Generation Z Mainland

Chapter 23

This story is purely fictional. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

Niu Yinuo stood outside the hut that everyone had built together, staring at the transparent supernatural protective shield in the sky in a daze.

Zhang Hanrui walked up to him and asked, "Brother Nuo, when can we leave here?"

Niu Yinuo looked at him and shook his head: "I don't know either."

At this moment, Chen Junming and Wei Zichen exclaimed from a distance: "Good news! Good news!"

Everyone rushed out, only to hear Chen Junming excitedly saying, "He's back! He's back!"

Zhang Hanrui trotted forward and asked happily, "Is that Zuo Qihan?"

Wei Zichen pulled Chen Junming aside. The young man behind him looked at everyone with a smile on his face: "Yes, it's me!"

Zhang Hanrui rushed over excitedly and hugged him: "That's great! We were so worried about you! Where have you been? Are you hurt?" Zuo Qihan patted him gently to comfort him, then walked towards the others and was instantly surrounded.

Zuo Qihan smiled helplessly: "Everyone, there's no need to be so enthusiastic!"

Yang Bowen patted him and said, "You don't know, Zhang Yiran and Xingxing are back, but you still haven't heard from us. We're so worried!"

Zuo Qihan: "Are they okay?"

Yang Hanbo: “Yes…”

Zuo Qihan: “?”

Li Jiasen's face suddenly darkened: "Yang Hanbo!"

Yang Hanbo pointed at Li Jiasen and whispered to Zuo Qihan, "Look, Li Jiasen is already like this, you should understand, right?"

Zuo Qihan raised his eyebrows, smiled, and nodded as if he understood: "I understand, but not completely."

Zhang Guiyuan asked doubtfully, "So, Zuo Qihan, where did you go? And how did you know we were here?"

Zuo Qihan touched his nose guiltily. In fact, it was senior He Junlin who directly teleported him to everyone.

"Well..."

Niu Yinuo walked up to him, put his arm around his shoulders and said, "He just came back, let him have a good rest..."

Ling Zhaoxue breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zuo Qihan being led into the house by his brothers.

Siyin touched her arm: "Don't you want to go and take a look?"

Ling Zhaoxue turned her head and said, "Since his brothers are here, I don't need to do it, right?"

Zhiyuan seemed to notice something and smiled, "Xiaoxue'er, you have always been worried about him, right?"

Ling Zhaoxue turned her head away nervously: "I'm worried... Buddy, it's normal..."

Zhiyuan smiled and shook her head, then put her hand on her shoulder and said, "But why do I feel like it's not that simple?"

Ling Zhaoxue shrank his shoulders guiltily and ran away.

Siyin smiled and said, "Sister, look, she's shy~"

After a while, Zuo Qihan came out of the house to get some fresh air. He looked around and saw his brothers and elves having a great time playing. He smiled at them lovingly and was about to go play with them when he heard Li Jiasen's voice from behind him: "Zuo Qihan, wait a minute."

Zuo Qihan turned around and looked at Li Jiasen and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Li Jiasen was silent for a while, then said, "Zuo Qihan, do you think we can still go back?"

Zuo Qihan was stunned for a moment and said, "Of course, after all, that is our home."

Li Jiasen hesitated for a moment and said with a smile, "That's right, all of us, no one can be left behind."

Zuo Qihan also smiled and said, "Let's go and play with them for a while."

Li Jiasen looked at Zuo Qihan's receding figure and couldn't help but think of the first time they met.

Zuo Qihan has always been the person who understands him best.

Li Jiasen's thoughts drifted back to four years ago.

They met for the first time on the rooftop of the teaching building. Li Jiasen sat on the edge of the rooftop and stared blankly into the distance. At that time, he had just experienced the genocide of the Protoss and felt very helpless.

Just as Li Jiasen was about to jump, a voice called out to him: "Li Jiasen?"

Li Jiasen turned around to look at the person who came and asked, "What can I do for you?"

The other party smiled and said, "If you have nothing to do, can't you come up and stay for a while?"

