Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
The next day, before the morning sun appeared, the morning dew had already arrived. The campfire had burned out, leaving only wisps of blue smoke slowly rising. The once-noisy sounds of insects in the lush jungle gradually quieted after a night of activity. Birds perched on branches stretched their wings, waiting for the moment when the sun would rise to take flight.
Beside the campfire, after a restful night, the giant wolf lying on the grass had already opened its eyes. However, it hadn’t moved an inch because of the soft, furry ball nestled tightly against it. This blue-gray ball was deeply buried in the giant wolf’s soft fur, with only long whiskers peeking out. One wavy whisker, in particular, stood out conspicuously.
The morning in the jungle was filled with cool dampness. As the sun peeked over the horizon, its light took longer to penetrate the jungle. Only when the sun’s warm rays broke through the trees and shone upon the blue-gray ball did it finally roll over, lying belly-up on the giant wolf’s body. Its eyes were still closed, but its paws were already busy grabbing the wavy whisker, stroking it in satisfaction before finally opening its watery, gleaming eyes.
The little ball blinked, seemingly finding the morning sunlight a bit harsh. It immediately twisted its small body and buried its head back into the giant wolf’s fur. With a helpless expression, Ye Jian turned his head to glance at the ball clinging to him and then looked at the sky. He bent down, gently picked up the ball in his mouth, and started licking it.
Shu Xun, still groggy from sleep, was sent tumbling by the licking. By the time he regained his balance, he was wide awake. The furry ball stretched lazily and then rubbed its head against the giant wolf’s face. “Good morning.”
Ye Jian’s response to Shu Xun was another face-licking greeting.
Shu Xun, once again unable to stand steadily, grabbed onto Ye Jian’s tongue and spoke seriously, “It’s getting late. We need to get moving; we can’t keep Lie Yang and the others waiting for too long.”
Seeing the giant wolf nod in agreement, Shu Xun released his grip on Ye Jian’s tongue and turned to get ready to depart. However, just as he turned, he was licked again, causing the fur on his back to stand up in the opposite direction.
The furry ball calmly took small steps forward while using its chubby paws to smooth down its fur.
A short while later, Shu Xun dismantled the surrounding formation and buried the campfire. After calculating the direction with his small paws, he set off with Ye Jian toward Zhu Si City.
Without the disturbance of the purple lightning, Shu Xun and Ye Jian were in no rush. Moving through the jungle, it was clearly more convenient to stay in their beast forms, so they didn’t bother reverting to their human shapes. Occasionally, when Shu Xun grew tired of walking, he would climb onto Ye Jian’s back and sit atop the giant wolf’s head, guiding the way.
Though the jungle was filled with hidden dangers, Ye Jian, having crossed the continent, was already well-acquainted with the world’s ecological environment. Most creatures had an instinct for self-preservation and Ye Jian’s giant wolf form was enough to keep most of the jungle’s inhabitants at bay.
Shu Xun, for his part, enjoyed the experience of basking in the power of Ye Jian’s intimidating presence. Sitting atop the giant wolf’s head, he took in the sights of the strange new world. Occasionally, he’d leap off to dig at a particular spot or cling to a plant without letting go. These moments usually signified that Shu Xun had found a new treasure to add to his collection.
Although they didn’t travel at their fastest pace, the two of them covered a considerable distance in a day. The previously intense pace since they entered Twilight Galaxy seemed to ease. The audience in the live stream room thoroughly enjoyed this rare moment of relaxation.
“I feel like my God Ye and Dumpling Xun’s beast forms are such a perfect match! They just look so good together!”
“The person above has excellent vision! Look at the size, the species—everything about them just clicks!”
“Hahaha! Shu Xun threw a nutshell onto God Ye’s head. God Ye instinctively shook his head, causing Dumpling Xun to quickly grab onto his whiskers. I captured that moment! I’m saving it for the memory book when the game’s over!”
“Too bad dumpling’s gotten so chubby that he can’t hide in God Ye’s ears anymore!”
“My Xun is just fluffily chubby. If God Ye doesn’t mind his hearing being blocked, I think they should give it a try~”
“I think after Twilight Galaxy ends, StarPlay Entertainment should compile a survival game trilogy, starting from “Winter’s End”, allowing us to witness the growth of Dumpling Xun step by step. It would also evoke a sense of the long passage of time…”
Various topics filled the live stream chat. The rare leisure time allowed the audience to speak freely, discussing everything from “Winter’s End” to “Deep Blue Sea”, and now to “Dusk of the Galaxy”. Time seemed to move both slowly and quickly, as the vivid scenes that felt like they happened just yesterday had actually passed more than half a year ago.
Over the next few days, Ye Jian and Shu Xun gradually picked up the pace of their journey. Along the way, Shu Xun explained his discoveries and speculations in detail. Once Ye Jian’s internal energy had recovered, he transformed back into human form. As for Shu Xun, he naturally remained in his mouse form. The reason was obvious: after these few days, it seemed like the mouse had almost pulled out the wavy whisker he had been so fixated on.
The fluffy dumpling, who usually cared a lot about his appearance in front of Ye Jian, clearly didn’t want to show up with a curly whisker. So in the past few days, Shu Xun had tried everything, experimenting with countless methods, only to find that the whisker stubbornly remained in its wavy form.
