Chapter 100
Chapter 100
“Janey, hold on a sec. I’ll go get Lyra,” Lana said, taking a deep breath. Before Jane could say anything. Lana suddenly remembered Lyra.
Jane felt a jolt in her soul. “Lyra? The girl from earlier?”
“Yeah.” Lana replied.
Lana smiled. “Both of them are from Draconia. The ten-year-old is Lily Sterling. She just got picked in the last round.
“The other one is Lyra, Lyra Vance. She’s already made it through four rounds.
“She’s the one who brought you out, and she’s the reason you woke up,” Lana added.
Jane suddenly recalled the girl she saw when she was clear-headed in the mission. “I remember her.”
“In the mall mission, my mind was hazy. I couldn’t sense anything, but for a brief moment, something flooded in.
“Right then, I saw a face. It was hers,” Jane said.
Lana nodded.
“Four rounds? I can’t believe she’s made it through four,” Jane repeated, still in disbelief.
“Four missions, each one a life-or-death struggle. Anyone who survives four of those…” Jane trailed off.
Lana jumped in, “She didn’t just win four rounds. She’s done a ton of amazing things.”
“In this round alone, she not only brought you all back and woke you up, but she even managed to bring out tens of thousands of tons of food from the mission,” Lana added.
Jane was stunned. “Food? Tens of thousands of tons?”
“Yeah,” Lana replied.
Lana spoke with a pride she barely noticed herself. “You know how things are after the Nuclear War, but starting yesterday, everyone in Draconia finally got a meal.”
“All thanks to her!” Lana added.
Jane’s soul hovered for three seconds, then she smiled in relief. “Draconia is lucky to have her.”
Lana stood up and walked toward the door. “I’ll go get her.”
“Alright,” Jane said, her voice sounding a little more at ease.
Lana walked up to the door and pushed it open. The room across the hall had its door wide open, and two figures sat inside.
Lyra was perched on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly fiddling with a Soul Deck card. Zoe sat in a chair, her hands crossed on her knees, eyes locked on Lana.
As soon as the door made a sound, Lyra’s head snapped around.
Zoe reacted half a beat faster, sliding her chair back and springing to her feet, peering over Lana’s shoulder into the room.
Lana got it right away. She shot Lyra a look, and Lyra winked back with a playful smile, her expression practically saying, ‘Knew you’d come for me.
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Chapter 100
“Lyra, Zoe, come here.” Lana called.
Lyra got up from the bed and walked toward the door. As she passed Zoe, she gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow.
Zoe didn’t move.
Lyra glanced back at her, only to see Zoe’s eyes already fixed on the floating soul in the room.
“Come on, Zoe,” Lyra urged.
Zoe’s first step was stiff.
Her second step was quicker.
By the third, she was almost running.
She followed Lana and Lyra into the room across the hall, and the moment she stopped, she froze in place.
Jane hovered in the air, her soul’s outline faintly translucent under the light. When she saw Zoe walk in, her from Lana to Zoe’s face.
“Hey there, kiddo,” Jane said. “You’ve really grown up.”
Zoe’s lips trembled. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. It was like something was stuck in her throat.
Before she could say a word, tears started to fall.
There was no warning, no build-up. Big, fat tears just dropped right down her cheeks, no holding back.
Jane watched her cry, tilting her head with a gentle, comforting tone. “You two really are sisters, always tearing up.”
Standing nearby, Lana let a flicker of helplessness cross her face.
Zoe wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but she couldn’t wipe them away fast enough.
“I’m not…” Her voice cracked, coming out in broken fragments.
“I just…”
Jane drifted down a bit, her soul’s face now eye to eye with Zoe.
“What is it? Don’t get all teary on me,” Jane said gently.
shifted
Zoe took a deep breath, trying hard to pull herself together. It took her three seconds to get most of her feelings under control, but a little still slipped through.
“Captain,” she finally got the word out.
She finally managed a full sentence. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Jane looked at her, her soul’s eyes growing misty, but she held back the tears; crying as a soul would drain her soul power.
“Yeah, it really is,” Jane said softly, feeling sentimental.
Zoe lowered her hand from her face, her sleeve wet from all the tears she’d wiped away.
“After you left, Captain, I asked to be transferred to the Strategic Game Command Center. I wanted to…” Zoe started, her voice trembling.
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Chapter 100
Jane finished for her. “You wanted to take my place, to be picked by the game.”
Zoe neither nodded nor shook her head, caught in a moment of silent hesitation.
Jane let out a proud laugh. “The soldiers I trained are truly outstanding!”
Lana’s nose started to tingle, but she forced herself to stay composed. She thought, ‘I already cried once. If I lose it again in front of everyone, how can I keep leading the team?’
Lyra leaned against the doorframe, hands in her pockets, quietly watching the reunion unfold, not saying a word.
Her gaze drifted from Zoe’s face to Jane’s soul. C Tier: her soul’s outline was much more stable than Ivanas, and her facial features were far more distinct.
Jane’s gaze suddenly shifted, locking onto Lyra. “Comrade Vance.”
“Yeah?” Lyra responded.
“Thank you,” Jane said softly.
Lyra tilted her head. “Don’t thank me. It was just luck. You happened to be inside the cat, I happened to bring the cat out, and I happened to have the Soul Deck.”
She waved the card in her hand. “Talk about luck, huh?”
Jane looked at her gently. “Chief Advisor Sterling said you fought through four rounds already.”
“Yeah,” Lyra replied.
“Four missions, and you walked out alive every single time. Plus, you hauled out all that food. That’s seriously impressive,” Jane said, her voice full of admiration.
Lyra looked a little embarrassed. “Just got lucky, that’s all.”
Jane’s soul drifted a little closer to Lyra, her expression serious, about to say something, when someone let out a muffled sniffle.
Jane’s soul trembled, and she turned her gaze to Zoe. “Hey, kiddo, stop crying. You’re making me upset.”
Zoe finally managed to pull herself together. That little sob was just her body still catching up. She wiped the last of the tears from her face with her sleeve, straightened up, and lifted her chin.
“Captain, I wasn’t crying,” Zoe insisted.
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