Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 326: Chapter 316: Darkness Descends

"Brother, do you think we’re all going to die?"

Xianxian asked Lin Yu, who had just finished his tasks and sat back down beside her. The little girl’s voice was still so innocent and childlike, yet her words were anything but.

"Of course not. Xianxian is such a good girl. Heaven couldn’t bear to lose a child as good as you."

Lin Yu patiently picked up Xianxian. She must have been terrified just now. This child had a truly hard life; at such a young age, she had already faced life-or-death trials several times, and every time, she had pulled through against all odds.

"But Brother, you told me the story about the dinosaurs before. You said the dinosaurs went extinct because Mother Earth thought they weren’t behaving and didn’t let them live anymore. So now, does Mother Earth think we’re not behaving, so she’s not letting us live either?"

For a moment, the child’s innocent words were impossible to answer.

Perhaps Xianxian was right. Maybe Mother Earth really did think humanity wasn’t behaving, and this was their punishment.

Because countless spheres of light had been erected outside, Tang Mo’s area was no longer so crowded. Everyone took out their luggage, laid out their bedding, and sat down to eat.

The sky gradually darkened. Night had fallen.

Lying on the ground, everyone felt as if they were camping in the wild. Although it was warm inside the Protective Shield, the feeling of opening one’s eyes to the starry sky while surrounded by vast white snow was still quite magical.

Everyone had been frozen and exhausted by the day’s events. As soon as it grew dark, they all fell into a deep sleep.

Many small tents were set up in the area for Tang Mo’s group. Wen Jianshu and Lin Yi shared a tent with Yangyang, Xiao Tao shared a tent with Xianxian, and Lin Yu squeezed into a few tents with several of Qin Ling’s men.

Tang Mo and Qin Ling were supposed to have one tent each. Who would have known that after everyone had fallen asleep, Qin Ling would secretly sneak over and squeeze into Tang Mo’s tent.

"What are you doing here?"

Tang Mo asked irritably, clearly still angry that Qin Ling had told everyone about them earlier.

"I’m cold."

Inside Tang Mo’s tent, there was no sleeping bag. For comfort, Tang Mo had built a bed frame out of wooden planks, laid a thick mattress on top, and had a warm down comforter. It was incredibly comfortable.

After Qin Ling slipped in, he wrapped his arms around Tang Mo, rested his head on her shoulder, and closed his eyes.

Tang Mo felt Qin Ling’s ice-cold face resting against her, and in the end, she didn’t say anything more.

’Forget it. At a time like this, what’s the point of being stubborn?’

’So what if everyone knows? I’ve already done well enough. I don’t have to be afraid of people gossiping anymore, right?’

Today, she had overheard many people gossiping about her and Qin Ling. Everyone said they were a good match; no one said she wasn’t good enough for Qin Ling anymore.

No one said she wasn’t good enough for Qin Ling anymore.

The knot in her heart from her past life was finally untied today.

In the darkness, Tang Mo let out a long sigh of relief.

She had always been pushing herself. She knew she worked hard, that she had already done her best.

She forced herself to charge into dragon’s lairs and tiger’s dens, forced herself to leave her comfort zone and venture into a wider world alone, all in pursuit of faster progress.

She had truly used every ounce of her strength.

Everyone praised her for being amazing, brave, and no ordinary person.

But in her heart, Tang Mo understood that she wasn’t really as amazing as everyone claimed. She had only gotten this far because she couldn’t get over the injustices of her past life, driven by a spirit that would risk everything just to live life on her own terms.

’If I were really so amazing, my past life wouldn’t have ended that way.’

Somewhere in Tang Mo’s heart, the shadow of the insecure little girl from her past life still lingered. She never dared to stop, afraid of repeating the same mistakes.

But today, after hearing what everyone said, she truly felt that everything had changed.

She had grown to a sufficient height, becoming someone who shone in the eyes of others.

"If you’re tired, it’s okay to think about nothing and do nothing. You still have me. No matter what, I’ll protect you. You go do what you want to do, and I’ll be your safety net."

She didn’t know if it was a sincere confession or just him mumbling in his sleep.

As Qin Ling spoke these words with his eyes closed, tears couldn’t help but stream down Tang Mo’s face.

You go do what you want to do, and I’ll be your safety net.

It was perhaps the most beautiful declaration of love in the entire world.

Tang Mo’s heart was at ease. She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of Qin Ling’s embrace. This comfortable warmth quickly lulled her into a deep sleep as well.

Sometimes, darkness isn’t exclusive to nighttime. At certain moments, even the day can be shrouded in darkness.

Just like now.

Tang Mo slept extremely well. When she woke up, Qin Ling was no longer beside her.

After changing her clothes and washing up, she went outside and discovered that the sky outside the protective circle was still black.

Although their ID Watches weren’t displaying anything, everyone who had slept knew in their hearts that it should be morning by now, but the sky showed no sign of lightening.

This couldn’t help but throw everyone into a panic. The sun’s purpose, after all, wasn’t just to provide light; it also provided essential heat and a sense of security.

The ID Watches still showed black screens. Everyone stood in the darkness, with no interest in even talking. They kept their mouths tightly shut, their eyes staring blankly into space.

Tang Mo looked around but couldn’t find Qin Ling. She guessed that with such a strange phenomenon occurring, he had probably taken some men to investigate.

Seeing Tang Mo emerge, Lin Yu and Xiao Tao immediately fell in beside her, ready to act on her command.

Hour after hour passed, but the sky still didn’t brighten.

In this environment, the people inside the protective circle gradually grew agitated. Some couldn’t help but pace back and forth, while others even started arguing with those around them out of anxiety.

’This can’t go on.’

The protective circle was created by Tang Mo’s spiritual power, so she was naturally aware of every move made within it.

If this continued, order within the protective circle would collapse. With so many people, chaos could lead to real disaster.

Tang Mo’s spiritual power reformed into a new pattern inside her body, then slowly flowed out and into the Protective Shield.

This time, the spiritual power Tang Mo added wasn’t meant to expand the Protective Shield further. Instead, it caused the shield’s originally faint golden color to grow richer and richer, until it began to glow.

The light grew brighter and brighter, gradually illuminating everything inside the Protective Shield. Even the smaller protective shields outside felt the power of this light.

The vast white snow and ruined walls outside once again returned to everyone’s sight.

But this desolate scene didn’t make anyone uncomfortable. On the contrary, the light gave everyone a firmer resolve.