As persistent as Shu Xun was, he wouldn’t give up easily. At that moment, the fluffy dumpling, perched on Ye Jian’s shoulder, was grooming his whiskers with his paws while logically presenting his discoveries, speculations, and the plans going forward.
“So, based on our speculation, the world consciousness of this world is more evolved than the previous two game worlds. When faced with an end-of-the-world scenario, it likely has its own plan to help the three highly intelligent life planets avoid such a fate. The city of Zhu Si that we’re heading to holds the history of the Twilight Clan and the messages passed down from the world consciousness to the Indigenous people. This will determine how we judge the invaders and the method of salvation we ultimately pursue.”
Ye Jian leaped swiftly between the trees of the mountain forest, occasionally pausing on a branch. The fluffy dumpling, used to this routine, would extend a paw and point in the correct direction, and only then would Ye Jian continue moving forward. Indeed, Ye Jian’s poor sense of direction had led him to rely entirely on the connection between Little Bliss and Big Bliss to find Shu Xun. Now that Little Bliss was exhausted and asleep in his consciousness, Shu Xun had taken full responsibility for navigating.
After listening carefully to Shu Xun’s explanation, Ye Jian thought for a moment before speaking. “That boy named Xing Kong may have some information regarding the Twilight Clan.”
Shu Xun nodded his small head. “I thought of that too, but when I helped him escape, he looked back at his parents. I turned to look as well. Their expressions were as resolute as the other Twilight Clan members. They were firm in their decision to bring him back for judgment, without a trace of hesitation…” At this point, Shu Xun paused. It was in that instant that he understood why the boy hadn’t struggled at all, allowing a stranger like Shu Xun to take him toward an unknown future. In the boy’s eyes, no matter how uncertain the road ahead was, it was better than turning to ashes beside his family. He wasn’t afraid of death—he feared that this death sentence would come from his own parents.
“If this outcome is due to the unique worship culture of this world, then is this world’s evolutionary path truly correct? The Twilight Clan has pushed their bloodline evolution to the extreme, granting them powerful bodies and endless lifespans. But at the same time, it seems that all emotions except for faith have vanished. During the baptism ceremony in Qi Yu City, my instinct was to save Xing Kong because, back when we were eating in the restaurant, I could feel that the only genuine joy on that table came from Xing Kong’s face.” The fluffy dumpling spoke as he fiddled with his whiskers.
Ye Jian immediately understood. That was why Shu Xun abandoned the path of seeking out the secrets of the Twilight Clan through the boy. Though their encounter had been brief, Shu Xun didn’t want to pressure Xing Kong with the burden of saving him in return. Ye Jian raised his hand and rubbed the fluffy dumpling. “Everything in this world has its reasons. According to what you’ve said, both Xing Kong and Qing Kong were judged as transformed. Xing Kong’s shadow mutated during the baptism ceremony, triggering divine punishment, while Qing Kong’s judgment was artificially enforced. In fact, during the ceremony, Qing Kong showed no abnormalities. The common thread between them seems to be that, compared to the natives, their emotions are more complex. They possess genuine feelings beyond faith.”
Shu Xun clapped his paws together. “Exactly! Rich emotions are considered evil in this world, but that theory is too far-fetched. Yet I can’t find any other commonality between Qing Kong and Xing Kong. If this is a cold-hearted world, then people full of emotion are bound to be deeply wounded. Such an evolutionary path leaves me at a loss.”
As if recalling something, Shu Xun’s expression became a bit conflicted. “And then there’s the issue of Xing Kong’s future. Though he appears fine now, his shadow did indeed mutate, meaning the invader is hidden within it. Does Xing Kong still have the right to integrate into the interstellar era? If he stays in the Twilight Galaxy, the natives will eventually hunt him down for judgment. On top of that, there’s the powerful world consciousness and the looming threat of the end of days…”
When Shu Xun mentioned the world consciousness, he instinctively smoothed his whisker again, looking frustrated at the stubborn wave in it.
Catching this out of the corner of his eye, Ye Jian’s gaze softened with a hint of amusement, though he pretended not to notice and kept his usual tone. “Don’t worry. There are many habitable planets. Even if Xing Kong can’t join the interstellar alliance, he can still find a planet to live on. It might be lonely, but ultimately, the choice belongs to Xing Kong, not us.” Watching the worried Shu Xun, Ye Jian suddenly understood where Big Bliss’s protective, parental instincts came from.
Shu Xun’s gentle nature often manifested outwardly, but more of it was hidden inside. Just like how he had chosen not to exploit Xing Kong as a shortcut to understanding the Twilight Clan, he quietly considered all the follow-up problems, trying to maximize the benefits for everyone. When he did this, Shu Xun never expected anything in return. Everything he did came from his heart, from his natural instinct—his kindness and certain deep-seated convictions. The closer you got to him, the more warmth and sincerity you felt radiating from the small, fluffy figure.
This wasn’t limited to just Xing Kong. From Gray to Ling Yang to the Three-leaf grass, looking back from “Winter’s End”, all of Shu Xun’s crucial encounters and connections had stemmed from his sincere kindness. He had accepted Gray when everyone was on guard. He had befriended Ling Yang in an unfamiliar world. And he had won the favor of the Three-leaf grass amidst the envious gazes of countless others. Rather than calling it luck, it was the inevitable result of his goodness.
