PGVCW Extra2

 

Playing God in Various Catastrophic Worlds

​Extra Chapter 2: A World Reborn

​Once, the Heavenly Salvation Sect of Cangming existed only as an ethereal illusion projected in the air, but now, a genuine branch of the Heavenly Salvation Sect stood firmly upon those lands.

​Blue Star was currently undergoing post-disaster reconstruction. Although there were plans to build a grand new headquarters for the Heavenly Salvation Sect on home soil, current construction efforts prioritized foundational infrastructure to meet the population's daily needs.

​Consequently, the children of Blue Star had never witnessed such a breathtaking, awe-inspiring sect compound before.

​When Xia Wang'an brought them over to Cangming, the children went wild with excitement, running all over the place under the guidance of administrative automata.

​Xia Wang'an was in no hurry. She casually watched them frolic around with a contented smile. At her current level of cultivation, even if these children sprinted out of the sect or ran all the way to the edge of the world, they remained under the enveloping umbrella of her spiritual perception.

​Besides...

​"Look at them—they look just like we did when we were kids," Xia Wang'an remarked, watching a young boy who had been rummaging through a forbidden corner and accidentally angered a stationed staff member, currently fleeing for his life with little legs pumping. A nostalgic smile lit up her face.

​Having retrieved all her memories, lost fragments of her childhood occasionally floated back into her mind.

​Yuan Ning also wore a nostalgic expression: "Indeed. Back then, I couldn't outrun you, so you turned back to rescue me."

​And then both of them had been dragged off to school by the ear to be reported to their teacher.

​Both of them thought simultaneously: What a wonderful childhood.

​...Until the staff member caught the fleeing child, scruffed him like a kitten, and marched him right over to register a complaint with his two "teachers."

​Ah... all in all, everything was still quite delightful.

​Xia Wang'an's visit this time was not solely to bring the children on a guided tour; she had also come to deliver Tuoluo.

​Tuoluo did not care about her current physical form in the way others assumed. Her primary concern had always been: If I lose control, will I harm the people I wish to protect?

​Had she cared about superficial aesthetics, she would never have stepped onto the battlefield in the first place.

​So what if her physical appearance had transformed into an arachnid? She didn't dislike spiders at all. In fact, possessing multiple appendages made combat far more convenient than in her human years.

​Now that she possessed Yunxing's genetic stabilizer serums, capable of completely suppressing the bestial instincts in her DNA, she cared even less about her appearance.

​To be alive—wasn't that already a magnificent resolution?

​Conversely, her devoted subordinates wept tears of sorrow one after another. Since Tuoluo intended to cultivate at the Cangming branch of the Heavenly Salvation Sect, they flatly refused to leave her side.

​According to the calculated deductions of Xia Wang'an—a grand senior of immortal cultivation—Tuoluo's unique condition allowed her to pursue the path of Demon Cultivation.

​Once her cultivation reached supreme mastery, she could naturally shift into her arachnid form or assume a human avatar whenever she pleased.

​When the disciples of the branch heard that their revered elder had returned alive, their celebration was cut short by the realization that the senior generation had no intention of departing again.

​Amidst this heartwarming, tear-jerking reunion, the only jarring departure in tone came from Chu Langyue, who had formerly served as a deep-cover operative at the Corrupter headquarters.

​After weeping bitterly in an embrace with his two surviving disciples, Chu Langyue—who had been gently stroking their heads a moment prior—was suddenly hit with a soul-piercing interrogation.

​The Sect Master of the Extermination Wheat Sect demanded: "Master, tell Martial Sister right now... before you departed, didn't you explicitly tell me that among all your disciples, I was your favorite?"

​The Sect Master of the Extermination Rice Sect sneered cold-heartedly: "Master, go ahead and tell Martial Brother... didn't you promise me that I was your most beloved disciple?"

​Chu Langyue: [...]

​He turned on his heel and sprinted away: "Your Highness! Your Highness, if you are going into secluded meditation, please take me with you! Don't leave me behind, Your Highness! Why are you running even faster now, Your Highness?!"

​The rhythm of life on Blue Star had fully returned to its peaceful track.

​Xia Wang'an spent her days happily exploring different places, occasionally trying her hand at teaching. Whenever she missed her friends in other worlds, she would step through space for a leisurely visit.

​On this particular day, she opened her eyes to the gentle chirping of morning birds. Stepping out her front door, she called out to the official recorder who was diligently weeding the garden:

​"There is a fluctuation in the timeline. Extremely subtle, but it is definitely there."

