.

Hua Xi didn't seem to fully understand. She just stared blankly at him for a moment before saying, "This... all this has to do with you, right?"

"Yeah," Lin Tuo didn't deny it, but before Hua Xi could ask further, he said, "Let's not talk about that for now."

Explaining this was too complicated; he hadn't figured out how to say it yet.

Seeing the girl nod, Lin Tuo continued, "Then stop crying. I'll take you to meet up with the others now."

But at these words, Hua Xi suddenly fell silent. She reached out her right hand and grabbed the corner of his clothes, her expression complex:

"Are you going?"

"What?"

"I mean... the Transit Hub. Are you going there too?"

Lin Tuo paused for a moment, ultimately choosing not to lie. He explained, "Maybe I'll go again, maybe not. I told you, I come from far away, from another place, so..."

"So wherever you go, I go."

Hua Xi said this very seriously, gripping the fabric of his clothes even tighter.

Lin Tuo was stunned, not immediately reacting. A few seconds later, he realized what Hua Xi truly meant.

"You want to come with me?"

The meaning of these words wasn't about going to the Transit Hub or the yet-unformed New Continent, but about leaving with Lin Tuo—that is, going to the world outside the Sandbox.

Though Hua Xi had no real concept of this in her mind, after these days together, she had instinctively grown dependent on Lin Tuo.

As a lone wanderer of the Wasteland, she had no parents, no family, no friends. In the past, she was always tense, struggling to survive, until these past few days, when Lin Tuo had forced her to be his guide, and she felt "safe" for the first time.

No need to worry about beasts, no need to plan the journey, no need to endure hunger and cold. Sleep when tired, eat when hungry... these were things she had never experienced in her life.

Thus, on a level she herself hadn't realized, she had formed a strong sense of dependence on this sudden stranger beside her.

Now, with the world she had lived in for over a decade on the verge of destruction, her fear of the future only grew.

If she had to go to a new world either way, then staying by Lin Tuo's side would always be the better option.

"Mm... I don't have much skill, but I've got some strength, and I work fast..."

Hua Xi nodded, her voice low, lacking confidence.

She knew this request was a bit presumptuous. And if, in the Wasteland, she could rely on her experience and knowledge to be of some value, then once she left here, what did she have left to offer?

Obedience? Some manual labor?

It felt like she had no advantages at all...

So, after nervously voicing her thoughts, she had already prepared herself for rejection.

But Lin Tuo beside her fell into thought.

His first reaction was naturally to refuse, send her to the Transit Hub, wait a few days for the New Continent to be structured, and then move her there.

But seeing her biting her lip, he hesitated briefly, then considered the feasibility of taking her out.

Technically, it was no problem. He had tested it long ago, hundreds of millions of years back, when he had taken an "Elephant" out of the Sandbox.

The issue lay elsewhere.

For instance, he'd have to arrange a place for her to stay. Having someone suddenly move into the house... well, the Lishan Martial Arts School had plenty of rooms. Not just one Hua Xi, even a crowd could fit.

Or the lack of identity documents... well, the Lishan Martial Arts School was extremely remote; he rarely ran into anyone anyway.

These days, as long as he didn't enter places that required identity verification, having no identity didn't seem to matter much. It was just feeding one more mouth.

As for the Evolution Sandbox... that thing had long been bound to his very being. No one else could see it, let alone touch it, so having another person around wouldn't affect that.

On the contrary, there were quite a few benefits.

For example, living alone, there were many daily tasks where an extra hand would help, and someone to chat with to pass the time.

He could have a teammate for gaming, a companion for hotpot... Because of the Sandbox, he couldn't live with real-world friends, but Hua Xi... as long as he explained things clearly, there would be no such concerns.

Also, if the Sandbox had problems in the future, having an assistant meant he wouldn't have to handle everything himself. Things like capturing a prisoner or interrogating for information could be left to Hua Xi.

Even more, to prevent another Wasteland incident, once the Sandbox civilization reached a certain stage, could he set up an Observation Post?

To keep tabs on the situation in time and supplement the "Operation Log"?

With an assistant...

And then... the martial arts school.

Though he had already begun fostering a culture of martial practice in society, for the foreseeable future, he couldn't openly take disciples.

At least, until he himself was strong enough to defy any force on Earth, he couldn't open the school. Otherwise, aside from anything else, the sheer number of prying eyes would be a headache.

Even if conditions allowed in the future, finding suitable students wouldn't be easy.

So... could he start by practicing on Hua Xi?

Just the two of them, quietly opening the martial arts school first?

The more Lin Tuo thought about it, the more suitable it seemed, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"At least I can give it a try for now. If it doesn't work, I'll send Hua Xi back to the sandbox."

"Mm... but I still need to think about how to explain the relationship between the two worlds to her, and the role I play in between..."

Lin Tuo's thoughts drifted deeper and deeper, and for a long while, he said nothing, until Hua Xi couldn't hold it in any longer and finally mustered the courage to speak:

"If it's really too much trouble... then just pretend I never said anything."

"It's fine."

"Huh?"

"I said, taking you to the place where I live... it's fine." Lin Tuo hesitated over his wording, and then he saw the little girl's eyes suddenly light up.

A smile bloomed on her face, which had been scrunched up like a steamed bun.

He quickly added:

"But there are conditions."

"I agree!" Hua Xi jumped up and said.

Lin Tuo choked for a moment, his expression helpless: "If you're like this, someone could sell you and you wouldn't even know."

"Hehe, I'm not worth much." Hua Xi said with a face full of pride.

Lin Tuo rubbed his forehead and sighed:

"Anyway, hold onto me tight in a moment. I'll take you away from here, and no matter what you see or what questions you have in your mind, don't ask for now. I'll... show you around first."

"Mm! I'll be good!"

With that, Hua Xi, at Lin Tuo's request, threw away the guns and ammunition on her, then clung to him.

"Ready?"

"Mm! Pilot Hua Xi reporting for takeoff!"

Lin Tuo chuckled lightly, took one last look at the world that had turned into an ocean before him, and closed his eyes.

"Consciousness switch!"

In the study of Lishan Martial Arts School, Lin Tuo carefully held Hua Xi and the Avatar in his palm, then manipulated the Virtual Panel to switch to "Observation Mode."

Light and shadow shifted, and atop the sandbox, Yang City had already materialized.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and in the east, the rising sun peeked over the horizon with a curve.

With a thought, Lin Tuo used the ability of the Evolution Sandbox to try to merge the Avatar, along with Hua Xi and the objects it was touching, into his palm, achieving a transparent state to avoid being seen by others.

Only then did he carefully place the two into the courtyard of Lishan Martial Arts School—that is, the spacious Training Ground.

"Wait here for me." On the Training Ground, Lin Tuo said to Hua Xi beside him, then turned and pushed open the door, entering the study.

After a moment, Lin Tuo, having absorbed the Avatar into his body, walked out the door in a fresh summer outfit and came to Hua Xi's side.

"This is where I live." Lin Tuo said with a smile.

Then, suddenly sensing something, he and Hua Xi, who was wrapped in thick cotton clothes like a zongzi, turned to look east.

The sun suddenly leaped above the horizon, and infinite, brilliant, warm light illuminated the entire world.

Hua Xi stood dumbfounded, her hands and feet at a loss, silent for a moment before blurting out in admiration:

"What a beautiful sun."