The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

the other side.

Within the Wasteland Era.

Zhou Jian has just left.

A sparrow fluttered its wings and landed on Lin Mo's shoulder, tilting its head and its eyes sparkling.

What exactly do you want to do?

The system's voice carried a confusion it itself was unaware of.

It couldn't understand Lin Mo's behavior at all.

Instead of focusing on improving their strength, they're inquiring about old stories.

Moreover, even after listening to the sparrow from beginning to end, I couldn't figure out what the main point was.

Lin Mo did not answer immediately. He picked up a rag and continued wiping the table beside him.

It was as if they wanted to clean away every single speck of dust.

He didn't hide anything from the sparrow either:

"I originally thought that since Zhou Jian had been in contact with the Bone King, he might know some information about the Fate Weaver Queen."

He spoke as if to himself, with a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.

"Even if we don't know the exact location, we should at least know the general area where the empress is active."

"As it turns out... he seems to know nothing."

The sparrow was even more confused upon hearing this.

【The Weaver of Fate? What do you want with her?】

Even if you know her location, what can you do? What makes you think she'll help you?

The system's logic is very simple and straightforward.

Do you have the resources to join forces with someone of that caliber?

How arrogant are king-level beings!

Lin Mo's current actions are like a slightly stronger ant seeking cooperation from a giant dragon.

That sounds like a joke.

The two sides were completely mismatched in strength, and Lin Mo did not have enough leverage to attract the other side.

How can such cooperation continue?

Upon hearing the word "chips," Lin Mo stopped wiping the table.

He turned his head, looked at the sparrow on his shoulder, and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Not before."

"But now, we have it."

The sparrow's wings stiffened for a moment. It could sense that the aura emanating from Lin Mo at this moment was completely different from before.

That was an absolute confidence.

What bargaining chips do you have? Something to entice a King-level being?

Sparrow instinctively pressed for an answer.

Lin Mo didn't answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"What do you think would be most interesting to the Weaver of Fates?"

The sparrow was taken aback and hesitated for a moment.

Lin Mo didn't need its answer.

He slowly straightened up, his gaze falling on the gray wasteland outside the safe zone.

"When interests align, enemies can become friends. Aren't the rules of the Bone King and my safe zone my best bargaining chip?"

Lin Mo suddenly smiled and looked at the sparrow beside him.

"Tell me, is Ainz Ooal Gown's life a sufficient bargaining chip?"

The sparrow was stunned.

Its data-driven thinking seemed to be struck by a thunderbolt at this moment.

AI still can't replace humans; that's a huge leap in thinking.

How exactly does a human brain work?

He actually turned the death threat from Ainz Ooal Gown into an opportunity to eliminate Ainz Ooal Gown.

Lin Mo ignored the system crash and looked away from the sparrow on his shoulder.

"Therefore, the first step now is to find this Empress."

"Please post a server-wide announcement for me."

Lin Mo's words were clear and cold.

Mission objective: Explore all unknown areas.

"Exploration Rewards..."

"Source Crystal".

The sparrow nodded.

I will make sure everyone receives the message.

As for the rest, I can't help you. Within my observation range, there is no trace of the Weaver Queen.

Sparrow paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before adding in what he considered to be a very objective tone.

And I think you shouldn't have too high hopes.

[The area I can observe is already extremely wide; even I can't detect it. With the current speed and agility of these people, even if they knew the exact location, they probably still wouldn't be able to get there.]

This is the most reasonable conclusion based on realistic conditions.

After listening, Lin Mo simply smiled and shook his head.

He pushed the cleaned table back into its original position, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

"Who said I was going to take the initiative to go find her?"

【? 】

The sparrow had clearly encountered an incomprehensible problem once again, and a symbol representing doubt appeared directly above his head.

"Can't I just wait for her to come to me?"

Lin Mo turned around and looked leisurely at the little thing with its head tilted on his shoulder.

He continued speaking slowly and deliberately.

"You don't really think that the Weaver of Fate wouldn't notice my appearance at all, do you?"

"Such a large safe zone suddenly appeared; how could she not know?"

Now Ainz Ooal Gown has made his appearance.

So where is the other one now, and what is he thinking?

The sparrow understood.

Its small body sat stiffly on Lin Mo's shoulder, its wings forgetting to flap.

The data stream surged forward at an unprecedented speed, ultimately culminating in a heartfelt exclamation.

You humans are so insidious!

Lin Mo: "..."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

......

at the same time.

A white light flashed across the safe zone outside the general store, and Chi Zhengyang's figure materialized.

He barely paused; as soon as he logged on, an announcement that resounded throughout the entire server popped up in front of him.

[Server-wide Announcement: A large-scale exploration quest has been launched. All players are free to explore unknown areas on the map, discover new coordinates, landmarks, or special resource points, and will receive rewards based on their contribution.]

[Mission Reward: Source Crystal.]

Chi Zhengyang paused only slightly.

He ignored the players around him who were in an uproar because of the announcement and strode straight toward the general store.

This announcement undoubtedly confirmed his and Mr. An's suspicions.

Lin Mo has indeed begun to take action.

Moreover, it happened in a way they never expected.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the grocery store.

Unlike usual, the grocery store was closed today.

A wooden sign hung on the doorknob, with two simple black characters written on it.

rest.

Inside the grocery store.

Just as Lin Mo was about to go upstairs, the sparrow on his shoulder suddenly fluttered its wings.

That guy named Chi Zhengyang is right outside the door.

Lin Mo stopped moving.

"It was a bit unexpected, but I understand."

"Click".

A soft sound.

The tightly closed shop door opened with a click.

Lin Mo appeared behind the door, stepped aside, and gestured for him to come in.

"Lao Chi."

Chi Zhengyang stepped inside.

As he entered, the door behind him closed automatically, completely isolating him from all the noise and prying eyes from the outside world.

The room fell into a silence completely different from the outside world.

Chi Zhengyang looked around.

The small grocery store was well-organized. Although there weren't many items on the shelves, they were all neatly arranged, and the floor and countertops were spotless.

This place doesn't feel like a shop in a post-apocalyptic wasteland at all; it's more like a convenience store in an alley during peacetime.

"Comrade Lin Mo, I'm sorry to bother you so late."

Chi Zhengyang withdrew his scrutinizing gesture, turned to Lin Mo, and got straight to the point.

"There are just some things I think I should discuss with you."