Li Jiasen just said lightly: "Whatever you want."

The boy handed Li Jiasen a tissue and said, "Wipe it off."

Li Jiasen took the paper and said thank you.

The boy sat next to him and asked, "Have you suffered any injustice?"

Li Jiasen was stunned when he heard this and said, "No, I just want to get some fresh air."

The boy nodded and said, "That's right, the air on this rooftop is really good and it's quiet."

Li Jiasen was about to ask something when he was suddenly interrupted by a voice: "Zuo Qihan, let's go!"

Li Jiasen looked back and saw that it was Zhang Hanrui from the same class.

Zuo Qihan responded, "I'll be right there!" and then said to Li Jiasen, "My roommate is calling me, so I'll leave first. Actually, I can see that you're not just here to get some fresh air. If... In fact, there's nothing in life that can't be overcome, what do you think?" After saying that, Zuo Qihan smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and left.

Li Jiasen looked at his back and sighed.

Actually, what Zuo Qihan said made sense, but... his family had left him, and he didn't know what else he could do.

He thought, if it weren't for Zuo Qihan, he might have gone to look for his own people.

Later, Zuo Qihan came to the rooftop as usual and told Li Jiasen about what had happened recently.

He knew Li Jiasen would not respond to him. He was also used to Li Jiasen sitting quietly in a daze.

Every day after that, Li Jiasen would meet Zuo Qihan on the rooftop and listen to him talk about things in class, the things Zhang Hanrui did in the dormitory that made him feel helpless, and things happening at home...

After a long time, Li Jiasen found that he had become accustomed to Zuo Qihan's chatter in his ear.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Jiasen's thoughts drifted back to reality. He held Zuo Qihan, wanting to say something but unable to open his mouth.

Zuo Qihan smiled and patted his hand, saying, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. We'll continue chatting on the rooftop after we get back."

Li Jiasen nodded and said nothing more.

Zhang Guiyuan, who was passing by and saw this scene, jokingly said, "Sure enough, only Zuo Qian can communicate with Li Jiasen."

Si Yin asked in confusion: "Why do you say that?"

Zhang Hanrui explained, "Because Jiasen rarely speaks, most of us don't understand what he means. Only Zuo Qihan understands his hidden meaning."

Zhang Yiran laughed and said, "Oh my, why does that sound so sour?"

Zhang Hanrui pretended to hit Zhang Yiran, and Zhang Yiran quickly hid behind Zuo Qihan and made faces at Zhang Hanrui.

Everyone was amused by the two of them.

Zuo Qihan looked at this scene and thought: How nice it would be if time could freeze at this moment, everyone is there, except for... that person with a chubby face and a cute smile.

Zuo Qihan held the colorful rope tightly and swore secretly in his heart that no matter what happened, he would rescue his most beloved brother, no matter what the cost.

On the other side, Mei Suzhi glared fiercely at the woman in front of her: "Useless thing! You can't even do such a simple thing! You can't even bring back a little girl!"

Shen Jingzhi lowered her head in shame: "I'm sorry, Boss, I..."

Mei Suzhi tsk-tsk-tsk twice, then said, "Forget it, just guard the Cloud Grass Realm. I heard they've found a so-called sanctuary there now."

Shen Jingzhi nodded: "Yes, there is an area shrouded by a very mysterious force, and my ability is not able to break it..."

Mei Suzhi glanced at her and asked, "What use do I have for you?"

Shen Jingzhi: "..."

Mei Suzhi suddenly thought of something and laughed, "Hahaha, they should be almost together now. It's time to give them a big gift! You, come with me!"

"Yes." Shen Jingzhi followed Mei Suzhi out of their dark base.

Niu Yino wanted to talk to Zuo Qihan, but couldn't find him. He looked around and found him standing at the edge of the barrier, staring at the sky outside in a daze.

"Zuo Qihan?"

Zuo Qihan turned to look at Niu Yinuo, smiled and asked, "Brother Nuo, is there anything wrong?"

