Lin Xiaohe drifted aimlessly through the white mist like a ghost without any emotions.
Here, there was no time, no space—just nothingness.
“Haha, who dared to say my little sister couldn’t get into college? I went and beat every single one of them!” Suddenly, a boy with a hedgehog hairstyle appeared in the mist, smiling warmly at her.
Beside him stood a beautiful young girl, her gaze gentle and full of affection.
“That’s right, our little Xiaohe is the best. She’s the most accomplished person on the Wasteland Star,” said a white-haired grandmother, her face crinkling into a joyful smile.
An old grandfather supported her with one hand while adjusting his reading glasses with the other. “Xiaohe, kids can’t be picky eaters, or they won’t grow tall. Come on, try this strawberry-flavored nutrient drink. Your eldest brother said this is your favorite. Grandpa bought it with his secret savings—don’t tell your grandma, okay?”
A green vine quietly snuck around from behind the old grandfather and, whoosh, snatched the nutrient drink right out of his hand.
The old grandfather was so angry he scolded, “Doudou, you little rascal! You can’t drink nutrient solution! It’ll burn your leaves!”
A corn-like plant sat in a flowerpot, grinning as it watched the scene.
“Xiaohe, Xiaohe, do you still remember me? I’m Xinbao—your little treasure that you hold in your heart!” A plant with only one leaf left was being carried by a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man sat in a wheelchair, holding a pale-faced woman in his arms.
On top of his head, he also balanced a pot of tomato.
The tomato grumbled, “And you have the nerve to call me ‘Fanfan’ (Annoying)? I think you’re the annoying one! Always making people worry.”
Lin Xiaohe stared at them blankly, her lost memories playing back in her mind like a movie.
“Eldest brother, second sister, grandma, grandpa, Xinbao…”
As Lin Xiaohe called out their names, the white mist that had trapped her slowly began to fade.
Lin Xiaohe felt as if she had been crushed by a huge truck—every part of her body ached.
But the pain in her body was nothing compared to the scene before her eyes.
She hadn’t returned to the temple. Instead, she found herself in the middle of a blue sea.
The waves surged endlessly, stretching as far as the eye could see.
“What’s going on here? Did I win, or didn’t I?”
Xinbao saw that Lin Xiaohe was awake and burst into tears with a loud “Wah!” Its tattered little leaf pressed against Lin Xiaohe’s cheek.
“Xiaohe, I think we won.”
“You think?”
“That bad guy ran away.”
Fanfan poured cold water on them. “But we can’t get out either.”
Lin Xiaohe was stunned for a moment.
Can’t get out?
Then, as if realizing something, she smiled in relief. “That’s okay. As long as my family is safe. And we’re not separated—that’s a great thing.”
After all, she had been so awesome and helped the Federation solve such a huge problem. The Federation would surely show some gratitude to the Lin family, right? At the very least, they should keep the Lin family safe.
Lin Xiaohe glanced around at her little companions.
Oh my gosh, there was no word to describe how battered they looked except tragic.
She carefully cupped Xinbao in her hands. This poor little thing looked like it was about to fall apart.
“I want to stay on top of your head!” Doudou declared bossily.
Lin Xiaohe took one look at its nearly bare bean pods and silently placed it on her head.
Fanfan was concise: “Right shoulder.”
Even the usually gentle and obedient Tiantian made a rare request: “Xiaohe, I’d like to stay on your left shoulder.”
“Granted! All granted!” Lin Xiaohe’s heart melted into a puddle of warmth.
These were the little companions who had lived and died with her. They just wanted to stick close to her—how could she not let them?
They clung tightly to Lin Xiaohe, and their anxious, guilty hearts slowly began to settle.
As long as they could be with Xiaohe, whether in the Federation or this blue sea, it was pure happiness.
Xinbao turned over in Lin Xiaohe’s palm and gazed curiously at the blue sea. “Xiaohe, we’re actually standing on the sea!”
Lin Xiaohe crouched down and scooped up a handful of seawater with her hand. It felt cool to the touch but had no salty, fishy smell.
The sparkling water trickled through her fingers like a handful of fine sand.
“What a strange ocean,” Lin Xiaohe murmured. She took a step forward and realized she wasn’t sinking at all. She instantly lit up with excitement.
Back in China, Lin Xiaohe had been born inland. She didn’t know how to swim and had never seen the ocean, but she had always loved watching beachcombing videos.
She had always planned to go beachcombing by the sea after getting her first month’s salary.
“Hahaha, let’s go beachcombing!” Lin Xiaohe held Xinbao in her hands, balanced Doudou on her head, carried Fanfan and Tiantian on her shoulders, and ran barefoot across the blue sea.
Since they were all going to die anyway, she might as well have as much fun as possible!
“Whoohoo! You’re running so fast!” Doudou’s leaves fluttered wildly in the wind, so it coiled its roots into a hat and locked itself firmly onto Xiaohe’s head.
“Hahaha, go faster!” Xinbao screamed with excitement.
After nearly being thrown off again, Fanfan tossed a small tomato at Lin Xiaohe. “Xiaohe, act like a human being!”
“Hehe.” Lin Xiaohe stopped and winked playfully. “Ready? I’m going to speed up!”
“Ah!” Fanfan quickly grabbed onto Lin Xiaohe’s neck and let out a shriek.
Tiantian simply shrank herself down and rolled back and forth on Lin Xiaohe’s left shoulder.
“Ouch.”
Lin Xiaohe was running so joyfully that she didn’t look where she was going and stubbed her foot hard on something.
Cradling her sore foot, she glared at the culprit. “Huh? A seashell?”
A white seashell lay there, as if embedded in the seawater.
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes lit up like light bulbs. Hehehe.
That giant whale really knew how to treat people right—it had found her such a nice resting place.
“Dig, dig, dig in this little sandy beach! Dig out a little shell and grow a big pearl flower!”
Lin Xiaohe sat cross-legged, pried the shell out with her fingers, and cracked it open with both hands.
“Wow!” Everyone gasped in unison.
If Xinbao had eyes, they would have popped right out of its head.
It sighed with genuine admiration. “Xiaohe, you’re so amazing! You actually got a Yuan!”
Lin Xiaohe was also stunned. Inside the shell, no bigger than the palm of her hand, lay a tiny model of Yuan. It could walk, jump, and move.
Oh my god, the terrified expression on its face was so detailed and lifelike!
Yuan was completely baffled.
He had been hit by an Imperial mech and died in battle. After that, his soul became trapped in a small, dark space.
He thought this was the punishment for dying during the exam, so he lay peacefully in the darkness.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly the area shook violently. Then, as if the universe had been split open, a divine light fell from the sky and drove away the darkness.
Yuan thought he might have seen a god.
But why did this god look so much like the big-shot Lin Xiaohe?!
