Wasteland's Only King-Chapter 68: Going Home

Gunzhou University.

After leaving Old Yu’s Noodle House, Yu Jin went straight here.

A moment ago.

The two elders were scared out of their wits by that video from Yin Shanhai.

But...

They truly believed everything Yu Jin had said.

Helmet, crossing worlds, Wasteland, Oumuamua, and the looming disaster on Blue Star.

Everything Yu Jin should or shouldn’t have said, he said it all.

After that.

Old Yu’s reaction was a bit strange.

He stayed silent, put on the helmet, and gave Yu Jin a string of detailed location coordinates.

This way, after the crossing happened, Yu Jin could find him quickly.

As for Cao Fang...

Her choice completely exceeded Yu Jin’s expectations.

"I’m not leaving."

Thinking of this, Yu Jin sighed again.

He wasn’t sure if Cao Fang’s decision was right or wrong.

After all—

Oumuamua polluting Blue Star is just speculation so far, it’s not completely certain.

Even if it does happen, the extent and scale of its impact can’t be confirmed.

The future is impossible to predict right now.

...

...

"Bro?"

Boys’ dorm.

Yu Chen took off his helmet, saw Yu Jin standing next to him, and his eyes went wide in surprise.

This late at night...

His big brother actually came looking for him?

"Come with me."

Yu Jin didn’t waste words, and led Yu Chen up to the dorm rooftop.

In the night wind.

Yu Jin, using the simplest and most direct words, told everything to this kid brother he’d gotten on the cheap.

"Really?"

Yu Chen didn’t look all that shocked or happy; instead, he seemed a bit disappointed, as if he’d long suspected it.

In truth.

These past few days of playing the game had already made Yu Chen realize that was anything but simple.

He just didn’t expect that the crossing was only 48 hours away.

"Your beta save can be kept. You still have time to level up these two days."

"Send me your in-game coordinates later, so I can find you in the Wasteland."

When Yu Jin finished speaking.

Yu Chen didn’t "obey" like before, but instead shook his head:

"Bro, I don’t want to level up anymore."

"I want to go home."

...

...

Leaving Gunzhou University.

Yu Jin didn’t have the driver take him back to Jiang University.

He thanked him, watched the black sedan disappear out of sight.

Then.

Yu Jin found a spot in an unmonitored empty corner.

Buzz—

Spatial Imprint activated.

Yu Jin’s figure appeared two hundred kilometers away, at Jiangcheng Langlang Mountain.

With only 48 hours left before the crossing, Yu Jin stopped worrying about exposing his extraordinary abilities.

In truth.

Today, when Yin Shanhai laid it all out, Yu Jin had also considered "coming clean"—

To come clean and let Guo Jia use his abilities to help with "environmental protection," squeezing more system rewards and profits.

But after weighing his options, Yu Jin let go of that idea.

There were three reasons.

First, system rewards have limitations on type, and don’t trigger repeatedly.

Picking up trash, petting animals, cleaning chemical plants...

There are rewards, but not many left.

Second, Yu Jin is already Tier Seven. Next, he’ll need to break through to Tier Eight and Tier Nine—at that point, only Tier Nine pollution sources can help him.

As for nuclear pollution, Yin Shanhai already gave him the opportunity to come into contact with it.

Third, and most importantly—

Coming clean would mean the risk of exposing his system.

Yu Jin truly had no good way to explain—

Why, while still on Blue Star and before the crossing, he managed to become a Tier Seven Evolver and the Dawn City Lord.

And was even planning his breakthrough to Tier Eight and Nine.

Even if he’s already Tier Seven, even if he’s confident enough to "lay down the law."

The system is something that absolutely cannot be exposed—that’s the inviolable bottom line!

Others can suspect, can guess, but they can never be certain.

As for the system itself, Yu Jin currently has no ability to figure out where it came from, but not exposing it is always the right choice.

If the system really is from some so-called "High-dimensional Civilization," then Yu Jin having it is no different from a kid walking through a marketplace carrying gold.

That’s the brilliance of Yin Shanhai’s long-term vision.

He’s well aware of Yu Jin’s abnormalities, but never once asked about them.

Just like Yu Jin never asked who the "Reincarnator" is.

This was the tacit understanding between both men.

...

...

Jiang University, boys’ dormitory, Room 615.

When Yu Jin pushed open the door, Old Cui and the other two were still wearing their helmets.

Yu Jin used the Eye of Insight to check the info on all three.

He saw that after Yu Fei and Brother Gang, Old Cui had also advanced to Tier Two.

Yu Jin watched for a moment, then stepped forward and patted all three on the shoulder.

"Eh?"

"Old Yu’s back?"

Old Cui was the first to take off his helmet, frowned in surprise when he saw Yu Jin.

Yu Fei was the second to take his helmet off.

Carefully placing the helmet on the desk, he turned to look at Yu Jin.

Noticing Yu Jin’s serious—almost solemn—expression, Yu Fei’s gaze grew a bit dim.

"Haha!"

"Just need two more Tier Two Crystals and I can break through to Tier Three!"

When Chen Gang removed his helmet, his face was all excitement.

But...

When he saw Yu Jin’s grave expression, Chen Gang quickly quieted down.

"Guys, I need to say something."

Yu Jin took a deep breath.

Then.

Just like before, he clearly explained everything about the Wasteland game, helmets, the crossing, Oumuamua...

After a long time.

The dorm was silent.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.

"Yin—Senior Sister Yin told you this?"

Old Cui, clenching his fists, rasped the question out.

"Yeah."

Yu Jin nodded, not bothering to elaborate.

Five minutes later.

Old Cui packed the helmet into its box, and with head down, started packing his suitcase.

"Old Cui, what are you...?"

Chen Gang stared, confused.

"Going home."

Old Cui replied, voice muffled.

On the other side.

Yu Fei did the exact same thing as Old Cui.

He even packed faster.

After all, he’d already planned to go back to Yanjing this weekend.

But after hearing the exact crossing time from Yu Jin, Yu Fei decided to change his flight—even though his new departure would be just a few hours earlier than planned.

"Sigh—"

Seeing the two of them start packing up, Chen Gang sat in his chair and sighed.

He didn’t get along well with his family.

Truth be told, in his three years at university, except for Spring Festival, he’d never returned home to expensive province during winter or summer breaks.

"Go home, Brother Gang."

"If you don’t..."

"You might never get the chance again."

Old Cui paused, hand stopping mid-pack when he heard Brother Gang’s sigh.

He looked at Chen Gang, his tone unusually serious.

"Yeah."

Chen Gang nodded.

He didn’t rush to pack but took out his phone, checked flight info.

The distance from Jiang City to expensive province is long—he had to book the ticket ahead in order to plan his departure.

In the dorm.

Yu Jin stood still, watching the three of them pack, feeling something he couldn’t quite name inside.

Once he was sure there were only two days left before the crossing, Old Cui, the others, and Yu Chen had all chosen to go home.

And himself?

Even though he’d put Perception Marks on Old Yu, Cao Fang, Yu Chen, and the guys here...

In the plan for his last two days, "going home" wasn’t on the list.

"Am I too cold-hearted?"

"Did I get too fixated on leveling up after getting the system?"

Yu Jin asked himself, standing there.

After a while.

Yu Jin shook his head resolutely.

"No."

"The road I have to walk... isn’t the same as theirs."

"I need to upgrade as fast as possible, get strong enough to..."

"Someday in the future, beat the Wasteland, and bring them..." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Back home."