Niu Yinuo walked up to him and said, "Well, I want to talk to you about what you think about what I heard from your senior..."

"How do you know I'm thinking about this?" Zuo Qihan smiled with pretended ease.

Niu Yinuo saw his anxiety and said, "Don't worry, your seniors will be your strongest support."

Zuo Qihan: "Brother Nuo, did you know I went to see the senior?"

Niu Yinuo smiled faintly: "Of course, we elementalists can sense each other's whereabouts and what we are doing."

Zuo Qihan suddenly remembered something: "Then, will Sister Zhiyuan also know about Zhaoxue and Jiasen?"

Niu Yinuo nodded, and neither of them spoke anymore. They stared into the distance in silence. Suddenly, a purple-red light approached the barrier. Zuo Qihan felt something was wrong. "Oh no! Brother Nuo! Mei Suzhi's people are here!"

Everyone immediately gathered together and stared at Mei Suzhi and Shen Jingzhi who were approaching step by step.

Suddenly, as if controlled by some force, a blurry picture suddenly appeared in Zuo Qihan's mind. In the picture, a long-haired girl was guarding in front of an exquisite city gate, with her fists clenched on her chest, praying that she would see the person she had been waiting for for a long time in the next second.

"Axue!"

The girl looked back and saw a young man in armor walking towards the ground.

"Qi Han? You're back."

"Ah."

The girl took the boy's hand, tears in her eyes: "Will you still leave?"

The young man sighed: "It's not certain yet. The situation is very chaotic right now. I don't know when I will go out again."

"But...what about our wedding date?"

"Axue, I'm sorry..."

The girl shook her head and said, "Qi Han, there's no need to apologize. You are a general, and it is your responsibility and mission to lead the troops into battle. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you..."

The young man hugged the girl in front of him, and the girl's tears ran down her pretty face.

"Qi Han, you must come back safely."

"I promise you, wait for me to come back, Axue."

At the same time, Ling Zhaoxue also felt the same force. She pinched her brows. Seeing this, Siyin hurriedly asked, "Xue'er, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhiyuan also looked at her: "Xiaoxue, if you have anything to say, just tell me, don't force yourself."

Ling Zhaoxue smiled softly: "It's okay, I just feel a little dizzy suddenly. Maybe I didn't sleep well last night..."

Mei Suzhi curled her lips and smiled contemptuously: "Zuo Qihan, Ling Zhaoxue, how is it? Was that gift just now a surprise? Very unexpected?"

Zhang Yiran looked thoughtfully at Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue, who were troubled by memories, then looked at Mei Suzhi and said, "What on earth do you want to do?"

Zuo Qihan came back to his senses: "What just happened was..."

Zhang Hanrui hurried forward and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay..." Mei Suzhi smiled and said, "Zuo Qihan, Ling Zhaoxue, do you like this gift?"

Ling Zhaoxue looked at the young man standing in front of him and murmured, "Zuo Qihan... the person in my mind just now... was it you?"

Zhang Yiran glanced at Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue in confusion, then asked Mei Suzhi, "What did you do to them?"

Mei Suzhi smiled and said, "It's just a small gift, don't be nervous."

Li Jiasen glanced at Mei Suzhi: "Who knows if you are playing tricks again."

Zhang Guiyuan used his supernatural powers to glare at Mei Suzhi: "Why waste time talking to her? Just hit her directly. Lightning Ball!"

Mei Suzhi snorted lightly and dodged.

Yang Hanbo stretched out his hand, and Xinghuan turned into a bow and flew into Yang Hanbo's hand. Yang Hanbo shot it at Mei Suzhi and Shen Jingzhi.

Other people with awakened superpowers also joined the battle.

Suddenly, Zuo Qihan felt a severe headache. He shook his head to make himself more awake, but it was of no use.

Ling Zhaoxue turned around and saw Zuo Qihan, who was holding his head in pain. She hurried over to him and asked, "Zuo Qihan, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

Zuo Qihan raised his head, forced a smile and replied, "It's okay, I just feel a little dizzy."

