Chapter 45: Going Home

Chapter 45: Going Home

A small town on the West Coast of the Freedom Country.

Luo Ke landed in an empty, deserted clearing. A few stray dogs rummaging through a nearby trash can thought he was coming to steal their food and immediately started barking furiously.

Thud...

With a single kick, he sent them flying.

Afterwards, he retrieved a suitcase of US dollars from his spatial warehouse—cash he had casually swiped from the cruise ship earlier. A sudden flash of inspiration had struck him, prompting him to come over and procure some good supplies to bring back, providing basic replenishment for Spark City.

Luo Ke was a law-abiding citizen, after all; he wasn't one to force trades, and he had no interest in using his powers on innocent passersby.

With money, people's faces would beam with smiles. Who wouldn't want everyone to be happy? Harmony is precious, so why resort to fighting and killing?

(Snake-Dog: Bah! Such a hypocrite! You didn't hesitate even a fraction of a second when you were spitting fireballs back then.)

Luo Ke wasn't quite sure how much money was packed in this suitcase, but he shouldn't run into any financial shortages.

He first slipped into a small grove to change his clothes. To be honest, this pair of "Dancing Wings" was rather hard on his shirts.

Next time he got into a fight, he should probably just take his shirt off!

This small town seemed to be a resort destination. There was bright sunshine, sandy beaches, bikinis, and wildly bouncing beach volleyballs in the air—the breath of freedom was everywhere.

Luo Ke strolled around for a bit, eating a vanilla ice cream cone as he walked into the bustling town.

Behind him, the ice cream vendor stood frozen in a daze, clutching a hundred-dollar bill in her hand. If she hadn't misheard, the Asian man had just told her to keep the rest as a tip?

Luo Ke started his shopping spree with food. He entered a large supermarket, went straight to the manager, and cut to the chase. After the manager confirmed with his own eyes that Luo Ke had sufficient funds, his face instantly blossomed into a wide grin.

First choice: canned food with an ultra-long shelf life, enough to stack up half the warehouse. Then came some snacks like potato chips that simply didn't exist in the apocalypse, though not too many—just enough for Xia Dou and the others to have a taste.

After that, through the supermarket manager, Luo Ke found the owner of a small medical equipment company and, after a brief conversation, purchased a batch of basic medical instruments.

Back on the Lighthouse, the female doctor Loti had once mentioned that Spark City was similarly starved of medical equipment, lacking raw materials and tools, making large-scale self-production difficult. Meanwhile, the medicine warehouse at the ruins of the Nirvana Corporation contained only massive quantities of pharmaceuticals, with zero usable instruments.

"Huh?"

At a street corner, Luo Ke spotted an old bookstore with red lanterns and auspicious knots hanging at the entrance. Judging by the decor, it was indeed a bookstore.

"Welcome!" The owner was an elderly man in his seventies or eighties. Seeing that the visitor was a compatriot with black hair and yellow skin, he greeted him warmly.

"Hello," Luo Ke asked, "do you have any books in Chinese?"

"Yes, we do!" the old man chuckled, leading Luo Ke into a storage room and opening three large wooden chests packed to the brim with Chinese books.

From *A Dream of Red Mansions* and *The Return of the Condor Heroes* to *Selected Works of Mao Zedong* and *To Live*, a wide variety of novels, essays, and translated works were readily available.

The common language used over in *Ling Long* was Mandarin Chinese. Despite all the blonde hair and blue eyes, put English or Russian in front of them, and barely anyone would recognize it.

Moreover, the ancient books and discs preserved on the Lighthouse were actually very few in number. The professional knowledge stored in computer clouds covered various technical fields, but the private collections of the Upper-class citizens mostly consisted of alcohol and cigarettes.

Luo Ke bringing some of these things back was aimed at enriching their impoverished spiritual world and building a backbone of the spirit. Otherwise, most people would ultimately remain mere empty shells surviving in the wasteland, difficult to truly uplift.

"Young man, are you here on vacation? Or are you an immigrant?" The old man spoke with a hint of awkwardness, as if he hadn't conversed with anyone in a long time.

"Vacation," Luo Ke replied with a faint smile. "Are you the only one here?"

"Yeah. I've been here for over a dozen years. I want to go back to my motherland, but I don't have any descendants; going back there would mean being all alone anyway. Having this little shop keep me company here isn't so bad. Perhaps, before I die of old age, I'll go back to Chengdu to take a look!"

