Qin Ke had been on the brink of despair, but suddenly, Tao Ran appeared. He recalled the last time Tao Ran had single-handedly confronted the Twin Star faction, and a fire ignited within him. All rational thought was consumed by this blaze of determination. Qin Ke grabbed Tao Ran's hand and said, "She's still inside, in the basement of the largest villa."
Tao Ran's eyes welled up with tears at the thought of Kui Qingqing staying behind alone, and he immediately rushed in that direction. Lao Zhang, lying on the ground, looked at Qin Ke in shock and asked, "Didn't Kui Qingqing escape from another direction? Why did you say that, boss?"
Overwhelming guilt prevented Qin Ke from meeting his eyes. Lao Zhang realized and said, "I get it now. You want to trick Chao Ge into going and saving Zhen Ling alone."
Qin Ke's eyes were red, and he still didn't say anything.
Lao Zhang rushed up in anger to kick him to the ground and yelled, "How could you do this? Isn't Chao Ge's life just as important as Zhen Ling's? He's our brother!"
Qin Ke lay motionless on the ground, while Lao Zhang's frustration reached a boiling point. He sat on Qin Ke and began to vent his anger by repeatedly hitting him. In response, Qin Ke calmly uttered, "Hit me. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and hit me."
As Lao Zhang continued to hit him, tears welled up in his eyes, and he sobbed, "What do I have to feel better about? What about Kui Qingqing? She's been alone all these years, and now she finally found someone she likes..."
Qin Ke said with red eyes: "I'm sorry for her."
"She's not the only one you're sorry for," Lao Zhang closed his eyes. "Our brothers came over risking their lives to save you, and this is how you repay them. Even if Zhen Ling is rescued, so what, do you still have the face to meet Chao Ge, Kui Qingqing, and everyone else?"
Qin Ke's eyes were red and he didn't speak. He knew he was despicable and unforgivable, but he couldn't bear to lose Zhen Ling. No matter what, he couldn't let anything happen to her. If Kui Qingqing blamed him, he'd rather die in front of her.
Tao Ran swiftly flew toward the gathering place of the Twin Star faction, and along the way, he saw the people of the Twin Stars split into several groups and chase outside. He flew as high as he could to avoid detection, but once he reached the surface, he had to reduce his altitude to spot the specific villa.
Upon arriving over the gathering point, Tao Ran lowered his head and immediately spotted the largest villa. It was in a state of devastation, and it was obvious that someone had just fought fiercely inside.
At that moment, someone noticed Tao Ran and pointed, shouting, "There's someone in the sky!"
There was no time to waste. Tao Ran landed and waved his hand to send debris from the ruins hurtling towards the approaching group of people. Jumping into the villa, he couldn't immediately spot any entrance to the basement. He shouted, "Kui Qingqing!"
No one answered him, and the crowd gathering outside continued to grow. As Tao Ran searched for an entrance, he also had to fend off those drawing near.
Anyone who came within three meters of Tao Ran was lifted into the sky, unable to get closer. Xiao Mei reminded him, "Host, you won't last long."
Tao Ran asked, "I can't find the entrance to the basement. How can I break through the ground directly?"
Little Mei knew he wouldn't leave without finding Kui Qingqing, so she said, "Concentrate your abilities into a single point and thrust them into the ground, like an awl."
Without hesitation, Tao Ran gathered all his abilities into one point. As the other abilities sensed that Tao Ran was no longer blocking them, they shouted, "He can't hold on anymore! Charge!"
Tao Ran plunged his abilities into the ground, feeling a dizzying sensation. After a tremendous crash, the basement broke open, but Kui Qingqing was nowhere to be found.
Where is Kui Qingqing? Where on earth is she?
Kui Qingqing had managed to escape. She sprinted all the way to the abandoned canning factory, where she saw Lao Zhang and Qin Ke waiting outside. Running towards them, she called out, "Let's go! Leave this place quickly, and let's return to the village!"
However, instead of answering, there was a solemn silence among them. Puzzled, Kui Qingqing approached and asked, "What's going on? We've all escaped, so why are you making such gloomy faces?"
Lao Zhang exchanged a glance with Qin Ke, and then Qin Ke knelt before Kui Qingqing with a loud thud. Startled, she took a step back and asked, "What's going on? Save the gratitude of saving your life for later. For now, let's retreat first."
Lao Zhang said with red eyes, "Chaoge just came."
"He's here?" Kui Qingqing looked around. "Where is he?"
"Qin Ke told him that you were in the basement, and he went to rescue you alone."
Kui Qingqing's vision went dark, and Qin Ke quickly rushed to support her. She yelled, "Why would you say that? I've escaped, we all escaped together. You know I wasn't down there!"
Qin Ke couldn't meet her eyes, bowing his head in silence. Lao Zhang stared at Qin Ke with resentment and said, "He wanted to deceive Chao Ge into rescuing Zhen Ling. What are we brothers worth in his eyes? We're not even as important as some insignificant woman."
Everything became clear, and Kui Qingqing looked at Qin Ke in disbelief, "I never thought you would become like this!"
Qin Ke lifted his head and replied, "Qingqing, don't worry. Chao Ge is very powerful; he'll find a way to escape."
"He won't!" Kui Qingqing roared, "He won't come back unless he finds me!"
