Lin Mo said, "I don't know. But it's better than nothing."
He walked over to Ning Rongrong and handed her a bottle of water he'd brought before leaving. She took it and drank a few sips, then suddenly asked, "That ancient martial art you mentioned yesterday—could you teach me?"
Lin Mo blinked. "You want to learn?"
Ning Rongrong nodded. "In case you're not around someday, I'll be able to protect myself."
Lin Mo looked at her in silence for a few seconds, then said, "You're supposed to start learning ancient martial arts when you're little. It's too late for you now. But I can teach you a few simple moves for self-defense."
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Lin Mo stood up and showed her what to do.
The opening stance, horse stance, straight punch.
They were very simple movements. But Ning Rongrong practiced them earnestly, throwing punch after punch. Even when she was drenched in sweat, she didn't stop. Lin Mo corrected her posture beside her, occasionally reaching out to adjust the angle of her arm. Each time, she stiffened for a moment, then kept punching.
After half an hour of practice, Ning Rongrong was so tired she sat down on the ground, panting heavily.
"Y-you practiced this every day when you were little?"
Lin Mo nodded. "I got up at five every morning, stood in horse stance for an hour, then practiced boxing."
Ning Rongrong's mouth fell open. "Did you even have time to play?"
Lin Mo thought about it. "I didn't play much."
Ning Rongrong looked at him, her expression complicated.
After a while, she suddenly asked, "What about your parents?"
Lin Mo froze.
The moment she'd asked, Ning Rongrong regretted it. She quickly added, "I was just asking. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "They passed away. When I was seven."
Ning Rongrong fell silent.
After a long while, she stood up and walked over to Lin Mo, looking up at him.
"Then you've had it pretty rough, too," she said softly. "Rougher than me, even. At least I have my dad, Grandpa Sword, and Grandpa Bone."
Lin Mo looked at her without saying anything.
Suddenly, she reached out, took his hand, and gave it a squeeze.
"From now on," she said, "I'll protect you."
Lin Mo froze.
Ning Rongrong let go of his hand and turned to leave, her ears red as if they might drip blood.
After a few steps, she stopped and said without looking back:
"Keep practicing!"
Lin Mo watched her retreating figure, then suddenly smiled.
He hurried after her and continued teaching her those simple self-defense moves.
The sun slowly sank toward the west.
In the afternoon, the two of them practiced working together several more times. Lin Mo moved quickly through the maze of scrap piles while Ning Rongrong boosted him with Heart Separation Control. At first, her support occasionally faltered, but before long she could maintain it for twenty minutes straight. She'd made clear progress.
After their last practice, Ning Rongrong was so exhausted she lay down on the ground and stared at the sky.
It was a brilliant blue, with a few clouds drifting across it.
Lin Mo sat beside her and looked up at the sky, too.
After a long silence, Ning Rongrong suddenly said, "Lin Mo."
"Hmm?"
"Tell me, what if I can't go back?"
Lin Mo turned to look at her.
She was still gazing at the sky, her face expressionless.
Lin Mo thought for a moment, then said, "Then stay here."
"What's so great about this place? Your iron boxes, your glowing boards, and that thing you call a phone..." She paused, her voice softening. "I wouldn't even know how to use them."
"I'll teach you."
Ning Rongrong said nothing.
After a long while, she suddenly sat up and looked at him.
"If I can't go back, you'll have to take responsibility."
Lin Mo said, "For what?"
"For teaching me things. For... for protecting me." She paused, her voice growing even quieter. "And about that Life Bond... you have to give me time to think it over."
Lin Mo looked at her and nodded. "All right."
Ning Rongrong stared at him for a few seconds, then looked away and murmured:
"Then it's a promise."
Lin Mo said, "It's a promise."
The sun began to set.
They stood up, brushed the dust off themselves, and got ready to head back.
When they reached the entrance, Ning Rongrong suddenly stopped and glanced back at the ruins.
In the golden light, the piles of scrap, the abandoned factory buildings, and the rusty iron frames stood there in silence.
She suddenly asked, "Tomorrow, it'll be here?"
Lin Mo nodded. "Yeah."
She took a deep breath, turned around, and tugged him outside by the sleeve.
"Come on. Let's go back and eat. I'm hungry."
Lin Mo followed her out.
After a few steps, something occurred to him. He pulled out his phone, opened the camera, and took a picture of the ruins.
Ning Rongrong leaned over curiously. "What's that?"
