The green crumbs gradually disappeared in the ocean of Io, and eventually integrated into the undulating waves. Vivian looked at the crystal foam on the ocean in thought. “How many of them could survive?”
“Life is a very tenacious thing and it’s incredible,” the MDT replied melancholily. “They are difficult to come into being, but they are born they are difficult to go away. No matter what the danger they face, they will always do their best to leave a seed, even if only a few cells are left, one day it will multiply again. Civilisation may fade away, but life… except due to real end of the world, there is hardly anything that can really wipe them out.”
Lil Pea splashed through the waves. From time to time, she leapt out from the water and her beautiful fish’s tail glistened in golden red in the sun. Hao Ren smiled pointing at the little mermaid. “Sometimes even the end of the world couldn’t completely extinguish life.”
In the next tens of thousands of years, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps there would be new species emerging in Io. They would carry the DNA from a different planet and come into harmony with the host planet. Prior to the release of the seeds, Hao Ren had let the MDT conduct many sophisticated extrapolations to ensure that the alien species would not cause harm to the existing Io’s fragile ecosystem. He had full confidence in this release.
Watching the fingerling enjoying the ocean for a moment, Hao Ren beckoned to the mermaid. “Lil Pea, it’s time to go home!”
The little mermaid was in a mirthful laughter as she swam towards Hao Ren before jumping into his arms, her wet body rubbing against him. Hao Ren had been accustomed to it: Since rearing the fish, wetting his clothes had become a norm. He was fortunate that Lil Pea was only jumping into his arms, not his pant; otherwise, he would have a hard time explaining the wetting of his pant had nothing to do with his kidney…
No one spoke a word during the return journey. Very quickly, the Petrachelys arrived at Alamanda base in Tannagost. The Nangong couple seemed very nervous when they passed through the lilac crack: They could not believe that they could return to Earth just by walking through a crack. As they crossed the space crack into the other side, an endless dark snowfield appeared in front of their eyes. Ayesha was in shock. “The earth has also become like this?!”
She had related it to the surface of the planet of the Ark—indeed, if you ignore the oxygen issue, there is really no difference between the basement of Igor’s house and the surface of the rogue planet… You cannot really imagine the life of the rich; just look at the basement, it looks just like the surface of an alien planet.
Nangong Wuyue mirthfully told her parents about the dark snowfield. Nangong Wudi quivered in fear when he learned that this place was actually the creation of the vengeful spirit that kidnapped them. “I have never thought that that thing was so powerful. It’s fortunate enough for us to have survived it.”
Hao Ren smiled but said nothing. He just led the people out of the dark snowfield and went up to say hello to Igor. Igor was not so surprised now to find the adventurers emerged suddenly from the basement. The most obvious improvement was that this time the old man did not pass out even when Vivian appeared to him suddenly. They stayed in Andrea Castle for a day and regained their energy before they set off again to return to their home in Southern Suburbs.
Nangong Wudi was a little surprised when he saw the old house. He turned to look at Hao Ren. “There is a huge contrast between your house and your ability. How could you even be poorer than your own man?”
He mistook the Andrea family he met yesterday as Hao Ren’s own man—but this misunderstanding was not entirely wrong. After all, they were Vivian’s family. Now Vivian was a full-time babysitter in Hao Ren’s home.
“You were expecting me to live in a palace, weren’t you?” Hao Ren laughed. He took out his key, turned the nob and entered the house. “My house is indeed a bit old. It can’t be compared with the lavishness of the city you were at on the Ark, but at least it is clean enough, Vivian cleans it all day.”
Nangong Wudi explained while he followed from behind. “I didn’t mean to ridicule. I just think that… Hey, most great people are weird. I perfectly understand that.”
Everyone began their usual daily chores. Vivian rolled up her sleeves and wiped the tables; Wuyue formshifted into a sea snake to mop the floor; Y’lisabet went into the kitchen for a while before she ran out with a liquefied natural gas tank on her head recklessly. “Forgot to refill the cooking gas before we left home. I’ll now get it done!”
