Chapter 416 - 354: Chu Bamboo: Cat of Destiny, Get Over Here! See If I Don’t Break Your Legs This Time

There weren’t many people in the base.

However, as Chu Bamboo sized them up, he was stunned to discover that they were basically all Transcendents. And what’s more...

"Big Sis, who’s this?" Su Xiaoqun tilted her head, her tone unreadable. Perhaps because the situation was so unique, Su Xiaoqun was showing her true face—that of a beautiful, shy-looking young woman.

Chu Bamboo: "..."

’Well, I’ll be. Another major villain from a Cult, straight out of the last world-line!’

’Wait a second.’

Chu Bamboo suddenly began to seriously consider a problem. ’In the original world-line, let’s set aside the Cults’ ideologies for a moment. But here, in the current Dream World—within the Virtual World constructed by Z... what if a Cult, or even a whole bunch of them, existed?’

’In that case, what would the situation be for these so-called Cults, the ones suppressed in the Virtual World?’

’Is it possible that their actual principle is to return to the real world?’

The thought instantly sent a wave of conflicting emotions through Chu Bamboo.

"...Do you know Hai Mingyue?" Chu Bamboo asked Su Xiaoqun directly. ’What the hell? Is the theme of this world-line a complete reversal? The villains from the last one are all good guys here? This is getting ridiculous!’

"...I don’t know her!" Su Xiaoqun denied it instinctively, but Chu Bamboo felt her breath catch. He immediately nodded with understanding. ’Case closed!’

"In that case, I refuse to believe you don’t know me!" Chu Bamboo’s tone was resolute. He ignored Su Xiaoqun’s bewildered expression. ’Hilarious. Trying to act in front of me? Who do you think you’re fooling?’

The corner of Su Xiaoqun’s eye twitched. She pouted and glared fiercely at Chu Bamboo.

Chu Bamboo ignored her completely. After a moment’s thought, he turned back to Lin Xin Bamboo. "You must have a way to infiltrate the Virtual World again, right? Even if it means... isolating Z..."

The instant he uttered that letter, the room fell deathly silent. Eleven, who had just finished unwrapping his bandages, instinctively clapped a hand over Chu Bamboo’s mouth, his face contorted in a terrifying snarl. "You idiot... You have no idea!"

"...Let him go. It’s fine," Lin Xin Bamboo said softly. Eleven’s expression froze.

Seeing Eleven still frozen in place, staring at her in utter disbelief as if wondering if his own Big Sis had lost her mind, Lin Xin Bamboo stressed again, her voice firm, "It’s fine! He’s special..."

After a moment of conflicted thought, his expression a mixture of shock and suspicion, Eleven studied Chu Bamboo for another second before finally, hesitantly, lowering his hand.

’So you’re not allowed to say it,’ Chu Bamboo thought, looking pensive. ’No wonder they kept referring to "that one" and "you-know-who" over and over.’

"...Of course," Lin Xin Bamboo nodded, her expression unreadable. It was impossible to tell if she was answering Chu Bamboo’s current question, his previous one about infiltrating the Virtual World, or perhaps both at once.

"Come with me," Lin Xin Bamboo said, turning around. "I’m sure you have a lot of questions right now."

...

「Underground, Level Five.」

Chu Bamboo scanned his surroundings. Seeing the familiar drones and drone carriers, he felt a pang of nostalgia.

Now, only he and Lin Xin Bamboo were in the underground chamber.

"Alright," Lin Xin Bamboo said, tilting her head. "We should be able to discuss most things now."

As she spoke, the corner of her mouth curved into what could almost be described as a gentle smile. It was a stark contrast to her previously tense expression, which had made her look like she was constantly on the run or enduring some immense, unseen pressure. Her entire demeanor had changed.

"Where I can... I will answer your questions as best as I can. Of course, some information can’t be revealed. But even for those things... I’ll at least give you a rough outline, so you can get a faint idea of what’s going on."

Lin Xin Bamboo’s explanation was vague, but Chu Bamboo nodded to show he understood. He was actually a little touched. ’After dealing with a riddler like Nuwa all the time...’ he thought, ’...maybe this is the difference between a normal human and an AI like Nuwa whose capabilities have been restricted?’

He thought for a long moment before deciding to start with a less pointed question. "I should be able to say that rebellious daughter’s name, right? Why can’t they...?"

"Of course you can." Lin Xin Bamboo smiled, but it was a strange expression, tinged with both mockery and bitterness. "As for why they can’t... well, ’All that is spoken shall be known,’ of course."

"...A Divine Being?" Chu Bamboo’s pupils contracted. He was only referring to the trait, of course. But the moment the words left his lips, he realized he’d just said something incredibly foolish...

"That’s right."

"???"

Seemingly oblivious to the dumbfounded look on Chu Bamboo’s face, Lin Xin Bamboo walked over to the drone carrier and gently stroked one of its wheels. The massive tire alone was far taller than she was, but her voice remained just as calm as before.

"She can now be called—the God of Wisdom and Knowledge."

’If I remember correctly,’ Chu Bamboo thought, ’isn’t that title supposed to belong to the Confucian Saint of the Confucian Path? Although I think his title had to do with Literary Qi, not knowledge...’

"The God of Harmony and Unity."

’!!!’ ’Isn’t that the Buddha Saint’s title?!’

"The God of Mechanics and Industry!"

’Damn!’ Chu Bamboo was utterly speechless. ’She even has the Mo Saint’s title...’

Chu Bamboo waited in silence. Only when he realized that Lin Xin Bamboo seemed to be finished—that she wasn’t going to pull out a "God of Morality and Nature" or anything else—did he silently wipe the cold sweat from his brow.

’I already had a feeling that this rebellious daughter of mine was... but I never would have expected this! Hmm?’ A flicker of confusion crossed Chu Bamboo’s eyes. ’If Z holds the Divine Positions of three gods at the same time, then could the three gods from the last world-line have been... No, it couldn’t have been Z!’