Hongfu Tower's First Floor Hall.
Zhou Jianjun, Chen Yu, Zhang Haotian, and more than a dozen others armed with makeshift weapons stood tensely at the Rope Ladder Entrance, their eyes fixed on the doorway.
When they saw the silver-gray figure make his way through the ruins and approach with steady steps, their taut nerves finally relaxed. Everyone let out a breath of relief at once.
Zhou Jianjun was the first to greet him. His eyes quickly swept over Lin Yi, checking for injuries. His lips moved as if he had a thousand things to say, but for a moment he couldn't think of what to say.
Should he scold him for taking such a risk?
Praise his courage?
Or warn him not to do anything like that again?
In the end, he swallowed all his words, and they became a sigh full of complicated emotions.
He simply patted Lin Yi's shoulder again and again. No words were needed.
"Holy shit, Brother Yi! You were freaking incredible!!"
Chen Yu had no such reservations. He bounded straight over.
"You should've seen Uncle Jianjun's face just now—he went white with fear! Hahaha! 'I'm just popping out for a bit'! Holy crap, just like Guan Er Ye! That was so cool!"
He waved his arms around, his face flushed with excitement. "Ye Qingyu had only just boiled the water. She hadn't even finished cooking the dumplings! You pulled that off perfectly!"
According to food storage guidelines, the first things to be used up were the foods that had originally been kept in the freezers.
Lin Yi let him carry on while his gaze passed over the others.
He saw the mixture of excitement and awe on Zhang Haotian and the others' faces, as well as the lingering fear in the eyes of a few young people.
Finally, his eyes settled on Zhou Yuxuan.
At that moment, Zhou Yuxuan looked somewhat ridiculous.
He had put on the Qitian Battle Armor, but only halfway... He'd managed to get the breastplate and shoulder guards on, but the straps were crooked, he had only one Arm Armor on, and he was still holding the other. His greaves had vanished somewhere.
His face was expressionless. He was breathing a little heavily, his forehead beaded with sweat. It was hard to tell whether he was tired or had been nervous just now.
When he saw Lin Yi looking at him, Zhou Yuxuan pushed up his glasses. His expression was complicated, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he merely pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and went back to wrestling with the Arm Armor.
Lin Yi glanced around again and noticed that someone was missing from the crowd.
Li Jie.
He remembered Li Jie had been behind them when they'd rushed downstairs earlier, but he was nowhere to be seen now.
Thinking of Li Jie's pale, timid face on the rooftop, Lin Yi understood. He didn't call attention to it, though, and simply gave Zhou Yuxuan another thoughtful look.
This guy, who in his previous life had made some progress with source energy and had still dared to step forward at a crucial moment, really did have something different in him.
With that in mind, Lin Yi had already decided what to do with the crystal from the Sentinel miniature Mechanical Dog.
"Yuxuan."
Lin Yi walked over to Zhou Yuxuan. This time, he didn't call him "Class Monitor."
Zhou Yuxuan was struggling with the armor straps. When he saw Lin Yi approach, he looked up in surprise.
"Here. Take this."
Lin Yi took out the High-grade Gray Crystal and held it out.
Zhou Yuxuan froze, then accepted it instinctively. The instant his fingertips touched the crystal, information about the Sentinel miniature Mechanical Dog flowed into his mind.
"T-This is too valuable!"
As if burned, Zhou Yuxuan almost immediately tried to hand the crystal back to Lin Yi.
"Brother Yi, I can't accept this. You risked your life to get it, and I still haven't mastered the Guidance Technique from the previous crystal... I... I can't take it!"
He didn't know what rank this gray crystal, streaked with white mist, was, but he knew it wasn't some common crystal dropped by an Abyssal Wolf. There was a good chance Lin Yi had gotten it by killing that Giant Bear.
He'd risked his life to get it!
But Lin Yi didn't take his hand back. He simply looked at him calmly, his tone rather firm.