Lily was startled and quickly stopped her. “You don’t go! Let your papa go! People would think you’re abusing the child here!”
Y’lisabet’s lips compressed and tossed the one-meter-high liquefied natural gas tank to Y’zaks. “Papa, get it refilled!”
Hao Ren watched from a side, his heart shuddering; the freaking child really left people speechless.
However, the even more reckless freaking child was right behind. Lil Pea was somehow turned on by the gas tank, she excited jumped down by the table and toddled excitedly towards Y’zaks with a handful of sacred flame. “Uncle Bulky, let me help you light it up…”
Lucky for everyone, Y’zaks immediately rushed for the door with the gas tank: He was not prepared to let her blow up the house just yet.
Lil Pea did not know what to do with the flame. She turned to look at the Nangong Wudi. “Uncle, do you want to light your ciggy?”
Hao Ren glanced at Vivian who was wide-eyed. “Could you use the normal igniter for cooking next time? This child is now excited about lighting up the cooking gas tank…”
Lil Pea toddled up to Hao Ren. “Dad-dee, do you want to light your ciggy?”
Everyone glared angrily at Nangong Sanba. The latter pointed to himself and protested. “Is it even my fault for her turning into a lighter?”
Lily looked at Hao Ren. “Then it must be Mr. Landlord’s fault.”
Hao Ren planted his face in his hands, hapless. “Why the house turn into a mess just minutes after we’re back?”
Ayesha smiled and looked at this weird family, the daily of which no one could have imagined. She also turned her eyes on the furnishings in the living room, be it the LCD TV on the cabinet or the laptop that Lily was fiddling with was hugely different from that of her memories of a hundred years ago. Although having not seen the rest of the world yet, Ayesha still realised that times changed and the world with time. She sighed, feeling emotional. “A hundred years … we are out of touch with the world for too long, I am afraid we have to adapt again.”
“The country was still embroiled in fighting when we left, but now it is peaceful.” Nangong Wudi looked at the scene outside the window. “And it looks more prosperous than before. Given a chance, I would want to go out and see for myself. Even though we’re hermits, we should learn the rules of the world.”
“First of all, dad, you have to change the way you speak,” smiled Nangong Sanba. “Your way you speak is so yesteryears. It simply sounds weird.”
Nangong Wuyue chimed in. “That’s right; this is something that has to be changed. If you found it hard to change your way of speaking right now, at least you could keep your beard and long hair, and then I’ll buy you a XXL clothes so you can pretend to be an artist.”
Nangong Wudi laughed. “Up to you. However, we are not humans. We could not care less about the life cycles of this world. No big deal. If necessary, we could always find a place in the wilderness it’s a big deal to find a wilderness and be a hermit again…”
Wuyue gave her dad a sideways glance and said, “Dad, you need to quickly adapt—now that wilderness has been outsourced to someone else…”
Nangong Wudi. “What is outsource?”
Hao Ren interjected. “And there were some unlucky hermits nuked more than a hundred times.”
Nangong Wudi was all confused. “What is nuked?”
At least, it was Vivian also put an end to this kind of conversation. “The best thing to do now is to come out from isolation. Humanity is getting more powerful, they could even fly an aircraft to Mars. No demon hunters and otherworldlings could escape from the changing world. The world will leave those who live like an ostrich behind. The most stubborn old-fashioned guys in the sanctuary in Athens had already pushing for their apparel products to enter the human market. I feel that you two have much to learn. I’ve seen enough. Humans have developed so fast that you would find hard to catch up now…”
Lily curled herself on the sofa with her laptop in her hand and her lips compressed. “The old lady begins to lecture again…”
Nangong Wudi and Ayesha looked at each other: They felt an aura that only the elder could have possessed; they could not help but remained silent while Vivian lectured.
Vivian’s arms akimbo and shot Lily a glare. “I tell you what, Doggie, no spare ribs for you today!”
“Nothing decent will come out from a filthy mouth… I’m still young…,” the vampire maiden kept mumbling as she walked into the kitchen, leaving everyone in the living hall staring at each other, speechless.