Epoch of Twilight

The crowd was grouped together. Those who had responded quicker were running towards the bomb shelter with their children. Most people were strong, as they had gone through many difficulties. Although they looked panicked and helpless, they were still conscious and they followed a certain order.

"Let’s go to the bomb shelter! Perhaps it’s just a drill?" Wu Xiaoxiao said, taking a deep breath. She was smiling reluctantly.

There had been a few alarms in the city ever since she had arrived at the rehabilitation base. Most of the time, it was only a drill, except the time when the small-scale migration had occurred. She thought that might be the same thing.

"It’s definitely not a drill!" Luo Yuan said with a serious expression. He looked up to the sky instinctively and saw more than 10 tiny, cigar-like spots spurting flames as they flew past their heads.

Every once in a while, there were a few hundred fighting jets in the sky. From what they could see, there were about 500 jets this time. Not many countries had more than 100 fighting jets, except China, America, and Russia, who had the most powerful military.

"Brother Luo!" Chen Jiayi interrupted Luo Yuan’s thoughts as she walked towards him.

"Let’s go home!" Luo Yuan was stunned when he saw her. He was so surprised by her beauty that he could hardly recognize her. However, he recovered from the shock very fast.

Chen Jiayi nodded. She trusted Luo Yuan completely. He could sell her to someone else, and she would not say a word.

"Luo Yuan, stop fooling around!" Wu Xiaoxiao said. She thought Luo Yuan planned to pack his luggage and leave when she saw him insist on going back.

She went on to say, "There’s a lot of food and resources in the bomb shelter. It’s more than enough to sustain everyone in the city for half a year!"

"There’s someone waiting for me at home. We have to go," Luo Yuan said sincerely. He was touched to see Wu Xiaoxiao so panicked and mad.

"Are you insane? They will go to the bomb shelter by themselves! You can look for them later!" Wu Xiaoxiao said anxiously as she saw the crowd dispersing on the street.

"I can’t take that risk!" Luo Yuan said. He had gone through a lot of hardships with his friends on their way there from the coastal area. He knew all of them had been relying on him, especially the women. They would probably keep waiting for him if he did not return.

Sun Youde had been waiting for a while before he said, "We will leave first then, see you at the shelter!"

Luo Yuan nodded and pulled Chen Jiayi along, getting ready to leave.

"Wait! It seems like it’s not that dangerous yet. Let’s go together!" Wu Xiaoxiao said quickly before she added, "At least that way there will be one more person to help!"

Sun Youde looked upset. He was not smiling anymore, but nobody had noticed it.

"Alright, but everyone needs to be quick!" Luo Yuan nodded, realizing he had made an impression on his old schoolmate.

"Great!" Wu Xiaoxiao said quickly.

Luo Yuan did not say anything else. He just pulled Chen Jiayi along and began to run slowly. The school was only about three kilometers away from where they lived. The distance was short enough for Luo Yuan, who was physically strong, and Chen Jiayi, who was parasitized by moss. It was really easy for them, even though they ran at normal speed.

However, it was overwhelming for Wu Xiaoxiao and Sun Youde, who were just ordinary people that lacked any training. They were already gasping and sweating half-way along the journey.

"Luo Yuan, how long more to go?" Wu Xiaoxiao asked, gasping. She looked very pale as she kept running.

"We’ll be there soon! It’s not far!" Luo Yuan turned around and took a glance at her. Wu Xiaoxiao seemed to be unable to continue. After pondering it, he asked, "Do you want me to help you?"

Wu Xiaoxiao hesitated and turned to Sun Youde. Sun Youde shrugged as he saw her look at him. Smiling, he said, "It’s fine. He’s so strong, he’s not even sweating!"

Luo Yuan smiled, but he remained silent. He released Chen Jiayi’s hand and took Wu Xiaoxiao’s before he started running again. Wu Xiaoxiao’s name reflected her size. She was only 160 cm and 45 kg, which was almost the same as Chen Jiayi. It did not require a lot of strength for Luo Yuan to help her.

