Translator: CinderTL
After resting briefly on the shore, he waded into the water with the divine statue on his back.
The waves surged and crashed against his body as he ventured deeper into the ocean, step by step, until the seawater completely submerged him.
Swimming with the heavy divine statue severely hampered his speed.
But the statue was too important to abandon.
As Feng Qi had anticipated, he soon encountered sea beasts.
These creatures resembled the mindless domain creatures from the Dream Realm, incapable of distinguishing friend from foe or assessing their opponent's strength. Once they identified prey, they launched mindless attacks.
After acquiring the "water skin" ability, his underwater mobility had greatly improved. However, fighting while carrying the statue was cumbersome, and he had to protect it from the sea beasts' bites.
Fighting his way forward, it took him three times as long to reach the barrier of the Heijue Domain Field compared to his initial journey.
After a slight resistance, he passed through the black barrier and emerged into the outside world.
Now that he was outside, he no longer had to contend with swarms of sea beasts, except for the Domain-Transcending Creatures.
He opened his specially designed waterproof, fireproof, and impact-resistant backpack and retrieved a brick-thick communicator. He dialed the Scarlet Research Institute.
Wei Wei didn't answer.
He reported his safety and confirmed the mission's completion before hanging up.
Next, he took out the navigation system from his backpack.
The navigation system was a palm-sized screen that provided precise positioning. Except for Domain Fields distorted by conflicting rules, it ensured he would never lose his way, regardless of his location.
After a brief wait, the screen lit up, displaying his current coordinates.
Switching to his human form, he touched the screen, zoomed in on the map, and confirmed the location of the eastern supply zone port.
After stowing the equipment back in his backpack, he began swimming with renewed vigor.
The divine statue's weight significantly slowed his progress compared to his initial journey.
Finally, after two and a half days, he swam back to the dock.
After reaching the shore, he first carried the divine statue back to his hotel room. After setting it down, he showered, changed his clothes, and went straight to the modified ship rental unit.
He was responsible for the sinking of the modified ship.
After explaining the situation to the staff, he contacted the Scarlet Research Institute.
His meager savings were clearly insufficient to cover the compensation for the modified ship. Nor could he realistically repay the debt by washing dishes, as the Narrator had suggested. This matter required the Scarlet Research Institute's intervention.
For the Scarlet Research Institute, the cost of a modified ship was insignificant.
The institute, which consumed the resources of an entire city, spent astronomical sums daily on spirit materials and other expenses. The cost of a modified ship wouldn't even cover a single day's operating expenses for the Scarlet Restaurant.
After half an hour of paperwork, the Scarlet Research Institute wired the full compensation amount.
Returning to the hotel, he went to the restaurant.
Having swum for two and a half days without eating, and after such strenuous exertion, he was ravenously hungry and wanted to indulge in a final feast before leaving.
At the hotel restaurant, he ordered a table piled high with seafood.
While ordinary seafood lacked the delicate, flavorful texture of sea beast meat, it was still a satisfying treat when one was starving.
Eight dipping sauces were neatly arranged on the table as he began his gluttonous feast.
He never cared about table manners.
The other diners were more astonished by his sheer appetite than his manners, which weren't much better than theirs anyway.
The supply zone near the front lines was primarily occupied by frontline warriors and staff. Having spent years in the field, they were accustomed to roughing it.
Especially within the Domain Field, speed was paramount. Wasting time on meals was a luxury they couldn't afford.
Many warriors had developed the habit of eating quickly.
After finishing his seafood feast and settling the bill, he returned to his room.
He collapsed onto the soft bed, not even bothering to pull up the covers, and drifted into a deep sleep within moments.
When Feng Qi awoke some time later, the sky outside the window had already darkened.
He rose from the bed, walked to the sofa, and retrieved his communicator from his backpack. He dialed the Scarlet Research Institute's number.
After a brief wait, a staff member answered.
Upon hearing that he was ready to return, the institute immediately dispatched a Scarlet Special Plane to pick him up.
Hanging up the communicator, Feng Qi sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
With time to spare before the plane arrived, he began considering his next move.
His gaze fell upon the divine statue of the humanoid leader.
Two days later, at the Old East Supply Zone Airport.
With a roar of engines, the Scarlet Special Plane taxied to a stop before Feng Qi.
As the cabin door opened, Feng Qi immediately boarded the lowered ramp and entered the aircraft.
The Scarlet personnel inside greeted him with respectful nods before picking up their communicators to contact the pilot.
Once clearance was confirmed, the Scarlet Special Plane retracted its ramp and slowly took off down the runway.
Watching the shrinking landscape through the window, Feng Qi knew this chapter had come to an end. Now, besides studying the divine statue, he needed to begin planning the next Sacrifice Line's strategy.
If his counterpart in the Sacrifice Line could establish a spiritual connection with him and transmit power through it, he decided to launch an aggressive offensive line in the next iteration.
He would use brute force to extract information, then observe the future changes 1,500 years later.
Lost in thought, the Scarlet Special Plane climbed higher, piercing through the thick cloud layers.
Two days later, the Scarlet Special Plane landed on the tarmac of Scarlet Base.
As the hatch opened, Feng Qi descended the boarding ramp.
Wei Wei was already waiting nearby.
She was still wearing her familiar Scarlet researcher uniform, Feng Qi had never seen her in any other attire.
Always in that scarlet uniform, her hair neatly pinned up.
Yet even in this practical attire, Wei Wei's feminine charm remained undeniable.
She was a woman who had dedicated her entire being to scientific research. Like him, she harbored dreams of poetry and distant horizons, and an idealized vision of a flourishing Human Civilization.
For this dream, she had never rested across countless timelines, pouring her heart and soul into completing research project after research project.
To describe Wei Wei in a single phrase, Feng Qi thought "secretly great" would be fitting.
Thinking of the countless Sacrifice Lines, Feng Qi felt a pang of heartache when he recalled Wei Wei's final words in her aged, dying state: she had simply wanted one last meal of mala crayfish.
This boisterous old woman always presented an optimistic facade to the world, yet she suppressed all her pain deep within her heart, bearing it alone.
"Sister Wei, it's so good to see you," Feng Qi said, stepping forward with a smile to greet her.
Hearing this, Wei Wei's face lit up with a captivating smile.
"Compared to you, I'm far more interested in the Miracle Bracelet on your wrist and the divine statue behind you. I can't wait to start studying them!"
(End of the Chapter)
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