Huo Li sat on the small bed and looked at the black-haired youth somewhat dumbfounded: “You can't possibly know about this ...... At that time, you weren't even born yet ......”

Black-haired boy, “Xiao Mao's prophecy.”

Huo Li, “You already know?”

Black-haired boy, “To be precise, it's not a literal prophecy. This kind of prophecy is irrevocable. When Xiao Mao predicted that ‘Happy Planet will be completely destroyed at 11:00 a.m. on the 4th of August, 12036.’ The fate of Happy Planet was already sealed. No matter the effort, the last infected person on the planet would inevitably be replaced by parasites at that moment.”

Huo Li was even more stunned, "Xiao Yi, you knew Happy Planet would be destroyed before you even went there to investigate?"

Black-haired boy, “No. At the time, I still worked hard to find a way to alter the planet's destiny because I had always doubted the accuracy of the kitten’s prophecies. But once Happy Planet was truly destroyed, I felt guilty and frustrated for about five seconds. Then I realized: since the prophecy was immutable, even if I located every human who hadn’t yet been infected and saved them, they would still die at that moment due to sudden heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms, car accidents, food poisoning, etc. So, since Xiao Mao had foreseen it, even spending three days eating and drinking on Happy Planet wouldn’t change its fate. Therefore, I calmly accepted its destruction and acknowledged the truth of the Xiao Maos prophecy. This is probably what humans call fatalism.”

Huo Li, “......” (Why does it feel like this optimistic alien has been corrupted by human decadence?)

The black-haired boy continued, “As for the fleeting images Xiao Mao saw, those are entirely different. The images foresee possibilities in the future. If the kitten shares or tries to alter those futures, things often take a turn for the worse. For example, three days before I was bound to zz2d14—when I had not yet escaped the Weyland space station or killed all its researchers—you were already sent by the main system to the polluted planet as an ‘Executioner,’ on standby.”

The term ‘Executioner’ made Huo Li pale even more and he hurriedly explained, “Xiao Yi, I truly didn’t know the main system’s intentions at the time.”

Black-haired boy, “So what? If you saw an alien slaughtering an entire planet and didn’t know the situation, would you kill it on the spot?”

Huo Li hesitated for a long time, avoiding the youth's gaze before finally admitting, “Yes, I would kill it.”

Black-haired boy, “Why are you blaming yourself?”

"Huh?" Huo Li, who was waiting for the young man's judgment, was dumbfounded.

Black-haired boy, “If it were me, I would have killed it without hesitation. Oh no, in fact, I’d be even more extreme. As soon as I saw an alien, I’d kill it immediately, regardless of whether it was destroying the world or not!”

The young man paused and stroked Huo Li's hair. “So why feel guilty? You made the same choice as me. You wanted to kill an alien that's destroying the world. But that alien definitely wouldn’t have been me.”

Huo Li sat on his small bed in a daze, feeling that he had just ridden a rollercoaster. Just when he thought he was descending into hell, he was unexpectedly lifted to heaven! A burden that had long weighed on his consciousness was finally lifted. He no longer had to live in fear, worrying that the boy would one day discover the truth and never forgive him.

The black-haired boy noticed Huo Li's adorably stunned appearance, and felt that he was simply too cute! When the youth leaned slightly on the miniature bed, the mattress tilted, causing Huo Li to lose his balance. The little figure tumbled off the bed and rolled several times on the soft cotton padding before stopping, dizzy and disoriented.

The youth picked up the wobbling Ho Li, placed him beside the pillow, and playfully tapped his shoulder. “Hey! Wake up. I haven’t even told you about the earth-shattering secret between you, the main system, and Xiao Mao yet! Xiao Mao had already 'seen' certain scenes of the future when I was still trapped in the Weyland lab. These included me slaughtering the Weyland station and, more horrifyingly, using black strands to destroy an unlucky planet. Isn’t that right?”

Xiao Huo Li nodded with a surprised look in his eyes.

Black-haired boy, “But based on Xiao Mao's psychic attributes, if she shares this with others or tries to prevent it, things would go from bad to worse. She didn’t dare gamble on what could be worse than an alien slaughtering a world! Yet she couldn’t sit idly by, knowing an alien was about to ‘destroy a planet,’ so she informed the main system.

So, the main system analyzed the situation. If Xiao Mao publicized it, the world’s forces would hunt the alien, which might lead to an even worse future. Therefore, the system adopted a halfway surveillance approach, not taking action against me before I did something evil. It allowed me, this ‘inevitably world-ending dangerous entity,’ to wander from planet to planet with an intentionally dumbed-down system companion.

Over time, as zz2d14 transmitted real-time signals, the main system learned more about me. Initially, it suspected I was a cunning alien in disguise. But as time passed, it became convinced I had no hostility toward humans. Still, the kitten’s prophecy that I would inevitably destroy worlds troubled it.

When the Interstellar Federation pressured the system to hand me over, it ignored the prophecy and relied solely on observation. It endured immense pressure to shield me. I have to say that it really did make a good judgment. The main system was very apprehensive about this, but when it connected the dots between the cause and effect of the prophecy, I finally gained its trust. Later, it gave me a false identity and sent me to ‘investigate the truth,’ ensuring the prophecy’s ‘world-destroying’ scene unfolded as predicted.”