"A picture. I'm saving what this place looks like."
"What for?"
Lin Mo put his phone away and looked at her. "If we win tomorrow, we can come back and see it someday."
Ning Rongrong paused, then smiled.
In the sunset, her smile was especially beautiful.
The two of them walked side by side into the dusk.
Behind them, the ruins waited quietly.
Waiting for tomorrow to come.
By the time they got back to the workshop, it was already dark.
Lin Mo went to the kitchen to make dinner while Ning Rongrong sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
Dinner was simple: two dishes and a soup. Ning Rongrong ate absentmindedly, poking at her rice with her chopsticks, lost in thought.
Lin Mo didn't say anything either.
After dinner, Ning Rongrong went to wash the dishes. Lin Mo sat on the sofa, staring at the system's countdown.
[Time until target "Huyan Li" arrives: 6 hours 14 minutes]
It was almost time.
Only six hours left.
When Ning Rongrong finished washing the dishes and came out, she saw him staring blankly at the air. She knew he was looking at the system. She walked over and sat beside him.
"How much longer?"
"Six hours."
Ning Rongrong was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "I'm not sleeping in the other room tonight."
Lin Mo turned to look at her.
She lowered her head, her voice muffled. "I can't sleep by myself."
Lin Mo said nothing.
She continued, "I'll just sit here. We can leave together when it's light."
Lin Mo nodded. "All right."
They sat there like that, neither of them saying a word.
Now and then, cars passed outside the window. In the distance, neon lights flickered.
After who knew how long, Ning Rongrong's head began to bob. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Finally, she tilted sideways and fell asleep against Lin Mo's shoulder.
Lin Mo looked down at her.
She looked the same asleep as she had the past few days, her brows slightly furrowed as if she were dreaming. Her pink-and-blue hair spilled over his shoulder, and a few strands fell across her face. He gently brushed them aside.
He thought about the things she'd said that day.
"From now on, I'll protect you."
"If I can't go back, you'll have to take responsibility."
"You'll teach me, right?"
Looking at her sleeping face, he suddenly whispered:
"All right."
Outside, the sky was still dark.
In the distance, beyond the suburbs, the ruins waited quietly.
Six hours remained until the battle.
Early morning,
Ning Rongrong was woken by Chen Mo.
She opened her eyes and realized she was still leaning against his shoulder. She'd almost drooled. She quickly sat up straight and wiped the corner of her mouth, then saw Chen Mo staring out the window.
The sky was still dark. But over the distant horizon, a hint of dark purple had appeared.
"Is it time?" she asked, her voice rough with sleep.
Chen Mo nodded. "Half an hour."
Ning Rongrong stood up and went to wash her face in the bathroom. By the time she came out, she was much more awake. She looked at Chen Mo and suddenly asked, "Are you scared?"
Chen Mo thought about it. "I am."
"So am I," Ning Rongrong said. "But we have to go, even if we're scared."
The two of them left.
The streets were quiet in the early hours of the morning, with only the occasional taxi driving by. The streetlights stretched their shadows long, and Ning Rongrong walked beside Chen Mo without saying a word.
By the time they reached the ruins, the purple glow on the horizon had deepened.
The iron gate was still the same iron gate, and the ruins were still the same ruins. They hadn't looked like much during the day, but at night they felt eerie. Moonlight fell across the abandoned factories, their windows dark as the eyes of countless staring creatures.
The two of them entered the maze—the one made from piles of scrap. Chen Mo led Ning Rongrong to hide behind a pile of concrete in the deepest part, where they could see the entrance to the entire site.
Ning Rongrong crouched there, her palms slick with sweat. She kept wiping them on her pants, but the more she wiped, the worse it got.
Chen Mo noticed and reached out to take her by the wrist.
Ning Rongrong froze and looked down at the hand holding her wrist.
"Don't be nervous," Chen Mo said. "Stick to the plan."
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and nodded.
The seconds ticked by.
It was so quiet they could hear their own heartbeats. A gust of wind occasionally swept through, rustling the weeds, while a sheet-metal rooftop creaked.
Suddenly, Chen Mo's right eye began to sting.
A purple screen popped up on its own, but this time the message was different—
[Detecting a Plane Rift tearing open...] [Target is about to arrive!] [Time remaining: 10 seconds...9 seconds...8 seconds...]
Chen Mo tightened his grip on Ning Rongrong's hand and stared at the center of the site.
There, space began to twist.
Before you continue