Chapter 35: The Mission Is Paramount

There is no daytime in the Astral Realm.

However, all the campfires on the sandy plains and the stars in the night sky vanished in an instant, overwhelmed by a sudden, intense radiance. The spirits felt a warmth they had never known before, though they had no idea what was happening.

Only Jung ran through the throngs of people, dragging his backpack and shouting, "This is the daytime of the Astral Realm! This is the daytime of the Astral Realm!"

After a while, the light began to fade, and the spirits realized it was not a sun, but a sphere of light suspended in mid-air. In the very center of that sphere was a woman. Most of the scholars recognized her and cried out, "It’s Ms. Fang!"

As the light vanished completely, Fang Xiaoling slowly descended to the ground, and Jung happened to run right up to her.

"I knew you would succeed! The shattering of the dream world forces you through an initial transit via the conduit, so I knew you would have to fall from the sky again!" Jung said excitedly. "I saw your soul vanish and ran here immediately. I’m glad I made it."

"Alright... but why was I glowing like that?" As Fang Xiaoling spoke, almost every spirit in the Astral Realm began to crowd around her.

"That is the light of the real world! Without the dream world, the conduit now connects the real world to the Astral Realm. Since the conduit exists within your consciousness, it opens every time you transit, allowing the light to leak through. It is the light of the actual sun!"

"So that’s what you meant when you said I was the daytime of the Astral Realm?" Seeing all the spirits looking at her with such intense adoration, Fang Xiaoling felt a bit awkward. "Sorry, I can't maintain that glow for very long yet. After all, I can't control it during the transit process..."

"Child, this is more than enough for us," Gandalf said, emerging from the crowd. "This is the first time we have felt warmth. Thank you." He then turned to Jung. "Mr. Jung, thank you as well for everything you have done for the Astral Realm."

"You are most welcome," Jung bowed respectfully. "To be honest, I have my own selfish motives. I want to experience the sunlight of that world; perhaps one day, we will have the chance to go there ourselves."

Jung's words caused a stir among the spirits, but by now, no one doubted him anymore.

"However, that is merely a hypothesis for now. To reach a concrete conclusion, we will need Ms. Fang's help with experiments."

All eyes shifted back to Fang Xiaoling. Before she could answer, Jung loudly answered for her, "Everyone, rest assured! Ms. Fang is certainly not the type to burn bridges. Since she obtained the bottleneck conduit in the Astral Realm, she will surely strive for a better tomorrow for us all!"

The entire place erupted in cheers. Everyone hungered for a world filled with sunlight—the real world.

"This Jung, he clearly hasn't left me any room to choose," Fang Xiaoling muttered to herself, though she maintained a happy smile on her face.

"Ms. Fang, you should try transiting back to the real world now," Jung said. "That way, the next time you return, you will bring the daytime to the Astral Realm again. We will be waiting for you!"

Fang Xiaoling hesitated and asked, "Uncle Jung, if I transit back now, where will I end up? I mean, which world will the conduit send me to?"

"Naturally, you return to where you came from. Using the bottleneck conduit, you can come to the Astral Realm from any parallel world in the reality, but it is impossible to choose to transit from the Astral Realm to any of the countless parallel worlds at will."

"Why? Can't I return to the world of my own body?"

"You cannot go directly back, because the parallel worlds of the real world exist relatively independently. You traveled horizontally, then arrived here vertically. The bottleneck conduit acts as a vertical conduit; it cannot help you traverse horizontally. Do you understand?"

"Not really..." Fang Xiaoling said, disappointed. "Mr. Jung, can't you think of a way? If I have to rely on myself to traverse horizontally, I would have to make some man fall in love with me, which is too difficult. Roland, who traveled with me, must have returned to her original world long ago."

"It is truly impossible, don't even think about it," Jung patted Fang Xiaoling's shoulder. "However, according to our research, time passes very quickly in the Astral Realm. Since humans can think of many things in an instant, even if you stay in the astral layer for a long time, there is a high probability that only a short time has passed in that world. But these are just our analyses; for the specific situation, you will have to see for yourself."

"If that's true, it would be great. Maybe Roland is still there." Fang Xiaoling was already imagining how to show off her superpowers to Roland.

At that moment, Roland was listening quietly to Pan Long. Her interest gradually faded, and she stood up to pick up the detonator from the floor. "Long-long."

