Qin Chu pulled the small bed from outside into the hiding room and put it together with the one inside. He also set up a shelf to store clothes and some daily necessities, which just served as a small, pitiful bedroom.
There was no shower in the bathroom, so Levi brought over a hose and managed to turn it into a makeshift bathroom.
Emerging from the shelter and watching Levi connect the water pipes, Qin Chu felt as if he had lost his mind.
Otherwise, why would he leave his fully equipped dormitory to watch Levy renovate his studio?
But a strange feeling was also swirling in my mind.
When Qin Chu spent his heat cycle at Levi's house, he didn't consider it home, because it was clearly a place where he couldn't resist.
Thinking about it carefully, he really had a very weak sense of home.
In the previous worlds, he stayed for very short periods of time. Even when he had a place to stay, Qin Chu's mind was always preoccupied with the mission.
If I had to pinpoint a home from my memories, the one that best fits would be his residence on the garbage planet.
At that time, Qin Chu lived in an abandoned underground pipe. He built his own bed, and all his daily necessities were either picked up or traded. His living conditions were very simple.
At first, he could stand upright inside, but later he grew taller and had to bend over slightly to go in, and he would accidentally bump his head.
Then he was adopted, and Qin Chu spent most of his time at military school. While his adoptive father was still alive, he still had a place to return to.
Then it was gone forever.
Qin Chu had a residence on the capital planet, but he rarely went there and had even forgotten what the room looked like.
He spends most of his time in the captain's office of the first warship.
Sometimes, when the warships were docked at the port of the Imperial Capital Star, all the soldiers on board had already gone home, but Qin Chu still lived on the warship, watching the people coming and going at the port through the ship's transparent windows.
But he knew very well that the warship was just his workplace, and he would only stay there during his term of office.
Qin Chu thought that his life would probably consist of moving from one office to another, either dying on a mission one day, or ending up in a military nursing home when he was too old to walk.
But at this moment, watching Levy try his best to decorate the studio like a home, Qin Chu suddenly thought of how he used to drag things into pipes when he was a child.
It's likely that this scene truly touched upon humanity's instinct to build nests.
In this cramped, rudimentary virtual art studio, Qin Chu once again felt a vague sense of home.
It's complex, warm, and heavy.
It's completely different from living in the office.
He leaned against the wall for a while, then walked over to Levy.
Levi thought he was going to turn on the tap, so he quickly stopped him: "Wait, it's not connected yet. If you turn it on now, you'll spray water all over my face."
But he soon fell silent.
Because Qin Chu pulled him up and kissed him.
Author's Note:
Let it be sweet for a little while longer before continuing the story.
Chapter 114, The Fifth Story (The End)
Levi was still holding the water pipe, his hands covered in water stains, when Qin Chu grabbed him.
He was taken aback for a moment, but quickly laughed: "What's this? Are you impressed by my handsomeness?"
"A little." Qin Chu nodded.
Levy laughed for a while, then leaned in and kissed him.
He had already pulled the hose to its limit, and as he leaned forward, it snapped open with a "bang".
Qin Chu looked at the water pipe: "..."
“…What a waste of time.” Levi scratched his hair helplessly, but still leaned over and kissed him again. “The water pipe was down, it would be too much if I didn’t kiss him.”
After dawdling for a while, Levy squatted down and continued his work.
Qin Chu stood aside and watched him.
After watching for a while, Levi couldn't continue. He looked up at Qin Chu and sighed, "Are you looking at me like that because you want to test the stability of the bed first?"
Qin Chu raised an eyebrow: "That works too."
Levy was about to throw down the hose and pull the person into the hiding room, but quickly remembered that it wasn't dark yet, and after all, it was an art studio with people coming and going outside.
Besides, if the shower isn't fixed, Qin Chu will have to run back to the dorm to take a shower later that night.
With a sigh, Levi pushed Qin Chu out of the bathroom: "Alright, stop bothering me."
Qin Chu was pushed out like that, which felt quite strange.
By the time Levi finished installing the water pipes and hanging up the showerhead, it was already dark outside.
I could hear people talking and laughing as they left in the hallway; they must have gone to have dinner.
When Levi came out of the bathroom, Qin Chu was standing by the window looking down.
He walked over and launched a sneak attack on Qin Chu's waist, but as expected, his wrist was grabbed.
"Still so vigilant at a time like this?"
With his wrist still held, Levi simply put his arm around Qin Chu, rested his chin on Qin Chu's shoulder, and looked out the window.
