Collapse? No, this is just everyday life.

Unlike the enclosed room they had just been in, they were now standing on a sunny, flat area. Theresa was pulling him toward a large door with the words "Houmu Amusement Park" printed on it.

From afar, you can see the incredible array of attractions inside; in reality, it would be a sea of ​​joy.

Since there were no tickets required for the virtual world, they simply rushed in.

Suddenly, the noise, the bustling atmosphere, and the beautiful music that played made them feel as if they had stepped into another world the moment they entered the door.

However, looking at those little Houmu who were both tourists and staff, Nangong Yu felt something was off.

Unlike him, Theresa's eyes were practically overflowing with light. She let go of Nangong Yu's arm and ran forward happily, her black and red dress fluttering in the wind, revealing her slender, fair legs.

She ran a short lap, looked left and right, touched everything, then turned around and waved happily at Nangong Yu with her back to the sunlight: "Mr. Houmu, let's go play together!"

The adorable way it kept swaying its body made Nangong Yu smile involuntarily.

So what if she's in her forties? It's really hard to resist such an adorable Theresa.

He waved back, and this big, goofy little guy ran to her side, making her laugh non-stop. Then, he pulled her along, and the two of them started playing wildly on each of the amusement park rides.

......

Destiny Headquarters.

A man with long blond hair, dressed in the attire of a bishop of destiny, stepped into the deepest laboratory. He dismissed the medical staff in the room and looked at the brightly lit nutrient tank. His calm expression revealed an undisguised tenderness.

This is one of the most precious treasures in his heart.

He even slowed his steps as he walked gently to the side of the nutrient tank. Inside, a thin, adorable little girl with big red eyes smiled happily when she saw him.

"Grandpa~"

The amplified sound was slightly distorted. Otto bent down, placed his hand on the cabin window, and asked with a gentle smile, "Moonlight, did you have fun today?"

"happy!"

At this point, her fragile little body seemed to burst with boundless energy, and she excitedly shared with her grandfather, "Today I ate cake with Mr. Houmu, played bumper cars, rode the carousel, and..."

She recounted her experiences one by one, and finally said, "Of course, the happiest thing is meeting Mr. Houmu who has always been by my side!"

"Yes, as long as you're happy under the moon."

Otto didn't feel anything was wrong. It was Houmu Amusement Park, after all. Just like his eldest granddaughter, it was normal for Yuexia to like Houmu so much.

"Grandpa, when is the next time we go out to play?" Yuexia's voice was filled with anticipation.

"About a week later."

"It's been so long..."

Otto felt a pang of heartache at the visible disappointment in his granddaughter's eyes. He said softly, "Let's wait a little longer, Yuexia. The gene adjustment and treatment will be completed soon, and then you'll be able to stand carefree in the sunlight, just like your sister."

"Um!!"

Grandpa's vision of the future filled Yuexia with longing, and then she asked with some anticipation, "Then, after I get better, can I go and play with Mr. Houmu?"

Otto paused for a moment, then smiled gently and said, "Of course."

It's just a Houmu. As long as Yuexia likes it, we can buy a whole building of Houmu without any problem!

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Under the Moon?

"How does it feel?"

The mental drag returned, and after saying goodbye to 'Theresa', Nangong Yu's vision went black again. A few seconds later, she regained the feeling of lying in the metal box.

The restraints automatically popped open. He took off his helmet, covered his head, and slowly sat up, supporting himself against the metal inner wall. As soon as his vision focused, he saw Cocolia's somewhat worried expression.

He let out a soft breath, a smile quickly spreading across his face. He looked at Cocolia and the others behind her, including Seele, and said, "Don't worry, there's nothing to worry about."

Then, he curiously raised his hands, looked at them in front of his eyes, clenched his fingers and then loosened them, exclaiming, "It's really incredible. I can hardly distinguish between virtual and reality inside."

"Can't tell the difference?"

To everyone's surprise, Dr. Tesla, who was listening to his mutterings, frowned and exchanged a glance with Dr. Einstein before whispering, "It seems the realism is set too high. We feel it's necessary to lower it a bit."

"Ah."

It would be quite dangerous if people couldn't distinguish between virtual and reality, and this is something that must be taken seriously. For example, the pain sensitivity setting can only be adjusted to 50% to deal with this situation.

She stepped forward, stood next to Cocolia, and asked him, "Besides these, did you encounter any problems during the experience?"

"A problem? Let me think about it."

After stroking his chin and thinking for a moment, he said hesitantly, "Because the experience time was relatively short, I only found two noticeable problems. One was the occasional but quite noticeable lag, and the other was that my sense of taste would occasionally go wrong. I took a bite of ice cream inside and burned myself."

"That's it."

While recording on his tablet, Tesla said, "The lag is because we're not using the most advanced communication system. That technology is currently in the hands of Shencheng Technology, but we'll be able to reach a cooperation agreement soon, so it's not a big problem. As for the taste, it's probably because the program responsible for the relevant neurons is malfunctioning. I'll check it out later."

