Chapter 901: Returning to the Land
From Su Nuanxi demanding to go ashore to her meeting her final fate, Zhu Yunque did not utter a single word.
Somehow, her heart had gradually grown colder, or rather, more realistic.
She dared not provoke Zhang Yi anymore, fearing that at any moment she might meet the same end as Su Nuanxi.
Zhang Yi rested properly in his room.
After about an hour, he felt things had been handled sufficiently over there.
Only then did he get up, have Old Tian gather everyone on the ship, and prepare to go ashore.
This time, he issued weapons to every single person, including teenagers.
While the guns in these people's hands posed no threat to Zhang Yi, Zhou Ke'er, or the crew members, they had lethal force against the pirates on the island who lacked protective gear.
"From now on, wipe out every single pirate on this island!"Zhang Yi raised a finger, warning them: "You'll be living here for some time to come. If even one survivor remains and they reveal your location, just look at that pile on the beach to see what will happen to all of you."
Everyone shuddered with fear, nodding frantically in agreement.
Then Old Tian began lowering the lifeboats to ferry everyone ashore.
They commenced a thorough cleansing of the island.
Facing Zhang Yi's group with their absolute firepower superiority, the poorly-equipped pirates on the island stood no chance of fighting back.
There was a superhuman among the pirates too.
But before Zhang Yi, he was as weak as a three-year-old child. Zhang Yi casually shot through his head with a single bullet.
In just two hours, they had completely cleared out this small island.
Zhang Yi arrived at the pirates' nest - a warm, deep cave perfectly suited for sheltering from the severe cold in this icy apocalypse.
Inside, the smell of blood was exceptionally strong, with bones scattered everywhere. The stench of decay was enough to make anyone nauseous.
Zhang Yi called everyone here and told them:
"From now on, you'll be living here for a while."
"I'm going back to Huaxu Kingdom first, then I'll bring reinforcements to take all of you back."
Hearing that Zhang Yi was leaving, everyone felt somewhat anxious, worried he might abandon them here.
Only after Zhang Yi repeatedly explained that the crew members and Zhu Yunque would remain temporarily did they feel reassured.
This time, however, it was Zhu Yunque's turn to be afraid.
She rushed anxiously to Zhang Yi's side, pleading: "Zhang Yi, don't leave me here! Can't you take me with you?"
Zhang Yi looked at her and said: "I can only take one person per round trip at most. Don't worry, just wait here for me to return."
Truthfully, taking two people wasn't impossible - Zhou Ke'er and Zhu Yunque together weighed only around two hundred pounds.
But Zhang Yi needed to guard against encountering enemies during spatial traversal, so he needed to keep one hand free.
Besides, he was only protecting Zhu Yunque out of respect for Zhu Zheng - he didn't consider her particularly important anyway.
Then he left them enough water and food to last for some time before preparing to leave the island with Zhou Ke'er.
Holding Zhou Ke'er with one arm, enhanced by his combat suit, her ninety-some pound weight felt incredibly light to him, requiring minimal physical exertion.
Zhang Yi opened two Dimensional Gates heading north, instantly disappearing from everyone's view.
Old Tian and the others stood guard at the cave entrance with weapons, silently waiting in their hearts for Zhang Yi to return and take them away.
...
The facts proved that without extra burdens, Zhang Yi's escape ability was absolutely top-tier.
Spatial traversal could cover about 1000 meters per jump. Unless he encountered a superhuman who could forcibly restrict his movement, he could escape any trap.
This method of traveling with a companion made them undetectable even to the Colombian Navy forces, reputed to be the world's strongest naval power.
After more than half an hour of journeying, Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er finally reached land.
After briefly determining their current position and adjusting their direction, another dozen minutes brought them back to the long-awaited Tianhai City.
Seeing Tianhai City's landmark tall television tower, both Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but exhale long sighs of relief.
This trip had actually taken four to five months!
They had finally returned, and it felt like a century had passed.
Zhang Yi turned on his communication device and contacted home.
"I'm back!"
Soon, he was back in the warm, comfortable shelter.
Everyone was overjoyed to see them return.
Yang Siya, Yang Xinxin, and Lu Keran were moved to tears of happiness, all rushing forward to hug Zhang Yi.
Hua Hua meowed and leaped onto Zhang Yi's head first, lying there while licking his ears and cheek, making Zhang Yi giggle from the ticklish sensation.
Fatty Xu and Old You were equally excited, though they had no chance to intervene. They could only stand by, smiling at Zhang Yi while murmuring: "Wonderful, you're finally back!"
This was probably the warmth of home.
When people grow weary from traveling, they always yearn for a place where their hearts and bodies can find belonging.
This group that had initially banded together just to survive had gradually become like family.
They knew nothing about everything that had happened during this time at sea.
Zhang Yi had briefly mentioned the situation to Yang Xinxin when he last shut down all communications.
So they had been extremely worried all this time that something might happen to Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er at sea.
Now seeing them return safe and sound, how could they not be excited?
Everyone gathered around Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er, all talking at once, asking about their experiences at sea.
Originally, Zhang Yi had planned to return immediately to bring Zhu Yunque back first.
The others could stay at sea a while longer without issue.
But Zhu Yunque was Zhu Zheng's niece - if something happened to her, it would be difficult to explain to Zhu Zheng.
However, the moment Zhang Yi returned to the shelter, this thought was temporarily set aside.
He had been adrift at sea for four months, and it had been truly agonizing.
Especially in the Ice Fog Sea Region, that oppressive, eerie, and stifling atmosphere had made him extremely irritable.
Only at times like these could one truly appreciate the warmth and preciousness of home.
Zhang Yi first took a warm shower, changed into soft, clean pajamas, then came to the living room area.
Yang Siya and Zhou Haimei were preparing food in the kitchen.
Yang Xinxin, Lu Keran, and the others were all on the sofa, looking at Zhang Yi with expectant eyes.
They had so much they wanted to say to Zhang Yi, and they wanted to hear about Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er's experiences at sea.
Zhang Yi sipped his steaming hot cappuccino and began telling them the story of their time at sea.
Author's Note