Chapter 54: Salvation Spiritual Union
A rumbling sound was heard, and the entire base was shaking.
While shaking, Xu Nuo hugged his legs, sat on the ground, and cried uncontrollably.
She looked up blankly at the countdown that was returning to zero, as if unable to comprehend what was happening. She opened her mouth and asked, "Qi Qian?"
No response.
Suddenly, there was a dull pain in my chest, which gradually deepened and turned into a colic.
Xu Nuo covered his chest, gasping for breath, his eyes were vacant, and he didn't even realize that he was in the middle of an explosion and could be in danger at any moment.
She let out a small "ah" sound and kept shaking.
She lost Qi Qian.
She lost the most important person in her life.
Memories flashed through his mind: his childhood, his youth, his time at Yueshan, at the academy, and just before his death...
...She felt sorry for Qi Qian.
…She was unaware of her own feelings.
Even before his death, Qi Qian did not hear what he wanted to hear.
In grief, Xu Nuo fell to his knees, his palms rumbling and shaking.
She stared at the ground blankly until the rumbling stopped.
The imagined violent shaking and collapse did not occur.
She immediately called out to the bracelet, "Qi Qian? Did you succeed? The explosion stopped!"
No response.
Xu Nuo immediately stood up and communicated with the announcement speaker: "System, the explosion has stopped. Let me out."
"The explosion has been detected and stopped mid-flight. Considering the aftermath and the risk of collapse, please ask Director Xu to wear protective clothing and remain in the explosion-proof room awaiting rescue."
"In the name of the director, I demand that you open the door!"
"Sorry, to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the group's key personnel, this request cannot be approved. Director Xu, please wear protective clothing and wait for rescue in the explosion-proof room."
Xu Nuo and Xiao Gu banged on the door regardless.
I smashed it for a long time but couldn't break it open.
"Qi Qian! If you're still alive, respond to me!"
"elder sister?"
Xu Nuo suddenly looked up, thinking he was hallucinating.
The man's voice outside the door sounded unreality: "Have you put on your protective suit? There's a lot of radiation outside."
She didn't have time to wipe away her tears and hurried to put on her protective suit: "I'll put it on now! Qi Qian, are you okay? Did you stop the explosion successfully?"
"It may not be good." Qi Qian's voice was unclear.
"The bomb was placed on the control center floor. Although it only partially exploded, I was close to it and was slightly injured."
Xu Nuo said anxiously, "Do you have a way to get in? There is medicine here."
"The blast door is locked..."
"What about destroying it directly? You're S-rank, you should be able to destroy it..."
"No," Qi Qian said, "The passage can't collapse again, and the radiation here is very high. You can't come into contact with it."
There was a rustling sound outside the door. He seemed to have changed his position, and his voice was a little clearer: "Xu Nuo, can I not call you sister from now on?"
Xu Nuo was stunned for a moment: "If you can get out of here, you can scream whatever you want."
"Whatever you call me is fine." Qi Qian raised the corner of his mouth, "You make me reluctant to die like this."
Xu Nuo's pupils constricted: "Where are you hurt?"
A door separated them. Qi Qian's body, which was leaning against the door, could no longer support itself and gradually slid down. "I don't know. The explosion might have caused a fatal injury somewhere, or it might just be a recurrence of an old injury."
His eyes were dull, and black mist dissipated from his body, disappearing into the air. "But...it doesn't seem to hurt as much anymore."
The pain that had tormented him for years was somewhat alleviated due to his physical weakness.
"Xu Nuo, I'm a little sleepy," he closed his eyes, "I want to sleep."
Xu Nuo slammed the door hard: "You can't sleep! Qi Qian, hold on a little longer! Help will be here soon!"
She turned to ask the system: "When will the rescue arrive?"
"Headquarters was contacted five minutes ago. The nearest rescue team is expected to arrive in three hours."
"Three hours?!"
Qi Qian said softly, "You can leave in three hours. The food stored here should be enough. The field device has been destroyed by the explosion. I won't lose control before I die."
"How can I leave alone?" Xu Nuo choked up, "Don't talk nonsense, there must be a way, there must be a way!"
Qi Qian looked at his arm. The mottled black lines on his skin were disappearing along with the dissipating black energy. He said weakly, "It's gone too. It won't torment me anymore."
Pollution levels in the environment are rising rapidly.
Xu Nuo habitually stretched out his spiritual tentacles to wrap himself. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said in ecstasy: "I figured it out! I figured it out!"
