Mist (Web Novel CN)
Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Duan Wen landed in this crevice last.

While waiting for him to wake up and regain his strength, everyone agreed that they would split up and work on removing the traces left around the space capsule —- Those glowing flowers.

It took Ji Yushi a while to explain this matter to Big Beard, but he was still not sure if the other party understood.

Big Beard had been here for a longer time than they initially thought, it was about seventy years —- But to Big Beard himself, he felt like he had actually only stayed here for a little more than a dozen years. Ji Yushi learned from him that he was actually the first person to enter the city. Everything Xie Sian had experienced had similarly happened to him; Big Beard had lost his way in the city and it took him six or seven days to get out. Upon returning to the space capsule, the last teammate had died of old age.

After hearing Ji Yushi’s explanation which consisted of a combination of words and drawings, Big Beard who realised that he would likely have the opportunity to live a life where he had never set foot in this place was excited. He immediately hugged Ji Yushi in a suffocatingly tight embrace and said a bunch of things no one understood.

Big Beard’s body smelt very strongly following long periods of non-bathing. Ji Yushi who especially liked to be clean was held so tightly by this bear-like Big Beard that he couldn’t breathe, but he didn’t push him away.

When Big Beard let go of Ji Yushi, Ji Yushi saw Song Qinglan’s small figure standing on the side.

Song Qinglan’s small body had his arms habitually crossed in front of his chest as he watched them

There was a smile in the pair of bright eyes that belonged to a child, “Advisor Ji, what do you think will come to your mind when you think of Big Beard in the future?”

The iron chain used when picking him up, the fight in the small room, or this rough hug?

Ji Yushi also hooked up the corners of his lips, “I’m afraid I will think of the smell first.”

Big Beard, “Murihan!”

Ji Yushi replied, “Tala.”

Was this the polite expression of thanks and you’re welcome?

Song Qinglan couldn’t understand it anyway.

Big Beard rubbed the top of Ji Yushi’s head with his plump hands, messing up his hair in the process, and then happily walked away. He seemed to be looking for tools in preparation for the weeding.

The other teammates were not in the control room at this time, with the exception for Xie Sian.

Xie Sian was a senior, but he was too young and almost the same age as them. Although they were about the same age, the differences in era, thinking, as well as the warm seventh squad atmosphere made it difficult for him who had split from his squad due to differences in opinions to integrate.

“Speaking of which, Advisor Ji, you remind me of an acquaintance.”

Big Beard no longer cared about managing the cans so Xie Sian finally got the chance to eat. As he ate, he said, “You two are very similar.”

Ji Yushi turned his head over. His face was clean and handsome, and his features defined.

“It’s not that you two look alike, but you both have high intelligence and strong logical thinking abilities.” Xie Sian said, “That professor was called Sheng Yun. He was involved with the development of the Tianqiong system at a young age and his future was limitless. While I was preparing to become a Guardian, I had the honour of taking his class for a semester. He was a very knowledgeable and humble person.”

Song Qinglan asked, “I haven’t heard of this. Where does the professor work?”

“He’s not working anywhere.” Xie Sian shook his head, “Because…….he committed suicide. That’s why it’s normal for you not to hear about it. For you guys, that was seventeen years ago. I heard that he has made outstanding contributions to the development of Tianqiong. It had to be said that it was a really big loss for us.”

Ji Yushi didn’t speak.

Xie Sian said, “Professor Sheng also had a son who was very young at the time. He should be about the same age as you two now. It was said that he was also very smart. Unfortunately, he was the first person to witness the scene of his father’s suicide and seemed to have received some psychological shock from that. I don’t know how he’s doing now.”

Ji Yushi said, “Is that so? That’s really a shame.”

Ji Yushi didn’t seem to be very interested in this matter. He was originally not someone with very strong curiosity nor did he like to listen to gossip.

But somehow, Song Qignlan noticed that there was something different compared to his usually calm and indifferent expression.

It gave Song Qinglan a feeling that Ji Yushi must’ve heard of this matter before. But why was he pretending not to know?

