That night, the mummy fell asleep to the sound of Zong Yuan’s voice.
Zong Yuan watched him close his eyes, his voice gradually lowering. Moonlight seeped through the crack in the door, casting a golden line. The night had deepened, and outside, it was unnaturally quiet except for the rustling of the wind.
Zong Yuan felt no trace of sleepiness. His gaze fixed on the ceiling as if peering through layers of time and years.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” 0046 asked suddenly.
“…,” Zong Yuan suddenly inquired, “0046, what’s his relationship with the headquarters?”
“Who?” 0046 exclaimed, “Someone in this world has a connection with the headquarters? That’s a big bug!”
Zong Yuan pointed a finger at the sleeping mummy and said with a deadpan expression, “I’m talking about him.”
0046 looked towards the person he pointed at, the mummy was sleeping soundly. “…What relationship can he have with the headquarters?”
Even 0046 found this more shocking!
Zong Yuan didn’t say a word for a long time until 0046 thought he had also fallen asleep. Then he heard Zong Yuan say, “Artificial idiot.”
The timing of his memory recovery and the headquarters’ demands on 0046 were glaringly out of place.
The headquarters, hiding behind 0046, felt like a child who concealed themselves well but deliberately revealed a corner of their clothes. On the surface, it was “You can’t see me,” but in their heart, it was “Make sure to notice the clues I left for you.”
Zong Yuan sighed, “When will he remember his memories?”
“The mummy? It’s not very likely,” 0046 said innocently, “He doesn’t have a system. In each world, he’s an entirely new individual, unlike you, who is always the same person.”
Zong Yuan felt that sooner or later, he would be killed by his unreliable teammate. 0046’s words did have some credibility, and if he weren’t reluctant to believe in this possibility, a little wavering would likely lead to persuasion by 0046. In the end, he scowled and said, “I’m going to sleep, so get lost.”
0046 pondered Zong Yuan’s words for a long time, fueled by the desire to retaliate for Zong Yuan calling him “mentally challenged.” In a hurry to carry out this plan, 0046 quickly sent a straightforward message to headquarters, “Headquarters, this is 0046 calling. My host believes that his loved ones in these worlds are related to headquarters. Is this true?”
After sending the message, 0046 eagerly awaited headquarters’ response to confront Zong Yuan. However, instead of achieving the desired result, it found its own face slapped metaphorically. The response from headquarters had a sense of urgency, “Please request your host to complete the mission as soon as possible. Do not divert time and energy to investigate headquarters.”
“… ” 0046 couldn’t shake the feeling that it might have done something extraordinary.
The next morning, as Zong Yuan woke up with the mummy in his arms, he waved lazily, “Good morning.”
Feeling beyond redemption, the mummy observed Zong Yuan’s disheveled appearance with beard and eye boogers, thinking, ‘How can this man look so handsome like that!’
Still, he managed to smile and greet, “Partner, good morning.”
Since the mummy had promised to reveal the secret of Skanda today, Zong Yuan was in no hurry. He leisurely prepared breakfast and stopped the mummy, who was about to reach out, “Is your stomach still hurting?”
Since yesterday afternoon, the mummy had felt a slight ache in his stomach, but it was still bearable. Confidently, he replied, “No pain!”
“That won’t do,” Zong Yuan said, “You’re not like ordinary people. You need to take it slow and recover before eating anything.” Suddenly recalling the events of the previous night, he added, “Or do you want Dad to feed you tonight?”
“You said you were a brother yesterday,” the mummy retorted, “and today you’ve become a dad. But in reality, I’m much older than you.”
Zong Yuan promptly adjusted, “Come on, ancestor, shall I feed you tonight?”
The mummy pondered, feeling something was off.
They walked into the forest together, following the path Zong Yuan had taken along the stream. The people from the town of Ramaghi lived nearby, and the mummy, now donned in a black robe, greeted them as they passed. People recognized Zong Yuan, exchanging smiles, conveying sympathy, and offering encouragement.
