At five o'clock, the sunset glowed in the studio.
Lin Zhao, Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, and Luo Man had gone offline and were standing on the balcony on the second floor, bathing in the sunset's radiance.
"Leng Yan is treating us to a meal?"
Chen Xue hugged her arms and asked with a smile, "She's only inviting you and Xingchen?"
Shen Xingchen pouted, "I'm probably just tagging along. Ah Yan primarily wants to invite him."
Lin Zhao scratched his head, "It's just a meal. We'll be back soon after we finish."
"Are you coming back to stay tonight?"
Chen Xue asked with a smile.
Lin Zhao was utterly confused, "What do you mean, 'stay tonight'?"
Luo Man pursed her red lips and said, "Brother, when a boy is out alone, you must protect yourself! If you really can't help yourself, you must wear..."
"Shut up!"
Chen Xue pulled Luo Man into her arms and desperately covered her mouth.
Lin Zhao: "..."
...
A short while later, Shen Xingchen's private jet slowly ascended and departed from Su City, entering the air traffic control route.
The so-called air traffic control routes were actually aerial pathways fortified by human forces using ground-based anti-aircraft missiles, aerial patrols, and laser towers. After the Great War, with the emergence of fissures in the earth, the human world became much less safe. The seas were plagued by beast tides, the land by wild beast and giant beast tides, and the skies by non-terrestrial flying creatures. These creatures attacked humans and aerial combat vehicles, gradually squeezing humanity's living space in the air.
Lin Zhao sat by the window. This was his first time flying, and it was on such a high-end aircraft. With a slight tremor, the plane entered the air route and began to accelerate. Through the window, Lin Zhao could see Su City receding from view. Beyond the city lay the wilderness, vast tracts of jungle covering buildings from a century ago, teeming with wild beasts. Further in the distance, the sounds of "thump thump thump" and even the sporadic bursts of machine-gun fire could be heard. It was a derelict human factory where two human fighter jets were wildly strafing ground beasts, seizing resources outside the city.
Lin Zhao looked out at the world, both familiar and strange.
"First time seeing it from this angle?" Shen Xingchen asked with a smile.
"Mhm..."
Lin Zhao nodded, "Before, I used to ride my little motorcycle out of the city. To make a living, I almost died out there a few times. Seeing it from up here now feels quite different. Xingchen, does your family's plane have any armament? What if we get intercepted on the route?"
"Don't worry."
Shen Xingchen smiled, her dimples deepening, "You worry too much. This plane is very powerful. Look at those fighters over there; a hundred of them tied together wouldn't be a match for us, believe it or not?"
"I believe it."
Lin Zhao pursed his lips, "Money makes the world go 'round."
"You..."
Shen Xingchen bit her red lip, hesitating to speak, "Lin Zhao, you grew up in the common district. Be honest with me, do you particularly hate capitalism?"
"Not really."
Lin Zhao smiled, "I hate capitalists who don't value human lives for profit. I've looked into your Shen family's Xinghen Group. You deal in high-end chips, so the money you make is relatively clean, right?"
"Mhm."
Shen Xingchen replied, "At least from my perspective, that's the case. Our Xinghen Group only focuses on R&D and doesn't get too involved in other matters."
At this moment, the plane was traveling at extreme speed through the air. From afar, the earth below was covered in a wilderness of jungles, encircling a green lake, which was Taihu Lake. On the shore of Taihu Lake, a city, like a star, was nestled among the jungles. The outer walls of this city were at least twenty meters high, and a faint shield protected it from above.
"Xicheng."
Shen Xingchen's beautiful eyes gleamed as she said, "The former Wuxi, the city where Chen Xue used to live... Ah Yan told me that before the age of seven, you were from before the Great War. So, you must still retain some memories of the past, right?"
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed on Xicheng in the distance. He pondered for a long time before saying, "The world wasn't like this before. People could drive out freely, and there were no boundaries between cities. During holidays, every scenic spot was packed with people. Adults and children would camp and barbecue on the grass. People didn't attack each other after leaving the city. Yangcheng Lake's crabs were harvested every year; they were delicious. And... there are many other things I can't recall clearly, it's too long ago..."
"That sounds wonderful..."
Shen Xingchen said softly, "People who lived in that era must have been very happy."
"Not necessarily."
Lin Zhao smiled, "But if they had experienced life in our current era, they would surely cherish their present more."
"Mmm~~~"
...
A short while later, they arrived in Ningcheng. The plane landed directly on the rooftop of a building in the city center. Leng Yan was already waiting. Dressed in a simple pink t-shirt and a white skirt, she looked incredibly beautiful. She walked up, took Shen Xingchen's hand, and said with a smile, "Finally, you're here! I've already ordered the broth, so we just need to pick our dishes when we get there."
"Mhm, mhm."
The three of them went downstairs together and entered the hot pot restaurant.
The establishment was indeed high-class, a place only for the wealthy, with a per-person consumption of 1,000 universal coins. Ordinary civilians wouldn't even consider it, but for Leng Yan, it was no different from their own cafeteria.
After sitting down, Shen Xingchen quickly ordered the dishes. Then, the three of them looked at each other, feeling a bit awkward.
"Well..."
Leng Yan pursed her red lips and said, "I've heard about what happened in Baima City. Your Scarlet Moon Knights charged into Ningzhou just to recruit a Shepherd God? Or was the real intention to save Mo Chenxue?"