Huo Li nodded as his heart palpitated, "If the Main System's judgment was affected by the prophecy, it would have launched a baseless hunt for you...."

Black-haired boy, “I might have completely lost faith in humanity and decided to act like a true alien. I could have spread the black strand's spore across interstellar travelers without anyone noticing. After three months, they would simultaneously erupt on billions of planets. You wouldn’t be able to stop me from wiping out humanity in days. Even if you protected one planet, its inhabitants would be the only survivors. If my hatred for humanity outweighed my disdain for my own kind, I could have used black spores to create billions of alien offspring from humans, bypassing even the strongest mental powers. Not even you could escape that massacre.”

Xiao Huo Li saw the coldness in the youth's eyes, and couldn't help but instinctively shrink back to his small bed, “But Xiao Yi, none of this happened, right? Xiao Mao's prophecy wasn’t about you destroying humanity but about you saving it from parasites. Prophecies can be harmful sometimes, the misunderstandings they create can be far worse than the warnings they give!"

Black-haired boy, “How do you know Xiao Mao didn’t foresee me slaughtering actual humans? Her vision only showed scenes of the future. Whether I slaughtered humans or a parasitic beast was not up to me but on the choices made by the main system, Xiao Mao, and you.”

The black-haired youth watched as Huo Li subconsciously wrapped a handkerchief-sized quilt around his Q-version form. He sat obediently on his small bed and spoke in a serious voice:

“Right! Xiao Yi, you’re less than four years old. If something bad happens, it’s not your fault; it’s because we adults failed to guide you correctly. Even if you harbored malice toward humanity, it would be due to their distrust and persecution, failing to set a good example. You’re just a child!”

“Pfft! Hahahahahahahahahaha!” The youth couldn't hold back, and the cold expression that had been maintained for a while suddenly broke. He clutched his blanket and laughed breathlessly, “Huo Li, the way you looked just now was too funny! Acting like an adult in that tiny form, talking about my education. Do you really think I’m a kid? Hahahaha!”

Xiao Huo Li's face was filled with black lines, (If you’re not a kid, why did you turn me into a small figurine and treat me like a doll?)

.

The next morning.

After a sleepless night on his small bed, Xiao Huo Li used his walnut-sized brain to ponder until dawn. Something felt off. He climbed off the bed, his short legs pattering across the floor as he climbed onto the pillow. He carefully approached the black-haired youth's ear, ready to speak but hesitated to wake him. Instead, he quietly admired the boy’s exquisite side profile.

Twenty minutes later, when the boy woke up, Huo Li was still counting his long eyelashes. As the boy sat up, the pillow shifted, causing a "mini-earthquake" that sent Ho Li tumbling off.

The black-haired boy asked groggily, “Hey? Why aren’t you sleeping on your bed? Crawling onto my pillow—aren’t you afraid I’ll accidentally squish you in my sleep?”

Huo Li, “Xiao Yi, were you just scaring me last night? Even if the main system mistakenly tried to hunt you, you wouldn’t destroy the world. I know you.”

The black-haired youth yawned and replied lazily, “Not necessarily true. What if I was in a bad mood?”

Huo Li was still trying to state the conclusion he had come to after thinking about it all night, “Xiao Mao’s prophecy might not even come true, especially after she revealed it. Once the prophecy is public, that future ceases to exist. If you stop supporting the Salvation Alliance, the 'world-ending' scene on Happy Planet won’t happen. Without your help, humanity might fall entirely to the parasites. This is the correct interpretation of the two possible outcomes of Xiao Mao’s prophecy.”

Seeing Huo Li's serious face, the black-haired youth grabbed and lifted him to eye level and said, “It's good that you're happy. Come on, let’s go wash up, and this time, don’t mistake toothpaste for face wash.” (How do I answer a question that I, myself, am not sure about?)

Xiao Huo Li was not satisfied with the change of topic and started bouncing in the youth's hand to get his attention: “Xiao Yi, it only took you 4 minutes to see that the polluted planet is a trap. If you wanted to destroy the world at that time, you would already mix into the interplanetary flights to spread the black threads instead of diligently absorbing the garbage."

The black-haired boy lifted the bouncing Huo Li closer to his face and said helplessly, “The reason why I saw through this test in the fourth minute of arriving is that when I was in space, my brain weighed only a few pounds. Can a brain that only weighs a few pounds be considered a brain? At that time, my IQ was basically zero, so of course, I couldn't tell that zz2d14 was a silly spy sent to confuse me. But as soon as I arrived at the contaminated world, my brain volume began to recover rapidly and it finally weighed more than a ton in 4 minutes. By that time, I was able to think normally. Get it? For example, your current brain volume...... Huo Li, have you realized that you've been particularly stupid these days!”

Huo Li felt an arrow hit his knee and decided to wash his face obediently, (No more overthinking with my jujube seed-sized brain!)

