If only I knew magic...
His voice grew weaker and weaker.
Herta shook her head desperately, tears splashing with every movement.
No!!
Liar...
You're lying!
Home is still far away, but you...
Qi Zhimu didn't look into her eyes again; instead, he took out over ten small devices, pre-setting their activation sequence, coordinates, and countdowns.
Then, he stuffed all the devices into the storage compartment of Herta's protective suit.
No... don't!!
Herta recognized at a glance that those were spatial jump devices, one of which was a coordinate signal coupler.
He wanted to use these devices to send her out of the No-Mans Land...
Wh-what about you?
What will you do?!
Responding to her was Qi Zhimu's hand reaching for the oxygen interface.
He disconnected the supply interface, leaving all the remaining oxygen for Herta.
Herta kept trying to stop him, telling him not to.
But her voice was destined never to reach Qi Zhimu's ears.
Qi Zhimu wanted to say something more, but coughed up a large mouthful of fresh blood. His body lost its balance and fell weakly toward the ground, his voice intermittent.
"I'm sorry... Little Ta, Brother Mu is going to break his promise..."
"In the future... I will no longer be able to... rush to your side... cough, cough... immediately after hearing your call..."
With every word he spoke, more blood welled out from the corner of his mouth.
On the other clean visor, the reflection of the girl crying out in heart-wrenching agony was visible.
The light in Qi Zhimu's eyes flickered precariously, his broken words filled with attachment and regret.
"If only I knew magic..."
"Then I could overcome thousands of obstacles... and accompany you... back... home..."
"No—!!"
The Herta of the future merged with her past self, letting out a mournful wail.
The sound tore through her throat and vibrated in her chest, but it could not escape the confines of her visor.
Strength erupted from somewhere within her body, driving her to reach out for Qi Zhimu's palm.
Just a split second before she could grab him, the surrounding space suddenly warped.
The jump devices activated.
Herta's hand was only an inch away from Qi Zhimu's fingertips; it was this very inch that seemed like an eternal barrier destined never to be breached.
The two hands ultimately missed each other.
The final image before her body vanished from the spot was of Qi Zhimu's lips curling slightly upward, his pupils turning completely grey as all signs of life faded.
This reality was seared onto Herta's retina like a branding iron, and even more so into her heart and the deepest depths of her soul.
Forever and ever, it could never be erased.
Space continued to warp, and the No-Mans Land grew further and further away behind her; the figure lying in a pool of blood was no longer visible.
"No—"
"Let me go back!!!"
But her body would not obey her, and she could only allow the power of space to push her forward.
The jump devices Qi Zhimu had pre-set activated one after another, quickly sending her out of the No-Mans Land.
By the time she could see her surroundings clearly, she was already floating in the low Earth orbit of the Azure Star.
Finally... she could see her home...
But her heart had shattered into ten thousand pieces.
Qi Zhimu had arranged everything for her with his life, and the coordinate signal coupler on her body began to work.
In less than half an hour, a large fleet appeared in her field of vision, heading straight for her with a clear objective, their light signals flashing continuously.
She would likely be saved, but the person who saved her would never return...
The moment she was rescued onto the ship, Herta heard people talking, comforting her, and asking questions.
But she couldn't remember anything, only repeating a single sentence over and over.
I want to go back... I want to go back...
Back, back, back, back—
He's still there.
He's there all alone.
How can he be there all alone?!
Obsession boiled in the deep sea of Herta's thoughts, making her soul tremble with its heat.
Finally, at a certain moment, that obsession, capable of stirring a spark, swept through like a supernova explosion.
Space warped instantly; everyone on the ship watched in terror as countless spatial rifts appeared around the girl.
Herta's consciousness left her body, turning into a beam of light that pierced through the ship's hull and the void, shuttling toward the coordinates where that man lay in a pool of blood.
Maybe ten minutes.
Maybe half an hour.
Maybe even longer.
Herta passed through the endless fog of remembrance, through countless shattered dimensions and layered spaces, finally returning to that No-Mans Land.
With just one look, she locked onto the man lying in the pool of blood.
The blood on his body had already dried; his eyes were closed, but that slight curve still remained on his lips.
He was smiling.
Having successfully left the hope of returning home to the girl in his heart, he smiled very peacefully.
Herta stumbled over and knelt beside him, her tears falling like rain.
"Brother Mu..."
She leaned over and hugged him tightly with all her strength.
In that instant, boundless darkness swallowed them both.
Herta could see nothing; she could only hold onto Qi Zhimu's remains tightly, letting the darkness carry them as they sank continuously.
Not knowing how long they had been sinking, points of light surged from all directions, forming countless memory fragments like shattered mirrors, replaying many things from the past.
...
Waking up crying from a nightmare in the middle of the night, Qi Zhimu held the girl in his arms tightly and gently patted the back of her head.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here, I'll always be here."
...
On the way home, the girl held Qi Zhimu's hand, smiling brightly.
"Brother Mu, when you see me cursing at people, do you think I'm rude and uncivilized?"
"No. Some words are like chocolate: sweet for humans, but toxic for dogs."
"Quite a few people secretly say I'm caustic..."
"That's because those idiots targeting you only dare to gossip behind your back; in person, they'd only be scolded to tears by you. I suggest you keep it up. You don't live for them, and taking an idiot's feelings into account is a pure waste of time."
"Got it~"
...
"It's so strange. Why are the animals in nature that can still adapt to the current environment—whether they're predators or not—so close to you? They even completely hide their ferocity."
The girl climbed onto the massive snow-white tiger crouching beside Qi Zhimu, her palm constantly stroking its fur.
Even when she occasionally stroked against the grain, the tiger remained docile and quiet.
"Maybe I'm a reincarnated Druid," Qi Zhimu smiled, reaching out to catch two flying snowy owls without explaining in detail.
"Let's not talk about that. I'm going to buy milk tea. The usual?"
"For mine, 50% sugar is enough this time."
...
"Brother Mu, do you think... we can save the Azure Star in our lifetime?"
"Let me correct one small mistake: it's you, not us. I'm not as smart as you; after all, you're the youngest genius girl the Azure Star has ever seen."
"If Brother Mu hadn't solved the erosion disease caused by the fog of remembrance, who knows how many scientists and soldiers would have met an untimely end. How is that not saving the world?"
"Even if I couldn't do it, someone else would. Little Ta is a remarkable person; I believe you will definitely be able to save the Azure Star."
"There you go again. Remember, it's u—s—"
"Haha... alright, not just you, but us..."
...
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