Generation Z Mainland

Chapter 24 Prequel: He from Another World

Zuo Qihan's eyes were instantly filled with fear and shock as he stared at the apocalyptic scene before him. Those companions who had once fought alongside him in this mysterious world, searching for a way back to reality, now lay lifeless amidst the rubble.

"What...what on earth is going on? Is this because of me again?" Zuo Qihan's voice was trembling, and he cried out in despair, "Everyone! Wake up! We agreed to go back to school together!"

He stumbled, as if treading on cotton, running towards his companions with one foot deep and one foot shallow. "Xiaoguan! A'rui! A'xue!... Everyone, what's wrong with you?" Tears welled up uncontrollably, and he felt filled with self-blame. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I've implicated you all again! It's me who made you follow me into this mortal danger..."

Zuo Qihan fell to his knees with a thud, frantically shaking Zhang Hanrui beside him. But Zhang Hanrui remained motionless, unresponsive. His eyes were closed, his face as pale as the lingering snow on a winter's day. With trembling hands, Zuo Qihan reached out to feel Zhang Hanrui's breath, but where his fingertips touched, there was only an endless chill and deathly silence. At that moment, Zuo Qihan's heart plummeted, as if he had fallen into a bottomless, dark abyss.

"No, no, this isn't true! This is absolutely not true!" Zuo Qihan screamed frantically, his voice echoing through the empty, silent ruins, shrill and desperate, like the wail of a wounded beast. He quickly turned to Li Jiasen and, with all his strength, hugged him tightly, as if using his body heat to pull him back from the brink of death. However, Li Jiasen's body was limp, and no matter how Zuo Qihan shouted at the top of his lungs, or shook him with all his might, it was like a stone falling on his face, with no response at all.

Ling Zhaoxue lay nearby, her long hair disheveled on the dusty ground. Her eyes, once as bright as stars, now seemed hollow and lifeless, like a pool of stagnant water. Zuo Qihan stumbled over, his hands trembling as he gently placed her head on his lap, sobbing uncontrollably. "Axue, wake up! Didn't you always say we would be together forever, never apart? You lied to me, you lied to me..."

Memories flooded back like a surging tide. Those days of mutual support and reliance in a mysterious world now resembled the sharpest blades, slicing at his heart again and again. Together, they'd dodged monsters in perilous situations, racked their brains to solve ancient and mysterious puzzles. Whenever they were faced with a desperate situation, they'd clung to one another, never once considering giving up. But now, everything felt like a horrific nightmare, and he was trapped, unable to wake up.

"If I could do it all over again, I would rather face all dangers alone, even if it meant being torn to pieces, than let you follow me into danger." Zuo Qihan muttered to himself, looking at his lifeless companions. Remorse surged like a surging tide, threatening to consume him completely. He slowly raised his head and gazed at the ruins ravaged by the relentless disaster. His eyes were filled with pain and determination, like a statue cast in hatred and sorrow.

"I will never let your sacrifice be in vain. No matter how horrific the price, even if it means making the whole world my enemy, I will uncover the truth and let you rest in peace." Zuo Qihan's voice was low but resolute, each word uttered between his teeth. He gently set Ling Zhaoxue down and slowly stood up. The pain and fatigue in his body seemed to have vanished in that moment. What sustained him now was only the burning fire of revenge and the unwavering belief in letting his companions rest in peace.

"Really? You're quite strong, worthy of being the Holy Spirit Fire that the former Fire Elemental Controller swore to protect with his life."

A cold, mocking voice suddenly rang out. Zuo Qihan turned sharply and saw a man in a black suit standing on a massive rock. He exuded a gloomy aura, like a demon from the abyss. He glared at him triumphantly, a sickening grin plastered across his face.

"Xia Sanlan! You killed my friends! Give them back to me!" Zuo Qihan's eyes instantly turned bloodshot as he roared in anger. He endured the excruciating pain and desperately tried to rush forward. However, the other party only moved his fingers slightly, performing a small move, and knocked him heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"You're in such a miserable state now? And you still want to seek revenge on me? Hahaha, but you also have a share of the 'credit' for their current situation~" Xia Sanlan's laughter was sharp and piercing, like the cry of a night owl, echoing in the air.

Zuo Qihan's eyes widened, filled with disbelief and anger: "What did you say?"

Xia Sanlan sneered, with the complacency on his face becoming more and more obvious: "I have to thank you very much. If it weren't for the burst of your power, you wouldn't be able to help me rule this continent so quickly! Hahahahahaha!" After that, Xia Sanlan turned and left while laughing wildly, leaving Zuo Qihan with only an arrogant and smug back, as if mocking his incompetence and weakness.

Zuo Qihan's hands trembled at his sides, his fingertips pale with anger. He dared not look at his companions again, the guilt and pain within him nearly suffocating him. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, praying silently, hoping that this was all just a terrible nightmare, that when he woke, they would be able to continue adventuring in this mysterious world together as before, working together to find a way out.

But when he slowly opened his eyes again, the harsh reality was still before him. Nothing had changed. The ruins remained, and his companions still lay there lifeless.

"Why? Is there no way to revive everyone?" Zuo Qihan muttered to himself, his voice filled with helplessness and despair. At this moment, there was suddenly another person beside him. He turned his head sharply and asked warily, "Who are you?"

The visitor frowned slightly at the tragic scene before him, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes: "Mei Suzhi and Xia Sanlan are really too shameless! Child, don't be afraid, you want everyone to be resurrected, right?"

Zuo Qihan looked at the person. He rubbed his eyes hard, but he couldn't see his face clearly. He only felt that the person was radiating a soft light, like a messenger from the world of light. Before he could react, he was taken away to another world filled with light.