“I don’t know what will happen after I go back. I hope everything will be back to normal.” Xie Sian finished the can and gained some strength, “Do you still have a Tianqiong twelfth squad? How’s their ranking?”

Song Qinglan said, “Yes, their ranking is not bad.”

Xie Sian seemed to be satisfied with his successors, “Then which squad is the strongest one now?”

“Before, it was the third squad.” Song Qinglan said, “If luck is on our side, perhaps the strongest one in the future will be the seventh squad.”

Xie Sian laughed, “Luck?”

Song Qinglan looked up at Ji Yushi. His small face was serious, “It mainly depends on whether the one at Advisor Ji’s place is willing to let him go.”

Ji Yushi was confused, “?”

Song Qinglan said, “Didn’t you tell me last time that he is very clingy?”

“It’s them.” Ji Yushi now understood and said after some thought, “That is indeed a very important question.”

If he really decided to leave, he would have to move those little masters to a new environment.

“Them?”

There was more than one?

Advisor Ji’s attitude to relationships was this messy?

Song Qinglan: “………”

*

The Tianqiong seventh squad was all present and Duan Wen very loyally didn’t laugh at his captain who had suddenly become smaller. They distributed the tools Big Beard had gathered and, with Xie Sian and Big Beard in tow, they divided themselves up into three groups.

Aurora gleamed in the sky that was so close it looked like it was within reach.

Before they could reach the mountain of garbage, Ji Yushi, Song Qinglan and Duan Wen once again saw the phantom of a silver-white planet in the sky.

It slowly made its appearance and was incredibly large. The craters on the surface of it were illuminated by the light from the flowers. With it slowly rising up before them, it made everything here look like it was from a dream.

Duan Wen who was in his thirties couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s so fucking romantic.”

Song Qinglan held a small shovel in his small hands, “Why? You want to date now?”

Duan Wen looked down at Song Qinglan and sighed, “Cap Song, I feel that it’s inappropriate talking to you right now about adult topics.”

Song Qinglan, “……”

Duan Wen added, “Everyone who sees this would want to date. Just think about it. Bringing a girl here to see the aurora and the moon. Even if there are no sparks originally, sparks would form. Don’t you think so, Advisor Ji?”

It was Ji Yushi’s second time seeing this beautiful scene.

He had once said that it didn’t make any difference whether he saw the same thing once or countless times, but he still raised his head and seriously took in the scene.

A huge silver-white star.

Blue and green rippling aurora.

Transparent glowing flowers on the ground.

In the real world, such a scene couldn’t be found anywhere.

“I don’t know.” Ji Yushi answered with his head still raised, “I don’t like girls.”

When that star was completely gone, they had reached their destination. All the vines here had to be eradicated.

The soil was very hard due to the low temperature. With each drop of the shovel, the palms of the hand would be rendered numb from the shock. Fortunately, the roots of the vines didn’t grow too deeply, and they could pull the vines off with enough effort.

Very soon, everyone was sweating.

Since Duan Wen had the best relationship with Li Chun, he was naturally not the type who didn’t talk much. As he spoke, white fog was exhaled, “By the way, Advisor Ji, someone like you…..whose that is different, what type do you like?”

As a straight guy, he had always been curious about this.

Do all gays like Song Qinglan’s type?

Ji Yushi’s thin and pale fingers pulled out a vine from the soil and threw it onto the ground. These vines would later be gathered and destroyed together. He said, “Various types.”

Song Qinglan was squatting on the ground and his small body seemed to be in a very difficult position. He was competing with a rather big vine.

Hearing this answer, Song Qinglan didn’t pay attention and fell onto his butt as soon as the vine broke off, “……”

Fuck.

So free and easygoing. Was he the one who was too conservative?

Duan Wen’s desire to gossip persisted, “Various? Advisor Ji, you’re being too vague. Take Chun’er for an example. Chun’er likes big breasts.”

Alright.

That is true slag.

Ji Yushi didn’t voice this thought of his and just replied, “It’s not that it’s vague. It’s because when you meet the right person, it’s the right person. There’s nothing specific.”

Song Qinglan muttered a few things inside. He suddenly felt lighter. Ji Yushi had helped him up, “I’ll do it.”

