Chapter 124.2 – The End
In the following six months, Lu Tinghan continued to command.
Humanity made rapid progress, reclaiming the land of Lannerson, and he fought one victorious battle after another.
He still had those strange recurring dreams.
“…Lu Tinghan, are you coming home for dinner tonight?”
“There are so many people on the bus. My tail almost got knotted again.”
“What is a camel? I haven’t seen one yet.”
“If only we had a better telescope, maybe we could see the meteor shower.”
“Wow! You always manage to find me every time!”
The dream became more and more realistic.
Just in case, Lu Tinghan visited doctors several times.
The doctors were the best, highly respected. Lu Tinghan underwent repeated examinations, and the results were always normal. His mental state was stable.
The doctor said, “There are many things we can’t explain. The bizarre ways of infection are one of them. Besides, you can understand monsters, which already makes you different.”
Lu Tinghan furrowed his brow slightly. “But…”
“Maybe you have some kind of fate,” the doctor said, half-jokingly, leaning her head. “Lovers will influence each other. Because it’s you, you weren’t infected, and you maintained your beliefs and sanity. But that influence and resonance never disappeared; it’s imprinted on your soul.” She continued, “That’s why there’s a term called ‘soulmate,’ just like love that never fades, isn’t it?”
Lu Tinghan suddenly remembered his dreams.
He walked in the middle of the snow and sea of flowers, a small child venturing into the world toward a lonely soul. Or on the tower in the cypress forest, where he stood alone, gazing into the abyss.
At that moment, their souls intertwined and danced together.
Lu Tinghan had a lot of confusion.
Whenever he discussed with peers, they knew nothing. The older generation seemed to know something, whether they were military officers or doctors, friends or strangers, the humble or the arrogant, they all kept their mouths shut.
They abandoned their positions, their entanglements, and united to guard a secret.
Just as no one ever explained why, when he was born, there was a sparkling black crystal in his palm.
The crystal radiated with brilliance, freezing time.
Since then, life and death were intertwined.
In the blink of an eye, it was the winter of the 353rd year, and xuejian flowers blossomed on every balcony. Lu Tinghan walked on the street, with shimmering petals falling on his shoulders.
A gust of wind stirred, as if someone was whispering.
He turned back and looked outside the city, suddenly feeling a strong sensation that someone was waiting for him.
Lu Tinghan wanted to find him.
Now was the time, he had to bring him home.
This feeling lingered, so the military personnel were surprised to find that Lu Tinghan had finally taken leave. The next afternoon, he drove towards the wilderness.
The sky over the wilderness was beautiful, with indigo as the backdrop, dense blues and purples interweaving and spreading vigorously.
He seemed to wander aimlessly, but deep down, he knew where the destination lay.
The vehicle passed through withered trees, formidable boulders, and tufts of rolling weeds in the wind. He didn’t know how many days he had traveled, as if he had reached the ends of the earth, finally arriving in front of a grove of cypress trees.
The cypress trees stood densely, and the off-road vehicle couldn’t go any further.
Lu Tinghan put on his gear and trekked on foot. Thanks to the success of “Deep Dive,” as long as he brought a small transmitter and emitted the simulated signal of Abyss No.1, 99.9% of the creatures would not dare to approach actively.
It was also through this method that people ventured out of the city and gradually acquired the wilderness.
The cypress trees stood tall, resembling a scene from a dream—he had gazed at the distant cypress forest countless times from the high tower. Small creatures hopped over piles of fallen leaves, tilting their heads to look at him. One mutated cypress tree stood up with its roots and swiftly ran away.
The deeper he walked, the faster his heart beat.
What a beautiful day it was, with a clear blue sky and a gentle breeze in the woods. He stepped through scattered rays of light, moving forward step by step.
Moving forward.
Until suddenly, his view opened up, and he saw a sea of flowers stretching across the mountains.
They swayed in the wind, resembling a magnificent snowfall.
“Thump, thump—thump, thump—”
“Thump, thump—thump, thump—”
His heartbeat quickened even more.
He understood that this was the place he had been searching for.
Lu Tinghan swiftly crossed through the flower field, causing petals to swirl and float in the air. Emotions surged in his heart as scenes from his dreams flew past his eyes: that peculiar and strange boy, the boy engrossed in reading with his head propped up, the pensive and contemplative boy, the boy who laughed with his eyes crinkled… In his dreams, they held hands, kissed under the sunset, and gazed at the countless stars, pondering what lay beyond the edge of the universe.
