Chapter 567: Only with a Country Can There Be a Home

Chapter 567: The Nation Before the Family

Everyone paused, and countless enhanced SSS-level mutant beasts flowed through the network of river channels in all directions.

Other contestants, who had just been intimidated by who they were, realized they had no intention of hogging all the monsters and cautiously started attacking.

Confirming there was no intent to obstruct, the contestants' hostility faded, and they rubbed their noses with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

Seeing that she could no longer mooch off others, Wu Yue directly drew her Frost Bell Moon Goddess and charged swiftly toward the monsters. The wave of evil energy she had just absorbed surged through her body, and as she moved, dark, lightning-like energy crackled around her.

Wu Yue delivered a flying kick to the head of an SSS-level piranha, instantly obliterating it—showing fearsome strength.

"Congratulations to contestant Wu Yue of Temporary Squad 050 for killing 1 SSS-level mutant piranha, earning 200 points."

"Congratulations to contestant Wu Yue of Temporary Squad 050 for obtaining 5 SSS-level Moonfall Ores, earning 200 points."

Jiang Mubai looked on in disbelief. "So this is how Uncle always fights!"

Li Yiran quickly followed. "Quit gawking—move it! If we’re slow, we’ll miss out entirely!"

Chun Ya, Shang Baiyi, Wu Xiuli, and A Ni remained silent, focused on bagging monsters.

The evil energy Wu Yue had absorbed couldn’t be fully absorbed into her body and needed to be expended quickly. With a calm and focused expression, she singled out only SSS-level monsters, rapidly accumulating points.

Deep within the river channel, Wu Yue discovered a World Boss-level mutant beast even larger than the SSS-level monsters. A satisfied smile curled her lips—this was exactly what she needed!

Clearly, Wu Yue wasn’t the only one who had spotted it. Jiang Huaizhi, Jie Chen, and Wu Chong, emerging from another direction, also set their sights on this World Boss.

Given Wu Yue’s current level of combat recovery, taking on these elite fighters skilled in both physical and magical arts was still a stretch.

However, Wu Yue grinned slyly. If strength wasn’t enough, she’d rely on her wits.

Wu Yue watched quietly as Jiang Huaizhi, Jie Chen, and Wu Chong charged forward, unleashing their ultimate skills on the Boss. As the Boss’s health rapidly dropped, nearing below 10%, a sudden gust of wind swept past Wu Yue.

Seeing Shen Que make a move to snag the kill, Wu Yue didn’t hesitate. She pulled out an evil energy bomb and hurled all her stored evil energy at the Boss.

Shen Que’s awakening skill and Wu Yue’s evil energy bomb struck the Boss simultaneously, instantly clearing its health bar and causing it to collapse with a deafening crash.

"Congratulations to contestant Wu Yue of Temporary Squad 050 for killing 1 SSS+-level World Boss Dark-Banded Sawtooth Piranha, earning 2,000 points."

"Congratulations to contestant Wu Yue of Temporary Squad 050 for obtaining 50 SSS-level Moonfall Ores, earning 2,000 points."

Shen Que’s gaze fell on Wu Yue. She turned her head and smiled at him.

"This Boss was summoned using your awakening ability. Your heavenly thunder evil energy can’t kill it."

Seeing Wu Yue’s cunning, triumphant smile, Shen Que let out a scoff. He grabbed the back of her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her fiercely.

Wu Yue’s eyes widened, and she immediately pushed him away. "Contestant Shen Que of Temporary Squad 001, please mind your conduct!"

Shen Que tilted his head. "My own wife—I’ll kiss her whenever I want."

Wu Yue retorted, "If you dare come near me again, I’ll report you!"

Shen Que shot her a dark, unreadable look before turning and leaving.

As the teams finished regrouping, their points having surged from the recent wave of monsters, everyone continued toward the finish line.

The two squads merged and advanced swiftly, with the others leading the charge while Wu Yue trailed not too far behind.

When small monsters appeared nearby, she immediately darted in to finish them off with her dagger, her movements agile and nimble, her expression remained steady despite the rain streaming down her face.

Shen Que watched her surreptitiously from the front, he felt himself softening toward her more and more with each look back.

Richard said, "...Stop looking. The more you watch her, the more it gets to you."

Shen Que's gaze swept over Wu Yue. The continuous march and intense battles had completely depleted the evil energy she had absorbed earlier.

She was breathing in rapid, shallow gasps, her face flushed, clearly nearing her physical limit.

