The sky over Douqi Continent had been stained gray-green by acid rain. Xiao Feng knowingly gazed at the Mechanical City-State before him as Queen Medusa's new form—a mechanical serpent's tail gleaming with cold light, her pupils glowing with red holograms—descended from the top of the city. She dropped to one knee, holding out a gear-set ring. "Xiao Feng, in this wasteland, I swear on my mechanical core that I'll share my energy matrix with you."
"Wait!" Xiao Feng raised both hands. "Medusa, what are you..."
Xun'er's voice came from the Mutant Botanical Garden. Glowing vines were entwined in her hair. "Big Brother Xiao, this is a wasteland-style proposal~ We talked it over. Whoever wins your heart first gets to be your principal wife!"
Yun Yun ran over from the Survivor Base, a badge bearing the character "Xiao" printed on her bulletproof vest. "Young Master Xiao, the survivors need a leader's wife. I've already drafted the marriage alliance announcement!"
Gu Ling's Hacker Mecha emerged from the ruins, an LED sign held up in her hand. "Big Brother Xiao, pick me! I can hack into the Creation God's repair program!"
Xiao Feng stared at the "proposal army" before him with a throbbing headache. He turned to Xiao Yan for help, only to see his younger brother squatting in the ruins and kicking a can. He was dressed like a ragged scavenger, a blade of grass dangling from the corner of his mouth. "Don't look at me, Third Brother. You're the 'Son of Destiny' in this wasteland now. Their settings make it so you're the only one for them."
Ding! The "Wasteland Proposal Battle" storyline has been triggered. The host must choose one of the four heroines to complete the main quest!
Medusa: Energy Resonance in the Mechanical City-State (Reward: "Doomsday Chariot" blueprint)
Xun'er: Symbiotic Pact in the Mutant Botanical Garden (Reward: "Seed of Life")
Yun Yun: Will of the People at the Survivor Base (Reward: "Wasteland Codex")
Gu Ling: System Invasion of the Hacker Empire (Reward: "Creation God Backdoor")
Xiao Yan suddenly pointed at the acid rain clouds in the distance. "Third Brother, the repair program's 'Purification Beam' is coming again!"
Xiao Feng looked up and saw a crack split open in the sky. A silver beam slashed down like the Grim Reaper's scythe. Everything in its path was reduced to ashes: the mutant plants withered, and black smoke poured from the Mechanical City-State. Medusa immediately raised an energy shield, but the beam's impact forced her down onto one knee.
"Try the Emperor Flame!" Xiao Feng channeled the Heavenly Flames, only to find that the wasteland's rules suppressed his Dou Qi. "Damn it! The laws of energy here have been rewritten!"
Gu Ling's voice came from inside the mecha. "Big Brother Xiao, take my hand! I'll get you into the repair program's root code!"
Xiao Feng had barely grasped her mechanical hand when countless streams of data flashed before his eyes. He saw the Creation God's primary personality's repair interface: all of Douqi Continent had been labeled a "problem area" and was being forcibly formatted.
"No!" Xiao Feng roared. "This is our home!"
Xun'er's vines suddenly wrapped around his waist and pulled him into the Mutant Botanical Garden. "Big Brother Xiao, use the Seed of Life to restore your energy first!" Green light enveloped his body, and Xiao Feng felt the Emperor Flame burning inside him once more.
Yun Yun led the survivors over, holding aloft the Xiao Clan crest, pieced together from scrap metal. "My people! Charge, for Young Master Xiao!"
Medusa took the opportunity to activate the Mechanical City-State's self-destruct sequence. "Use the core explosion to buy time! Xiao Feng, get them out of here!"
"Wait!" Xiao Yan suddenly held up a power supply he'd scavenged from a laptop. "This might be able to reboot the Creation God's computer! Third Brother, catch!"
Xiao Feng instinctively caught the power supply. The Emperor Flame resonated with it, forming a pillar of light that reached into the sky. The system prompt boomed with the crackle of static:
Ding! Creation God power supply connected. "Reality Reboot" option triggered!
Option 1: Reboot Douqi Continent, retain the wasteland template (the heroines' memories will be erased)
Option 2: Refuse to reboot and fight back with the power of free stories (may cause the universe to collapse)
Option 3: ... (Hidden option. Requires the heroines' sincere feelings to activate.)
Medusa removed her mechanical helmet, revealing her sweat-damp forehead. "Xiao Feng, whatever you choose, I'm with you."
Xun'er's vines wound around his wrist. "Big Brother Xiao, my Symbiotic Pact will always be in effect for you."
Yun Yun clasped his hand. "The White Cloud Sect's sword will always be wielded for you."
Gu Ling poked her head out of the mecha. "My hacking skills belong only to you!"
Looking at the resolve in their eyes, Xiao Feng felt a warm current surge through him. He suddenly remembered what the Code Girl had said: "A true story is written with sincerity." He took their hands, and together they poured their energy into the power supply. "We choose Option Three! We'll use a free story to create a new option!"
Ding! Sincerity beyond the template detected. "Miracle Option" unlocked!
Rewards: "Story Reshaping" authority (customize the rules of Douqi Continent); "True Love Alliance" badge (all heroines' attributes +200%)!
The Purification Beam in the sky suddenly changed direction, driving back the Creation God's repair program. Flowers sprang from mechanical gears amid Douqi Continent's ruins, vines twined around the broken walls, and the survivors cheered as they embraced one another. It was a world reshaped by sincerity and freedom.
Xiao Yan whistled. "Third Brother, looks like you've truly earned that 'Son of Destiny' halo this time."
Xiao Feng looked at the heroines beside him, then at his younger brother, and shook his head with a smile. "It isn't a halo. They taught me that what people call destiny is just the power created when countless sincere hearts come together."
Medusa suddenly raised the gear-set ring. "So, what's your answer?"
Xiao Feng took the ring and slipped it onto Medusa's mechanical finger. Then he accepted the Seed of Life from Xun'er, folded Yun Yun's marriage alliance announcement into a paper airplane, and finally picked up Gu Ling's hacker keyboard. "My answer is—all of you. But first, we need to give this new world a name."
Gu Ling's eyes lit up as she tapped at the keyboard. "Let's call it the 'Epic of Freedom'!"
The system prompt sounded, its voice full of warmth:
Ding! Douqi Continent has been reshaped into the "Epic of Freedom" universe. All characters have gained "Self-Writing" authority!
The clouds in the distance parted, and the Creation God's primary personality appeared. She looked at the reshaped world with a relieved smile. "Looks like it's time for me to retire. Xiao brothers, and all you heroines—this universe is in your hands now."
Xiao Feng gazed at the stars overhead as the Emperor Scale and Flame Emperor Fire shone together. Medusa's mechanical serpent's tail curled around his arm, Xun'er's vines offered him a mutant rose, and Yun Yun draped a survivor's cloak over his shoulders. Gu Ling whispered in his ear, "I've already hacked into the Creation God's favorites. She's liked all our stories~"
Xiao Yan came over, kicking a can, and looked up at the sky. "So, what's the next story? Starcraft? A magic academy? Or..."
Xiao Feng chuckled. "Whatever it is, with all of you here, there'll never be a story we can't keep writing." He clasped his younger brother's hand, then looked at the four heroines. "Are you ready? Our Epic of Freedom is only just beginning."
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