"Yes!" Pan Long answered quickly. His grandmother used to call him that; it must be his proposal that made her recall their old bond.

Roland dismantled the bundle of detonators and connected their fuses one by one, her movements calm and skillful, as if she were braiding rope. "I have urgent matters to attend to, and time is tight, yet I still spent a minute listening to what you had to say. All of this is because, deep down, Grandmother still remembers you as her grandson. No matter how much time has passed, or how much I refuse to admit it, that familial affection from raising you still lingers in the depths of my heart."

"Yes! I know, Grandmother. I also consider you family, which is why I decided to hand over all the industries I've worked so hard to build over the years to you..."

Roland interrupted him, "But you killed someone. And in this day and age, you killed someone far weaker than yourself. When I taught you skills back then, it was, first, so you could live well, and second, so you wouldn't be bullied by others. But not only did you use those skills to bring about your own destruction, you used them to bully others even more viciously."

"Don't say that, Grandmother. I didn't bully anyone. That kid saw things he shouldn't have seen. Why did he have to go to the bathroom in the Sacred Wood Park of all places!" Pan Long knelt again, pleading, "Grandmother! From now on, I won't do anything else. I'll just stay by your side and serve you. Please, keep your word. You just promised me that after saving Tian Hu, you would protect me, right?"

"Since I already promised you, why are you still begging me like this? Didn't I teach you to trust your own intuition and not perform meaningless actions? Do you think I will actually save you? Finding a path to your own survival is the most important thing for you right now." Roland wrapped the prepared row of detonators around her waist and tied a knot to secure them. "Even if I saved you this time, what would you do when I am no longer in this world?"

She had said these exact words once before when she was Liu Er. Back then, Pan Long was struggling in the river and did not hear her.

This time, he heard her clearly, but he did not attempt to understand the meaning.

Roland walked up to Pan Long and, acting truly like family, began to take off his leather jacket. "I don't have time to disguise myself. Your clothes are big; lend them to me. My leather jacket can't hide these detonators."

"Grandmother, do you really have to go save Tian Hu and blow this whole thing up?" Pan Long did not resist, staring desperately at the pistol on the table.

"Don't go looking for your own death. You know how dangerous the things on that table are." Roland put the large leather jacket over her own and zipped it up. "I will rescue Tian Hu within twenty minutes. In that time, find a way to save your own life."

"I have no way out!" Pan Long shouted, grabbing the pistol from the table and pointing it at Roland in agitation. "You never considered me family! I don't know who you are, but I know you aren't Liu Er, just as you aren't this young girl... A person must look out for themselves; that’s what you taught me."

"You disappoint me." Roland showed no signs of nervousness as she continued toward the door. "If you're going to shoot, do it now. With all that talking, the enemies are already far away."

"Don't think I won't! I'm known for being cold-blooded! Stop, I told you to stop right there!" Pan Long gritted his teeth, his hands trembling as he held the gun. By the time Roland walked out the door and disappeared from his sight, he still had not fired.

With bloodshot eyes, he stared intensely at the empty doorway, then suddenly pressed the muzzle of the gun against his own head.

But after a long time, he still could not bring himself to pull the trigger.

Pan Long had lived half a lifetime and spent nearly thirty years in the criminal underworld. He had never been soft-hearted toward anyone or anything. But today, he couldn't bring himself to kill either of the two people he meant to take down...

Roland sat in a taxi, wiping her slightly damp eyes with her fingers. "Now is not the time to be sentimental," she told herself. "The mission is what matters most."

For Roland, this was indeed the truth. Back when she was with Pan Long, her earpiece had vibrated, and a little girl's voice had come through. The girl told Roland that if she didn't return to Canglan International within half an hour, her own younger sister, Li Mengling, would die.

This meant Fang Xiaoling's life might also be in danger. After all, too many things regarding the transit had happened that were beyond Roland's expectations. She could no longer be certain if the death of Li Mengling's body would cause Fang Xiaoling to die as well.

Whoever could contact this earpiece must be someone from within the Tower. Judging by the girl's tone, she, like the burly man from before, was likely an Enforcer. Roland just didn't understand why the girl didn't come to find her directly instead of using Li Mengling's life as a threat.

However, she only spent five minutes considering this matter.

After all, the mission was what mattered most.