Chapter 73 At the end of the journey home lies the awakening of the gods!

Chapter 73 At the end of the journey home lies the awakening of the gods!

The journey of climbing upwards seemed endless.

The crevice was narrow and steep, almost vertical in many places, allowing only one person to squeeze through sideways.

The cave walls were incredibly slippery, covered with sharp edges and slick moss.

Darkness reigns supreme here.

The only light source was a small luminous stone that Su Wanqing took out from her space, emitting a faint glow like that of a firefly.

Lu Zhanting walked ahead, serving as her sole source of light and direction.

His back and chest injuries were far from healed. Every time he exerted force and embedded his body into the crevice in the rock, it pulled at his broken bones, producing a teeth-grinding grinding sound.

The excruciating pain was constant, yet he didn't even dare to utter a muffled groan.

With his iron will and powerful physique, he carved a bloody path forward.

He would first use his military knife to carve a shallow pit as a foothold, and use his body weight to test the solidity of the rock wall before turning to the side and reaching out his hand to Su Wanqing below.

"Here, step firmly."

His voice sounded somewhat muffled in the narrow passage, yet it possessed a calmness that could suppress all panic.

Su Wanqing followed closely behind.

Her physical strength was already exhausted, and she was only able to keep going by the golden seed in her dantian, which would send out a wisp of warm current whenever she was on the verge of her limit.

More importantly, there is the invisible spiritual connection between them.

At this moment, it became the strongest lifeline.

Lu Zhanting didn't even need to turn around to sense everything about her.

Her heart rate, her breathing rhythm, the rise and fall of her mental energy, were as clear in his mind as the lines on his own palm.

When she was so exhausted that her fingertips trembled, he would stop and silently let her lean against his broad back. The masculine aura emanating from him, like the blazing sun, emanated through the thin fabric of his clothes, a restorative agent more effective than any medicine.

And when his muscles stiffened instantly due to the excruciating pain, Su Wanqing was able to notice it immediately.

She would subtly transfer a wisp of new energy, infused with the power of the spiritual spring, into his body through their clasped hands.

That force, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, eased his pain and soothed his broken bones.

This is a tacit understanding that transcends language.

Like an inseparable symbiotic entity, they support and protect each other, moving upwards with difficulty and determination on this precipice leading to life.

I don't know how long we climbed.

One day, or two days?

Time loses its meaning here.

Just as Su Wanqing struggled to push her knee into a crevice in the rock again, Lu Zhanting above suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" she asked breathlessly.

"Light."

There was a very slight tremor in Lu Zhanting's voice.

Su Wanqing suddenly looked up.

At the end of the crack, in that impenetrable darkness, a faint point of light indeed appeared.

That wasn't the cold fluorescence of stone.

That's the color of the sun.

Hope is just around the corner.

This discovery instantly unleashed new power within their almost dehydrated bodies.

They sped up.

The light spots magnified in my field of vision, and the smell of damp soil and decaying leaves mixed with the airflow entered my nasal cavity.

Finally, Lu Zhanting used his last bit of strength to pry open the bushes blocking the entrance to the cave.

The blinding sunlight, like a burst dam, instantly turned the entire field of vision into a blazing white.

The two of them instinctively closed their eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the iconic, towering green of the Southern Jungle came into view.

Tall trees, entwined vines, humid air, and the cacophony of insects and birdsong.

They made it out alive.

The two helped each other as they crawled out of the narrow opening, almost greedily inhaling the long-awaited fresh air.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on them, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The bone-chilling cold and deathly silence underground are being dispelled little by little.

The overwhelming joy of surviving the ordeal almost burst their chests.

Lu Zhanting suddenly pulled Su Wanqing into a tight embrace, his strength so great it felt like he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

He rested his chin on the top of her head, closed his eyes, and felt the real and powerful heartbeats in each other's chests.

“Let’s go home,” he repeated softly.

After a short rest, the two began their trek.

Relying on his ingrained survival instincts, Lu Zhanting determined his direction. Su Wanqing, on the other hand, opened a sliver of space and retrieved clean water and compressed rations.

They were all in poor condition, but their nerves, which had been tense for so long, finally relaxed inch by inch at this moment.

