GBP Chapter 972 The Return Journey (The End)
Chapter 972 The Return Journey (The End)
Xu Han stole a glance at Mulan Zhi and felt even more uneasy.
Good heavens... Mulanzhi's speech sounds a bit like a freak's... She seems so gentle and refined...
Mulanzhi also noticed that Xu Han was looking at her. She glanced down at him and then looked away.
Xu Han didn't care what she was thinking at all, because the mechanical female voice that had been stuck for so long had finally returned to normal.
[...The copy determination has been confirmed.]
The winning guild in this guild competition dungeon, "The Way Home," is "Alive."
Congratulations to "Alive" for winning the guild tournament! Items, points, and other rewards will be distributed sequentially after all players return to town.
[...Echo performance evaluation in progress...Contribution percentage calculation...Determined to have effectively participated in resolving core events, receiving double the base points as a reward.]
[Congratulations on clearing the dungeon! This dungeon is about to end. You will be teleported in 60 seconds.]
【59】
【58】
【57】
【…】
The system's countdown echoed throughout the carriage.
Anjie and the conscious Chen Yi exchanged a glance, both seeing the relief of exhaustion and the joy of victory in each other's eyes.
They won again.
Xu Han was overjoyed, but he didn't have the strength to stand up from the ground, so he could only sit there and be happy.
He glanced at Ma Ming, whose face showed disappointment, and said smugly:
"Some people just don't have any idea of their own abilities."
Ma Ming: "..."
Ma Ming gritted his teeth, turned to look at Li Ye beside him, and asked, "Is he out of his mind?"
Li Ye: "..."
Li Ye glanced at Xu Han sitting on the ground, then patted Ma Ming on the shoulder and whispered:
"Forget it, just ignore him. Do you feel any better knowing that Laneige still owes Anjie a bunch of points?"
Ma Ming really thought about it seriously, then looked at Mulanzhi, who was still smiling, with a mixture of sympathy and admiration, and whispered as well:
"...It really is true, I feel much better now."
Mulanzhi's fake smile was almost impossible to maintain. She took a deep breath, controlled the urge to open her mouth, and walked to Lin Hai's side while covering her wound.
Lin Hai was leaning back in his seat, resting with his eyes closed.
His eerie, tiny pupils were hidden by his eyelids, and the unsettling smile that had always lingered at the corners of his mouth had vanished, replaced by a deep, weary downward curve, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.
Mulanzhi glanced at him, silently sat back down, and began tending to the wound on her lower back without saying another word.
"Have you learned your lesson?"
Lin Hai suddenly spoke.
Mulan paused in treating the wound.
She knew Lin Hai was asking her.
Ma Ming and Li Ye's conversation also stopped, and they secretly glanced at Lin Hai and Mu Lanzhi.
“…Yes,” Mulanzhi replied, lowering her eyes, “It’s grown.”
Lin Hai didn't open his eyes. "An Jie hasn't activated her talent skill yet, and Yu Shijiu is only half-activated... Lan Zhi, why do you think we can kill them?"
Mulanzhi's fingers stiffened. "I...I'm sorry, Brother Lin, I misunderstood for a moment."
This is the truth.
Mulanzhi really misunderstood. She thought they could try to fight it out. After all, Yu Shijiu wouldn't really die, and Anjie and the others could pass the level as long as they gave up one of their teammates without them actually dying... What's wrong with that?
"Lanzhi".
Lin Hai sighed, wearily pinched the bridge of his nose, and said softly:
"No matter where, whether it's a real death or a fake one... almost no one can easily accept the death of their teammate."
Mulanzhi felt the wound on her back hurt even more. She pursed her lips and did not respond.
Were you sad when Meng Lang 'died'?
Lin Hai asked.
Mulanzhi's fingers trembled slightly, but she remained silent.
Li Ye and Ma Ming remained silent, their expressions complex, with a hint of sadness at Meng Lang's "death."
“Look,” Lin Hai said, “even if you knew Meng Lang wasn’t dead, you would still feel sad and in pain at the time… If you yourself can’t accept it, how can you expect others to accept the death of their teammate?”
Lin Hai was actually a little guilty when he said that—after all, he was the one who initially thought of taking everyone in the car down with him.
But Mulanzhi was clearly unaware of this, or perhaps she was aware but didn't care.
In reality, neither Ma Ming nor Li Ye, nor even the "dead" Meng Lang, cared.
