370: Chapter 371 Light Beneath the Ruins

Just as Zhao Iron Pillar’s shout of “Charge” left his lips, it was interrupted by a deafening boom.

It wasn't an enemy attack, but a sound coming from the ruins—the stones were moving.

Everyone froze.

The wreckage of the technology center, blasted into ruins by the flagship’s main cannon, was... writhing?

“Little Girl!” Lin Jiang was the first to react, desperately clawing at the rubble.

Wen Youyi also sprang up from the ground and rushed over to help.

Something was glowing beneath the rubble. It wasn't a golden light, but a silvery-blue—the color of a forest, the color of tree roots.

When the last stone slab was overturned, everyone was stunned into silence.

Little Girl was curled up in the narrow space formed by the rubble, completely unharmed. Around her, countless silvery-blue tree roots had woven an impenetrable “cocoon,” firmly protecting her.

Bright Fur Ball squatted on top of her head, its fur bristling, emitting a faint silver glow. The light was pale, but resolute.

“Tree...” Lin Jiang murmured.

It was the forest.

The instant the golden light descended, the forest’s roots had spread beneath the technology center at an incredible speed, weaving this protective cocoon.

They had protected the girl who awakened them once again.

Little Girl opened her eyes, looked at the tense faces surrounding her, and blinked.

“Uncle Wen,” she said, “you’re crying.”

Wen Youyi paused for a moment, reached up, and touched his face.

It was wet.

“No,” he turned his face away, “dust got in my eyes.”

Little Girl made an “Oh” sound and didn’t expose him. She looked down at Bright Fur Ball above her head, then at the surrounding roots that were now retracting.

“The roots said they have to go back,” she said. “There are enemies over in the forest too, and they need to help.”

“Thank them for us,” Wen Youyi said.

Little Girl nodded, closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them.

“They said, ‘You’re welcome.’”

On the battlefield, the moment the golden light vanished, everyone’s heart sank.

But when a sound came from the ruins, and when that small figure crawled out from the rubble, the morale of the New Homeland side instantly soared.

“It’s Little Girl! Little Girl isn’t dead!”

“The trees saved her!”

“Charge—!”

The soldiers were like they’d been injected with adrenaline. Strength they didn't know they had surged from somewhere in their already exhausted bodies, and they madly lunged at the still-dazed Heavenly Soldiers.

In the sky, the flagship also seemed to pause for a beat. The main cannon began charging again, but this time, the target was no longer Little Girl—it was the entire forest.

“They’re going to destroy the forest!” Aila’s voice came through the communicator. “The 潛龍 (Qianlong) can still move! I’ll intercept!”

“You can’t stop it!” Wen Youyi roared.

“Even if I can’t stop it, I have to try!”

The battered 潛龍 (Qianlong) dove down from the clouds, positioning itself between the forest and the flagship’s main cannon.

The silver-white hull glittered in the sunlight—though it was covered in dents and cracks, in that moment, it was as beautiful as a real star.

The main cannon fired.

The golden beam shot straight toward the 潛龍 (Qianlong).

“Aila—!” Wen Youyi’s voice was ragged.

Just as the beam was about to hit the 潛龍 (Qianlong), a silvery-blue light rose from the ground, intercepting it just in time.

It was the trees.

In the forest, all the trees glowed simultaneously. They gathered all their life force, all their energy, into a massive barrier, bracing against the flagship’s main cannon.

The golden light collided with the silvery-blue light.

The entire sky turned into a battlefield of two colors.

The trees were burning.

One after another, the silvery-blue glow grew dimmer and fainter. Some trees turned directly into ash, while others were left as only half-charred trunks.

But they did not retreat.

Not a single tree retreated.

“Why...” Lin Jiang murmured, “Why are they...”

“Because Little Girl called their names,” Yun Zhi said softly.

On the battlefield, Xiao Li suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted, “Look! That flagship... it stopped!”

Everyone looked up.

The massive flagship’s main cannon light was weakening. It wasn't that the energy was depleted, but rather...

It was hesitating.

In the bridge, the commander who had just ordered the bombardment of the forest stared motionlessly out the window at the burning trees.

A scene flashed through his mind.

It was three hundred years ago, when he was still a child, and his hometown also had a forest.

Later, the forest was requisitioned and converted into a training base for the Heavenly Court. All the trees were cut down, not a single one left.

He remembered standing on the barren hillside, asking the adult beside him: “Where did the trees go?”

The adult did not answer.

After that, he never saw a tree again.

Until now.

Those burning trees were falling one after another, just like the trees cut down three hundred years ago.

But his eyes suddenly grew wet.

“Sir? Sir?” The adjutant’s voice pulled him back to reality.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing that strange emotion.

“Continue the attack,” he said.

But that second of hesitation was enough.

A sword light rose from the ground.

It was the broken sword of the Sword Maniac. It wasn't the Sword Maniac himself—he was already dead. But the Sword Intent of that broken sword remained, picked up by some nameless warrior who poured all his life force into it and thrust it toward the sky.

The broken sword pierced a weak spot on the flagship’s flank.

The flagship shuddered violently, and a crack appeared on its hull.

More attacks rose from the ground—Rumble-7 Model, Dizzy-3 Model, and even the burning trees threw their last strength in the form of burning branches.

The flagship began to tilt.

“Retreat!” The commander finally ordered, “Evacuate the atmosphere!”

The massive flagship climbed unsteadily, trailing long plumes of black smoke, and disappeared into the clouds.

The remaining Heavenly Soldiers watched their flagship flee, and their morale instantly collapsed. They dropped their weapons and scrambled desperately toward the sky.

Did they win?

The people of the New Homeland stood where they were, watching the fleeing Heavenly Soldiers, motionless for a long time.

Then, someone shouted first:

“We won—!”

A cheer erupted instantly.

Zhao Iron Pillar collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Xiao Li hugged him and sobbed loudly. The soldiers embraced each other; some laughed, some cried, and some knelt on the ground, kissing the earth.

Wen Youyi stood still, looking at the cheering crowd, and suddenly felt exhausted.

He turned his head and looked toward the scorched forest.

The silvery-blue glow was gone, leaving only ash and charred tree trunks.

The forest was gone.

He slowly walked over and stood before that patch of scorched earth.

Lin Jiang followed behind him, saying nothing.

Yun Zhi also walked over, holding Little Girl. Little Girl stared at the charred tree trunks, her eyes red.

“The roots...” she murmured, “They said... it doesn’t hurt.”

Wen Youyi’s eyes grew wet again.

He squatted down and placed his hand on the scorched earth.

“Thank you,” he said.

The earth did not respond.

Only the wind blew past, stirring up some ash and carrying it into the distance.

(End of Chapter)