Earth Era

Part 48

Upon hearing the news, everyone was instantly revitalized, their spirits lifted.

Qin Feng climbed into his fighter jet, going through the motions as he did during training sessions—putting on his helmet and toggling various switches on the dashboard. Despite not sitting in the cockpit for a week, he didn't appear rusty at all. His actions were swift and precise, with buttons clicking and switches flicking.

Beside him was Xiaoya's fighter jet, and next to hers was Zhong Yuanjie's. Qin Feng gave them a thumbs-up.

A voice emanated from the dashboard of the cockpit: "Attention, a large fleet of marauders is directly above us. The Shield Mountain could collapse at any moment. Group One and Group Two, proceed to upper airspace for reconnaissance. Other groups, maintain readiness status and standby!"

Qin Feng and his companions were part of Group Two. Upon receiving the command, they each started up their fighter jets. With a roar, dozens of jets taxied down the runway, soaring into the air in perfect formation!

Several anti-gravity reconnaissance drones followed closely behind. Their main task was to capture and observe the surrounding conditions within a radius of one kilometer—a vital function as they served as the eyes of the fighter jets.

The fleet of jets quickly ascended to an altitude of ten thousand meters, the crackling of electricity growing louder. From here, they could clearly observe the world outside the defensive layer.

The motherships were absorbing the energy of the defense layer. A beam of light connected the motherships directly to the Shield Mountain defense layer, and the high-intensity energy flowed wildly, resembling a colossal serpent.

"Do you see that?" Qin Feng asked.

"Of course, we're not blind," Xiaoya replied.

...

Hours later, Group One and Group Two returned to the ground due to fuel limitations, while Groups Three and Four continued with reconnaissance.

Eventually, Qin Feng and his team were informed that they could return to rest. Eagerly, they rushed back to their quarters, longing for sleep.

Xiaoya visited Qin Feng's room, saying she couldn't sleep.

"If you can't sleep, you still need to try. This might be your last chance for a peaceful rest," Qin Feng advised.

"That's exactly why I can't sleep," she replied.

"In that case, I'm going to sleep," Qin Feng said, rubbing his eyes and lying down.

"Ah, I can't sleep, and neither can you," she protested, shaking him vigorously.

"What kind of logic is that?"

"You said the scariest thing is never seeing me again. Aren't you afraid of waking up and never seeing me again?"

"I knew it. If I don't sleep now, I'll truly never see you again," Qin Feng retorted.

"...Fine, then. Move over, I'm sleeping next to you."

"Uh-oh! Don't squeeze, I'm already leaning against the wall. This is a single bed..."

Qin Feng opened his eyes drowsily after what felt like ages, his arm numb from Xiaoya's head pressing against it. He wanted to reach for his phone to check the time but hesitated, not wanting to wake her up. So, he maintained this position for over half an hour until his body stiffened.

Suddenly, Zhong Yuanjie pushed the door open without warning and walked in. Seeing the two on the bed, he froze.

"Let me explain, it's not—" Qin Feng began, but he was shushed and then met with a mischievous grin as Zhong Yuanjie exited the room.

Perhaps hearing the sound, Xiaoya groggily opened her eyes and asked, "What's going on?"

Qin Feng took the opportunity to withdraw his arm and flex it before whispering, "Nothing, go back to sleep."

"Okay," she murmured, pulling his arm back under her head and drifting off again.

When Xiaoya woke up again, it was nearly noon, but the sky outside was still dark. Qin Feng was already up, sitting beside her.

"Awake?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, stretching lazily.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Alright," she said with a smile.

"I didn't sleep much," Qin Feng said, pouting playfully.

"And that's my fault?"

"No, I blame the small bed in the dorm."

Later, the two went to the cafeteria for a quick meal and ran into Zhong Yuanjie on their way back.

He asked, "Where did you two go?"

"Eating," Xiaoya replied.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Um... we thought you'd already eaten," Qin Feng said. "How about... we go with you this time?"

"Ah, choosing romance over friendship," he shook his head, waving them off. "It's okay, I'll go by myself."

As he walked away, he muttered, "Choosing romance over friendship, you two..."

The two exchanged glances and chuckled before returning to their room.

Standing by the window and gazing at the massive object in the sky, Qin Feng sighed, "Saitan... from now on, it's eternal night."

"Not necessarily," Xiaoya said. "The energy of the original sphere isn't that easy to drain. Maybe they'll fill up their ships with energy and leave once they achieve their goal."

"Huh? How do you know about 'Yuan'?" Qin Feng asked, surprised.

"What 'Yuan'?" she looked puzzled. "I never mentioned 'Yuan'."

Qin Feng was about to respond when there was a knock on the door. Assuming it was Zhong Yuanjie returning, they casually said, "Come in."

To their surprise, it wasn't Zhong Yuanjie but Luyuan who entered.

Seeing the two in the room, he paused momentarily before saying to Qin Feng, "Come out for a moment, I need to talk to you."