Song Qinglan was still carrying Shen Mian. He didn’t let his weapon leave his body. It seemed to be his last show of stubbornness.

He said deeply, “I can do it.”

Ji Yushi said, “Yes, I know you can.”

After saying this, Ji Yushi grabbed the vine and pulled it out of the soil. Very quickly, it was all pulled out.

Song Qinglan on the other hand didn’t voice any objections. He just watched Ji Yushi do it with a solemn expression.

Duan Wen thought: He was only away for those few days but the relationship between these two seemed to have gotten better?

As the small pieces of vines were removed and piled up, the lights on the ground disappeared and the darkness grew. The ground was shrouded in darkness at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye.

At this moment, all three of their communicator’s made a sound, indicating that reconnection was successful.

The subcutaneous communicator started to work and all three heard intermittent noises. The communicators had probably reconnected after some of the lights were removed on both sides.

“Cap Song!”

“[email protected]#$%”

The first voice was Tang Le and the second was hard to tell, as if an audio segment was played too fast.

Tang Qi, Tang Le and Xie Sian were in one group.

Tang Le: “Cap Song!! My brother has been accelerated!”

Tang Qi: “!#$%……&”

Tang Le: “After eradicating some of the vines, the light refracted on him and he’s now moving faster than us. His movements are so quick, it’s unclear and we also can’t understand what he’s saying so he’s at least five times faster! You must be careful!”

It has begun.

Song Qinglan very quickly understood, “The more we eradicate them, the more chaotic time will become. We should hurry!”

Except for his body turning smaller, everyone at this moment still subconsciously regarded him as the Song Qinglan who could shoulder their difficulties. Under his command, everyone quickly dealt with the vines in the area and Duan Wen poured fuel gathered from the space capsule over them. Fire instantly enveloped these vines and they soon turned into ashes.

Everyone had agreed to gather at the mountain of garbage —- That was the area hardest hit by those vines and there were also too many wreckages so a part of it must be cleaned first before the vines could be completely removed.

No one knew what would happen with time becoming more and more chaotic. The three of them rushed over and Song Qinglan didn’t even say a word despite his feet getting hurt due to his shoes.

“Bang——-”

A sound of gunfire echoed across the empty field.

All three were startled. Who was shooting?

But they had already reached the mountain of garbage. With glowing lights everywhere, their communicators once again lost connection.

Big Beard, Zhou Mingxuan and Li Chun had already cleaned up a part of the mountain of garbage. They saw them coming this way, “Cap Song, did you guys hear the gunshot?”

Song Qinglan, “I heard it. Since it’s not you guys, it must be Tang Le and the others.”

Zhou Mingxuan suddenly shouted, “Look!”

A strange scene appeared.

Everyone looked up and saw that the dark sky and aurora above their heads were gone. Replacing it was a vast blue sea.

The sea extended endlessly as it hung upside down in the sky. The water as clear.

It was so close that everyone could see the ripples on the surface as the sea breeze passed by.

Suddenly, a beluga whale emerged from the sea. It stayed on the surface for a short while and then dove back down.

When it did this, water splashed, and cold water rained onto everyone’s faces.

This scene was too shocking and much more spectacular than the silver star from before.

Everyone was at loss for words. They found themselves unable to express their feelings at this moment in time.

“There was a new refraction in time and space.” Ji Yushi said, “It must be related to us destroying those lights.”

“Then should we continue?” Li Chun asked, “Would it refract and refract and then end up causing some of us to disappear?”

One should know that this kind of refraction wasn’t just a visual refraction. It also included the involvement of time and space.

In other words, the area they are in right now had not only undergone a visual change, but there was also a change in the flow of time. It was just that they were amidst it all, so they didn’t sense it themselves.

Everyone unanimously looked at Song Qinglan.

Song Qinglan’s small face was firm. He uttered a command with a frown, “Continue.”

With this order, no one paid attention to the gunfire.

They knew that, just like their last [Ouroboros] mission, as long as they completed it, everything would return to normal —– These two missions were surprisingly similar. Once fired, an arrow does not turn back. They must continue advancing forward.