Whenever they greeted Zong Yuan, he would hold the mummy’s hand, responding to them by waving with their intertwined fingers.
Not long after, they encountered Larry and Irene, who were carrying water bottles. Both of them were momentarily surprised to see Zong Yuan. Irene, with an expression of pleasant surprise, hurried over. However, her attention quickly shifted to the mummy standing beside Zong Yuan.
Biting her lip, unsure of what to say, Irene hesitated. After all, in everyone’s eyes, the relationship between Zong Yuan and this man was evident. Irene contemplated whether to acknowledge it and tell herself, or deliberately ignore the person next to Zong Yuan. Eventually, she addressed Zong Yuan, “Zong, good morning! Are you… taking a walk?”
Zong Yuan didn’t rush to answer her. Instead, he looked at the mummy beside him. The mummy’s gaze was fixed on Irene. Fortunately, his deathly stare was hidden behind a black robe. Zong Yuan, with a smiling tone, replied, “Yes, taking a walk with my sweetheart.”
Irene’s face stiffened. She pointed at the mummy, “Sweetheart?!”
Her voice was sharp, filled with disbelief.
She knew that the king had set his eyes on Zong Yuan, but… but… why would Zong Yuan like this person?
Why would he speak like this about someone who tries to threaten others to gain love, someone so self-righteous?
Zong Yuan’s expression darkened slightly. He pulled the mummy into his embrace, avoiding Irene’s pointing fingers. The mummy obediently nestled in his arms, feeling content. The hand that had unconsciously been raised was now lowered. In a good mood, Zong Yuan decided to let this woman off this time.
Zong Yuan said to Larry, “Let’s go ahead.”
Larry quickly nodded and made way. Suddenly, Irene spoke again, with a mix of grievances and affection. Any romantic man would be softened by the emotions she carried, “Zong, can we never return to those simple and easy days after we saved you back then?”
The mummy finally spoke. He hid under his hat, frowning, and his voice was low and hoarse, “Saved you?”
Zong Yuan patted the mummy’s shoulder, faced Irene expressionlessly, and said, “I appreciate the favor you and Larry did by saving my life. Along the way, I believe I’ve repaid that debt. Larry is still my friend, but Irene, you are just my friend’s sister.”
After saying this, he briskly took the mummy and disappeared into the bushes without a hint of nostalgia.
However, Larry was grateful for Zong Yuan’s decisive refusal.
He hugged the sobbing Irene, thinking, ‘Cry, Irene, you’ll be a good girl again later.’
The mummy led Zong Yuan along the stream, walking deeper into the forest. The trees grew taller and denser, blocking out the sky. Zong Yuan looked at the trees beside him; their roots were thick. “They look like centennial old trees.”
They had been walking non-stop for two hours, yet looking ahead, the end was still not in sight. The water flowed gently, and the mummy occasionally looked up at him, “Are you tired?”
“It’s only been two hours,” Zong Yuan said, “I used to stay energetic even after a whole day and night with you.”
The mummy felt a bit embarrassed. He raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and coughed twice, “Don’t rush.”
Of course, no rush.
People who didn’t venture in had no idea what kind of scenery this was.
Zong Yuan always felt like he was traversing through time and space, step by step, from a modern forest to an ancient one, or even a forest from the distant past, maybe the Jurassic period.
The trees became more ancient, massive, and weathered. Without careful observation, one could tell that these towering trees had taken millions of years to reach such majestic heights.
If it weren’t for the absence of dinosaurs or similar creatures, Zong Yuan would have thought he had once again traversed through time and space.
They didn’t know how long they had walked. When they heard human activity again, they had already emerged from the small path they entered the forest on. Before them, the Skanda Lake shimmered with ripples, and the people of Ramaghi were busy at work.
Everything seemed unchanged from when they entered.
Zong Yuan, however, couldn’t snap out of his thoughts for a long time.
