Main Quest and Side Quest (Shamelessly Begging for Votes)

Gouwu Mountain had not been mentioned much in the original Plot. Humans simply could not reach this Taotie nest. Everyone who came here never returned, yet now, Xiao Hen had arrived.

Gouwu Mountain had once been a great mountain in ancient times, stretching across the northern frontier beyond the passes. Later, it had been destroyed by a Skyfall Meteorite and became the Taoties' nest. Every sixty years, the Taotie calamity ravaged the human world, and The Great Wall had been built for this very reason.

Xiao Hen pressed onward step by step. The journey was difficult, but it could not halt his advance. After all, the Main Quest came first. If he failed it and the Shuttle left, what would be lost would not be a single dimensional world, but all worlds.

As Xiao Hen walked, he avoided the main routes. After spending a great deal of time, he finally approached Gouwu Mountain.

"No, not yet. I still need to wait..." Xiao Hen's gaze turned slightly cold. Ignoring his exhaustion, he waited patiently for the Taoties to launch their final assault. Only after they had completely left Gouwu Mountain would he enter and obtain the Sky Crystal.

Heaven did not disappoint those who worked hard. On a mist-shrouded day, all the Taoties set out from Gouwu Mountain and charged toward The Great Wall. Xiao Hen knew it was because they had begun digging the tunnel beneath The Great Wall.

I have to hurry, or I won't make it in time for the Side Quest. Xiao Hen rose to his full height and walked toward Gouwu Mountain step by step. His pace grew faster and faster until it gradually turned into a run. Gouwu Mountain drew nearer, and the towering Green Crystal that pierced the sky shone ever brighter.

So this Green Crystal was the Skyfall Meteorite.

Xiao Hen looked at the enormous green meteorite and thought to himself. However, since the Shuttle had said that the crystal he needed was at the center of this Green Crystal, there might be some trouble ahead. Sigh.

Xiao Hen continued onward. Several hours later, he finally arrived beneath the Green Rock. Looking at the green mountain, Xiao Hen entered through a cave.

From the stench of vicious beasts carried on the air, Xiao Hen knew this was the Taoties' nest. Yet there was not a single Taotie nearby.

Sure enough, the Taoties have all attacked Bianliang. They've left the nest completely empty.

Xiao Hen sighed, then continued forward. The path ahead became narrower and narrower, turning into a Crystal Path like a cliffside ledge. Without changing expression, Xiao Hen stepped onto it resolutely.

After crossing the narrow path, he looked back and saw only an ordinary road behind him. There was no cliffside path at all.

What was that, an illusion? Xiao Hen shook his head, then smiled. No. It was merely a reflection of my heart. I thought there was a trap here, so there was a trap. I firmly believed I could cross this road, so I crossed it. That was all.

Xiao Hen turned to look ahead. Was this the ability of that green crystal?

Did it reflect the desires within human hearts?

Taotie... greed...

Xiao Hen's face remained expressionless as he walked forward. He did not represent all humanity, only himself—his desire to survive.

After walking several more miles, he finally arrived at the center of the Green Crystal. What kind of place was this?

Xiao Hen raised his head to look at the sky. The sky was no longer the sky, but green mist. At the heart of the swirling mist floated a green pearl, bobbing in the air.

Pearl of Greed? Xiao Hen reached out with one finger. His eyes were filled with dullness and confusion, as if he could no longer control himself, yet he still moved on his own.

With a touch of Xiao Hen's finger, the green pearl vanished. The light source throughout the entire space disappeared. Xiao Hen suddenly woke up, only to hear a mechanical voice in his mind:

Main Quest complete. Side Quest available?

One year of remaining time. Return time selectable?

As Xiao Hen ran outward, he examined the information in his mind.

It was complete already?

Could he return now?

But should it really end so easily?

Xiao Hen thought of that woman, of the savage and vicious Taoties, and of the miserable scenes in the Plot where the Taoties ravaged Bianliang.

Just as I thought back then, perhaps I should do something...

Xiao Hen knew he was selfish and self-centered. Sometimes, he put himself first. Just like before—he had known Marshal Shao would die, yet he had not gone to save him.

At the same time, he was not an utterly wicked man. He did not wish to see Bianliang brutally devastated by the Taoties.

Nor did he want to see that woman saddened by it?

Xiao Hen shook his head. That was not it.

Lin Mei!

Perhaps he did have some feelings for her, but she could not occupy the most important place in his heart. Not even close.

The Side Quest still needs to be completed. Xiao Hen analyzed the matter rationally. Whether it's the Main Quest or the Side Quest, both are part of the Shuttle's assessment process. The Shuttle's core is an Intelligent Program. It will execute its procedures meticulously and will never set up a useless process. Therefore, the Side Quest is also part of its assessment...

Xiao Hen abruptly raised his head and looked toward the distant Great Wall. There, wolf-smoke rose everywhere, and beacon fires blazed.

"Has it already begun?"

Xiao Hen muttered to himself, then began running toward The Great Wall. In the distance, columns of wolf-smoke rose one after another, linking together into a line—a battle line formed from smoke.

After running for several hours, Xiao Hen finally arrived beneath The Great Wall. All he saw was a massive hollow, deep and dark.

This hollow was the passage the Taoties had dug to attack Bianliang. Xiao Hen had known from the very beginning; it had appeared in the Plot.

"I hope I'm not too late!"

Muttering that, Xiao Hen rushed into the cavern.

The Side Quest is important too. Lin Mei, I hope you're still alive, just like in the movie. Stay alive...

Xiao Hen's expression was grim. Like a cheetah, he raced across the land at the limits of his speed, turning into a black shadow that crossed the horizon and charged toward Bianliang.

Along the way, the entire Central Plains had been devastated by the Taoties. Across eight hundred li of land, in the regions leading through the Central Plains capital, every living thing had been killed and devoured by the Taoties. None had been spared—not even wild beasts or livestock.

Xiao Hen could not put his feelings into words. It was not grief; he had always been rather indifferent. Yet he felt a sense of loneliness, like the bleak autumn wind and the cold waters of the Yi River.

Perhaps so.

Xiao Hen tugged at the corner of his mouth and spread his hands. Two submachine guns appeared in his grasp. His gaze locked onto two lone Taoties a hundred meters ahead.

Roar!

The two Taoties were extremely alert. They immediately discovered Xiao Hen's arrival, dropped the civilian corpses they had been devouring, and turned to charge at him. Baring their fangs and claws, they looked exceptionally ferocious.

From high speed to a sudden stop, Xiao Hen did not hesitate in the slightest. He stopped, held a gun in each hand, and remained expressionless.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

The charging Taoties were riddled with holes by submachine-gun fire. With a thud, they collapsed to the ground. Xiao Hen stepped on their corpses and gazed toward the magnificent city ahead.

Bianliang had arrived.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm no different from the beggars on the street. They beg for money, while I beg for votes. Helpless...