"Take it. Uncle needs help, and the base needs a more reliable early-warning system... You're the best person to use this."
He paused, glanced at Zhou Yuxuan's half-worn armor, which looked rather ridiculous, and added meaningfully,
"And this isn't just a reward."
He raised a hand and patted Zhou Yuxuan on the shoulder.
"When there's a problem, you'll have to step up."
With that, Lin Yi gave Zhou Yuxuan no more chance to refuse. He turned toward the rope ladder and called to everyone, "All right, it's over. Let's head back up."
He acted as if he'd done nothing important.
Zhou Yuxuan stood frozen. He looked down at his crooked armor, then at the crystal in his hand.
He was silent for a moment. Then he gripped the crystal tightly in his palm, said nothing, and hurried after the others.
Soon, the group climbed back to the second floor by way of the rope ladder.
Just then, Ren Yinuo was also coming down from the rooftop.
Her expression was calm, but a hint of concealed admiration had appeared deep in her eyes as she looked at Lin Yi.
"Major Lin."
Ren Yinuo stepped forward, her tone formal.
"I have something to report and would like to hear your opinion."
Lin Yi stopped. "Go ahead, Captain Ren."
"Besides establishing and maintaining communications, another important part of my mission is to record footage of your cultivation, combat, and teaching whenever possible, without interfering with you or putting you in danger."
Ren Yinuo met his eyes candidly. "This footage is extremely valuable for the General Staff's research into practical applications of source energy, analysis of Abyssal Beast behavior patterns, and future training programs..."
"I recorded the entire battle just now."
She paused. "If that makes you uncomfortable, or if you feel it's inappropriate, I can delete all related footage right here and now. Please rest assured—the General Staff made it clear before I came that your wishes come first."
Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, then smiled.
"Oh, that's what this is about. It's fine. You recorded it, so let it be..."
"If my combat methods can really help more people and keep our soldiers from bleeding as much, then I have no reason to object... You can keep recording in the future if you need to."
Ren Yinuo wasn't surprised. She straightened up and saluted Lin Yi. "Thank you for your understanding and support. On behalf of all the soldiers at the Frontline who may benefit from this, I thank you!"
Lin Yi waved a hand. "No need to thank me. I'm just doing what I can."
After this brief exchange, the group finally climbed back to the second floor.
As soon as they entered Fujin Hall, the people who had been waiting anxiously crowded around them.
"Xiaoyi!"
"Major Lin!"
"Our hero's back!"
Their greetings and questions overwhelmed them in an instant.
At the same time, Ye Qingyu noticed Lin Yi had returned and came over with a plate.
On it sat a large bowl filled with dumplings, along with a pair of chopsticks and a spoon.
Good-natured laughter and teasing immediately rang out:
"Well, well! Look at that! Our classmate Ye is so thoughtful—she even made breakfast!"
"Hahaha, and it's still hot. Perfect timing!"
"Major Lin, you sure timed that well! You went out and killed a huge bear, then came back just in time for breakfast!"
"Exactly! Hurry up and eat something. You must be exhausted!"
Ye Qingyu's ears turned red as everyone teased her. She held the plate awkwardly, unsure what to do, but couldn't help sneaking a glance at Lin Yi.
The unexpected teasing left Lin Yi smiling. He took the plate from Ye Qingyu and said quietly, "Thanks. I'm actually starving."
Then he smiled at everyone. "All right, don't just stand there watching. You're probably hungry too. Go eat if it's time to eat, and keep studying if you've got studying to do... Those of you who are behind on your Guidance Technique had better get to work..."
After that, Lin Yi carried the plate over to a table, sat down, picked up a dumpling, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The simple taste of the food seemed especially delicious now, warming his tired body and his overtaxed mind.
He knew that after this brief rest, there would be plenty more to do.
But for the moment, he let himself enjoy this brief peace, fragrant with the scent of breakfast.
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