Invasion - Chapter 146 [END]

Chapter 146

The top of the tower was melting. Bricks fell from the tower walls, and deviants appeared in large numbers within the White Tower. Everyone living inside rushed downwards, only Ni Ji going against the current.

For speed, he practically ran vertically up the walls. Most of the people fleeing downwards only felt a gust of wind pass overhead. When they looked up, the dark figure running on the wall had already vanished like a meteor.

The tower was enormous, with layers upon layers of space. Each level was equivalent to a small village or town. Even taking the high-speed elevator to the top took a long time.

Ahead, two deviants leaped from the shadows, blocking Ni Ji's path. The Sentinel's sprinting speed didn't decrease. He charged forward, his black long knife slashing one, his red blood blade bisecting the other.

His black combat boots stepped over the pool of blood, leaving the corpses and the afterimages of his blade behind.

Lin Yuan watched the sprinting Sentinel on the virtual screen. She watched intently, wanting to memorize every movement, every subtle expression.

He truly was a handsome warrior. How much speed and core strength did it take to run on walls like that? His legs were especially long, leaping over obstacles with the grace of a swallow. When he spun and kicked, he could send enemies flying with a single blow.

His features were also refined. He usually smiled a lot in front of her, but his serious expression at this moment was also captivating.

In short, everything about him was perfect.

She really wanted to wait for him.

Lin Yuan sighed. The imperial palace above had completely dissolved. She was essentially sitting at the very top of the White Tower. The wind was strong, howling in her ears, as if it would sweep her away at any moment. The surrounding walls were slowly melting, lowering, the ground almost entirely collapsed. Even the stone wall behind her was shaking precariously.

Lin Yuan heard the muffled, continuous sounds of artillery fire echoing from the bottom of the tower. From the future she had glimpsed, she knew that countless people would invade the White Tower on this day. Now, she had done everything she could. She had destroyed the Queen's body and shattered her spiritual form. She had revealed the empire's secrets to the world.

The rest was up to those warriors who shared her goals. She hoped those brave Sentinels would succeed. She hoped they could finally step onto the path of survival. They definitely could. There were so many lovely people among them. They definitely could. Everyone in the world now knew the truth.

Perhaps one day, everyone could live like they used to. Relax and go to the cinema with friends, easily buy delicious food on the street, children could go to amusement parks with Ferris wheels, and everyone could live under a real blue sky.

Lin Yuan looked up. The sapphire-like sky enveloped her. Such a beautiful color, as if she could reach out and touch it.

Under the azure dome, Lin Yuan felt a little sleepy, wanting to rest for a while. She had just closed her eyes when she heard Ni Ji calling her name through her personal terminal, his voice hoarse, afraid that something had happened to her.

"Lin Yuan? Lin Yuan, don't sleep."

Lin Yuan wanted to tell him she was fine, just a little tired, and wanted to close her eyes for a bit, just a little while. But she was too exhausted. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Lin Yuan!"

Ni Ji's voice rose a pitch, sounding like he was about to cry. Lin Yuan roused herself, blinking hard to show she was alright, still okay.

"Don't sleep, you, you listen to me," the Sentinel said, his voice heavy with breathing. He started talking rapidly. "I've learned to make a lot of desserts recently."

"There's the latest soufflé, the one you said you liked last time."

"I also learned how to make Q Guo. It's very soft and chewy with bean powder. You must try it..."

Ni Ji's voice was panting. He rarely ran like this. Even in the sea of flowers, during their life-or-death race, Lin Yuan hadn't heard him breathe so heavily. He kept talking as he panted.

"You know, Lin Yuan, grilled fish is actually delicious. You must not have tried it before."

"I found a brown sugar cold cake shop far away. It has a strong almond flavor. I want to go try it with you next time."

Brown sugar cold cake? With almond flavor?

Lin Yuan leaned against the cold stone wall, listening, licking her lips. She felt a little more awake.

Ni Ji's rambling voice, mixed with the orca's whimpering, reached her ears. A tentacle, previously completely immobile, slowly crawled out from under Lin Yuan's skirt in response to the whale's cries.

The tentacle squirmed, circled the half-broken stone wall behind Lin Yuan, spread its suckers, and attached itself to the wall, helping to stabilize her almost collapsing body. The next moment, with a loud crash, the precarious ground beneath Lin Yuan finally gave way, collapsing completely.

Lin Yuan's body suddenly plummeted. Fortunately, that one active tentacle held fast to the stone wall, suspending her at the edge of the ruins. The tentacle clung to the wall, her body hanging precariously. The wind at the top of the tower was strong, and the severely injured Lin Yuan swayed in the wind.

Below was a long drop, hundreds of meters. The bottom was filled with broken concrete slabs and twisted rebar, and the terrifying roars of deviants echoed up. In Lin Yuan's condition, falling from here meant certain death, and not a pretty one.