Luo Ke looked at the traditional Tang suit the old man was wearing, and for a moment, he recalled a flash of fluttering red. He smiled faintly, "Go back and take a look. At least you can return your fallen leaves to their roots."

"You're right. Fallen leaves return to their roots," the old man's voice trembled.

"I'll take the whole lot. I've left the money for you here." Taking advantage of the old man turning around to close the door, Luo Ke swept the wooden chests into his spatial warehouse, left a heavy safe behind, and quickly departed.

"You don't need to pay me. These are useless for me to keep; consider it payment for chatting with me!"

When the old man turned back around, all he saw was the hem of a jacket vanishing around the corner and a box covered by a newspaper on the table.

He walked over and opened the box with a puzzled look, only to discover inside a sum of wealth heavy enough to buy his entire shop. Staggering out of the store, he gazed out into the distance in all directions before finally shaking his head with a sigh.

The shop was closed for the day. The old man began to pack his luggage, preparing to go back and see if Qingyang Temple Street was still the way he remembered it.

No matter how prosperous the Freedom Country was, it was never his home.

...

Spark City, in Luo Ke's exclusive independent suite.

Hum—

Space rippled for a moment, and a distorted black hole emerged. Luo Ke leaped out from it.

Feeling the old man's overwhelming melancholy and homesickness, Luo Ke's heart churned as well, prompting him to eagerly choose "going home."

No matter how intoxicating the myriad worlds were, he was merely a passerby. The main world of *Ling Long* was both his starting station and his final destination.

In the span of two days, Spark City had undergone no abnormalities; everything was developing rapidly and intensely. Shedding their blue and green chest badges, people wore all sorts of clothes, getting along harmoniously with one another.

The fallen Lighthouse had been named Lighthouse Fortress, and the entire valley was designated as Spark City, encompassing both the underground city and the surface city.

Luo Ke first went to a large warehouse, moving all the canned food, medical equipment, and other supplies out of his storage, and then went to find Mirror South.

"Oh? When did you get back?" Mirror South asked happily.

"Just now."

Although Luo Ke had only been gone for two days, everyone had been terrified that he wouldn't return, afraid that he would fade from their memories forever.

Inside the warehouse.

"Holy cow, bro, where on earth did you dig up so many rare supplies?" Mo Cheng stared in utter astonishment. "Luo Ke, you're practically a miracle."

The rest of the people also wore looks of deep shock, staring at Luo Ke incredulously.

"These cans are... so fresh!" Erica murmured.

"Have a taste, everyone. We'll keep the majority stored for emergencies," Luo Ke said.

Erica opened a can of beef, and a rich aroma drifted out. "So good! I've never tasted canned food this delicious before!"

Ran Bing was stunned, her brow furrowing with worry. "Did you go out to adventure by yourself? You should have told everyone. Even though we aren't as strong as you, we're a big family. If something happened to you, everyone would worry, and Xia Dou would definitely be sad for a long time."

"Don't worry, I have my ways," Luo Ke felt a warmth in his heart. "How is Mark's progress?"

"Bai Yuekui says he's progressing very fast. Perhaps due to his own special reasons, he has a very good grasp of spiritual elements, and it won't be long before he can transition back into a human form." Whenever Ran Bing spoke of Mark, the corners of her lips would curve upward uncontrollably.

Slurp!

This dog food was sweet!

"Wow! So many books!" Penny eagerly flipped through the large crates of books.

"Can I take a few?" she asked Luo Ke.

"Sure. We can build a library later," Luo Ke replied, suggesting the idea to Mirror South.

Penny began selecting books, accompanied by Donnie, who stood close by helping her choose. Ever since he had come to understand Penny's feelings, his rotten temper had improved significantly, and he handled matters with a bit more patience.

"Jin..." Penny caught sight of a book. "This novel title has such a classical charm; it must be a poignant story from ancient China. Donnie, I've really been liking this style lately. Can we read it together tonight?"

Luo Ke's eyelids twitched violently as the three-word title reached his ears, striking him like a thunderclap.

He wanted to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut. How could he ruin someone else's good moment?

Why on earth did that old man collect such high-brow artistic works?

Wait, were there other inexplicable things hidden inside too? Those definitely couldn't be placed directly in the library—how bad would the influence be if children saw them!

At that moment, a crisp, clear voice rang out from the entrance of the warehouse, and a dainty figure bounced inside, "Luo Ke—"

(Thanks to all the reader lords who recently tipped, thank you for your support.)

(End of Chapter)