Runaway Plan

"Uh..."

Fornia lowered her head, her breath brushing against Nelly's neck. The corners of her lips curved up, and her voice was gentle.

"Thank you, little Nelly~"

"You..." Nelly's cheeks burned under her teasing, but she was also happy to see Fornia relieved.

Fornia's father had died in battle.

For the citizens of their country and for Fornia's family alike, it had been a bolt from the blue.

Her father had been the marshal of the British Kingdom's Royal Navy. He had unfortunately died while suppressing terrorists yesterday afternoon.

Unlike what Fornia had shown, she was also overwhelmed with grief. But in front of Nelly, she still wore a smile. She wasn't worried about how she would survive without her father's protection. She was only worried that she wouldn't be able to protect Nelly.

She didn't want Nelly to get married! Regardless of whether the other party was that scumbag Simon or not!

Speaking of Simon, he wouldn't make a move against Fornia and Nelly anytime soon. But once people gradually forgot about Fornia's father, he might finally reveal his true colors.

"What's wrong, Fornia?" Nelly raised her head, concern showing in her eyes. She had just sensed Fornia's emotions fluctuating.

Was she still sad after all?

"Little Nelly, let's elope." Fornia spoke softly, completely unaware of how bold her words were.

"Huh? What did you just... say...? Hey, when will your cookies be ready to eat? I really want to... taste your cooking, Fornia!" Nelly froze for a moment, her mind instantly going blank. Flustered, she turned around and looked left and right, trying to change the subject.

How could she say that without even blushing or skipping a beat...?

"I said, let's—"

"Stop!"

Nelly suddenly interrupted her and turned around to meet Fornia's gaze.

"Why?" Her face was filled with embarrassment and anger. She raised her head, her small eyes fierce in an adorably childish way, making Fornia burst out laughing.

"Because I don't want you to get married." Fornia's mood suddenly sank, and Nelly saw something in her eyes... fear?

"Simon won't do. Neither will anyone else. I just don't want you to!" As she said this, she looked at Nelly again.

"Little Nelly, am I being too selfish?"

Of course not! Nelly wanted to argue, but she realized that neither she nor Fornia seemed able to escape this, unable to hide from it.

Get married? A transaction!

Whether it was exchanging for affection, power, money, or status, it was all a transaction.

The sensation of threads binding her came over her. Nelly felt herself turn into someone else's puppet once again, her every movement manipulated, unable to escape fate.

The threads tightened. Her breathing quickened, as if the warmth she and Fornia had shared recently was only an illusion. In just ten short days, they had grown close, yet it all felt so unreal—so unreal that it was like having a dream, watching a movie, or hearing a fairy tale.

She was suffocating. Perhaps once she opened her eyes again, the dream would already be over.

To be killed in Fornia's arms like this... might not be so bad...

"I want to leave this place with little Nelly. Anywhere in the world would be fine. As long as you're with me, as long as we don't separate!"

Nelly couldn't forget those words. Her emotions completely collapsed, and she curled up in Fornia's arms, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. She wanted this too. She wanted it so badly!

"Let's go to the rainforests of the South Continent. I want to row a boat there with little Nelly. The environment may be harsh, but with you by my side, I can do anything!"

"And the beaches of the North Continent. I want to see what little Nelly looks like in a swimsuit!"

"The Antarctic would be nice too. We could watch whales and penguins there!"

"And the ancient cities and mountains in the east. I heard the food there..."

Fornia's words seemed to carry magic, soothing all of Nelly's unease and fear.

Nelly's face was already streaked with tears as she sobbed softly:

"Okay, okay..."

After the group returned to the explosion site and searched the area, they each went back to their respective countries.

The site had already been restored to its original state, with no trace of the battle that had once taken place there. As for the Lawbearer, they couldn't even find a corpse. It was unknown whether the fragments of the Insight Gem had sunk to the bottom of the sea or vanished completely.

They hadn't been in much of a hurry on the way home. By the time Gu Yan entered the national border, it was already the next morning. Nine Ability Users from Huaguo had set out, all with S-Class or higher combat strength. Now, only five had returned. In other words, aside from Xu Muchi, Gu Yan, and Xu Ying, only two others had survived.

From this point on, this world would probably descend into chaos.

S-Class Ability Users, who represented humanity's peak combat strength, had been slaughtered by the Lawbearer like ants. Modern weapons had been virtually useless as well.

The news might be suppressed, but to anyone who learned the truth, it would undoubtedly overturn everything they knew.

Gu Yan didn't care about any of that, however. He could more or less guess what was bound to happen. It didn't matter how shocked everyone else was, as long as they understood how serious the situation was.

What he cared about now was how to fool his sister and his mother.

After returning to Huaguo, Gu Yan went straight to Hai City. He declined the others' invitations to stop by headquarters. He had always been indifferent to most things. His status didn't matter to him. As long as there was a place for him, that was enough.

In other words, as long as you couldn't stand the corruption, you and I were on the same side.

But the two at home were genuinely giving him a headache. How was he supposed to explain this?

The bonds of blood were something people couldn't cast aside. Precisely because Gu Yan had family and friends, he wouldn't be controlled by corruption. The reason he existed as a human was that he had always regarded himself as a human of this world, not some form of corruption or an outsider.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Who is it?"

Gu Yan stood at the door with an honest, guileless look on his face. His sister's voice came from inside, and a moment later, Gu Li opened the door.

"Oh, it's little Yan."

"Sis, where's Mom? You didn't issue a death certificate for me, did you?" Gu Yan poked his head inside and looked left and right.

"Stop looking. She's not home." Gu Li pulled him inside and pointed at the refrigerator.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. I'm not hungry."

"When Mom heard me say that you'd been taken away by a woman, she got so excited that she couldn't sleep. She called five or six friends to drink with her that very night." Gu Li still took out a can of cola and a sandwich and handed them to Gu Yan.

"..."

"Want to explain yourself?" Gu Li sat on the sofa, lazily propping up her chin, a smile at the corners of her lips.

"It's fine. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask." She blinked, her curiosity completely undisguised.

Big Sis is so curious. Come on, tell me!

The muscles on Gu Yan's face twitched twice. At some point, his sister had been led astray by their mother.

"It's nothing much. My support abilities are just really strong, so I caught the eye of a powerful person."

"You're lying to me, little Yan." Gu Li's voice carried a hint of grievance, and her lashes drooped.

This is Mom possessing her, isn't it?!

Gu Yan cursed wildly in his heart, then put on a surprised expression. "Huh? How did you know?"

"I guessed!"

My sister can't stay here any longer!