CH 122.2

Chapter 122.2 – The Way Back

Although he said he’d bring him back, in reality, Lu Tinghan had no idea where to start.

The flashlight illuminated the surroundings. On one side, there was vibrant tall grass, and on the other side, there was a deep and dense forest. The shadows of monsters flashed by, making it difficult to see clearly.

At the bottom of Abyss No.1, it turned out to be such a world—lush vegetation, forming its own realm, as if they had traveled through the universe to another planet.

The escort ship disintegrated during the descent, with the rear half disappearing without a trace. Lu Tinghan didn’t know where the other crash site was or if Shi Yuan was there, but…

—Just like countless times before.

Regardless of deduction or intuition, Lu Tinghan always managed to find Shi Yuan.

Lu Tinghan held a gun in one hand and raised the flashlight with the other, stepping deeper into the forest.

The trees cast eerie shadows, with small creatures lurking among them, staring at this unwelcome guest. Toxic spores occasionally drifted through the air.

Lu Tinghan walked through the forest, stepping on fallen leaves and dead trees.

On one hand, his mind was in chaos, unable to stop thinking about Shi Yuan. Did he manage to transform into black mist in time? After transforming into black mist, would he be rejected by Abyss No.1? Or perhaps, even if he returned to his original form, could he withstand the impact of the explosion? Where is he now? How is he doing? If Shi Yuan is fine, why isn’t he by their side?

On the other hand, his military training forced him to remain calm. The more chaotic the situation, the more important it was to stay level-headed. He kept a close eye on his surroundings, moving forward cautiously and urgently.

Where?

Where exactly is Shi Yuan?!

“Swish, swish, swish—”

“Crackle, crackle—snap, snap—”

A group of rat-like monsters ran through the forest, spewing toxic mist from their bodies. The infection level at the bottom of the abyss was terrifying. Without instruments, Lu Tinghan couldn’t determine his own infection status. He injected himself with a suppressant and continued forward.

He soon realized that something was amiss.

The monsters showed little intention of attacking him. After walking for over ten minutes, only a small, skinny creature resembling a wild dog approached him, but he quickly dispatched it with a gunshot to the head.

Other than that, creatures of various sizes lurked in the dark forest, seemingly without end. They all appeared to be running in one direction—the same direction Lu Tinghan was heading.

And it was the direction where he instinctively felt Shi Yuan would be.

Lu Tinghan’s heart skipped a beat, hope igniting within him.

However…

However, this hope gradually diminished during the long trek.

The dense forest seemed endless, filled with eerie shadows, and there was no sight of an end in sight. Lu Tinghan didn’t know how far he had walked or how many steep slopes he had crossed, but the forest remained pitch black, devoid of anything. His footsteps grew faster, and eventually, he was almost running through the woods.

The sound of flowing water came from nearby.

“Bang, bang!” Lu Tinghan killed two approaching bird-like monsters with his gun, then swiftly stabbed a small beast intending to attack him with a knife. When the blade turned, the bones and muscles creaked. Without time to wipe off the blood from the blade, he swiftly climbed over a towering rock, and saw a small stream flowing over fine sand and gravel.

Something glistened among the vegetation near the stream.

It was the glimmer of a combat helmet!

“Shi Yuan!” Lu Tinghan shouted.

No response.

The vegetation was about the height of a person, making it difficult to see what was there. The cliff below was steep, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. He grabbed a sharp stone and descended, leaving bloody marks on his hands. Then he crossed the stream and dashed over!

His military knife cut through the plants, and he instantly froze—

There was no one, just a helmet.

A helmet that was severely damaged, exposing its inner structure.

In that moment, no words could describe the chilling sensation.

Lu Tinghan felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, repeatedly examining the helmet. It had suffered a severe impact, rendering it almost useless; a little force would cause it to fall apart.

But it clearly belonged to Shi Yuan.

Lu Tinghan searched the surroundings as thoroughly as possible, but there were no other traces, not even a hint. He saw some bloodstains scattered on leaves, unable to determine if they belonged to the monsters or… were left behind by Shi Yuan, which made him even more uneasy.

“Where are you…” he murmured. “Answer me.”

The deep forest remained silent.

Lu Tinghan took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

He thought he had to keep moving forward.

