Chapter Nineteen: The Wind Ceases, the Rain Subsides

This level of continuous purification would not contaminate Qi An, even if it were twice as intense.

But the fatigue was real. Her sleep was like a deep, blissful coma. When she opened her eyes again, the sunlight was bright and fierce, and the air was filled with an enticing, mouthwatering fragrance.

She immediately sat up. Her first instinct was to reach for her gun; her second was to check the pollution monitoring wristband.

She didn’t find her gun, and the monitor showed no red alert for danger.

Had several hours already passed? Had everyone’s pollution levels naturally dropped?

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized she was still inside the car, alone, occupying the entire backseat. The fragrance wafted in from outside.

Her sudden movement caught the attention of those outside. A head pressed against the window, excitedly calling out, “Qi Jie is awake!”

Then several more heads appeared from all directions—some joyful, some worried—each first checking her spirit and complexion.

Qi An’s expression was dazed, her hair sticking up wildly, but her eyes shone brightly, her cheeks rosy and healthy. It was clear she had slept well. Everyone relaxed and smiled with relief and joy.

“Good to see you awake.”

“Qi Jie is fully recharged now!”

Qi An couldn’t help but smile as well.

It seemed she had slept a long time, and now it was safe.

Yu Shuang reached in with his “Lu Shan Claws” to pinch Qi An’s rosy cheeks. Su Qingran brought water warmed especially for her and began to check her condition.

Standing by the front window was the young War God, Jiu, who looked a little dazed, still caught in the memory of that clear-eyed smile sparkling like starlight.

Su Qingran confirmed that Qi An’s nerves were unharmed, and there were no aftereffects or abnormalities. She was healthy and full of vigor!

The squad’s sense of victory at surviving was now at its peak!

“You slept a full twelve hours! We’re already far from Hualin County, and there are no bugs nearby. Let’s go eat,” Yu Shuang called with a smile.

Qi An put on her jacket and stepped outside, instantly enveloped in the warm afternoon sun.

The car was parked in a sunlit valley. Ahead was a gently rolling hillside where a few willows were lazily stretching their budding branches. Under the trees, Tang Long was setting up pots and pans to cook.

The spring breeze was gentle, and the delicious aroma came from there.

“Qi Jie, come quickly! We roasted a rabbit and made a pot of soup with pigeon meat. Little Brother even found quail eggs, very nourishing!” Tang Long waved his spatula at Qi An despite his busyness.

Strangely, this person had also started calling her “Qi Jie.”

Qi An felt a deep, warm laziness and ambled up the hill to wait for the meal.

Tang Long’s cooking never disappointed. With the simplest methods, he made the most astonishing flavors. The whole squad ate without lifting their heads or opening their eyes, utterly absorbed.

Wild vegetable pigeon soup and quail eggs were all piled in front of Qi An.

Though she usually ate little, she managed to leave only half after much persuasion, and drank until her belly was round and full.

This was one of the perks of joining a long-distance squad: everyone had some hunting skills, and once relaxed, they could freely enjoy the wild delicacies that would be prohibitively expensive back at base!

“The intel on the Mother Nest was reported to the base as soon as communications were restored. Our mission was a complete success!

“The sun is shining well; in a bit, the solar panels will fully charge the car. Then we just need to head back slowly,” Yu Shuang said, chewing on a grass stem and lazily lying on the grassy slope, his tone wistful. “This past half month has felt like a dream.”

“Ever since Qi Jie joined our squad, it’s been like a dream,” Zhuang Xiao added. He had inexplicably become a fan of Qi Jie, mentioning her every few sentences.

Qi An quickly changed the subject to something practical: “We only have one car left, right? Six people crammed into one vehicle to return?”

“There’s a support squad meant to meet us a few days ago, but they got lost and have only just gotten back on track,” Yu Shuang replied, pouting. “They’ll probably arrive tonight or early tomorrow. We’ll share the ride with them.”

“I see,” Qi An said, glancing at Jiu, who sat alone on the other side.

They would part ways with him once they returned to base.

The young man was also looking at her. When Qi An lifted her gaze, their eyes met.

His eyes were truly captivating, filled with intense, complex emotions that made Qi An feel the analogy of a vast, desolate universe was insufficient.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of the cold laboratory from Jiu’s memories—the long, cold needle plunged into his body...

She closed her eyes sharply, and when she opened them again, her emotions were tangled. She offered the boy a sincere, gentle smile.

Jiu was momentarily stunned. His sharp brows softened, instantly eclipsing the golden warmth of the sun.

That day was clear, and the night would remain clear, with a slender crescent moon and a sky full of brilliant stars.

The base had a massive biofuel refinery that caused pollution, so such a starry sky was rare. If it weren’t so cold, everyone would have to spend the night on the car roof, gazing at the stars and chatting about life and dreams.

After days of battle, the squad was very tired, but Qi An had slept twelve hours and was full of energy. She volunteered for the first night watch.

Usually, she stood guard with Yu Shuang—the weakest paired with the strongest.

But now the strongest was the War God. As soon as Qi An volunteered, he immediately joined, insisting on standing watch together.

Zhao Bohan glanced at the boy and, recalling how he once clung to Qi An without clothes, forced his way in so the three of them stood watch together.

The fire crackled and popped. Actually, spending the night with two handsome men wasn’t so bad, but Qi An felt a bit uneasy because none of them talked much. The atmosphere was silent and subtle.

In that subtle silence, Jiu suddenly furrowed his brow and looked toward a direction in the night sky.

Qi An felt it too, surprised that Jiu had sensed the anomaly before she did.

There was a corrupted insect!

They were northeast of Hualin County, already very far away. When the squad camped, they surely surveyed the area thoroughly. There should have been no corrupted insects nearby.

Could it still be the convoy?

Zhao Bohan noticed Jiu’s reaction and became alert. Jiu glanced at Qi An, then stood up. “There might be bugs. I’ll check it out.”

“Call for backup immediately if there’s danger,” Zhao Bohan said, tossing him a walkie-talkie, confident in Jiu’s combat ability.

Jiu caught it and quickly climbed the hill.

Qi An concentrated by the fire, sensing carefully. She felt there was only one corrupted insect.

On the other side, like a shadow in the night, Jiu also spotted the corrupted insect on the far bank of the river—just one.

It was running toward them at high speed but looked somewhat awkward, falling into the river and crawling along the frozen surface before scrambling onto their side of the riverbank.

Jiu raised his sniper rifle.

At 500 meters, under a clear night sky with open terrain, he didn’t need any special equipment to land a headshot.

But before he pulled the trigger, a gunshot rang out from another direction, and the fleeing corrupted insect fell.

Jiu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he lowered his body, staring toward where the shot had come from.