After finishing that breakfast of complex flavors, the two of them also managed to deal with all the well-intentioned "gifts."
It had been a long time since either of them had tried to eat so much in the morning. Only recently, under the supervision of a certain white-haired dumpling who was particularly adept at breaking and entering, had Shu achieved the accomplishment of eating two bowls per meal.
But this "two bowls per meal" was limited to lunch and dinner. Kiana, being who she was, couldn't possibly demand that Shu eat two bowls of rice for breakfast just like her.
Just kidding, it wasn't that little.
Little Chen's words, along with the overly vibrant, lively atmosphere of the entire living area, had draped a thin veil over their hearts.
Not only did this bring a strange warmth that felt unfamiliar, but it also made the clear hostility and boundaries between them somewhat... sticky?
At least, they both found the other incredibly clingy and had no desire to use a better adjective.
They used Shu's original account to pay.
With a tiny bit of subtle [Wish], they connected to the phone he had left at home and completed the silent transfer of contribution points.
Fortunately, when Otto created this transaction system, he had also included identity encryption. The payment system's identity verification only recognized the core authority, so the receiving Little Chen didn't notice anything unusual.
As the simulated daylight fully brightened, the flow of people in the living area noticeably increased.
People going to work, to school, shopping... The people on the streets walked briskly, yet still exchanged natural greetings when they met.
The two "Stelles" walked among them again. But this time, perhaps because the impression of them being newcomers had already spread, or perhaps because people were starting to focus on their own affairs, the two were no longer met with those disorienting, enthusiastic "gifts," only a continuous stream of familiar and friendly greetings.
It was as if they had been naturally integrated into the "living area."
They nodded and smiled stiffly, responding to every enthusiastic gesture of goodwill with what they hoped didn't seem like a perfunctory reply.
Yet their pace was still quickening unconsciously, wanting to escape this overly harmonious wave of sound as soon as possible.
The destination was still the tenth underground level—Shu's residence.
When the metal doors of the dedicated elevator completely shut out the lively noise and began to carry them down, the metal walls reflected two identical, slightly weary, gray-haired figures.
The silence inside the elevator formed a stark contrast to the clamor of the living area, and the cold confrontation that had always existed between them became clear again in the quiet.
The elevator doors opened, revealing the quiet residential area of the tenth underground level.
Completely different from the simulated liveliness of the living area, everything here was like a high-end, private community.
The corridors were wide, the environment simple and clean, and behind each door was an independent living unit.
And at this moment, this area was terrifyingly quiet.
The residence next door, belonging to Kiana and the others, had its doors and windows tightly shut. None of the familiar sounds of roughhousing, cooking, or game sound effects could be heard.
Further away, the residences of Fu Hua, Li Sushang, and others were also silent.
The entire tenth underground level seemed to have turned into a meticulously maintained but empty luxurious mausoleum overnight.
Shu used his authority to open the door to his home.
The familiar entryway, the familiar living room layout, and that familiar sense of emptiness...
Loneliness.
This feeling, as Shu pushed open the door to a room full of silence, rushed in like an invisible tide, simultaneously drowning the two beings at the entrance.
It wasn't physical loneliness. After all, when Kiana and the others were still next door, Shu could already feel that strange smell that even the purification system couldn't completely eliminate.
But he didn't care about these things before, and even had a kind of "retaliatory enjoyment" of this loneliness.
Look, a door that could be closed at any time and wouldn't be violently dismantled, a space where he could walk freely and do as he pleased, a stove that would only start working when he wanted it to...
Even if it was lonely, Shu wouldn't reject it at all.
Because when one door closes, a window opens.
And Kiana was the one who would unreasonably jump through the window into his private space, ball up this "loneliness," and toss it into a corner.
And now, all of that was gone.
Due to the nearly ten million people "grafted" out of thin air from Sapphire City, the entire operational hub of the Fire Moth had been pushed into overload.
Otto's decision was efficient and ruthless.
Sapphire City had only an economic shell, lacking strategic depth and an industrial foundation. Compounded by its unfavorable terrain, it was far from an ideal doomsday fortress.
So, with a wave of his hand, he initiated an unprecedented population migration plan of ten million people.
He would transfer the people of Sapphire City in orderly batches to the super-metropolitan area centered on ARC City, which was currently under expansion.
Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Fu Hua, Li Sushang... everyone who could be mobilized, whether combat personnel or logistics and administrative staff, every single one was drafted by Otto.
That's right, that heartless capitalist Otto didn't even spare the nine-year-old Li Sushang. Li Sushang even had to take leave from school for this. God knows what Lyle's expression was when he found out.
The first large-scale migration was in three days. These three days were the final window for preparation and mobilization, and also the period during which this "isolated island" on the tenth underground level was destined to be undisturbed.
Home was still home, but because it had lost all its familiar neighbors, it had become unprecedentedly empty and strange.
And this emptiness was not diminished in the slightest by the presence of an identical self.
On the contrary, the other's existence was like a mirror, clearly reflecting an identical loneliness, which in turn doubled this suffocating sense of hollowness.
They were not each other's companions, but proof of each other's loneliness.
Tch, what a useless piece of trash, can't even do something this small.
The two unreservedly expressed their profound contempt, then silently walked into the living room.
They didn't even turn on the lights, just let the "natural light" from the simulated windows illuminate the room.
They each occupied a corner of the sofa, with enough space for three more people between them.
Their disguises were still on. The two "Stelles" sat there with faces full of fatigue and confusion, sinking into an anxiety and unease amplified by the silence.
After a long, oppressive silence, Shu finally took the initiative to break it.
His voice was dry. Although it was still "Stelle's" voice, the tone had returned to Shu's own calmness and directness.
"We can't go on like this."
The "Stelle" disguised by [Shu] responded almost immediately, her tone equally flat.
"A waste of time, increases risk."
"Let's lay down some ground rules," Shu said.
"Agreed... The terms?" [Shu] asked.