The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

"Those things are all in the past, why do you have to bring them up again!"

"You guys deserve to die!"

The old man's voice suddenly rose, becoming shrill and frantic, and he laughed maniacally.

"Before setting off, I glanced at my own karma, which indicated that this journey would inevitably involve a tribulation."

"But I never expected that my calamity would be in the hands of you guys."

As he spoke, the old man swayed and spat out another mouthful of blood, staining his chest red.

The child beside him burst into tears upon seeing this.

"Grandpa, please don't do this..."

Tears and terror streamed down the child's face. Without hesitation, he pulled a small knife from his pocket and slashed his wrist.

Fresh blood gushed out immediately.

He raised his bleeding wrist and offered it to the old man, pleading with a sob in his voice.

"Grandpa, you're just sick. You'll get better after taking the medicine. Please, please take the medicine."

The old man's maniacal laughter abruptly stopped.

He looked down at the small, bleeding hand that was being offered to him.

next second.

He suddenly raised his hand.

Snapped!

A crisp slap.

The small, thin child was sent flying by the slap.

Her body flew hundreds of meters away like a kite with a broken string, before crashing heavily at Zhou Jian's feet.

Puff puff puff—!

The child fell to the ground, rolled several times before stopping, vomited several mouthfuls of blood, and his breath immediately became weak.

Zhou Jian's pupils suddenly contracted.

He watched the whole thing. The old man simply waved his hand casually, without any energy fluctuations, just pure physical strength, and he was able to send a living person flying hundreds of meters!

What terrifying power!

But what's even more terrifying is this little guy.

That slap should have transformed Astro Boy, but he didn't die.

"grandfather?"

The old man staggered, looking as if he might faint at any moment.

But he was still laughing wildly, his laughter filled with sorrow and self-mockery.

"Hahaha, what gives you the right to call me grandpa?"

"What right do you have to call me grandpa!"

"I don't even have a wife, so where would I get any grandsons from...?"

He took a step forward, and his body seemed to float on air.

Immediately afterwards, he transformed into a blur and stumbled away into the distance.

Boom!

He crashed straight through a tall building in the distance.

The building groaned as more rubble and steel bars collapsed, raising clouds of dust.

"So what gives you the right to call me grandpa...?"

The sound came from a distance.

The mad old man had long since disappeared into the horizon.

Zhou Jian looked down at the child with a weak breath at his feet, then looked up at the direction where the old man had disappeared, and was deeply shaken.

When exactly did these two people appear here?

He didn't even notice.

This was completely beyond his comprehension.

Just then, the child on the ground struggled and spat out another mouthful of blood. He raised his hand with difficulty, not looking at Zhou Jian, but pointing tremblingly at Chen Feng's headless corpse in the distance.

His voice was barely audible, yet it reached the ears of the three people present clearly.

"He...he should still be alive..."

"His cause and effect... lies in the future."

After saying this, the child's head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness.

These words seemed to put the whole world on pause.

Lei Yue, Zhou Jian, and Qin Feng were stunned and stood there.

Dead silence.

After several seconds of deathly silence.

"What did you say?!"

Lei Yue was the first to react. He turned around abruptly and rushed to Zhou Jian, almost lifting the unconscious child off the ground.

His eyes were bloodshot, and within them surged a near-mad hope.

"What did he just say?!"

"He said the captain isn't dead?! What does that mean?!"

"You fucking explain yourself!"

Lei Yue roared at the child.

At that moment, he was like a drowning man grasping at a last straw, and his reason completely collapsed.

However, Zhou Jian and Qin Feng ignored him.

They looked at each other and saw the same extreme shock and indescribable horror on each other's faces.

Cause and effect... in the future.

next second.

Two completely different voices uttered the same name in unison.

"Wasteland Era!"

Lei Yue's breathing became incredibly heavy, and his mind was in complete chaos.

Reason told him that this was absurd and impossible.

But deep within her emotions, a crazy idea was growing uncontrollably.

just in case......

What if what he's saying is true?

What if the captain is really still alive?

Once the thought appeared, it could no longer be contained; it was like wildfire, instantly engulfing Lei Yue's entire body.

He released Zhou Jian and staggered back two steps.

I can't wait even a second longer.

He wants to go and confirm it himself!

The next second, Lei Yue turned the bronze ring on his finger.

After a violent spinning motion, the scorched earth and ruins in front of them disappeared.

Instead, there was a dark wasteland, the air thick with the smell of decay and blood.

Wasteland Era.

But at this moment, he is in the wilderness outside the safe zone.

We are some distance from the safe zone.

But Lei Yue couldn't wait a moment longer.

He didn't even bother to observe his surroundings; he only had one thought in his mind.

Go back to the safe zone and head to the general store.

His obsession made him forget that there was a faster way to confirm, such as the friend function.

Lei Yue immediately drew his Origin Weapon Battle Blade, the sharp blade flashing with a cold light.

Without the slightest hesitation, he gripped the knife in his backhand and slashed it directly at his own neck!

laugh!

The artery was cut open, and warm blood gushed out.

A sharp pain shot through him, and his life force was rapidly draining away, but Lei Yue was completely unaware.

Finally, his body swayed and he fell heavily to the ground, his vision beginning to blur.

He found himself in a completely dark place, and a cold system notification popped up.

[You are dead. Do you wish to spend 100 Source Crystals to resurrect directly in the safe zone?]

"yes!"

A flash of white light.

When I opened my eyes again, the scenery around me was completely different.

It is no longer a desolate wilderness, but a place full of human voices and the warmth of everyday life.

There were people everywhere around.

There were people buying source crystals, and people selling materials by setting up stalls anywhere.

Lei Yue glanced at it, identified the direction, and then rushed like a madman toward the location of the general store he remembered.

In a dash and a run, in just a few dozen seconds, the familiar little shop with the "All-Worlds General Store" sign appeared before them.

Lei Yue stopped at the door, panting heavily; he had finally managed to get here.

You can go in as soon as you reach out and push the door open.

But his outstretched hand froze in mid-air; he dared not push the door open no matter what.

He was afraid...

He feared that all of this was just his speculation.

He was afraid that if he opened the door, there would be no one inside.

He feared that this glimmer of hope would turn into despair.

When hope turns into despair, it is ten thousand times more painful than being in despair from the beginning.

However, before he could prepare himself mentally...

Squeak-!

The grocery store door opened automatically.

Before he could even look up.

A voice carrying a light laugh came from inside, clearly reaching Lei Yue's ears.

"You're here so soon? Are you alone? Where are the other two?"