Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 100 - 078. Assault Horizon_3

Chapter 100: 078. Assault Horizon_3

Qiu Ran’s face flushed red with embarrassment as she retorted repeatedly in a huff,

"I would never do such things. Even though I’m poor, weak, and lack fighting ability, I still have dignity."

"If that’s the case, and you’re unwilling to sell your dignity or give up your possessions, and if you’re a woman, then find a way yourself. Even if you have to crawl on hands and knees, crawl out to the Outer World!"

Chen Siqi raised her middle finger, cursing,

"You’re just trying to leverage your female identity to earn other people’s sympathy and then hitch a free ride—damn, stop always expecting men to help you. You’re a person, with hands and feet, and not much less than a man either. Truly fed up, fuck!"

Qiu Ran’s face was flushed with embarrassment, her body trembling, but not out of anger. Dr. Chen Siqi’s words had deeply touched her heart.

—Frost Plated women always talk about being superior to men while lazily relying on men’s strength.

To exchange her body or Arcane Energy for Li Aozi’s help—doing so would make no difference between herself and those lofty, indolent Frost Plated women.

"Thank you, Doctor."

Qiu Ran’s chest heaved violently. She bowed deeply and then hurriedly opened the door and followed with quick steps.

I can’t rely on others... Others have no obligation to help me.

"Mr. Leoz!"

Qiu Ran ran with long strides through the ship’s corridors.

She kept searching and inquiring about the Scavenger’s whereabouts, eventually finding her way to Dmitry’s home.

"Li Aozi? He took some books from me then set off."

Old Dmitry, with a pipe in his mouth and not lighting it due to children in the house, thought for a moment before responding to Qiu Ran’s query,

"He bought some gunpowder and chemicals; he seems to be preparing for a tough fight. Those things need to be carefully placed; he couldn’t have gone far."

No sooner had he finished speaking, Qiu Ran had already run off out of sight.

"Wait for me!"

Her gaze grew more determined.

Although she lacked fighting ability, with the amount of gunpowder Li Aozi had purchased, her Arcane Energy would definitely be useful.

She had to seize this opportunity on her own. Since Li Aozi was planning to storm into Mingji Humanity and fight his way to the end, what she needed to do was to prove that she was qualified to fight by his side and share the burden of his troubles.

She ran hurriedly, her scarf that covered her face unraveling. Many Wanderers caught a glimpse of her dignified appearance, showing considerable interest but no one made a move.

This was also thanks to Li Aozi... Qiu Ran’s gaze wandered; she knew this very well.

It was Li Aozi’s actions and impressive combat record from the previous night that offered her, a woman who couldn’t even truss a chicken, protection due to her association with him.

Moreover, on this journey, without Li Aozi’s skills, she would have fallen into the hands of Fourth Rule... and if things went poorly, she might even be charged with treason, affecting the future prospects of her younger siblings.

She remembered her arrival at the camp, when Li Aozi had instantly killed three cannibalistic Wanderers.

Had he not acted decisively, she would have been divided up clean as a piece of cake, even with people pinching her toes and organs, weighing in with their opinions.

Unknowingly... she had incurred many favors.

"Huff... huff..."

She surged to the surface, running so fast that her stamina began to wane. Qiu Ran looked out, but couldn’t see a trace of that familiar SUV.

Snowflakes mixed with light rain, loneliness, and desolation all painted together, burying any trace.

They had left.

Thump.

Qiu Ran knelt down on the ground, drained of strength, looking out over the vast snowy field where not a single light could be seen through the dark, Ersha clouds.

I missed it...

Having missed this chance, she would never find another.

All because she was too weak and hesitant.

Qiu Ran held her head, having missed her chance to go home, and also to repay the kindness. From now on, in Li Aozi’s eyes, she might be seen as an ungrateful wretch.

How could I be so foolish?

She sat kneeling alone in the snow, head bowed, unsure of what to do.

Maybe she would spend her life in this piece of the Outer World, only hoping... that her younger siblings could have a better life.

