Chapter 117: I Want to Be With You Forever

"Captain, what should we do now, without the portal?" Following Zhuang Xiaoyuan to the vicinity of the portal, the members of the Guardians had voluntarily joined the effort to treat the wounded before the next wave of demons entered the city and neared the command center. While bandaging the leg of a casualty, Wen Hui asked Hua Ze, who was nearby.

"Without a portal, we have to rely on air transport. But air travel carries significant risks." As two men approached from a distance, the one in the lead answered Wen Hui's question before Hua Ze could.

"Uncle Feng?!" Hearing the familiar voice, Zhuang Xiaoyuan looked up. It was indeed Feng Guoqing, whom she hadn't seen in days. He was fully armed, and the scent of gunpowder still clung to him.

"Hmm? Is that you, Xiaoyuan? Another new transformation ability? You are becoming increasingly unfathomable to your Uncle Feng." Hearing her address him, Feng Guoqing realized who it was. He had been deeply worried ever since receiving the transport team's report that Zhuang Xiaoyuan had single-handedly held off a tunneling-class demon. Thankfully, she was standing safely before him now.

"Uncle Feng." Zhuang Xiaoyuan didn't know how to explain; she was the original Zhuang Xiaoyuan, yet she wasn't. She felt the urge to speak the truth, but it seemed unnecessary. After all, the current Zhuang Xiaoyuan was still Zhuang Xiaoyuan.

"Alright, no need for explanations. I am happy for you; you have started to forge your own path. If Xiaoxuan were still here, I believe she would be very happy to have such an outstanding younger sister." Smiling, he interrupted her inner struggle. He saw the subtle changes in her but dismissed them. After all, she was changing for the better; though it made him worry more, her increased strength was a guarantee of safety.

"Compared to Sister Xiaoxuan, I still have a long way to go." Hearing him mention Feng Xiaoxuan, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s gaze grew distant. Was she a little closer to her now?

"You don't need to compare yourself to her. You have carved out your own path, and you are just as much a source of pride to me as she was." Seeing the shift in her expression, Feng Guoqing sighed inwardly, mourning his daughter's early death while feeling a pang of sympathy for the way Zhuang Xiaoyuan constantly measured herself against her.

"Uncle Feng."

"Enough, let's focus on the mission. The portal is destroyed. To evacuate, we must use airships, but given our current fleet, I fear we cannot carry everyone." He knew what she was going to say, but in his heart, Zhuang Xiaoyuan held the same status as his own daughter. She was his daughter, too.

"Are you trying to make us leave first?" Noting the direction of Feng's gaze, Hua Ze smiled, having understood their intention.

"Correct, this is an order from the command center." The young man behind Feng, Major Chu Yan, the command staff officer, spoke up.

"Hmph, if we were the kind to follow such orders, we wouldn't be the Guardians." Hua Ze scoffed. While the Guardians lacked official command authority within the military, they held a unique status. Nominally subordinate to the Feng City command, in reality, they maintained independent operational control.

"We anticipated your answer. Then, please, Guardians, board the airships and protect the civilians as they evacuate." Wearing a genial smile, Chu Yan knew the Guardians' resolve; they hadn't left with the first wave through the portal. He had prepared a plan that aligned with their "wishes" before even arriving.

"..." Hua Ze fell silent. He could not refuse a mission to protect civilians. This was no empty excuse; if Chu Yan said it, it meant the civilians would indeed be on those ships. And they would certainly need protection—in this wretched era, the skies were no longer safe.

"If the airships can't take everyone, who stays behind?" Zhuang Xiaoyuan already knew the answer, but she asked anyway. She feared those left behind were prepared to die.

"You've likely already guessed. Rest assured, we will evacuate by land." Chu Yan looked at her earnestly, opening his mouth as if to say something else, but ultimately stayed silent. If she reached the Central City safely, that person would tell her himself.

"Land... that will likely be a journey through hell." Studying Chu Yan's smiling face, Hua Ze spoke with a solemn tone.

"We made that resolve long before we enlisted." A relaxed smile played on Feng Guoqing's face, as if the upcoming journey were merely a honeymoon. It looked nothing like the path of near-certain death they were about to embark upon.

"I’m going with you. I haven't officially joined the Guardians yet, and I am still part of the logistics team." Seeing Feng's carefree expression and Chu Yan's calm demeanor, Zhuang Xiaoyuan made a resolute decision. There might be countless dangers ahead, but with her there, the survivors would have a better chance, even if she wasn't strong enough yet.

"I'll go with you." As soon as Zhuang Xiaoyuan finished speaking, Wen Hui uttered those three simple words. She had made her choice—perhaps impulsive, perhaps reckless, but it was a choice that followed her own heart.

"Xiao Hui, you..." Hearing those simple words, Zhuang Xiaoyuan felt moved; they struck straight to her heart.

"I won't let you have all the glory. Perhaps I’ll find it hard to ever surpass you, but at the very least, I don't want to be left too far behind. I don't want to just watch your receding back; I want to walk alongside you. I want to be with you, always."

Zhuang Xiaoyuan's various abilities had put immense pressure on Wen Hui. Once rivals, now close friends—regardless of the label, Wen Hui wanted to stand as her equal. If Zhuang Xiaoyuan grew too far beyond her, to the point of needing to protect her, how could she still call herself her rival or her friend?

Having a friend like Wen Hui was Zhuang Xiaoyuan's fortune. But in truth, it was equally Wen Hui's fortune as well.