Chun Ya couldn't bear to watch, "Since Wu Yue's health declined, she hasn't worked this hard. To me right now, she's like an infant. I can't stand seeing her suffer."

Shang Baiyi said, "...You shouldn't have said that. Now Shen Que is even more affected. He's practically stumbling with worry."

Shen Que gradually dropped back from the front of the group to the back, staying close to Wu Yue.

Hearing Wu Yue stop to gulp air, taking deep breaths, a vein pulsed at Shen Que's temple.

Seeing Wu Yue suddenly reach for the back of her neck, Shen Que immediately grabbed her hand, "Rest for a minute."

Wu Yue shook her head, "Don't waste time because of me."

Shen Que, "I'll make up every second."

Wu Yue shook her head, ripping off the seal on the back of her neck, "If you keep this up, our two teams should go separate ways."

Watching the evil energy, like black lightning, swirl and envelop Wu Yue's body from the back of her neck, Shen Que gritted his teeth and followed silently behind her.

Chun Ya and Wu Xiuli exchanged a glance, their resolve instantly wavered.

Wu Xiuli, "I think it’s fine to cut her a little slack."

Chun Ya nodded, "Who can blame people who can't keep their resolve?"

Li Yiran said, "...Didn’t you two change your tune a bit too quickly?"

Jiang Mubai, "Don’t let your thoughts stray. Recovery can’t be rushed. Her tolerance for evil energy can’t be pushed to the limit in a short time. We can’t repeat the same mistake. Baby Sis needs physical training. This individual competition is the best real-world recovery training for her."

Zhang Peng suddenly chimed in, "Do you think Wu Yue is doing this on purpose?"

Everyone was puzzled, "On purpose how?"

Zhang Peng, "Looking at the results, after clearing the monsters, even our lowest-ranked members have enough points. Other participants are also more willing to fight freely, and everyone has gained something. If you ignore Wu Yue, she’ll rely on herself, just like she did back in the orphanage shadows."

Everyone, "..."

Everyone secretly glanced back at Wu Yue.

In the pouring rain, Wu Yue’s combat suit was completely drenched. Compared to Shen Que behind her, she looked like a tiny, drowned chick.

Chun Ya agonized, "Ah! I hope I don’t run into her in the next round! I'm overflowing with pity for her!"

A Ni, "Yue Yue has always been able to handle tough situations. During the Boss battle earlier, she fixed every single broken window in the entire building by herself."

Wu Xiuli, "She can handle tough situations, but now nobody can bear to see her struggle. So she knows refusing is useless and might as well make it count."

Even through the pouring rain, the others’ comments still reached Shen Que's ears. His chest ached, making it hard to breathe. "Baby, let me carry you on my back, okay?"

Wu Yue shook her head. "I told you not to come a long time ago, but you wouldn’t listen. If you really can’t take it anymore, just drop out early."

Shen Que took deep breaths but remained silent, continuing to follow behind Wu Yue.

After a day and night of hiking in the rain and battling monsters—a full 50 kilometers—they passed through the rainforest and entered a completely abandoned, deserted, arid town.

Now far from the storm-disaster zone, everyone could finally escape the discomfort of being soaked and clammy from the relentless downpour.

Jiang Mubai and Li Yiran pored over the map.

Jiang Mubai said, "There are still 12 hours until the competition ends. We’ve got about 20 kilometers left—time to spare."

Li Yiran added, "This town is likely the boundary between the rainforest and the desert. Beyond this point, water sources will be scarce. We should stock up on supplies."

Jiang Mubai concluded, "We’ll rest for half an hour, then gear up to move out."

After hearing their discussion, Wu Yue felt dizzy and unsteady, swaying on her feet as if she were about to collapse.

Shen Que, who was right behind her, immediately scooped her into his arms, holding her close in a princess carry.

Wu Yue whispered, "Put me down."

Shen Que replied coldly, "If you don’t want me to force you to withdraw from the competition right now, don’t fight me on this."

Wu Yue said, "Didn’t you always say none of this mattered?"

Shen Que answered, "Yes, it’s not a big deal—for me. I could walk another 50 kilometers without getting winded. But for you, every step you take makes my hair stand on end."

Shaking with heartache, Shen Que kissed Wu Yue’s forehead.

"Wu Yue, I finally understand what it means: a country must come before a home. In this turbulent, apocalyptic era, if I truly want to give you a home, love alone is not enough. We can’t cling to temporary comfort. In the face of unknown dangers, we must have the firm belief and determination to end this apocalypse once and for all, and be willing to strive for it. Only then can we have a real home—a home that belongs to us."