"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Watching the fireworks he had just launched plumt into the unknown void along with Hajisha, Yan Huan froze for a mont. He instinctively wanted to chase after him to see if the man had actually been blown to pieces.
But he quickly stopped in his tracks, staring in shock and suspicion at the collapsing Reality Barrier around him.
It was his first ti seeing such a situation.
"Myau-chan, what exactly is going on?"
"I do not know either. It looks like Sakuramiya Hitomi's barrier was shattered by sothing, ow~"
'Is it Spencer?'
The first person Yan Huan thought of was Spencer, who possessed absolute, high-tier Resistance.
'Could they be fighting again?'
"Boom!!"
Just as Yan Huan was looking around with a growing headache, the deafening explosion of fireworks and a miserable scream echoed from the void below, saving him the trouble of investigating.
But clearly, an even bigger problem was waiting for him.
"Crack, crack, crack~"
In the very next second, it wasn't just the ground beneath Hajisha; the entire area within a five-hundred-ter radius began to fracture and crumble.
Yan Huan's pupils shrank. He turned his head to look around, only to see five light sources stretching across the horizon like miniature suns, along with Sakuramiya Hitomi, Bai Yi, and Spencer off to the side.
'Sakuramiya?'
"Crack, crack, crack~"
Between the light sources, thin rays of shimring light connected to one another, forming a twisted, illusory pathway.
The mont that pathway appeared, Yan Huan imdiately stepped into empty air.
He widened his eyes and looked down, only to see a howling torrential downpour below, completely obscuring the scenery in the night sky.
He had absolutely no idea where he was falling into, only that it had to be a considerable height.
"I—"
His eyes narrowed as he subconsciously tried to jump up.
But within this five-hundred-ter radius, it seed the only safe spots were near those five light sources and right beside Sakuramiya Hitomi.
No matter how superhuman he was, he could not possibly jump twenty ters out of thin air.
Thus, this jump was nothing more than a dying struggle, leaving everyone to watch as he plumted toward an unknown destination.
"It... It is Yan Huan!"
Over there, Sakuramiya Hitomi and Bai Yi were slumped on the ground with feeble auras. Only Spencer seed to be full of energy.
Spotting Yan Huan, she imdiately reached out and shouted.
"Crack, crack, crack!!"
Nearby, the weakened Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes shrank as she hastily looked up.
Not far away, Ye Shiyu, who was also about to fall into a caved-in section, froze for a mont before turning her gaze toward him.
Tong Yingying, who was supporting An Le, was completely shocked by the anomalies on the ground.
She did not know what was happening; she only saw the ground within a five-hundred-ter radius completely shattering, leaving them with nothing to stand on.
Fortunately, An Le, who had prior experience, knew exactly what was unfolding.
"Oh... oh no..."
Even though her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, she imdiately looked up. Her eyes narrowed, and her body instantly turned pale.
"Squwelch!!"
Three remaining Tentacles suddenly sprouted out of thin air. One shot toward Yan Huan, another instantly wrapped around Tong Yingying's waist, and the final one entangled the distant Ye Shiyu who was about to fall.
"You—"
Wrapped in the Tentacle, Tong Yingying's expression shifted as she imdiately prepared to draw her blade.
But the next second, seeing An Le laboriously lift her up and swing her toward Sakuramiya Hitomi's location, she realized the girl was trying to save them.
Ye Shiyu was the closest to Sakuramiya Hitomi, so she was quickly dropped right beside her.
Tong Yingying was a bit farther away but was rapidly approaching.
However, An Le had forgotten sothing—with all three Tentacles in use, she was still stuck in her original spot.
"Hey! If you fall and get teleported far away, once you exceed the fifty-ter range, you'll lose your grip on Yan Huan and he'll fall too!"
Little Finger suddenly manifested. Looking toward Yan Huan while flicking its tongue, the white snake ca up with a solution.
"Do this: retrieve a Tentacle to wrap around yourself first, then launch yourself over to Yan Huan. I will manifest my physical form, grow larger, and help you pull him up!"
"...Okay."
An Le took a deep breath. She used the Tentacle to hoist Yan Huan up a bit higher, then retracted it.
It wrapped securely around her lightweight body and launched her straight toward him.
