"Gulp..."

Suddenly, Jack slumped to the ground, involuntarily swallowing.

He turned his head, looking around.

The barbecue stall, the purple cave, Frost Moon, and Yun You, who had just rejected him, were all gone.

The only thing that entered his view was a vast expanse of white mist.

Since when... did these hallucinations start?

Jack himself didn't know.

The sudden blurriness in his vision made his consciousness similarly confused.

He seemed to remember that these changes started when Yun You rejected him.

"What exactly is going on now?"

"Is it hallucinations caused by fatigue? Or is it something else..."

"No, no, that's not it. It should be neither."

"This symptom has been there for a long time, maybe a year ago? Or half a year..."

"Sigh..."

Jack gritted his teeth, rubbed his eyes hard, but the white mist in his eyes showed no sign of improvement. Instead, it became even more blurry.

He even vaguely saw a small figure in the distance, waving at him.

The figure was small, their features unclear due to the distance, but the eye-catching red hair made Jack instantly realize who it was.

"Soya...?"

The mercenary widened his eyes, instinctively calling out.

But the figure did not respond, merely waved, muttering silently.

From the lip movements, it seemed she was saying...

"Brother."

Jack felt a shudder in his heart, then immediately shook his head, forcing himself not to look at the figure.

"Impossible... this cannot be Soya!"

"She wouldn't appear here, she wouldn't!"

Despite saying this, Jack's reason in the fog could not be maintained.

As the figure kept calling to him, silently bewitching his heart... he eventually turned his body and stepped toward the figure, his consciousness becoming increasingly confused.

He knew that if he really touched the figure in this sudden fantasy, his spirit might suffer severe trauma.

But now, he could no longer think about it.

He wanted to go back to Soya's side, even if only in an illusion.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

One step.

Two steps...

Every time Jack got closer to the figure, his memories became more chaotic.

Task... adventure... teammates... barbecue party...

Everything was blurring.

He wanted to stop, but his body was no longer obedient, forcing him to press on.

But... just when he was an inch away from the figure, just a reach away from touching Soya...

A melodious voice, like a chime in the wind, suddenly appeared behind Jack, where he had never turned to look.

"Hermano..."

It was as delicate as quicksand, like bubbles that could blind the heart, yet with a hint of liveliness and playfulness.

This was Jack's native language, meaning "brother". In the past, only Soya had called him that.

But this time, the speaker was not Soya.

Definitely not... because Jack recognized it.

This voice was familiar, though not as familiar as Soya's, and it wasn't Soya. However, it was definitely someone the mercenary cared about.

Thus, Jack used his last bit of reason to turn around, no longer looking at the illusionary Soya, but turning his focus entirely behind him!

And the next moment...

Swish—!

A blinding white light flashed before the mercenary's eyes, then slowly faded, turning into firelight, illuminating everything around him.

The familiar barbecue grill, the familiar cave, and the familiar people...

At this moment, Jack finally realized that the one who had spoken and pulled him out of the dream was Yun You.

Despite the little girl saying she was unwilling, she had ultimately relented, uttering "big brother" in Jack's native tongue.

"Well..."

Looking at Jack's dazed expression, Yun You shrugged, explaining, "Though I wouldn't call someone 'big brother' in Eastern Hemisphere language, using your hometown's language isn't much of a burden."

"But this is a one-time thing, not to be repeated."

With that, Yun You ended the conversation and continued to munch on her skewer.

It seemed she was still a bit upset, which was why she cut the conversation short.

But actually, she was avoiding the topic just to prevent putting too much pressure on Jack, like playing a trivial game, such as truth or dare...

Jack, of course, understood her intentions.

However, his mind was no longer filled with all sorts of thoughts.

There was just one word.

"Angel..."

Yes.

Now, in his eyes, Yun You was like an angel from myth.

Beautiful, kind, approachable, understanding...

All the beautiful words could be used for her.

Yun You was Yun You, she was unique, not a substitute for anyone.

Jack deeply realized this point.

"Speaking of which..."

Yun You did not look at Jack, just kept eating her food, but she quietly asked, "Just now, you seemed a bit distracted, not quite yourself."

"What's going on? Are you just too tired?"

"..."

Jack was taken aback.

Yun You was naturally referring to his earlier episode of being dazed, wandering into the misty Illusion Realm.

Strangely enough, ever since he awoke, Jack's memory of that dream was also extremely blurred.

In those short seconds, he even forgot the figure he saw in the mist, only remembering a sense of disorientation and a blank space before his eyes, before being awakened by Yun You.

"Strange..."

Jack cursed inwardly.

"How could I forget so quickly? Is my memory really that bad?"

"Could it be a split personality?"

"No way, that's too ridiculous. Better find some time to see a psychiatrist."

Despite saying this, the mercenary still shook his head in response to Yun You's inquiry.

"It's nothing, just a minor issue."

"Perhaps I'm really just tired, a few more sleeps after getting out should do the trick."

Seeing this, Yun You wanted to ask more...

But Frost Moon's gentle exclamation interrupted her.

"It's open! It's all open!"

"Open?"

Yun You was slightly taken aback. What was open?

But soon after, she understood what Frost Moon meant, looking toward the hacker's voice.

On the purple rock wall, the passage that had collapsed and disintegrated had formed.

It had completely opened!

The direction it connected to was the surface world everyone longed for, reality!

Yun You's eyes shone brightly, feeling her breathing growing smoother.

"Let's go!"

She quickly finished the roll of meat, wiped her mouth, packed a bit, and was at the entrance in a few quick leaps.

"Time for the return journey... Let's go home!"

These words were meant for herself, her companions, and the trapped workers as well.

Under Yun You and her partners' command, the over a thousand workers lined up orderly and followed the three into the passage.

Naturally, Yun You's group led the way.

Yun You was the first to enter the mine, followed closely by Frost Moon, with Jack in the middle, temporarily reinforcing the mine tunnel with bolts for those who came after to climb.

And Aurora, she brought up the rear.

Before formally entering the mine, Aurora suddenly turned back, casting a slightly solemn gaze at Yangshan Town.

At first, the town seemed unremarkable.

But upon closer observation, you'd find that under the shadow, the town was like a malformed beast shrouded in a black curtain, with its own visceral limbs, staring intently at the mortals about to abandon it...

The breeze blew past the broken eaves and walls, weaving through stone cracks and ruinous beams, creating deep "woo-woo" sounds as if a wild beast were whimpering...

Aurora shuddered suddenly, the cold wind making it hard for her to breathe.

She remained silent for a long time, no longer looking directly at the town's ruins, and instead bowed her head, softly singing a song only she could hear...

"Four little soldiers went fishing together..."

"Dangerous, unaware, buried in a big fish's belly..."

"Buried... in a big fish's belly..."

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