A Chance Encounter

"Okay," An Ying said. "There aren't many cities left along the coast now; most have been taken over by the supernatural. Luohai City is one of them. I'll try to contact Luo Jiayu and have her gather information first."

"I'll ask my friends too. Last time I went on a field assignment, I was seconded to a coastal city. If they have any news there, we can go and ask them," Mi Chuchu said.

"Alright!" Tao Yuan took a deep breath and said, "Wang Ding, let's search the surrounding area and see how we can find the Saintess."

After the four of them discussed their plan, they immediately split up. Before leaving, An Ying patted Wang Ding on the shoulder and her gaze lingered on Tao Yuan for a moment.

Wang Ding nodded and said softly, "I understand."

He knew that although An Ying was the quietest in the team, she was the most thoughtful.

Sheng Qingqiao and Qin Rang into trouble, Tao Yuan was the most devastated member of the team.

Everyone else was also sad, but they were able to suppress their emotions and calmly think of solutions. They knew that wallowing in grief was useless, and they could convince themselves not to be controlled by their emotions.

Tao Yuan certainly understood these principles, but Qin Rang was her first teammate and the first friend she met outside of her Family Clan in this apocalyptic world.

She had experienced a lot at a young age, and the fact that she was able to team up with Qin Rang and build a business together from scratch shows that their relationship had transcended ordinary friendship, family ties, and even romantic love.

She felt a mix of reluctance and sadness towards Sheng Qingqiao, along with a hint of guilt and self-reproach.

Tao Yuan is intelligent, but she tends to overthink things, which is why she often has emotional breakdowns.

Stepping outside the Official Base, a fierce wind whipped up snowflakes, sending a shiver down Tao Yuan and clearing his head.

Wang Ding pointed to the thick hat on his head and asked her, "Do you want one?"

Tao Yuan flicked the snowflakes from her pink hair. "No need, the cold wind seems to have cleared my head a lot."

Wang Ding laughed and said, "That's how it should be. Don't ruin your health before you've resolved the issues."

Tao Yuan let out a long breath of hot air, watching the white vapor escape, and finally smiled, "I know, thankfully we've finally found a way."

Wang Ding also laughed, "Yes, at least we have a direction now."

"But in the subsequent Instances, only a few of us remained."

The two walked down the street, their shoes crunching on the snowflakes.

Because of the cold weather, few shops were open along the roadside, and not many people were strolling around outside.

As they walked, they arrived at Lin Nieran's shop. After greeting Lin Nieran sitting on a recliner, they continued walking.

Watching their retreating figures, 007 circled around in front of Lin Nieran.

[Host, can the method Moonlit Night described really save lives?]

Lin Nieran pondered, "Perhaps it's possible? Moonlit Night wasn't talking nonsense; theoretically, his method is indeed feasible."

007 kept searching for information in his mind: [But the information provided by the system doesn't detail the beach Instance they went to. How do you know what's there?]

"I've lived here for so long, do you think I know less than a foreign system like you?" Lin Nieran tapped 007's forehead and said, "Move aside, move aside, you're blocking my view."

"Oh, by the way, let me know if any underwater-related Weird Object appear in the shop these next few days."

[Is the host going to be sold to the Protagonist Group?]

"For my own use."

[Oh... ah?]

007 was stunned, then flew back to Lin Nieran [Host, are you going to the beach?]

"You're only just realizing this?" Lin Nieran pondered. "What kind of weapons do coastal cities use? Hmm... I'm a little curious."

[No, no, this is too dangerous, host!]

Lin Nieran impatiently slapped 007 away, and was about to give him a few perfunctory replies when he heard Lin Yi also ask him why he went there.

"Just consider it a trip. The world is so big, can't I go and see it?"

[Oh]

"Oh."

"007, Lin Yi, I think you two are asking for trouble?"

"Here you go." Wang Ding brought over a cup of hot cocoa.

The paper cup emitted a steaming aroma in the cold weather. Tao Yuan, sitting on a roadside bench, reached out and took it, warming her icy hands.

"This tastes familiar." Tao Yuan took a sip of the hot drink, feeling the warmth flow down her throat, and looked up at Wang Ding, who was standing at the edge of the bench, asking, "Is it the grandma who used to sell iced drinks?"

"Yes, she can't stay idle, so she's back to setting up her stall. Same as always, at the end of the street corner."

Wang Ding also took a sip of the hot drink and continued, "But there's not much people around, probably because it's too cold."

"There are fewer and fewer people." Tao Yuan squinted at the city enveloped in snowflakes and asked Wang Ding, "Do you remember the original Residential Zone? Back then, there weren't so few Residential Zone; each one was packed with people."

"I remember back then, to live in Residential Zone, half of your family had to be Purger, cleaning up the supernatural, and you also had to spend a lot of money to buy the right to Residential Zone. And it's only been a few years..."

Tao Yuan's voice held a soft sigh, "It's already turned out like this. There are fewer and fewer humans. How long has it been? Do we even have another decade?"

Wang Ding didn't know how to respond to this, so he could only remain silent.

"No one can live forever." Tao Yuan's emotions calmed slightly as she spoke about this topic. "I've always thought that way, but now I think there might be exceptions."

"You mean... the organization?"

Tao Yuan nodded. "They are too mysterious and too powerful. How do they know so much? Why are they so much stronger than us?"

"What kind of Master are behind this organization? Does their power truly originate from outside our world?"

Wang Ding interrupted her, "Don't overthink it, Tao Yuan."

"I understand," Tao Yuan murmured. "Once we rescue Qin Rang and Sheng Qingqiao, we'll organize another operation to thank them."

Wang Ding hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but held back when he met Tao Yuan's gaze.

Tao Yuan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "Just say what you want to say. Are you afraid I can't accept it?"

Just as Wang Ding was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of a very conspicuous person walking towards him from a distance.

The two turned their heads at the same time and saw a blonde angel slowly walking out of the snow.

Snowflakes settled on his golden hair, and eye-catching silver-gold accessories adorned his body. His two pairs of wings were folded behind him, and the feathers fluttered gently in the cold wind.

"Mr. Lai'er." The two raised their hands in greeting.

Having been carefully dressed by his followers and preparing to meet his Master, Lai'er nodded and smiled at them, saying, "Hello."