94: We promised to grow old together.

"Zhao Ling!" Wang Hao cried out heartbrokenly.

His mech was already shattered. Wang Hao, with trembling hands, carefully pulled Zhao Ling from the twisted metal wreckage.

He held his beloved tightly in his arms, as if that could stop the flow of life.

A faint blush appeared on Zhao Ling's pale face. She laboriously lifted her hand and gently caressed Wang Hao's tear-streaked face.

"Wang Hao..." Her voice was as weak as a candle flame in the wind. "The happiest thing in my life... was to fall in love with you..." Her fingertips trembled slightly, and tears welled in her eyes. "Actually... I really regret it... I was too young back then... and owed so much money... dragging you down..." Her breathing became more rapid. "I didn't expect... that you would accompany me... to jump down without hesitation..."

"Don't say anymore! Don't say anymore!" Wang Hao cried, almost suffocating. He shook his head frantically, tears rolling down like broken pearls.

He tightly gripped Zhao Ling's hand and pressed it to his face: "You'll be fine... You'll be fine..." He repeated incoherently, then looked up and roared into the air: "Shen Nanzhi! Quick! Save her!"

Shen Nanzhi flew over, her hands gathering soft moonlight energy.

However, when the light enveloped Zhao Ling's body, Shen Nanzhi's face instantly turned pale.

Shen Nanzhi sobbed uncontrollably: "No, her heart has already stopped beating."

"No!" Wang Hao was struck as if by lightning. He suddenly turned to Su He, who was standing nearby, "Su He! You must have a way! A miraculous medicine that can bring the dead back to life! Take it out quickly!"

Su He closed his eyes in pain: "I... I... am also powerless..."

"No! You must save her!!" Wang Hao completely broke down, roaring hysterically.

"Mom! Mom!" Two fifteen-year-old twin children knelt beside them, crying heartbrokenly.

They wanted to approach but were frightened by their father's frantic state, so they could only kneel helplessly on the ground and weep.

Chen Xu, Cheng Xue, Su He, and the other Transmigrators stood silently nearby, their heads bowed. A heavy sorrow permeated the air.

Zhang Ye stepped forward, complex light flickering in his mechanical eyes: "Let the Dwarf King think of a way to see if her Soul can also be made into an energy core."

The Dwarf King sighed heavily and shook his head: "I don't have that ability. The fact that you could become an energy core was an extremely rare miracle; your mental will was too strong and happened to be absorbed by the destroyed core." He looked at Wang Hao, his eyes full of pity, "This situation... cannot be replicated..."

Wang Hao was oblivious to everything around him. He just held Zhao Ling's body tightly, his face pressed against Zhao Ling's already cold cheek, tears continuously streaming down.

"We promised... to watch our children grow up together..." He murmured, "We promised... to grow old together..."

"Pfft!" There was a dull sound of flesh tearing.

The dagger in Wang Hao's hand unhesitatingly plunged into his own heart.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining his tattered armor.

A relieved smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he gazed gently at the already cold Zhao Ling in his arms: "Ling'er, don't be afraid... I'm here to accompany you..."

Chen Xu rushed forward, trying to stop him, but his hand was only halfway extended when he was stunned by Wang Hao's beast-like roar: "Don't come closer!" Wang Hao, with his last ounce of strength, raised the blood-stained dagger, his eyes wild and resolute, "Whoever comes closer, I'll kill them. Let me be with Ling'er, for these last moments..."

Blood continuously overflowed from the corner of his mouth as he steadfastly embraced his beloved.

"Dad!" The two children's small hands reached out helplessly, wanting to grasp their father.

Wang Hao's gaze turned to his children, a deep sense of guilt flashing in his eyes, but it immediately turned into determination.

"I'm sorry... We weren't good parents..."

"Ling'er... I'm coming..." These were his last words left in the world, as light as a sigh, yet heavy enough to pierce the hearts of all who heard them.

Before he could finish, Wang Hao completely stopped breathing, embracing Zhao Ling tightly, just as they had on Earth, when they had also embraced each other tightly and jumped off the cliff without hesitation.

The surrounding Transmigrators stood in silence; no one stepped forward to disturb this final farewell.

Chen Xu closed his eyes in pain, Cheng Xue covered her face and sobbed silently, and even the usually calm Zhang Ye turned away.

A solemn sadness permeated the battlefield; even the wind stopped flowing, mourning for this couple who stayed together in life and death.

The dead cannot be revived, and the living must bear greater responsibilities.

Chen Xu ordered Wang Hao and Zhao Ling to be buried together, with a game manor built above them, which was their wish in life.

Meanwhile, in Su He's farmland, another special funeral was taking place.

Huang Lei's coffin was slowly lowered into the center of his favorite vegetable patch, surrounded by various vegetables he had cultivated.

This was a joke Huang Lei had once made: if he died later, he must be buried in Su He's field, so he could take whatever vegetables he wanted for cooking.

Cheng Xue knelt on the fresh soil, tears dripping onto the newly planted tomato seedlings.

"Old Huang," she choked out, "now you can come and get vegetables anytime. If you need anything, tell me in a dream, and I'll plant it for you."

Whenever the breeze blew, the rustling of the vegetable leaves sounded like Huang Lei's hearty laughter still echoing through the fields.

The nearby farmers all said that ever since Huang Lei's burial, the vegetables grown in this patch were exceptionally tender, as if they truly received the meticulous care of this gourmet.

In addition, Chen Xu ordered the bodies of the corrupted soldiers to be transported to the laboratory, with relatively intact samples given priority.

"I want to understand the operating principles of these Corruption energies, find ways to counter them, and at the same time, research whether this power can be used by us, whether for mech modifications or weapon development."

Three days later, the battle summary meeting was held.

Cheng Xue concluded: "Ultimately, our weapons are not powerful enough. We lack a weapon that can destroy the world, like a nuclear bomb!"

Hu Zhenxing coughed violently at her words, almost choking on his tea: "Cheng Xue, you make it sound easy. A nuclear bomb is not something we can build at present. Although I understand the basic principles, even if you gave me a hundred years, with our current industrial foundation, we couldn't build a real nuclear weapon."

Cheng Xue's eyes sharpened: "Elder Hu, I'm not asking for an exact replica. We can use the principles of nuclear fission, along with existing alchemy technology and Corruption energy, to create a 'substitute.' Otherwise, facing the next attack, and the one after that, we will eventually be annihilated."

A brief silence fell over the conference room.

Hu Zhenxing suddenly slammed the table, a crazy glint in his eyes: "Good! I'll risk these old bones one last time!" He turned to the Dwarf King, who was sitting in the corner, "But I have a condition—give me ten more Human Race beauties."

Seeing everyone's astonished looks, he quickly waved his hand to explain: "Everyone, don't misunderstand. I'm old now. Only such stimulation can keep my mental state excited and allow me to perform my best research. "His eyes gleamed with the unique obsession of a mad scientist, "For the survival of humanity, this small sacrifice is nothing. If possible, twenty beauties would also work!"

Chen Xu looked at Hu Zhenxing's absurd yet serious demeanor, his mouth twitching slightly: "It's settled then, Elder Hu. Ask for whatever resources you need, but within a month, I want to see preliminary results. The future of the Longhan Kingdom is riding on this."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes, a cold sneer on his face.

One month?

Chen Xu, you are too optimistic. You probably won't last a month.

Lu Chen had already decided to quietly watch the outcome and absolutely not interfere again. If he interfered again, he would... he would lose a millimeter from his Kun Kun!!