Chapter 39
Over the years, Big Pineapple had matured considerably and no longer liked showing off at the drop of a hat.
And after spending so many years in a position of power, he had taken on a trace of a ruler's bearing.
Ten years. Throughout those ten years, Big Pineapple had been doing two things.
First, searching for the ant that had escaped.
Second, finding the Ultra Empire's highest laboratory. He wanted to go back!
Although their civilization had gradually developed, a certain gap still remained between it and the real world.
Besides, if he could bring this superpower back with him, he could enjoy everything he had in this world, or even better.
And not long ago, Liu Dajun had returned to the livestream.
Mosquitoes had already begun appearing on a massive scale then, but they often flew in midair and moved in large swarms, making it extremely difficult to attack them.
Even among those with extraordinary abilities, not everyone could fly, and every time they used their abilities, their entire bodies suffered pain just like Big Pineapple's.
Although the Asura clansmen were fearless in the face of death and frequently used their abilities to fight and spar, they could not keep using them for long either.
In the end, following the livestream viewers' suggestions, Big Pineapple laid a heavenly net and earthly web.
Oil and explosives!
Once the mosquito army arrived, they could catch them all in one net.
Even if they failed to kill every last one, the remaining mosquitoes would be nothing to fear after so many had been killed.
After laying out this plan, he had all the Asura clansmen return to the fortress.
He also issued a strict order: no one was to leave without his permission.
The Asura Clan's trust in Big Pineapple was blind. Even if he told them to die, they would have no complaints.
Much less over something as trivial as being forbidden to leave the fortress.
The original opportunity was to wait until the time was right, then launch their counterattack.
But just then, Liu Dajun returned to the livestream.
After learning about the current situation, he told Big Pineapple how to open the laboratory.
He also told Liu Dajun that his current location was the Ultra Empire's royal capital!
Afterward, Big Pineapple wanted to see what exactly was inside this laboratory and whether he could take out some weapons to help the Asura Clan as it was now.
The countless viewers in the livestream were incredibly excited, especially the national team.
With a thunderous rumble, the door that had been shut for nearly a thousand years opened once more.
Air rushed in, and an unpleasant smell drifted out.
Big Pineapple was so excited that he ignored the smells and walked straight inside, wanting to see what it looked like.
This was a laboratory! It was his first time in a place like this in his entire life.
And it was a laboratory belonging to a technological civilization far more advanced than Earth's.
On his hospital bed, Liu Dajun watched the familiar laboratory on the screen, his eyes red.
As Big Pineapple entered the laboratory, the door closed again. He headed deeper inside, constantly looking around as skeleton after skeleton appeared before them.
Big Pineapple was just about to speak when, a moment later, the skeletons fell apart on the spot, finally crumbling into piles of dust.
Following Liu Dajun's instructions, Big Pineapple switched on the laboratory lights. Instantly, the somewhat dim laboratory was brilliantly lit.
The light was not harsh at all. It was very soft and even felt soothing.
[Holy shit, how many years has it been? These lights still work!]
[Fucking hell, what kind of god-tier technology is this?!]
[Their power supply is pretty damn amazing!]
[...]
Big Pineapple said, "Hold the comments for now. Senior, where's the armory?"
Big Pineapple received no answer for a long time. At first, he thought this senior was feeling emotional after seeing this place again after so long.
After all, he still remembered that this man had lived here for two hundred years.
Two hundred years ago, he had friends and companions working and discussing things together in this laboratory. Yet in the blink of an eye, the place remained, but the people were gone.
So he waited over ten minutes before calling out again, "Senior!"
[I'm fine, just feeling a little emotional. Go to the central computer first and turn it on. Let me check the logs.]
[Open the log search.]
[Turn on that power indicator over there...]
[Check the power...]
Big Pineapple followed Liu Dajun's instructions step by step. In truth, he understood none of it.
He could not even read the text on the computer. All along, he simply did whatever Liu Dajun told him to do.
But after Liu Dajun gave this instruction, there was once again no word from him for a long time. Big Pineapple still wanted to ask where the armory was.
As for going back, that could wait until he dealt with the mosquitoes here.
It was not as though he could not spare a little time. Besides, the heavenly net and earthly web had already been laid. He would feel rather dissatisfied if he did not personally watch those mosquitoes die.
