I Run Away with the Earth to Save the World [Unlimited Flow] - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: The Earth: “0.0 Ooh… could it be you’re speciesist?”

The scene, which had become blurry and almost identical to the outside world, seemed to freeze for a moment as it spread to Yun Shuanghua’s side.

But it wasn’t entirely the same. The energy-dissipated erosion area, although restored to the state before the villa was burned down, carried an overwhelming silence and loneliness.

Yun Shuanghua stood alone on the empty road, holding the small bag of cookies Jing Qizhen had stuffed into his hands, cookies baked by the incredibly skilled chef Si Jiayang.

The March Hare, clutching the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ in its front paws, looked up and made eye contact with Yun Shuanghua. After a brief moment of blankness, the March Hare suddenly ducked its head back into the rabbit hole.

However, the rabbit hole, which had once connected to the fairy tale kingdom spawned from the book, reverted to nothingness after the book was burned. Now, it was just an ordinary, not-so-deep hole. The March Hare obediently crouched inside but still couldn’t hide the tips of its fluffy white ears poking out.

Yun Shuanghua’s figure wavered slightly.

He had remained calm and even indifferent all this time. But now, in the surrounding emptiness, he suddenly yawned and stretched lazily. When he opened his eyes again, his expression instantly softened, as if ice and snow had melted. His eyes and brows radiated warmth and a brilliant smile.

Unfazed by the desolate environment, Yun Shuanghua glanced around and murmured to himself, “Huh, where is this?”

After speaking, Yun Shuanghua’s gaze unconsciously fell on the bag of cookies in his hand. He blinked and instinctively reached in to take a couple.

They tasted fragrant, sweet, and soft, completely different from the hotpot he had last eaten at the Yunhai Wancheng Department Store!

Yet it was a different kind of delightful sweetness.

As he munched on the cookies, Yun Shuanghua didn’t forget the task at hand.

He could clearly sense that the energy from the erosion area had almost completely drained.

The energy of the erosion area mainly came from the area itself. Additionally, certain special items, when infused with the erosion area’s energy, could develop strange and peculiar effects.

However, while the unique energy might serve as a decent supplement for a planet, the same force could produce indescribable wonders for ordinary, small human beings.

Yun Shuanghua had no doubt that the one responsible for nearly depleting the erosion area’s energy was undoubtedly the planet known as Earth.

The energy fluctuations Yun Shuanghua had detected from Jing Qizhen earlier had already alerted him that the planet was different from most others. The Earth, too, possessed self-awareness.

Back when the Earth had thrown a tantrum in Jing Qizhen’s mind, repeatedly complaining about being eroded by thoughtless balls from other parallel universes, Yun Shuanghua had already noticed the issue.

Now, the erosion area’s energy was almost entirely dispersed. The only notable trace remaining was concentrated around the rabbit hole.

After roughly piecing together the situation, Yun Shuanghua headed straight toward the currently genuine rabbit hole.

The March Hare, hearing the approaching footsteps: “!!!”

Moments later, Yun Shuanghua reached in and grabbed the rabbit’s ears and pulled it out.

The March Hare, dangling by its ears, found itself staring face-to-face with Yun Shuanghua.

In fact, including its ears, the March Hare was taller than Yun Shuanghua. Unfortunately, its legs were still hanging in the rabbit hole, leaving it in a perfectly precarious position to be lifted.

Under Yun Shuanghua’s scrutinizing gaze, the March Hare froze entirely as it clung tightly to the cover of the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ in its paws.

Yun Shuanghua blinked with his sunny smile radiant. In a warm and concise tone, he said, “That book is useless now. The energy it absorbed from the erosion area has already been drained by another planet. What remains is in you, not the cover.”

The March Hare, still dangling by its ears, froze for a moment before blurting out, “Oh. 0.0”

Yun Shuanghua abruptly let go.

The March Hare dropped straight back into the rabbit hole but it reacted quickly and scrambled out in a flurry of movement. Dusting itself off, it used the cover of the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’ like a feather duster to pat away the dirt.

Even after dusting itself clean, the March Hare didn’t immediately discard the cover. After some thought, it carefully folded it, ignoring the fact that the hard, dictionary-like material of the cover would have been impossible to compress without the March Hare’s exceptional strength. It then stuffed the folded cover into the pocket of its dapper, jazz-era vest, which seemed to have otherworldly storage capabilities. Finally, it gave the pocket a gentle pat, as if cherishing its contents.

Although it had already emerged from the ‘Fairy Tale Anthology’s cover, who said a rabbit couldn’t feel a bit of attachment to its ‘homeland’?

Yun Shuanghua watched the March Hare’s actions with a smile but said nothing.

After a moment, he turned and walked off, heading toward the outer edges of the erosion area that Jing Qizhen and the others had never explored; an area riddled with treacherous spatial fissures capable of slicing anything into dust.

To Yun Shuanghua, the March Hare’s current state, using Jing Qizhen and the others’ terminology, was akin to a special artifact from the erosion area, except it was alive.

The March Hare hesitated for a moment, then quickly pulled out a golden pocket watch and glanced at the time. The hands remained frozen at midnight, causing the rabbit to panic. Gripping the watch in one hand and tugging at its jazz-style top hat with two bunny ears in the other, it hurriedly chased after Yun Shuanghua.

The March Hare called out anxiously, “Your Highness!”

