The mascot of the wishing shop is a cat.

Chapter 39 Did We Reunite?

After Liu Meng fled into the spatial portal, the portal should have been closed, and it was intended to be closed.

However, at the moment it closed, it was squeezed in by the crimson wave that Earl had transformed into, and Meros followed with the slime that Earl had named Black Charcoal.

After everyone who was in the public eye had entered the portal, the portal slowly closed.

"Sigh... this experimental subject is useless. Let's pack up and leave. We can't stay here any longer. This place has already been discovered by the clansmen of the adults, and they will probably send people to wipe it out soon. Let's take everything we can with us now."

The girl sighed, then gave the order with a hint of helplessness.

The moment the command was given, the entire nest began to collapse and shrink inward, and the hundreds and thousands of tumors that made up the nest began to devour each other.

In less than ten minutes, the once enormous nest was reduced to a purplish-red tumor with a diameter of only thirty meters, with dozens of blood vessels about ten meters long trailing behind it.

It looked like a purplish-red jellyfish, quietly resting on the edge of the crack, floating up and down, just like a real jellyfish.

Around the "jellyfish" were fragments of blood vessels torn apart and scattered around during its devouring, along with purplish-red liquid.

"Wow, you're getting faster and faster."

As the female voice rang out, a woman dressed in a black cheongsam floated up from the top of another tumor.

She is Yang Xilu. She was the one who opened the portal and teleported Liu Meng away.

She is very different from Liu Meng now. Liu Meng has turned into a monster, while she is still as beautiful as ever, even more beautiful than before.

She wore a black, high-slit cheongsam embroidered with large, opulent peonies in gold thread, a mink shawl draped over her shoulders, and a jade hairpin adorning her updo. She also wore black lace gloves and carried a small, vintage-style seashell bag.

She was dressed like a wealthy lady.

After the "jellyfish" stopped, Yang Xilu gracefully walked down with her tentacles, reaching out and stopping in mid-air.

"Uuuuuu——"

The whimpering sound came from the newly formed "jellyfish," and it was unclear where the sound came from since it had no mouth. It moved all its blood vessels, then extended one of its shortest vessels and placed it on Yang Xilu's outstretched hand.

"Let me see who found us."

Yang Xilu grasped the blood vessel, closed her eyes, and then activated her ability.

"Hmm—a cat, a dog, and a slime? What, this is your natural enemy, the Phosphate Eater? Wasn't that race supposed to be extinct?"

As Yang Xilu looked at the memories of the "jellyfish," she unconsciously began to frown. No matter how she looked at it, these things did not seem like they could threaten the near-perfect experimental subject.

"Hmm, they can change forms? No wonder, they really are some of the adult's old friends. I just don't know who they are, or if they are clones. They are all too strong, beyond our ability to contend with. If they are clones, then it's somewhat possible. It's a pity that we can't hear their voices from the nest, so we can't find out their names. Tsk, what a pity, we still need to improve."

Yang Xilu continued reading and discovered the subsequent transformation of Earl. Although she was unsure of the specific person, she was certain that he was someone she couldn't afford to offend.

"Let's go, we shouldn't stay here any longer. They are not only your relatives, but they are also very likely your enemies."

After reviewing all the memories, Yang Xilu opened a golden spatial portal and stepped inside. The two "jellyfish" followed closely behind her, also entering the golden portal.

..............................

On the other side, in the slum where Lin Xiyue lived.

After Lingye went to the open space to launch a signal flare to gather people, she didn't rest either. Together with Louis, she evacuated the people in and around the "Encounter" store. Because it was obvious that the moon was heading towards the center of this array.

"Quick, this way, this is the refuge."

"Women and children first, don't crowd, the shelter is large enough to hold all of us here, everyone should try to stay with their families."

"I'm talking to you! You bastard! Do you have a death wish?!"

"No cutting in line! You're a healthy man, go help out at the back!"