Half an hour later, everyone emerged from their quarters. Having purchased the "Level 1 All-Element Abilities Gift Pack" from the system store, everyone had taken care of their morning routines in their rooms using small streams of water. Now, they were fully equipped and ready to tackle the day's mission.

Aliena activated her holographic projection device, displaying various images of mutated plants and animals, "These are the mutated flora and fauna we've cataloged over the past few months on this nuclear-polluted planet. So far, we've explored one-seventh of the planet's surface and documented 144 species that pose a threat to humans. Today, we'll conduct further reconnaissance in this city."

The black-haired boy wondered, “Reconnaissance? Shouldn't we be eliminating them?”

“Eliminating?” Britney laughed as if she heard a joke, “Just a few of us trying to clear out even a single large city of its mutated species would take over a month. And this planet has at least thousands of medium and large cities, not to mention countless small towns. As long as the radioactive sources pervading the entire planet remain, new mutated species will continue to emerge, and humans will still be unable to live on the surface."

"Exactly. That’s why we suspect the main system sent us here to exile us! Typically, in the aftermath of a nuclear war, survivors are evacuated via starships—there’s no need for any heroic efforts to save the planet." Liu Mo chimed in.

The black-haired boy thought to himself, (Of course, there’s a need. If you don’t come, who is going to cover up my system’s signal?)

Liu Mo continued, casting a purification spell on each team member, enveloping them in a white glow, “So we’re essentially under house arrest by the main system! Sister-in-law, I mean... Xiao Yi, you need a purification spell too—it'll give you six hours of radiation protection. Don't you think that's enough? Sister-in-law, now that our leader isn’t here, you need to conserve your points. A bottle of purification potion costs 10,000 points!”

The black-haired teen replied, “No need, thanks. And call me Xiao Yi.”

Liu Mo: “Eh ......”

Aliena glared at Liu Mo for his careless chatter and was slightly satisfied when she saw that he finally took a hit, “Okay, let’s get moving before the purification blessings wear off!”

The group climbed out of the manhole cover and stepped into the early morning streets of the dead city, which was almost completely dark. The beams from their powerful flashlights barely penetrated a few meters before being swallowed by the thick black fog.

The overwhelming silence in the area created a heavy atmosphere, forcing the group to maintain conversation just to stave off the crushing atmosphere.

While everyone was trying to create a relaxed atmosphere filled with discussions about interstellar attractions and food, someone spoke up and cautiously asked, “I wonder how the boss is doing right now?”

The group fell silent all of a sudden, and no one answered for a while. The small bit of levity and relaxation they had just managed to create disappeared entirely.

The same team member persisted, “We all know that the boss has been wrongly accused. First, he has nothing to do with 0193, and second, it’s absolutely impossible for him to start a nuclear war!”

Aliena’s somewhat sullen voice came from the front, “We all know these two things, so what? What can we do about it?”

The black-haired youth silently thought to himself, (Ah, human intelligence…)

The team member at the rear mustered their courage and proposed, “Let’s go to the Interstellar Federation together! Let’s demand they re-investigate the case and clear the boss’s name!”

Black-Haired boy, “Pfft! Cough cough cough!”

Britney rushed over, “What’s wrong, Xiao Yi? Don’t choke now!” She couldn’t help but worry—if anything happened to the boss’ 'little boyfriend' right in front of them, it would be a disaster.

The black-haired boy managed to cover his laughter with a cough and waved her off. “Cough, cough. It’s nothing—I just choked.”

Aliena’s voice came from the front, “Have you all forgotten the orders the boss gave us before he went to the Happy Planet? No matter what happens, we must not act rashly! If the boss finds out we disobeyed his order…”

In the dim light, the group visibly shuddered.

Liu Mo, "No, no, no! I wouldn't dare! If the boss finds out about what I said to sister-in-law, I'm as good as dead—let alone disobeying orders!" Liu Mo's voice trembled slightly, clearly afraid of Huo Li.

"That's right! We shouldn't act rashly," Britney’s voice, no longer as lively as before, now carried a hint of fear. "Have you forgotten what happened to Lewis...?"

For a moment, the whole team fell silent.

Only the black-haired boy looked puzzled. "Who is Lewis? What happened to him?"

Britney quickly caught up to him, tugging on his lapel, causing a small earthquake in Huo Li’s temporary residence (his coat pocket). “Xiao Yi, you really don’t want to know. This is… It's too much. We’re afraid it might scare you.”

Liu Mo, who was in front, also turned around. "Yes, don't ask sister-in-law. If the boss finds out we told you this, he'll definitely kill us!"

The black-haired boy secretly used his hand to steady the mini Huo Li, who had been shaken up by Britney. "It’s okay, you can tell me! I won’t say anything to Huo Li."

Unable to resist the temptation, Liu Mo glanced around nervously before leaning in to whisper, "Well... don’t take this the wrong way. The boss is a good person, but when he’s angry.... he’s terrifying. Also, please don’t tell him we told you this!”

The young man gently steadied Huo Li in his pocket to keep him from swaying, “Uh-huh! I'll never tell!”