The force of nature was truly formidable.
After a while, he finally spoke, “Skanda, has it existed since the beginning of Earth?”
The mummy shook his head, “A bit later,” he added, “earlier than me.”
They stood in place for a moment, then headed towards the mummy’s “palace.” The mummy pondered for a moment, “Volcanoes also have active and extinct ones.”
Zong Yuan rubbed his forehead and accepted, “So what you mean is, Skanda is alive?”
“Not just Skanda,” the mummy beckoned, and a handful of sand flew into his palm. He looked at Zong Yuan and said, “The desert is alive too.”
The desert is vast, and people can’t feel its life and pulsation, so they assume the desert is dead.
Regardless of whether it’s an animal or a plant, they all possess life.
When Earth gave birth to all things in the beginning, it granted them a common fairness—life.
Some choose to use their lives to nurture other lives, while others wait for their own lives to deplete.
Not all life needs organs with five senses, food to fill the stomach, or a constantly pulsating heart.
The mummy continued, “And Skanda is the child of the desert.”
The desert provides all its essence to nourish oases, so the more oases in the desert, the larger the desert area. Because the desert gives birth to many lives, the areas where it undergoes desertification are more extensive.
Skanda is the most cherished and carefully cultivated child in this desert.
It occupies most of the desert’s care. When it grows to be outstanding and attention-worthy, the desert carefully covers its child with a disguise.
Allowing Skanda to grow more freely and unrestrained.
The reason why the mummy became Skanda was merely being buried in this land, growing up together with Skanda, and similarly being attentively irrigated by the desert.
The mummy didn’t know if other deserts were dedicated to cultivating oases like Skanda or if they silently allowed all oases to grow self-sufficiently. However, he considered himself extremely fortunate to grow alongside Skanda.
After hearing all this, Zong Yuan and 0046 were left speechless, suddenly feeling their own ignorance.
The mummy casually added, “Isn’t the definition of life determined by you humans alone?”
“Who can say that I, the desert, the ocean, the land… aren’t life?”
“Yeah,” 0046 exclaimed in realization, “so I’m also life!”
“…,” Zong Yuan sincerely placated it, “Yes, you are.”
In any case, whatever the secret was, Zong Yuan also believed deep down: the mummy, too, was a form of life.
So, he filled in this answer—the biggest secret in the desert was Skanda because Skanda was the child of the desert, evidence of desert life.
0046 submitted the answer and, the next moment, shouted in excitement, “Success! Damn! Zong Yuan! Fifteen years! You’ve secured another fifteen years for your brother!”
Zong Yuan paused for a moment, then chuckled nonchalantly, “It was a bit challenging.”
Without the mummy, who would have known this answer?
Zong Yuan held the mummy’s face and kissed him twice firmly. Headquarters had really been kind to him. They turned his lover into a key figure in solving such a challenging task.
The mummy’s expression showed a hint of pride. He clearly thought that Skanda had captivated Zong Yuan. “I want a chicken dinner!”
“Is my secret amazing enough to satisfy me?”
Zong Yuan gave him a meaningful look and reluctantly said, “Fine, I’ll let you have your fill.”
The mummy looked at him suspiciously and added a few words, “I want to eat more nutritious chicken.”
Zong Yuan ruffled his long hair, “Got it.”
A sassy mummy with a broken leg.
A sassy big brother Zong.
What a wonderful day!
Author’s note:
This world has come to an end, it’s concluded, concluded, concluded~
A very, very sad thing is that the prison world is gone because the editor said it can’t be written (censorship), so now we only have the monk and urban worlds (there hasn’t been a recent burst of inspiration for the entertainment world, afraid it won’t be written well). So, when you think about it, there are only two or three worlds left?! Time really flies 【dog head】. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that can be done about the prison world. Do you have any worlds or settings you’d like to see? If you have any ideas, I will add them to the world later. ￣ω￣=