"I'm still alive," Lin Yuan said, clinging to the wall, comforting Ni Ji. "Don't worry, I'm still alive. My tentacle is holding me."

A few seconds later, a faint "Mm" came from the other end of the screen. Ni Ji's voice trembled slightly, as if it were him, not her, hanging from the edge of the ruins.

Lin Yuan wanted to smile at Ni Ji on the screen, but the wind made her face hurt too much, and she was afraid her smile wouldn't look good. In reality, she could barely hold on any longer.

But she didn't dare let go of the tentacle, afraid to imagine what would happen if she fell now, splattering on the ground, and what Ni Ji would do when he rushed up and saw her corpse. She didn't dare to imagine that scene, so she gritted her teeth and held on, forcing her delicate tentacle, which couldn't bear much weight, to support her.

He had experienced the pain of losing his closest friends once. Back then, he was emaciated, frighteningly gloomy, a madman with self-destructive tendencies. He had just gotten better, started smiling again, started to cherish life.

Lin Yuan focused on Ni Ji, replaying the foods he had mentioned. This gave her some strength, and she managed to raise her arm and grab the edge of the ruins. Her vision blurred, and she saw the Sentinel on the screen seemed to have obtained an anti-gravity gun.

He knelt on one knee, holding the gun with both hands, without even aiming. His gloved fingers pulled the trigger, firing at the White Tower's wall. The White Tower, once humanity's strongest fortress, was completely sealed. Its outer walls were incredibly strong, without a single window connecting to the outside world except for the one in the top floor palace. It had been proven that no existing human weapon could breach the White Tower's outer walls, not even the anti-gravity gun. The only way to enter or exit the White Tower was through the main gate at the base.

Now, the White Tower's shedding holy bricks made the once impregnable fortress appear riddled with holes, showing its vulnerabilities. Running up the narrow stairs was clearly too late. There was only one way left, to open a hole in the wall from the outside. Ni Ji had to try.

Turning the anti-gravity gun to maximum power, Ni Ji fired at the weakest point between several holes in the wall. A silent shot, and the gravity of the bricks was amplified hundreds of times. The inner wall first cracked, then developed a large network of cracks. The giant orca's head emerged from the void, letting out a long cry, and rammed headfirst into the cracked area of the wall.

The pure black whale slammed into the White Tower. Boom! The tower wall shook. Boom! A huge gap was blasted open.

...

Outside the White Tower, the bright virtual screen continued to rotate slowly around the tower's body. More people gathered quietly outside the tower, cameras set up, bravely filming and live-streaming the thrilling battle within the Imperial White Tower. Through the lenses, the scenes inside the White Tower were transmitted to television screens across the empire.

On screen, with a loud boom, the middle section of the White Tower was blasted open. Someone had blasted a hole from the inside. Shattered bone and stone rained down from the high outer wall, and an orca rushed out of the hole.

A black-clad Sentinel stood on the orca's head, flying straight up the outer wall towards the top of the tower. The giant virtual screen rotated in front, and the Sentinel, riding the orca, sliced through the floating images, speeding through the tapestry of human history.

Like a brilliant meteor streaking across the starry sky, he charged towards the top of the White Tower without hesitation. This scene was captured by the cameras outside the tower and broadcast onto television screens.

Slowly, the giant orca became smaller in view, climbing into the clouds, so small that even the high-definition cameras couldn't capture it, and ordinary people could no longer see what was happening.

"Who is that? What is he doing up there?" someone asked. Ordinary people's eyesight couldn't reach such a distance to see the situation at the top of the tower. But the best Sentinels could, with their vision fully activated.

"He's going up there to save someone. To save the Guide who helped us all." Ji Xuan stood in the temporary command center outside the White Tower, his eyes glowing bright green, gazing up at the top of the tower. He saw the slowly dissolving spire. He saw the palace that had once imprisoned him melting away like a candle. The overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying Queen was gone. Everyone knew the truth, and more people were joining their ranks. They no longer bore the label of rebels.

All these changes were likely due to one person, a Guide who had once saved him. "Come on, Ni Ji," Ji Xuan said silently, looking at the high tower top. "Be faster. She can't hold on any longer."

Inside the White Tower, Du Yuanyuan, after killing a powerful deviant, gasped for breath and looked down at the video feed on her personal terminal. She happened to see Ni Ji breaking through the outer wall of the White Tower, rushing towards the top.

She also knew who was at the top of the tower at this moment. She could also guess who was responsible for the Queen's powerful mental force not being activated.

Lin Yuan, the heir who had been sent to the palace, hadn't come down yet.

Come on, Ni Ji. Hurry to Xiao Yuan, Du Yuanyuan said in her heart.

Come on, Ni Ji. Don't leave Guide Lin alone, Rachel said.

