Chapter 86: A Tomorrow Without You

Yujin Base, western island.

"Phew... sister, this should be the last one, right?"

"Yeah."

Chen Xing nodded calmly. With a sudden twist of her Yao Dao, she yanked the blade free from the final Stellar Beast’s heart.

Pfft—!

Instantly, the thick, briny blue blood—salty with the taste of the deep sea—spurted out along the blade, splashing a few droplets across her cheek.

Chen Xing didn’t even flinch.

She simply raised her right hand—wrapped in bandages—and wiped the faintly turquoise blood from her face with a quiet, mechanical motion.

Afterward, she lifted the Yao Dao high and swung it sharply to her side.

Whoosh!

The remaining blood splattered across the sand like ink, forming a jagged, crescent-shaped smear.

Noticing a few last traces of Stellar Beast blood clinging to the blade, Chen Xing wordlessly tucked the blade into the crook of her left elbow and slowly dragged it back and forth, wiping clean.

As the final drop vanished, the blade gleamed—sharp, polished, and cold.

Reflected in its surface were Chen Xing’s piercing crimson eyes, icy and unyielding, and a single bead of sweat that slid down her slender neck, vanishing into the shadow beneath her collar.

Though the movements were simple—just a flick of the wrist, a smooth pull—there was something terrifying in her presence.

The lethal precision in her expression.

The taut, defined muscles beneath her torn uniform, barely hidden.

She exuded a raw, untamed ferocity.

Even though she was just twelve—no different in age from Jing Ruli—there was nothing delicate about her. No softness. No fragility.

Where Kalolin was the frozen stillness of ice, Chen Xing was wildfire.

Intense. Unforgiving.

Magnetic, yes—but also a warning.

Don’t get too close. Fire burns.

“Damn it… Why does my sister look so damn cool even when wiping a blade?! I wanna be crushed under her heel, just once!”

“I’m not okay! I’m not okay! The girl next to me is terrifying!”

“Hey! You! You’re acting weird!”

“Run! The Stalkers are back!”

“No, don’t run! I surrender! I surrender! (White flag)”

As the Dimensional Audience members erupted into praise for Chen Xing’s ruthless elegance,

…she had already turned her gaze toward the sea.

There, just offshore on the western coast, the Star Monument that had summoned the beast horde was crumbling from the top down, fracturing into delicate, star-like fragments that drifted like glittering snow across the waves.

If not for the mountain of Stellar Beast corpses piled along the shore, the scene might have looked almost beautiful.

With the final Star Monument collapsing, Chen Kong—exhausted beyond words—plopped down onto the sand and sighed.

"God… I wonder how Tian Dao and Yun’s team are doing over there. Should’ve been over by now…"

Farther away, Jing Ruli lay sprawled on her Dream Pillow like a puppy, tongue lolling, panting weakly.

"Definitely… over," she wheezed. "I can feel it—the nightmare energy around the island is flatter than Chen Xing’s chest. We’re safe. All clear."

"…?"

Chen Kong stared at her, mouth agape so wide it looked like he could swallow an egg whole.

What in the world…?

Ruli… did you really just say that?

After everything we’ve been through… you’re saying the only thing worth holding onto is not even worth mentioning?

You’re… incredible. (Thumbs up)

"Kong, why’re you making that face? Did I say something wrong?"

Jing Ruli, completely unaware of her misstep, didn’t even try to fix it. Instead, she tilted her head, blinking innocently.

It’s just the truth, she thought. What’s so bad about that?

But her innocence didn’t save her.

"Hey… why am I suddenly floating?!"

Jing Ruli blinked, watching her Dream Pillow recede beneath her feet.

She turned—only to see Chen Xing standing behind her, the hilt of the Yao Dao hooked through the back of her pajama collar, lifting her off the ground like a fish on a hook.

Her eyes locked onto Chen Xing’s cold, storm-cloud expression—her gaze sharpened with lethal intent.

Realization dawned.

No hesitation.

Jing Ruli instantly surrendered, summoning her most pathetic, desperate puppy eyes.

