CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 58: DEFENDER, PROTECT THEM [REQUEST FOR MONTHLY TICKETS]_3

"Sister Qiu, rush hour is coming, I have to catch the next subway—I’m heading out now!"

Saying this, she dashed into the heavy rain.

Her colleagues watched clearly; even though Yu Lian’s feet were stepping into puddles, her white canvas shoes remained spotless. The splashed water seemed to be kept at bay by a thin membrane!

What an amazing little gadget, I really want one!

Thinking about the Cleaning Circle that they still hadn’t managed to snag, and looking at Yu Lian who had already gotten the second new item, the colleagues felt quite upset!

...

Meanwhile, Yu Lian continued to jog in the rain, leaping into small puddles, as if she were transported back to her childhood.

Not far away, three little kids watched her step into a large puddle, splashing water high, then sliding down from her knees, leaving no trace of dirt.

The three kids exchanged a look and promptly stepped in too.

"Splash!"

Half their clothes got soaked.

Their struggling mom, who caught up and forced an umbrella up, pulled them back and immediately administered a stern smack.

The kids cried unhappily, "Why can Auntie step in it and not get scolded...?"

Clearly that auntie was so happy stepping in the water, ...

Grown-ups are just so annoying, wailing...

...

Not many are fortunate enough to walk so joyfully in the rain without umbrellas.

Yu Lian attracted many gazes along the way, feeling quite pleased internally.

—It always pays to be quick and trustworthy, those who were a step slower must be crying over their beds at home right now.

This shop’s items, truly high-tech.

yuan for this kind of magical item—Oh my God, oh my God!

...

The subway station wasn’t far from the company, and soon she arrived.

Yu Lian went down the stairs, found a spot against the corner of the wall, and stood there, then reached out to press the little circle on her shoulder—

Which was... the Rainy Day Circle.

Ugh, this shop’s naming style really is...

In the blink of an eye, with the tiny vibrating sensation from the little circle, the thin membrane covering her body slowly receded like water, and was gently drawn back into the small circle box. Apart from the evident water stains on the ground she stood on, Yu Lian showed no trace of rainwater.

Yu Lian looked at the onlookers around her, whose jaws had dropped and whose questions froze on their lips, and she felt a wave of satisfaction.

It felt like her 999 yuan spent yesterday had returned to her instantly.

...

"Sis, you’re really amazing!"

Little brother firmly refused to work as a customer service AI assistant, yet with the surge of inquiries in the store, even he with a hired assistant had to jump in personally.

Typing away rapidly, Chu River expressed his admiration passionately, munching on a spicy and salty duck frame delivered with his roast duck takeout, feeling rather competent at this moment.

Just as he was about to say something, a line popped up on the phone screen:

"Little He, I’m here."

Chu River sprang up like a carp turning over, staring at the phone, the taste of the duck frame fading.

...

"Am I doing okay now?"

Chu River, legs propped up on the table, wore an expression of smugness.

"Very good."

Chang Geng praised her earnestly.

"Little He, you’ve grown smart. Starting with small inventions not only establishes global recognition at the right time, amplifying your energy field—"

"But it also secures some of your freedom."

"Initially, I feared you’d start right away with your weaponry armor, keeping you under national regulations for life."

He sat in a wheelchair, his appearance slightly different now, yet the overall aura remained identical to the past, brows relaxed, suggesting a relatively easy life.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

Chang Geng was a leader in the Star Sea Era, and returning to the Mountain and Sea Star Era, he had to be the best of the best!

No exceptions!

Yet what Chang Geng said...

Chu River: "... cough."

She actually did plan for weaponry armor, just didn’t have the funds yet...

Furthermore, seeing the smile at Chang Geng’s lips, the more she looked, the more she felt like he was patronizing her...

...

But none of that mattered.

Chu River gazed at him, her expression growing solemn: "What’s going on with you, why are you here?"

As a key figure in the Star Sea Federation, even residing on the Third Guard Satellite required Defenders to watch over him at all times; Chang Geng couldn’t possibly encounter any problems.

And when she sacrificed herself to neutralize the Insect Queen threat, nothing should be able to harm him?

Chang Geng remained silent.

Chu River maneuvered around the table, now on one knee before him, eyeing his gaze: "Chang Geng, what have you encountered?"

Chang Geng paused momentarily—

"You should know I possess a spiritual state beyond the 3S level."

"Ordinarily, I regulate myself, confining chaotic thoughts within my spiritual domain, ensuring a normal life and longevity, and maintaining peak cognition."

He touched Chu River’s cheek.

This face now, bore no resemblance to that audacious, defiant Major General of the Star Sea Era. Yet where his gaze landed, it was still her he saw.

When Chu River said that no one mattered more than him, it was true.

"Little He."

"You shouldn’t have sacrificed yourself."

"You were my Defender, and once a dangerous entity loses their Defender, everything becomes uncontrollable—Upon learning about your... situation, my spiritual prison burst, severing the entire Insect Race’s link with the Queen instantly."

Without the Queen, the Insect Race was merely a swarm of foolish creatures that couldn’t even find direction.

"And you?"

Chu River pressed further.

"Me?"

Chang Geng looked at her intently: "I scoured every space reachable by my spiritual power for a time anchor point, attempting to bring you back to the past—and failed."

Chu River’s face paled, the fearless demeanor she always maintained slowly fading.

She abruptly shut her eyes.

Chang Geng was a dangerous entity with spiritual bodies unmeasurable, his mind, the Star Sea Federation couldn’t risk losing, his spiritual prison no one dared to release...

Faced with a dangerous entity, a Defender was the final barrier.

Yet, she, this unfit Defender, ultimately chose to go to the battlefield...

Chu River dared not imagine the initially tormented Chang Geng, who suffered continual spiritual assault, enduring spiritual chaos, having his spiritual body shattered by space... then, how he managed to find her here.

"I’m sorry..."

"I... didn’t try hard enough."

Leaving you to bear so much alone.

Yet Chang Geng touched her hair—

"Don’t think of it that way, Little He."

"Your existence allows my spiritual body to find a sense of safety."

"And now, I’ve found a method to fully control my spiritual power."

He handed over the tablet before him, its cover showing Chu River’s cherished novel ’Rebirth: I Am the Queen of Technology.’

"Though it’s a novel, possibly jotted down by some author on a whim, across the universe, such works are countless. But in a certain unique spatial-temporal convergence, this is a real world."

"I discovered their connection—Each book contains a tragic fate of mine."

"Little He, what you need to do is find every one of me, and help me resist my fate—the more successful resistance, the more I can harness my power."

"Of course, as long as your magnetic field is strong enough, the final outcome you bring will be harder to alter, and I... will be more successful."

Chu River paused for a moment, then queried: "Them?"

Chang Geng smiled: "Yes, not just one me, nor just one world."

He closed his weary eyes—

"Little He, I can only accompany you in this world."

"They are fragments of my lost spiritual body, although merely a snapshot of me, they each possess a complete personality. If I wish to return, I must suppress them."

"I promised the current individual that as soon as he successfully resists his fate, I’ll start my slumber and return his body... But it can only be this way."

"Little He."

"Find them."

He grasped one of Chu River’s palms, pressing it against his brow: "Defender, protect them."