Qiu Yu and Qiu Ping are both very smart children; they would surely get into university and become upper-class individuals who could afford to drive a D2000 Snow Wolf Hovercar.

Qiu Yun might not be good at studying, but she’s pretty, articulate, polite, and diligent in household chores; she’s bound to find a good match.

"Ah Yu, Ping’er, Yunyun, everyone must live well—you must fly proudly through the skies of Frost Plated, where it’s not crowded at all, wide open, and you’ll never smell the rust of steel on the ground."

Qiu Ran hugged her arms, praying earnestly,

"You must work hard on the college entrance exams, even if I’m not by your side, make sure to eat well, drink water regularly, and wear more clothes when it’s cold..."

As she spoke, her vision blurred increasingly.

I’ll never see them again.

"Woo..."

Her nose tingled, and she was about to burst into tears.

Click!

The high beams suddenly lit up, illuminating her figure in the vast darkness.

"Yo—"

Nomi’s petite figure sat on the roof of the car, looking quite amused:

"Keep going, silly big sister, why did you stop crying?"

Qiu Ran stared at her blankly:

"You, you didn’t—leave?"

"Nope. I just finished shopping for food, sigh, it’s all synthetic trash. Why is the food from the Outer World so much worse compared to the Rose Army’s?"

Nomi swung her legs back and forth, and through the strong light, Qiu Ran vaguely saw Li Aozi in the passenger seat, reading a book.

"And this dummy, Leoz, really, he was enjoying the show, and he had to turn on the lights—oh, one of the few good things about the Outer World is that for ordinary people, visibility doesn’t exceed 10 meters."

Nomi’s mocking expression made Qiu Ran suddenly understand the truth.

"Nomi, Leoz..."

Qiu Ran covered her face:

"Why are you teasing me—I’m so embarrassed, woo..."

"Because I told someone who didn’t want to reveal his name, Mr. Leoz, ’Silly big sister is a strong person, give her a chance.’

Nomi jumped off the car, bent down, and patted Qiu Ran’s cheek, teasing:

"Don’t look so glum, smile a bit, you’re already silly. If you cry, your face will be covered with frozen tear tracks, and you’ll look even sillier."

"I wasn’t crying!"

Qiu Ran quickly wiped her face, smearing it even more. In the freezing cold, she knelt on the ground, her body reacting to the cold, and tears flowed out again:

"I—"

Smack.

Before she could finish speaking, Nomi suddenly opened her arms and held her tightly.

"There, there..." Nomi spoke softly, "I can’t stand people like you, so silly and clumsy. You obviously have no ability, yet you pretend to be strong and keep working hard—you’re really stupid."

Qiu Ran’s eyes widened, the warmth from a stranger filling her with disbelief.

Nomi patted her on the shoulder, comforting her:

"Stop crying, the Outer World doesn’t believe in tears. But if you’re sad, hurt, I can give you a hug—just this once, no exceptions."

She buried Qiu Ran’s head in her chest, then suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear:

"My family is all dead, you have to protect them well."

After speaking, she released her arms and climbed back into the car.

Qiu Ran knelt there, still savoring Nomi’s whispered confession.

So... it was Nomi who had fought for this opportunity for her.

Her nose swelled red again, and tears involuntarily started to fall from her eyes.

Beep beep—

"Honk, you son of a bitch—what the (Civilization Frost Plating) are you (Quality Outer World) dawdling for?"

Nomi’s swearing came from the car. Then she breathed in and casually said:

"Get in the car, silly big sister."

Qiu Ran quickly wiped her face and stood up from the snowy ground. Her frozen stiff legs firmly planted on the ground, she lifted her head and earnestly walked step by step towards the car.

As she passed by Leoz’s side at the passenger seat, she suddenly felt as light as a feather and effortlessly opened the car door and seated herself in the back.

"Where are we heading now?"

Qiu Ran, shivering, wrapped her arms around herself and asked:

"Do we have enough fuel?"

"Don’t ask where we’re going, ask where we’ll fight."

Nomi pulled the handbrake, stepped on the clutch, shifted gears, and broke out into a smile:

"Comrades, the real battle is just beginning!"