Xu Qian let out a soft hum, offering no reply.
She had already made her decision: to bid farewell to Lian Du tonight and leave, even if it meant defying her mission.
With the fourth year of the apocalypse fast approaching, she had no time to waste.
Perhaps her departure would serve as a stimulus, a catalyst for Song Xiaoping.
But, what was meant to happen would happen sooner or later, wouldn't it?
At the stroke of midnight, the door creaked open.
Xu Qian’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes.
This was the first time she had used the communicator Lian Du had given her.
Song Xiaoping had dealt with his official duties after coaxing her and still hadn't returned.
"Xu Qian, Xu Qian."
Xu Qian frowned slightly and whispered, "Stop shouting."
"If you have something to say, hurry up. I'm busy."
The man abruptly sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress, being overly soft, bounced slightly from the inertia. He picked up the water glass by his bedside and downed it in one gulp.
Lian Du was dizzy from being so busy. It was likely that everyone in the base, except for her, was occupied.
Xu Qian sat up, leaning against the pillow. She said softly, "Lian Du, I'm leaving."
Lian Du almost spat out his water. He coughed a few times and said, "So soon?"
"Yes, there's no point in staying here. I'll leave tonight."
Lian Du’s brow furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Did you receive some news?"
Xu Qian's eyes brightened. She didn't know any news.
However, she could pry...
"Yes, I need to leave as soon as possible."
Lian Du felt a pang in his heart and blurted everything out.
"What's so great about Guan Weiyun? Even if I, Lian Du, am not good enough, our commander is still good, right?
He’d do anything for you, even pluck the stars from the sky if you wished."
"You still want to go back and save him! Really!"
Lian Du was so angry he turned his head away, unwilling to say another word.
Xu Qian narrowed her eyes slightly. Song Xiaoping was going to attack Hope Base?
"If he hadn't been jealous, we wouldn't have launched the attack so quickly."
The meeting had been sudden. Although there had been plans, they had been executed too quickly.
Xu Qian snapped back to reality, tapped his forehead, and laughed, "Am I that petty?"
"Of course, I'm going back to save the world."
Lian Du raised his eyebrows high and sneered, "You, save the world?"
"Uh-huh." Xu Qian didn't mind his sarcastic tone. Instead, she raised her hand and flicked his brow, her actions as intimate as those of long-lost lovers.
Lian Du's pupils contracted, and he froze on the spot.
"We'll be enemies when we meet again, Lian Du. Go easy on me."
The man was flustered. He grabbed her slender hand, unable to utter a word.
They were enemies, and also friends.
Xu Qian's dark pupils flickered, and she sighed inwardly.
"Fine, use all your strength and try your best to defeat me."
Lian Du leaned in and held the young girl in his arms, tightly.
He said nothing. After releasing her, he went to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle, poured out the wine, and filled it with a whole bottle of blood.
Only when Xu Qian spoke to stop him did he cease.
The man's face was slightly pale. He handed the blood-filled wine bottle to her.
"This is all I can do for you."
Xu Qian closed her eyes, concealing the redness within them.
She raised her hand and collected the blood into her space. When she opened her eyes, the emotions in them had vanished.
The young girl said faintly, "Thank you, Lian Du."
Lian Du said nothing. He pulled open the door and left.
After he was gone, the two guards regained their senses, feeling completely uncontrolled.
Xu Qian moved her mind, and a golden teleportation talisman appeared in her palm.
"Take me away."
With a flash of golden light, the young girl instantly appeared at the gate of Hope Base. A cold wind whipped against her face, and darkness surrounded her.
Xu Qian knew that this place would soon become hell.