"They... where are they?" At Snow Mountain Peak, Hua Xi, wrapped in a thick, tattered cotton coat, held back her tears until her eyes were red as she asked hoarsely.
Lin Tuo knew she meant the humans and animals.
"Just as you heard, they've already gone to the Transit Hub and settled down for now. Before long, they'll move to the New Continent. It'll... well, at least it'll be far better than this Wasteland."
Sitting beside her, Lin Tuo comforted and explained.
Hua Xi did not know whether she understood. She simply stared blankly at him, only speaking after a moment. "Th-this... has something to do with you, doesn't it?"
"Yes." Lin Tuo did not deny it, but before Hua Xi could continue questioning him, he said, "Let's not talk about that yet."
It was too complicated to explain, and he had not figured out how to put it yet.
Seeing the young girl nod, Lin Tuo continued, "Then stop crying. I'll take you to meet up with the others."
Yet upon hearing that, Hua Xi suddenly fell silent. She abruptly reached out with her right hand and grabbed the corner of his clothes, her expression complicated.
"Are you going?"
"What?"
"I mean... the Transit Hub. Are you going there too?"
Lin Tuo was silent for a moment. In the end, he chose not to lie. "Maybe I'll go there again, maybe I won't. I told you, I come from far away, from another place, so..."
"Then wherever you go, I'll go."
Hua Xi suddenly said with great seriousness, her hand clutching his clothes tightening further.
Lin Tuo froze. He did not understand at once. Only several seconds later did he realize what Hua Xi truly meant.
"You want to come with me?"
What she meant was not going to the Transit Hub, nor to the New Continent that had yet to take shape, but going with Lin Tuo—going to the world beyond the Sandbox.
Though Hua Xi had no concept of such a thing in her mind, after spending these past days together, she had instinctively developed a dependence on Lin Tuo.
As a lone wanderer of the Wasteland, she had no parents, no relatives, and no friends. In the days before, she had always kept herself taut as a bowstring, struggling to survive. It was only after Lin Tuo had tied her up and made her his guide these past few days that she had felt "safe" for the first time.
She did not need to worry about savage beasts, did not need to think about the journey, did not need to endure hunger. When she was sleepy, she slept; when she was hungry, she ate... These were things she had never had in her past life.
Thus, without even realizing it herself, she had developed a powerful sense of dependence on this stranger who had suddenly appeared at her side.
Now that even the world she had lived in for more than ten years was about to be destroyed, she was all the more filled with fear for what lay ahead.
If she was going to a new world either way, then being able to continue following Lin Tuo would always be better.
"Mm... I may not be very capable, but I do have some strength, and I'm quick at work..."
Hua Xi nodded and spoke in a low voice, lacking confidence.
She knew that this request was somewhat presumptuous. And if, in the Wasteland, she could still rely on her experience and knowledge to offer some value, then after leaving this place, what would she have left to pay with?
Obedience? Some manual labor?
It felt like she had no advantages at all...
Therefore, after voicing what was in her heart with trepidation, she had already prepared herself to be rejected.
However, Lin Tuo beside her fell into thought.
His first reaction was naturally to refuse, send her to the Transit Hub, then wait a few days until the New Continent had been established before moving everyone over together.
But as he looked at her tightly bitten lip, he hesitated briefly, then began considering whether it was feasible to take her out.
From a technical standpoint, there was no problem. He had tested it long ago. Hundreds of millions of years ago, he had even taken an "Elephant" out of the Sandbox.
The issue lay elsewhere.
For example, he would have to arrange somewhere for her to live. Having another person suddenly move into his home... Well, the Martial Arts Hall had plenty of rooms. Let alone one Hua Xi, it could fit a whole crowd.
For example, she had no identity records... Mm, Lishan Martial Arts School was already extremely remote. He normally did not encounter anyone at all.
These days, so long as one did not enter places requiring identity verification, having no identity... seemed not to hinder much. It would merely mean feeding one more mouth.
As for the Evolution Sandbox... that thing had long since bound itself to him. No one else could see it, much less touch it. Therefore, having one more person would not affect that either.
On the contrary, there seemed to be quite a few benefits.