"Oh?"
Shen Xingchen narrowed her beautiful eyes. She always enjoyed it when Leng Yan confronted her. She secretly rejoiced and watched the show, looking at Leng Yan, then at Lin Zhao, wondering how this boy would get out of it.
"Both, in a way."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "Before, when Ding Chi and I went to the mall to buy a transceiver, I met Mo Chenxue once. She was having coffee with the Ghost King. While she was in the restroom, the Ghost King secretly drugged her coffee. Ding Chi and I felt we couldn't just stand by, so we secretly switched her coffee. Afterwards, Mo Chenxue was kicked out of the guild by the Ghost King. The Ghost King has money and influence and wanted to oppress Mo Chenxue to death. I thought Mo Chenxue was a decent girl, so I decided to charge into Ningzhou. As for whether I could get another Shepherd God for the Scarlet Moon Knights, I hadn't thought about that at the time."
"Is that so..."
Leng Yan's large eyes stared at Lin Zhao, "You... you didn't happen to fall in love with Mo Chenxue, did you?"
"No way."
Lin Zhao repeatedly shook his head, "Really, no. I have no personal feelings for her whatsoever. It was purely a case of drawing my sword when I saw injustice. Moreover, when I tried to intercede with Chang Ye Yuhuo, not only did Chang Ye Yuhuo not give me any face, but he also said, 'What is the face of Bai Yi worth?' Does Bai Yi's Alliance Leader really think he's someone important?' So... I lost my temper for a moment and took my brothers to smash the place."
"Damn..."
Leng Yan's delicate eyebrows rose, "Is Chang Ye Yuhuo tired of living? Saying you're just a nobody?"
"Mhm."
Shen Xingchen weakly chimed in from the side, "That's exactly what he said. I can testify to that."
"Hmph!"
Leng Yan clenched her pink fists, "He better not fall into our Sheng Tian's hands."
Shen Xingchen chuckled inwardly. She knew Leng Yan's temper; she was vindictive, like a feisty little cat. If someone stepped on her tail, she'd definitely scratch their face. But once she cared about someone, she was genuinely devoted, just like Lin Zhao here. It was just that this blockhead didn't appreciate it. She didn't know what Leng Yan liked about him.
"Ah Yan."
Lin Zhao looked at Leng Yan and asked, "How is your Sheng Tian? I heard you're based in Changle City, the same main city as Xinghe."
"It's going well."
Leng Yan smiled sweetly, "Although Xinghe is strong, our Sheng Tian is not weak. Moreover, I've spoken with the three major guilds, Jiuding, Luoshen Fu, and Taya Feihong. Once Changle City goes to war, we'll all attack Xinghe together. Whether they can break through will depend on Su Xinghe's ability."
Saying this, she glanced at Shen Xingchen and added, "Xingchen, you won't be giving Su Xinghe any advice from now on, right? Otherwise, we might become adversaries."
Shen Xingchen smiled charmingly, puffed out her chest, which was quite ample, and said, "I'm part of the Scarlet Moon Knights now~~~"
Leng Yan glanced at her chest and immediately felt a bit annoyed. Hers wasn't small, at least a C cup, but compared to Shen Xingchen's, it always felt inferior. She wondered what this little girl ate to grow so large and firm. Would Lin Zhao, who spent so much time with her, be tempted by this? For a moment, Leng Yan's mind was in a turmoil. Feng Zheng said there was a good cosmetic surgery clinic in Ningcheng that could increase a person's cup size and guarantee an excellent feel. Should she ask for the phone number next time...
Lin Zhao looked at Leng Yan, unaware of the chaotic thoughts running through her head. He placed a plate of snowflake beef into the pot and said, "Miss Leng, eat more. You seem to have lost some weight recently..."
"Ah?!"
Leng Yan was flustered. She looked down at her chest. What did he mean by that? Was he already finding her chest too small? Should she... just get it enhanced? Or... ask for clarification first. What if he didn't like them too large later on? But on second thought, pfft, what man doesn't like large ones...
Shen Xingchen looked at Leng Yan, then at Lin Zhao. She cautiously picked at her meat. The expressions of these two seemed a bit off, especially Ah Yan's gaze towards her. What was going on? Was she angry about her being a third wheel? Or was she starting to mind her interactions with Lin Zhao? Should she take her bowl and eat at the next table, giving them some private time?
With this thought, Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips and got up with her bowl.
"Xingchen?"
Lin Zhao and Leng Yan looked at her almost simultaneously, "Where are you going?!"
Shen Xingchen was extremely embarrassed. After stammering for a few seconds, she raised her hand and said, "Waiter, add an order of shrimp paste..."
...
After the meal, they bid a reluctant farewell to Miss Leng, and Lin Zhao and Shen Xingchen returned to Su City together.
After logging back in, they continued to grind monsters and complete quests at the foot of the mountain.
The wind and snow in the Northern Region were getting heavier, making his cloak flutter behind him.
In the distance, a figure appeared in the snowy landscape. Clad in white as pure as snow, she held a slender sword. Her appearance was exquisite and flawless. Her long, slender neck seemed unaffected by the cold wind. She looked towards Xueyu Tianchi, a slight smile playing on her lips. Now that humanity's fortune was declining and the glory of a century ago was long gone, someone dared to cause trouble in Xueyu Tianchi? Weren't they looking for death? Did they not respect Sister Long Xue, who was in the Nascent Soul realm?