The Cafe Where You Weren't

After finishing their hot pot, the two rushed home, receiving a text message about their forum rank upgrade the moment they arrived.

"It's finally here." Lin Yue immediately began checking the newly unlocked features, while Chen Xi headed straight for the advanced discussion board.

The forum they had seen previously was merely a surface-level area for novices, heavily moderated to the point where posts regarding Evil Flower were impossible to find.

Sure enough, the moment she clicked into the advanced forum, the homepage was practically flooded with information about Evil Flower.

There were also many recently posted pleas for help, with most of the posters located in Tianhai City.

Chen Xi scanned through a few of the posts, feeling as though the Spark Federation was on the verge of collapse; aside from the dozen or so cities at the core, the remaining dozens were all in a state of panic.

The Evil Flower organization had even established specialized squads outside the perimeter of the central cities to hunt down fleeing Transcendents.

Once the Tier 6 Transcendent guarding the area made a move, they would scatter and flee, only for the main force to continue encroaching upon the cities under the Spark Federation's jurisdiction.

In this way, Evil Flower maintained a strange equilibrium with the Spark Federation.

This resulted in a bizarre situation for the federation: the central regions were filled with song and dance, while the borderlands were engulfed in the flames of war.

Chen Xi clicked on the reverse chronological order, discovering that this had been happening for three months already.

"So that's how it is?!" After reading through all the information, Lin Yue finally understood why there had been no reinforcements.

It turned out the Spark Federation could barely protect itself.

"Chen Xi, what are we going to do?" The blonde girl was on the verge of tears.

She had just resolved the matter with Wu Xin, only to be met with another mess—the kind she couldn't even begin to clean up.

Lin Yue finally understood why Lu Shaoqi said the other squads were out of their minds.

At a time like this, they were still fighting over some pathetic Vampire.

Chen Xi's expression remained calm: "What can we do? Run, of course."

"I've already posted a bounty." As she spoke, she showed the forum's backend information to Lin Yue.

[Bounty: 5,000 Spark Points]

[Ability Requirements: Tier 2 Transcendent, possesses a movement-type ability (must be able to carry two people)]

[Bounty Task: Escort two people from Tianhai City to Chaoyu City]

Chaoyu City was the closest of the fifteen safe zones to Tianhai City.

There is always a brave man under a heavy reward; although the Spark Federation was in jeopardy, with the Tier 6 Transcendent Dragon Girl holding the line, no one truly believed this great tree would fall.

The bounty had barely been posted for long before it was accepted by a Transcendent with high-speed flight capabilities.

[Wing: Location and time]

[Xi: Happiness Cafe, seven o'clock]

[Wing: Understood]

"That's it? It's settled?" Lin Yue exclaimed as she looked at their chat history.

Chen Xi was composed: "For now. After this, I just need to kill Zhu Li."

"Get some sleep early tonight; save your energy for tomorrow."

The next day, Lin Yue let out a long sigh the moment she woke up.

"Sigh, my life as a fugitive begins today."

"Stop sighing and come discuss the plan after breakfast."

Both of their plans had been completely disrupted.

Chen Xi had originally intended to rest for three days, kill Zhu Li, and then go hunt wild legends to increase her Legend Degree.

In the current situation, hunting legends would have to wait; escaping to Chaoyu City was the priority.

"Be careful. As long as we don't run into a Tier 3 Transcendent, our escape plan should be fine."

Chen Xi synthesized all the information and mapped out a low-risk route, sending it to Wing.

After inquiring about their specific strengths, Wing also approved the plan.

As long as they didn't encounter anything above an Evil Flower High Priest, the three of them could barely manage against ordinary Tier 2 Priests.

And so, amidst Chen Xi's anxious and restless waiting, the time finally reached 5:40 PM.

"Let's go." After packing their essential items, the two left Chen Xi's home.

In the stairwell, Chen Xi called for a vehicle while confirming with Lin Yue: "Did you bring the power bank?"

Lin Yue, carrying her bulging backpack on her chest, rummaged through it: "I did."

"Tissues, spare phone, flashlight—everything is packed."

After all, this was no short trip; it would take at least two days to get from Tianhai City to Chaoyu City.

Under the interference of Evil Flower, most transportation hubs capable of crossing between cities were guarded by their people, who kept a constant watch for any stragglers.

"Hi."

Just as they reached the ground floor, a voice both strange and familiar rang out before them, and they looked up in tacit agreement.

The black-haired girl flashed a peace sign, greeting the two of them.