"An Le?"
Yan Huan, having been tossed upward by the Tentacle, raised his eyes to look over, only to be t by a white snake charging at him with its bloody maw wide open.
'Is that the sentient form of An Le's Modifier?'
The white snake wrapped securely around Yan Huan, its face lighting up with joy.
"I caught Yan Huan... Hey, hey, hey! Wait, wait, wait!!"
But Yan Huan was heavy, and Little Finger was not a super-strong Tentacle. The mont it grabbed him, its entire body was instantly stretched taut, its bones emitting a series of popping cracks.
"Ah, I am going to die! I am going to die! I am falling apart!!"
"Snap!"
Overco by the pain, the white snake instantly released its grip on Yan Huan.
Yan Huan, who was just about to be pulled up, once again plumted into the torrential rain below.
Seeing this, Yan Huan's face darkened instantly.
'No way, why do I get the feeling that Myau-chan's useless Modifier manifestation is exactly the sa as this guy...'
'Don't tell ... Myau-chan, did you steal even your uselessness from them?!'
"Xiao Huan!"
Seeing Yan Huan about to fall again, An Le threw caution to the wind.
She abruptly released Ye Shiyu and Tong Yingying, directing all her Tentacles to snatch at Yan Huan.
Over there, Ye Shiyu had just reached the edge of Sakuramiya Hitomi's safe zone. As the ground gave way, entirely different sceneries abruptly manifested beneath them.
A modern Room appeared beneath Ye Shiyu.
anwhile, a quiet plaza appeared beneath Tong Yingying.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Spencer's eyes widened, and she hurriedly reached out to grab them.
But while she managed to catch Ye Shiyu, there was no one left to grab Tong Yingying.
Ye Shiyu was instantly pulled back to Sakuramiya Hitomi's side, while Tong Yingying's expression shifted drastically as she fell out of the barrier, vanishing from everyone's sight in an instant.
"Rumble!!"
An Le used two Tentacles simultaneously, firmly grabbing onto Yan Huan.
But at that mont, Yan Huan had already plumted past the boundaries of the barrier.
The torrential rain crashed against his face, soaking his body through in an instant.
"Squwelch!!"
An Le tried to pull Yan Huan back into the barrier, but to her horror, she found that the sections of the Tentacles that extended outside the barrier vanished the mont she tried to retract them.
The Reality Barrier was on the verge of total collapse!
"Crack, crack, crack!!"
The two Tentacles wrapping around Yan Huan snapped in an instant, sending him plumting uncontrollably into the dark, rain-filled abyss below.
Watching Yan Huan drift further and further away from her, An Le's mind went completely blank.
"No... Xiao Huan..."
In the very next second, without the slightest hesitation, she dispersed her Tentacles and threw herself down in the direction of his fall.
"Hey, An Le!! Are you crazy?! What if it is the ocean or a bottomless abyss down there? You will—"
Seeing An Le dive into the pitch-black void after Yan Huan, Little Finger was scared out of its wits.
But An Le only stared blankly ahead at the continuously falling Yan Huan, reaching her hand out toward him amidst the violent storm.
"Smack!"
In the darkness, she grabbed Yan Huan's hand firmly, and the two of them vanished without a trace.
"President! An Le!!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi watched Yan Huan and An Le fall into the spatial rift together. Just as she raised her hand, the surrounding barrier shattered into oblivion.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
The wind and rain vanished, revealing the serene shrine outside the barrier, bathed in the calm night as if nothing had ever happened...
Only the absence of Yan Huan, An Le, Tong Yingying, and the assassin served as proof of what had just transpired.
Off to the side, Bai Yi clutched her stomach and stood up.
Her face was deathly pale, and her hand gripping the Pocket Watch trembled uncontrollably.
'N-never again... I am never using ti stop again. It hurts too much... Sob... '
'But at least I saved soone, and Yan Huan is safe and sound...'
'Huh?'
'Where... where did everyone go?'
"Ah... is... is it over? Where is Yan Huan?"
Bai Yi blinked and looked around, but Yan Huan was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally, An Le was missing as well.
Sakuramiya Hitomi's eyes were wide as well. Trembling from head to toe, she slowly turned her head.