"Children and women will be prioritized for the shelter in Area A. We'll find people there. Now, you're in charge of collecting supplies and bringing them to the shelter. Someone will be there to take stock."

"Watch out! That child has fallen. Someone, carry her to the shelter."

"Stop crying, crying is the most useless thing! Madam, go and get the medical supplies."

"You want help? Okay, go report to Chen Li, she's making arrangements for you."

"Hurry up, what are you waiting for!"

"..."

……

All the evacuations were carried out in a chaotic yet orderly manner. Strangely enough, all the employees in the "Encounter" store seemed to have experienced this kind of evacuation many times before; they quickly assigned tasks.

Those with military strength are responsible for maintaining public order, while meticulous people are responsible for compiling statistics on what people need to do, where more people are needed, and there are even people specifically responsible for compiling statistics on what else needs to be brought to fill any gaps.

"That's amazing! How do you manage to keep things so organized?"

Lin Xiyue finally got a short rest, took a sip of water, and asked Louis beside her. Louis said that for her safety, he absolutely refused to go anywhere else and instead kept doing the same things as her.

Lin Xiyue was genuinely curious about how they managed to do it so well, because on Earth, she had experienced many earthquake drills, but when such a disaster actually struck, very few people could remain calm and follow the drill instructions.

"Because this is a slum, and we are still struggling to survive. Of course, most importantly, I came here once more than ten years ago, and since then, because I'm afraid of dying, I've been practicing here every month. At least it's not bad here under my requirements."

Louis said this with a hint of teasing and self-deprecation.

"You... okay. (╯▽╰) Well, it's quite remarkable that you can still take care of the people around you."

Lin Xiyue could tell that he was unwilling to talk about things from more than ten years ago, so she changed the subject.

"That's right. After all, they used to support us by spending money here. So when disaster strikes, it's only right that we protect our bread and butter when we're able to. After all, we still need to eat once things are over. ☆￣(＞。☆) Let's go, there are only a few people left, let's go in too."

Louis smiled, winked at Lin Xiyue, and then pulled Lin Xiyue to do the last bit of finishing work.

Two hours later, in an orderly fashion, almost everyone within a ten-mile radius of the "Encounter" shop safely entered the refuge. They even brought enough food, water, medicine, daily necessities, and other essential supplies to last them for three months.

This is truly unimaginable. Not to mention in a densely populated slum, even in a safe zone, it would be impossible, but the people here have done it.

Lin Xiyue and Louis were the last people to enter the refuge.

Lin Xiyue stood at the entrance of the shelter and looked at Ling Ye.

Ling Ye had already gathered together with everyone in his team and the people each person brought. They seemed to be setting up a very strong protective array, with some people standing in specific positions and others running among the crowd.

Lin Xiyue opened the terminal, used the terminal's camera as a telescope, and zoomed in to see what Ling Ye and the others were doing.

Through the terminal's camera, Lin Xiyue saw that everyone who was standing still was holding something and sweating profusely as they channeled their energy into it, while the people who were constantly moving around were replenishing their energy.

What about Lingye and the others?

They were at the very center, ensuring the stability of the formation.

Each of them wore a resolute expression, which reminded Lin Xiyue of a question she had inadvertently asked herself in the car earlier.

"Your profession must be quite dangerous."

"Yes, but the salary is high too."

"Don't you feel a lot of pressure when you go on each mission?"

"No way! Every time we go on a dangerous mission, we write a will. If we unfortunately die, all the wills and compensation money will go to our families. Let me tell you, including this time, I've already written thirty-four wills. The captain is even more impressive; he has over a hundred. I heard he's already opened the second cabinet!"

The one who answered this question was Lingjiu, the youngest member of their team and also their strategist; he was even a minor. However, it must be said that Lingjiu is socially awkward around strangers, but becomes quite talkative once you get to know him, which is rather endearing.

....................................

"Yueyue, wake up, it's time to go inside."

Louis nudged Lin Xiyue, who was lost in thought, reminding her that they needed to hurry inside because the shelter was about to close.