"Ahaha… Chen Xing sister, I actually—"

She didn’t get to finish.

Chen Xing yanked the blade sharply.

Whip!

Jing Ruli swung wildly, her body bouncing like a ragdoll.

One by one, Dream Candy · Rainbow spilled from her pajama pockets and sleeves, raining down onto the Dream Pillow in a chaotic cascade.

When the last candy landed, Chen Xing let go.

She stepped forward, picked up three of the glowing sweets, and tossed two toward Chen Kong and the silent, black-haired girl leaning against a tree—Yezhen Lin, the “Three-No” girl, emotionless, expressionless, voiceless.

Yezhen Lin didn’t hesitate. She popped the candy into her mouth, closed her eyes, and began restoring her energy—efficient, relentless, wasting no time.

Meanwhile, Jing Ruli, still reeling from the violent shaking, was dropped unceremoniously onto the sand.

Her eyes were now swirling like spirals. Her head wobbled. Her lips moved in a daze, muttering nonsense: "Aba… aba… aba…"

She was clearly in no shape to speak—let alone think.

Chen Xing ignored her.

Instead, she turned to Chen Kong and Yezhen Lin.

"Rest for three minutes. Then we move out—now."

Chen Kong: "Got it."

Yezhen Lin: "Understood."

With that settled, Chen Xing knelt on the sand, her Yao Dao resting between her knees. She popped one Dream Candy · Rainbow into her mouth and closed her eyes, beginning her recovery.

But unlike Chen Kong and Jing Ruli, whose faces bore relief, Chen Xing’s expression was darker than ever.

Her tension hadn’t eased.

It had worsened.

Because everything had gone too smoothly.

Too easy.

They’d broken through the Stellar Beast blockade.

Destroyed the Star Monument.

Ended the horde.

If this had been an accident, a natural disaster… she wouldn’t have questioned it.

But now she knew—this was no accident.

This had been planned.

And that made her uneasy.

Too easy.

Like they were walking through a trap—knowing it was a trap, but still stepping forward.

Why hadn’t the enemy stopped them?

Why hadn’t they shown up?

That was when her rest ended.

Chen Xing stood, walking to Chen Kong’s side.

"Kong. Give me one of your Dream Candy · Blue."

"Huh? Why suddenly want that?"

Chen Xing paused, frowning. "Besides me… did anyone else ask you for it?"

Chen Kong nodded. "Yeah. A few days ago, Tian Dao came to me and asked me to give him one."

He paused, then added, "I asked why. He said he was afraid of hurting himself during training…"

The words trailed off.

But the silence that followed was deafening.

Chen Xing’s face darkened.

Jing Ruli’s breath hitched.

Even Chen Kong felt the chill.

Why?

Why would Tian Dao—someone who trained constantly—need a candy that blocked pain?

And more importantly…

Why not use Jing Ruli’s Dream Candy · Rainbow?

That was the real training candy.

So why did he want Dream Candy · Blue?

Unless…

"Wait… sister… do you think Tian Dao… already knew?"

Chen Kong didn’t finish.

Chen Xing lunged forward—her body a blur—flying toward the base.

Jing Ruli shot after her, her usual goofy smile gone.

Her eyes were cold.

Because she remembered.

That night…

Before Tian Dao left for Deep Blue Metropolis, he had come to her—in the middle of the night.

And he’d asked her to… interpret a dream.

He wouldn’t tell her what it was about.

But the fact that Tian Dao, the unshakable, the calm—had come to her in the dead of night, trembling, asking for a dream’s meaning…

That meant it wasn’t just any dream.

It was a warning.

And now, with everything falling into place, Jing Ruli finally understood.

She understood which dream.

And what he had decided to do after seeing it.

Tian Dao… you liar!

You said we’d have a brilliant tomorrow.

But why didn’t you tell us…

You’d already erased yourself from it?

As Chen Xing and Jing Ruli tore toward the base at full speed—

The scene shifted.

Back to one hour earlier.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end