Chapter Forty: Return to the Space, A Sudden Change

Qin Yu, accompanied by Little Black and Little Flower, scoured the small town and managed to find quite a few good things. Perhaps due to the presence of that third-tier zombie, the town’s supplies and medicine had been left untouched, and Qin Yu took everything into her storage space. After all, in this apocalypse, one could never have too many resources…

At this moment, the three of them were lying within the space, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Just as Qin Yu was about to drift off to sleep, Little Flower suddenly spoke, “Master, I have to go now… sob, I really can’t bear to leave you!”

Startled, Qin Yu immediately sat up. “Go? Go where?”

Little Black also stared at Little Flower, waiting for her answer.

Little Flower blinked. “Of course, back to the dagger’s space. My cultivation isn’t strong enough, and the time I can break free from the space’s restrictions is almost up. I have to go back there…”

Little Black grew anxious. “What about me? Do I have to go back, too?”

Little Flower shook her head, a little downcast. “You don’t have to, Little Black. You entered the space because I pulled you in—otherwise, you’d only be able to attach yourself to the dagger, not enter its interior. The space doesn’t restrict you… sob…”

Little Black felt a surge of joy—finally, he wouldn’t have to return to that dreadful place! It was simply uninhabitable!

Little Flower caught the happiness shining in Little Black’s eyes. For some reason, it made her feel uncomfortable—an emotion she had never experienced since gaining self-awareness…

Qin Yu, curious about this so-called space, asked, “So what exactly is this space?”

Little Flower answered, somewhat dejectedly, “Well… I created a space myself after much effort. It blocks out everything, you know. At the time, I thought I could finally focus on cultivation in peace! But for some reason, all I remember is falling asleep, then waking up to find my cultivation greatly diminished—I couldn’t even leave the space. If I hadn’t leveled up last time, Master, you probably wouldn’t even be able to see me now.”

Qin Yu narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Little Black, hearing Little Flower’s words, suddenly felt no joy at all. Though he was only beginning to gain intelligence, he understood how torturous it was to stay in a boundless, empty darkness for so long…

He didn’t want to see his beloved, teasing Little Flower wear such a lonely expression. So, what to do? Little Black’s eyes sparkled—he seemed to have come up with an idea…

He happily ran over, nuzzling against Little Flower, his voice soft and fluffy. “Little Flower~ Little Flower~ I’ll keep you company~ With me there, you won’t be lonely~”

Little Flower looked at the ever-nuzzling Little Black, glanced at him with mock annoyance, but a broad smile bloomed on her face. Hmm… Having Little Black for company! That was the best~ (≧▽≦)

All this time, Qin Yu was lost in thought, entirely unaware of what was happening around her, nor did she see Little Flower and Little Black gradually fade away and then vanish altogether.

When Qin Yu finally came to herself and realized she was alone in the space, a faint smile appeared on her lips. So, Little Black had gone with Little Flower back to the dagger’s space. Tsk, tsk—how wonderful, Qin Yu mused sentimentally.

Ah! Oh no! She’d forgotten to ask Little Flower how to level up! What a blunder… =_=

Meanwhile, Little Flower, having entered the space, sat on the ground in distress. “Ah—I forgot to tell Master to collect ores!!!”

Little Black snickered at her side, then suddenly remembered something and cried out, “Ah—I forgot to devour those blue mists!!”

For a while, the dagger’s space was filled with wails of regret…

At the same time, Qin Yu finished packing her gear and decided to return to base to claim her mission reward… This time, the reward would be substantial!

Not far from the small town, by the roadside, Wang Bing and his group were hacking at zombies.

It didn’t take long before they had cleared them all away. Ever since following Boss Qin, these low-level zombies were nothing to them!

After the cleanup, Wang Bing and his men sat on the ground, panting for breath.

None of them noticed a wisp of blue mist slip through a cut on Wang Bing’s body, entering him silently.

After resting for about ten minutes, Wang Bing prepared to gather his men and return to base—their supplies were running low and needed replenishing.

Just as he was about to stand and speak, he suddenly felt his legs go limp and collapsed straight to the ground. The others, startled, hurried over.

One of the burly men quickly helped Wang Bing up. “Boss! Are you alright?”

Sweat beaded on Wang Bing’s brow. He answered weakly, “I’m fine. Help me up—we need to get back to base.”

The big man tried to support him, but Wang Bing’s body kept sagging; no matter what he did, he couldn’t hold him up.

Anxious, the man called to the others, “Come on, give me a hand!”

The rest rushed to help, only to find Wang Bing’s legs completely powerless. No, not just his legs—his whole body was limp and unresponsive…

Moments before, Wang Bing had been lucid and determined to return to base, but now he’d lost consciousness entirely. Sweat poured down his forehead, his lips turned pale, and his hands trembled involuntarily…

Everyone looked at Wang Bing with deep worry.

The big man spoke first, “With Boss like this, we can’t go back to base yet. Let’s set up camp here for now. We’ve taken out so many zombies, there shouldn’t be more for a while. I remember we brought some medicine—let’s find it for Boss!”

Hearing this, the others set to their tasks at once—some searching for medicine, others setting up camp—everything running smoothly and orderly…

Meanwhile, Wang Bing felt as if he were trapped in a vast, dark space. He sensed something attacking both his body and his mind.

With each assault, his will grew fainter. He felt himself slipping, about to lose himself entirely…

But then, Qin Yu’s face suddenly appeared in his mind—her resolute voice as she told them they would establish their own power, her forceful words insisting they must survive!

He thought of those thrilling, joyful days, of Zhao Meng, Xia Cheng, and Boss Qin struggling somewhere out there… He told himself he couldn’t be defeated like this—he must not!

A powerful will surged within Wang Bing, piercing the darkness with a thread of light. He saw a wisp of blue mist wreaking havoc in his mind.

With a burst of determination, Wang Bing charged at the blue mist. Looking at the mist, a strange urge to devour it arose within him…

Staring at the taunting blue mist, Wang Bing finally opened his mouth and swallowed it.

Almost the instant he did, Wang Bing’s eyes snapped open.

He looked at the worried faces of his brothers and managed a faint smile. “I’m alright!”

The others, seeing Wang Bing awake and lucid, leapt up with joy, embracing each other, some choking with emotion.

Heaven knew how worried they’d been! They had followed him for decades, their bonds had long become a part of their very bones.

Gazing at the night-shrouded earth and the eyes of his brothers, Wang Bing was deeply moved.

Just then, Wang Bing seemed to sense something and called out sternly, “Who’s there!”