Chapter 553 - New Victim?
When Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue appeared in the vicinity of the base, they immediately noticed several dozen auras closing in on them; all of these auras belonged to soul evolvers and all of them were relatively powerful. However, the ones that stood out the most were only a handful.
"It's probably Yijun's handiwork." Shangguan Bing Xue pointed out as she looked ahead, the walls of the base finally coming into her line of sight. "Before returning to the bridge, I explained approximately the situation to her, she probably mobilized some troops just in case."
"I see." Bai Zemin nodded with appreciation flashing in his gaze.
Although he would never allow a powerful enemy to slip from his attack net, nothing was 100% certain. If a zombie or mutant beast managed to evade his detection range and break out of his attacks to reach the human base in Baiquan Camp, then a disaster so great that over 70% of the base could fall if the defenses did not react in time would likely occur.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a gentle breeze of warm air like that blowing in springtime hit Bai Zemin straight on and he soon saw a beautiful woman running at full speed in his direction.
She was Wu Yijun.
Arriving in front of Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue, Wu Yijun hurriedly stared at the two of them for several seconds and it was only after confirming that the two of them looked fine that she let out a deep sigh of relief.
"You two... How can you two be so selfish?" were the first words that came out of her mouth. The eyes of Wu Yijun became tearful as she looked at Shangguan Bing Xue and said in a soft but clearly angry voice, "Bing Xue, you are too selfish.... You left me here in charge of everything while you went off to fight at the front. Did you even consider how I would feel?"
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at Wu Yijun but even though she tried to find words to say, all she could think of was to give a sincere apology. After all, regardless of how irrational her words were, Wu Yijun was speaking from the heart and was therefore right.
Just imagining her loved ones going off to fight a deadly war from which they might well never return while she could only stay at home waiting for the final verdict made Shangguan Bing Xue shudder inside. Therefore, she simply lowered her head and smiled bitterly in her heart.
Seeing that Shangguan Bing Xue did not say anything, Wu Yijun bit her lower lip slightly and looked at Bai Zemin. Her eyes were still filled with tears and it was clear that she was barely holding them from sliding down her beautiful babyface.
"You're selfish too." She said in a voice as light as a whisper being carried on the wind. She looked into his eyes with a gaze as soft as the spring breeze on a warm day as she said gently, "I told you, I love you, and I know this might sound childish, but could you please be a little more considerate about my feelings for you?"
Wu Yijun smiled bitterly and said in a self-deprecating voice while looking aside, "I know well that you don't feel anything for me, and I know well that this might sound annoying to you .... But I hope you can understand me. Knowing that you were fighting on the front lines for days without sleep, knowing that you could fall at any moment.... It's not a particularly pleasant feeling to feel as if my heart is being squeezed by a rock every second harder than the last."
Invisible to the eyes of everyone, Lilith looked at Wu Yijun. Her eyes were soft as was the smile that beautifully adorned the corner of her mouth. After several seconds, she looked at Bai Zemin and waited.... She waited as she also wanted to see how he would handle this.
Had that cold head and cold-hearted Bai Zemin matured a little more during the time she was not present? Had he managed to control his emotions more and over carry the Stone Heart skill? Or had his strength been the only thing that had matured in him? Soon, the answers to all these questions would come to light, and Lilith was eager to know them.
Bai Zemin closed his eyes for a few seconds after hearing the words of Wu Yijun that more like complaints sounded more like pleading from someone who was only asking for comprehension.
"If it were in the past, it would probably be impossible for me to understand how you feel.... In fact, right now, I probably only understand a part of how you feel." Bai Zemin began to speak. His voice was also low and soft as memories flashed in his mind: "But not long ago, I experienced how ugly it feels to have a loved one disappear just like that, just without further ado. So, I think I can now say that this feeling is truly one I would prefer not to experience again."
While Lilith smiled bitterly as she realized that Bai Zemin was talking about what she had done and that it seemed she would have to work a little harder in the time to come, Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him with complicated eyes as she was now aware that the loved one he was talking about was the woman she had recently met.
Bai Zemin opened his eyes and looked at Wu Yijun in a serious manner while his earnest voice expressed his most honest thoughts: "To be honest with you, I can't guarantee that in the future such things won't happen. Even less so when it comes to finding my family.... But I can at least promise to tell you beforehand when I'm heading out to do something relatively dangerous."
Regardless of whether Wu Yijun consented or not, this was the most that Bai Zemin could do after putting himself a bit in her shoes due to the fact that he had experienced something somewhat similar when Lilith simply departed without saying much more.
However, even though his words were a bit hollow, to Wu Yijun they were a pleasant surprise as her eyes lit up. After all, she had not expected him to make such a commitment as regardless of his strength neither Wu Yijun nor anyone else had the qualifications to ask him for explanations of any kind considering that Bai Zemin was a free soul with no strong restrictions binding him to anyone in particular.
"That's more than enough." Wu Yijun smiled brightly before her eyes curved slightly like a crescent and said, "At least for now I'll accept it."
After a brief moment in which Bai Zemin felt amazed at how beautiful was the innocent-like beauty of the woman in front of him whose tear-filled eyes gave them the appearance of precious sparkling diamonds, he smiled slightly and shook his head after understanding the meaning of her last words.
Bai Zemin did not tell her that she should put aside her feelings for him nor did he tell her that it was unlikely that she would ever get into his heart; these were all things that he had already expressed to Wu Yijun in the past and that repeating them would only end up hurting her. He believed that as smart as Wu Yijun was, she was probably aware of these facts.