Ji Yushi raised his head and said something to Big Beard.

Big Beard knocked against his left chest with one hand, let out a loud shout and then overturned a large piece of wreckage in front of everyone.

Although he was injured, he couldn’t care less about it at this time. Enduring the pain, he was as powerful as an ox and was practically a walking excavator.

Everyone started working. The six of them very quickly managed to collect one-fifth of the vines there and destroyed them.

“Bang, bang, bang!!”

A few consecutive gunshots fired. Zhou Mingxuan’s reactions were fast, and he quickly pulled Ji Yushi aside.

Bullets flew through the air.

One, two, three, four. A total of four of them appeared at a very slow speed and then it slowly passed through a mechanical board ahead, emitting sparks and then falling to the ground.

Everyone immediately realised that the time flow in their area had slowed down!

They looked back.

They saw seven or eight unfamiliar faces in the darkness outside the area with the sea. They were wearing clothes from an unknown era. They were clearly traversers from another time.

Having cleared an area of lights, those refracted spaces had disappeared, and these people must have been released from those places. But why were they shooting at strangers?

“Bang!”

Another bullet penetrated this area.

It started at a normal speed and, when it entered the area where time was several times slower, it slowed down significantly. It was destined to never hit the target.

Zhou Mingxuan raised his laser gun and similarly fired a shot. Unfortunately, the opponent was able to easily recognise its trajectory and avoided without any difficulty.

Alright. It was a situation where no one could hit anyone.

That group of people charged into the area.

Li Chun, “Dammit, are these people intending on killing us?”

At this moment, a new pile of vines was burned to ashes.

In an instant, the sea overhead was gone. Replacing it were snow capped mountains that suddenly rose from the sides.

The mountain peaks were sharp and angular and when the tallest peak appeared, it just happened to knock into the group of people rushing in, throwing them into an unknown direction.

Hearing those screams, the people standing amidst the mountains, “……”

Could this be referred to as self-inflicted harm?

Song Qinglan found a fish who had slipped through the net. That person who had just managed to charge in was lying on the ground, covered in blood.

He walked over, raised Shen Mian with his thin arms, and pressed it against the other party’s forehead, “What did you want?”

The other party was severely injured. Before he breathed his last breath, he said in heavily accented English, “Escape capsule…….”

He couldn’t finish his words. He had died with his eyes open.

Escape capsule?

The snow was cold and wind howled around them. Snow gathered on everyone’s shoulders from time to time.

This person’s words were spoken without context. They didn’t have the time to think about it so they could only get back to clearing out the vines.

Facing a huge satellite part, everyone was troubled. It laid on top of a pile of other mechanical wreckage and it was hard to tell if there were any flowers underneath it. But who could move this giant thing?

Song Qinglan had already taken off the cotton-padded clothes he had wrapped around him. His small figure stood in front of the satellite, “I can crawl into the gap.”

Zhou Mingxuan, “Cap Song!”

Everyone looked at him. They felt like they were abusing a child.

Song Qinglan removed his short boots, revealing his worn feet. He didn’t show any concern about it, “Stop talking nonsense. Who will go if I don’t go?”

After saying that, he threw aside a broken off hatch and crawled into a gap.

Even if they were worried, everyone could only continue working hard.

Ji Yushi’s palm was bleeding from a cut he had incurred while moving a wreckage aside. From time to time, he would raise his head and look over at the place Song Qinglan entered.

He had also taken off his cotton-padded clothes and he wiped away a thin layer of sweat. When he looked up for the third time, he finally saw Song Qinglan’s figure emerge.

There were a lot of vines wrapped around him and his small face was black, like he had just dug up coal. Only a pair of eyes showed spirit belonging to an adult.

Duan Wen was a step ahead of Ji Yushi. He pulled the small captain out.

Song Qinglan let him clean him up, “Hope there are no more gaps to crawl……Hey, stop. Lightly. I’m still a fucking child!!”

Duan Wen repeatedly promised, “I know, I know.”

Ji Yushi: “……..”

Big Beard picked up all the newly pulled out vines. The glowing flowers made him look like a giant Christmas tree.

He set the new pile on fire.