He had found Shi Yuan so many times before, and he would do so again this time.

The search continued. He stepped on fallen leaves, climbed over tree roots, avoided toxic mist-emitting flowers, and cut through dangling vines. Even the strongest warrior would exhaust their strength here, but he traversed mountains and hills tirelessly.

“Shi Yuan!” he shouted. “Where are you? Shi Yuan!”

“Shi Yuan! Answer me!”

A concealed stone tripped him, causing him to stumble a few steps before grabbing hold of an old tree.

His heart was beating too fast. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that he had stopped, his chest felt like it was about to explode. He was breathing heavily, coughing several times, and then he raised his head and continued forward.

Time ticked away, and despair slowly crept into his heart.

His movements didn’t slow down, but he couldn’t help envisioning all kinds of possibilities, each one driving him closer to madness. That broken helmet and the bloodstains haunted him like ghosts, tightly gripping him along with the wreckage of the ship.

Lu Tinghan finally couldn’t run any longer.

He leaned against a huge boulder, gasping for breath. Sweat trickled down from his chin, moistening the soil beneath his feet.

“Where are you…” he whispered softly.

The surroundings were too dark, and he couldn’t see the path ahead.

Until…

Until a faint light flickered in the distance.

Lu Tinghan lowered his head, initially not noticing it.

The light continued to shimmer, growing brighter and brighter.

As if calling to him.

Lu Tinghan finally realized that the world had brightened up. He looked up and saw a soft radiance spread across the horizon. It wasn’t dazzling, more like the pre-dawn sun, a hazy white on the horizon. But it was definitely not sunlight; it was something more vibrant and magnificent.

It was like the brilliance of a cluster of stars.

For a brief moment, Lu Tinghan stood there in a daze. Then he walked towards the light, thinking that it must be Shi Yuan, it must be…

After a while, amidst a collapsed tree, he found the other half of the escort ship.

As he had expected, the escort ship had disintegrated upon impact, breaking into two halves and separating Shi Yuan and the others. In other words, Shi Yuan was likely nearby!

Was it the light? That beam of light?!

A surge of strength coursed through his body, and Lu Tinghan sprinted towards the light. The terrain was rugged and steep, but he leaped over rubble and crossed streams, stumbling and falling along the way, but always getting back up and continuing forward!

The wind howled in his ears; he was running too fast, and nothing in the world could stop his footsteps.

Everyone longed for miracles, for a perfect ending, and Shi Yuan was no exception. He had said he wanted to find answers at the bottom of the abyss. But Lu Tinghan didn’t care about any of that anymore, to hell with the answers, to hell with miracles, who cared about all of that?! He just wanted to hold onto Shi Yuan tightly, to stroke his head and run his fingers through his soft black hair. He wanted to see him smile, with his eyes crescent-shaped, and hear his soft purring in his arms. He was willing to give everything, just to hold those hands once again.

He ran into the light like that.

The ever-changing and mysterious light surged on the ground, resembling ribbons.

Lu Tinghan looked up.

No longer was it the dense darkness, but the Milky Way high above.

A dazzling beam of light soared into the sky. It was incredibly bright, becoming a lighthouse that pierced through the darkness, illuminating a path at the bottom of the abyss.

A misty, dreamlike old road paved with starlight.

Meanwhile, monsters from all over the world raised their heads—the giant snake in the mist, the white dolphin under the aurora, the burning red fox, schools of fish in the thunderstorm, the half-skeleton deer…

They gazed at this bright lighthouse.

The monsters from the forest ran towards it, disappearing into the light, transforming into streaks of starlight that soared towards the universe, like a reversed meteor shower. Soon, more and more monsters joined them, all peculiar and lively, creating a grand finale.

The deity revealed the past through time, and they saw the path they had taken.

They were going home.

The light fell into Lu Tinghan’s eyes, like a bright lantern shining on a gray-blue sea. He walked forward slowly, wading through tall grass, brushing aside layers of leaves—

A young man stood alone in a sea of flowers.

His eyes were bright, holding a vibrant starry sky in his hands.

Colors burst forth from his fingers, like a small fireworks display. Just like the novelty and joy of their first meeting—

“Look,” he said, “this is light.”