At this time, Mei Suzhi took the opportunity to use her special ability on Ling Zhaoxue. Seeing this, Zuo Qihan pulled Ling Zhaoxue aside.

Mei Suzhi looked at Zuo Qihan who was standing in front of Ling Zhaoxue and said, "Oh my, you are indeed the one who protected her in her previous life. Zuo Qihan, you are still the same as before, you can't bear to see her get hurt."

Zuo Qihan said angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about again!"

"I'm talking nonsense? Didn't you two see it? Princess, General, oh my~" Mei Suzhi clicked her tongue twice.

"Princess? General? What do you mean?" Nie Weichen looked at Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue in confusion and muttered softly, "Isn't Ling Zhaoxue the Ice Maiden of the ancient castle, the ruler of the water element? Zuo Qihan... what... is going on?"

Chen Yiheng glanced at him and said, "Don't talk."

Nie Weichen pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Zuo Qihan looked at Ling Zhaoxue, and the girl in front of him gradually overlapped with the "Axue" in his mind just now.

"Ah... Snow?"

Ling Zhaoxue also turned to look at Zuo Qihan, and their eyes met. She looked into those affectionate eyes, deep, indifferent and obscure.

Mei Suzhi looked at the two people's state and was quite satisfied. She nodded and was about to say something, but Shen Jingzhi beside her said something in her ear. She suddenly frowned, her smile gradually disappeared, and she said coldly: "Children, I have delivered the gifts, no need to thank me~" After that, she left with Shen Jingzhi.

Wang Lujie looked at Zuo Qihan and Ling Zhaoxue who were still staring at each other and couldn't help but complain aloud: "Zuo Qihan's eyes..."

Zhang Hanrui stared at him: "Ahem..."

Wang Lujie immediately changed his tone and said, "Well, could you two stop being so affectionate? Everyone's gone..."

Yang Hanbo looked at the two of them with great interest, and said with a smile, "Still watching? How about we make room for you two to catch up slowly~"

The two people who were looking at each other turned their heads to look at Yang Hanbo who had approached, as well as Xingxi and Xinghuan who were joining in the fun. Then they came to their senses, let go of each other, and turned their heads away.

Zuo Qihan scratched his head awkwardly: "Well..."

Ling Zhaoxue touched his nose: "Hmm..."

Siyin suddenly remembered something, jumped in front of Ling Zhaoxue, looked at her playfully and said, "Oh, right, I remember when we first met, you told your brother that you admired... yes, admired Zhang Hanrui..."

Ling Zhaoxue glared at her: "I just admire you... Yes, only admire you..."

"Then... Zuo Qihan..." Zhang Guiyuan smiled with a gossipy look on his face.

"I..." Ling Zhaoxue hadn't finished speaking when a voice came over: "It's love."

"Siyin!"

Ling Zhaoxue's cheeks flushed, but she didn't know how to start.

"Oh ho?"

"Wow~"

Xingxi held Xinghuan's arm and ate the melon happily. Chen Yiheng looked at Xingxi with eyes full of doting.

"Oh my~" Zhiyuan smiled while holding Niu Yinuo's hand.

This sudden melon made everyone very happy to eat it.

Li Jiayin suddenly ran out of the necklace: "Oh, Sister Xueer, so sweet~"

Zhang Yiran looked at Li Jiasen helplessly. Li Jiasen didn't look at him, but looked at Li Jiayin: "Xing'er, come here~" Li Jiayin pouted and walked to Li Jiasen.

Ling Zhaoxue raised her head and smiled awkwardly: "Well, it seems a bit hot today..."

Wang Lujie bluntly pointed out, "There's no sun here, only wind. How can it be hot?"

Zhang Yiran walked towards Zuo Qihan and patted him on the shoulder: "You two, what's going on?"

Zuo Qihan looked at him: "You already know, why are you asking..."

Zhang Yiran smiled and shrugged: "Then... I think it's still you..."

Zuo Qihan hurriedly covered his mouth: "Don't!"