Come on. Bring her back, Yun Luo thought.

Many people prayed silently, praying that Ni Ji would make it in time, that he could bring their friend back from the top of the tower.

Lin Yuan knew Ni Ji was rushing towards her with all his might. She wanted to be able to wait for him. She wanted it very, very much, with an intensity she had never felt before. But she truly couldn't hold on any longer.

She had lost too much blood, her fingers clutching the edge of the ruins were cold and numb, her tentacle was stretched thin, and her suckers were losing their grip, one by one.

She had reached her limit.

It was such a shame, perhaps only a little more time...

Lin Yuan closed her eyes, feeling heartbroken. Her numb fingers slipped from the edge of the stone. As she fell, Lin Yuan suddenly wanted to say to Ni Ji, if they both survived this, they should go and test their compatibility.

No matter the result, she wanted him to come to her house and live with her. It sounded a bit incoherent, like a proposal.

But it didn't matter, she wanted to propose to him.

What a pity. She wouldn't have the chance.

Her body fell, her consciousness fading.

...

Ni Ji saw Lin Yuan. The Guide's body was covered in blood, hanging from the edge of the collapsed ruins at the top of the tower by a single tentacle. He saw her fingers loosen, her small body falling from the height.

It was too late. No matter how much he accelerated, he was still a little short. She would fall and crash onto the sharp, chaotic rocks below.

Just a little bit short. He couldn't reach her.

That soft body, like a kite with a broken string, fell before his eyes.

The Sentinel's eyes blazed with purple fluorescence in an instant, a bright purple light like burning flames. He drew the anti-gravity gun, stood on the back of the speeding whale, and fired several shots towards the White Tower. Even at full speed, every shot was incredibly precise, hitting crucial load-bearing points on the floor slabs through the gaps in the holes from a long distance. His dynamic vision and gun control were terrifying.

The precarious floor slabs loosened and began to collapse downwards. Lin Yuan fell from the top of the tower. The floor below cracked simultaneously, and countless remnants of human buildings, rebar and rubble, collapsed downwards with a rumble. The floor below that developed large cracks and began to collapse downwards before the debris from above had even landed.

Lin Yuan fell from a great height, but she didn't land on the concrete and rebar floor. Her body fell along with the dust and debris, falling layer by layer.

Rubble and dust billowed like rain. The orca flew through the falling debris. Debris blinded his eyes and cut his skin, but the Sentinel on the whale's back didn't notice. His eyes were fixed on the countless falling rocks.

Finally, he met the girl falling from the sky. Standing on the orca's head, he stretched out his hands and caught her steadily as she fell. He caught her, holding her tightly in his arms.

The body in his arms was warm, with a faint breath and heartbeat. The Sentinel tightened his arms, wanting to hold her like this forever, never letting go. In this short period, he had lost everything in the world, and now he had gained it all back.

Air rushed into his lungs. He could finally breathe, his heart could beat, he could live. His chest burned, a sharp, intense pain.

Ni Ji lowered his head and caressed the Guide's face, kissing her forehead repeatedly, carefully wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Right, the treatment pod. He had to find a treatment pod immediately. The orca turned and flew towards the nearest treatment pod.

No, he should give her this first. The Sentinel on the whale's back frantically fumbled a handmade ring from his pocket. His hand trembled as he held it in front of Lin Yuan.

"You agreed, right? You will agree," he asked Lin Yuan. "Say something, at least give me a title."

The last half of the sentence was muffled, spoken into Lin Yuan's hair, his voice bordering on frantic. Was he crazy to ask such things at a time like this? The Guide in his arms was unconscious, her face pale, unable to give him any answer. How could he talk about such things now? Madman.

The Sentinel, who had just been able to hit a precise shot from a long distance, had now lost his composure, his nerves frayed like a child's. Of course, he received no answer, and could only hold Lin Yuan tighter, his heart bitter.

He sat on the whale's back, holding Lin Yuan, checking her condition repeatedly as they rushed to the treatment pod. Her tentacles were so badly damaged, she had lost so much blood, her face as pale as paper.

Ni Ji didn't dare to imagine what would have happened if he had been a step slower, if he had arrived only to see Lin Yuan lying dead on the ground. He didn't know what he would do. He didn't even dare to think about it. The thought hadn’t even fully formed when his heart began to ache as if being stabbed by knives.

Fortunately, she was still alive, lying in his arms, breathing weakly. As long as she was alive, the treatment pod could heal all her wounds. He, her dedicated Sentinel, could accompany her through the healing of her mental injuries. He could spend a lot of time with her, helping her recover slowly, in any way she liked.

From now on, he wouldn't let her do such reckless things again. He wouldn't let her act alone again. It would be best if every time, no, every day, he clung to her tightly.