"Huh? Oh oh oh."

Lin Xiyue came to her senses, glanced at Ling Ye and the others, and then looked at Louis.

“Louis, I’d like to go help. Can you leave this to me?”

Lin Xiyue looked at Louis intently, her eyes revealing determination.

"Hmm... okay, I can do it. I support you, go for it."

Louis gave Lin Xiyue a deep look, his eyes flashing with an inscrutable expression.

"Okay, I'm off. Don't worry, I'll be back safely. :D"

Lin Xiyue smiled, put down the last bottle of water in her hand, and turned to walk towards where Ling Ye and the others were.

"You've always been like this."

Louis stood still, speaking in a voice so soft only he could hear. He watched Lin Xiyue walk towards the battlefield, her figure gradually overlapping with another figure in his heart.

........................

At the heart of the battle.

Lingye was busy arranging the final tasks. This formation was enormous because they wanted to protect as many people as possible, which made the formation even more complex and difficult.

Ling Jiu, the team's strategist, was currently using the temporary enhancement card he bought from Lin Xiyue to adjust the entire formation, checking where it needed replenishment. This meant he could only sit still, fully utilizing his abilities, and then issuing brief commands.

Despite being the youngest member of the team, he shouldered the second-largest responsibility. He looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his whole body soaked in sweat.

"Hey guys, need any help? (￣▽￣)／"

Lin Xiyue's energetic voice came from behind the group.

"Why are you here? Get to the shelter right now!"

Ling Ye frowned slightly; he didn't want to involve Lin Xiyue. After all, she was just an ordinary citizen who came to help. Even if she had secrets, she was still just a member of the public, and she shouldn't be here.

"I'm here to help! :D"

As Lin Xiyue spoke, she walked towards Lingjiu and reached for the Brief Enhancement Card.

"Om-"

A vibration came from the card, and then people saw that Lingjiu was visibly much more relaxed.

"Here's a little trick: I've borrowed some of your energy for the next few months, so you can use it with less energy. The downside is that you'll need to repay it in the following months, and there will be interest. But I think you won't mind that small drawback, right? (?w＜)"

Lin Xiyue smiled and blinked at Lingjiu, who was now able to open her eyes and felt much more relaxed.

"Thank you."

Ling Ye thanked Lin Xiyue with a complicated expression. In any case, Lin Xiyue's arrival had indeed been a great help.

"Don't worry, I'll protect myself. Look, I have this."

Lin Xiyue could tell that Ling Ye was still a little worried, so she handed the teleportation card to Ling Ye so he could see his life-saving item.

"That's good. Now, on behalf of our elite team, I formally request your assistance!"

Ling Ye saluted Lin Xiyue with a serious expression.

At this moment, his previous thuggish demeanor had completely disappeared; he was now a brave and respectable warrior.

"no problem!"

Lin Xiyue returned a somewhat imperfect military salute, and then began to help everyone alleviate their fatigue.

The fatigue-relieving card was drawn by Lin Xiyue on her way here. She originally only had two chances to draw cards, so it was not easy to draw such a useful card. However, after Lin Xiyue threatened the system for a while, the system said that if her desire was particularly strong, it would be easier to get the card she needed. However, this kind of card draw would consume 200 card draw points at once.

Although Lin Xiyue suspected that the system deliberately set the price based on her card-drawing value, time was of the essence, so she had no choice but to agree.

Then I drew this very useful card.

[Item Card: Recovery Card]

It can allow you to overdraw your energy for five days without side effects, restoring your energy and health, and eliminating fatigue. The side effect is that you will be extremely susceptible to illness for the following month. There is no cooldown, but please be careful; overuse may accumulate side effects and cause immeasurable harm.

Lin Xiyue is now taking this card and replying to each of the people who seem to be on the verge of collapse, but she doesn't dare to reply to too many, for fear of harming others.

The moon now seemed very close to them.

……