Chapter 118
The massive explosion was more than ten times greater than the previous one, and even the elite members ambushing in the distant area were affected by the flying rocks and soil.
Covered in dirt, looking quite disheveled.
Tang Jiaze had already found Fanzhou and others, currently hiding in a secluded place, waiting for Lu Jingning and Wen Xingchen to join them.
In this situation, his expression became unpleasant.
On this desolate planet, besides Lu Jingning and Wen Xingchen, he couldn’t come up with a second guess about who would confront the insect race.
Fanzhou coughed repeatedly, and in the end, he coughed up some water in his eyes. “Could it be…”
“Do not draw conclusions without certainty!” Tang Jiaze sternly organized him to refrain from speculating further. However, looking at the scope of this explosion and considering the safety of the remaining people, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Board the ship, return!”
Someone choked, “What about Lu Jingning and the others?”
“This is an order!” Tang Jiaze commanded.
A solemn silence enveloped the surroundings. Finally, people began to move towards the remaining warship.
Just when the last group of elite members was about to evacuate, everyone thought that someone who had sacrificed for the country had opened their eyes in the dimness.
Did someone survive?
The first thought that flashed in Lu Jingning’s mind.
It wasn’t until he tentatively moved his body, feeling the heavy pressure on him, that he realized he wasn’t dead!
Realizing this, he quickly pushed aside the rocks on his body one by one and finally sat up.
Slowly getting used to the dimness around him, he saw the person next to him.
Wen Xingchen lay there motionless, eyes closed, without any sign of breath, as if…
Lu Jingning subconsciously controlled himself not to think further.
In an instant, he felt a bit cold, almost without any thought, he tried to recall the first aid operations he had learned during the special training.
Clearly pressing on Wen Xingchen’s chest over and over again, he felt as if a huge hammer was pounding heavily on his heart.
Lu Jingning felt the blood in his body gradually solidifying with each passing moment. Seeing no effect, he couldn’t stay calm anymore. With crimson eyes wide open, he bent down towards that mouth.
For the first time, he regretted his usual carefree attitude and lack of ambition. Otherwise, at this critical moment, he wouldn’t be helplessly resorting to artificial respiration.
Breath after breath entered, followed by another…
Lu Jingning didn’t know how long it had passed.
The only thought at this moment was that no matter the cost, Wen Xingchen must survive.
Unconsciously, sweat gathered on his forehead and silently dripped down.
Lu Jingning vaguely didn’t notice the slight tremor in the eyes of the person in front of him.
Just as he raised his head to breathe again, a hand suddenly reached from behind, pulling him into an embrace.
The soft touch on his lips felt somewhat unreal at this moment.
Lu Jingning couldn’t help but freeze, feeling the dry corners of the lips brushing against a somewhat rough friction.
Wen Xingchen’s voice was low and hoarse, somewhat teasing, “How come I didn’t realize you were so fierce before? You’re almost biting through my lips.”
Lu Jingning raised his eyelashes and met a pair of gentle, somewhat helpless eyes.
His fingertips moved slightly, and the dim environment seemed to brighten at that moment.
He couldn’t help but punch the chest in front of him, not daring to use too much force. “You’re awake and still playing dead!”
Wen Xingchen hooked his mouth. “Just woke up.”
After examining the wounds, Lu Jingning realized that due to Wen Xingchen protecting him, his entire back was affected by the explosion.
It was a gruesome sight of flesh and blood, truly shocking.
This made him feel a pang of heartache, but in the current dim and narrow space, they had already wasted a lot of time. They had to leave here as soon as possible.
The two supported each other and began to grope towards the depths of the cave.
Lu Jingning’s sleeves were soaked in blood, but compared to Wen Xingchen, he felt embarrassed to call himself a casualty.
Every step was agonizingly painful. Wen Xingchen tried to divert their attention: “How did we get here?”
Lu Jingning shook his head, “I don’t know, I woke up here.”
Wen Xingchen furrowed his brow, “The explosion created by Bai Chen was intense, how could it…”
Lu Jingning seemed to recall, “Right, I think I saw the ground glowing at that moment.”
At that angle, he was facing Bai Chen.
At this critical moment, the only thought was to suppress everything with pheromones without holding back.
But before reaching Bai Chen, cracks appeared on the ground around him, and a faint green beam leaked from the earth.
Struggling to remember the scene before his faint, Lu Jingning’s gaze inadvertently caught a glint at the end of the dim cave.
He hesitated slightly, “That light, it’s that one!”
…
As they approached, the light became clearer.
When they finally emerged from this deep cave and saw the scene before them, both of their faces revealed a hint of astonishment.
According to their earlier assumptions, they had entered the depths of this desolate planet for some reason, but everything before them overturned their understanding once again.
In normal perception, the underground should be dark and silent.
But here, all they saw was lush vegetation, far more vibrant than the desolation above ground.
With colorful petals everywhere, bathed in a mysterious green light, it seemed surreal.
Feeling Wen Xingchen gently holding his hand, Lu Jingning cautiously stepped onto the land, heading towards the source of the green light.