​Humming a tune as she weeded, the recorder nearly dropped her mechanical trimmer.

​For a Blue Star that had endured temporal reversals and faced a "Corrupter God" capable of altering time itself, any fluctuation in time was news that instantly triggered maximum alarm.

​It had only been two short years since the grand war against the Corrupters.

​The recorder's expression turned grave: "I will report this to higher command immediately."

​Liu Bao was a reborn soul.

​In his previous life, he had watched his father starve to death, his mother perish from dehydration, and his maternal second uncle—crippled early in life—fail to escape during a mutant raid.

​And after all that came the terrifying celestial apocalypse.

​He had never imagined that no matter how desperately humanity struggled, when confronted with a planetary collision powerful enough to obliterate the entire globe, total extinction remained the only outcome.

​Surrounded by a sea of molten lava, he had sprinted frantically without a path to safety. Hearing a child crying amidst the chaos, he had scooped the youngster into his arms to run together.

​Yet before they could take more than a few strides, they were completely swallowed by raging magma.

​Liu Bao awoke amidst absolute, suffocating terror. Then, his eyes fell upon a familiar framed photograph hanging on the wall.

​It was their complete family portrait. But in his memory, that picture had been lost years ago during a mutant invasion.

​How could it be hanging on the wall right now, perfectly intact?

​Just as he suspected he was trapped in a dream, his mother's voice echoed from outside the room:

​"Liu Bao, get out of bed! You're going to be late for school!"

​Mother!

​It was his mother's voice!

​Overwhelmed by shock, Liu Bao didn't even notice that the room around him was subtly different from his memory.

​Barefooted, he scrambled out of bed and pushed open the door, actually catching sight of his mother changing her shoes near the entryway.

​Seeing him emerge, her brows immediately knitted into a stern glare: "You little brat! Just because your grades in Cultivation Class improved a bit, you think you can act reckless? Walking around bare-footed in this freezing weather!"

​Another familiar voice chimed in: "Exactly! You haven't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet—how dare you go around barefooted?"

​Liu Bao couldn't quite process the terminology his parents were throwing around. To be precise, he wasn't listening closely at all; he simply stared in utter shock toward the living room:

​"Father?!"

​"Calling on your father won't save you! Put on your shoes!"

​After narrowly avoiding a joint physical reprimand from both parents, Liu Bao finally slipped on his shoes. Because he uncharacteristically wrapped his arms around his parents and refused to let go, despite their verbal complaints, his parents felt a warm swell of affection in their hearts.

​He sat dazed at the dining table, staring at the three dishes, one soup, and a steaming pot of fluffy white rice before him.

​"Is this a dream...?"

​Ever since he was born, he had never tasted genuine white rice, let alone such mouthwatering, aromatic meat. And those vibrant green leaves over there—those were fresh vegetables, right?

​If this wasn't a dream, how could he possibly be staring at delicacies that even the Chief Executive of the state couldn't afford to consume in his past life?

​A gentle swat landed on the back of his head. His father scolded from the side: "Silly kid! Isn't it just a field trip for a Starship Space Tour? Are you so excited that you can't even eat your food?"

​"I'm telling you right now—if you don't finish every bite on your plate, I won't let you step out the door for school!"

​The moment the words left his father's mouth, his son pounced on his food like a ravenous wolf. Liu Bao grabbed his bowl and began devouring the meal with wild abandon, swallowing so frantically it looked as though he might eat the wooden table along with it.

​Father Liu: [...] "There's no need to eat that fast... the school transport won't be here for another ten minutes."

​Mother Liu rolled her eyes at the unreliable father-son duo. Finishing her shoe adjustment, she instructed: "Be careful when you're out there having fun. Stick close to your supervising teacher. Oh, by the way—I heard there's a small chance your tour guide teacher today might be Daoist Master Wang'an herself. Pray that your luck holds up so you can meet her!"

​"That's Daoist Master Wang'an! If you happen to meet her, remember to fetch an autograph for me!"

​Father Liu added hurriedly: "Me too! Bring one back for me as well!"

​Desperate to agree to any request his parents made, Liu Bao nodded vigorously while shoveling food into his mouth.

​He still struggled to distinguish between dream and reality, but once his stomach began aching from being stuffed to maximum capacity, reality hit him squarely.

​"This... this isn't a dream?!"

​His father handed him a digestive tablet: "Have you gone foolish from over-excitement? A grown boy like you, overeating to the point of a stomachache?"

​With tears welling in his eyes, Liu Bao looked at his father, preparing to deliver an emotional speech, when two rhythmic honks echoed from outside.