Ling Zhaoxue looked at Zuo Qihan: "Zuo Qihan, you really are..."

She moved her lips and was about to speak when she looked up and met his deep eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he looked at her with a faint smile. The tiny light reflected from him made her feel particularly focused and serious.

"Yes……"

Zuo Qihan walked a little closer to her, gently held her hand, and said, "I remember everything, Axue."

Ling Zhaoxue looked at Zuo Qihan's face, and slowly matched him with the face of the young general in his mind.

It was him, the young general whom she had been waiting for for a long time, and her unmarried lover.

"Qi Han, it's you. Actually, I seemed to have a vague feeling about you when we first met in the ancient castle, but it was still very vague at the time. I had a similar feeling about Zhang Hanrui, so I asked my brother to help me bring up that matter. But later, I slowly discovered that the feeling was even stronger when I was with you. During that time, I also had a dream. In the dream, I saw a battlefield strewn with corpses. I searched everywhere, and when I saw a man shot by several arrows, I subconsciously ran over and saw a familiar face, a very blurry face that I had dreamed of for a long time. At that moment, I finally saw his appearance clearly. It was you..."

As Ling Zhaoxue spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks. Zuo Qihan reached out to wipe her tears away, gently hugged her in his arms, and comforted her, "It's good that we meet again in this life."

Zhang Hanrui subconsciously looked at Siyin. The girl was looking at the two people hugging each other with a smile on her face, muttering, "We will always be together."

At this moment, countless beams of light flashed around the barrier. At the same time, Wang Hao and Wang Junxi also had the same light on their bodies. Everyone was shocked for a moment. The beams of light actually took away the two of them, and then the area around the barrier returned to normal.

Guan Junchen was terrified: "Haohao!"

Chen Junming was horrified: "Where is Wang Junxi?"

Yang Bowen glanced at the trace left by the light column in the sky. The barrier was still intact: "It seems that someone wants to protect us with this barrier..."

Zuo Qihan naturally took Ling Zhaoxue's hand and said seriously, "We have to go find them!"

"No, it's too dangerous. Maybe it's Mei Suzhi's conspiracy!" Yang Bowen retorted.

Zuo Qihan frowned and looked at Yang Bowen: "If we stay here forever, when will we find a way to leave? Besides, they might be in danger now. We must rescue them as soon as possible!"

"Then have you thought about the others whose superpowers have not yet awakened? Have you thought about the consequences of moving forward rashly? What if it's a conspiracy and we fall into her trap? Isn't it because you are the key to this world that you want to show your abilities to everyone at this time?" Yang Bowen said seriously.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Zuo Qihan, not daring to breathe, because at this moment Zuo Qihan lowered his head, clenched his fists, and after a cold laugh, raised his head expressionlessly and said, "Since you look at me like this, I have nothing to say. You don't have to go, I'll go save them myself." Zuo Qihan turned and was about to leave, but Zhang Hanrui hurriedly called out to him, "Zuo Qihan! Come back!"

Yu Junxi also stepped forward and grabbed his arm: "Brother Zuo, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!"

Ling Zhaoxue, who was standing beside him, pulled at the corner of his clothes worriedly and murmured, "Qi Han..."

Zuo Qihan gently pushed away Yu Junxi and Ling Zhaoxue's hands and smiled gently: "It's okay, I can do it."

Yang Bowen sneered, "Look, you're being a hero again! Who said we're a team? And who's been acting like a hero all by themselves?"

Zhang Guiyuan walked over and patted Yang Bowen's arm: "Bowen, please stop talking."

Zuo Qihan had his back to everyone, his head slightly lowered, a hint of a smile on his lips, and a low laugh coming from deep in his throat, as if he was suppressing some emotion but couldn't completely conceal it.

"What are you laughing at? Am I wrong? We have been in this world for so long, and every time it is because of you. The Holy Fire of the Elf, the head of the five elements, is so great, right?" Yang Bowen frowned with some dissatisfaction.

