Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 382 Hainan Vacation
The fighting in the Mariupol sector has finally come to an end, leaving only ruins and rubble on the battlefield where the smoke has cleared.

The Rostov Expedition has entered its final mopping-up phase, with the remaining enemy forces being gradually eliminated.

The fierce battle that had lasted for months finally came to an end, which allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief and finally relax their tense nerves.

So Chen Xi, 32, Mai Mai, Twilight, Guterres, and Sea Rabbit returned to the peaceful 3K era, intending to take a good rest for a while.

The sudden return from the war-torn 40K world to the peaceful modern society is a stark contrast that makes everyone feel somewhat uncomfortable.

The bustling traffic on the streets and the laughter in the shopping malls—these ordinary daily scenes seem particularly unfamiliar and distant to them.

After all, in the final battle of the 40k world, they not only faced two Khorne demon princes and the entire Khorne demon army, but also witnessed the appearance of Khorne and the Emperor.

Those bloody and brutal battle scenes, those twisted and terrifying demonic images, still flash suddenly in their dreams at night, waking them up in fright.

The group of 32 followed Liu Yi to participate in the Air Force Open Day event, which was also a way to take a break from the high-intensity adventure they had been experiencing recently.

Liu Yi used his connections to get them valuable exhibitor passes, which not only allowed them to enter the venue earlier than the general public, but also gave them the opportunity to experience some weapons and equipment that were not open to the general public.

This excited the group of 32, who excitedly headed to the exhibition early in the morning.

The situation is somewhat different for Chen Xi.

After returning from the 40k world, he clearly felt that his mental state had become abnormal.

Although the old man removed the blessing of Khorne from him immediately, the visions he had witnessed and the chaotic power he had come into contact with still left an indelible mark on his mind.

Lately, he has been experiencing violent impulses involuntarily, especially when he sees spherical objects, he inexplicably has the urge to "chop off heads".

This unusual impulse alarmed him, so he decided to take advantage of this break to find a professional psychologist for counseling.

Upon learning of this, Liu Yi immediately contacted his comrade-in-arms who ran a travel agency in Hainan and arranged a seven-day recuperation trip to Hainan for Chen Xi. He also specially introduced a "reliable" psychologist.

Chen Xi accepted the offer and was soon arranged to go to the picturesque Hainan Island.

But when he arrived at the agreed meeting place on the beach at the appointed time, he was met with an unexpected psychologist—a young woman dressed in a cool beach dress and wearing stylish sunglasses, leisurely holding a fresh coconut in her hand.

Although Liu Yi assured her that the doctor was quite outstanding in her professional field, her vacation-like attire made her look more like a tourist enjoying a holiday than Chen Xi, who had come for treatment.

The sea breeze ruffled her skirt, and sunlight danced on her exquisite sunglasses, a sight that left Chen Xi stunned in place.

"Are you Dr. Li?" Chen Xi was taken aback for a moment before greeting the other person.

"Yes, you're Mr. Chen, introduced by Liu Yi, right?" Dr. Li extended her hand to Chen Xi with a graceful demeanor. "Would you like a coconut too? The coconuts here are especially sweet."

Chen Xi nodded and followed her to the roadside stall.

Dr. Li skillfully picked out a coconut for Chen Xi: "I heard from Liu Yi that this is your first time in Hainan?"

"Yeah, I rarely had the chance to travel before." Chen Xi took the coconut, handed it to the vendor to open, inserted a straw, and started drinking.

The two strolled slowly along the coastline, sipping coconut water. The coconut water was sweet and refreshing, and Chen Xi found her steps becoming lighter without her even realizing it.

"The first time I came to Hainan was also during this season," Dr. Li said, gazing at the distant waves. The sea breeze made her voice sound a little unsteady. "I had just graduated and came with my supervisor to do research. As soon as I got to the beach, I forgot about the important matter."

She smiled and shook her head: "We stayed in a hotel in Sanya for three days. Our mentor's notebook was filled with the classification of various seashells on the beach, but he completely forgot about the actual research data."

Chen Xi smiled, the coconut shell swaying gently in his hand: "Liu Yi said you're an expert."

“He always exaggerates.” Dr. Li took off his sunglasses and hung them on his collar, squinting at the sea.

“But the beach is indeed a relaxing place. Look at those kids playing in the sand over there,” she pointed to a brother and sister not far away, “they built sandcastles for ages, only to have them washed away by the waves, but they still enjoy it.”

Chen Xi followed her gaze.

The little boy was busily building a dam, while the little girl was focused on planting a small flag on top of the sandcastle.

Another wave crashed in, and their masterpiece vanished in an instant, but the two children giggled and started again.

As the tide began to rise, several small crabs lined up and hurriedly crawled past their feet, leaving a trail of tiny marks on the beach.

Dr. Li suddenly squatted down and drew a simple smiley face on the wet sand with his index finger, adding a pair of glasses crookedly to his round face.

“When I was little, I always loved to play like this, waiting for the waves to come and carry them away, just like the ocean is playing a game with you.” As she was speaking, a small wave surged in, and the edges of her smiling face began to blur.

Dr. Li rested his chin on his hand, watching the seawater slowly engulf the pattern: "Look, the sea is laughing."

Chen Xi looked at her hair, which was tousled by the sea breeze and still had tiny grains of sand clinging to it, and suddenly said, "You don't look like a doctor."

"Really?" Dr. Li stood up, casually brushing the sand off her hands, the fine grains falling through her fingers. "Perhaps it's because I'm here that I've even forgotten I'm a doctor."

She pointed to a group of protruding reefs in the distance: "Do you want to go over there tomorrow? You can find some really pretty seashells when the tide goes out. Last time I even found a heart-shaped coral."

As they walked and talked, Chen Xi unconsciously felt her tense nerves relax considerably.

And time slips away unnoticed.

As the sun gradually set, it cast long shadows of the two of them.

Dr. Li glanced at his watch; the dial glowed with a warm orange light in the afterglow. "I have to go back now. Same time tomorrow?"

She turned to leave, then turned back as if remembering something and added, "Oh, by the way, there's a local band playing at the beach bar tonight. The lead singer is a friend of mine. If you can't sleep, you can go listen to them. Their music is perfect for the beach at night."

She smiled and winked mischievously: "Mention my name and you can get free admission."

"I'll go listen to it." Chen Xi nodded slightly.

(End of this chapter)