dtnovels Chapter 402 As Expected
Chapter 402 As Expected
Fan Wanwan stood there, the moonlight casting a long shadow of her that stretched deep into the flower bushes.
Her expression was calm to the point of piety, like a believer finally standing before the temple gates.
Xu Si remained silent for a long time.
He looked at the woman in front of him and recalled fragments of her early days when she first joined the team—timid and silent.
Later, she gradually integrated into the team, started to smile, and would take the initiative to help with cooking and taking care of the children, but she never argued with anyone.
But no one ever truly understood her.
Or rather, no one has the time and energy to thoroughly understand another person.
They wouldn't even have the desire to understand.
"What if I stop you?" Xu Si finally asked.
Fan Wanwan paused for a moment, then smiled.
That smile wasn't mocking, nor was it bitter; it was a sense of relief.
"You won't."
"I can!"
"No, you won't, because you've never stopped anyone."
Fan Wanwan looked at him, recalling the two figures who first walked into the mist.
From that moment on, she knew that in the apocalypse, everyone would only be responsible for themselves.
Xu Si remained silent.
It wasn't that he had nothing to say, but rather that he genuinely couldn't refute it.
Fan Wanwan is right, he has never stopped anyone.
He watched as those who went into the fog, into the darkness, and into the abyss all left.
It's not that I don't want to stop it, it's that I have no right to do so.
Every choice in the apocalypse is a gamble with one's life; he has no right to roll the dice for others.
"If you become a monster, I won't show any mercy."
Fan Wanwan smiled, and her smile looked especially beautiful in the moonlight.
"I know."
After saying that, she turned around and stepped onto the flower-lined path without hesitation.
"Botanist," she said as she walked, seemingly addressing Xu Si.
"I've always found this sequence ridiculous. A botanist? In a post-apocalyptic world, even grass can't survive, so what can a botanist do?"
"But now I know that not all plants deserve to live!"
She looked down at the layers of small flowers at her feet, her eyes as tender as if she were looking at her own child.
They were the ones who finally brought her back to life.
"Take care," he said.
He was unsure whether Fan Wanwan had heard the two words.
Fan Wanwan's figure disappeared into the depths of the flower bushes, like a drop of water falling into the sea, instantly swallowed up by the colorful sea of flowers.
Xu Si stood there, the moonlight pinning him to the line where flowers met wasteland.
He didn't chase after them.
The wind carried a sweet floral scent, causing his cloak to flutter behind him.
The vines and flowers that had terrified everyone during the day now curled up quietly at his feet, like a flock of docile sheep, watching their master depart.
Xu Si stood there for a while longer.
Then it turned around and floated towards the camp.
The star veins continued to spread, but Fan Wanwan's aura had completely disappeared.
It's not that it's been blocked out, but rather that it has blended into the city's sea of flowers, making it impossible to distinguish from them.
Yi Yi even searched Xu Si's body thoroughly to make sure there were no foreign objects hidden before she felt safe enough to enter the camp.
Chen Pei was still sitting on the roof of the car. The two looked at each other, but neither of them said a word.
Xu Si floated back onto the roof of the Nirvana car, emerging one by one from his heart, perching on his shoulder, his little face full of confusion.
"Is she really not coming back?"
"Probably..."
Perhaps turning into a flower would be a relief for her.
"I quite like it there too!" Yi Yi said.
Since all those flowers are considered plants, then it makes sense that they are approachable.
The night was darker.
The wind in the valley gradually died down, and the campsite sank into an almost frozen silence.
Until the next morning.
As the blood-red sun rose above the horizon, commotion began to break out in the camp.
Tashan was the first to discover that Fan Wanwan was missing.
He stood before the empty stone bed, and for the first time, a look of near-breakdown appeared on his honest face.
"Where's Wanwan?" he asked the women next to him who were still rubbing their eyes.
No one answered.
Everyone shook their heads, everyone was bewildered, and no one knew when that quiet woman had disappeared.
Tashan turned around, his gaze sweeping across the camp before finally settling on Chen Pei.
Then he saw Xu Si calmly looking at him, and he seemed to realize something.
"knife?"
Those scarlet eyes swirled slightly in the morning light, reflecting Tashan's anxious, almost pleading face.
"She's gone," Xu Si said, looking down at him.
"Where did you go?"
"Flower Market".
Tashan's body stiffened for a moment, then he turned around and rushed towards the flower market.
"You couldn't stop her; she chose her own path."
Xu Si's words immediately froze Ta Shan in place.
"Yes! How can flowers grow on rocks?" Tashan turned around, his face full of bitterness.
Everyone in the camp watched this scene unfold.
Fu Xiaojian was still in a daze; he didn't understand why Fan Wanwan would voluntarily enter the flower market.
Others, especially ordinary people, looked terrified.
They witnessed what happened yesterday.
The vines and roots growing from all over the body must be real.
Why did Fan Wanwan still choose to seek her own death?
Fu Xiaojian looked at Xu Si; he needed a reason.
The others were equally unable to accept it, looking at Xu Si with puzzled expressions.
Perhaps only Xu Si knows the answer.
Xu Si spoke of the "sequence" lightly, seemingly unwilling to explain further.
"sequence?"
Fu Xiaojian repeated the word, his brows furrowing even more, then he looked at Tashan with some sympathy, as if he had just thought of something.
"Let's rest here today! Everyone has worked hard these past two days!" Fu Xiaojian thought for a moment and gave the order.
On the one hand, the team really needs rest. After experiencing the real dragon and yesterday's events, the team is exhausted both physically and mentally, and timely rest is also necessary.
On the other hand, he also wanted to give Fan Wanwan time, and also give Tashan time.
What if Fan Wanwan comes back after some time?
No one could describe the feeling.
Does this count as defecting to the enemy?
I don't think so!
The blood-red sun rose higher and higher, turning the valley a dark crimson.
The others gradually got up and began their own tasks. Cooking, preparing supplies, checking vehicles—everyone deliberately avoided the area where Tashan was located, cherishing this rare rest time.
Tashan remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked towards the flower market.
"Tashan." Fu Xiaojian's voice came from behind.
Tashan stopped and did not look back.
"What good would it do you even if you went?"
Tashan clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
He felt he had to at least say goodbye to his love affair that had ended without a trace.
Not far away, Jiao Jiao looked at Ta Shan with some concern, unsure how to comfort him.
Fu Ruoxue leaned against the chariot, also looking at the rest of the convoy.
"You don't seem surprised?" Jiao Jiao walked over to her and nudged her with her elbow.
"As expected." Fu Ruoxue withdrew her gaze.
"What do you mean?"
"Series of botanists." Fu Ruoxue paused, seemingly considering her words.
"Before the apocalypse, this sequence might have been incredibly useful. But after the apocalypse... if there's any place in this world where the botanist sequence can truly be effective, it's this kind of place."
Jiao Jiao blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite.