Chapter 485 said I would catch up with you...

At the entrance to the Rock Base, a macaw hovered in mid-air, and Zhizhi was taken out of Lu Beiye's arms by Lu Nange.

"Zhizhi, make sure that every area receives the rain and dew equally."

Lu Nange took out bombs one after another from her palm, and the branches quickly wrapped around the vines.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

[Master, I've got your back!]

As the vines responded, they wrapped the bombs and launched them into the air, instantly weaving a giant net that covered the entire base above the rock.

Through visual sharing, Lu Nange could clearly "see" the layout of the rock below.

She rubbed her younger brother's head: "A-Ye, cover your ears."

Lu Beiye immediately covered his ears.

Lu Nange: "Zhizhi, fry!"

A thin vine branched off from the vine that was binding the bomb, and the thin vine deftly ripped off the safety valve, causing the bomb to fall...

"Gangzi, retreat!"

Gangzi's wings flapped suddenly, and with the support of Lu Nange's wind-based superpowers, Gangzi shot into the sky like an arrow.

"boom--!"

The first explosion rang out, and a fireball carrying debris and broken steel shot into the sky, the enormous impact spreading outwards like ripples!

The rocky base began to collapse from the inside, stirring up clouds of dust!

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

A series of deafening explosions followed one after another; even dozens of miles away, the sound waves seemed to make one's eardrums ache...

The entire Rock Base was instantly engulfed by a sea of ​​fire and thick smoke, turning the sky blood red.

"It's Miss Lu! Miss Lu has started blasting the rocks!" In the back of the Flameheart convoy, a team member suddenly stood up and pointed behind him, exclaiming in surprise.

By this time, the convoy could already see the towering walls of the Flameheart base in the distance...

But the thunderous explosion that came from behind made everyone's hearts skip a beat, and they instinctively turned around to look.

In the direction of the Rock Base, the sky was dyed dark red, and thick smoke rose and rolled like a giant dragon.

“It’s Nan Nan…” Gu Wan clung to the car window: “She must be on her way back!”

When the explosions stopped, a loud and distinctive cry rang out from the sky.

"Gah—beauty, we're home!"

Everyone in the Flameheart convoy looked up in unison—and saw Gangzi the macaw carrying Lu Nange and Lu Beiye, flying at an extremely fast speed through the thin clouds toward the base gate.

Each flap of its wings closes the distance by tens of meters.

Sunlight shines on its colorful feathers, refracting a dazzling brilliance.

Gangzi clearly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, and even smugly did a beautiful spin when he was close to the base.

"It's Gangzi! Nannan and the others are back!" Gu Wan was the first to scream, leaning almost her entire upper body out of the car window, waving her arms like tree branches swaying in the wind.

"Nannan! Aye!"

"Sister! Xiaoye!"

The convoy erupted in cheers and greetings.

All the previous worries and anxieties have transformed into the joy of reunion and a sense of relief at this moment.

Gangzi landed on the open ground in front of the Flameheart Base gate.

Lu Nange and Lu Beiye leaped down lightly, and she looked up at her companions who were rushing towards her.

"I told you I'd catch up with you." He casually smoothed his younger brother's wind-blown tuft of hair. "See? I wasn't lying."

Before she could finish speaking, she was embraced by Gu Wan, Luo Xingyou, and Wen Qing who rushed over.

The three girls surrounded her, their arms intertwined, forming a tight circle.

"You scared us to death!" Gu Wan's voice was muffled on Lu Nange's shoulder.

Luo Xingyou and Wen Qing didn't speak, but simply tightened their grip on each other's arms.

Squeezed to the side, He Zhuo clicked his tongue sourly: "I just regret that I'm not a girl!"

This remark drew a burst of laughter from everyone, and even Lu Beiye's eyes crinkled into crescents.

Lu Nange struggled to peek out from the encirclement: "Alright, everyone's had a long night, let's go back quickly, there are still many injured people who need treatment."

"You have to take me next time!"

"Me too!" Luo Xingyou, He Zhuo... quickly chimed in.

Lu Nange nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, bring them all. Next time we'll go demolish houses as a group."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group began to enter the base gate in an orderly fashion.

However, all the laughter abruptly stopped when their eyes fell on the three neatly arranged bodies, covered with white cloth... that had been brought back.

The air seemed to freeze instantly, and everyone's steps involuntarily slowed and became lighter.

The three pieces of white cloth looked particularly glaring in the sunlight.

The three Flameheart members who sacrificed their lives—Zhao Jing, Wu Yong, and Tian Tian—have no living relatives.

Chi Yanzhou stood in front of the body: "Follow the base's rules."

No one raised any objections.

—The ashes of fallen comrades are cremated and placed in a cemetery designated by the base.

The simple farewell ceremony was held in the small square in front of the cemetery.

There were no complicated procedures, no lengthy eulogies; everyone spontaneously gathered in a circle, watching those three faces appear in the sunlight for the last time.

Lu Xici lit the flames.

The orange flames gently enveloped the body, their crackling sounds particularly clear in the silent square.

Many of the ability users in Flameheart turned their faces away, their shoulders trembling slightly.

When the last spark died out, the ashes were carefully collected into three earthenware jars.

Only then did the lightly injured superhumans turn around and head to the base hospital for treatment.

Wen Qing looked visibly tired, but still went to the hospital: "Having more people help will make things go faster."

Lu Nange and her group returned to the villa in silence.

After washing away the fatigue and smell of gunpowder with hot water and changing into clean and comfortable home clothes, almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

When Wen Qing returned home smelling of disinfectant, the dining room was already filled with the warm aroma of food.

The long dining table was laden with home-style dishes: braised chicken with potatoes, stir-fried mushrooms with bell peppers, braised pork ribs... and a large pot of steaming hot yam and pork rib soup.

After the meal, Lu Nange placed the crystal cores she had collected on the table.

"As usual, allocate according to need, giving priority to those who are about to break through."

The crystal nuclei were quickly and fairly distributed.

"Alright, you've had a long night, go and get some rest!"

But the stimulation from the level eight zombies was too intense, like a cold, sharp sword hanging over everyone's head.

Almost immediately upon returning to their rooms, everyone eagerly began absorbing the crystal cores they had just been allocated.

The contiguous villa area quickly fell into a peculiar silence.

It was already afternoon when Grandpa Chi and his team finished dealing with base affairs and returned home.

Ji Huan jogged out to greet them, lowering her voice to say, "Grandpa Chi... my brothers and the others have gone to upgrade their superpowers!"

......

At night, after a day of absorbing low-level crystal cores, Lu Nange placed the level seven wind-element crystal core in her palm.

The crystal core vibrated slightly in her hand, emitting a halo of light...

She could clearly feel the immense energy contained within flowing through her meridians into her limbs and bones, with every cell greedily absorbing this power.

Outside the window, the moonlight is just right...

The cool moonlight shone through the window lattice, gilding her with a silvery edge.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Everyone is preparing for the coming storm in their own way...