A soft and warm tentacle passed through the explosion-proof door and reached Qi Qian's side.
Then, one tentacles after another wrapped around his entire body, gently but firmly delivering clear and clean power.
"How are you? Do you feel better?" Xu Nuo cried with joy. "If the pollution in your body isn't cleared, it will reduce your physical fitness. Although I can't heal the blast injury just now, I can purify the pollution and improve your body's resistance, so you can hold on a little longer!"
Save the country in a roundabout way!
Qi Qian smiled and said, "Yeah, it's a little better."
They all tacitly did not mention that the A-level guide's mental power to purify the S-level sentinel was just a drop in the bucket, not to mention that it would take three hours.
"Hold on until rescue," Xu Nuo said firmly, "I can do it, believe me."
"Okay." Qi Qian lay in her warm "arms" and felt extremely happy.
This kind of death was a thousand times happier than he had imagined.
Inside the door, Xu Nuo looked nervous.
This purification was different from usual. Qi Qian's mental strength was almost exhausted. She was the one who connected with him unilaterally and could easily rush into his mental picture.
"Xu Nuo?" Qi Qian's eyes flashed with panic.
Ordinary purification does not require entering the spiritual picture, only spiritual union does.
Ye Lin said that guides can purify distorted sentinels in the spiritual picture.
She had to purify Qi Qian's pollution before her mental strength was exhausted, and only a spiritual union could offset the huge gap in their levels.
"Yes, it's what you think," Xu Nuo said calmly, "You can't resist now, don't struggle."
"But my vision—"
"It's okay. You don't have the strength or energy to resist me right now," Xu Nuo said sternly. "I advise you not to bother me anymore. Otherwise, if you're not careful, we'll both be finished."
Qi Qian's back collapsed, and fear ignited his heart.
He is not afraid of death, he is willing to die for his promise.
But he was afraid that Xu Nuo would be in danger because of him.
His mental picture had long been a wasteland, full of pollution and black tides. Even S-level guides did not dare to enter without permission, and Xu Nuo was only A-level. Even if they had a tacit understanding and were familiar with each other, all he could do was try to relax and not block her when she entered.
Once the black tide in the purification riots, the pollution will instantly sweep across every corner of the picture, and her spiritual tentacles will be inevitably affected. At that time, the pollution will probably flow back directly along the tentacles and invade her body.
"I told you not to move!" Xu Nuo shouted angrily.
Her tentacles directly bound the young man's body and pulled him back as he had just moved.
"I won't let you die. Don't even think about escaping," Xu Nuo said fiercely, his voice trembling. "Even if it's impossible, I'm going to try."
"Or, die together."
Her tentacles continued to penetrate deeper into the image, and Qi Qian trembled as well: "Sister, why bother... You could have gotten out alive anyway."
"You can't die!" Xu Nuo's eyes were red.
"You are very important to me...Qi Qian."
"You are the most important to me."
"Please, stay alive with me."
The tiny spiritual tentacles faced the vast chaotic black tide and charged forward fearlessly.
Three hours later.
The beam of the flashlight illuminated the nearly collapsed passage. Dust and fresh air flowed along the excavator that kept moving overhead. The rescue team leader was the first to jump down the passage.
“There’s a guy here!”
"Quick! Medical treatment, he's still alive, still alive!"
Many people immediately jumped down from above, carrying various facilities, and busily filled the already narrow passage.
"The tunnel is holding up and won't collapse anytime soon," said the security team member. "The radiation has been shielded, so we can expose it."
The medical team unfolded the stretcher: "The injured person's vital signs are not stable. He needs to be moved to the medical vehicle for further treatment."
The captain immediately ordered someone to bring the injured up.
The exploration team member took a look inside and said, "Captain, the thermal imager shows that there is another person in the room. He appears to be unconscious."
The captain frowned. "Our company's labs are all equipped with explosion-proof rooms like this. The doors are explosion-proof and very strong. The equipment we have now can't open them. How long will it take for the circuit-breaking equipment to arrive?"
"An hour left."
"One hour?" The medical team member who was carrying the injured person's stretcher turned around and said, "What a pity, this person is probably beyond saving."
As soon as she finished speaking, the stretcher suddenly became lighter, and the injured person who was just barely breathing actually stood up, holding on to the wall, and said weakly, "Get out of the way!"
Perhaps it was because of his fierce shout that the rescue team standing in front of the door gave way.
The temperature dropped suddenly, and ice crystals grew from the walls of the passage and climbed up the explosion-proof door.
