Chapter 417
Chapter 417 His Companionship
Long before Xia Xinyan and the others encountered their incident, those left outside had already noticed something was amiss—
It was hard not to notice, as the castle’s appearance had directly severed the entire city’s space. However, from the outside, it seemed that the original location of the city was completely shrouded in dark clouds, creating a Boss-like atmosphere that no ordinary person would mistake for normal weather.
Moreover, the internal communication channels had lost signal, leaving only static. They couldn’t reach Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan, leaving them to anxiously wait outside.
They had considered organizing a team to enter the city and investigate, but after trying once, they realized they simply couldn’t get inside. Despite being able to see the city just ahead, no matter how they approached, they could never enter, as if they were hitting a ghost wall.
Those who were getting closer to the city appeared to be at a standstill to outsiders; no matter what, they couldn’t make any progress. Even throwing a brick over the line resulted in it dropping off into nothingness. At that point, they realized that this city was ensnared by some kind of power.
Just when they had waited for a long time with no results and were about to seek help from the Eagles Alliance, the city suddenly exploded.
It was as if the end of the world had come; the city’s center, covered by black clouds, erupted in a massive explosion that swept over the entire city, shocking those outside to the point where they nearly turned to run.
Fortunately, the explosion only reached the city’s edge, completely destroying the city and dispersing the enveloping dark clouds above.
It was only then that they noticed a helicopter flying overhead without them realizing when it had arrived.
At this point, the helicopter was severely damaged. The impact of the explosion and the extreme speed at which it had been operating sent it wobbling precariously, but with Tianji’s assisted control, it managed to land steadily in a safe location.
Members stationed outside immediately rushed over, and then they saw the fat guy and others descending from the cabin, urgently exclaiming, “Boss Zhang! Leader! Are you alright…”
Before they could finish, they caught sight of the last one to exit—a traitorous demon.
Instantly, they raised their weapons as if facing a formidable enemy.
“Wait, wait, wait!!” The fat guy hurriedly stopped them, “It’s not an enemy; it’s our prisoner! Lower your weapons!”
The leading brawny man paused in confusion: “Prisoner?”
“So I told you I’m not suited for your race’s territory,” the demon muttered in a low voice.
Ling Mo shot it a sidelong glance. “We’ll ensure your safety, don’t worry.”
Saying this, he turned to the others: “We’ve destroyed the Demon Stronghold here; this area should be safe for a while, but we need to leave a team behind for follow-up surveillance… We’ve made numerous discoveries this time; it will take some time to sort through.”
“Then the leader intends to…” The brawny man hesitated, seeming to hold back.
Ling Mo understood the implication: “Don’t worry. Your contributions will not go unrecognized, and you’ll get your rewards, but now time is short, and we won’t linger here. Let Zhang Dairi handle the reward distribution later.”
The fat guy reluctantly nodded. “Alright then, I guess I’m the award presenter now.”
Afterward, they didn’t stay long. Once the brawny man and others were stationed to guard the explosion’s ruins, Ling Mo once again materialized a transport helicopter, taking everyone back to base.
The success of this operation was largely thanks to Monica. Regardless of whether it was about bringing out the castle or pinpointing the solution to their encirclement, it all hinged on Monica’s efforts. Although it seemed she hadn’t done much, her contributions were the most significant.
However, they couldn’t potentially rely on Monica for all future expeditions and real wars. Therefore, their current priority was to analyze this operation thoroughly. If they could devise a method to tackle the Demon Stronghold, human expeditions in the future would have a better chance of success.
More importantly, they needed to expedite organizing a new expedition before the demons fully evolved; otherwise, they might end up facing something far more significant.
These thoughts left Xia Xinyan feeling rather complicated.
Noticing her expression, Ling Mo quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Under the same starry sky aboard the plane, this return felt devoid of the previous awkwardness—perhaps because Xia Xinyan no longer had the leisure to dwell on romantic entanglements.
…Uh, romantic entanglements.
“I was just thinking,” she tilted her head back to gaze at the night sky, sighing, “originally… I thought we had a lot of time.”
From the initial reconnaissance to the real expedition, the expected course was a gradual plan to ensure everything was foolproof before taking action. This included not only how to wage war against the demons but also how to balance relationships among the major forces for authentic cooperation.
After all, in such wars, even the slightest hint of suspicion among humans could lead to catastrophic, unforeseen consequences.
Unfortunately, reality doesn’t provide the luxury of perfect preparation. Upon learning about the collective evolution of the demons, Xia Xinyan understood that their time was limited.
What once felt like a distant final showdown now seemed to suddenly loom right before them.
It inevitably made her think back to her past life’s conclusion.
“Mo Mo,” she whispered, as if asking Ling Mo or perhaps herself, “do you think we can truly succeed?”
And fighting against the entire demon race—was it truly the way to save the world?
What was their mission… what was Tianji’s mission, really?
At that moment, she inexplicably felt a void.
Sensing her mood, Ling Mo leaned closer and gently embraced her, holding her in his arms.
“With me here, don’t worry.”
Regardless of the final outcome, he would always be by her side.
That was one thing that would never change.
Xia Xinyan slightly lifted her head to meet his gaze.
It seemed he had said similar things to her many times before.
But… this time, it really seemed to touch her heart.
Like a beacon of light suddenly shining through the darkness, helping her find direction and refuge.
She understood.
All along, what she truly feared, what she was confused about, was merely being alone.
The solitary growth, the lonely rise to the top, and the solitary death in her past life had left quite an impact on this life.
Perhaps her decision to first find Ling Mo and build a relationship after her rebirth, following Tianji’s foolish idea, was merely an attempt to find a companion and escape her loneliness.
Yet, even after that, she had not closed the distance with Ling Mo.
Instead, it was Ling Mo who continuously accepted her, drew closer to her, and embraced her.
He said he would always stand by her side.
He fulfilled all her wishes.
She suddenly smiled.
“Mo Mo.”
“Yeah…”
The half-uttered response was swallowed by their unexpectedly colliding lips.
