Leaving

Early in the morning, since it was summer, the sky brightened early, and rays of sunlight streamed through the windows into the dormitory.

Yi Chen climbed out of bed, shaking his somewhat groggy head. After washing up, he headed toward the training ground to assemble. However, just after stepping outside, he saw Yan leaning against the corridor.

She had already changed back into her battle armor. Her exquisite face framed a pair of bright, clear eyes that shone like countless stars, while the corners of her lips curved up slightly.

Yan turned around and asked the somewhat dazed Yi Chen:

"Have you made up your mind? Are you coming with me?"

Hearing Yan's voice, Yi Chen immediately snapped back to his senses. After a slight pause, he said:

"I've decided, but if you're taking me with you, you have to at least tell me what we're going to do!"

"You'll know once we get there. So, since you've already decided, get ready. If there's nothing else, we can set off as soon as possible."

"Okay. I don't have anything to pack. I'll say goodbye, then we can leave."

"Okay, go ahead."

On the training ground, Liu Chuang and several others were discussing something.

"Hey, Brother Chen's here. Ask him." Liu Chuang suddenly spoke when he saw Yi Chen approaching. He then led Ge Xiaolun, Zhao Xin, and the others toward Yi Chen.

"Hey, Brother Chen, who's that pretty girl?" Liu Chuang asked.

"Yeah, Brother Chen, who is she? Why did I see her coming out of your room this morning? You two couldn't have..." Zhao Xin said, making an expression that everyone understood.

Hearing Zhao Xin's words, the girls could no longer hold back either. They all perked up their ears.

Yi Chen did not answer. Instead, he spoke to everyone with a solemn expression:

"Everyone, I'm going to leave for a while."

"What?" Everyone except Lena was dumbfounded, unsure what he meant.

"Yi Chen, you're joking, right? Why all of a sudden..." Cheng Yaowen, who had been silent beside them, finally asked.

"Sorry, everyone. I have my own plans, but don't worry. No matter what, we're still comrades, and we'll still defend Earth together. I'm only leaving temporarily, and I'll come back. When we meet again, don't let me see that you haven't improved at all!"

After saying that, Yi Chen fell silent. A rare smile appeared on his face, though it was somewhat forced. In truth, he felt terrible too. After training together for so long, they had already formed deep bonds. Leaving so suddenly left a bitter taste in his heart.

"Then, Yi Chen, where are you going? When will we be able to see you again?"

Cheng Yaowen continued asking, but Yi Chen did not answer. He did not know when he would return either.

Yan arrived at the training ground as well. She walked over, though not very quickly, as if deliberately giving them more time. However, the distance was short, and she soon reached them. Smiling at Yi Chen, she said:

"Kid, are you ready?"

Yi Chen said nothing. He gave everyone a deep look.

He did not know when they would meet again after this farewell. He did not know whether they could still get along as they had before the next time they met. He did not even know whether, by then, they would all still be here as they were now...

After a while, Yi Chen finally turned to Yan and said:

"All right. We can leave." His voice was somewhat low as he turned and left with Yan.

"Kid, like you said, it's not as if we aren't letting you come back. Don't be so sentimental. Besides... not many people get the chance to spend time with a beautiful angel like me." Seeing that Yi Chen was feeling down, Yan spoke in a teasing yet comforting tone.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

After saying that, Yan took out her Interstellar Glider and stepped aboard first. Then she waved to Yi Chen.

"Come on up!"

Yi Chen did not hesitate any longer and walked straight aboard. Once he was seated, the glider activated immediately and began to rise. Then... it vanished into the horizon.

On the ground, the atmosphere grew somewhat oppressive after Yi Chen left. Seeing everyone's low spirits, Lena offered some consolation:

"Pull yourselves together. Yi Chen already said he'll come back. You need to train even harder now. Don't let him look down on you when you meet again."

"All right, everyone, get into position. We'll rearrange the teams. Ge Xiaolun, Zhao Xin, and I will be Group A. Chen Yaowen, Qiang Wei, Rui Mengmeng, and Liu Chuang will be Group B. Training begins now."

Aboard the Giant Gorge Ship, Du Kao and Ling Feng were monitoring Yi Chen and Yan's positions through Deno Three. Seeing that they had already left Earth, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Commander, I can't understand why that angel insisted on taking Yi Chen away. His genes are powerful, but they shouldn't be enough to attract an angel's attention, should they?" Ling Feng suddenly said.

"I don't understand either. The angels' thoughts are difficult for either of us to fathom. Perhaps there's an even greater secret within his body that we lack the ability to uncover. However, that's not important for now. The most important thing is to quickly develop the Xiong Bing Lian. Only then can we establish a foothold on Earth." Du Kao said.

"Understood. I'll get back to work, then."

"Go ahead."

After Lian Feng left, Du Kao went to a laboratory. The moment he entered, he stared intently at a glass instrument in the center of the room. Inside it was, astonishingly, a blood sample from Chen Yi.

Looking at what was inside, Du Kao could not help sighing.

"Perhaps you'll receive even greater help there. Good luck."

Du Kao stood there quietly for a long time, no one knowing what he was thinking.

(End of chapter)