The three of them hung their heads like they were cut from the same cloth, listening to Lin Hai, who was actually feeling incredibly guilty.
Lin Hai's eyelids twitched faster and faster as he spoke, feeling that he probably wouldn't be able to continue if he kept talking, so he finally found an excuse to stop.
Mulanzhi raised her hand and rubbed her eyes. "Brother Lin, you're right. I haven't cherished my life enough."
The four "alive" people who were listening to the system notification countdown and openly overheard the entire process were speechless.
He Lingling is an exception; she used her innate skill too many times, and after enduring it for half a day, she still couldn't hold on and had already fainted, leaning on An Jie's shoulder.
Xu Han secretly winked at Yu Shijiu, meaning—
Are these four people out of their minds? Why don't they recall how their leader initially acted impulsively and didn't value their lives at all?
If this were in the real world before, Xu Han would have angrily shouted, "Damn it! What do you take life for?!"
But he decided against it now, fearing someone might come and beat him up.
Yu Shijiu tilted her head in confusion as she looked at Xu Han's strange winking expression.
"Brother Han," Yu Shijiu asked suspiciously, "is your face twitching?"
Xu Han: "..."
Anjie and Chen Yi both pursed their lips, trying to suppress the upward curve of their smiles.
Xu Han glared at Yu Shijiu and said through gritted teeth:
"Oh right, right, my face is cramping, it's cramping. I need to take some calcium supplements when I get out."
Yu Shijiu blinked, "Take some supplements?"
Anjie coughed lightly and chimed in with some interest:
"How about I ask your brother Chen to make you some more bone broth?"
Xu Han rolled her eyes. "Sister An, you're so out of touch! Bone broth is full of purines, it doesn't provide any calcium at all!"
Anjie was taken aback, genuinely confused about the situation, and frowned in puzzlement:
"What is purine? I've heard people say that you have to drink a lot of bone broth to get calcium..."
Xu Han: "No, that's just what people used to think. Actually, all the nutrition is in the meat."
Chen Yi nodded with a smile, his expression softening considerably. "Xiao Han is right."
Anjie's expression turned strange for some reason. She lowered her eyelids and suddenly smiled, "Really? So bone broth can't supplement calcium."
Yu Shijiu nodded with a smile, "It seems so. My mother said the same thing to me before."
"..."
While the group chatted casually, the driver in the driver's seat continued to drive steadily.
【3】
The driver gazed silently out the window, gripping the steering wheel tightly, watching the hazy morning light at the end of the road grow brighter and brighter.
【2】
The dilapidated bus, driven by its driver, carried its last passengers towards the pale golden morning light that seemed to fall from the clouds.
【1】
The "Return Journey" dungeon, part of this guild tournament, is now closed.
A familiar feeling of dizziness washed over me.
The last thing Yu Shijiu saw was the driver slightly turning his head to look at the rearview mirror, revealing an extremely faint yet incredibly clear smile tinged with tears.
And, in the passenger seat, there was that translucent red hat that gradually faded into countless points of light in the morning light.
Then, everything went completely dark.
------
When consciousness returned, Yu Shijiu was once again standing on the bustling live broadcast plaza's teleportation platform.
Other players appeared one after another around him, and the cacophony of discussions, cheers, and sighs surged into his ears like a tide.
Yu Shijiu looked down at his left arm.
A perfectly intact, human arm.
The sleeves were tattered, and the exposed skin had only a few faint, almost invisible red marks, as if something had gently strangled it. But the animal claws, fur, and grime that should have been there were all gone.
Yu Shijiu licked his lips, looking somewhat unhappy.
He hasn't even used this hand much yet, so how come the contamination is gone?
"Shi Jiu!"
Xu Han's voice came from the side, filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.
He ran over, grabbed Yu Shijiu's arm, and carefully looked her up and down several times. Only after confirming that she was really alright did he breathe a long sigh of relief.
"That's great...you're really alright! Your hand is all better! That's wonderful!"
Anjie, Chen Yi, and He Lingling also came over.
Chen Yi's shoulder wound healed quickly after drinking two bottles of recovery medicine, but his face still looked a little pale.
"A blessing in disguise," Chen Yi said with a smile, "Shi Jiu was incredibly lucky this time."
Lucky Yu Shijiu: "..."
He flicked the tattered sleeve off his left arm, not really feeling lucky.