Although your expression has changed and you seem so unfamiliar and frightening, you’re the only one I know from the fairy tale kingdom. Please let the brave and loyal Sir Rabbit follow you!

***

When they emerged from the erosion area, the foreigners who had been trapped in the villa still appeared dazed.

Having experienced similar situations several times, Jing Qizhen and the others maintained an air of calm, as if it were all expected.

For safety reasons, the villa district had been sealed off earlier. So when Caroline and the others looked around and saw the eerily silent surroundings, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Fortunately, the silence was broken by a commotion a few hundred meters away. Though the sounds were too far off to discern clearly, for those who had been trapped for so long, the presence of other people was a relief.

At the same time, Tang Song’s voice suddenly came through their earpieces. “You’re back?”

Jing Qizhen replied with a simple “Yes,” adding, “We’re all fine.”

Tang Song immediately understood. Their team was unharmed but the foreigners who had been trapped for so long had likely faced difficulties.

With relatives of the missing foreigners anxiously waiting nearby, some things were best left unsaid. Tang Song kept it brief, “Come out first!”

Jing Qizhen: “Got it.”

Although the villa area, designated as a danger zone, was off-limits to the public, its monitoring systems were still intact.

As Tang Song spoke with Jing Qizhen, the anxious relatives beside him crowded in front of the surveillance monitors. They saw the return of Professor Jones, Caroline, McCain, Joyce, Angelina, and the still-nervous Filipino maid.

But only the six of them. Sophia, Sean, and Williams were still nowhere to be found.

For a moment, emotions were mixed. Some rejoicing, others grieving.

As the owner of the villa and the host of the party, especially since his good friend Caroline had been caught up in the incident, David had been so anxious in recent days that he probably lost more hair than he could count.

Now, seeing Caroline return safely, David finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although there were still other missing persons yet to be found, David believed that at least Caroline could provide him with a complete account of what had happened.

The car Jing Qizhen and the others had driven in earlier was still parked nearby.

Gu Leshan walked over to inspect it, confirmed it was still usable, and was about to call the others to get in and leave when the sound of vehicles approaching from the previously sealed-off area grew louder by the second.

After Tang Song confirmed that the erosion area had disappeared, he naturally informed the authorities and the blockade was promptly lifted.

Within minutes, the relatives of the trapped foreigners and other relevant personnel swarmed in.

Perhaps due to Tang Song’s prior warning, ambulances also arrived this time, and not just one but several.

Tang Song himself had also made his way over, ushering Jing Qizhen and the others into their vehicle. Once everyone was inside and the doors were shut, he quickly scanned the group to confirm no one was seriously injured before asking, “What exactly happened in there?”

Jing Qizhen handed over his backpack and gestured for Tang Song to examine the special items inside. “These are all artifacts created by the erosion area; ‘Snow White’s Magic Mirror’, ‘The Witch’s Glass Slippers’, ‘The Witch’s Potion’, and ‘The March Hare’s Record Book’.”

Tang Song was startled. “Why so many?”

Jing Qizhen explained, “There was an anomaly when this erosion area began to expand.”

Erosion area expansion wasn’t unusual. When Jing Qizhen first consulted Tang Song, the Earth had already warned them about such critical situations.

But an anomaly occurring during expansion? This was a first.

Tang Song’s expression immediately turned serious. “An anomaly in an erosion area?”

Jing Qizhen nodded. “Yes, the core of this erosion area was a storybook. Over time, the book evolved and gave rise to a fairy tale kingdom.”

He then recounted the entire series of events, from the day Joyce and the others became trapped, detailing the incidents in a straightforward manner.

When Jing Qizhen finished, Tang Song didn’t focus on the anomaly. Instead, he frowned slightly and asked, “Did you run into that Yun Shuanghua again?”

Without a word, Jing Qizhen took out his phone and sent Tang Song a clear frontal photo of Yun Shuanghua. For once, the usually composed Jing Qizhen had a faintly indescribable and complex expression on his face.

“Investigate him,” he said softly.

Tang Song: “…”

Jing Qizhen suddenly noticed something was off. He paused and then realized, “You’ve already investigated him?”

Tang Song answered crisply, “Yes, but there’s no record of this person existing.”

All the suspicions up to this point had finally been further confirmed.

Jing Qizhen muttered to himself, “Does Yun Shuanghua originate from the erosion area itself? A native species born from the erosion area?”

The Earth suddenly chimed in, “Does that bother you a lot?”

After a pause, Jing Qizhen countered, “You’re so sensitive about erosion areas. Every time they’re mentioned, you freak out. And now, when an erosion area might have produced a special native species, this is your reaction?”

The Earth replied confidently, “But he’s been working with you all this time, hasn’t he?”

From the Earth’s perspective, whether it was humans or some other strange creatures, as long as they could eliminate the erosion areas and help drive away the other worlds, they were all part of the Earth’s shared community of life.

Similarly, the distinction between good and bad humans was irrelevant to the Earth.

Jing Qizhen thought about it and couldn’t deny it.

By the Earth’s logic, Jing Qizhen had no doubt that if it weren’t for the fact that he was the only one who could hear the Earth’s endless chatter, the planet would probably be cheering everyone on individually, right next to their ears, whenever they were caught in an erosion area.

The Earth drew out its words, “0.0 Ooh… could it be you’re speciesist?”

Jing Qizhen: “…?”

This ball seems pretty logical, doesn’t it?