Love Code at the End of the World Book 5, Chapter 17.2

Cang Yu patted my face gently with love in his smile. "Go. I miss Zong Ben's painting too."

Cang Yu actually misses Zong Ben's painting!

Who does he plan to consume this time?

I turned to leave, feeling a chill run down my spine.

Consume...

I trod up the stairs. When I stepped back into the library, all the hair on my body suddenly stood on end!

Xing Chuan had said that there'd been someone whose superpower was consuming lives and that he'd consumed Elena... in front of him...

Instantly I felt goosebumps all over me!

Xing Chuan had mentioned that the person had consumed Elena when he'd been thirteen. If Cang Yu's superpower was to consume lives, that meant Cang Yu had been the one who'd consumed Elena back then.

Can it really be Cang Yu?!

That's so scary... The more I thought about it, the scarier it became. I didn't dare to share my terrifying thought with Raffles out of fear that Cang Yu would find out somehow.

All at once, my mind was filled with thoughts of leaving this place as soon as possible, or even leaving Silver Moon City entirely.

The aircraft that Cang Yu had given me stopped before me, right outside my balcony. I couldn't help but shiver whenever I saw the things that Cang Yu had given me.

"Lil Bing, what's wrong with you?" Raffles seemed to notice something was wrong as he looked at me with concern. 

"Nothing. I am going to Valley Dust Ruin."

Raffles smiled at me. "I've prepared for you a new container for blue crystal energy that is more convenient to bring around.”

Since it was one of Raffles' improved designs, it would definitely be an amazing energy container.

As expected, he extended his hand to show me a palm-sized heart-shaped isolation container! Its crystal surface was engraved with a beautiful matte spirit flower pattern. It was delicate and cute!

"That's beautiful!" I picked it up happily. A chain was attached to one end of the box, just like a pocket watch.

"You can hang it here." Raffles took the energy box and hung it by the side of my body. Now it was an exquisite accessory.

"Thank you, Raffles!" I hugged Raffles. Everything he made for me was brimming with love and romance.

"You, as long as you like it..." He became shy. I smiled at him. "See you at Valley Dust Ruin."

"Mm." Excitement shone in Raffles' grayish blue eyes.

When I left Silver Moon City, I looked back at the city that was getting further away. Slowly and silently, it revolved in the universe. All at once, it seemed to have lost the warmth of a home in the universe before my eyes, instead becoming like any other satellite planet. A mere shell with no soul or vigor. Rather it looked like the sickle in Death's hand, reaping lives in the dark.

As I got closer to Kansa Star, I was able to see the back of Silver Moon City. Before I'd never noticed this side of the city. Now, I realized that there were several buildings that jutted out straight and tall like poisonous thorns. The sight of the city's back teeming with thorn-like buildings gave me the creeps.

In the blink of an eye, I'd entered Kansa Star. The terrifying dark back disappeared before me. The dark side of Silver Moon City was like the hellish dungeon of a heavenly palace on the moon that no one dared to get close to.

It had been a long time since I'd last returned to the ground.

Once I landed, Jun and everyone else appeared around me. They seemed to be welcoming me as they surrounded me on all sides.

"Winter is finally over." I smiled at everyone.

Everyone nodded simultaneously. Spirit flowers bloomed on the branches one after another.

*Swoosh!* Raffles' image suddenly appeared next to me, startling my friends in Valley Dust Ruin.

"This is Raffles. He is my fiancee." I introduced him to Jun and everyone else.

Stunned, Jun extended his hand in greeting.

"This is Jun." Now I introduced Jun to Raffles.

"Hello, Jun." Raffles held out his hand, which Jun took in his. They shook hands in the air. Raffles looked at him happily. "Lil Bing mentions you all the time.”

Smiling, Jun leaped before us. He jumped next to me and popped his head out to peep at Raffles. Then, he soared to the front again.

"Let's go, Raffles." I began to bring Raffles around Valley Dust Ruin. He was very interested in the paintings in Valley Dust Ruin.

Suddenly, another image separated out from Raffles'. It was Haggs. Haggs said smilingly, "I can't miss this."

Then, the three of us walked around Valley Dust Ruin as we admired the paintings.

Just from their appreciation of the paintings, I could tell the difference in character between Raffles and Haggs. Raffles liked exquisite scenery paintings because those showed the beauty that had existed before the end of the world. If Kansa Star was a woman, surely her portrait would be extremely beautiful.

Even now when the woman's appearance had been ruined, we believed that she would slowly recover her beauty.

Haggs made a beeline for Zong Ben's art gallery.

Only now did I realize that Zong Ben had his own independent art gallery. The gallery displayed only Zong Ben's paintings.

Raffles and I stayed with Jun. We admired the beautiful scenery of this world and the beautiful people who had lived here. Raffles kept talking to Jun the whole time. Although Jun couldn't communicate through speech, he would still nod and smile in reply. Just his gentle bearing and actions were enough to warm your heart.

Night descended in the blink of an eye. The beauty of Valley Dust Ruin finally bloomed in the night!