After walking for about half a day, Lu Zhanting, who was parting a clump of dense ferns, suddenly stopped.

“There’s someone there.” He said in a very low voice.

Su Wanqing immediately became alert and listened intently.

In the distance, the sound of orderly footsteps and faint human voices could be heard.

"Captain! Sister-in-law!"

"Split up and search! Everyone, keep your eyes peeled!"

It's Feng Yi and the monkey's voice!

Soon, a search and rescue team of more than a dozen people appeared in front of them.

The team leader was Feng Yi.

When he saw the two people, dressed in rags and covered in blood, standing there alive, he was frozen in place, as if under a spell.

"Team...Captain?"

His lips trembled violently, and the next second, this tough man's eyes instantly turned red, and tears rolled down his cheeks without warning.

"team leader!"

The monkey let out a strange cry, threw down its equipment, and charged forward like a madman.

But then he braked suddenly two meters away from Lu Zhanting, looking at the dried bloodstains on his captain, so excited he was at a loss for what to do, like a child who didn't know what to do.

"You little rascal, you're pretty tough."

Lu Zhanting looked at them, a tired but genuine smile on his face. He stepped forward and punched Feng Yi hard on the shoulder.

"Captain! Sister-in-law! You're alive! You're really alive! That's wonderful!"

All the soldiers gathered around, speechless with emotion as they looked at their legendary captain and his wife, who had been missing for nearly ten days and whom everyone had already assumed to be dead.

Ultimately, all emotions were transformed into one action.

Everyone stood at attention in unison, giving the two men a perfectly standard military salute.

In those eyes was a heartfelt reverence and fervor for the hero who had died and been brought back to life.

After a brief reunion, Feng Yi immediately reported to his superiors via walkie-talkie.

Lu Zhanting took the walkie-talkie and said only one sentence: "Mission accomplished, target eliminated, source destroyed. Details will be reported in person upon returning to Beijing."

He didn't mention "the immortal heart," nor did he mention "the ouroboros."

These secrets are too terrifying to be leaked in the slightest through any channel that could be eavesdropped on.

The roar of the helicopter quickly grew louder as it approached.

As Lu Zhanting and Su Wanqing boarded the helicopter and looked down at the boundless green jungle, the nightmare in the southern border finally came to an end.

The journey back to Beijing was by military special train.

To maintain secrecy and to allow them time to rest, the higher-ups arranged a separate carriage for them.

The train traveled smoothly, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from lush greenery to rolling hills and open plains.

The carriage was quiet, with only the regular, drawn-out clatter of the wheels rolling over the rails.

Su Wanqing leaned on Lu Zhanting's shoulder, holding a cup of hot water, gazing absently at the scenery rushing past the window.

Her injuries have mostly healed under the care of the golden spiritual spring, but the depletion of her spiritual energy still needs time to be replenished.

Lu Zhanting's recovery speed is terrifying.

With his superhuman physique and the domineering restorative power of the golden spiritual spring, the broken bones in his back have begun to heal, and as long as he avoids strenuous exercise, he will be fine.

He didn't look at the scenery.

His gaze remained fixed on his wife's serene profile.

After emerging from underground, she became less talkative.

That harrowing experience, especially the scene of his near-death experience, became a lingering shadow in her heart.

He reached out and enveloped her slightly cool hand in his large hand.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly.

"I'm thinking about it. It's so nice." Su Wanqing turned her head and smiled at him, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's so nice to be able to sit on the train with you like this, looking at the scenery and drinking hot water."

The simplest happiness seems so luxurious only after surviving life and death.

Lu Zhanting tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her closer to him.

After a moment of silence, Su Wanqing spoke softly, "What do you plan to do with that notebook and compass?"

When serious matters were mentioned, Lu Zhanting's eyes instantly became sharp and deep.

“After returning to Beijing, I will personally report to my grandfather and the top leader. This matter has gone beyond the scope of conventional military operations.” He said in a deep voice, “Ouroboros, the Unification Project, and those ‘Holy Ark’ scattered around the world… the things hidden behind all this must be known to the highest levels of the country.”

Su Wanqing nodded.

"The Lynx's diary says that he was just a chosen 'vessel' whose mission was to test the limits of your bloodline as the 'key' and to collect data for the 'arrival' of a certain being."

