CHAPTER 669: CHAPTER 613: GRAND FINALE (PART THREE)

He Xiuyu gently took his hand and said softly, "Brother Chen, don’t move—I’ve already contacted a rescue helicopter. You’ll be taken to the hospital soon."

There was a pause before He Xiuyu’s voice firmed, "You must hold on. Your willpower is very important right now. I will stay with you."

At this moment, Chen Tianliang looked up at the sky. Days were exceptionally long after the summer solstice. Even though it was nearly four in the afternoon, the sun still hung in the western sky. The brilliant light pouring through the clouds reached the bottom of this ten-meter-deep pit, half-blocked, but the other half fell directly onto his face—warm, and so desirable.

Remembering the scene just before, Chen Tianliang suddenly turned to He Xiuyu. He clutched his hand using all his strength and said, word by word, "I do believe that time can flow backward. Ah Yu, none of you should feel sad or upset. I really did see it just now... It’s wonderful, Ah Yu, you should be happy for me. I am about to start over again, it’s wonderful..."

He Xiuyu watched Chen Tianliang unwaveringly, lips tightly pursed, but unable to utter a single word, then he nodded heavily.

Chen Tianliang’s gaze grew scattered, but he struggled to look at He Xiuyu, even his lips curved into a smile, "...Ah Yu, thank you for giving me this chance. When I get back, I will tell you first thing. This place has a kind of Energy... "

His voice abruptly stopped, and the hand gripping He Xiuyu’s slowly loosened. He closed his eyes, yet his expression was serene, his lips turning up in happiness...

He Xiuyu was frozen for a moment as tears fell.

That familiar sensation rose within him again; looking down at his feet, he knew there was no need to dig or test—these stones were the very Energy Stones that powered the Space Device.

And the words Chen Tianliang had left unfinished must have referred to an Energy Mine.

This was a mine brimming with Energy Stones.

Right then, the roar of a helicopter came from above.

The rescue began. Coming down were two rescue workers and Lu Ye.

He had descended with the best of expectations, but upon seeing Chen Tianliang, tears instantly overflowed.

His body went limp, and he knelt on the ground. He had not predicted such a normal survey would result in this kind of accident.

It was unexpected for everyone.

He Xiuyu’s expression, equally complex and filled with sorrow, was the closest he had ever been to death.

Yet deep down, there was this inexplicable belief in Chen Tianliang. Perhaps he had really passed through a temporal-spatial rift just moments ago. Perhaps it was with his last bit of strength that he had come to bid them farewell.

He Xiuyu could not forget the moment he saw it was him—how a sense of relief flashed in Chen Tianliang’s eyes. Surely he wanted to tell him the most.

Because, in what he called his dream, that He Xiuyu had indeed accomplished this feat.

And for Chen Tianliang, his greatest obsession in life was Xinghua—not only feeling guilty for the loss of her life but more so because she was his lover, the most beautiful memory of his youthful, good days.

If he could start over, Chen Tianliang would surely spare no expense.

He Xiuyu’s gaze was somber, all these thoughts fleeting in the blink of an eye.

Regardless of what Chen Tianliang was up to, the urgent matter at hand was to lift him up, then to determine how much of this special Energy Stone there was and how to use it. Soon after, this place would be designated as a military control zone, and it is estimated that within ten miles, the general public would no longer be allowed in.

At this moment, Qiao Qingyu was standing at the edge of the collapsed pit, for safety’s sake. Those who couldn’t help temporarily, or who were older, or were female comrades like Qiao Qingyu, a total of seven or eight people, all stood a bit farther from the collapsed area, yet they still had a view of the pit’s bottom.

Qiao Qingyu’s thoughts were actually the same as He Xiuyu’s.

At this time, Qiao Qingyu’s fingers felt even hotter than before, as if scorched by a red-hot iron, an unbearable sensation, but Qiao Qingyu had no choice but to endure it forcibly, not letting others detect any clues, as everything was too inconceivable.

Aside from He Xiuyu, she absolutely could not let a third person in the world know about the Space Device in her hand.

Not even her child or her parents.

Qiao Qingyu used all her strength, clutching her fingers tightly, her complexion looking poor, with large drops of sweat rolling down her forehead. Fortunately, everyone was currently focused on the situation at the bottom of the pit, and their moods were too distressed and heavy to spare time to observe Qiao Qingyu’s expression.

So, Qiao Qingyu took out a handkerchief and wiped the large drops of sweat from her face.

But at that moment, her vision darkened; Qiao Qingyu instinctively closed her eyes, and the next second, she immediately opened them. Qiao Qingyu was stunned, standing still, looking around in shock.

The mountain was still the same mountain, the sky was still the same sky, and in front was the collapsed pit, but how come there was not a single person around, aside from the green grassy fields?

There should have been seven or eight people standing by her side just now.

Qiao Qingyu could no longer hold back. She ran towards the collapsed area, not too far away. When Qiao Qingyu reached the edge of the pit and stopped, she looked down and was stunned.

There was no sight of He Xiuyu, Lu Ye, or Chen Tianliang at the bottom of the pit.

Instead, the pit below was a spine-chilling vortex that seemed to flow gently like water and was unfathomably deep.

Qiao Qingyu stared down with wide, terrified eyes. Had she accidentally entered another dimension, or had this place undergone some mutation due to the Energy Stone?

If the latter was the cause, where had all those people gone? Could they have been transported to an unknown place by this space-time anomaly?

This dreadful thought flooded Qiao Qingyu’s mind as her heart thudded wildly, her back soaked with cold sweat. Tears suddenly filled her cheeks, unable to imagine a life without He Xiuyu, unable to fathom so many people just vanishing into thin air.

And what about herself? Was she still in this space-time?

Suddenly, Qiao Qingyu remembered something. Her trembling hands reached into her pocket and took out her cellphone.

When she saw that there was no signal on it, for some reason, Qiao Qingyu felt much better, no longer as panicked as before because at least it proved that she alone had experienced this anomaly, and the others should be safe.

But what exactly was happening?

Qiao Qingyu looked at the dark vortex composed of an unknown substance, reached out, and observed the red birthmark on her right index finger. It was still vivid, but the heat in her hands was no more.