Chapter 228 : Chapter 228 Don't Cry, We're Almost Home
From beginning to end, there was only one true Qi Zhimu.
Even when gravely injured, he was the Original Human who would carry her on his back to survive, exhausting everything.
But regarding this conclusion, Herta only felt an unprecedented fear.
If Magician Qi Zhimu was merely a phantom she had imagined to escape the cruel reality.
If Original Human Qi Zhimu was the real one, did it mean that everything that happened in the past was far more than she imagined...
Thinking of Qi Zhimu's current situation, Herta didn't dare think any further.
As time passed, Qi Zhimu completed the preliminary modifications to the protective suit.
Anyone would be stunned at first sight of such a strange design, but it wasn't hard to understand.
On the back of the protective suit, he had actually modified and attached a second, smaller set.
"...This..."
Could it be that he intended to use this protective suit to take her on foot through the No-Mans Land of the fog of remembrance?
Before she could think deeply, Qi Zhimu began adding an exoskeleton to the protective suit and dismantled some of the spaceship's weapon systems to transfer them onto it.
Seeing this, Herta couldn't help but freeze.
A shocking fact she had forgotten was rapidly resurfacing...
The reason the No-Mans Land was the No-Mans Land was that humans could not survive there.
Only non-human species, uniquely designed Virtual Substance Lifeforms, could traverse it.
The most direct reason for the inability to survive was so simple it needed no extra explanation: no oxygen!
Herta's body began to tremble slightly.
In Remembrance, Magician Qi Zhimu had also once taken her through an oxygen-free area.
Destroying the world that birthed the Emanator of The Propagation, erasing the Subspace and even the fog of remembrance that brought everything, turning the area encompassing that world back into a vacuum universe.
Could it be that this experience corresponded exactly to...
Recalling the truth, Herta clenched her fists.
Why?
Why would she forget many key Remembrances, only remembering them after re-experiencing and witnessing them?
In fairy tales, the young magician possessed the ability to take away others' Remembrances.
Assuming Magician Qi Zhimu never truly existed, this meant the person who took her own Remembrances wasn't him.
But if it wasn't him, why did she forget?
While Herta was full of confusion, Qi Zhimu finished the modifications for attack and self-defense, then expanded the pure oxygen reserves, heading to the oxygen supply circulation device to fill them.
Finally, he went to the energy storage bay and transferred 5% of the energy reserves to power the exoskeleton.
What Herta thought earlier was indeed correct; she understood why he wanted to modify the protective suit.
Once the spaceship could no longer sail, Qi Zhimu planned to use the most primitive method to take her through the rest of the way.
After setting aside the modified protective suit, Qi Zhimu stepped off the ship to check the damage.
After calculating a suitable speed that wouldn't worsen the hull's structural loss, he returned to the ship and restarted the engines.
The scarred ship's tail flames flared, plunging into the No-Mans Land deep within the fog of remembrance.
Just as Herta had deduced, the ship had only traveled halfway through the No-Mans Land before its energy reserves completely bottomed out.
Relying on its final inertia to glide forward for a distance, it came to a complete stop in the middle of a wasteland.
Qi Zhimu quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, nimbly stripped the original protective suits off himself and Herta, and tucked Herta into the modified interior.
Since he had only one arm left, the process was very inconvenient.
A few minutes later, Qi Zhimu activated the protective suit's oxygen supply and opened the spaceship's hatch.
Grey mist instantly flooded into the cabin.
He leaped down, and as the power cushioning device took effect, he landed steadily.
After looking up at the ship that could never be started again, Qi Zhimu's gaze passed through the visor and fell upon the quiet sleeping face of the girl behind him.
He gazed deeply for a few seconds, then resolutely set out on the journey home.
The Virtual Substance Lifeforms lurking in the No-Mans Land were not as troublesome as the Stingbugs of The Propagation, but they were enough to cause much trouble and interference for the current Qi Zhimu.
Combat was completely unavoidable.
Relying on the added weapon systems like the laser cannons and holding a long blade, Qi Zhimu carved a blood-soaked path through the surrounding monsters.
He was not the magician in the stories; he did not have such powerful strength.
Every battle would severely exhaust his already meager physical strength.
But no matter how the monsters roared and bit, no matter how much the armor was damaged, Qi Zhimu always protected his back, blocking all fatal attacks with his front.
Every time a battle ended, without even giving himself time to stop and catch his breath, he stepped over the monster remains and continued firmly toward the Azure Star.
The long slaughter and trek blurred the boundaries of time, until a piercing sound of metal snapping rang out.
The exoskeleton beneath Qi Zhimu's feet completely collapsed, his body tilted, and he fell heavily into the dust of the wilderness.
It wasn't far from the exit of the No-Mans Land.
It really wasn't far anymore.
It was just... he could no longer take another step.
Continuous overloaded combat had left countless hideous damages on the protective suit, each one a testament to his persistence.
If he hadn't added so many offensive measures, he wouldn't have lasted until now, let alone while carrying another person.
The ambush that had just ended was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
His right leg was broken.
The intense shock had shattered his internal organs; his injuries were too many and too severe, and the massive blood loss would quickly drain his life force.
It hurt.
It really hurt.
But compared to this, she was still safe and sound.
Qi Zhimu struggled to lift his left arm, the life-support readings on his wrist flashing.
[Remaining oxygen content: 29%.]
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Blood seeped uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth, staining the inside of the visor a shocking red.
With trembling hands, Qi Zhimu reached for the composite buckles at his waist, gradually releasing the fixed assembly of the protective suit.
Slowly sitting up, he carefully moved Herta in front of him.
To his surprise, the girl had woken up at some point.
Through the blood-blurred visor, Qi Zhimu saw a face covered in tear stains.
Her eyes were so red it looked like they might drip blood, and tears kept pouring out, sliding down her cheeks and forming small puddles inside the visor.
Herta's lips trembled and moved, saying something, crying out.
Qi Zhimu wanted to wipe away her tears, wanted to tell her not to cry, wanted to say he was fine.
But his hand only made it halfway up before it fell back down.
The corners of his mouth struggled to pull upward, using all his strength to form a faint curve.
"Your protective suit only has one-way communication; you can only hear me speak."
Herta actually knew, she had always known.
She had woken up very early, as early as when Qi Zhimu first stumbled.
She had seen all the difficulties encountered along the way.
Every time Qi Zhimu was injured, her heart would twitch violently.
He would be injured again, and her heart would twitch again.
Twitching until finally, her heart was numb with pain.
The man who always stood in front of her, after losing one arm, had now lost a leg.
Blood spread from beneath him, staining the ground red and staining her vision red.
Herta wanted to rush over and hug him, but her weak body could not support such an action; even crawling up was difficult.
She could only watch helplessly as Qi Zhimu lost his life force bit by bit before her eyes.
Qi Zhimu finally lifted his blood-stained arm and, through the visor, gently touched the top of the girl's head.
"...Don't... cry, we're almost home."