He walked faster and faster, eventually breaking into a run! The sea of flowers danced and swayed, rushing past his eyes. In that moment, Lu Tinghan remembered everything!
That familiar name was on the tip of his tongue, causing him to tremble before he could even shout it out.
The wind howled, and Lu Tinghan remembered the boy telling him that human lives are ultimately limited. On the day they first met, he had prepared himself for the inevitable parting.
However…
However, it wasn’t supposed to be like this!
They were both special—one could understand monsters and read their hearts, while the other could transform into human form and guide the way back home. Despite their different positions and thoughts, they always strived to get closer to each other with all their might.
They were each a miracle.
And at the beginning of the story, it was just a lonely abyss wanting to find its human. Compared to the vast world, it was such a tiny wish.
Perhaps, after mutual influence and soul resonance, they could become tiny miracles belonging only to each other.
Lu Tinghan thought that the abyss had an endless lifespan, but as long as this feeling never faded, he would always remember the past in the flowing river of time.
Over and over again.
Arriving by your side with a finite life, giving you infinite love.
The wind picked up, and petals obscured his vision. Lu Tinghan couldn’t see anything clearly, but he continued to stride forward—
The wind stopped for two seconds.
The petals scattered, revealing a blue sky. In the center of the sea of flowers, colorful flowers bloomed: roses, stars, hyacinths, carnations… they all blossomed together in a lively display.
They had bloomed for hundreds of years, vibrant and beautiful.
“…Shi Yuan!” Lu Tinghan blurted out.
The sea of flowers remained silent.
Lu Tinghan took a few steps forward, and tears unknowingly welled up in his eyes.
He said, “I know you’re here.”
“…”
“Rustle, rustle—rustle, rustle—”
“Shh, shh, shh—”
“Shh, shh—”
The sound of faint friction came from the fluffy flowers.
First, a black tail stood upright.
It looked puzzled, swinging back and forth, forming a question mark shape.
Then came another sound of friction, and a young man lifted his head in the sea of flowers.
The young man seemed to have slept for a long, long time, having a dream that lasted several years. He let out a sleepy yawn, his black hair tousled, contrasting with his fair complexion. Several flowers adorned his head and clothes.
“…Huh?” he mumbled, still drowsy.
Lu Tinghan stepped forward half a step. Suppressing the hoarse voice choked with emotion, he said, “Shi Yuan, I’ve come to take you home.”
Shi Yuan turned to look at Lu Tinghan.
His eyes widened.
His tail tip began to sway.
He suddenly rushed forward with petals flying around him, exclaiming, “Wow!!!”
Lu Tinghan opened his arms and tightly embraced him, as if he held the entire world.
After a long separation, Shi Yuan’s tail waved like a colorful flag, and he said, “Lu Tinghan, you found me again!!”
His human had always been a man of his word.
Lu Tinghan held the young man tightly.
Tears streamed down his face, but he smiled and said, “Yes, always.”
Regardless of the past, present, or future.
Shi Yuan looked up again and exclaimed, “Ah! Why are you crying?” He had never seen Lu Tinghan cry like this before, and he immediately became flustered, reaching out to wipe away the tears.
“Because the wind was strong and blew pollen into my eyes.”
Shi Yuan asked, “Really?”
Lu Tinghan said, “No.” He held Shi Yuan’s hand, lowered his head, and kissed him. “…but I love you.”
“I love you, too!” Shi Yuan’s tail tip wagged happily. “Where are we going now?”
“Anywhere is fine.”
“Really?”
Lu Tinghan smiled and kissed Shi Yuan’s forehead again. “This time, I won’t deceive you. But let’s go home together first.”
“Okay!” Shi Yuan’s eyes curved into a smile.
Hand in hand, the little monster and his human walked out of the flower field and the cypress forest.
The monsters ran across the wasteland, howling, chasing, using fallen leaves to build a soft nest. The humans lived a bustling life in the city, with rising smoke, soldiers ready for battle, and countless stories waiting to be written. The polar regions, deserts, mountains, canyons, boundless oceans, and the eternal starry sky—there were so many places worth exploring and longing for.
And this was the world they had created with their own hands.
The past floated in the winds of change, marking the end of a long expedition, yet it was not a conclusion.
With a straightened military uniform and a swaying tail.
They walked toward this vibrant and colorful world.
They would witness it with their own eyes.
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