Chapter 129

Chapter 129

As soon as Meng Shijiu took his seat in the cockpit, the Tide King activated the emergency life-support repair mode.

A cool analgesic agent flowed through his blood vessels, slightly easing the lingering ache from the electric shocks, though his muscles were still leaden with fatigue.

Soon, several mechas swarmed in from the breached walls and laboratory passageways, encircling the Tide King.

Amidst the chaotic wreckage, Meng Shijiu left the Tide King to its own devices to fend off the attacks while his eyes coolly raked over the area.

Qian Zhangli had already vanished.

Judging by Qian Zhangli's reaction, this was likely a WM experimental outpost.

Knowing reinforcements were coming, Qian Zhangli wasn't the least bit flustered. He had probably planned to destroy this outpost all along. By the time others found it, he could kill two birds with one stone: erasing all traces while delivering a grisly warning to his pursuers.

This was no place to linger.

The rescue forces outside hadn't broken through yet. The top priority was to find Qian Chunyan and get him and Zong Geman out of here.

—Now that Zong Geman's identity as an artificial human was confirmed, taking him out would naturally provide evidence of Qian Zhangli's illegal experiments.

As for Qian Chunyan… Meng Shijiu didn't believe for a second that Qian Zhangli was as kind-hearted as his words suggested, merely here for the spectacle.

Letting Qian Chunyan step into this place was likely all part of the calculation.

Meng Shijiu's gaze swept over Zong Geman and the others desperately blocking the Tide King's path. Zong Geman had concealed his true capabilities effectively; the physical constitution of an artificial human granted him extraordinary resilience, allowing him to barely hold back the Tide King's initial assaults.

But he wouldn't hold out for long.

Seizing a moment when everyone was distracted, as the Tide King turned sideways to attack, Meng Shijiu silently opened the cockpit hatch. The silver-haired Alpha nimbly flipped out of the cockpit.

He touched down on level ground, steadied himself, and quickly headed for the breached exit.

But he had only taken two steps when he collided with a dark figure around the corner. He forcefully twisted his body to dodge sideways, his back slamming against the wall.

The sounds of struggle nearby were dying down, and the sky was growing darker.

Meng Shijiu looked up.

Qian Zhangli stood in the shadows, watching him with leisurely composure.

—He actually hadn't left yet.

"Don't want to come with me?" Qian Zhangli asked softly, taking a step forward. The sole of his shoe crunched clearly on the gravel.

He extended a hand, hovering it before Meng Shijiu.

The silver-haired Alpha stonily averted his gaze and turned to leave.

"This place will blow very soon. If you want to find Qian Chunyan now, I'm afraid it's too late," Qian Zhangli's laughter trailed behind him.

Meng Shijiu turned back, his jade-green eyes gleaming startlingly bright in the gloom.

He pivoted slowly. "Someone like you… you probably carry the detonator on you at all times, don't you?"

Hearing this, Qian Zhangli let out a low chuckle.

If one ignored the undisguised obsession in his eyes, he truly looked like a refined, unassuming scholar. "Correct again."

"So… what will you do?" Qian Zhangli leaned forward slightly, as if already eagerly anticipating Meng Shijiu's next move. "Take it from me… or try to persuade me?"

Meng Shijiu looked at him, then suddenly curled his lips into a slow, faint smile and took a step back. "Until I find Qian Chunyan, I won't leave this place."

"You're not leaving either," he added.

He didn't use his ability recklessly. With El's precedent, it was obvious Qian Zhangli wouldn't be completely unprepared.

The smile instantly vanished from Qian Zhangli's face, his lips pressing into a cold, hard line.

He said nothing, watching as Meng Shijiu turned away.

Behind them, the Tide King had finished dealing with the others and was gradually approaching.

...

The moment Meng Shijiu stepped out of the wrecked exit, chaotic light and noise assaulted his senses.

The area was deserted. He felt a flicker of unease but had no time to dwell on it, focused only on leaving.

But before his foot could fully land, a powerful force dragged him hard into an embrace.

Still recovering and not fully healed, a wave of nausea hit him instantly. He couldn't help but turn his head and cough, his lips flushing redder.

Struggling amidst the disordered breaths, he lifted his gaze and met a pair of eyes deep as a dark pool.

Meng Shijiu froze.

How could it be…

Why was he here?

Meng Shijiu: "You…"

In that flash of realization, he suddenly remembered—back on the operating table, when Qian Zhangli had touched his arm, that brief, suspicious pause and the almost inaudible "Huh?"