"The... The President... He and An Le fell out of the barrier. I do not know where they went..."
"What?!"
Bai Yi stared at Sakuramiya Hitomi in sheer disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body went completely limp, and she collapsed backward.
She had fainted on the spot.
"Croak~ Croak~"
"Rustle... rustle..."
The warm sumr evening light scattered across Yan Huan's finely chiseled Side Profile as he lay on the Sandy Ground. He had his eyes closed and his head tilted to the side, appearing as though he had passed away peacefully.
"Sob... sob... Xiao Huan, please... please don't scare ... sob sob sob..."
But one burning tear after another fell, splashing against his cheeks.
Hearing the pitiful and anxious crying beside him, he hurriedly opened his eyes and sat up.
"Ah, An Le, I am fine. Look."
"Sob sob sob..."
The little girl beside him had a Face Covered in Tears. She just sniffled while staring at him, which actually made Yan Huan feel a bit guilty.
He had accidentally fallen off the playground equipnt while playing with An Le just now.
Lying on the Sandy Ground, he had a "stroke of genius" and pretended to be knocked unconscious, ignoring An Le no matter how much she called out to him.
He had originally just wanted to tease her, but he never expected her to genuinely believe he was seriously injured, weeping until she looked like a Weeping Beauty.
This made it impossible for Yan Huan to keep acting, prompting him to sit up quickly.
"Sob... sob..."
However, An Le's tears seed impossible to stop, and she only cried harder.
"Hey, hey, it is alright now. Do not cry..."
"Sob..."
Seeing her cry more intensely, Yan Huan pursed his lips and had no choice but to pull her tiny body into his arms, patting her back to comfort her.
"Alright, alright, I am really fine. What are you crying for? When you accidentally broke your arm before, or when you got separated from your Mama and Father, you did not shed a single tear. Why are you crying just because I took a little tumble?"
"I... I don't know... sob..."
"I was just playing a prank on you. I am not really hurt... Here, look."
As he spoke, the young Yan Huan opened his arms, showing himself off to An Le.
Seeing that Yan Huan was alright, An Le sniffled. Without even wiping her tears, she said in a grieved tone,
"Xiao Huan... please... please do not trick
like that, okay? I was really worried about you..."
"Okay, okay... Oof!"
However, before he could finish his sentence, An Le headbutted him like a silent little boulder, knocking Yan Huan flat on his back into the Sandy Ground once again.
And leaning on her arms, the tiny girl stared down at him with those big, tear-filled, and utterly wronged eyes...
...which inevitably made Yan Huan chuckle.
An Le really was not the type to cry. Even when she was ordinarily wronged, she would only suffer in silence and swallow her grievances. She would absolutely never cry out loud.
Let alone things involving pain or fright. She was incredibly brave; getting injections, breaking bones, having teeth pulled—she never let out a single cry. Like a girl made of iron, Yan Huan deeply admired this little lass.
But For So Reason, today, she had shed so many tears just for him.
Lying on the Sandy Ground, he could not help but laugh. He reached out his pinky finger toward An Le.
"Alright, I won't trick you anymore. Pinky promise?"
"..."
Looking at Yan Huan's extended pinky, An Le pursed her lips and hesitantly raised her own finger.
But the very next second, before she could fully extend it, Yan Huan took the initiative to firmly hook his pinky finger around hers...
And his words, carried along with his warm body temperature, were transmitted to her,
"Pinky promise!"
"Xiao Huan! Sob sob sob..."
"Rumble!!"
The thunder roared.
"Xiao Huan!"
"Splash, splash..."
The rain poured relentlessly.
"Xiao Huan!"
"Rustle..."
The wind howled.
Yan Huan's eyes were Dreamy as he raised his gaze to his side.
Through the raging storm, he saw An Le gritting her teeth. Her Face Covered in Tears, she stared at him while continuously Shaking his body.
"Sob... Xiao Huan, wake up. Wake up... I'm begging you... sob sob sob..."
Drop by drop, a mixture of murky liquid—whether rain or tears, he could not tell—splashed onto Yan Huan's face, seemingly awakening his ancient, long-forgotten mory.
Upon exiting the barrier, the effects of mory Correction surged up once again.
