The Rest of His Life

The Rest of His Life

Soldier Mr. Pi was already fully geared up. Under his lead, the three of them entered the Changing Room and changed into combat gear.

The former activity room had been converted into a large Changing Room, which left Jiang Xiao clicking his tongue in amazement. The renovation was quite convincing, with rows upon rows of lockers neatly arranged.

Holding his number tag, Jiang Xiao searched for his locker, feeling as though he had entered a bathhouse.

Wonder if the pool's hot today. In recent years, as Earth's environment had steadily worsened, the climate had become somewhat abnormal. Even in Beijiang Province, Huaxia, it was still scorching hot in late summer.

Yet Jiang Xiao had no choice but to put on the thick winter Training Uniform of a soldier. After all, he was about to enter the Snowfield.

Jiang Xiao carried a large white camouflage marching pack filled with water and a sleeping bag. Dressed in a thick white camouflage military uniform, he came out first and happened to see Soldier Mr. Pi standing guard outside the door, back straight and eyes fixed ahead.

"Mr. Pi? Brother Pi? Hmm... I'd better call you Brother Qiu, then?" Jiang Xiao sidled up to the soldier, trying to make conversation.

Pi Keqiu gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Are there any precautions? Anything I need to prepare beforehand?" Jiang Xiao stood shoulder to shoulder with Pi Keqiu. At 172 centimeters tall, he only reached the soldier's chest.

This broad-shouldered, barrel-chested soldier had to be over two meters tall, right? Such a huge, brawny man actually had such an adorable name. It was absurd.

"Maintain the team formation. Stay by Ms. Han's side at all times and remain in the center of the team. Ms. Xia and Ms. Han are both experienced hunters. Under normal circumstances, you will not face any danger." Though Pi Keqiu looked stern, his attitude was quite good.

"So my position is right in the middle of the team?" Jiang Xiao nodded in agreement.

"The employer has not given me any mission objectives. This operation should only be to familiarize you with the world beyond the Space Door. You do not need to worry about your personal safety. We likely will not enter deep into the Snowfield," Pi Keqiu replied.

Employer?

Xia Yan was his employer? This Other Dimension Space was controlled by the authorities and open to the public?

Was this a paid service? Good grief. As the old saying in China went, scholarship impoverished, martial arts enriched.

Just then, the door across the corridor swung open, and two beautiful, captivating girls with entirely different styles walked out.

Xia Yan wore a Camouflage Uniform identical to Jiang Xiao's. Already tall with long legs, she looked even more valiant and imposing in military attire.

Han Jiangxue, meanwhile, wore a thick white down jacket, a white knit cap, and dark blue ski goggles, looking like a skiing enthusiast.

"Here." Han Jiangxue casually tossed Jiang Xiao a pair of dark blue ski goggles, signaling for him to put them on.

But Jiang Xiao's gaze had already locked onto Xia Yan—or rather, the long sword hilt protruding above her shoulder.

"Hehe, stop staring." Xia Yan walked over and patted Jiang Xiao on the head. "Don't look at me so intently. You'll fall in love with me, and your sister will get jealous."

With that, Xia Yan took the lead and strode forward.

Only then did Jiang Xiao get a clear look at the weapon on Xia Yan's back.

It was a blade!

A massive blade!

How massive was it? Xia Yan stood a full 178 centimeters tall, and the blade was slung diagonally across her back, yet its edge nearly touched the ground.

Not to mention the long hilt protruding over her shoulder.

What kind of weapon was this!?

The blade itself had to be at least 150 centimeters long and perhaps 40 centimeters wide. The hilt was no less than 50 centimeters long.

Its spine was thick and heavy, while its long edge gleamed with an icy light, exceptionally sharp. Though Jiang Xiao had yet to witness its actual power, merely looking at such an overbearing weapon let him feel the might of that heavy armament.