Finally, after Big Pineapple called out several times in a row, a comment left him utterly shaken.
[I just checked. If you want to come back, you only have seven days left.]
Big Pineapple frowned, a ruler's presence instantly radiating from him. "What do you mean?!"
[I mean that the things here actually broke down long ago. What you're using now is backup power and backup equipment. To send you back to your original time, the remaining power can only keep this place running for seven days. Once those seven days are up, the power left will no longer be enough to bring you back!]
Big Pineapple froze. He had always been thinking about going back, but now that he had suddenly received this news, he could not process it. He stood blankly in place for a long time, like a wooden figure.
After a long while, Big Pineapple spoke, looking somewhat dazed. "So?"
[So you only have two choices now!]
At this point, Liu Dajun froze for a moment. In a daze, he seemed to see someone with a pair of enormous bull horns standing in this very spot, likewise giving him two choices.
And now, he seemed to have recreated that scene once again.
Big Pineapple had already guessed what the other man was about to say, and his entire body began trembling uncontrollably.
Nevertheless, Liu Dajun's comment appeared.
[Either you stay there for good, or you have to come back within seven days!]
Big Pineapple staggered.
Had this been before, he would have left without hesitation. But just three months ago, Yu Ji had become pregnant with his first child.
He had even named the child already, following suggestions from the countless livestream viewers: Zhang Aimin!
Big Pineapple's real name in reality was Zhang Qiancheng, so naturally, his child here would also bear the surname Zhang.
As for Aimin, that was partly the viewers messing around, and partly because he wanted to raise his child into a good king who loved his people like his own children!
The countless viewers in the livestream actually wanted to see what Little Pineapple would look like after he was born, too.
Yet at this moment, Liu Dajun told him that he must either remain in this world forever or leave now.
He would never again see the wife who had been by his side for decades, or his unborn child.
At that moment, the livestream fell completely silent. No one dared post a comment.
He was torn, hesitant, lost...
This was not his original plan. He had only wanted to come in here and get some weapons this time. Why had things turned out like this?
He was not ready yet!!!
He still wanted to see his child!
His original idea had been to achieve success and fame here, raise his child, and then choose to return to his original world when he grew old.
After all, he knew that time here was different from time on Earth. As long as he could return, he could live two lives.
But am I supposed to abandon my wife and child now?!
Abandon those Asura people who follow me, trust me without limit, and worship me blindly?!
Would I still be human if I did something like that?!
But, but, but I have parents in the real world too!
Big Pineapple's pain, inner struggle, and hesitation were all written on his face.
Faced with this sudden situation, not one of the million people in the livestream dared speak.
They were also pondering how they would face something like this themselves.
On one side were his parents in his own world; on the other were the wife who had been with him day and night for ten years and the child about to be born.
Perhaps some would say that they were not even human, so what was there to hesitate over?
But were ten years of affection false?
Even after raising a dog for ten years, one would be reluctant to part with it.
Let alone...
Big Pineapple walked out of the laboratory in a daze. The once-dim laboratory was still brightly lit, yet he felt that it was incomparably dark.
When the guards at the entrance saw Big Pineapple appear, their eyes filled with fervor.
It was he, the Asura Clan's sage, who had given them fire, language, writing, weapons, and shelter.
He had given the Asura Clan extraordinary powers. He was their supreme leader!
This was not merely what these few guards thought, but what every single member of the entire Asura Clan thought!
Big Pineapple walked along the street in a daze. Everyone who saw him bowed their heads in salute, their eyes filled with fervor.
Even some people who were fighting stopped when they saw him, saluting Big Pineapple before continuing their fight.
That alone showed the prestige he held in the hearts of every member of the Asura Clan.
When he returned to his residence, Yu Ji came forward to drape another garment over him, then leaned against Big Pineapple with happiness all over her face.
In other people's eyes, Big Pineapple was a king, a leader, their sage.
But in Yu Ji's eyes, Big Pineapple was her everything!
She had once been lost and uneasy, but now she was the person most envied and begrudged in the entire Asura Clan.
Because she was already carrying Big Pineapple's flesh and blood!
Through his daze, Big Pineapple felt someone take his hand and rest it on something round. He turned to look and heard Yu Ji say:
"My king, I believe that in the future, our child will surely be just like you-a man who stands tall between heaven and earth, with boundless wisdom, who can lead our people toward glory and the future!"