107: Chapter 107 The Empress Pounces on Her First Physical Entry into the Wasteland

The golden light dissipated, and the dust settled.

That dizzying sensation of space tearing apart finally vanished, replaced by the hard, cold touch of alloy underfoot, and that biting cold wind drilling straight into his neck.

Jiang Chen subconsciously tightened his specially made tactical trench coat and slowly opened his eyes.

What met his gaze was a gray sky, industrial ruins billowing black smoke in the distance, and the air—filtered, yet still carrying a faint scent of rust and radiation.

This was the Wasteland.

The world he had seen countless times through a screen, now finally and truly beneath his feet.

"Hoo..."

Jiang Chen exhaled a puff of white mist, his vision focusing.

He stood atop the black altar, dozens of meters high, like a monarch who had just descended from the divine realm, overlooking the masses beneath his feet.

Below the altar was a dense sea of people.

Tens of thousands of fully armed Dawn City soldiers were currently maintaining a kneeling posture, even holding their breath.

Dead silence.

Absolute silence.

All eyes were fixed on him; that gaze—fanatical, devout, and even tinged with a hint of fear—converged into an invisible pressure, causing Jiang Chen's heart to beat a little faster involuntarily.

Is this... are these my believers?

"Um..."

Jiang Chen opened his mouth, just about to say something like "Hello, comrades" or "Rise, my subjects" to ease the awkwardness.

However.

Before his voice could even come out, a red and black afterimage suddenly shattered this sacred and solemn scene.

It was Jiang Wanqiu.

This Wasteland Empress, who had just been kneeling at the very front with a stern face, holding a battle saber, exploded like a lit powder keg the instant she saw Jiang Chen's face.

What imperial dignity?

What royal decorum?

To hell with it all!

"Father God—!!!"

A shriek laced with sobbing tore through the silence on the altar.

Jiang Wanqiu sprang up from the ground, her long legs encased in nano-combat boots erupting with astonishing power.

She tossed away the alloy battle saber in her hand that symbolized her power, letting it clang onto the ground without even glancing at it.

Then.

Under the stunned gaze of tens of thousands, she rushed toward the top of the altar like a swallow returning to its nest—no, like a cannonball fired from its chamber.

"Da-da-da-da-da—"

Heavy combat boots stomped on the metal steps, emitting a series of rapid, explosive sounds.

Jiang Chen was stunned.

Watching the figure charging toward him, his first thought was actually: Holy crap, at this speed, will it be fatal if she hits me?

"Wanqiu, slow..."

"Bang!"

Before he could finish, a massive impact slammed into his chest.

It was a collision of real flesh and blood.

There was no illusion of a holographic projection, nor any barrier from a system interface.

It was soft.

It was warm.

It carried a faint scent, a mixture of gunpowder smoke and a maiden's fragrance.

Jiang Chen was knocked back two steps, almost landing on his rear, but fortunately, his body had been genetically enhanced, allowing him to barely steady his center of gravity.

Subconsciously, he opened his arms to catch this "human pendant" that had flown at him.

"Father God! Father God! Father God!"

Jiang Wanqiu hugged Jiang Chen's neck tightly, hanging off him, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, rubbing frantically like a wronged puppy, incessantly muttering that title etched into her bones.

Warm liquid flowed down Jiang Chen's neck.

It was her tears.

Scalding, real.

"Wuwuwu... It's real... It's not a dream..."

Jiang Wanqiu sobbed until she was out of breath, her voice trembling heartbreakingly:

"It's warm... there's a heartbeat... there's body heat..."

"I finally... I finally held you!"

She lifted her head abruptly, her ruby-like eyes filled with tears yet shining astonishingly bright.

She reached out with trembling hands, carefully stroking Jiang Chen's cheeks, her fingertips tracing his eyebrows, bridge of his nose, and finally lingering on his lips.

The sensation was delicate amidst the roughness.

It was no longer a cold screen, no longer an intangible phantom.

This was living flesh and blood.

It was the deity she had longed for day and night, the one she could only touch in her dreams.

"Father God..."

Jiang Wanqiu sniffled.

That face, usually so decisive in killing and feared by countless mutant beasts, now wore a goofy, almost obsessive smile:

"You smell... so good."

"Ten thousand times better... than braised pork."

Jiang Chen: "..."

This metaphor was truly full of Wasteland character.