The injured man frowned, as if trying to endure the severe pain, and punched the door.
There was a loud bang, and the entire explosion-proof door collapsed outward without hurting the people inside.
The rescue team was stunned when they saw the explosion-proof door being dismantled with bare hands.
The injured person stood in front of the explosion-proof door, glanced at the girl inside, and then his body went limp and fell down completely, losing consciousness.
The captain rushed in and yelled, "What are you all standing there for? Help!"
*
Xu Nuo woke up a week later.
My head was splitting with pain, and when I opened my eyes, I saw nothing but white. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant.
There was a commotion outside the window, so she turned around and saw that it was the sentry training ground that she had seen once before.
She is in the hospital in the White Tower.
Saved?
No...where is Qi Qian?
She sat up suddenly, pulled out the needle and rolled under the bed.
Before her feet touched the ground, a pair of hands supported her limp legs and carried her back to bed.
"I'm looking for Qi Qian!" She struggled to look up, but was stunned when she saw the face in front of her.
Qi Qian was wearing the combat uniform he wore when they first met. The black marks on his cool and handsome face had faded away, and his bright green eyes stared at her without blinking. Perhaps because of his gentle expression, the cold and aloof aura brought by his facial features softened a lot.
Xu Nuo's eyes were hot: "Qi Qian."
Qi Qian wiped away her tears and whispered, "Because you cleaned up the pollution for me, we all survived."
Xu Nuo's tears flowed without a care in the world: "I can't do this again. I don't want to lose you."
Before Qi Qian could wipe her tears, he was hugged by the waist. He had no choice but to hold her tightly in his arms: "Okay, I promise you, I will live with you forever."
Xu Nuo burst into tears.
Her tears were so abundant that they stained a large area of Qi Qian's combat uniform on the chest.
She only stopped crying after being persuaded because her head hurt so much that she couldn't bear it anymore.
Ever since crossing into this world, poverty and the crisis of world destruction in novels have always been hanging over my head.
Ever since Xu Nuo stepped onto the train to the capital, she was drawn into the chessboard of those bigwigs. All of this forced her to go from a cowardly little person to where she is now in just a few months, without ever having a chance to breathe.
She was very tired, but she didn't dare to rest.
Now I can finally rest.
It was already noon when Xu Nuo finished venting his anger. He had been relying on intravenous drips for days and was already very hungry.
Qi Qian asked someone to deliver food and placed it on the small table on the hospital bed. This was the first time the two of them had a meal face to face after they met.
In front of Xu Nuo was a bowl of egg noodles in clear soup, with some chopped green onions and a few vegetable leaves sprinkled on the slightly oily soup.
She picked up the noodles and asked, "How are Zhang Zhang and Miao Miao?"
Qi Qian: "Zhou Xuanyi has taken over the Pangfeng base. The people in the slums are now under the unified management of the welfare home. I told him to send all the children to school."
Xu Nuo was relieved: "What is Zhou Xuanyi's intention? He made us go to such a dangerous place."
Qi Qian lowered his eyes. "He said he didn't know there were field devices in the branch base, and he didn't expect his father to give his adopted son such broad authority without telling him."
Xu Nuo sneered.
Qi Qian: "But the lifting of the □□ was thanks to him. He secretly scanned my iris while Fino was treating me and granted me the highest authority as the Security Director of Fino headquarters, which allowed me to stop the explosion of the sub-base."
Xu Nuo snorted coldly after hearing this: "Make amends. He's scheming. Anyway, let's have less contact with him."
Qi Qian stirred the soup in his bowl. "He and Baita have reached a preliminary cooperation. They will share Finuo's communication base station technology with all regions. Currently, Baita and the capital base are the first experimental sites."
"From now on, we'll see each other every day. Will you spend less time with him?"
Xu Nuo said, "That's the White Tower, not us. At worst, we can stay away from him wherever he goes, so as to avoid being used quietly again."
Qi Qian chuckled.
Xu Nuo took a sip of noodles and said, "It's delicious. Remember the last time we came to Baita by medical vehicle, you also cooked a bowl of noodles."
Qi Qian paused while drinking his soup: "Yeah. Later, Jiang Chen fed you."
"Why didn't you dare face me then?" Xu Nuo asked casually.
Qi Qian put down the spoon and said calmly, "I'm afraid you'll see through my thoughts. I'm afraid you...really fall in love with Wei Yan."
Xu Nuo raised his head and glanced at him: "Now tell the truth."