The streetlights downstairs from the art studio were already on, and people were coming and going on the street. Because the windows were open, you could hear laughter and chatter from downstairs.
The stadium in the distance was also getting busier and more lively.
"Have you washed your hands?" Qin Chu squeezed Levi's fingers.
Levi turned to look at him: "You think my hands are dirty now? You didn't think so when you pulled him up to kiss him just now."
The teaching building gradually quieted down completely, leaving only the faint noise coming from downstairs and in the distance.
The two stood by the window, looking out in silence, both feeling an indescribable sense of peace and tranquility.
People like them have long since given up on the pursuit of stability; the thrill of danger is the main theme of their lives.
But immersing yourself in this moment for a few seconds is not bad.
No one expected that they would experience such a rare feeling in real life in such a dangerous virtual world.
Maybe it's not that life has changed, it's just that I've found a different person.
After watching for a while, Levy suddenly sighed.
"What's wrong?" Qin Chu asked.
“I was thinking, I would never have believed before that one day I would be in a place like this, holding someone and not wanting to let go,” Levy said.
Qin Chu also found it strange.
He never imagined he'd have such a day, and his subordinates in the real world probably would never have imagined it either. If they saw this, they might even think he'd been replaced.
“I’m actually quite grateful for the Mastermind’s rebellion,” Levy said.
"Hmm?" Qin Chu squinted at him.
“Don’t look at me like that. If such a big thing hadn’t happened, you definitely wouldn’t have come here, and you wouldn’t have met me,” Levy said.
Qin Chu nodded: "The chances of encountering this in the real world are also slim."
Levy was displeased by these words and pinched Qin Chu's chin, shaking it: "How come you're not big anymore, General Qin?"
"If we run into them, they'll probably put you in jail too," Qin Chu said.
Levy was taken aback for a moment, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
The low laughter muffled the sound around Qin Chu's neck, making his ears itch.
“Why would you need a prison to keep an eye on me?” Levy said. “Just handcuff us together with electronic handcuffs, and I promise I won’t run away.”
The two stayed in the studio for a while longer before going downstairs to the restaurant for dinner.
The two spent the night in the newly built home to test the sturdiness of the modular bed.
It didn't collapse, but the noise was probably a bit loud.
Thankfully, no one was in the art studio at night. If someone had come back to get something, it might have added another eerie tale to the building. For example, some studios on a certain floor might have been rumored to be embroiled in fights at night…
Information about the mastermind was successfully transmitted to the cabinet.
A few days later, Qin Chu finally submitted the painting he had prepared for the exhibition, despite his best efforts.
The art exhibition is coming soon, and after this exhibition, Qin Chu will leave the world.
He never felt any reluctance when he left the world; each time, he was decisive and efficient.
But this time, Qin Chu had some unexpected feelings.
It wasn't just because of leaving, but also because of the increasingly complex tasks and the need to think about the mastermind's purpose.
Now he has found Levy, and also sensed a rebellion within the cabinet, while simultaneously marking so many human consciousnesses in this world.
Logically speaking, Qin Chu has already exceeded his mission objectives. At this point, returning to the real world and catching the traitor within the cabinet should be Qin Chu's primary task.
However, the information that the mastermind was gradually revealing, as well as its attention to him, made Qin Chu feel that he was about to grasp the core purpose of the mastermind's rebellion.
If Qin Chu misses this opportunity and exits the virtual world, it will be difficult for him to re-enter.
Moreover, although this matter has a significant impact, it is essentially the responsibility of the cabinet, and whether he can intervene properly after leaving the cabinet is another matter.
The military and the cabinet have separate responsibilities. Under normal circumstances, the cabinet still controls the entire empire, while the military's responsibility is only to manage the borders and resist beast tides.
However, according to the Empire's wartime policy, if the Empire is deemed to be in a state of war, then the Empire will be entirely under the command of the military, and the Cabinet will lose all autonomy.
However, determining the state of war is complicated, and the cabinet will certainly try to find a way to negotiate with the military.
By then, most of the time will have been wasted, and the situation on the mainframe side is still uncertain.
Noah was also calculating whether it would be more appropriate for Qin Chu to stay in the virtual world or go back.
But Levy never seemed bothered by this problem.
Qin Chu considered many factors, including imperial policies, internal cabinet conflicts, conflicts between the cabinet and the military, and even the human consciousness imprisoned in the virtual world.
But Levi's thinking was simple: all he needed to do was be with Qin Chu.