Chapter 180 Daydreaming is harmful to your health
"Alright! The Waklo subjugation campaign is over, now let's start the roll call!" Chongming knocked on the scabbard. "Two newcomers, a new eyeball, and a real newcomer who joined temporarily. All of the above are here!"
"Wait a moment, sir." Ji Huaisu raised his hand seriously, "Team member Qingye's clothes have been sacrificed!"
Chongming nodded sadly. "Damn it, I actually forgot its contribution... Adding one more thing: one soldier who died in battle, and the clothes of the Qingye team members."
"Will you please shut up! How long will this joke last?! Don't make it sound like I'll have nothing to wear in the future!!"
Qing Ye used the shadow folding fan to hit Ji Huaisu's head, hitting him again after each exclamation point, and launched a terrifying four-hit combo. But the knight completely blocked it with his bare hands and white blade. Ji Huaisu, who successfully blocked it, showed a bully's smile.
Chu Hengkong couldn't bear it and gave his partner a slap on the shoulder.
"Oh, it hurts." Ji Huaisu covered his forehead.
"If you keep going like this, I'll pretend not to see when Qing Ye steals your clothes."
Qing Ye clenched his fists tightly and urged, "Please help me steal! I will give you the spoils."
"You better stop talking to a pervert like that."
When we first met, she was a simple schoolgirl obsessed with killing outsiders. So, when did she become this awful? Was it because of the bullies in the hot pot, the onsen bathing with tentacles to keep warm, or the fact that she was wearing a shadow combat suit and fighting alongside everyone else?
Damn, there were so many shocks that could have completely changed someone's personality, it was hard to pinpoint what the problem was. Could it be that staying in a weak intelligence environment for so long naturally led to this?
Chongming raised his gaze and looked at the centaurs strolling at the back of the team. "Then there are the returning old members. Come and report!"
Qingxia trotted over and saluted solemnly, "Yes, Commander Chongming! Qingxia, Deputy Director of the Institute of Historical Truth, is back with you~"
"You are still the deputy director?" Chu Hengkong was surprised.
"I'm actively looking for a job, too." Qingxia nodded complacently. "As the saying goes, 'Running water never stagnates, and door hinges never rot.' It means that if you actively flow like water, you won't encounter those who sink, and if you frequently turn the door hinges when you go out, you won't turn into a sandworm."
"This means that constant change will prevent you from being eroded by external things!"
"?" Qingxia tilted her head, "That's exactly what I said."
“That’s the case, but…ah…”
Chu Hengkong clutched his forehead, wailing silently. Zhongming ignored the newcomer's cries and patted the deputy director's bone armor encouragingly, "Team Qingxia did a great job detecting the signal and rushing to support us!"
"Yeah, I came over here thinking, 'Is that a distress signal?' I didn't expect it to be true. I'm so glad you got it."
"So that wasn't the signal we agreed on beforehand!" Ji Huaisu went crazy. "Are you going to gamble everyone's lives on that 'got it'?!"
"What does it matter? We won anyway. As long as we win, it's a perfect plan." Chongming waved his hand. "Everyone is here. Let's set off for the settlement now. Rejoice, newcomers, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief!"
“Oh~” “Let’s go back to base camp~” “The last leg!”
Ji Huaisu built an ice reindeer cart for the journey, and the researchers cheered as they boarded, appearing even happier than the newlyweds. Qingxia walked alongside the ice reindeer, leading the group.
Qingye, who had just joined, squeezed into the front carriage and asked quietly, "Where is the settlement?"
"The settlement is a safe zone in the southeast corner of the Despair Wilderness. It's also the home of our warriors." Qingxia turned back with a smile, her expression visibly brightening at the mention of this. "Once you get to the settlement, you can sleep peacefully without worrying about nightmares!"
"Nightmare..." Qingye looked bewildered. Chu Hengkong immediately realized that Qingye had probably been caught by Waklo as soon as he arrived in the wilderness.
"You haven't slept so far."
Qing Ye smiled awkwardly and waved his hands: "Hate it, Mr. Chu, I'm not thick-skinned enough to fall asleep in that kind of environment..."
Chu Hengkong patted her shoulder wordlessly. Ji Huaisu hugged the bewildered Qingye: "Wuwu, Xiaoye!"
"What the hell?! Did I say anything weird?!" "You're so miserable!" "Why are you still saying this now?"
Qing Ye waved his hands in panic: "And isn't everyone's attitude a bit strange? Why did they just go with this guy naturally? She should be our... uh..."
What exactly is the role of this Centaur?
Qingye wasn't the only one; everyone who had seen Qingxia (and the dome) in Golden Leaf City began to ponder with a deeply entangled expression. This guy had absolutely gone too far, his personality utterly awful. He'd deliberately disguised himself as an egg in Golden Leaf City to get free food and drinks, then, at a crucial moment, he'd single-handedly conspired to kill the evil martial artist, then brutally beat up the rampaging Chu Hengkong, then saved him, and finally, provided crucial combat power in the Warklo crusade...