Han Jiangxue nudged the stunned Jiang Xiao forward and instructed him as she walked, "We may encounter other hunting teams. Do not conflict with anyone. Stay close to me the entire time, and do not try to play the hero. You are only a novice apprentice."

"Oh, does it cost a lot to enter once?" Jiang Xiao asked quietly.

Han Jiangxue's body trembled slightly. After a long while, she replied, "People with our status do not need to pay."

Jiang Xiao asked, "Why?"

"Our parents traded their lives for it." Han Jiangxue's voice seemed devoid of all human emotion. When she said those words, it sounded more like the synthesized voice of a robot.

Jiang Xiao opened his mouth. He had never imagined that this privilege he had received ahead of others had been left to him by parents he had never met.

"If one day, you truly qualify to join an outstanding team, you can take your team to visit the Different Dimension World where our parents disappeared." Han Jiangxue stopped walking and looked at the flickering, overlapping space at the end of the corridor. "It would count as giving them an answer. I think they would be very happy."

Jiang Xiao also looked toward the corridor that resembled an icy, snow-covered world. Feeling the plunging temperature, he hurriedly asked, "Where is the Other Dimension Space where they disappeared? What is it called?"

Han Jiangxue turned her head and silently looked at Jiang Xiao. "The day you defeat me, I'll tell you."

Jiang Xiao said with some dissatisfaction, "I'm a support type."

Han Jiangxue looked at Jiang Xiao with extreme seriousness and said, word by word, "You are a warrior with support abilities."

Good grief. That was no small matter.

Miss, was it really okay to put it so sternly, so thoroughly? As Han Jiangxue's words fell, she turned and stepped into the layers of overlapping space.

Jiang Xiao's feelings became somewhat complicated. He truly wanted to make something of himself in this wondrous world.

Now that his unseen parents had cared for him so much, it was only natural that he should bear this additional responsibility.

Jiang Xiao looked at the flickering overlapping space before him, which emitted a faint white glow, and stepped inside.

Whew. The frigid wind howled, cold enough to pierce his bones. His body was fairly well protected, but the wind cutting across his face felt like tiny knives.

Jiang Xiao's eyes slowly widened behind his ski goggles as he carefully examined his surroundings.

This world was cast in dark tones. There was no sun in the sky, yet there was sufficient light.

There was no moon here, but there was a vast river of stars, densely scattered and hanging across the sky. It was incomparably magnificent, dazzling, and dreamlike.

At the far end of the sky, brilliant multicolored lights shimmered, reminding Jiang Xiao of the aurora.

In this somewhat dim world, aside from the dazzling dark-toned sky, there was only an endless expanse of pure white snow.

The cold wind roared, and the snowstorm was fierce. It seemed as though even communicating had become difficult.

Ahead, the tall figure waved at everyone, signaling them to follow.

Beneath the dark night awash with flowing colors, that tall figure carried a heavy blade on her back, leaving one footprint after another as she walked steadily forward.

Jiang Xiao tried taking a step, leaving footprints of varying depths in the snow.

In such a brutal environment, let alone obtaining Star Pearls, even survival itself was a problem.

Seeing it for himself truly was different from hearing about it. This was merely an Other Dimension Space that produced the lowest-quality monsters, yet the harshness of its environment had already exceeded Jiang Xiao's imagination.

This world was far from as simple as Jiang Xiao had imagined.

Suddenly, the pale figure beside him reached out and gripped Jiang Xiao's arm.

In the deathly silent dark night, only the howling wind could be heard, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

Jiang Xiao looked to his left and saw Han Jiangxue's expressionless face, though he could not see her eyes beneath the blue goggles.

He only felt the girl holding his arm tighten her grip. Her steps remained steady as she trod through the thick snow that reached past her ankles, leading him onward.

This was only Jiang Xiao's fourth day in this world.

And this was only a simple gesture of support from Han Jiangxue.

But Jiang Xiao already knew

how, from this day onward,

for the rest of his life,

he should treat the person beside him.