The surroundings instantly went dark. In the dimness, someone asked, “There’s only one last group left. Why hasn’t Tang Le and the others come yet?”

Just as that person finished asking that, a dozen or so skeletons appeared not far from the mountain of garbage where there was still a small ring of lights remaining.

No, to be more precise, it was a dozen or so human skeletons heading their way.

The flesh on their bodies were restoring rapidly. From organs to muscles to skin, hair and eyes, they gradually returned to their original living appearance…..They were humans being resurrected.

Among them, three were young men wearing black combat uniforms with a 12 on their chest. It was their seniors from the twelfth squad.

Ji Yushi understood. The rainforest had disappeared. These people came from that rainforest.

The vines Big Beard set on fire turned to ashes.

The snow-capped mountains on the side suddenly disappeared. What appeared now was a city.

Left, right, front and back. Except for the soil and garbage under their feet, this place had become a 360-degree mirror projection.

For a moment, everyone felt like they had entered a kaleidoscope.

“Rumble——”

After the rumble of thunder, lighting flashed, and heavy rain poured down.

Everyone was soaked.

Big Beard suddenly yelled, “Mogulakandaqiongwiqimuhe!!”

Among those people, some of Big Beard’s teammates had returned.

The people from PU-18 held each other and cried.

The three seniors from the twelfth squad came over. The leading one asked, “You’re from Tianqiong?”

The other asked, “Why is there also a child?”

Song Qinglan: “…….”

The thunder rumbled.

“Yes.”

Ji Yushi’s whole body was soaked. His black hair was brushed back, revealing his smooth forehead.

He didn’t explain much and just said, “We are here to save you.”

Having met in another world and having died after spending who knows how long in the rainforest, the people who had just come back to life had a hard time trusting anyone.

Everyone increased their vigilance. The people who had shot at them just now were a good example. But they also came from Tianqiong so they didn’t want to end up in a fight.

Ji Yushi remembered something and took out a compass he had picked up in the rainforest, “I picked this up from one of you. Now returning it to the owner.”

The leading person received it and then handed it to his teammate. The teammate confirmed, “Cap Qi, this is Xie Sian’s!”

Rain slid down Cap Qi’s jawline. His eyes were cold, “That traitor…..where is he?”

At this moment, amidst the thunder, someone was yelling, “Cap Song!!”

Everyone turned their heads.

They saw Tang Le coming over with Xie Sian bound up, and the bloody person on his back was the unconscious Tang Qi.

Coming with them were also twenty or thirty unfamiliar faces. All of them were traversers who had been released from the different refracted worlds. They were dressed in different clothes and all looked very different.

Xie Sian’s face was pale. There was blood on his forehead.

Seeing his teammates alive again, Xie Sian looked like a ghost in the heavy rain.

This crevice had inadvertently become a gathering point for the traversers.

Tang Le brought Xie Sian in front of everyone and kicked him to the ground, “This grandson tried to stab us in the back. He never had the intention to repair this crevice in the first place!”

Li Chun and Zhou Mingxuan took Tang Qi off his back.

Ji Yushi bent down and examined him. Tang Qi was still affected by the acceleration. It was so fast, even the twitching of his eyelids and the rise and falls of his chest couldn’t be seen clearly.

Xie Sian who was lying on the ground laughed.

That laugh was strange and a little crazed. As soon as he got up, something cold and hard was pressed against his forehead.

His captain, Cap Qi, was looking down at him from above.

Xie Sian wasn’t afraid, “Did you think that you would succeed after eradicating this last group of flowers? Let me tell you, you will not succeed. I have carefully hidden the last one away. If you want to know where it is, let that Big Beard use his escape capsule to exchange for it.”

Escape capsule?

Song Qinglan narrowed his eyes. He seemed to understand where those people earlier who shot at them came from.

This Xi Sian……cannot be underestimated.

Ji Yushi stood up. He asked coldly, “What escape capsule?”

“Advisor Ji, you are very clever and can communicate with Big Beard without any trouble.” Xie Sian said, “Why? Did that good friend of yours not tell you that there is an escape capsule in good working condition in that space capsule?”