What, what's going on.
Although I wanted to get angry, judging by the conclusion, she was completely an ally. Furthermore, she was the main force. It's more like if it weren't for Qingxia, they would have died several times already!
"But, damn it..." Ji Huaisu bit his nails, "This weird feeling of wanting to eat but not being able to..."
"Yeah~" Qingxia made a V sign and smiled brightly.
Chongming glanced at the troubled newcomers, then turned and said, "Tell me the truth. What did you do when you were out there?"
Qingxia flicked her hair and said complacently, "Commander Chongming, you don't understand. They are impressed by my bravery and are hesitating whether to follow me. This is the so-called 'bow down and worship' style unique to famous generals~"
“No way!!”
Fander didn't participate in this idiotic conversation. Normally, he was the most frequent and effective complainer, but these past few days, he'd been completely driven crazy. He'd already shrunk into Chu Hengkong's pocket and asked, as if to utter his last words, "So, we can sleep peacefully now, right?"
"No," Chongming immediately rejected the idea. "We're not in the safe zone yet. The nightmare could materialize at any moment. Wait until we get to the settlement before sleeping."
"ZZZ." Vander snored.
"This idiot can fall asleep in just one second!"
"Let's hurry up. Fander has been busy for several days." Chu Hengkong knocked on his partner's shoulder armor, "Make umbrellas for everyone."
"I'm doing it~"
After the defeat of Dawaklo, a light drizzle began to fall across the wilderness. Ice deer hooves trod across the wet earth, leaving behind two crystalline ice marks. Ji Huaisu, displeased with the hassle, simply added a roof to each carriage, making their vehicle look like a string of horse-drawn carriages.
She hesitated for a moment, then leaned halfway out of the skylight and held out an exceptionally large ice umbrella: "Here, your umbrella."
Qingxia was walking in the rain outside the car. The rain slid from her shoulders to the horse's body, and the wet hair was tangled into circles, like a wet, furry big animal.
She stared at the umbrella for a few seconds and didn't answer: "Well... I don't need this."
"I know you don't need it." Ji Huaisu forced it in. "But we would feel uncomfortable if you were the only one out in the rain."
Qingxia tucked the umbrella over her shoulder and said with a smile, "Your hearts are as fragile as your bodies~"
"This guy really can't say a single nice word!"
Ji Huaisu retreated angrily into the carriage. Qingxia walked in the rain, holding an umbrella, imitating the calls of reindeer. Everyone, exhausted, fell silent. They rested quietly in the carriage, listening to the imitation of the reindeer calls and the increasingly heavy rain.
Chu Hengkong pondered that reality might not be as smooth as he imagined. Qingxia knew a lot, yet she hadn't issued a warning in Jinye City, not to mention that she had taken the stone seeds with her. She had her own plans, but now was not the time to discuss them.
He had no right to confront Qingxia. He had been saved twice already. Even if Qingxia asked for his life, he would give it without hesitation. This was a matter of principle. You had to remember how much you owed her, so you could find a way to pay it back.
The rain was getting heavier, and the huge raindrops made the carriages rattle. The ice carts also slowed down due to the heavy rain. Ji Huaisu was getting impatient with the noise and complained, "This place is really endless!"
"I don't think this has anything to do with the wilderness." Qingxia said outside the car, "This is the first time I've seen this kind of... sky since I was a child!"
Ji Huaisu stuck his head out of the skylight and looked out without saying anything for a long time.
“…Fuck.” Ji Huaisu said dully.
Chu Hengkong suddenly shuddered, realizing he was exhausted from the constant fighting. He wanted to go out and investigate, but a strong wind blew up, blowing the temporary ice roof away. Screams echoed from inside the car!
The entire sky was spinning. The clouds flowed like liquid, twisting the sky. The night was stripped away, and light hadn't appeared. Everything in the sky was swirling rapidly along an invisible "boundary." At the center of the vortex was a vast, empty void, as if the world had been pierced by something, leaving behind an unhealable scar.
The rain clouds were the ripples at the outermost edge of the vortex, from which thousands of tons of rain fell, swirling and dancing in the strong wind.
The size of the void was expanding at a visible rate, spreading from the sky above the arena to the unreachable distance in just a few breaths. The entire despair wilderness was about to be sucked in!
“Help!” Qing Ye cried out in despair, “What the hell is this?! Is this a demonic bomb?! There can’t be such a terrifying demonic bomb, right?!”
“——————!” Chongming stood up suddenly, “——!!”
"Commander Chongming, what the hell did you say?!" Ji Huaisu also collapsed.
"It's a nightmare made real!" Chongming roared. "That idiot's nightmare has been made real by Vansalar. Run away!"