Meng Shijiu looked down and quickly felt along the inside of his arm, his fingertips pressing carefully against his skin. Sure enough, at a spot with an almost imperceptible slight bulge, a thin, cicada-wing-like foreign object met his touch.

A chip.

No need to overthink it. This had to be…

A tracking chip.

…When did this happen? He had absolutely no memory of it.

Meng Shijiu abruptly looked up, meeting Yue Xuanli's unusually gloomy, ink-green eyes. For a moment, he felt a surge of anger but dared not voice it.

Yue Xuanli lowered his gaze, meticulously smoothing out Meng Shijiu's disheveled long hair strand by strand. Then his hands moved lower, straightening the collar wrinkled from struggle and brushing over the faint red marks left by the electric shocks on his collarbone.

His movements were slow, unnervingly so. Meng Shijiu noticed several small, fresh cuts on his hands, as if from blades of grass, still slightly oozing blood.

"Let's go." Meng Shijiu pressed down on Yue Xuanli's hand, his tone uncharacteristically tense.

He abandoned any thought of Qian Chunyan, wanting only to pull the suddenly-appeared Yue Xuanli away from here.

Whoever was outside, at least they were still being held back, unable to get in yet.

Qian Zhangli could press the detonator at any moment.

Yue Xuanli still didn't speak. After tending to Meng Shijiu, he seemed to fall into a state of frozen stillness, his entire body stiffly cradling the weakened Silver-haired Alpha.

His touch on the Silver-haired Alpha was as if soothing a frightened rabbit. Yue Xuanli took a deep breath, his voice soft and measured: "Don't be afraid."

He had only found this place by a stroke of luck.

The locator chip hadn't been blocked by any signal jammer because its design principle didn't rely on traditional signals. Instead, it was based on the fact that an Alpha becomes more sensitive to their bonded Omega's pheromones after marking them.

After noticing that the Silver-haired Alpha's location on the map was off, Yue Xuanli had practically relied on instinct, following the Silver-haired Alpha's pheromones until he doggedly tracked down Meng Shijiu.

When he found him, the first thing he saw was a disheveled, dirty, and battered Meng Shijiu.

Before Meng Shijiu could even speak—

*Boom!*

A loud blast erupted, kicking up dust.

Amidst the scattering debris, the Tide King appeared from the air, stopping in front of Meng Shijiu and throwing Qian Zhangli and Zong Geman at the feet of the Silver-haired Alpha.

Hovering in the air, its gaze shifted to the unfamiliar Alpha who remained still while holding Meng Shijiu, and it was about to attack Yue Xuanli.

"Xi Xi," Meng Shijiu quickly called out to stop it.

Qian Zhangli stood up from the ground, his eyes sweeping over the two figures pressed close together before finally locking onto Meng Shijiu's face.

The moment Meng Shijiu met his gaze, he instantly knew what the man was about to do.

"Go—" Meng Shijiu suddenly grabbed Yue Xuanli's arm, trying to pull him away from the spot.

But instead of retreating, Yue Xuanli tightened his arm, pulling Meng Shijiu even closer into his embrace.

At the same time, Qian Zhangli on the other side had already pressed the miniature detonator in his palm.

A twisted, satisfied smile curled at the corner of his mouth, as if he could already envision the spectacular scene of flying debris.

However, there was no expected roar or flash of fire.

Nothing happened at all.

A dead silence fell over the surroundings.

Meng Shijiu froze in shock.

Yue Xuanli's voice came from beside his ear: "I disarmed them."

He gently pressed Meng Shijiu's head against the crook of his shoulder, holding him tightly, and closed his eyes: "Don't be afraid."

The bombs—he had already disarmed them all.

Meng Shijiu didn't speak, his gaze traveling over Yue Xuanli's shoulder, landing in the distance.

Voices called out, growing closer, as familiar faces rushed through the smoke and dust.

He saw them all clearly.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, after receiving Meng Shijiu's reply, Xie Mu immediately headed straight to the Federation headquarters with the verified information.

As soon as she arrived, the people keeping a close watch on Boer rushed into his office and restrained him.

The next day, the Federation's Supreme Council issued a special announcement.

Boer Norman, an important member of the Federation Military Management Department and Captain of the Royal Guard, along with accomplices including Qian Zhangli, were apprehended on suspicion of illegally concealing unregistered controlled substances, conducting illegal human experiments, kidnapping relevant personnel, and stealing classified Federation information. The involved individuals were transferred for judicial processing that same day for severe punishment according to the law.

