*Slap!*
Lin Zhen, walking along the small path, was suddenly tapped lightly on the shoulder.
In the midst of his deep contemplation, he was instantly alert. He turned his head to scan his surroundings, but there was no one in sight.
“Who’s there?!” he shouted sharply.
The iron on his body melted, transforming into iron shavings that began to swirl around him.
But then, a gentle breeze kicked up the dust and sand on the ground, perfectly obscuring his vision. Furthermore, a strange power landed on the iron shavings he used for protection, wrestling against him.
This power was incredibly immense and difficult to resist, forcibly tearing an opening in the swirling storm of iron shavings.
The shadow beneath Lin Zhen’s feet boiled, transforming into shadow tentacles that wrapped around his legs, and then his hands.
*Whoosh!*
The tentacles tightened. Lin Zhen, now firmly bound, was filled with shock.
His strength was among the top tier in the Battle Camp, yet his defenses had been breached and he had been captured in a single moment.
‘Who were these attackers?’
‘And why… do these supernatural powers seem so strangely familiar?’
Before Lin Zhen could find the answer, an arm suddenly hooked around his neck and pulled him backward.
“Zhen, oh Zhen, you were actually hiding underground!”
A familiar voice rang out from beside him.
The shadow tentacles released their hold on him, but just as his hands were freed, his right hand was grasped by something warm and smooth.
In that moment, he guessed something and hurried to look down. He saw the exquisitely beautiful Blue-haired Girl holding his hand.
He turned his head again.
A yellow-haired youth was hooking an arm over his shoulder, smiling at him with a mix of helplessness and joy.
Not far away, a black-haired youth stood leaning against a rock with his arms crossed, a smile playing on his lips.
A purple-haired girl stood to the side with a calm expression, looking at them with gentle eyes.
“You… how did you all get here?”
Lin Zhen choked up uncontrollably.
During this time, Lin Zhen had imagined many times what the scene would be like when he reunited with Yun Ruoxi and the others.
Perhaps it would be when many trainees began their operations and the Surface world fell into chaos. He would appear before them with his own spaceship and say, “Are you ready to leave this hell?”
Or perhaps it would be after everything was settled, he had failed to complete his plan, and he finally met them on a warship, filled with guilt and self-reproach as they became pawns of the Saints’ Hand Society.
Or perhaps he would have convinced the yellow elves’ Military Headquarters to cooperate with him against the Saints’ Hand Society, using the opportunity to find Yun Ruoxi and the others to seize a spaceship together.
Of course, there were other possibilities.
But no matter what, Lin Zhen never thought that reuniting with Yun Ruoxi and the others would happen at this time, in this place!
「A touching reunion」
「The protagonist’s group is finally whole」
「Aili and Anvil: Meow meow meow, do we not count as people?」
“We followed the map, of course. Check your wristwatch!” Kaos said.
Lin Zhen opened the map on his wristwatch. Indeed, there were red dots that had never been there before.
But that wasn’t what he wanted to ask.
“I mean, how did you end up in the Underground World? I thought you were on the Surface!”
“Brother Zhen, it’s a very long story!” Yun Ruoxi looked up and whispered.
Lin Zhen smiled. “Is it?”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yun Ruoxi suddenly hugged him, catching him off guard.
“But the important thing is, we’ve finally reunited!” The girl buried her head in Lin Zhen’s chest, her voice muffled.
Overflowing tears wetted Lin Zhen’s chest.
He froze for a moment, then rubbed the girl’s hair with a face full of guilt.
Zi Jiu watched this scene from the side with a complex gaze, imperceptibly pursing her lips.
Yun Che looked at her and nodded thoughtfully.
「Why does this look so much like a shura field?」
「Zi Jiu, in front of Old Xi, is like an incompetent husband who can only watch as they show off their love.」
「So lewd.」
「Even this can be lewd?」
Although this place was near the Military Headquarters and quite secluded, yellow elves passed by from time to time. It wasn’t a good place to catch up.
So, Lin Zhen took Yun Ruoxi and the others to the residence Damian had prepared for him in the city.
“Is this where you’ve been living underground, Brother Zhen?”
Having composed her emotions, Yun Ruoxi stood with her hands behind her back, a gentle smile on her face. She hopped around the room like an innocent little girl.
To the side, Zi Jiu said to Lin Zhen, “Ever since we discovered you were missing, Xiao Xi hasn’t been this happy for a long time. Even her condition started to have some issues.”
“Is that so…” Lin Zhen pursed his lips. “It’s all my fault. Actually, I was just afraid to see you all!”
“Why were you afraid?” Yun Che put down the stone cup on the table.
“This…” Lin Zhen’s gaze swept across everyone’s neck collars, and he fell silent.
He was considering whether he should confess everything now.
Truth be told, although he didn’t want to involve Yun Ruoxi and the others when his plan had no guarantee of success, the Underground World effectively shielded signals.
It was indeed a great opportunity to speak openly without the monitoring of the Saints’ Hand Society.
Although he had convinced Damian to believe him, the other party had not been cooperating obediently, seemingly having some concerns. In this situation, his own strength was too weak; he simply couldn’t move the plan forward.
‘I need greater power, the help of others.’
‘I need… companions!’
But what if Yun Ruoxi and the others helped him push the plan forward, only for everything to fail in the end?!
The current probability of success was too low; he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to drag them in again.
Lin Zhen fell into deep thought, a battle raging in his mind as neither side could convince the other.
Just then, Yun Ruoxi, who had finished her curious exploration, suddenly hopped in front of him. She took his hand again and said softly, “Brother Zhen, just say it. We’re all here!”
“You!” Lin Zhen looked at Yun Ruoxi in surprise. He hadn’t expected his thoughts to be seen through at a glance.
But considering her senses domain that could perceive emotions, and her previous actions of discovering his contact with Chicha and taking the blame for him… it didn’t seem too strange that she could see through all of this.
In fact, knowing as many secrets as she did, it would be even stranger if she hadn’t guessed that he wanted to escape.
After all, no matter how innocent or cute she acted in front of him, she was fundamentally the strongest gifted student raised by the Battle Camp.
“Actually, we’ve roughly guessed it too.” Yun Che suddenly spoke, patting Kaos on the shoulder. “Well, except for those three sitting at one table—A Kai, Anvil, and Aili.”
Zi Jiu nodded upon hearing this, her lips curling upward. Lin Zhen couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“What do you mean by that?!” Kaos said indignantly. “Don’t you dare look down on me!”
「Yun Che’s daily mission: Insult Kaos — Completed.」
「It’s a confession session now! Everyone, hurry up and send the best smutty doujinshi you’ve ever read!」
「I’ve noticed that when Anvil isn’t around, Old Kai is the one in charge of being the idiot.」