She climbed onto Fu Hua’s back.
Fu Hua stood up, her hands sliding under the bends of Zhu Yuan’s knees to securely support her.
Zhu Yuan was lighter than she had imagined, but when the weight of her body pressed against her back, the soft, fleshy feeling still made Fu Hua slightly adjust her center of gravity.
Then she took a step forward and walked in the direction of the coordinates.
Zhu Yuan’s arms were wrapped around Fu Hua’s neck, and her body pressed against Fu Hua’s back.
She could feel the warmth of Fu Hua’s back transmitting through the fabric of her coat and shirt—gentle and warm, like a blanket baked by the sun in winter.
The grayish-white ponytail swayed gently with each step, the ends of the hair occasionally brushing against her cheek and bringing an itchy sensation.
Zhu Yuan gently rested her chin on Fu Hua’s shoulder, her warm breath falling against the side of Fu Hua’s neck.
Fu Hua’s steps didn’t pause, but Zhu Yuan felt the hand supporting the bend of her knees tighten just a fraction.
The corridor was very quiet, with only the sound of Fu Hua’s footsteps and the faint roars of Ethereals in the distance.
“You said just now,” Zhu Yuan suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, “that you used to keep a cat.”
“Mhm… You could say that.”
“Named Xiaoxuan?”
“Yes,” Fu Hua’s voice carried a hint of a smile.
“She was very cute and lively, as if as long as she was around, my world would never be boring.”
Speaking of this, Fu Hua fell silent, her voice turning heavy, and transparent droplets seemed to appear in the depths of her eyes.
“Later on, she was no longer around.
I have lived for a very long time, and she could no longer keep up with me…”
“Others always say, ‘Tears are worthless, and crying is completely useless!'”
“But to me, crying is useful.
It means I, an elder, am useless; it means I failed to remember that knowledge; it means I failed to retain her existence, and it also means I…”
Zhu Yuan didn’t speak; the arms wrapped around Fu Hua’s neck tightened just a bit more.
Fu Hua could feel the rise and fall of her chest, steady and slow, as if resting against her back, making her breathing unconsciously grow lighter.
“I have learned a lot and remembered many things, but it’s still not enough.”
“I don’t want to regret things after they happen, so I’ve always been looking for an opportunity!
An opportunity to change all tragedies!
An opportunity to resurrect them, to make up for everything, and to grant those tender saplings a second life!
To let those premature seedlings grow into fruits that can embrace the beauty of the world!”
“Hua!”
Zhu Yuan nervously interrupted Fu Hua’s words.
She was afraid—afraid that this woman who had saved her life and given her care would do something foolish.
“Sorry… I got carried away.”
“——————”
When passing through the second corridor, Fu Hua paused for a moment.
The aether crystals ahead were denser than before; the dark green crystals spread from the ground all the way to the ceiling, forming an impassable barrier zone.
Fu Hua turned her head slightly, her azure-blue eyes quickly scanning the area.
“There is a trail on the left with fewer Ethereals, but the ground is a bit inclined and might be slippery.”
“Hold on tight to me!”
Zhu Yuan tightened the arms wrapped around her neck.
Fu Hua firmly supported the bend of her knees and sidled into the fissure on the left.
The fissure was very narrow, requiring both of them to press tightly against the wall to pass.
Zhu Yuan’s chin rested on Fu Hua’s shoulder, her breath right beside her ear.
Fu Hua could smell the faint scent of soap on Zhu Yuan, mingling with the slightly cool aura of aether energy inside the Hollow.
When passing through the fissure, the path ahead widened a bit.
Fu Hua continued to walk forward.
“Fu Hua.”
“Mhm?”
“Did you often carry people on your back before?”
“Not often.
In the past, when my father trained me, sometimes when the training was too harsh and I couldn’t walk, she would carry me back.
Later, I learned it too.
For someone I care about, if they are tired, I just carry them for a while—it’s no big deal.”
Zhu Yuan didn’t reply.
She simply buried her face in Fu Hua’s shoulder, tightening the arms wrapped around her neck even more.
She remembered when she was little, her mother used to carry her on her back just like this.
At that time, she had just started elementary school.
It was pouring rain when school ended, and the accumulated water at the school gate reached her knees.
Her mother came to pick her up and carried her on her back without a word.
She lay on her mother’s back, holding an umbrella, listening to the sound of the rain beating against the surface of the umbrella.
Later on, as she grew up, her mother could no longer carry her, and no one had ever carried her on their back since.
Until today, when she was treated like a child once again.
When passing through the third corridor, the white light of the emergency lights could be faintly seen ahead.
The gathering place was right up ahead.
Zhu Yuan raised her head, a glimmer of dawn flashing in her dark eyes.
That was the signal that they had found their team.
On the exterior wall of the half-collapsed building hung the temporary logo of the Public Security Bureau.
The white light of the emergency lights illuminated the entrance, and figures could be seen moving inside.
“We’re almost there.”
Fu Hua’s tone couldn’t help carrying a hint of joy.
But right at that moment, she stopped in her tracks.
Her perception of Honkai Energy trembled slightly within her body—not actively mobilized, but instinctively reminding her.
From the direction behind them, deep within the Hollow, a massive amount of aether energy was gathering, and dozens of Ethereals were congregating and approaching them.
The ground began to emit a faint tremor, and the aether crystals deep inside the corridor began to grow wildly as if stimulated by something, with dark green crystals spreading out from every single fissure.
Fu Hua slowly put Zhu Yuan down and turned around to look at the corridor behind them.
Her expression remained calm, but her speaking speed was slightly faster than usual.
“Zhu Yuan.”
“What?”
Zhu Yuan looked in the direction of her gaze.
The aether crystals deep in the corridor were spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye—that was the signal that a large number of Ethereals were approaching.
The roars in the distance were no longer just an occasional one or two, but merged into a low roar, like a dark-green torrent surging from the depths of the Hollow.
The light of the condensed aether energy seeped through from the end of the corridor, illuminating the dark green walls.
Vague crystalline bodies wriggled in the darkness.
A swarm of Ethereals.
Less than one kilometer away, and still slowly approaching.
“Do you see that building ahead?
That is your gathering place, about five hundred meters away.”
Fu Hua pointed to the half-collapsed building ahead, where the white light of the emergency lights leaked through the cracks in the outer wall, standing out particularly prominently in the dark purple light of the Hollow.
“Run over there first.
Notify them to prepare their defenses.”
“Let’s go together!”
Zhu Yuan grabbed Fu Hua’s wrist with great force, her fingers clasping onto the cuff of the beige coat, her knuckles turning white.
Fu Hua shook her head, her voice still gentle, but with an unshakable firmness.
“No, with so many Ethereals, if they get close to the camp, it will increase the aether energy concentration in the camp and easily cause casualties.
Now I will go lure most of them away, and I’ll have to trouble you to head back as soon as possible to notify them to prepare.”
“Besides, your leg is injured.
When I carried you over just now, your ankle kept trembling.
Although you didn’t make a sound, I know it hurts quite a bit.
Right now, you can’t help.”
Zhu Yuan’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Rationally, she knew Fu Hua was right.
If anyone in the camp had too low of an aether energy adaptability, they would easily be eroded, and her ankle was indeed still hurting.
Every slight jolt while lying on Fu Hua’s back earlier sent a sharp pain through her ankle, and staying behind now would only be a hindrance.
But emotionally—she couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t allow an ordinary civilian to risk her life to lure away dozens of Ethereals for her and her teammates…
“——————”