Zuo Qihan said coldly: "It's not me who brought you here..."

"Then tell me! Did Yang Jiahao leave because of you?"

These words were like a thorn that pierced Zuo Qihan's heart, hurting him: "Haohao... I..."

"And Wang Shuoran and the others, were they arrested because of you? And Li Jiayin, if it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been targeted!"

Every word Yang Bowen said was like a sharp arrow hitting Zuo Qihan.

Nie Weichen stepped forward and grabbed the aggressive Yang Bowen: "Actually, this can't be blamed on him. He only found out about these things after coming here."

Wang Shuoran also said: "Yes, he is also trying to find the truth, right? And he also wants to protect us all!"

"Okay, stop talking! It's my fault! It's all my fault! Okay!" Zuo Qihan roared, and everyone held their breath, not daring to breathe.

Only Zhang Hanrui silently stepped forward and tried to hold his hand, but he shook it off forcefully.

"Zuo Qihan!" Niu Yinuo stepped forward to catch Zhang Hanrui, who was almost falling after being thrown off by Zuo Qihan. "You're not wrong, but saving Wang Hao and Wang Junxi is still an unknown adventure. We have no idea what happened to them, and we don't know if they're friends or foes. Just like when you, Zhang Yiran, and Li Jiayin were blown away by the strong wind, we were all panicked. It was only a blessing that you returned safely. This time, we need to be fully prepared. If danger comes, how will we respond?"

"Don't worry about it! I have my own way!" As he said that, he used his supernatural power to transform and ran out of the barrier quickly.

Niu Yinuo wanted to chase after him but Zhiyuan held him back: "Arnold..." He turned around and held her hand: "I can't let that guy fall into danger alone anymore, I have to go find him!"

Zhiyuan: "I mean, I'll go with you."

Niu Yinuo was stunned: "But, we don't know what's waiting for us ahead... I'm afraid..."

Ling Zhaoxue also stepped forward and said, "It's okay, I'll go too. I'll accompany Sister Zhiyuan."

Li Jiasen and Zhang Guiyuan also stepped forward: "Let's go help too!"

Yang Hanbo looked at Xinghuan. Chen Yiheng pulled Xingxi along, and the four of them stepped forward together: "Let's go help too!"

Niu Yinuo was thinking about it, and Zhiyuan said, "If we go together, our chances of success might be better."

Zhang Hanrui also raised his hand: "I'll go too! I think I can help Qiqi share some of the burden. Although my ability is limited, maybe I can come in handy."

Zhi Enhan: "Then I will also..."

Zhang Hanrui: "Please help me take care of the others."

Zhi Enhan: “Okay.”

Zhang Yiran was about to say something when Li Jiasen turned to look at him and said, "Don't go. You, Xiaoguan, and Bowen just need to protect your brothers and sisters together."

Zhang Yiran looked at the worried Li Jiayin beside him, raised his hand and touched her head soothingly, then nodded and said, "Okay, everyone, be careful."

Niu Yinuo said to Yu Junxi and Zhang Xuanrui, "Okay, Xixi, I'll leave the rest of the matter to you. Protect everyone."

Yu Junxi nodded: "Don't worry."

Zhang Xuanrui looked at Niu Yinuo worriedly: "Brother Nuo, you guys should also pay attention to safety."

Li Yudong, who was sitting nearby, suddenly stood up and said, "Brothers and sisters! I want to go too..."

Chen Junming walked over, patted him and said, "Forget it. Even though you have supernatural powers, Brother Hao would definitely object if he were here. With them, there won't be any problems."

"But..." Li Yudong lowered his head and murmured, "I also want to help Brother Zuo Qihan share the burden..."

Zhang Hanrui turned around and looked at Li Yudong with a smile: "Dongdong, don't worry, your mission is to protect everyone and the elves here. We will come back to find you soon." Li Yudong nodded obediently after hearing this.

So, everyone watched helplessly as Niu Yinuo and his group embarked on a journey to catch up with Zuo Qihan...

—To be continued—

(End of this chapter)