Chapter 401 266: Brother Yan, Don't——

Digging with her bare hands, the young woman's fair, delicate skin was quickly worn rough, leaving her with numerous raw and bleeding wounds.

Xiaoyue couldn't bear to watch. It knew it couldn't stop the Beast Tamer. It wanted to use its Vines to help her, but it was afraid of disturbing the ruins and causing a secondary collapse.

"Get out of there! We don't know when the next aftershock will hit!"

As Shao Ya dug, an Alliance Member ran to her side and tried to pull her away.

"I'm not leaving! I haven't gotten him out yet! Let go of me..."

"Come with me!"

Without another word, the Alliance Member half-carried, half-dragged Shao Ya to an open area.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Shao Ya, who had just been working like a tireless machine, collapsed. She sat limply on the ground, her head hanging low. Her azure eyes were dull and lifeless, like stars hidden by clouds.

In just a short while, she was covered in dust, blood, and cuts, looking even more battered than the disaster victims themselves.

A few Alliance Members gathered around her. They gave her some water to drink and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw she wasn't seriously injured.

"We've already searched that area. There's no one left alive inside."

"You have to protect yourself before you can save others! What you were doing was dangerous!"

"Alright, that's enough."

A slightly older Alliance Member pushed the two younger ones aside and asked curiously, "Kid, where did you come from? You look like you've been traveling for a long time."

The young woman's voice was quiet. "Huai City..."

The members' eyes widened. "Huai City in Shanyou Province? You came all the way from there?"

"Save him... I have to save him..."

"It's okay, speak slowly. Who are you trying to save? All the rescued survivors have been taken to the camp. Tell us who it is, and we'll take you to find them."

"I..."

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll take this child from here." A cool, clear female voice came from nearby.

Shao Ya's eyes widened slightly.

The Alliance Members all looked up. "Captain Sai!"

"You all head back to the camp first. I'll take her back."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The Alliance Members walked away.

Selena walked over to Shao Ya and bent down slightly, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Are you here looking for Su Zhi?"

"...WAAAAAH!" Shao Ya threw her arms around her and burst into tears, her sobs quickly soaking the beige trench coat.

Selena said nothing, just gently patting her on the shoulder and waiting for her to cry it out.

Shao Ya tried to hold back her tears. "Captain Sai, they said they've rescued everyone... Su Zhi must be with them, right? Can you take me to him, please?"

Selena sighed and wiped her tears. "Su Zhi is not among the survivors settled at the camp."

The young woman's tears immediately welled up again. "Why? How could this happen..."

Selena suddenly reached out and flicked her on the forehead.

The flick stunned Shao Ya. She momentarily forgot to cry, staring at Selena with teary eyes, a fresh tear trembling at the corner of her eye.

An expression of someone who didn't know whether to laugh or cry appeared on Selena's face.

"Silly girl! Think about it. Su Zhi was in the Luojin Mountain Range. How could he possibly be rescued from the ruins in the city?"

Shao Ya blinked blankly. "That's true... So, what happened to him?"

"I'm not sure about that either. The area around Fuguang Lake is currently too dangerous, so our search and rescue efforts are focused on the city. We haven't been able to contact Su Zhi yet."

The young woman clenched her fists.

"But I think you should have faith in Su Zhi."

Selena said softly, "He's already a Beast Tamer with the strength of an Alliance Member. He's more than capable of handling things on his own. You, who spend every day with him, know this better than I do, don't you?"

"Mhm..." Shao Ya lowered her head. "But I can't help but worry about him..."

"I understand. It's often said that relationships are like a mirror; the way you treat someone is how they'll treat you in return."

Selena smiled and tilted her head. "He really loves you."

Shao Ya pouted slightly, a small hint of happiness appearing on her face before being washed away by worry again.

"I just want him to be safe."

"He will be. I promise you." Selena gently hugged her.

Shao Ya hugged her back tightly. The Cold and Refined Beauty's embrace was surprisingly warm.

Selena patted her head. "We can't stay here for long. How about you come back to the camp with me first? Get some rest, and then I'll take you to find Su Zhi."

"...Mhm!"

