Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 413: Chapter 403: Worry

The people of Wuxi Village were the most overjoyed by Tang Mo’s complete defeat of Ah Bin.

For so long, the villagers had poured all their effort into helping Tang Mo defend the Protective Shield. They went hungry, had no time to rest, and their spiritual power was constantly being drained.

Now, many of the villagers were crying tears of joy. The one belief that had kept them going through all their struggles was the hope that Tang Mo would return.

And she had. Tang Mo had not disappointed them.

Everyone inside the Protective Shield looked at Tang Mo with a light in their eyes, as if gazing upon humanity’s last hope.

The difficulty of each Illusion Realm varied, as did the problems people faced and the methods they used to solve them.

Tang Mo wasn’t the first person to emerge from an Illusion Realm, but people still pinned nearly all their hopes on her.

What Tang Mo didn’t realize was that she was already being hailed as an omnipotent deity, and all the people under the Protective Shield’s protection considered themselves her followers.

Since her return, Tang Mo had been busy handling the base’s affairs. After finally settling all internal and external threats, ensuring everyone had enough to eat, and rekindling their hope for the future, she at last had time to catch up with old friends.

Most of Qin Ling’s people had entered the Illusion Realms. Those who remained, led by Xu the Third, stayed to help the people of Wuxi Village with the base’s defenses.

Every person who entered an Illusion Realm represented another sliver of hope for humanity’s future.

The real world was changing far too quickly. Any able-bodied man with a shred of ambition found it difficult to just sit back and be a freeloader.

They were well aware of the dangers of entering the Illusion Realms. But compared to cowering here and waiting for someone else to save them, they would rather try to save themselves. That way, even if they died, they would die with dignity.

It was a personal choice, something no one could interfere with. It was a matter of a man’s final shred of dignity, and even Qin Ling could only silently acquiesce.

However, there was one person from his team whom Qin Ling stopped: Xu the Third.

Given the chance to save humanity by entering an Illusion Realm, Xu the Third, with his eager temperament, was naturally the first to volunteer.

But both Qin Ling and his second-in-command knew him too well. Xu the Third had hard fists, but his brain was no bigger than a thumbnail.

His intelligence was probably on par with a mutant beast’s. He was fine in a straightforward fight, but the Illusion Realms required you to use your head and adapt to new environments. Sending Xu the Third in there would be a suicide mission.

So, through a combination of coaxing and trickery, Qin Ling and his second-in-command managed to stop him.

They told him he had a vital role at the base: to guard their home and protect their comrades and their families. Only then did they manage to persuade the reluctant Xu the Third to stay.

In truth, that excuse alone wouldn’t have been enough to stop the hot-blooded Xu the Third. A man like him had no fear of death.

But now, he had someone to live for, so he had begun to cherish his own life a little more.

And that someone was, of course, Xiao Tao.

Although Xiao Tao was also a Power Attribute Superpower User, she had a very clear understanding of her own abilities.

Xiao Tao knew in her heart that she wasn’t the type to save the world, so she never even considered entering an Illusion Realm.

She believed that Tang Mo was the true, destined chosen one.

So, Xiao Tao stayed behind to be with Tang Mo’s mother, Lin Yi, helping her care for Yangyang and Xianxian.

With Lin Yu’s personality, it was impossible for him not to enter an Illusion Realm himself.

And with Xiao Tao there to look after her, he didn’t have to worry about Xianxian being left behind with no one to care for her.

It wasn’t just Xiao Tao; even Lin Yi now treated little Xianxian like a second daughter, which naturally put Lin Yu’s mind at ease.

”Qin Ling isn’t back yet?”

Tang Mo asked Xu the Third. Of everyone, he seemed to have had the most comfortable time while she was away.

Despite it being an apocalypse with scarce food and clothing, he had actually put on some weight. A man nourished by love was truly a different creature.

”The Boss went into an Illusion Realm not long after you left. He’s not out yet.”

Xu the Third held Xianxian in his arms, amusing her with a toy.

The little girl spent all her time either with Lin Yi or by Xiao Tao’s side, so she had naturally grown quite familiar with Xu the Third.

Fewer than five people from the base had returned from the Illusion Realms so far. Qin Ling wasn’t among them, but Xu the Third wasn’t the least bit worried.

It was as if the possibility of Qin Ling facing any real danger had never crossed their minds. After all, from what they knew of their boss, there was no problem he couldn’t solve.

To be honest, Tang Mo wasn’t too worried about Qin Ling either.

The Illusion Realms were perilous, but for a man like Qin Ling, success was only a matter of time.

Although Tang Mo was the fourth person from the base to return, she alone knew that she was the one making the fastest progress.

After all, the fastest of the others had only completed one Illusion Realm mission, while she had already finished two.

Once she completed the final one, she could return everything to the way it was before.

Tang Mo gazed at the world outside the Protective Shield. It had become a vast, white emptiness where humans could no longer survive.

The Protective Shield kept them alive, but it was like being trapped in a cage. ’If this is what life has become,’ she mused, ’what’s the real difference between this and death?’

Furthermore, while Tang Mo had collected a large amount of food, it was a finite supply. With so many people to feed, it wouldn’t last long.

Tang Mo did a quick calculation. All the food they had, combined, could support everyone here for two months at most.

Two months wasn’t nearly enough time for others to complete the two remaining Illusion Realm missions. But for her to complete just one more... perhaps there was still time.

She couldn’t afford to delay. The base’s daily food consumption was enormous. Every day she waited was another day shaved off their chance of survival.

Without realizing it, Tang Mo had begun to equate the fate of these people with the fate of all humankind—a burden she now carried squarely on her shoulders.

’Only if humanity survives can I live a good life. Only then can my family and friends truly live well.’

Humanity was a community with a shared destiny. It was only now, at this critical moment, that everyone truly understood what that meant.

Tang Mo divided the five remaining rings between Xiao Tao and Xu the Third.

She knew the two of them would never abandon Lin Yi and Yangyang, no matter what happened. ’Can’t put all your eggs in one basket.’

This was her last selfish act—leaving a final lifeline for her family and friends.

With that done, Tang Mo said goodbye to Lin Yi once more and prepared to head into the next Illusion Realm.

Though Lin Yi was heartbroken to see her go and worried for her safety, she knew her daughter was doing something truly extraordinary. She couldn’t and wouldn’t stop her. As she said goodbye with tears in her eyes, she looked exactly like Qiao Jin’s mother from the previous Illusion Realm.

Perhaps all mothers under heaven were the same. A mother’s love always wore the same face.