Wu Xiaoxiao had not realized her schoolmate was so strong until he pulled her hand and ran. He was really strong, and his breathing remained unchanged. Even though he had to pull her along, he had no trouble maintaining his speed. His skin was shiny and smooth, and his palm was soft, yet strong. Wu Xiaoxiao’s heart was beating very fast as she smelled his masculine fragrance. Her face suddenly turned red, and she began to feel dizzy.

Sun Youde gasped and felt his legs go numb. He felt upset as he watched the three of them, who were really far ahead. He was mad because Wu Xiaoxiao would not even look back to check on him along the way.

...

The four of them had finally arrived at the villa. Gasping, Sun Youde sat on the couch straightaway, his face looking very pale. He was surprised that Luo Yuan was staying in such a luxurious district. Even he could not have afforded to live there.

Actually, he might not have been able to, even if he’d had the money. Real estate properties were not allowed to be traded anymore, so houses were not for sale, even if one had the money. People would be allocated a house once they entered the rehabilitation base. Those who stayed in the luxurious district were usually assistant professors of senior researchers or government officials.

There was no specific way to categorize people in the rehabilitation base, but it was still pretty obvious that they were labeled, even though no one talked openly about it. People were judged based on their allocated house and the benefits they were granted.

"Who is this guy?"

Sun Youde looked upset, but at the same time he felt lucky that he had not offended Luo Yuan.

Suddenly, a door opened and two women came out of a room. Stunned, Sun Youde stared at them. The elder one did not look special, but her figure was amazing. It was seductive enough to make anyone feel hot.

The younger one, on the other hand, looked as beautiful as a piece of artwork. Every single part of her was perfect, making it difficult for Sun Youde to resist looking at her.

The young beauty glared at him though, and he quickly turned his gaze away. He was jealous, because he knew the woman belonged to Luo Yuan.

Luo Yuan looked at them. They were both in their modified suits.

"Have you called Zhao Yali?" he asked.

Huang Jiahui stared at him for a second before she said, "I called her earlier when the defense alarm was still ringing. She should be here soon. Wang Xiaguang said she’s not coming, though."

Luo Yuan sighed, but he was not surprised. Wang Xiaguang was a tough person, and she had been trying to avoid Luo Yuan ever since she had discovered the truth. Now that they were back in the rehabilitation base, she obviously did not want to have any more contact with him. Everyone made their own choices in life.

Huang Jiahui secretly observed Wu Xiaoxiao before she smiled and said, "You haven’t introduced us."

"This is my high school friend, Wu Xiaoxiao, and this is her husband, Sun Youde. We bumped into each other earlier. This is my girlfriend, Huang Jiahui, and this is Wang Shishi," Luo Yuan introduced them briefly.

They all talked to each other courteously except for Wang Shishi. She remained silent, unhappy with the way Luo Yuan had introduced her.

They rested for a while until Mu Wenwen finally got there, gasping fast. Still, she looked better than last time. She had more facial expressions now. Apparently, she’d been having a good time lately.

Everyone was chitchatting, but their hearts were not in it. As time passed, the ground began to shake a little. Luo Yuan lost his patience and just started walking around the house. The rest of them slowly stopped talking. Wu Xiaoxiao did not dare say a word, even though she had wanted to talk earlier.

After five more minutes of waiting, Zhao Yali finally arrived.

"You’re late," Luo Yuan said.

"I got caught up with one of my colleagues, it was hard to escape," Zhao Yali said uncomfortably.

As a beautiful woman, she was never short of admirers. Her superior was being very annoying because he knew Zhao Yali was single. She was a polite woman herself, so she did not like rejecting people. Besides, that man was her superior. It was really difficult for her to reject him firmly, as he used teaching her new things about work as an excuse. Luckily, she had made an excuse about needing to go to the washroom, else he would have followed her there.

Perhaps Luo Yuan could help her in the future so her superior would not disturb her again.

"Be careful next time. Let’s go!" Luo Yuan did not say anything else. He just took the Zhanmadao and walked straight towards the bomb shelter of the district.

There were not many people walking on the street after such a long time. Most of them had already escaped to the bomb shelter. They arrived there soon. The entrance was only half open now, and a group of soldiers was guarding the door.

"Hurry up! The shelter is closing in three minutes!" a soldier shouted at them angrily when he saw Luo Yuan and his friends.