Even If Life Is Like Dust

Above the boundless white clouds, an airship billowed thick smoke and flames, its hull severely tilted, on the verge of plunging into the sea of clouds.

Inside the airship, screams erupted.

The fear caused by the disaster at high altitude gripped the hearts of passengers and crew like a pair of merciless hands.

Under the pressure of impending death, some despairingly gave up resistance, some screamed in confusion, and some, driven to madness, desperately sought a lifeline.

However, in the face of the airship's imminent crash, even the strongest will to survive was as insignificant as an ant beneath human feet.

Moro and Kan Kai reacted differently to the panicked screams of the passengers.

Moro, bracing against the tilting deck, moved towards the observation deck without a word.

When the airship began its descent, the fate of the other passengers was predictable.

In Moro's mind, only one word echoed: self-preservation.

Beyond that, there was no room for anyone else.

Kan Kai tilted his head towards the direction of the screams, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, before sighing.

There was no point in thinking about things he could not control.

The hesitation vanished from his eyes, and he quickly followed Moro.

The two arrived at the observation deck, one after the other.

Standing there, they only needed to look up to see the thick smoke and flames from the upper cabins, which were already creeping towards the massive gas tanks on the airship's hull.

Seeing this, both Moro and Kan Kai tensed up.

It was practically a giant bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Moro suppressed the tremor in his heart, moved along the wall to the edge of the observation deck, and looked down. The clouds were within reach.

The next moment, the lopsided airship plunged into the clouds, and a strong gust of wind whipped Moro's hair and clothes.

Moro gripped the railing tightly, almost leaning forward as he looked down.

His gaze pierced through the suddenly thinner gaps in the clouds, and for a moment, the vast expanse of land came into view. A suffocating sensation accompanied the strong wind rushing towards him.

Visible altitude of several thousand meters…

Even with Nen abilities, it offered no sense of security.

Moro gazed down at the unreachable land below, expecting his heart to race and his fear to become uncontrollable…

But standing there, looking at the high altitude just a step away, he was unexpectedly calm.

Kan Kai came up behind Moro and said gravely, "Whether we can survive now depends entirely on our own abilities."

At a time like this, even mentioning luck was a luxury.

Even as an Enhancer, he couldn't guarantee a safe landing from several thousand meters in the sky.

Moro glanced back at Kan Kai, then looked up at the gas tanks that could explode violently at any moment.

With time pressing, there was no room for thought or hesitation.

Moro had envisioned the possibility of an airship crash before, but the current situation was even more perilous.

"Let's exchange contact information."

He took out his phone and looked at Kan Kai.

Kan Kai nodded. "Alright. If we make it back to the ground alive, I'll contact you immediately. If you die, I'll find a way to collect your body."

"Thank you very much for that."

Moro's eyelids twitched.

Kan Kai, as if not detecting the sarcasm, said earnestly, "Don't mention it. We're comrades now."

"..."

Moro was silent for a moment, then asked, "Your number?"

Kan Kai, facing the increasingly strong airflow, recited his contact number.

After hearing it, Moro quickly dialed the number and hung up as soon as the first tone sounded.

"Take care."

Putting away his phone, Moro nodded lightly at Kan Kai, then leaped forward, his body like a javelin, plunging diagonally towards the sky below.

The airship could explode at any moment, so he had no extra time to consider whether his future "survival techniques" would help him return to the ground safely.

Kan Kai watched Moro's retreating figure as he leaped, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

He then glanced back at the cabin, a complex mix of regret and shame welling up in his heart.

After standing still for two or three seconds, Kan Kai released his grip on the railing and leaped down towards the thin white clouds, like wisps of smoke.

He spread his arms and legs, and under the influence of air resistance, his descent began to slow.

From his current altitude, he could still see Moro's figure below.

Bang!

Just then, a deafening roar echoed from overhead.

Kan Kai and Moro almost simultaneously flipped their bodies, facing the sky and looking in the direction of the explosion.

Under their gaze, the airship exploded into a dazzling, massive fireball, blooming high in the sky.

Moro silently stared at the suddenly expanding fireball, faintly seeing numerous fragments of the airship's fuselage.

However, the distance was too great, and he couldn't help but feel that among the scattered black dots of debris, there were quite a few human bodies mixed in.

So often... human lives were as insignificant as dust.

Only by wielding power did one have the right to seek change.

Moro flipped back over, facing downwards, spreading his limbs to slow his descent.

"Deceptive Flying Stars."

He condensed a fluorescent green Nen Bullet in his right palm, pointing it downwards, and then shot it out.

Whoosh—

The Flying Star plummeted rapidly, suddenly stopping at a hundred meters.

One second later.

The Flying Star, as if time had reversed, flew back towards Moro, who had already descended close by.

Facing the returning Flying Star, Moro channeled Nen, meeting it with the back of his right hand, which was etched with Growth Rings.

Bang!

The Flying Star exploded on the back of Moro's hand.

The impact force from the collision sent Moro's body tumbling violently upwards.

"Not enough."

Struggling to stabilize himself in the air, Moro fired another Flying Star downwards, then poured more Nen into his entire palm.

Bang!

Accompanied by an explosion.

Moro was once again blasted away by the returning Flying Star, though not as violently as the first time.

"Still not enough..."

Sensing the feedback from the collision of Nen, Moro fired another Flying Star, increasing the amount of Nen gathered in his palm.

Bang!

Another collision of Nen, but this time it carried a faint sense of softness.

The energy contained within the Nen was released, and instead of being sent flying, Moro felt as if he were gently lifted by a hand, briefly hovering in the air.

This was because the returning Flying Star and his hand, imbued with a fixed amount of Nen, created a peculiar neutralization effect between offense and defense.

When their combined values became infinitely close, it significantly weakened Moro's downward momentum.

"This will work."

Having confirmed the result of his experiment, Moro felt a bit more at ease.

Above.

Kan Kai saw Moro's unusual maneuver and unconsciously widened his mouth, letting the strong wind rush in.

Good heavens...!!!—

A stone chamber illuminated by a bright pearl.

The layout was square, with a platform in the center built up by four-sided stairs.

On the platform stood a harp, its body like jade and its strings like ink.

Suddenly.

The harp strings moved on their own, and a clear, spring-like sound echoed through the stone chamber, only to become wild and unrestrained like a storm in the next second.

As the strings were plucked violently, streams of dark Nen emanated, sketching a human figure before the harp.

Gradually, the human outline shifted from ethereal to solid, revealing Saff's appearance.

Saff slowly opened her eyes. Upon seeing the self-playing harp, she displayed an expression that was both familiar and surprising, which was then replaced by deep confusion.