Chapter 293: Until I Find Her

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Until I Find Her

Liora stood at the edge of the spaceship, staring into the vast emptiness before her.

The wastelands stretched endlessly, filled with Zergs. The sky was pitch dark, the ground was filled with endless crawling Zergs.

Months had passed since she left the Dawn Base, months since her daughter had vanished, and still... there was nothing, no news about her whereabouts.

Her eyes burned from sleepless nights, her body grew weaker with every passing day, but it wasn’t hunger or fatigue that hollowed her... it was despair.

She had searched everywhere. Every ruin, every planet, every trace of wreckage. She and Xu Kai had walked through mountains of corpses and ashes, following even the faintest trace, but still there was no sign of her child.

And the worst truth of all was like a knife in her chest. Even her daughter’s capsule was gone. It must have broken because they couldn’t even trace it back.

Without that signal, her little girl could be anywhere... lost in the endless chaos of this broken world.

Liora’s hands trembled at her sides as she clenched them into fists. Rage burned hotter than the exhaustion. A thought she had buried again and again rose like fire in her chest.

Kazren.

Her heart twisted at the name. Once, he had been her friend. Once, he had been someone she trusted with her dreams. But now... now everything pointed back to him.

She had prayed she was wrong. She had hoped, even in her darkest hours, that he could not have done this. That he could not have taken her daughter away from her. But the evidence screamed otherwise.

If she was not anywhere, then what if he was the one who had taken her with him?

The timing exactly matched.

The moment her daughter disappeared was the same moment the portals began to open, the same moment the Zerg poured into their world. And who else but Kazren would have the power or the madness to tear holes between worlds?

Wasn’t he the one talking big about ruling the world? Maybe that’s how he wanted to fill the world—by killing everyone.

Her breath came sharp and uneven, her chest rising and falling as anger twisted inside her.

Why? Why would he do this? What grudge did he carry so deep that he would unleash such monsters upon their world? What hatred burned so fierce that he would dare to steal a child? And go to this length...

The questions circled her mind endlessly. But one truth was clear:

She had to find him.

Her gaze hardened as she stared into the horizon. Fear whispered that she might never find her daughter in this vast chaos, but anger silenced the fear. She could not stop.

She would find Kazren. He might be the answer to this chaos.

And when she stood before him, she would demand her answer.

Her fists trembled as her voice broke through the silence, hoarse but steady.

"Kazren... if you have her... if you truly took my daughter... I swear, I will kill you myself."

The wasteland carried her words, swallowed by the endless cries of the Zerg, but her vow burned in her chest like fire.

Somewhere out there, her daughter was waiting. Somewhere out there, the man she once called friend had turned into the monster she now hunted.

And Liora would not stop until she had the truth.

Inside the dim light of the ship, silence pressed down like a weight. Liora sat near the window, her eyes locked on the endless dark beyond. She had not moved for hours. Her hands rested lifelessly on her knees, her lips pale, her face hollow from days without sleep or food.

Xu Kai stood a few steps away, watching her. His chest ached. The loss tore at him too... his daughter was gone. The pain was unbearable, and sometimes he thought it might crush him. But what broke him more was the sight of Liora.

She refused everything. Food. Rest. Even hope. He had begged, argued, tried to distract her, but nothing could reach her anymore.

He lowered his gaze, ashamed. He could not even meet her eyes. He had failed as a father, failed as a protector, and yet... he could not let her break.

Slowly, Xu Kai walked to her side with heavy steps and uneven breath. He reached out and placed a bowl of food on the table in front of her, his voice filled with emotion.

"Liora... please. Eat something. Just a little. You’ve gone too long like this. If you fall... if your body gives up... how will we keep searching for her?"

She did not move. Her eyes stayed fixed on the stars, glassy and distant, as though his words were too far away to reach her.

Xu Kai knelt down beside her, forcing himself into her line of sight. His hands gripped hers, and he whispered, "I know... I know you’re hurting. I am too. Every second, every breath, I feel it. But if we lose ourselves now, if we let this grief swallow us, then she will be gone forever."

For the first time, Liora’s eyes shifted, just a fraction, toward him. Xu Kai saw the storm in them—rage, despair, guilt, and love all tangled into something he dared not say aloud.

His voice broke as he leaned closer, forehead almost touching hers. "Liora... she’s still out there. I believe it. I have to believe it. So please... don’t push me away. Don’t carry this alone. Let me carry it with you."

Her lips trembled. A small, broken sound escaped her, and before Xu Kai could say more, the dam broke. Liora collapsed forward, her body shaking as sobs tore from her chest. She buried her face against him, clinging to him as if she might drown without him there.

Xu Kai’s arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her as if she were the only thing keeping him standing. His own tears fell silently into her hair, but he did not let go.

At the doorway, Atlas stood, watching them. His sister’s cries tored him apart and his own eyes burned with unshed tears. He wanted to go to her and hold her, but this moment was not his to take. Xu Kai was her anchor, the one she needed most now.

Atlas turned away, his hand covering his face, hiding his emotions. His shoulders shook once before he forced himself to leave, his steps quiet as he disappeared down the hall, leaving them alone.

Behind him, the quiet cabin filled with Liora’s sobs and Xu Kai’s whispering voice...

"I’m here. I won’t let go. We’ll find her...no matter what it takes... we’ll find her."