Free Web NovelChapter 293: Chapter 293: The Decision to Flee
The gray sky of the wasteland remained stagnant.
As Yue Yue looked up, she felt a sense of deep disorientation. There was no sun to rise and no moon to fall; the world was stuck in a perpetual, hazy twilight.
If it weren’t for the star watch on her wrist ticking away, she would have lost her mind days ago.
"It’s late," Lu Huoyan announced, his voice echoing against the ruins. "The watch says it’s nighttime. We need to conserve our energy. We’ll set up camp here."
Yue Yue watched as the group began to prepare for sleep. In the Interstellar Beast World, technology was almost like magic.
Even in a wasteland, they didn’t just sleep on the dirt. From their high-grade spatial space, they pulled out "Portable Sleeping Pods."
These weren’t simple sleeping bags. Once activated, they expanded into small, reinforced capsules...almost like tiny, soundproof rooms with temperature control and soft bedding.
"It’s a pity," Yue Yue whispered to herself as she touched the cold metal of her pod.
"The world is so advanced, yet here we are, hiding in holes like mice because of the Zerg."
Lin En walked over, her face glowing with that same sweet, fabricated smile. "Goodnight, Sister Yue Yue! Rest well. We have a long walk tomorrow."
Yue Yue forced her lips to curl upward, though her heart was pounding with anxiety.
"Goodnight, Lin En."
She ducked into her pod immediately, sealing the door. She didn’t want to stay outside a second longer.
She was afraid that if she looked at Lin En for one more minute, the suspicion and fear in her eyes would give her away.
Inside the small, dimly lit pod, Yue Yue sat on the edge of the cot.
I can’t stay here, she thought, her hands gripping the silk sheets. Han Ruyan’s warning wasn’t just talk.
’I’ve seen the way the Zerg only target me. I’ve felt the ’medicine’ she used on my arm. Lin En is brewing something terrible.’
She didn’t know why her "friend" had turned into a monster, but she knew she couldn’t wait to find out.
If I stay, I’m a sitting duck. If I leave, I might get lost, but at least I’ll have a chance. Han Ruyan found Lin En using a technique... that means Han Soi can find me too. I just have to survive long enough for them to reach me.
Her expression brightened with a spark of hope.
She decided to wait. Two, maybe three hours. Just enough time for the men’s breathing to become deep and for the sensors to settle.
She checked her Dragon Sword and the various artifacts her husbands had given her. She packed her small bag of nutritional solutions and water.
"In three hours," she whispered to the empty pod. "I’m leaving this lunatic group behind."
Outside, the camp was silent. The three pods of the others were scattered around the camp.
Han Ruyan sat near his pod, his silver hair reflecting the dull gray light. He wasn’t sleeping. He was staring at the ground, his heart heavy. He had warned her; now it was up to her to be smart enough to listen.
Further away, the Masked Man sat on a high rock, his black gear blending into the shadows. He looked like a gargoyle carved from obsidian. His head was tilted slightly toward Yue Yue’s pod.
In her own pod, Lin En lay in the dark, her eyes wide open and glowing with a cold, predatory light. She wasn’t sleeping either.
"Sleep well, Yue Yue," Lin En whispered into the silence. "Tomorrow, the real show begins."
Yue Yue lay back, closing her eyes to catch a few moments of rest. She needed every bit of strength for the escape. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Little did she know, in this wasteland where time was broken, she wasn’t the only one waiting for the clock to strike midnight. freewёbnoνel.com
It was already midnight when Yue Yue slowly opened her eyes inside the quiet confinement of her pod.
The brief rest had done its work well, her body no longer felt heavy, and the lingering fatigue from the long journey had completely faded.
Instead, a steady strength coursed through her limbs, and her mind was clearer than ever.
For a moment, she remained still, listening carefully to the silence outside, her breathing shallow as if even the slightest sound might expose her intentions.
After confirming that nothing stirred beyond her small space, she cautiously shifted forward and created a slight opening, just enough for her to peer outside.
The surroundings were dim and utterly still, the row of pods arranged neatly across the ground like silent sentinels.
There was no movement, no sound of footsteps, no voices...only a suffocating quietness that made it evident that everyone had already fallen into deep sleep.
A faint glimmer of determination flashed across her eyes.
This was the moment she had been waiting for.
Without allowing herself time to hesitate, Yue Yue pushed open the pod and stepped out, her movements light and careful.
She immediately reached to the side of the pod and pressed the control button.
In an instant, the spacious interior began to compress, folding inward with precise mechanical efficiency until it shrank into a small cube resting neatly in her palm.
She stored it away into her spatial space without a second thought.
Then, she ran.
At first, her steps were controlled, almost cautious, as if afraid of making noise. But soon, urgency overtook restraint, and her pace quickened.
She chose a direction without thinking...any direction that would take her away from that group, away from the suffocating tension she had been enduring.
Her heart pounded louder with every step.
Just as she passed by a large stone, intending to slip into the darkness beyond...
A figure suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her path completely.
The shock was so abrupt that her entire body froze in place.
A scream surged up her throat, threatening to break free, but she forcefully swallowed it down, her fingers tightening instinctively on her chest as her heart seemed to leap into her throat.
Standing before her, unmoving like a shadow carved from darkness itself, was the masked man.
The so-called new husband of Lin En.