All the supernatural events that had occurred inside the barrier felt like fleeting clouds, trying to slip right out of his mind.
Although Yan Huan had Resistance and would naturally rember everything that had just happened, it still gave him a slight headache, forcing him to struggle as he spoke,
"An Le..."
"Xiao Huan! You... you're awake!"
"Ah..."
Yan Huan struggled to sit up. Looking at the unfamiliar environnt battered by the thunderstorm, he murmured,
"Where are we?"
"I do not know. We seem to have..."
An Le originally wanted to say "fallen out of the barrier," but doing so would undoubtedly Expose the existence of Superpowers.
Thus, she glanced carefully at Yan Huan and asked,
"Xiao Huan, do you still rember what happened?"
"...Not very clearly. I rember I was fighting that assassin. He was no match for , and then... I do not really rember what happened after that."
"I see."
'It is good that Xiao Huan does not know about Superpowers.'
In the darkness, Yan Huan could not clearly see An Le's expression; he simply tried to get up Subconsciously.
The priority was to figure out where they were and find a place to shelter from the rain.
The thunder was booming and the rain was terrifyingly heavy. If they stayed outside any longer, they were bound to catch a cold and run a fever.
"Hiss..."
The mont he moved, he realized his body was aching terribly.
His clothes were in tatters, and when he touched himself, he found nurous wounds.
He looked up, only to discover dense leaves and branches overhead; they seed to be in a forest.
They had fallen from mid-air. If it hadn't been for these branches breaking their fall, they would likely have been crippled.
"Hm?"
While patting himself down, Yan Huan realized sothing was amiss.
His Mobile Phone and other belongings had all been lost in the fall, yet in his arms, he felt a wooden statue.
'It is that reward I received earlier...'
'How bizarre.'
"Myau-chan."
"ow~"
In the darkness, a pair of erald eyes appeared in response, looking obediently at Yan Huan.
"You should know where we've ended up, right?"
Myau-chan blinked at Yan Huan, glancing at their surroundings. Just as it was about to speak, An Le abruptly stood up first, shielding Yan Huan behind her.
"Xiao Huan, soone... soone is coming."
"Huh?"
Yan Huan looked ahead and, sure enough, saw several beams of light.
The light was yellowish, sowhat resembling the beam of an old-fashioned Flashlight.
"The rain is too heavy; a landslide might occur. Did you call the town?"
"Yes... but we won't know the exact situation until tomorrow morning. Village Chief, let's head back first. What if you slip and fall..."
'They are people of Sakura Country.'
'It seems we are still within the borders of Sakura Country, and haven't been teleported to so other part of the world.'
Both Yan Huan and An Le secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Rustle... rustle..."
"Who is there?!"
As the two figures gradually approached, they seed to notice the shadows standing nearby and hastily swept their Flashlight beams over.
When the intense light struck them, the two teens Subconsciously raised their hands to shield their eyes from the glare.
"Oh my, two young people? Why are you here?"
The Flashlight beam was instantly shifted away. Yan Huan narrowed his eyes and quickly looked over.
He saw two kindly-looking elderly n with stooped backs, wearing straw rain capes and gazing at them.
"Beep beep beep!"
"Village Chief, there's a call from the town! They say the road over at Weishan has completely Collapsed!"
"Hmm, this is quite a difficult situation..."
Amidst the torrential rain, inside the ho of the Village Chief in a small village hidden between the mountains and the sea.
In the relatively spacious main hall, thirty to forty people stood scattered around a fire pit.
The little old man at the head, sipping hot tea, was the very person who had led them here. He appeared to be the Village Chief.
Drenched from head to toe, Yan Huan and An Le were using Bath Towels to dry their bodies. Taking advantage of the mont, Yan Huan swept his gaze around the room.
He discovered that the people in this house were almost entirely elderly n and won. Never mind Youths or people in the pri of their lives—there were barely even any middle-aged people.
The few "young people" present were rely several won whom Yan Huan could call Auntie.
They were at the edge of the room where a few floor mats had been laid out. Two or three children were lying on them, sleeping soundly, completely undisturbed by the adults discussing matters.
Just as Yan Huan retracted his asuring gaze, he realized that he had been surrounded by a number of toothless old won.
Leaning on their Crutches, they looked at him curiously.
