Chapter 438: Extra Story 4
Su Tao was completely dumbfounded.
Fragments? Merge?!
In a flash of realization, she seemed to understand something and, with a pounding heart, selected “Yes.”
[Merging in progress, please wait…]
[Merge complete. The Landlady System has fulfilled the hidden condition for upgrading to level 9: finding a lost main system fragment. Would you like to spend 100 million Federation credits to upgrade the system?]
Su Tao’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest as she quickly chose “Yes.”
[Congratulations, the Landlady System has upgraded to level 9. The system has now transformed into the Main System. Remaining system fragments: 0/2.]
[Unlocked functions and the store can be viewed on the relevant interface.]
[Upgrade reward: Future Store unlocked. Check the store page for details.]
In a daze, Su Tao opened the system interface and found that a new module labeled “Flight Construction” had appeared on the main screen.
Upon clicking it, everything became clear—it was the system that once belonged to Elder Xiao. All the features and stores he had unlocked over the past decade were now fully accessible to her.
If she had a regular airplane in front of her, she could transform it into an aircraft carrier in minutes.
Su Tao’s throat felt dry—so dry that she couldn’t speak.
It seemed… there was only one system, which, for some unknown reason, had shattered into several fragments.
The Landlady System was the largest fragment, encompassing essential needs like “food” and “housing.”
Old Xiao’s system was a smaller piece that specialized in modifying flying vehicles. Luo Yan’s system was probably also a small fragment, covering transportation.
By this logic, two pieces were still missing.
What could they be? Clothing? Accessories?
Her guess was probably correct—it had to be related to fashion, accessories, or entertainment systems, which would be considered too trivial to attract attention during the apocalypse.
Over the past year, despite her and Luo Yan’s efforts to locate similar systems, they had found nothing.
Su Tao’s mind buzzed—was the system implying that she needed to gather all the fragments?
What’s going on? She was supposed to be enjoying retirement, but now she suddenly had another mission on her hands?!
“Tao? Tao! Are you in shock?” Xiao Wenyu’s face appeared in her line of sight.
Snapping back to reality, Su Tao forced an awkward laugh. “A little bit, yeah.”
She was definitely in shock—both from Xiao Wenyu’s ruthless methods and from the sudden system merge.
All she wanted was to be an ordinary, carefree couch potato.
Xiao Wenyu, however, laughed heartily and without a care:
“I’ve always believed in repaying grudges tenfold—whether it’s my father or a god, if they cross me, I’ll take them down!”
Su Tao chuckled along with her. “Congratulations—you got what you wanted.”
“Tao, are you scared of me?” Xiao Wenyu suddenly asked.
Su Tao shook her head. “No. Anyone who flies a plane to rescue me would never hurt me.”
Xiao Wenyu burst into loud laughter, spinning Su Tao around in a joyful hug.
“Tao, I’m so happy—so, so happy!”
What’s the best part about having a powerful friend?
It meant that for the two days Su Tao stayed at the Xiao family estate, she could walk around like a queen.
Although she never bullied anyone, even the youngest half-siblings of Xiao Wenyu would line up to please her—desperately trying to win her favor and, by extension, Xiao Wenyu’s approval.
Even Shi Zijin, who tagged along for free food and drinks, benefited from the VIP treatment.
However, Shi Zijin’s good looks and elegant demeanor had a side effect—he completely captivated Xiao Wenyu’s fourteenth sister. Every time the young girl saw him, her eyes lit up like a blooming flower.
But despite her obvious crush, she didn’t dare approach him—only managing to call him “Mr. Shi” from a distance before scurrying away.
When Su Tao and her crew departed, the young girl cried bitterly, knowing that her first love had come to an end.
Once they were back on the road, Su Tao eyed Shi Zijin up and down before clicking her tongue.
Shi Zijin, feeling offended, leaned in close and playfully demanded, “Why are you clicking your tongue? Huh? What’s that about?”
His breath brushed against her skin, and the warmth of it wrapped around her, making escape impossible.
Blushing, Su Tao pushed against his chest. “You’re such a flirt—move away, you’re annoying!”
But Shi Zijin refused, rubbing his nose against her ear while making a low, buzzing sound.
“Can’t I just flirt with you? Hmm?”
Su Tao, ticklish and unable to hold back, burst into laughter. “You’re impossible! Go away, you clingy thing!”
Reluctantly, Shi Zijin moved about twenty centimeters away before pointing to his shoulder.
“Look—your hair’s clinging to me.”
Su Tao glanced over—sure enough, a strand of her hair had stuck to his coat due to static electricity.
Shi Zijin grinned. “Your hair wants to stay with me.”
She kicked him.
Even after the kick, Shi Zijin couldn’t resist sniffing around like a puppy.
Su Tao, who had been trying to explore the new Future Store, finally snapped.
“What are you sniffing for now?!”
“You changed your shampoo. Let me use some tonight.”
His words were casual, but the way he gazed at her—like she was the only thing worth looking at—made her heart race.
Annoyed, Su Tao slapped a sticky note onto his nose.
“Enough, dog-boy. Go swap with Jiang Yu—it’s his turn to drive.”
As Shi Zijin sulked his way to the driver’s seat, Su Tao turned her focus back to the Future Store.
The store lived up to its name, offering cutting-edge technology beyond the current Federation’s capabilities—medicine, weapons, high-tech gadgets, and even smart home robots.
She even spotted space elevators and interstellar ships, once considered nothing but wild scientific fantasies.
The realization struck her—if she played her cards right, she could explore the stars.
Her pulse quickened at the thought—but one glance at the prices cooled her excitement.
Since these futuristic items crossed time and space, they came with hefty technology taxes—a basic product costing 3,000 crystal cores could require an additional 12,000 in taxes alone.
Still, she browsed on—until her eyes landed on a blue-green vial.
Its description claimed it could heal up to 90% of physical injuries—both external and internal.
What shocked her most was the comment section below.
The most recent review read:
“After our first child, my wife suffered irreversible physical damage. Doctors said we could never have another child. Thanks to this product, we welcomed our second adorable daughter into the world.”