*

Three months later.

The twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month.

After much begging and bargaining with the two people at home, Meng Shijiu finally managed to get a half-day release from Frost and went to St. Mary's.

The students at St. Mary's, having not seen Meng Shijiu for a full three months, were acting a bit wild. Various pheromones erratically drifted through the classroom, tentatively reaching toward the Silver-haired Alpha.

Meng Shijiu lasted only half a class before he couldn't take it anymore. He hurried back to the dormitory before the class ended.

Finally having a private space, isolated from those gazes that felt almost scorching, Meng Shijiu snuggled contentedly into the soft bedding and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke again, the messages on his terminal had exploded.

The most persistent was Cui Suifu, who was still sending him messages even now.

Meng Shijiu nuzzled into the blanket and turned over. His hair had grown longer again, spread across the bed.

A light-colored flower was loosely tied beside the Silver-haired Alpha's ear, woven there by Meng Shiyan. Now, after his restless tossing in bed, it was slightly askew.

The Alpha, facing away from the ceiling, fished out his terminal and lazily held it up in front of him to open it.

[Cui Suifu]: "Look at me look at me look at me"

[Cui Suifu]: "Baby, look at mine first"

[Cui Suifu]: "[Image]"

...

[Qian Chunyan]: "It's snowing. What are you doing?"

[Qian Chunyan]: "? Not sleeping, are you?"

[Shen Huaixu]: "Sweetie, wake up"

[Shen Huaixu]: "Happy first snow [Image]"

[Lu]: "Can you come out now?"

[Jie Xile]: "At school? Come out to see the snow, Jiu"

[Jie Xile]: "My sister's here too"

[Jue Ning]: "Baby, it's snowing"

[Jue Ning]: "[Image] Did you see it, baby?"

...

There were too many messages after that; he didn't scroll further.

His wrist relaxed, and the terminal slipped down onto the pillow.

Meng Shijiu buried his face in the blanket, sinking completely into it, and felt a bit more awake.

So it’s snowing.

The silver-haired Alpha mused to himself, rolling over once again.

…

In Jinyue Town, inside the Shuyin Hall.

The snow was falling from the dome.

It was the first snow of the year, falling gently.

They drifted down from the gray sky, one by one, quietly, unhurriedly, like soft feathers.

The silver-haired Alpha came to a stop under the dome.

Snowflakes landed on him too, settling softly in his silver hair or disappearing into his long eyelashes.

All was silent, save for the faint, rustling sound of falling snow—like a grand yet tender whisper.

Meng Shijiu reached out, letting snowflakes land in his palm.

Here, he always had a gentle air about him, pure as a newborn lamb.

Behind him, a man in black robes had appeared again, unnoticed until now.

Meng Shijiu turned, unsure if this was the same man he had met in the hall before.

But soon, the man gave a slight bow. “You’ve come back.”

Then, he offered a soft blessing: “Happy birthday.”

Meng Shijiu smiled, the corners of his eyes curving in a soft arc. “Thank you.”

He turned back to face the snow falling from the dome, closed his eyes, and made a wish.

This was the wish the system owed him upon completing his mission.

Originally, he had thought to wish for the post-apocalyptic world he left behind to be restored as if he had never been there.

Regardless of whether it was cruel, unfair, or presumptuous—that day… the person who died unexpectedly in the mecha class, the number jumping from 126 to 125.

He found it impossible to simply forget the past.

Even if the cost was unknown, he was willing to give everything to correct that mistake.

That’s just human clumsiness.

But now, he had another thought. All he wished for now was this:

May cause and effect never be empty.

Meng Shijiu whispered this wish softly.

“Please confirm your wish.”

“Yes.” “No.”

Soon, the silver-haired Alpha held out his hand, snowflakes settling peacefully in his palm.

His power vanished.

Meng Shijiu smiled.

In another world he couldn’t see, the virus was slowly disappearing too.

To vanish completely might take a year, two years, ten years, or even longer.

The silver-haired Alpha left.

The man in black robes watched his retreating figure, silently praying in his heart.

May you be safe, untouched by wind and snow, unafraid of the long night.

*

Meng Shijiu’s three “never” principles in life:

First, never let a conversation drop.

Second, never carry the burden when you can lie down.

And the last one—

Move forward, never look back.

(End of main story.)

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Author’s note: Happy birthday, my dear ^^

–

The main story ends here~ Sending lots of love~

Extra chapters are not daily updates. [Heart]

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