Ji Huaisu gasped, dragging Fan De out on the spot and beginning to slap him with a frenzied awakening slap. Despite twelve consecutive slaps, Fan De didn't wake up, but instead fell deeper into a deep sleep, his demeanor akin to "I'm going to die right here in this sleep today." Qing Ye then shook the Eye Demon, feeling increasingly frantic: "What on earth could have caused such a crazy dream!!!"
Somehow, Chu Hengkong felt that the hollow was vaguely familiar. He realized that he must have seen a similar phenomenon somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where it was and didn't have time to think about it.
He leaned out of the car and grabbed Qingxia's shoulders: "Qingxia! Do you still have strength?"
"A short sprint is no problem." Qingxia said excitedly, "I'm going to sprint~"
"Ji Huaisu, reinforce the carriage! Qingye, secure everyone!" Chu Hengkong shouted, "Prepare for the impact!"
Layers of ice and earth armor emerged, strengthening the deer cart to decisive battle specifications. The meaningless ice deer vanished, and several clay elastic ropes entangled Qingxia's arms. Qingye bound everyone in the cart with shadow ropes, and a frantic heartbeat echoed through the storm.
“It’s coming—!”
Qingxia raised the Qingkun Spear, applying the initial acceleration with gravity. Then, a frenzied burst of blood and energy erupted, and the unbridled speed pushed everyone back against the seatbacks.
She dragged an entire train carriage forward in the storm, the wind and rain were left behind at such a rapid speed that even the environment turned into a blur of colors.
The reinforced carriage collapsed completely in the third second. Ji Huaisu urgently constructed the Light Guard Ice House, sealing it with Discipline to serve as a vehicle for everyone. Chu Hengkong's heart raced, and an indescribable burning sensation made him roar. He vaguely sensed Qingxia's vision: the wasteland being swept past, the thick clouds behind, and the green block crashing into his vision from the front.
It was trees. A moist rainforest. Plants were blown away by the wind. Trunks were snapped. They raced through the forest like a crimson storm. The breath of life continued to emerge. "Stop!" "Who is—" "Warrior Captain?!" "Retreat! We'll be hit!"
Suddenly, a golden light flashed before their eyes, and everyone felt a sense of lightness within them. However, Chu Hengkong felt both a sense of relief and a heavy pressure. He looked up and saw that the hole in the sky was gone. The researchers were laughing like they were crying.
"We've reached the safe zone!! We've escaped!!"
"Yeah, that's great." Qing Xia said, "By the way, I have some bad news for you all."
"What happened again?"
"I was going too hard and couldn't brake for the moment."
The passengers' faces turned a healthy green.
"Don't. Don't." Qingye said desperately, "Don't!!!"
“I’m working hard~~~”
The sprint continued, like a train derailing, a frantic rush. Plants were crushed one after another, fence-like barriers flew up, followed by walls, bone and stone houses. Buildings were smashed one after another, and people's screams echoed. A magnificent tree of light appeared in the center of the view.
"Oh no! The Warrior Captain couldn't brake!" "Retreat! Retreat quickly!" "Sir Knight, please avoid the training grounds!!" "Sir Knight has already crashed into the training grounds!" "Oh no, Holy Pillar!!"
They sprinted toward the light, crashing into the settlement's central square. Pots and pans were scattered across the ground, fruits and vegetables ricocheted into Ji Huaisu's mouth. Qingye had a small colored flag on his forehead, and each researcher was carrying 1.5 bowls and pans. Chongming nimbly dodged a flying black pot, which was aimed at the catapulted Fander.
"Who is it?!" "Ah!" "Who?!" "Ah!" Innocent residents of the settlement were constantly being knocked into the air. Qingxia was trying to brake, but it didn't work! Guangshu was getting closer and closer to everyone!
The runaway train crashed directly into the center of the settlement, and under the astonished gaze of the heavily armed warriors, it slammed headfirst into the Light Tree—the "Sacred Pillar" that protected the settlement. At the last moment, Qingxia slammed on the brakes, raising her front hooves high and positioning herself before the sacred pillar.
She raised her hands excitedly: "Stop!"
The entire carriage was thrown high into the air, and all the passengers fell like raindrops. Chu Hengkong rolled three times on the ground, and when he stood up, he still had a pear in his mouth.
A skinny old man sat in front of him. His eyes were as big as if he was wearing sunglasses, and his ears were as big as a rabbit's. He looked like a sage of the small animals in the forest.
Chu Hengkong took a bite of the pear and got up awkwardly.
"Yeah, that's it." He swallowed the pear with difficulty. "Sorry."
"Ah, ah, it's okay, it's okay." The old man—the former warrior leader, Silar—looked at each of them in shock. After a long pause, he said, "Welcome everyone to the warrior's settlement."
(End of this chapter)
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