If she liked fish, he would show her fish. If she liked tails, he would give her tails. If she liked sweets, he would make her the most delicious candy. Whether it was by coaxing her or spoiling her, he would make her belong only to him, unable to leave him. He would never leave her alone like this again, to do such dangerous things on her own.

...

The orca flew extremely fast, the wind whistling in his ears. Explosions went off below, the sounds of gunfire and monster roars mixing together. The battle between humans and the White Tower continued. More people were rushing to join the revolutionary army, joining the fight against the deviants. Others were organized to salvage the important resources stored within the White Tower.

Artillery fire roared, and smoke filled the air. This battle was bound to destroy many things. The tower was collapsing. From this day on, this world would no longer have a safe haven, an Eden.

People would slowly rebuild a new order on the ruins, creating a new human world. Whether Sentinel or Guide, to survive in this world, they would have to break free from their past perceptions.

The black and white whale flew out of the billowing smoke, carrying the Sentinel and the Guide, flying towards the distance.

In the clear blue sky, sunlight poured down, illuminating their wounded bodies.

...

Lin Yuan lay in the treatment pod for a long time. When she woke up, the roar of cannons had stopped, though occasional gunshots could still be heard from the streets.

Ni Ji was guarding outside the treatment pod, his eyes sunken, stubble on his chin. He looked like he hadn't rested in a long time. He had probably been guarding her for as long as she had been asleep.

Lin Yuan didn't ask Ni Ji about the war. While in the treatment pod, as her spiritual form slowly recovered, she had already received countless pieces of information.

It was slightly better than she had expected. That day, the White Tower collapsed, and the Queen died. After the Queen's death, the empire's collapse was swifter than imagined. Today, except for a few escaped, stubborn nobles who refused to admit it, the empire that had ruled humanity for hundreds of years no longer existed.

For Lin Yuan, that was enough. At least her blood hadn't been shed in vain, nor had the blood of so many warriors in the White Tower.

They returned home on Ni Ji's orca. "What was that you took out before?" Lin Yuan suddenly asked midway, her index finger and thumb forming a circle. "I heard everything, even though I didn't have the strength to answer you then."

The Sentinel's face flushed crimson. He turned his head away, refusing to answer. She had injured herself so badly, had hidden it from him, and had quietly gone to do such a dangerous thing. And now, she was acting as if nothing had happened, smiling at him heartlessly.

She didn't know the torment he had gone through, the pain of his heart being ripped out at that moment, the anxiety he had felt these past few days guarding outside the treatment pod.

"Hurry up and take it out. I agree," she leaned into his arms, poking him with her finger, holding up her ring finger. "Did you prepare a ring? Put it here."

"Hurry up, I'm tired. After you put on the ring, I want to eat candy."

"I heard what you said back then. A tail if I want a tail, a whole fish if I want a fish."

The same went for the promises he made in his heart. She had heard them all anyway. "Those things you promised me, they count," Lin Yuan said finally.

The Sentinel finally blushed, lowered his head, and kissed her hand. Holding her small hand, he took out the small ring and solemnly placed it on her ring finger. The ring was finely polished and shiny, with Lin Yuan's name engraved on the inside. The size was perfect, fitting snugly. As he put on the ring, Ni Ji repeatedly kissed her ring finger, even shedding tears.

Lin Yuan grasped the Sentinel's broad hand. There were calluses from practicing with firearms, scars from being repeatedly cut by blades. But it was still beautiful, his fingers long and slender, light blue veins visible under his skin, a powerful beauty.

Lin Yuan looked into the Sentinel's eyes and put the other ring on his finger. The bases of their intertwined fingers were now locked with rings symbolizing their loyalty to each other. The process was silent, without spoken vows. But their mental landscapes connected, all the unspoken words, all their feelings, completely exchanged.

The bright full moon hung in the night sky, the sound of the waves beautiful. The tentacles were wrapped around the orca, healing. Lin Yuan pinched Ni Ji's fingertip and gently kissed his ring finger.

Their hands clasped together, the rings shimmering. Lin Yuan used to vaguely feel that she wasn't quite human. Perhaps she was a hybrid of monster and human, or perhaps a pure monster. She shouldn't have been living in the human world.

But now, none of that mattered. She had learned all kinds of emotions. She had even learned what love was. She had fallen in love with a human. She had fallen in love with many, many friends. She lived happily in the human world.

Gunshots still rang out on the ground, the blood spilled from the White Tower hadn't yet stopped flowing. The orca flew on, and Lin Yuan saw her home in the distance. Rosebuds had reappeared on the wall, there was light in the kitchen, perhaps Xiao Suo was busy. Life wasn't any more stable than before. Humanity's future was still uncertain.

But at least her heart was free.

No longer a slave to anything. She could love and be loved by the people she cherished, and return home together. That was enough.

The End

Translator's Note:

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