For example, he lived alone, and in his Daily Life, many things lacked someone to lend a hand. They could also chat and relieve boredom.
They could team up when playing games, and he would have company when eating hotpot... Because of the Sandbox, he could not live with his friends in reality. But Hua Xi... as long as he made things clear, he would not need to worry about that.
Also, if something went wrong with the Sandbox again in the future, having an assistant meant he would not have to personally handle everything every time. Things like catching prisoners or interrogating them for information could be entirely handed to Hua Xi.
He could even establish an Observation Post once the Sandbox civilization reached a certain stage, to avoid another incident like the Wasteland in the future.
So he could keep track of the situation in time and supplement the "Operation Log"?
If he had an assistant...
And then... the Martial Arts Hall.
Although he had already begun working on fostering a martial arts culture in society, for a long, foreseeable period, he could not openly accept disciples.
At the very least, until he himself had become powerful enough to fear no force on Earth, he could not open the Martial Arts Hall. Otherwise, leaving aside anything else, just having too many people and too many watchful eyes would be troublesome.
Even if conditions allowed it in the future, suitable students might not be easy to find.
Then... could he use Hua Xi to get some practice first?
Just the two of them, secretly opening the Martial Arts Hall first?
The more Lin Tuo thought about it, the more suitable it seemed, and the brighter his eyes became.
"At the very least, I can try it temporarily. If it doesn't work out, I can send Hua Xi back into the Sandbox."
"Mm... but I still need to think about how to explain the relationship between the two worlds to her, as well as the role I play between them..."
Lin Tuo became more and more absorbed in thought. He said nothing for quite a while, until Hua Xi truly could not hold it in any longer and finally gathered her courage.
"If it's really too difficult... then just pretend I never said anything..."
"Fine."
"Huh?"
"I mean, taking you to the place where I live... is fine." Lin Tuo hesitated over his wording, then saw the young girl's eyes abruptly brighten.
A smile bloomed across that face that had been puckered up like a bitter bun.
He hurriedly added:
"However, there are conditions."
"I agree!" Hua Xi jumped up and said.
Lin Tuo choked, his expression somewhat helpless. "At this rate, someone could sell you off and you wouldn't even know it."
"Hehe, I'm not worth much." Hua Xi looked proud.
Rubbing his forehead, Lin Tuo sighed.
"Anyway, hold on tight to me in a moment. I'll take you out of here. Then, no matter what you see or what questions arise in your heart, don't ask for now. I'll first... show you around."
"Mm! I'll behave!"
As she spoke, Hua Xi threw away the guns and ammunition on her body at Lin Tuo's request, then clung to him.
"Are you ready?"
"Mm! Pilot Number One Hua Xi is ready for takeoff!"
Lin Tuo chuckled, cast one final glance at the world ahead that had become a vast ocean, and closed his eyes.
"Consciousness Switch!"
Inside the study of Lishan Martial Arts School, Lin Tuo carefully held Hua Xi and the Avatar in his palm, then operated the Virtual Panel and switched to "Observation Mode."
Light and shadow shifted, and Yang City had already taken shape atop the Sandbox.
At this moment, dawn had only just broken. In the east, the rising sun showed a sliver of its curve.
With a thought, Lin Tuo used the Evolution Sandbox's power to try merging the Avatar, along with Hua Xi and the objects touching it, into his palm, thereby making them transparent and preventing them from being seen.
Only then did he carefully place the two of them into the courtyard of Lishan Martial Arts School—the spacious Training Ground.
"Wait here for me a moment." On the Training Ground, Lin Tuo spoke to Hua Xi beside him, then directly pushed open the door and entered the study.
Not long afterward, Lin Tuo, who had absorbed the Avatar into his body, pushed open the door and emerged in a fresh summer outfit, coming to Hua Xi's side.
"This is where I live." Lin Tuo said with a smile.
Then, as though suddenly sensing something, he and Hua Xi, who was dressed in thick cotton clothing and wrapped like a rice dumpling, turned to look east.
The sun suddenly leaped above the horizon, and boundless, brilliant, warm rays illuminated the entire world.
Hua Xi stood there blankly, her hands and feet at a loss. After a moment of silence, she blurted out in praise:
"What a beautiful sun."
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