"Oh my, what a handso young man..."
"Young Man, where did you two co from?"
"It has been so long since I last saw young people. My son hasn't returned in ages either..."
Yan Huan offered a slight smile and explained,
"We ca nearby for a trip, but because of the sudden heavy rain, we got trapped in the mountains. Fortunately, Grandfather Village Chief saved us, brought us here, and settled us down. Otherwise..."
An Le pursed her lips. Looking at the unfamiliar environnt, she Subconsciously leaned closer to Yan Huan.
"Oh my, oh my, so that is how it is."
"So full of vitality. When this old lady was young, I also wanted to travel around and see the world... But who would have thought..."
"Ahem!"
Just as the kindly old ladies were rambling among themselves, the little old man in the center walked over with his hands behind his back, looking at Yan Huan and An Le.
"How are you? Are you still cold? I had Takazawa and the others look for so suitable old clothes. In a mont, you can change out of those drenched clothes."
"Okay, thank you, Grandfather. It's just that we lost our Mobile Phones earlier, and combined with getting lost in the mountains, we wanted to ask: where exactly are we right now?"
Before the Village Chief could speak, several of the old won began chiming in one after another.
"We aren't too sure about the exact location either."
"Yes, we've lived here our whole lives, anyway. We only know that this place is called Shenxiang Village."
"It is a very ancient place... Even the Residents are just toothless old fogeys like us."
"There is only one road leading outside, and it is quite a long distance to get to the town."
They spoke one after another in a flurry of vague murmurs, as if they were just casually gossiping, which gave Yan Huan a headache.
"Ahem!"
Fortunately, the little old man coughed, finally stopping their nonsensical rambling.
He looked at Yan Huan and patiently explained,
"This is Shenxiang Village, deep in the mountains of Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Northern Kyushu. Why... did you end up traveling to this area?"
"Uh..."
Yan Huan glanced at An Le and replied helplessly,
"Exploring. We ca here to explore."
An Le glanced at the thin clothes on herself and Yan Huan. They didn't have any gear whatsoever, yet they were supposedly exploring.
Such an obvious lie made her blush in embarrassnt, and she hid behind Yan Huan.
Luckily, the old n and won in front of them showed absolutely no signs of suspicion. Instead, they clicked their tongues in awe.
"What brave young people."
"There are nothing but high mountains nearby. My Uncle fell to his death while climbing a mountain in the past..."
"Yes, yes."
Seeing the old won start chatting again, the Village Chief had no choice but to cough once more.
"Ahem!"
Only after the surroundings quieted down a bit did he look at Yan Huan and An Le.
"As you just heard, there is only one road leading out of Shenxiang Village. Furthermore, the town just called to inform us that because of this heavy rain, the road has Collapsed."
"In other words... there is no way out for the ti being?"
"That is indeed the case."
Yan Huan frowned, having no choice but to ask,
"Then about how long will it take for the road to be repaired?"
"Hard to say, but the town's response was within a week."
"I see..."
'In other words, we have to stay in this mountain village for a week?'
Yan Huan had lost his Mobile Phone, and being in A Foreign Land, he didn't know anyone's phone number. Without mobile security verification, he couldn't even log into Plane.
However, he could still try to find a way to contact the others during this ti so that they could co find him imdiately once the road reopened.
"For the ti being, you two can stay in the village. It is filled with the elderly, and everyone has Vacant Rooms in their hos. You can..."
The Village Chief glanced around at the people before finally looking at the few old ladies beside Yan Huan.
"Temporarily stay in the village shrine, which happens to be where these grannies live."
"Oh my, oh my, that is wonderful. The shrine has been gathering dust for a long ti, so we will have to trouble you two..."
Hearing this, the kindly old ladies instantly surrounded them, starting to talk over one another again.
"Yes, there is a festival in a few days, and we could use so extra hands~"
"There is a TV and a bathtub in the house... Unfortunately, there is no inter-what-you-call-it net."
"Hehe."
Looking at the enthusiastic old ladies, Yan Huan turned his head to glance at An Le behind him.
Seeing her gazing at him timidly, Yan Huan's heart could not help but stir slightly.
"Then... we will be in your care."
Reviews
All reviews (0)