Du Lanshan wiped his eyes with a brotherly gesture, then took out his phone and enthusiastically suggested, "Come on, let's take a group photo to celebrate!"
Du Lushui also wiped her face and nodded emphatically.
The moment the flash went off, Du Lushu's shameful history, which she never wanted to recall in her life, was frozen in time.
The explanation given by the plastic brother was, "You died too stupidly and too quickly, before I even had time to feel sad, and wouldn't you know it, you're alive again!"
Of course, this was just a joke. Du Lanshan pulled Du Lushui aside and explained in detail why he would be lucky enough to be resurrected.
Destroying the Abyss City, this death zone, required the collective wisdom and effort of everyone. The people at the two rest stations laid the groundwork and planned for a long time, searching for the root of the problem and finding solutions. Even so, the final challenge was still extremely dangerous.
One can imagine how difficult and arduous the predicament Cheng Shuang encountered after successfully freezing a death zone must have been.
Resurrection slots are extremely precious and rare, so unlike the destroyed Abyss City, the Gate of Reincarnation made no mention of upgrading the rest stop or offering any bonus tickets.
Cheng Shuang worked so hard, but Du Lushui enjoyed all the fruits of victory. Even though they were a team, it made their selflessness all the more apparent.
“Each of your companions sacrificed their chance to grow in exchange for your life.” Du Lanshan’s voice was hoarse. “The effort they put in is something neither you nor I can even imagine.”
He looked at his younger brother, whose eyes were bloodshot, and his somewhat fierce face revealed the wisdom unique to an elder. "Green Water, it's time for you to grow up. Don't let selfishness blind you, and don't value those superficial and unrealistic appearances. Being a member of the convenience store is our greatest fortune."
Du Lushui covered his face. He was indeed a bit too eager for quick success. Because he desperately wanted a protector with high attack power as a companion, he began to look at this strong and righteous man differently after Qing Nai helped him, forgetting the principle of caution.
Du Lanshan treated Du Lushui with coldness and cruelty for the first time: "If there is a next time, Lushui, I will stop everyone from going to the trouble of saving you! A person can't be stupid forever. My heart is made of flesh and blood. I can't accept my loved ones dying unjustly time and time again. I would rather you live on in my heart forever."
That's a really harsh statement!
The group of people who were sitting in another corner discussing whether to accept a new member held their breath, and the air suddenly became quiet.
Du Lushu trembled and stared blankly at Du Lanshan, as if he did not recognize the older brother who had always worked hard for him and supported his studies.
Du Lanshan's gaze was solemn, his eyes fixed on Du Lushui without wavering.
Du Lushu immediately understood that her brother's feelings were genuine.
His throat felt as if it were blocked, and he no longer felt the joy of being resurrected.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but after a long while, he remained silent.
Du Lushu inexplicably recalled that he had always felt a certain distance, rather than intimacy, towards his companions at the convenience store. He always thought that in the Gate of Reincarnation, only he and his elder brother were truly family, relying on each other for survival. He even harbored a slight disdain for Liu Juan's weak skills, Du Jun's narrow attack range, and Sun Han's skills that were prone to harming his companions…
Now, Du Lanshan's cold words were like a sharp sword piercing his heart, first causing him a near-death experience, and just before the pain became unbearable, it also brought him a sense of enlightenment.
Du Lanshan stripped away all pretenses, forcing his brother to see his most authentic and shameful side. For so long, his colleagues at the convenience store had never complained that his skills were useless except for self-defense, tolerating his selfishness and immaturity. They even gave him this chance to be resurrected without any objection. If he didn't cherish such friendship, then he truly deserved to die.
He was wrong!
When Du Lushu suddenly realized what had happened, she was instantly blushing with embarrassment.
He made such a ridiculous mistake without even realizing it!
Coming to the convenience store and meeting these companions was one of the luckiest things in his life. Why not the only one? Because Du Lanshan, his older brother, shared the only one with him.
"Brother, I understand!" Du Lushu silently wiped away her tears and punched Du Lanshan's shoulder. "Just watch how I perform in the future!"
Du Lanshan then hugged his brother tightly. A moment later, Du Lushui felt a dampness on his shoulder; his brother was crying again…
After wiping away their tears and calming down, the two brothers joined the discussion about increasing the number of people at the rest stop. In the end, they decided to recruit three people from all over the world, if April could also be found within the searchable area.
The group's biggest concern was whether Gong Zhu would be obsessed with resurrecting Feng Jiakang, but Cheng Shuang dispelled their doubts and relayed the facts that Si Hai had secretly told her to her companions.
Originally, the matter involved Gong Zhu's privacy, and the young girl was somewhat embarrassed to tell everyone. But now it seems that Si Hai must have taken this into consideration, which is why he took the opportunity to tell her the 'truth' first.
Even if the chance of resurrection were presented to him, the possibility of Feng Jiakang existing independently would be extremely low. He and Gong Zhu had already merged into one; to some extent, Gong Zhu was Feng Jiakang, and Feng Jiakang was Gong Zhu.
Even if the Gate of Reincarnation were to defy the heavens, it could not resurrect a 'person' who already existed.
Of course, nothing can be definitively concluded at the Gate of Reincarnation.
They thought resurrection was extremely far away from them, but now it is unfolding right before their eyes.
"Now that we've reached a conclusion, I suggest everyone get some rest for the night so you can greet your new companions with renewed energy the next day." Sun Han stood up and stretched. He noticed that the little girl didn't look too well, so he reached out to pat her head. But the little girl tilted her head and instinctively dodged away.
Sun Han didn't think much of it, assuming the child was old enough not to like having their hair messed up. He withdrew his hand and asked everyone, "How is it?"
"I second that!" Liao Yuewei raised her hand, and Liu Juan followed suit.
The Du brothers had no objections. Du Lushu had many things she wanted to think about on her own, and Du Lanshan was quite tired after experiencing great joy and sorrow.
Du Jun glanced at Cheng Shuang and saw the girl scratching her head with an unreadable expression, seemingly lost in thought. His cold eyes flashed slightly, and he tentatively reached out his hand.
Cheng Shuang dodged again.
Now everyone realized something was wrong.
Although the little girl said haughtily that no one was allowed to mess up her hair, she would never refuse her companions' pats. She was absolutely warm to her companions and cold to her enemies, making her their true darling.
Now that the "tiger pat" perk... cough, the "head pat" is gone, the group naturally felt something was off.
Cheng Shuang scratched her cheek and argued, "I've grown up!"
Du Jun immediately compared her height to hers, then sighed, "Good girl, go back to sleep if you want to sleep!" Don't dream about it! He spared the last four words out of politeness.
The little girl's lips twitched, but she smiled without changing her expression. "Then I'm going back to sleep! See you tomorrow!"
As she spoke, she walked ahead towards the bedroom area, leaving the adults looking at each other, their brows furrowing involuntarily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com