Published: March 2, 2025
The body of Ling had grown quite a bit over the years, with the most direct manifestation being the expansion of the forest area.
A group of three walked through the forest, with two women in front and the celestial god behind. Ling occasionally turned back to glance at the celestial god, as if observing some rare creature.
The celestial god, the representative of earth's will—this news had already spread among the mutated beast swarm, and seeing the celestial god was akin to seeing the home planet; his identity and status were evident!
Perhaps only someone as extraordinary as him could carry the great banner and boldly challenge the hegemony of Beijing while shouting "Dare to replace the old with the new"...
Alright, Ling's thoughts might seem a bit juvenile, but for an aging old virgin, a hint of juvenile attitude was understandable.
The celestial god met Ling's gaze; on the surface, he showed no reaction, but deep inside he felt a bit speechless. Until the sound of chattering broke the silence, Ling intentionally raised her voice and playfully initiated a connection between the two parties.
"Look, how manly the celestial lord is! At your age, you should find a man."
"I think my Carmel is quite beautiful and strong; it's just that I wonder which man could win her heart..."
What seemed like a casual conversation between close friends was controlled by Ling to ensure all three could hear. The celestial god pretended to be deaf and didn't respond at all; instead, Carmel appeared embarrassed, frequently glancing back at the celestial god with an apologetic look in her eyes.
Eventually, the three arrived at the edge of a pit with a diameter of about one hundred meters.
"We're here," Carmel said, her tone carrying a sense of relief as if to say, "This matchmaking session is finally over."
The celestial god stared at the large pit before him, and after sweeping his perception over it, he nodded slightly.
"Thank you; you’ve worked hard."
The celestial god's demeanor was quite polite, and after expressing his gratitude, he was about to leave when he was suddenly interrupted by a voice.
"Um, celestial lord, the passage that Carmel and I dug is a bit complicated, with many forks and quite a few dead ends... Why don't you let Carmel guide you?"
Ling said this with a smile akin to that of a matchmaker as she gave Carmel a gentle push. Just like that, her ethereal figure disintegrated, leaving only the sound of rustling trees, as if the forest was smiling.
At that moment, the man and woman stood by the pit, their eyes meeting, both feeling awkward.
After a while, the celestial god spoke first.
"Then please lead the way."
From any perspective, it seemed the celestial god had no reason to refuse this suggestion.
As the two ventured deeper into the pit, the surrounding light dimmed.
Not long after, as flickering lights began to appear, the celestial god looked up and saw the surrounding walls of the cave glowing with fluorescent stones.
These stones radiated light, dispelling the darkness, and their arrangement made the entire cave appear not rough but rather exquisite.
"Very nice arrangement; did you do this by hand?"
The celestial god asked first, to which Carmel gently nodded, "I designed it. I just found it boring, so I thought I’d keep myself busy."
With this simple exchange, they opened up a conversation, talking about various topics. Eventually, the celestial god thought of the two divine beast species that had always followed Carmel around.
"By the way, what happened to the gorilla and unicorn beside you?"
"They're outside the forest. I was thinking it's easy for them to get bored being cooped up here for too long. Since many mutated beasts and humans have gone to the layered battlefield, the world is vast, but there aren’t many creatures around. There's no danger outside, so it’s better to let them explore."
Upon hearing this, the celestial god seemed to think of something and after a while spoke again: "What about you?"
"Huh?" Carmel was confused, her mind filled with question marks.