​Father Liu quickly pulled him toward the door: "The school transport is here! Hurry up and get aboard! Remember to stay safe!"

​Reluctant to part with his family, Liu Bao was about to speak when the front door was pushed open from the outside, and a tall man stepped inside.

​He actually walked right in!

​Liu Bao stuttered: "Second Uncle... your leg... wasn't your leg amputated?!"

​Second Uncle looked baffled: "Did you sleep yourself silly? Didn't my leg grow back a year ago thanks to the Genetic Regeneration Serum?"

​Liu Bao stood dumbfounded.

​Genetic Regeneration Serum? That sounded ridiculously high-tech. But he had just checked the calendar—he had clearly been reborn!

​Could it be that he had been reborn into a parallel timeline? A parallel Blue Star endowed with absurdly advanced technology?

​Honk—honk—

​The school transport honked again from the street. Father Liu promptly ushered his son out the door.

​Having realized that Blue Star possessed high-level technology, Liu Bao stepped outside—only to find himself facing an elegant, ancient-style Flying Vessel hovering in the air.

​Escorting the vessel on both sides were middle school students playing and laughing while riding on flying swords. Looking closely, they turned out to be his exact middle school classmates from his memory!

​His desk-mate of three years was currently hanging upside down on a flying sword performing acrobatics. Spotting Liu Bao, he flipped upright and stood proudly on the blade:

​"Liu Bao! Hurry up! Why are you dawdling so much today?!"

​Liu Bao: [...]

​Th-That... was that a flying sword?!

​The kind of flying sword seen in xianxia television dramas?!

​While Liu Bao remained paralyzed in shock, his second uncle—who had been an amputee for years—suddenly produced a flying sword out of nowhere, scooped Liu Bao up by the collar, deposited him safely onto the Flying Vessel, and then glided gracefully back down to the ground.

​Liu Bao: [...]

​Stepping onto the Flying Vessel, he discovered that the deck was loaded with endless arrays of delicious food. Looking down from the height, he spotted abundant green vegetation spreading across the surrounding terrain, completely devoid of the endless yellow sandstorms from his memory.

​He pinched himself hard—it was genuinely not a dream.

​He snapped into high alert. He needed to find the government! He had to inform the state that a catastrophic asteroid collision was coming in the future, and Blue Star's sole avenue of survival was constructing starships to escape into deep space!

​Although time was short and building starships might fail, at least it offered a fighting chance.

​Besides, since everyone could inexplicably ride flying swords now, perhaps they could use flying swords to fly directly into outer space?

​His expression hardened with grim resolve. His desk-mate glided back over and clapped him on the shoulder:

​"Liu Bao, is that Starship Space Tour you signed up for fun? I'm thinking of registering for it too!"

​Liu Bao: [...] "What... what tour?!"

​Desk-mate: "The Starship Space Tour! Is outer space fun?"

​Liu Bao: [...]

​He felt a wave of relief mingled with utter bewilderment. But he quickly realized—if starships already existed, they could easily locate a new habitable planet for humanity.

​Searching the boundless universe was undeniably difficult, but it didn't matter—anything was better than remaining on Blue Star to be crushed by an asteroid impact.

​Just as he was pondering this, the Flying Vessel's intercom chimed: "Attention students, please be seated in your designated spots. The school transport is about to initiate interdimensional transit to the ancient realm of Cangming. Please fasten your safety belts."

​Liu Bao: [...] Interdimensional transit?! An ancient world?!

​In the very next second, he watched a shimmering spatial tunnel materialize directly ahead.

--

T/N:

Yo, we finally made it to the absolute finish line, fam! 😭 It’s been a wild ride translating and editing this novel. I actually finished translating this a few months ago, but I only started posting the chapters just last month. I was super skeptical at first, wondering if anyone was even reading it or if it was even readable—had a whole bunch of overthinking going on! But since I already started it, I figured, screw it, might as well just go with it. And I'm so glad I did. Big shouts to everyone who stuck around till the very end!

Real talk though, my hands and neck are completely fried from pulling marathon sessions in front of the screen. My joints feel like they're about to give out permanently. Drop some recommendations in the comments—should I try hand decompression, wrist braces, or some miracle cream? Seriously, let a translator know what actually works for RSI because typing chapters for hours is no joke.

Anyway, just a heads-up that the Extra chapters are officially locked in, so the story is 100% complete now. If you loved the journey, do your girl a solid and drop a good rating on NovelUpdates to help the novel get the hype it deserves.

Catch y'all on the flip side in the next translation projects! Peace out! ✌️

—Siofra