Glow in the dark paintings had been painstakingly arranged with almost obsessive care by the artists, forming spirit flowers patterns that bloomed across the walls. We could only see such a magnificent scene at night.

Raffles and I stood in the middle of the square, awed. Tree vines connected the surrounding walls into one continuous artwork that enveloped us on all sides, constantly shifting with every opening and closing of the spirit flowers.  

Jun stood straight and tall, his tentacle-like braids swaying and twinkling in the dark. He looked proud.

Haggs walked out from the twinkling spirit flowers. Next to him followed a spirit that walked on all fours with a seductively swaying gait, just like a blue jaguar. Fluttering ribbons of light trailed from his body, resembling Zong Ben's bandages.

Jun leaped towards him. The long tail of light trailing behind the spirit lightly swept over Jun's body, before he walked to us with Haggs.

Haggs looked at us smilingly. "Zong Ben's painting allowed me to gain a higher level understanding of human desire."

The jaguar-like spirit next to him straightened to stand on his legs. That scrawny body was just like a skeleton. Could this be Zong Ben?!

"Zong Ben?" I asked suspiciously.

He nodded at me and leaped past Jun's body. He soared in circles around us, his trailing light ribbon lighting up the spirit flowers on the floor behind him. For a moment it felt like I was standing in the stars.

The almost suffocating beauty reminded me of Zong Ben's originally pure and beautiful paintings. He was someone who lived in two extremes of the art world. Likewise his paintings were on both extremes too. 

Jun took a leap towards me. A tree vine slowly rose before him, as if it were acting as his hand. At the end of the tree vine was a gemstone ring, which glowed in a familiar blue. It was a gemstone that had become a simulated blue crystal!

At once I took the ring. The branch gently touched the heart-shaped box by my waist. I held the box and asked Jun, “You want me to put the ring in it?”

Jun nodded.

“You're saying a simulated blue crystal could connect us too?”

Jun nodded again. Zong Ben returned to Jun's side.

With a smile, I opened the heart-shaped box. Both Jun and Zong Ben suddenly jumped and intense blue lights instantly burst out of the ring in my hand. Right before my eyes, Jun and Zong Ben turned into two flowing lights and got absorbed into the ring.

I gaped in shock, before I turned to Raffles and Haggs. “Did you see that?!”

They were dumbfounded too. 

“I understand now! Spirits are metahumans too! They, they-.” Raffles tapped on his head, becoming anxious. “They are superpowerfied!”

Haggs shot open his usually half-lidded fox eyes. “Blue crystal energy mutated their genetics entirely, causing them to become almost like blue crystal energy themselves! Hence, they can only live in blue crystal energy. They will vanish if they leave this place.”

“That's right, just like evaporation. The blue crystal energy they carry would slowly disperse.” Raffles and Haggs paced back and forth in excitement before me. 

“Therefore, they can only survive here. They could not leave because...” Raffles immediately looked to the light wall.

“That's right. The light wall stopped them.” Haggs pointed at the light wall. “The energy is highly concentrated. Hence, the spirits couldn't pass through. But they couldn't die either!”

“Now that Jun and Zong Ben entered the simulated blue crystal, they probably want to rely on Lil Bing to go out and look at this world.” Raffles gazed at the ring in my hand excitedly.

“Plus, they know that Lil Bing's superpower can recharge the blue crystal energy for them at all times. That's why they picked Lil Bing!” Haggs stared at me in excitement as though he'd discovered a new land. “Lil Bing! You have two spirits with you!”

I stared at the ring, grateful for their trust. Zong Ben had mentioned before that he wanted to go out and take a look at this world. 

Quickly I put the ring into the heart-shaped box. I was willing to help them fulfill their wish because they were my good friends.

I suddenly had two spirits with me. This was quite interesting too.

However, according to Raffles and Haggs' analysis, they would expend the blue crystal energy while staying in the box. Once I noticed the blue glow on the ring fading, I had to supplement them with more energy in a timely manner. Otherwise, they'd be in life-threatening danger.

Because of the heart-shaped box that Raffles had made, I could carry them with me at all times and they could also stay by my side at all times to look at this world.

When I returned to Silver Moon City, there was good news waiting for me. The three troops were prepared to reunite! They were charging at Steel Ghost City from three different routes!

It was truly an exciting piece of news. At the same time, I got more anxious.

Steel Ghost City was an important stronghold as well as a huge city. Hence, the number of Ghost Eclipsers standing guard would be many times more than other smaller cities. On top of that, they were all evolved metahumans and would be extremely powerful. That was why they had to focus all their military power to attack.

To Xing Chuan, Harry, He Lei and their troops, it would be a tough war! 

I couldn't sleep because I was too worried. Raffles became anxious and even excited. He seemed to want to join the war too.

“I wonder what the war in Steel Ghost City is going to be like. I really want to see it.” He glanced excitedly at the huge planet outside the balcony.

“They are still on their way and have yet to reunite. They should meet by tomorrow.” Once they reunited, it meant that the war would be coming to an end! 

Chapter end