She repeated the chilling details in a low voice.

"What exactly is that 'He'?"

Lu Zhanting remained silent.

No one can answer this question.

An existence that could be awakened by a massive organization like Ouroboros, requiring generations of effort; an existence whose mere fragments possess the immense power of an "immortal heart"...

That is something that humans absolutely cannot contend with.

“No matter what ‘He’ is,” a resolute ruthlessness flashed in Lu Zhanting’s eyes, “as long as it dares to extend its claws to this country, to the people around us, even if it is a god, I will drag it down from its altar and smash it to pieces.”

His words carried an innate air of authority and an unquestionable sense of military duty.

Su Wanqing leaned against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, and her unease was gradually soothed.

"And what about us?" she asked again, her voice even lower. "Should we talk about... our fusion of powers?"

This is the most crucial point.

They are no longer just two people.

Their lives and strength are inextricably linked in a way that cannot be explained by science.

This is a secret that could overturn your worldview.

Lu Zhanting pondered for a long time.

“We’ll leave it for now,” he decided. “It’s not that we don’t trust the organization. It’s just that this secret is too important. If it’s leaked, we might become the ‘easy prey’ for various forces, or even be treated as outcasts. Before we have enough ability to protect ourselves, the more people who know, the greater the uncontrollable danger.”

He looked at Su Wanqing and said each word with utmost seriousness, "This is a secret that belongs to the two of us, and we will protect it ourselves."

Su Wanqing understood his concerns and nodded vigorously.

The carriage fell silent once again.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the earth in a warm golden hue.

Su Wanqing's mental energy was exhausted, and her eyelids began to droop.

Lu Zhanting immediately sensed it and adjusted his posture so that she could lean more comfortably against him.

The familiar, warm, masculine aura emanating from him slowly seeped into Su Wanqing's body through their skin, soothing her weary soul.

Su Wanqing snuggled against him and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Zhanting looked down at her sleeping face, his gaze filled with an unprecedented tenderness.

He took out the black notebook and star-shaped compass from his pocket.

In the dim light of the carriage, he opened the list again.

"Northern Glaciers - The Sleeping Core"

"Abyssal Trench - Eye of the Void"

"The Desert Sea - The City of Gold"

His fingers slowly traced the line for "Northern Glacier".

The North.

That was where he fought and grew up.

He had a premonition that his next encounter with the "Ouroboros" would take place there.

The journey home of a hero is never the end.

Rather, it marks the beginning of an even grander journey.

Two days later, the train slowly pulled into Beijing West Station.

There was no welcoming crowd, no flowers, and no applause on the platform.

Only a middle-aged man dressed in a Zhongshan suit, with a serious expression, stood there quietly, like a pine tree.

It was Secretary Zhang, who worked alongside Lu Zhenguo.

Upon seeing Lu Zhanting and Su Wanqing get out of the car, Secretary Zhang quickly stepped forward and gave them a standard military salute.

"Battalion Commander Lu, Dr. Su, welcome home. The commander sent me to pick you up."

His voice was steady, but deep in his eyes, there was a mixture of relief and lingering fear.

"Thank you for your help, Secretary Zhang." Lu Zhanting returned the greeting.

"The car is ready; the commander is waiting for you at home."

As she sat in the black Hongqi sedan on her way back, watching the familiar Beijing street scenes rushing past the window, Su Wanqing felt a sense of disorientation, as if she were in another world.

In just over a month, it felt as if they had walked a life-or-death journey.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat heavy.

Neither Lu Zhanting nor Su Wanqing spoke.

Although the crisis in the South has been resolved, a much larger and more terrifying conspiracy has surfaced.

They brought back not news of victory.

It is a profoundly heavy wake-up call concerning the fate of the nation and even all of humanity.

The car drove smoothly toward the military compound.

Lu Zhanting held Su Wanqing's hand, their fingers intertwined.

He could sense her tension, and she could sense his seriousness.

But their hearts remained incredibly calm and resolute.

From this day forward, no matter what lies ahead—a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, or an abyss—they will stand together.

We will stand together through thick and thin.

The road ahead is long and shrouded in mystery.

But as long as we have each other by our side, we have nothing to fear.