"Brother." Ren Yi gently patted Ren Man's shoulder and hopped onto the back of the electric scooter for the ride home, chattering away about the day's experiences as usual.
As always, Ren Man simply listened in silence.
The scooter came to a stop at a red light. Ren Man tilted his head slightly and offered a brief evaluation.
"Xiao Yi, you were very impressive."
Ren Yi felt a sincere, warm surge of joy bubble up from the bottom of his heart.
Hmm, is my dependency on 'family' still this strong? He found his own somewhat pathetic reaction a bit amusing.
"By the way, Brother." Ren Yi thought back to Lu Qing's final words. Since she had been acting so mysterious at the time, he hadn't asked out of politeness.
"Auntie Lu Qing said there's a 'big gig' for us soon. What did she mean?"
Ren Man remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
"The Alliance... encountered some trouble. A certain world... a setback. Too many resurrections," he explained slowly. "You all... eat too much. Energy... not quite enough."
"Wait!" Ren Yi immediately protested. "What do you mean 'eat too much'? I haven't touched a single energy crystal! I'm not taking the fall for this!"
He quickly sorted through the logic: It meant the invasion of a certain world had failed, and resurrecting the fallen Anomalies had consumed a massive amount of reserves. As a result, the 'rations' for feeding their batch of newborn cubs had become tight?
"So what does that have to do with us?" Ren Yi pressed. "Is the Alliance going to draft us 'child laborers' to the battlefield early?"
"Not child labor." Ren Man's tone sounded a bit awkward, as if he also felt his explanation was unclear. "Anyway... harvesting. Taking you... to the scene."
Oh. It meant the Alliance was preparing to launch a large-scale 'World Harvest' operation, going directly to a certain Pasture to collect energy. And they, the cubs, were like children being taken to a high-end buffet by their parents—they could 'mooch a meal' on-site.
It certainly was a 'big gig.'
"What kind of world is it?" Ren Yi's curiosity was piqued.
"A Pasture," Ren Man's answer was concise. "The ones you met today... are from there."
Ren Yi blinked.
From listening to those Participants' conversations earlier, he had gained a general understanding of the world they lived in.
The Participants privately referred to it as the "Three Cities World."
It seemed that only three large human cities remained on the entire planet. The rest of the regions were occupied by mutant beasts that were unafraid of conventional firearms. Among the Humans, Espers had been born to fight back against them.
At the same time, that miserable world was suffering from a continuous "Anomaly invasion."
Ironically, according to those survivors, the appearance of the Anomalies had actually given that collapsing civilization a second wind. Instances had become "danger zones" where they could obtain scarce resources, which in turn delayed their total extinction.
It didn't sound like a nice place.
Ren Yi leaned against Ren Man's back, thinking quietly.
The small scooter soon brought them home, and Ren Yi threw himself onto the sofa.
Phew. He let out a long breath. Home was still the most comfortable.
He lay spread-eagled, his body even struggling to maintain its humanoid form due to the extreme relaxation.
Ren Man brought lunch to the coffee table, and the two brothers ate while watching the news.
On the television, a male host whose face was "all mouths" happened to be talking about the subject they had just discussed.
Male Host: "The following is an important announcement. In response to the recent 'insufficient energy reserves for cub nurturing' incident, the Alliance has reviewed and approved Special Harvest Plan No. 37."
Female Host: "The core contents of the plan are as follows: The Alliance will initiate a comprehensive energy harvesting operation on the 'Three Cities World,' which has already been designated as a Pasture. Registration is limited to legal guardians holding complete Instances and the newborn cubs under their guardianship."
"This harvest operation aims to promote the new generation's understanding of the 'World Harvest' process and their adaptability to rules through combat observation."
Male Host: "The Alliance emphasizes that 'energy harvesting' and 'educational practice' are the primary objectives of this operation. The will to resist in said world has dropped below the threshold. The harvesting process is expected to be smooth and efficient, making it suitable as the first large-scale real-world operation experience for the new generation."
Female Host: "Registration channels will open simultaneously tomorrow at 12:00 at all urban administrative hubs and on the Anomaly Web. Guardians must submit their own qualifications and cub information in advance for review."
Male Host: "The Alliance wishes all guardians a successful harvest and hopes our new generation will gain valuable first-time 'Pasture practice' experience in a safe and orderly environment."
Female Host: "Next is the following news..."
Ren Yi's chopsticks froze mid-air as he blinked.
The wording of this news broadcast—things like 'energy harvesting' and 'Pasture practice'—really did put a 'refined and unconventional' spin on 'taking your kid to mooch a meal,' packaging it into an educational social activity.
Immediately, his eyes lit up. "Brother, so your Instance..."
"It's settled. You'll go with Auntie Lu," Ren Man said calmly, placing a piece of food into Ren Yi's bowl as he spoke.
"Huh?" Ren Yi instantly wilted. "Why? You can't take me?"
Ren Man put down his chopsticks, appearing somewhat troubled, but he still explained seriously.
"I can't get in. No qualifications."
He paused and added another sentence. "It's safer... with Auntie Lu."
Then, after a moment's thought, he said in a slightly clumsy tone, "When it's over... I'll come pick you up."
"Oh." Ren Yi nodded obediently, forcing himself to cheer up.
But his qualifications weren't suitable? How could such a thing exist even in the world of Anomalies?
Well, one could only say the Alliance was indeed doing a very good job of keeping up appearances.
He had heard that for Anomalies, opening an Instance was similar to opening a shop; it required initial investment, atmosphere setting, and emotion production... Perhaps his brother had kept his Instance too 'clean' and not scary enough, resulting in poor ratings and returns?
Thinking of this, Ren Yi became pensive.
It seemed that in the future, he would have to help his brother 'design' it properly.
The next day, after confirming the arrangements with Lu Qing and Lu Zihan, Ren Yi submitted his information.
Before long, a reply text from the Alliance arrived.
【"Three Cities World" Entry Application Receipt】
【Dear Ren Yi:
Your application has been approved. The relevant matters regarding this entry into the "Three Cities World" are explained as follows:
It has been confirmed that this world has entered an irreversible terminal phase, and the World-Ending Conditions for a Calamity have been met. The Alliance will execute the harvest operation according to established procedures and maintain the necessary Auxiliary Rules.
This operation is divided into two phases: the Instance Phase and the Descent Phase.
During the Instance Phase, you will join an Alliance-designated large-scale Instance as a member to assist in maintaining the normal operation of the Instance.
You must complete at least one effective kill to obtain a qualification credential to enter the Descent Phase. After meeting this condition, you must continue to participate in Instance maintenance until the Instance concludes.
The Descent Phase is a special reward segment of this harvest. After obtaining the qualification credential, you will enter the world in your True Form during this phase.
During this period, the Alliance does not set mandatory missions, and you may hunt freely.
When the world enters the Final Harvest Node, you will receive a unified evacuation order. Please ensure you proceed to the designated location for recovery immediately after the order takes effect.
The Alliance thanks you for your cooperation and wishes you a fruitful experience in this practice.】
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