Qi Qian: "You said I don't have to call you sister anymore, does that still count?"
Xu Nuo put down his chopsticks, stood up and looked him in the eye: "What do you want to be called?"
Qi Qian avoided her gaze: "Anything is fine, as long as it's not my sister."
Xu Nuo stared at his earlobe without saying anything.
After staring for a long time, his earlobes gradually turned red. Xu Nuo chuckled, "Of course you called me Xu Nuo. What are you thinking about?"
A month later, Xu Nuo was discharged from the hospital smoothly.
When he was discharged from the hospital, Qin Shuyue and Zong Lan came to see him off.
She was counting her few belongings when a soft, moist scent blew towards her. Turning around, she saw Qin Shuyue sitting in a wheelchair, holding a book, being pushed in by Zong Lan.
Xu Nuo was surprised: "What's wrong with you?"
Tang Ningyue looked unhappy and said with a frown, "You really have reached A-level."
Xu Nuo pointed at himself and said, "Did you know I would be an A-level player?"
Tang Ningyue smiled faintly: "Your mental power fluctuations are different from other guides. They are very similar to mine. From the first time I saw you, I was sure that you could grow into an S-level."
Xu Nuo said helplessly: "Even if I am A-level now, it doesn't mean I can be promoted to S-level. The difference between these two levels is huge."
"Then we'll have to wait and see," Tang Ningyue smiled mysteriously. "Everyone says there are two S-level guides in the White Tower, but we only know one of them is me. The other is a mystery, and no one knows who it is. Now I can tell you that the other S-level guide is my mother."
Xu Nuo tilted his head to look at Qi Qian, signaling wildly with his eyes.
What dark secrets are you trying to tell her? She doesn't want to know! Don't let her get involved in the disputes between these bigwigs again!
Tang Ningyue smiled faintly, "Don't be afraid. This is nothing new in the White Tower. My mother passed away a long time ago to cleanse the pollution brought by my father's distortion."
Zong Lan continued, "Your academy should have taught the history of Evolved Humans. Decades ago, before pollution ravaged the globe, an S-Class Sentinel mutation occurred, causing the Federation to disintegrate into its bases. It took the entire Federation's strength to barely eliminate this S-Class mutant, but the resulting pollution was too extensive, completely ushering in the Wasteland Era and the establishment of the White Tower.
"That mutant is Ning Yue's father."
Tang Ningyue's expression remained calm. "Unfortunately, my mother, in order to preserve more resources for human survival, devoted all her energy to purifying the pollution caused by my father, and ultimately died from exhaustion."
"At the time, the situation was chaotic. To quell the unrest in various regions following the dissolution of the Federation, the White Tower consistently claimed that Mother was still alive, simply needing to recuperate. This suppressed the ambitions of some who sought to take advantage of the chaos."
"I came here this time to invite you," Tang Ningyue promised with a smile, "In the White Tower, S-level guides, sentinels, and the decision-making seats share the highest decision-making power. Decisions that can influence the world situation for decades are made here."
"Currently, there are no other Evolved Human seats in the decision-making seat except me, Zong Lan, and Qi Qian. Are you... willing to join?"
The sudden invitation made Xu Nuo's brain crash.
After a while, she said, "I'm not S-rank."
Tang Ningyue said calmly, "I will guarantee you with my own name. I believe the people in the decision-making seat will agree to this in order to win over the world's second S-rank wizard."
Xu Nuo frowned: "Why must it be me?"
Zong Lan folded his arms. "The decision-making seats are divided into seats for Evolved Humans and seats for Ordinary Humans. Currently, the Evolved Humans are in power, headed by Ning Yue, but there's been a lot of activity in the Ordinary Humans seats lately. I'm not sure if they were involved in Fino's incident, but I've already investigated the mutated monster at the capital base earlier, and they're definitely involved." "Since Ning Yue believes you're the next S-Class Guide, he's certainly trying to recruit you to join us and increase the weight of the Evolved Human seats."
Xu Nuo looked at them intently and pulled a chair for himself: "I'm not going."
Zong Lan raised his eyebrows: "Why?"
Xu Nuo crossed his legs and said, "Why should I get involved in your fight and cause trouble for myself? You're always trying to kill me, so I won't go."
Tang Ningyue seemed prepared and showed her the book in her arms. "This is Ye Lin's new book. I've read it. It's very well written. You inspired her. You must be hoping to resolve the conflict between the guides and the sentinels."