With that, Kui Qingqing turned and rushed back towards the danger. Lao Zhang tackled her, hugging her tightly. "You can't go back at this time!"
Meanwhile, in the basement, Tao Ran didn't find Kui Qingqing. He assumed she had been taken somewhere else. Turning around, he grabbed someone, "Where's Kui Qingqing? Where have you taken her?"
What answered him were countless abilities—fireballs, ice shards, lightning bolts—raining down upon him. Tao Ran's supernatural protective barrier held for less than half a minute before shattering. Though he dodged quickly, he was still inevitably injured. One of his arms was burnt black. Little Mei warned, "You need to leave. You won't last much longer."
Tao Ran pondered, "If I die like this, it shouldn't be considered suicide, right?"
Xiao Mei asked, "But if you die to save the female supporting character, will she be blackened for you?"
"I don't know," Tao Ran muttered as he was caught in the siege from all sides. "This is my last mission. Am I destined to fail?"
As night fell, the only place with a flicker of light was the gathering place of the Twin Star faction. In the wild darkness, Kui Qingqing ran alone towards the only shining spot. Speedster Xiao Liu caught up to her and said, "Going there won't help. You can't save him alone, and what if he is distracted to protect you?"
Kui Qingqing suddenly stopped. She couldn't afford to add to the trouble now, but Tao Ran wouldn't leave without seeing her. She raised her head and looked at the dark sky, there was not a single star in the sky tonight.
Her hands stretched out, palms flat against her chest, and a blood-red fireball gathered in her palm, growing bigger and bigger. She controlled the fireball, lifting it slowly into the sky. The enormous, blood-red fireball emitted a terrifying heat, hanging in the sky like a sun.
Xiao Liu's face turned pale as he said, "This is too dangerous. You've already pushed yourself to the limit, and you can't overdraw your abilities anymore!"
The massive fireball hung in the sky, and suddenly it exploded violently, resembling a gigantic blood-red firework.
Tao Ran, who was barely holding on, saw the blood-red color belonged to only one person. Everyone stared in awe at the enormous fireworks blooming in the sky. Could a fire-based ability really create such a range and power? Tao Ran looked in that direction and suddenly roared. The surrounding ability users were shaken and staggered back. Tao Ran shot up and disappeared into the sky.
After overdrawing her abilities to unleash the fireball, Kui Qingqing collapsed. Xiao Liu, fearful for her, looked towards the gathering place. He helped Kui Qingqing up and said, "I'll carry you back."
Kui Qingqing stopped Xiao Liu, looking up in a certain direction. Following her gaze, Xiao Liu saw something gradually approaching. After Tao Ran saw Kui Qingqing, his spirit was no longer tense. He immediately lost his focus and power disappeared. He dropped to the ground without saying a word, smashing a pit on the ground.
Kui Qingqing rushed over, rolling and crawling. She dug Tao Ran out of the earth, checked for his heartbeat, and burst into tears of relief on the spot.
When the dawn broke and the birds were up to forage for food, Lao Zhang and the others, who had spent the sleepless night, stepped out. "Neither Kui Qingqing nor Xiao Liu had returned, and Chao Ge was still missing.
"Let's go," Lao Zhang said. "We can't afford any more casualties."
Everyone turned around with red eyes and heavy hearts. They hung their heads looking like a group of defeated soldiers, dejected and despondent. Qin Ke remained silent and motionless, but nobody paid him any attention. It was unclear what he was holding onto, but no one cared anymore.
The once-revered leader had lost his authority, reduced to a level lower than a stray dog in the street.
"Wait," the brain ability user spoke up. "I think I heard something."
Everyone immediately went on high alert, and they heard the sound of someone moving through the bushes. They all stared intensely at the direction of the waist-high thicket.
Then, a person walked out. Xiao Liu carried Tao Ran on his back, while cradling Kui Qingqing in his arms, his face covered in bloodstains from the grass. He looked at his loved ones before him, tears instantly streamed down his face after enduring hardship all night. "We're back."
Lao Zhang and the others hurried over to pick them up. Xiao Liu collapsed on the ground, completely drained. Tao Ran had several broken bones in his body, and Kui Qingqing had passed out from overusing her abilities. Lao Zhang laughed heartily, "As long as everyone's alive, that's what matters. Let's go home, and we'll have Fluffy catch some wild boars to eat."
Qin Ke gazed at Tao Ran with complex emotions. Tao Ran's eyelids trembled, and he opened his eyes. In one glance, he took in the situation before him.
Qin Ke's lips moved several times, and he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Tao Ran didn't say anything, only replying, "Zhen Ling isn't here; she's already gone back to the government."
Qin Ke watched as Lao Zhang and the others, carrying Tao Ran, Kui Qingqing, and Xiao Liu on their backs, began their journey back home. The morning sun shone down on them, but he couldn't join in anymore.
By now, news of the attack on the Twin Star gathering place had spread to various factions of ability users. They felt that the situation couldn't be allowed to continue. They gathered together, representing the entire faction of abilities, and for the first time, they declared war on the entire human government.
At this moment, Zhen Ling's vaccine had finally been successfully developed. She carried her vaccine to negotiate with high-ranking officials. Humans no longer needed to fear ability users; there was now an opportunity for peaceful coexistence between humans and ability users.
She placed the vial of vaccine on the leader's desk, and the light from outside the window shone in, refracting a brilliant glow.