"Qianqi Weiming?!"

How could this be?!

The High Priest of the Evil Flower organization had appeared right before them.

Chen Xi's heart trembled, and she hurriedly signaled for Lin Yue to activate her Shadow Armor.

"You two really made me search for you; you even killed the little cutie I specifically placed here."

The little cutie she referred to was naturally the Butcher from the campus; Qianqi Weiming raised her hand to summon a katana, waiting leisurely for the two to finish their secret preparations.

"Killing it is one thing." Her gaze turned dangerous, locking onto Lin Yue behind Chen Xi: "How... did you manage to clear away the Gospel of The Church?"

"Do it!"

The Shadow Armor finished weaving, instantly manifesting over their bodies.

Chen Xi poured in more than half of her mana, launching their strongest combined attack—Explosive Water Blade.

The water compressed and erupted from the shadow nozzles, a strike nearing the speed of sound aimed directly at Qianqi Weiming's neck.

"Clang—"

A piercing, sharp sound rang out as blade met blade.

The Armored Skeleton manifested once more around Qianqi Weiming, its blade blocking the attack that possessed such terrifying explosive power.

The girl in the school uniform glanced at the white mark left on the greatsword held by the skeleton, her expression of contempt vanishing as she re-evaluated the two before her.

"Oh, this is truly impressive; if it weren't for Ah Wu, I might have actually been injured."

"Since that's the case, I can't let you live any longer."

As if she had a third eye, she slashed toward her blind spot in the rear, a crimson blade aura cutting through the air; Lin Yue, who had been attempting a sneak attack, was forced to activate her Shadow Form and retreat to Chen Xi's side.

"It's an automatic defense mechanism; the skeleton will intercept all of our attacks."

Chen Xi analyzed the situation, yet she felt something was amiss.

Why is she... flying?

Shock and grief still lingered in Lin Yue's eyes, but the girl's head had already quietly rolled away, blood staining her vision.

Chen Xi was dead.

Lin Yue gasped for air, forcing herself to stay calm to analyze the opponent's ability.

Qianqi Weiming paced toward her, sealing off every escape route.

"Any other tricks?" Her expression remained indifferent.

The next second, an invisible slash struck Lin Yue's chest.

Lin Yue spat out a mouthful of blood, clutching the wound on her chest.

"Now that she's dead, I'll play with you slowly; run as much as you like."

Qianqi Weiming continued walking at a leisurely pace, and Lin Yue dissolved into shadows to flee.

"Why is it raining?"

Zhu Li, having just left the flower shop, looked up at the small raindrops falling from the sky, her brows furrowed slightly.

In her hands, she held a blue bouquet made of Forget-me-nots.

After a moment of thought, Zhu Li leaned down slightly, shielding the bouquet from the rain.

Staring at the Forget-me-nots beneath her, her thoughts drifted back to that afternoon.

She had originally intended to buy roses...

But... she finally understood why her heart had fluttered that day.

It wasn't love, but she didn't know what it was either...

It was the first time she had met someone so interesting, someone who could understand her emotions so well.

Someone who would ask if she wanted to use her left or right hand to express her meaning, who would ask about the origin of that song, who would sit with her and chat via phone even when they were face-to-face...

And so, in the end, she chose Forget-me-nots.

That way, at least one person would remember her existence after she died.

Passing by a storefront mirror, Zhu Li paused.

She looked at her reflection—her red hair like burning flames, the girl's white dress making her skin look like snow, her gilded earrings swaying with her movements, and the pitch-black high heels on her feet shining bright enough to reflect her sharp and dazzling appearance.

The rain grew heavier, and the red-haired girl walked with light steps toward the coffee shop.

She pushed open the door, scanning the people sitting inside.

"Not here yet."

Zhu Li muttered to herself in her heart and simply chose a seat by the window.

That made sense; it was only 5:50, and with the rain, she must be stuck in traffic on her way here.

Time slipped away, and as customers walked in from time to time, Zhu Li looked up with anticipation each time.

Not her, not this one either, and the next one wasn't her either...

The red-haired girl stared at the entrance with longing, and by the time she finished the coffee in her cup, she checked the time—it was already seven o'clock in the evening.

It can't be... She promised me...

Zhu Li's body trembled slightly, her eyes losing their focus.

She borrowed a phone from a passerby and dialed Chen Xi's number.

No one answered...

The rain fell harder and harder, and the red-haired girl clutched the pale blue bouquet tightly, waiting for a future that would never come.