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, the 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...
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