"Where is this?" Zuo Qihan looked at the vast expanse of white in front of him in surprise. There was a soft halo all around, as if he was in a dreamland, or as if he was beyond the real time and space.

The man patted his shoulder and said gently, "Now, I'm going to give you a task..." With a wave of his hand, a huge screen appeared out of thin air before the two of them. The person on the screen shocked Zuo Qihan so much that he blurted out, "This... isn't this me?"

The man smiled, a hint of mystery in his smile, and continued, "Yes, he is indeed you, but you from another time and space. He is about to face everything you have encountered before..."

"What?! This can't be!" Zuo Qihan shouted loudly, his emotions instantly agitated. He suddenly made a move, trying to stop the man, "Are you the one who brought them here? No! Stop it! I don't want...his world to..."

The man gently pushed his hand away, his tone still gentle but unquestionable: "I knew you would object, so I asked you to go and help me protect him. You know what kind of situation you will encounter. As long as you protect him and the others, the ending of you and your companions can be rewritten..."

Zuo Qihan still couldn't believe it, his eyes full of hesitation and struggle: "Really?"

"Yes," the man replied firmly. Zuo Qihan clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the strain. He stared intently at the self on the screen, as if gazing into another version of himself in time and space, and said firmly, "Okay."

The man nodded in satisfaction and added, "This time, I'll arrange some levels for them to test their abilities. Please help and cooperate." Zuo Qihan nodded, seemingly understanding. Then, the man took him to a magnificent villa. Upon entering the villa, Zuo Qihan saw many people.

"Is this the kid Senior Yi brought back from another time and space?" a voice tinged with curiosity came. Zuo Qihan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in a black uniform walking towards him with a chuckle and a friendly smile on his face.

"Yu Yuhan, are you done with your training?" a steady voice rang out. Zuo Qihan looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was Senior Yu Yuhan.

"Senior Yi, can you let me take a break? By the way, I heard that this kid has strong fire abilities, I want to see it~" Yu Yuhan blinked, with an eager glint in his eyes, and said to Yi Yang Qianxi.

Yi Yang Qianxi said to Zuo Qihan helplessly: "Ignore him, just follow me."

Yi Yang Qianxi took Zuo Qihan around the villa. Zuo Qihan had actually seen everyone here at school before; they were all his seniors, though he wasn't very familiar with them. However, there were two people he was particularly familiar with: his older brother Zuo Hang, and his older brother Huang Shuo, who had transferred to Generation Z Academy with him.

Looking at the two familiar and kind people in front of him, Zuo Qihan's tears instantly burst out, and he shouted in a choked voice: "Brother..."

Yi Yang Qianxi saw that Zuo Qihan seemed to have a lot to say to Zuo Hang and Huang Shuo, so he made an excuse to leave.

"I know you are not my brothers in that world, but I still want to say that I miss you so much. The reason why I agreed to come here with my senior is, first, because I can save my friends, and second, because I will do my best to protect his safety. I will not let my tragedy happen to him again." Zuo Qihan looked at Zuo Hang and Huang Shuo, his eyes full of determination and sincerity.

Zuo Hang smiled and patted his head, saying gently, "Well, but you in this world, apart from Huang Shuo, don't seem to know me..."

Zuo Qihan raised his head, smiled innocently and said, "Brother, I've asked around. Although you're not his brother, he's always regarded you as his idol!"

Huang Shuo folded his hands and added with a smile, "It's true. I caught him sneaking in to watch you train before."

Zuo Qihan continued to ask: "Brother, what did the senior mean when he said he would set up a level test?"

Huang Shuo patiently explained, "Because his awakened powers are not yet mature, he needs to go through trials to temper his will and improve his abilities."

Zuo Qihan nodded thoughtfully. After chatting for a while, Yu Yuhan suddenly called out from behind: "Hey, Chi Yan, want to compete?"

Zuo Hang sighed helplessly: "Yu Yuhan, that's enough. He just came from that world. He doesn't have the heart to compete with you now..."

Yu Yuhan said "Oh", and Tong Yukun beside him laughed and joked: "See, I told you, with Zuo Hang here, you don't stand a chance."

Yu Yuhan looked at Zuo Qihan and said unyieldingly, "Kid, let's spar if we have a chance..."

However, when it came time to spar, Yu Yuhan was easily defeated by Zuo Qihan. He got up from the ground in a panic, shouting, "Ah... I was wrong, I was wrong, Brother Chi Yan, please let me go!"

Mu Zhicheng pulled Zhang Junhao aside to eat melons, laughing uncontrollably. "Haha, Yu Yuhan, aren't you deliberately giving yourself a head by challenging him to a sparring match? He's been training in that world for so long, he must have been invincible long ago, okay?"

Zuo Qihan listened to Mu Zhicheng's words and suddenly fell into deep thought.

Yu Yuhan got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and said stubbornly, "Forget it, I admit defeat this time. Next time, I'll... go find that brat..."

"You can't beat me, so you bully 'me' who hasn't fully awakened yet?" Zuo Qihan, who had come to his senses, was amused by him and said with a helpless smile.

Yu Yuhan put his hands on his hips and said confidently, "So what? Anyway, your brother and the others have arranged for me to be one of his examiners. I'll just have to wait and see..."

Everyone laughed out loud at Yu Yuhan's words. The whole villa was filled with laughter and looked very harmonious and warm.

Meanwhile, at school, mysterious figures quietly emerge from the shadows. Hidden in the shadows, they furtively observe Zuo Qihan's every move. A larger, more dangerous conspiracy is brewing in the darkness, like a lurking beast, ready to open its bloody mouth and devour everything...

(End of this chapter)