Seeing Nangong Yu being pulled up by several girls and surrounded by them like a star, Tesla waved to them impatiently: "Now that the test is over, hurry up and leave. Chicken Head and I are still waiting to do the experiment."

"When is the next test?" Nangong Yu asked. He and 'Theresa' had made a promise to play together again next time.

"I'll notify you by phone in a week."

"Okay~"

The group left the laboratory in a grand procession. Xi'er, Ya Ya, and Kaguya finally couldn't resist their curiosity and crowded around him, asking him all sorts of questions. Nangong Yu didn't find it annoying and patiently and meticulously answered them.

Cocolia walked behind the children, watching them laugh and interact, and a smile crept onto her face.

After a while, seeing that her daughters' curiosity had been satisfied, she went over and asked, "Xiaoyu, do you know who Tianming took the test with?"

"That one, it's from Germany..."

His open mouth suddenly stopped, and he looked at Cocolia and asked, "Regarding Principal Theresa of St. Freya Academy, does she have a sister or relative who looks a lot like her?"

He had some doubts when he first saw those eyes, but since the appearance in the virtual world can be adjusted at will, and she didn't deny calling him Theresa, he put his doubts aside for the time being.

However, during the subsequent trip, the obvious contradictions in Theresa's behavior deepened his suspicions once again.

Despite being a school principal in her forties, she acts like a naive young girl, full of freshness and curiosity about everything in the world. That cute and innocent demeanor is impossible to fake. Especially when she goes to a new place, the look of surprise and joy in 'Theresa's' eyes makes her seem anything but mature.

"Ok?"

After frowning and thinking for a moment, Cocolia seemed to have thought of something and replied somewhat uncertainly, "Now that you mention it, I seem to remember something. It was Walter who mentioned it by chance. Otto actually has two granddaughters. One is Theresa, and the other was sickly from birth and has spent many years in bed. Are you talking about that child?"

There really is!

Do you know his name?

"Hmm, I've forgotten the exact name, but I remember it had the words 'Moonlit Night' in it? So, you ran into her?"

"...If nothing unexpected happens."

Recalling the time the two of them played together, how Yuexia looked like she was exploring the world for the first time, how come she's still having such a miserable time in the everyday world? It seems there's another reason to look forward to the next experiment.

"With current medical technology, is there no way to cure that girl named Yuexia?"

Beside her, Seele asked a question in confusion.

"It can be cured, but the process is quite complicated, involving a secret of destiny."

After looking around to make sure no one was there, Cocolia randomly chose an office, pulled them inside, and then closed the door tightly.

"what happened?"

Cocolia gestured to the puzzled children, gesturing for them to sit down.

"I was originally planning to wait a while before telling you about this, but since it's been brought up today, I might as well tell you."

"whats the matter?"

"It's that secret about destiny."

After a pause, Cocolia smiled and looked at each of the children before asking, "Do you know who is currently in charge of Destiny?"

"Otto."

They're fairly familiar with the world's three largest technology companies.

"Do you know how old he is?"

"..."

Don't you think he still looks very young even now?

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately began to ponder, and it seemed that, indeed, Otto had always looked like this since they could remember.

“Let me tell you, Otto looked just like this when I was a child.”

"How can it be?!"

People age; this is a natural law that no one can defy.

"Could he be a robot?" Bronya wondered.

"No."

Shaking her head, Cocolia didn't hide it for long and told them directly: "It's Destiny's genetic technology."

"No one knows exactly how long Otto has lived. Rumor has it that he and his wife were able to 'stay young forever' because of an accident. And thanks to this accident, which is now impossible to verify, Destiny has developed a lot of genetic technology. Now, with their technology, it is no problem to extend a person's life by hundreds of years. However, because it puts a lot of strain on the body, that girl named Yuexia has been taking care of her body since she was a child, and she is even older than you all."

"ah?!!!"

Seemingly pleased with the four children's shocked reaction, Cocolia continued with a smile, "Of course, on the one hand, it might cause social chaos, and on the other hand, because the cost is too high, this technology has never been made public."

"It's not just the people of Destiny. People like Walter, Dr. Einstein, and Dr. Tesla from Anti-Entropy have all undergone genetic modifications by Destiny. Otherwise, how could they still look so young at their advanced age? Dr. Mebius from Shencheng Technology even took this technology to the next level, but it was banned from use due to its excessive danger."

"...Then what about ordinary people..."

Upon hearing this, Cocolia chuckled and looked at Seele, whose little face was filled with confusion: "You may not know, but with the country's deliberate concealment, if an actual investigation were conducted, it would be found that the average age of people has been rising in an unreasonable way over the past ten years or so."

"Hey?"

Realizing what was happening, the sudden shock left everyone speechless. After a long while, Bronya finally raised her head and asked, "And what about you, Cocolia's mother?"

"Me? I haven't done it yet. After all, I haven't been here for long and haven't had time to go over. This virtual technology is actually a breakthrough by Anti-Entropy, but it's taboo to hoard everything. So we're relying on technology exchange and some gene adjustment quotas for joint development."

After a pause, Cocolia continued, "I've already reserved the spots for you in advance."

"!!!"