For now, Bai Zemin simply decided to let fate take its course.
"Yesterday cannot be changed and tomorrow is unknown. The only thing we have under our control and only to some extent is today." Bai Zemin muttered with his eyes closed.
"Em? What's that? Why are you suddenly getting poetic?" Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him in confusion. However, in her eyes there was also a tinge of satisfaction; she was really happy with the way Bai Zemin had handled things this time.
"No, it's nothing." Bai Zemin shook his head and said with a faint smile, "I was just repeating words my mother often said when I was a child that suddenly seemed to fit into this situation."
""This situation?"" Wu Yijun and Shangguan Bing Xue said at the same time.
The two looked at each other in confusion but Bai Zemi did not respond and instead started to walk towards the base while saying, "Let's go, let's move. We have a lot of work to get done."
The two childhood friends looked at each other again before shrugging their shoulders and following him from the sides a few steps behind.
Standing behind them all, Lilith watched the backs of the three slowly walking away and a smile of pride naturally took shape on her otherworldly face. She was proud of Bai Zemin's growth; he had not only grown physically and spiritually but also sentimentally, which was undoubtedly a good sign.
The more emotions Bai Zemin showed, the more relieved Lilith felt because only then she could be sure that he would not end up walking a path of no return in which only sadness and suffering awaited not only him but also all those who considered him precious.
Emotions were undoubtedly dangerous. Let's take love as an example:
If the love we feel were reciprocated, then we would surely become the happiest people in the world. On the other hand, if the love we felt was not reciprocated, we would probably be depressed for a long time, just like feeling drowned in a pit of darkness.
But... What would happen if your love was reciprocated and, for reasons beyond you, his or her life was lost? What would you become at that moment? A lonely spirit or perhaps a vengeful spirit?
Regardless of the possible future consequences, Lilith honestly hoped that Bai Zemin would advance to become a sentient being and surrounded by beings who cherished him from the bottom of their hearts and not a war machine that could only kill every time he took a step forward amidst eternal loneliness.
"By the way, what's the matter with that little dolphin you're carrying there?"
The corner of her mouth twitched a couple of times when she heard the voice of Wu Yijun from a distance. However, Lilith suddenly seemed to think of something as she hurriedly followed the trio who had walked away while she was lost in her inner thoughts.
"This... Her name is Xiao Xiao. She'll be staying with us for a few days, I guess." Bai Zemin said somewhat unsure of how to respond to her question.
"Oh? She looks so cute... How about letting me hug her a little?"
Wu Yijun also didn't seem to be immune to little Xiao Xiao's charms after all since after her anxious heart calmed down thanks to Bai Zemin's words, she couldn't take her eyes off the little pink-colored animal.
"About that..." Bai Zemin broke into sweat bullets and subconsciously looked at Shangguan Bing Xue as if he was asking her for help.
Shangguan Bing Xue naturally caught Bai Zemin's eyes and of course, she also understood the reason why he felt caught between a rock and a hard place.
If he said no, no matter what kind of reasons he gave, Wu Yijun would probably feel a little hurt even if she said nothing; the heart of a maiden in love was too fragile when it came to her lover and even more so considering that Bai Zemin was the first and only man she had ever loved in her entire life until today.
On the other hand, could Bai Zemin say yes? Considering that so far Xiao Xiao had spewed ice water in the faces of the two other existences besides Bai Zemin that had touched her, it was highly likely that Wu Yijun would become the third victim of this deadly little animal.
"Yijun, forget it." Shangguan Bing Xue tried to intervene, "This little dolphin really doesn't seem to love anyone but Bai Zemin.... She even splashed cold water on my face when I tried to hug her."
While it was embarrassing to admit and bring to light what had happened, Shangguan Bing Xue could not let Wu Yijun stay in the dark and suffer calamities later. Therefore, she did not hesitate to tell the truth of what had happened.
"Hehehe..." Wu Yijun laughed merrily and while looking at her good sister with amused eyes said, "To think that even you would suffer at the hands of a cute animal even though you like them so much."
"Shut up, girl." Shangguan Bing Xue snorted with a slight blush on her face.
"But, it's okay~ Even if Bing Xue was rejected by Xiao Xiao, it doesn't mean that I will also suffer the same fate~" Wu Yijun stretched out her hands towards Bai Zemin and said with a smile as pure as a newborn's, "I think this little one and I will be able to get along well. Just let me try.... At most and she''ll throw some cold water on me, right? I can take so much!"
"This..."
"About that..."
Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue exchanged glances and both noticed the helplessness in each other's eyes.
While what Wu Yijun said was true, the problem here was that not only Shangguan Bing Xue had suffered at the hands of Xiao Xiao; even Lilith had gone through a hard time!
But... It wasn't as if they could announce Lilith's existence casually either so now they were in a dilemma. Moreover, judging from the expression on the face of Wu Yijun, it seemed that this stubborn girl would not give up no matter what.
Shangguan Bing Xue sighed and looked at Bai Zemin before nodding slightly, "Just.... Just give the dolphin to her for a second."
"... If you say so." Bai Zemin looked at Wu Yijun apologetically and slowly stretched his arms forward with the intention of letting her hug the little pink dolphin.
Wu Yijun was confused by Shangguan Bing Xue's words and even more confused by the strange look Bai Zemin was giving her. However, she shook her head and continued with the idea of hugging the little dolphin no matter what as her cuteness was too much to be ignored.
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