Their presence didn’t disturb the tranquility; it was as if even their breaths blended seamlessly into it.
With each step, Lu Jingning felt the gentle light enveloping him, soothing the irritation from his wounds like an incredibly gentle hand.
Simultaneously, the waves of pain that should have surged began quietly dissipating.
He couldn’t find words to describe this sensation, almost as if it were celestial healing.
Lost in this excessively dreamlike environment, Lu Jingning was brought back by Wen Xingchen’s voice, “The wounds are healing.”
Instinctively, he looked at his arm.
The bloodstains remained outside, but through the torn sleeve, the skin looked smooth, without the gruesome scar of the injury.
At that moment, they finally saw what emitted the light.
A completely green, translucent crystal.
Lu Jingning incredulously looked at the small object in his palm, “This should be the energy stone we were looking for, it saved us.”
Wen Xingchen, gazing at his healed wounds, murmured, “A healing type? I’ve never heard of it before…”
He met Lu Jingning’s gaze, “I think I understand why Bai Chen self-destructed.”
Lu Jingning added, “I think I do too…”
Given Bai Chen’s perverse nature, no matter how one thought of it, choosing self-destruction without a direct fight seemed too eerie.
Now, the only plausible possibility was—before their mission, he had already received a directive to destroy it at any cost if unable to acquire it.
No wonder Bai Chen’s team had so many experts stronger than him. In retrospect, those Zerg soldiers were merely testing their strength, gauging the necessity of self-destruction.
The Zerg clearly didn’t want humans to know about this healing-type energy source.
It wasn’t difficult to comprehend; only this way could they silently repair the toxic night crystals and catch humans off guard.
Despite being usually eccentric, at the critical moment, Bai Chen chose unconditional compliance with orders.
Lu Jingning realized for the first time that Bai Chen was indeed a soldier.
Standing still for a moment, he sighed with some emotion, “It seems surviving a disaster brings unexpected fortune! Do you think we accidentally made an extraordinary military achievement?”
Wen Xingchen lightly smiled, “Yeah, quite remarkable.”
The Zerg obviously inferred what happened upon discovering the explosion on the surface. The warships scattered around the desolate planet were already at a disadvantage under the siege of the Second Legion, and at this point, they no longer persisted, retreating completely. Jiang Quan had been closely monitoring the rescue operations on the desolate planet. However, among the returning personnel, Lu Jingning and Wen Xingchen were nowhere to be seen. A slight dimness flickered in his eyes, “Well done, go rest.”
As the words fell, someone beside stepped forward, resolute in tone, “Commander, I request permission to return to Kaidos.”
Jiang Quan glanced up.
Feng Pei met his scrutinizing gaze, unconsciously straightening his back, gritting his teeth and speaking again, “Please grant permission, Commander!”
Yan Hebin also stepped forward, “Please grant permission!”
“Please grant permission!”
“Please grant permission!”
In a blink, one after another, the other members of the Starwatch team also stood up.
Jiang Quan looked at these youthful faces, his heart faintly jumping, accustomed as he was to the departures and farewells. Even though he knew it was likely just another disappointment for them, when the words were about to leave his lips, he sighed deeply, “Go, then, go.”
The Second Legion gathered nearby, already conducting a comprehensive search of the desolate planet under Wu Lu’s orders. Seeing the Starwatch team still unwilling to give up and choosing to stay, no one said anything. The legion’s search ships began leaving one after another.
Finally, on the remaining half of Kaidos’ surface, only a lone small spacecraft remained, with a few figures sitting sporadically around a campfire.
Feng Pei planted three incense sticks in the vast soil, looking mournful. The days of searching had left fatigue etched on his face, deep dark circles framing his eyes. His voice was hoarse from the dryness, “Lu Jingning, Wen Xingchen, though I had some grievances against you initially, in reality, you were decent people. Apart from the occasional annoying pretense, you were tolerable. Now that you’re gone, I don’t know what to say. In the future, whenever I have the chance, I’ll come here to burn incense for you. Safe travels.”
Beside him, Cen Jun’s voice choked, nearly crying like a fool.
Yan Hebin’s eyes reddened. Reluctant to believe, the information gathered over the past few days forced him to accept this reality. His lips pressed together slightly, about to say something when, illuminated by the firelight, he suddenly noticed the ground beside them subtly shift.
Feng Pei, annoyed by the others’ silence, said, “You claim to be their good friends, and now that they’re gone, you don’t have anything to say…”
Before he could finish, the ground, previously rolling slightly, suddenly burst open with a thud.
Immediately after, a disheveled head unexpectedly appeared in front of them.
Feng Pei’s heart skipped a beat, almost biting his tongue. As he vaguely recognized the face, his breath involuntarily stopped for a few seconds before he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Ghost—!!!”
Lu Jingning, who had managed to tunnel back to the surface from below, blinked in confusion: “???”
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi!
I really, really appreciate all the support from my readers <3 It goes a long way and motivates me lots!
Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
Thank you for all your support <3 Leave a comment if you like 🙂 I love reading them!
Leave a Reply