Chapter 22: Cooperation

"Hey buddy, Luo Ke, right? I'm Xu Tong. Let's get to know each other." The masked man proactively draped an arm around Luo Ke's shoulder, perhaps finding resonance in Luo Ke's peculiarities.

"Enough playing around, let's finish the job," Bai Yuekui said, drawing her sword as she walked.

The group immediately busied themselves, clearing away the remaining Mana spores. As the last red sun-like growth fell, the entire pharmaceutical warehouse was illuminated by searchlights, restored to its former state. They then gathered a supply of medicine, preparing to take it back to the surface base.

"Boss, aren't we going to burn the Breath of Earth here?" Xu Tong asked.

Bai Yuekui ignored him, keeping her eyes fixed on Luo Ke instead.

"Are you stupid? There's so much precious medicine here; it would be a shame to burn it. As long as the Breath of Earth doesn't come into contact with blood, it won't manifest. Can't we just be careful while we're here?" Sui Xing pouted.

Sensing the gaze lingering on his face, Luo Ke gave a wry smile. "What is it?"

Bai Yuekui replied calmly, "Even if I asked, you wouldn't confess your secrets, would you?"

Luo Ke spread his hands, wearing an innocent expression. "Personal privacy—hope you understand."

"Fine, keep it to yourself. Just remember where you stand, or don't blame me if I turn on you." Bai Yuekui nodded, swept her sleeve, and strode toward the exit.

The group emerged from the ruins, standing once more under the night sky, where the horizon had already begun to turn a faint, pale grey. Bai Yuekui remained still, quietly gazing at the approaching sunrise. With their boss motionless, the subordinates dared not move either, and they all stood watching the distance.

Streaks of orange-yellow light pierced the skyline, tearing the night apart. The sun rose slowly from the mountain ridges, pouring light and heat onto the scarred earth. The darkness was dispelled, revealing a sky filled with light, drifting clouds.

"The sun rises as always, and the hope of humanity will never be extinguished," Bai Yuekui whispered.

Luo Ke let the golden fragments of light fall upon his eyelids, staring straight at the skeletal remains of the ruined cities. "We could cooperate," he said calmly.

"Huh?" Xia Dou, standing nearby, asked in surprise. "Cooperate on what?"

Despite her words, her eyes kept drifting toward Luo Ke’s chest and abdomen, clearly itching to tear his clothes open and press her face against him to see how those claws emerged.

"Cooperate? Just you?" Bai Yuekui rolled her neck. "What kind of cooperation do you have in mind?"

"Huddling together for warmth, and the rebirth of the Lighthouse," Luo Ke replied.

He paused, recalling the words Bai Yuekui had once spoken to the beast-like Mark in a special episode, and began to elaborate: "The Lighthouse imprisons human emotion and obliterates the roots of our existence. On the surface, it seems fine, but the vast majority of people on the Lighthouse don't realize that resentment, despair, sorrow, anger, and devotion—these intense emotions that erupt in adversity—are the very keys to unlocking human potential. Emotion is both our greatest weakness and our source of strength. Just as harsh environments force life to evolve, our mental world requires such a leap!"

He was essentially reciting the lines verbatim. Luo Ke remembered that deeply emotional speech by Bai Yuekui so vividly that, upon reflection, he could recall most of it.

Having opened the floodgates, he continued with rising fervor: "The entire planet is evolving due to the emergence of the Mana ecosystem. If humanity stubbornly clings to its own tiny plot of land, refusing to adapt or change, we will eventually be eliminated—let alone ever completely wiping out the Mana ecosystem. It is with this realization that I want to reshape the Lighthouse."

As the last word left his lips, Luo Ke found himself breathing slightly hard, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

"You?" Bai Yuekui’s eyes widened in shock, and she stared blankly at Luo Ke for a long time without speaking.

"Damn, buddy, your mental state is way higher than those people up there!" Shan Da’s face twitched. "That aligns perfectly with our philosophy!"

Of course, Luo Ke’s goodwill was reserved for his few Hunter friends and the few Dustites he liked. As for the rest of the Lighthouse, those who wanted to leave were free to go, but those who wanted to cause trouble would find him ruthless. As for Charles and his band of villains, he wouldn't leave a single one of them behind.

One must have the vision to see the bigger picture from a high vantage point, but to support such grand ideals, a foundation of iron-willed resolve is indispensable. If Mark truly ascended to the position of City Lord, major reforms would be inevitable, gradually overturning the three main laws. That was when the surface survivors' methods for masking emotional pheromones would be needed.

"That's amazing! I didn't know you were so eloquent!" Xia Dou, moved by Luo Ke's words, excitedly patted his arm.

Bai Yuekui turned her back, her voice unexpectedly softening a fraction. "Can you represent the Lighthouse right now?"

"Not yet, but soon," Luo Ke smiled, quelling the goosebumps on his skin. Truth be told, his own improvised speech had gotten his blood boiling, too.

"Time to go. Your impassioned speech just now released quite a lot of emotional pheromones," Bai Yuekui directed.

An Audi off-road vehicle hidden in the valley slowly started. Sui Xing drove, while Bai Yuekui sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery. Shan Da and Xu Tong sat on the roof, chatting idly.

Luo Ke sat next to Xia Dou. Since getting in, the girl hadn't stopped talking; like a curious child, she asked him so many questions about the Lighthouse that he felt dizzy. It wasn't until the vehicle was driving across the endless wasteland that Xia Dou finally fell into a drowsy sleep.

Luo Ke, also feeling sleepy, was just about to doze off when his arm grew heavy. The girl was drooling, hugging his arm tightly as she drifted into a deep sleep. Feeling the soft, warm touch against his elbow, Luo Ke pursed his lips and took a deep breath to steady his mind. He had learned from their earlier conversation that Xia Dou had just turned eighteen.

"Huh?" Luo Ke looked up to find Bai Yuekui had turned her head and was staring intently at him.

He tried to pull his arm away, but Xia Dou was sleeping too soundly and only hugged it tighter, nearly throwing her whole body into his lap while murmuring words like "when's dinner," expressing the primitive desires of humanity.

"Sigh," Bai Yuekui shook her head and looked away.

The vehicle stopped at the base of a high mountain.

"Ah? No... I'm sorry, I..." Xia Dou stared incoherently at the liquid residue on Luo Ke’s sleeve. Even someone as quirky and lively as her felt a wave of embarrassment, her small ears hidden behind her long hair turning bright red. After all, they had only just met!

"It's fine, it's fine," Luo Ke waved his hands repeatedly, though Bai Yuekui seemed to be eyeing him with scrutiny again.

Xu Tong jumped down and made a series of gestures at the rock face, causing a passage to appear. "This is one of the paths to the base," he explained to Luo Ke.

They proceeded inside, and the entrance closed automatically. It appeared to be an old-world air-raid shelter or tunnel, a purely man-made facility equipped with many electric lights.

After traveling for some time, a blue light appeared at the end of the tunnel, and a peculiar scent filled the air. *That must be the ore containing life essence,* Luo Ke thought. *They use it to forge weapons against the beasts.*

The group exited the vehicle and walked a bit further, until a completely different world revealed itself before him, the sound of human voices filling his ears.

Everywhere were brilliant blue crystals. The sound of iron picks striking ore was crisp and melodic; children cheered as they played or engaged in scientific study; adults were busy with their tasks, planting crops or weaving cloth; by a pool, many people wearing helmets were practicing their cultivation.

The scene was incredibly harmonious, much like a mysterious, isolated village.

"The boss and the others are back!"
"Hey! They brought a newcomer with them!"
"Yay! A new member is joining us!"