Free Web NovelChapter 50: Chapter 44: Parting
Qin Ling and Tang Mo leisurely finished their breakfast, then packed their things and walked out of the warehouse, hand in hand.
All the survivors in the school had gathered on the first floor of the cafeteria, creating a clamor as they all talked about the fog outside finally dissipating.
A flood of news alerts had exploded on their watches all morning, all about the mutant beasts that had now appeared in the outside world.
In other words, the mutant beasts from within the fog had broken free of its confines and were now running amok, preying on the general populace.
Compared to the panic of the people outside, the mood of those in the school, who had been trapped with the mutant beasts by the fog for so long, was indescribably complex.
’Misery loves company. They had always thought they were the most wretched, but now that the whole world was suffering alongside them, this new Purgatory of a world seemed far more acceptable.’
Everyone gathered here had only one goal, and that was to leave this place.
It had been far too long since they had been home to see their parents and relatives.
Now that the general population was being relocated to various survivor bases, the students naturally wanted to get to the bases where their families were.
"I’m going to S Base. Anyone else heading there can join us, and we can look out for each other on the road. If you’re going somewhere else, you’ll have to form your own groups."
An Yang was used to being a leader, so it was natural for him to be the first to speak up when something this significant happened.
Wenqing stood off to the side, uncharacteristically silent. She had already contacted the person in charge of S Base and arranged for a helicopter to pick her up at noon.
S Base was the largest base and home to the Alliance headquarters. Qin Ling was headed there as well.
Those with powerful backgrounds were being picked up by helicopter. As the best university in the province, its student body was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons—many came from impressive families.
A superpower user like Wenqing, with a planting ability like her Space Farm, would be enthusiastically welcomed by any base, even without powerful connections.
Judging by the attitude of her contact from the base, Wenqing knew how important she was to the Alliance.
As such, she now looked down on An Yang. She felt that with her abilities, only the scion of a rich or powerful family within the Alliance would be a worthy match for her.
As soon as An Yang finished speaking, those in the cafeteria already planning to go to S Base were overjoyed. All this time, An Yang had become their pillar of support, and being with him made them feel incredibly safe.
On the other hand, those not heading to S Base began to groan in despair. The outside world was full of mutant beasts—who knew if they would even survive long enough to reach another base.
"Your family is sending someone to get you, right?" Tang Mo asked Qin Ling.
"Yeah, I just got word. A helicopter is coming at noon. Professor Tian and his family are coming with me. So, changed your mind? Ready to come back with me?" Qin Ling’s family had been closely monitoring his situation and made arrangements the moment the fog cleared, all to ensure his safety.
"You go on and get stronger. Maybe by the next time we meet, I’ll have surpassed you." Tang Mo squeezed Qin Ling’s hand and pulled him through the crowd toward Song Qing and Li Lanlan.
"But seriously, where are you going next?" Qin Ling asked as he let her pull him along.
"I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. But I won’t let myself stay idle. An easy life makes you regress."
’Tang Mo knew that Lin Yi was living at S Base with Wen Jianshu now. She desperately wanted to go back and see her mom, but she couldn’t.’
’Once she went back, it would be difficult to get out again. At her current power level, Lin Yi would probably even try to stop her from going on missions. She didn’t want to be a little rabbit kept in a pen, so she could only say sorry to her mom in her heart.’
"Tang Mo, you’re back!" Li Lanlan exclaimed, hugging Tang Mo happily as she squeezed through the crowd. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Tang Mo had sent her roommates a message when she left, so the two of them hadn’t been overly worried about her safety.
"And this is...?" Li Lanlan’s gaze slid down to where Tang Mo and Qin Ling’s hands were tightly clasped, a teasing smile in her eyes. ’This handsome guy looks awfully familiar.’
"Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Tang Mo’s boyfriend. My name is Qin Ling. It’s a pleasure to meet you all."
Qin Ling introduced himself with a confident, harmless-looking smile, hiding his big-bad-wolf tail and pretending to be an innocent little bunny.
After Li Lanlan and Song Qing had introduced themselves, Tang Mo, blushing, quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, enough about me. Where are you two planning to go next?"
"I—" Song Qing began, but was cut off.
"Qingqing, I finally found you! You should come with me!" An Yang pushed through the crowd to stand before Song Qing and her friends.
After learning that Wenqing wouldn’t be traveling with him, An Yang felt a pang of disappointment at losing his "mobile granary," but also a sense of relief. Now he could do as he pleased without having to walk on eggshells around anyone.
"No, thank you," Song Qing refused politely, her expression clearly distant.
"You should come with us. There’s safety in numbers, and we can look out for each other on the road." The very first thing An Yang did after being freed from Wenqing was seek out Song Qing.
’Is that supposed to be a sign of deep affection, or just plain shamelessness? The nerve of this guy is just something else.’
Tang Mo shook her head to herself. ’Matters of the heart are so complicated. And to think I once thought I could play matchmaker for those two and make up for the regrets of my past life.’
’Their relationship was tangled up in so much personal history that no outsider could ever hope to intervene. Even she, who had lived a whole other life, couldn’t untangle such a complex mess.’
’Thank goodness things between her and Qin Ling were simple, or her head might actually explode.’
"That won’t be necessary. My family is sending someone to get me," Song Qing refused again.
An Yang froze when he heard her words. He never knew Song Qing had that kind of background. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, impossible to decipher whether it was regret or something else.
Tang Mo hadn’t known about Song Qing’s background either. ’She really keeps her cards close to her chest!’
An Yang knew how to take a hint. Seeing no point in pressing further, he simply nodded and left.
"Tang Mo, you and your boyfriend should come with me to S Base," Song Qing invited.
Song Qing issued the invitation. Lanlan’s destination was different from hers, or they could have gone together.
"It’s okay, we have other plans. You two be careful. Until we meet again."
Tang Mo declined with a smile and said her proper goodbyes.
’In the apocalypse, every farewell had to be a sincere one. You never knew if it would be the last time you’d see each other.’
Around noon, the sound of helicopters landing, one after another, echoed from the athletic field and the rooftops. Then, groups of armed personnel entered the cafeteria to retrieve their assigned people.
Everyone else watched them leave, their eyes filled with immense envy.
’No matter the era, money, power, and influence always allowed a person to live with more safety, dignity, and respect.’
The fact that the rescue teams were nearly all armed with guns drove home a stark reality for the people who had been trapped in the school for half a year: the outside world was truly no longer the same.
When it was time for Qin Ling to leave, Tang Mo didn’t go out to see him off. Their goodbye was as simple as saying "good night."
’After all, a farewell between people who are certain to meet again doesn’t need to be a grand affair.’
They parted now for the sake of a better reunion later. They would definitely see each other again. They both knew it.