Good luck? What's so good about it? Not at all!
He clearly hadn't used that claw much at all...
Thinking of this, Yu Shijiu's lips drooped slightly.
Seeing this, Chen Yi breathed a sigh of relief and continued to pat Yu Shijiu's shoulder with a cheerful smile.
"I'll make you some bone broth when we get back."
"..." Yu Shijiu blinked, puzzled, "Isn't bone broth not a good source of calcium?"
Chen Yi explained, "It doesn't supplement calcium, but if you add some ingredients and cook it well, it tastes very good."
Xu Han, who was swallowing hard beside him, quickly chimed in upon hearing this:
"Yes, yes, yes! Add some more, add more mushrooms and it will taste even better! Even more delicious!"
Chen Yi was both amused and exasperated. "Fine, fine, you can add whatever you want."
"..."
He Lingling's eyes have returned to normal, although there are still some bloodshot streaks around them. She looks exhausted, but her spirits are still relatively good.
Anjie held a short blade in her hand, the blue light on the blade had completely gone out. She put the short blade back into her system backpack, her gaze swept around, and finally landed on the other side of the teleportation platform not far away.
There, the four members of "Echo" also appeared.
Lin Hai was being supported by Mulanzhi and Li Ye. His face was as white as paper, and his hair seemed to have turned whiter. However, his eyes were no longer as crazy or empty as before, but rather a kind of almost nihilistic calm.
He raised his head slightly, his gaze passing through the crowd, and met Anjie's eyes.
Then, very slightly, he nodded.
Anjie remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Without words, a complex, unspoken emotion—a shared experience of a bizarre journey—was conveyed in their exchange of glances.
"Let's go."
Anjie looked away and spoke to her teammates.
"Go back and rest first. We'll notify you of the reward settlement later."
"it is good!"
Xu Han responded immediately, very excited.
"..."
The five people walked through the noisy stands and headed out of the square.
The sunlight cast long shadows behind them, and along the way, many players in the audience turned around to look at them, whispering among themselves.
Yu Shijiu looked back once before leaving the live broadcast square.
Among the countless small screens in the square, one slightly larger screen was still replaying the final scene of the "Homecoming" instance—
The driver held up a semi-transparent red hat, smiling in the morning light.
The bus drove into the gradually brightening light falling on the horizon.
Then, the image freezes and slowly darkens.
Yu Shijiu silently turned around, looked at the familiar street in front of him, and took a deep breath of the dry town air.
He felt a strange, warm, tingling sensation in his left arm.
That was the itching from the wound completely healing.
It was also... a feeling of having something heavy completely lifted off his shoulders, something he himself didn't even know he was aware of.
"Sister An."
Yu Shijiu suddenly spoke.
"Ok?"
Anjie turned her head to look at him.
"In the next guild tournament," Yu Shijiu blinked, her tone carrying a familiar, almost naive curiosity, "will we encounter these... weird and wonderful dungeons again?"
Anjie: "..."
Chen Yi couldn't help but laugh out loud, echoing, "Maybe?"
Xu Han rolled his eyes upon hearing this and retorted:
"Shi Jiu! Don't jinx it! If you do it again, I'll be scared to death!"
It's best to avoid encountering these bizarre and mentally disturbing instances again.
He was genuinely afraid of this kind of dungeon.
He Lingling didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly upward as she looked at the bustling street ahead, a hint of weariness flashing in her eyes.
Yu Shijiu and his group of five walked through streets lined with stalls set up by many players, and by the time they returned to the temporary residence belonging to the "Living" guild, it was nearly dusk.
To the group, the town in Dawn of the game always maintained a constant, unrealistic illusion, but perhaps because they had just escaped from a long and oppressive rainy night instance, the warm orange light simulated by the sunset gave them a rare sense of comfort.
"worn out……"
Xu Han collapsed almost immediately onto the old sofa in the living room as soon as he entered, letting out a long sigh and complaining:
"I feel like my soul is still in that broken-down car."
Chen Yi smiled, said nothing, and walked straight to the kitchen.
Soon, the sounds of washing ingredients and clattering pots and pans came from inside, along with his gentle voice:
"Take a rest for a while, I'll call you when the soup is ready."
Xu Han immediately looked up, feeling both delighted and a little embarrassed:
"Brother Chen, you got injured in the dungeon, so let's not make soup now..."