*

「Luojin Mountain Range, North Slope Plain.」

"I think we're clear."

Gou Yu let out a long breath and climbed up from the ground. He said to Shen Chuqing beside him, "The aftershocks should be completely over. Get up."

Shen Chuqing slowly got to her feet. Looking out at the devastated plain, she also felt the relief of having survived a catastrophe.

She didn't rest for more than a few seconds before she gritted her teeth, turned, and started to run.

Gou Yu quickly grabbed her, a look of lingering fear on his face. "Where are you going? Do you have a death wish?"

Shen Chuqing didn't even look back. "To find Su Zhi!"

"You can't just cross the Luojin Mountain Range directly! It's too risky!"

"Let go! If you're too scared to go, I'll go by myself!"

Seeing Shen Chuqing's expression, stubborn as a mule, Gou Yu rubbed his temples with a headache and sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll go with you..."

Despite the look of resignation on his face, Gou Yu's nerves were on edge.

Not long ago, he had received a message from Luo Sen. Su Zhi had taken his Pet Beasts to Fuguang Lake.

Thanks to their efforts, the Golden Sand Flowers at the bottom of the lake had miraculously not been disturbed by the seismic waves. An earthquake that could have exceeded magnitude 10 was reduced to a magnitude 7, greatly minimizing the damage.

But that was the very epicenter of the earthquake. The intensity and magnitude were far beyond what the city experienced. Even if he himself had been there, he couldn't guarantee he would have escaped unscathed.

'Su Zhi... you absolutely cannot let anything happen to you!'

*

...

After an unknown amount of time, Su Zhi struggled to open his eyes.

All that met his gaze was darkness.

A throbbing pain pulsed from his temples, making it difficult to collect his thoughts. No, forget thinking... it was hard just to stay conscious!

'This is bad. Isn't this what transmigration feels like in novels...?'

'Where am I?'

Su Zhi looked around, only to find himself surrounded by pitch-black darkness.

'Could it be that the surrounding rubble is packed so tightly that not a single ray of light can get through?'

'No, that's not right. For one, it's hard for rocks to block out light that completely. Plus, there was that huge light source at the bottom of Fuguang Lake. It's impossible for there to be absolutely no light at all...'

Su Zhi felt around his surroundings and was stunned to find no jagged, broken rocks. He froze on the spot.

A possibility occurred to him.

'Could this be... my own Beast Taming Space? Did I somehow enter a state of Meditation?'

"Yu Bao? Shan Bao? Wu Bao?" Su Zhi called out to his Pet Beasts one by one, but there was no response.

'Well then... following the usual script, isn't it time for that giant eye to make an appearance?'

Su Zhi suddenly felt a little expectant.

Although looking at that giant eye was enough to make one's Sanity plummet—and drive someone with megalophobia to their grave—Su Zhi wasn't afraid of it. He even found it a little cute.

After all, every time he saw it, his Beast Taming Space leveled up.

Sure enough... after a moment, the darkness in the distance suddenly parted. A colossal eyeball opened, like a planet so vast he couldn't see its edge.

Su Zhi was ecstatic. "Brother Yan, you're here!"

The giant eye: "..."

However, unlike previous times, the giant eye didn't approach Su Zhi. It just watched from a distance.

If it didn't lack hands, Su Zhi felt the perfect pose for it would be one of a casual observer, hands tucked into its sleeves.

"Hey now..." Su Zhi was confused. "It's not like this is our first time meeting. Why are you acting all shy?"

"..." The giant eye paused for a moment, then slowly began to pull away.

Su Zhi was dumbfounded. "Brother Yan, don't go—"

The next moment, a violent impact jolted him, and Su Zhi's consciousness descended into chaos for a moment.

When he came to his senses again, Su Zhi immediately felt the rough, uneven ground beneath him and the soreness in his body.

This time, he was definitely in the ruins, but visibility was still extremely low.

"...Yu Bao?" Su Zhi tried calling out.

"Woof!" A response came from right beside him.

Su Zhi reached out and felt a furry head.

"Chirp!" Shan Bao's call came from near his chest, its little claws tickling him as they stepped on his body.

*

*