104: Chapter 104 Shen Xingyue

Zhou An stared fixedly at that name on the system contact list—[Luo Ning].

His finger hovered above the virtual keyboard, that hand shaking slightly, beyond his control.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, a thousand words stuck in his throat.

He wanted to ask her if her body had any lingering injuries after the aberration was lifted, and wanted to ask how she had endured alone during these five displaced months.

But when his fingertips fell, the concern that had wandered on the edge of life and death countless times ultimately turned into just a few extremely simple, even somewhat stiff words in the dialogue box:

"I have returned. Send me the coordinates."

Immediately after—

"Beep——!!!"

A long-range voice communication request rang out!

Zhou An pressed the answer button abruptly.

The communication was connected.

However, both ends of the channel fell into an extremely eerie silence; neither spoke first.

Zhou An could only hear a suppressed, even trembling, sound of breathing from the communicator that carried a hint of disbelief.

"...Boss?"

After a long time, that familiar voice finally sounded cautiously, thick with hoarseness and nasal congestion.

"It's me."

Zhou An tilted his head back, gritting his teeth hard, forcing back the soreness and hot flow swirling wildly in his eye sockets. He cleared his throat to make his voice sound as steady as possible.

"I have crawled back from hell. Why are you crying? My, Zhou An's, life is tough; even the King of Hell below dares not take it."

A sound of a desperately suppressed sob came from the other side of the communication, followed by a long, deep intake of breath.

Luo Ning was an extremely intelligent girl.

She did not ask about the terrifying tribulations Zhou An had experienced over these five months, nor did she complain about how aggrieved she felt while fleeing like a street rat.

In the wasteland of the apocalypse, as long as one is still alive and whole, it surpasses all words.

"Coordinates: Cangyun Airspace, Shattered Star Rift. The magnetic field here is very chaotic; don't get scanned by the alien radar."

Luo Ning's voice quickly returned to that cold and capable tone, though the tail of her voice still carried a hint of uncontrollable trembling.

"Received. Wait for me."

Zhou An cut off the communication.

"EVA, full speed ahead!"

"Command confirmed! Coordinates locked. Estimated arrival time: 10 hours and 15 minutes!"

Deep within the Cangyun Airspace, Shattered Star Rift.

This is a floating island.

An extremely hidden natural underground abyssal cave.

The perimeter of the cave was expertly set with dense, trigger-based booby traps and high-frequency signal jammers.

Deep inside the cave, they only dared to light one dim energy-focusing lamp.

At the innermost part of the cave, a thick layer of mutated animal skins was laid out.

Lin Qing was sitting propped up on the animal skins, sweating profusely and struggling. Her highly protruding abdomen indicated that the day of labor was approaching, and she was currently emitting painful groans due to contractions.

Beside Lin Qing crouched a young woman with ear-length short hair and a cold expression.

She was holding an instrument, focusing on checking Lin Qing's vital signs to determine the accurate time of delivery.

Shen Xingyue.

This was the top medical talent Luo Ning had forcibly pulled from a pile of corpses in a broken settlement slaughtered by high-level aliens during her five months of brutal flight.

If not for her, the pregnant Lin Qing would definitely not have lasted until today.

In the shadows at the cave entrance sat a man with his head down, wiping an energy rifle.

That was Old Zhang, Zhang Ming.

If Zhou An were standing here now, he would definitely not dare to recognize the man before him.

The cook who used to be always smiling and wearing an apron had now lost a significant amount of weight.

A hideous and terrifying scar ran across his left cheek, and those hands that once only knew how to toss a wok were now covered in thick calluses and the smell of gunpowder.

These five months had been an endless purgatory nightmare for their team.

Back on the connecting bridge, Zhou An had fought with his life on the line, drawing away all the firepower and attention.

Subsequently, City Lord Zhao Tianyu, relying on the military power of [Sky Engine] and his God-given talent, swiftly eliminated all aberrants, successfully stabilized the collapsing situation, and became the only "Savior" in the eyes of all survivors in the district, gaining the support of the people.

But at the same time, that district-wide synchronized live broadcast also nailed Luo Ning firmly to the pillar of shame in history.

Everyone saw the terrifying footage of her mutating into a "Black Goat Monster".

Even though she miraculously regained her human reason and body later under Zhou An's [Demonic Contract], on [Sky Engine]'s highest-level district-wide wanted list, she remained that "Abyssal Heretic" who caused the great catastrophe and deserved to be killed by everyone.

After Zhou An disappeared, Muzi found Luo Ning.

However, in order not to implicate them, Luo Ning had once put on a cold face, even pointing a gun at Zhang Ming, forcing him to take the pregnant Lin Qing and leave the team to join City Lord Zhao Tianyu. She had even thought up the excuse for them.

"Just say you were held hostage by me, this heretic! There is the best sterile hospital in the district, absolute safety, and Lin Qing can safely give birth to the child there. Your family of three can live well!"

And combined with their existing supplies, it was enough for Muzi and the others to live in Sky City.

But that day, the usually gentle Zhang Ming, with red eyes, kicked over the table beside him.

He refused Luo Ning's request.

From that day on, the cook put down his beloved kitchen knife and picked up a cold rifle.

In this cruel era where the district was unified and aliens had descended, they were like street rats; they could not go to the human camp, and the alien camp would hunt them down.

Zhang Ming became the only combat specialist in the team besides Luo Ning.

Luo Ning walked in from outside the cave entrance, standing there and looking at the few people.

"He has come to take us home."

Zhang Ming, who was wiping his gun, instantly looked up; Muzi and the others also looked over.

She just stood there quietly. The dim light shone on her dust-covered cheeks.

Suddenly, her shoulders began to tremble slightly, beyond her control.

Those eyes, which in the five months of brutal flight had never shed a single tear of weakness even when bones were shattered, now poured out large, rushing tears like a dam that had completely burst, washing away the stains on her face.

"Ningning... don't scare me... what's wrong?"

Li Muzi panicked and hurriedly ran over, grabbing her arm.

Luo Ning grabbed Li Muzi's hand back tightly.

She turned her head, looking through blurred, teary eyes at these family members in the cave who had accompanied her through life and death, wasting away over these five months.

Tears flowed wantonly, but her mouth, uncontrollably, curled up wildly.

"Stop wiping your guns, pack things up."

Luo Ning's voice was thick with sobs, yet it was resonant and firm.

"The Boss is still alive."

"Zhou An... he has come to take us home!"