Chapter 729: The Dark Sentinel (End)

Tang Wan was practically tearing at her hair in frustration, pacing back and forth as she muttered, “I was this close. Just this close.” The feeling was unbearable, like reaching the climax of a mystery only for everything to cut to black at the most crucial moment. It made her chest tighten with irritation.

But after venting for a while, she slowly forced herself to calm down.

What Little Cutie said made sense. If Tongtong was bound by some kind of restriction, then maybe he truly could not reveal everything directly. Maybe those vague words were the only clues he could leave her.

Once her thoughts settled, Tang Wan began to carefully piece together everything he had said.

First, he said he missed her. That meant they must have known each other before, even if she had no memory of it now.

Second, he said he had been waiting for her, waiting for her to wake up and fall in love with him.

That was the part that troubled her the most.

If he was waiting for her to wake up, then it suggested that she was not truly dead in reality. It pointed toward something else entirely, something like being trapped in a state between life and death.

A vegetable.

The possibility made her heart skip a beat.

Could it be that her real body was still alive, lying somewhere unconscious, while Tongtong waited for her to open her eyes again?

And if that was true, then another thought followed naturally. What if she had already met him in the real world, but for some reason had not fallen in love with him? Was that why he kept appearing in these worlds, taking on different identities, trying again and again to make her notice him?

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible.

For a moment, a strange warmth spread through her chest.

Maybe Tongtong was someone she had once overlooked in reality, someone who had silently loved her for a long time.

Little Cutie, standing nearby, watched her expression closely the entire time. He had expected something worse, maybe confusion or emotional collapse, but instead she only seemed deeply absorbed in her thoughts, gradually becoming calmer.

Relief washed over him.

After a while, he cautiously spoke, “Host, the settlement is complete. Would you like to draw the lottery?”

Tang Wan snapped out of her thoughts. “Draw.”

“Alright.”

Little Cutie secretly hoped for something good this time. If she got something impressive, it might lift her mood further.

Soon, Tang Wan activated the draw.

A golden light appeared almost instantly.

Her eyes brightened. “What is it?”

Little Cutie’s voice turned excited. “Host, it’s a deluxe system upgrade package. With this, I can upgrade again.”

His tone shifted immediately, becoming almost pleading. “Host, you’ll use it on me, right?”

Tang Wan glanced at him, then lifted her chin slightly. “I’ll keep it for now. Let’s see how you behave.”

With this in her hands, she finally had some leverage over him.

Little Cutie froze for a moment, then reluctantly nodded. “Alright.”

Tang Wan spun the wheel again.

Another golden light dropped.

“Congratulations, host. You’ve obtained a farming manual. Using it can significantly increase crop yields. It’s extremely useful for agricultural worlds.”

Tang Wan stared blankly.

Two top-tier rewards, and neither felt particularly impressive.

Little Cutie hurried to explain, sensing her dissatisfaction. “Host, don’t underestimate it. If it’s classified at this level, it must have its value. Imagine if you end up in a survival or rural world someday. With this, you’ll never have to worry about food. You could turn even the worst land into something productive.”

Tang Wan exhaled slowly, her expression unreadable.

Fine.

Even if it wasn’t immediately useful, it might come in handy someday.

For now, though, her thoughts still lingered on one thing.

Tongtong.

And the truth he had almost revealed.