He sighed helplessly, feeling the astonishing heat radiating from the body in his arms and that rapidly beating heart.

At this moment, he finally confirmed that he had truly crossed that impassable wall of dimensions and arrived by her side.

"Alright, alright, stop crying."

Jiang Chen reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, his tone full of doting, "You'll turn into a little kitten if you keep crying. Haven't I arrived? You can hug me however you want from now on."

"Really?"

Jiang Wanqiu's eyes lit up, and she broke into a smile through her tears, "Then I want to... Mmph!"

She pursed her lips and leaned toward Jiang Chen's face.

Jiang Chen was startled and quickly leaned back to dodge.

Just kidding!

This was in public!

There were tens of thousands of people watching below!

Although he was the "Father God," this divine persona couldn't collapse too ridiculously!

If he started showing public displays of affection the moment they met, how would he lead the team in the future?

"Ahem!"

Jiang Chen coughed tactically twice, signaling Jiang Wanqiu to look down.

Jiang Wanqiu paused, followed Jiang Chen's gaze, and turned to look below the altar.

The tens of thousands of Wasteland soldiers were still maintaining their kneeling posture.

However.

Their heads were already raised.

Tens of thousands of eyes were staring straight at the explosive scene atop the altar.

Shock.

Bewilderment.

And even a hint of... excitement at the gossip.

Is this the legendary Primordial Ancient God?

Is this the cold-blooded, ruthless Wasteland Empress?

This vibe... why is it so different from the imagined "divine descent"?

What happened to the promised overwhelming divine might?

How did it turn into a large-scale family reunion?

A few young soldiers even blushed to the roots of their ears watching the ambiguous position of the Empress hanging on the Father God.

"Uh..."

Jiang Wanqiu froze.

Her face turned red at a visible speed, just like a boiled shrimp.

As a monarch, as a majestic Empress, she had just... seemed... probably... acted a bit out of character?

How would she face these rough men under her command in the future?

Her dignity was swept away!

Just at this critical moment where the awkwardness was enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment with one's toes, a roar exploded on the square like a thunderclap, instantly saving the Empress, who was on the verge of social death.

"What the hell are you all looking at!"

Grand Commander Lei Zhen, standing at the very front of the phalanx, jumped up suddenly.

This two-meter-two tall, burly man with a face full of flesh, displayed astonishing emotional intelligence and a will to survive at this moment.

With his back to the altar, facing the soldiers who were still dazed, he waved his large hands, shouting with spittle flying everywhere:

"Do not look at what is improper! Don't you know the rules?!"

"That is the highest etiquette of the Divine Realm! It is the resonance of the soul between the God and the God's Chosen!"

"You bunch of mortals, whoever dares to look directly at the divine countenance, beware that divine punishment will descend and blind you!"

"Attention everyone!"

Grand Commander Lei Zhen strained his voice, issuing the loudest command of his life:

"About—face!!!"

"Boom! Clack!"

Although they didn't understand why they had to turn, out of a conditioned reflex to The President's loud voice, tens of thousands of soldiers turned in unison, facing away from the altar, leaving only their broad backs.

Grand Commander Lei Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, secretly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Good thing I reacted quickly.

Otherwise, if the Empress got angry from embarrassment tomorrow, she would definitely gun down all these brats who were watching the fun.

On the altar.

Jiang Chen watched this scene and couldn't help but give Grand Commander Lei Zhen an appreciative look.

This big dummy, he has finesse amidst his roughness, he's a talent worth cultivating.

"Alright, get down."

Jiang Chen patted Jiang Wanqiu's back, signaling her to hurry up and get off him, "People have turned around, we need to get down to business."

"Business?"

Jiang Wanqiu reluctantly let go, her feet touching the ground, but she still tightly held onto Jiang Chen's arm, her whole body clinging to him as if she had no bones.

She tilted her head up, her red pupils flashing with a dangerous and expectant light, and asked in a soft, sweet voice:

"Father God..."

"The business you mentioned..."

"Does it mean going back to the bedchamber... to bear a divine child?"

Jiang Chen: "..."

He felt his head starting to ache again.

This girl, why couldn't she get past this hurdle?

"No!"

Jiang Chen said with black lines on his face, pointing at the tens of thousands of soldiers waiting below, and then pointing to the vast Wasteland in the distance:

"I mean—"

"A military parade!"

"Since I'm here, I must see if my subjects have the ability... to conquer a vast territory for me in this universe!"