Xu Nuo looked at the book "Guide and Sentinel: We Are Never Opposites": "You actually read this book? I thought you didn't like talking about this kind of topic."
Tang Ningyue: "Why do you say that?"
Xu Nuo: "Remember Thor? Ye Lin and I successfully purified him before. This was a great research opportunity, but you, as the leader of the laboratory, took the guides away without asking any questions and expelled Thor from the White Tower."
"From then on, I knew you didn't care about the lives of ordinary sentinels. Or rather, you only cared about the status of guides. The current intense conflict between guides and sentinels is likely due to your contribution."
"We have conflicting views and are on opposite sides. Although I can't interfere with your choice, I don't want to be a weapon to exacerbate the conflict."
Zong Lan snorted and glanced at her sideways: "Although I shouldn't say this, Ning Yue's actions have protected the interests of the guides for a long time."
"In the early days of the White Tower, the status of Sentinels and Guides was reversed. Guides lacked combat prowess but possessed purification abilities. Sentinels were known as killing machines and craved purification. They frequently used force to threaten Guides into purification, even forcing them to overdraw themselves, resulting in the loss of many Guides."
"If Ning Yue hadn't intervened to establish order, guides would probably be even rarer now, and their treatment wouldn't be so good."
"I understand your concerns," Xu Nuo said. "I don't think the two sides need to be extremely balanced. In fact, a slightly higher status for the Guide would actually be more beneficial to □□. But the balance is completely out of balance now. Everything will turn against itself. If the Sentinels rebound, it will bring disaster in the future."
"As long as distortion pollution is not completely eliminated, the world must make changes if it wants to develop smoothly."
"It's time to change," Tang Ningyue said with a gentle smile. "You really are like me back then. My mother had just passed away, and I vowed to earn my place as a guide."
"You don't object to me fighting for a position as a sentinel?" Xu Nuo asked doubtfully.
Zong Lan raised his eyebrows and said, "If Ning Yue objects, how can Ye Lin's book be published?"
Seeing Xu Nuo was about to ask more questions, Tang Ningyue pushed her wheelchair closer and held her hand: "There's no need to ask so many questions. It's just that my time has passed. I have more important things to do."
Zong Lan suddenly gripped the armrest of the wheelchair tightly.
Tang Ningyue took her hand and said gently, "It's okay, A'lan. This day will come sooner or later. You should be happy."
Zong Lan's hands were about to crush the wheelchair: "Are you really going to do this?"
Tang Ningyue did not answer, but nodded gently and firmly.
Xu Nuo was close to her at this time and could smell the moist scent of the sea breeze. Tang Ningyue's eyes were as blue and deep as the sea, surging and deep. The mighty tide accumulated there, but it was extremely soft, beating against the beach endlessly.
She had no idea what they were talking about and looked confused: "What are you going to do?"
Tang Ningyue's eyes were filled with nostalgia: "I want to fulfill my mother's last wish."
Xu Nuo was speechless.
Zong Lan's eyes were red. "Ning Yue's spiritual power has recently reached the critical point of S-level, but the human body cannot support such a huge spiritual power. She plans to break through to S-level before the collapse of the body and use the power of creation to purify the entire wasteland."
"This is all thanks to you," Tang Ningyue said. "Ye Lin has already informed me of the existence of an S-class mutant in the A01 contaminated area. That... is the earliest contaminated area left behind by my father's mutation, and it was also my home before the wasteland. Although the Federation worked together to defeat it back then, its inability to be completely eradicated is top secret, and I only learned about it recently.
"Based on your description and growth characteristics, that mutant is my father. When he was a Sentinel, he was famous for his absolute physical strength and regenerative abilities."
Under the impact of the continuous news, Xu Nuo was already at a loss: "I would believe you even if you said your father is not dead."
She had actually investigated that mutant on the spot, and the situation was so strange that it made people doubt whether the world was real.
Tang Ningyue chuckled, "He's indeed not dead. Although his core was eaten by Qi Qian, his body is still somewhat useful. The infinite regeneration aspect is perfect for me."
She looked back at Zong Lan, then at Qi Qian: "I estimate that I have one year left. This year I will step down from the decision-making seat and focus on consolidating my spiritual power. After a year, I will need you two to help me go to A01 and use the body left by my father to break through to S-rank."
"And Xu Nuo," Tang Ningyue's hand gently rested on her shoulder, "are you willing to become the next remaining S-level guide in the world and help me secure the seat of the Evolved Human in the decision-making seat?"
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