Chapter 262: The Unfinished Promise

On the snowfield of the Icefield Mountains, the whistling of the gale gradually deepened, leaving only the sound of snowflakes falling softly. Lu Ran held Sister Chu Yao Yao's body,

his knees buried in the snow, his shoulders trembling violently, suppressed sobs squeezing out from his throat, mixing with the wind and snow and drifting into the distance.

A Nian stood to one side, her hands gripping her clothes tightly, tears falling silently onto the snow, blurring into a small patch of dark marks.

Sister Chu Yao Yao's fingers suddenly moved again, this time the movement more obvious than before,

as if using the last bit of strength in her whole body. Lu Ran looked up abruptly, bloodshot eyes instantly filling his eye sockets. He leaned close to Sister Chu Yao Yao's ear,

his voice so hoarse it was almost impossible to hear: "Sister Chu Yao Yao, I'm here, I'm here."

Sister Chu Yao Yao's eyelids struggled to lift, revealing a faint slit,

her unfocused gaze slowly focusing on Lu Ran's face. Her left hand lifted,

moving as slowly as a rusted machine, her fingertips trembling as they reached toward her chest,

fumbling for the pocket close to her body. Lu Ran hurriedly reached out to help, but was gently pushed away; she wanted to complete this action herself.

The zipper of the pocket was frozen stiff, and Sister Chu Yao Yao's fingers slipped several times

before finally pulling the zipper open. She took out a ring from inside; it was not metallic, looking rough and clumsy, carved from the seed of a mutant sunflower,

with shallow carvings still remaining on the surface. On the inner ring, two letters and a symbol were crookedly carved—Lu & Chu.

Lu Ran looked at that ring, his pupils contracting sharply, his heart feeling as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand, the pain making him unable to breathe. He remembered a long time ago,

when they were still in the southern safe zone, Sister Chu Yao Yao held a mutant sunflower seed,

smiling and saying she wanted to carve a ring, and when the war ended, she would use it as a token, find a place to build a home together, and plant it full of sunflowers. The sunlight was very warm back then, and their eyes were full of anticipation for a stable life.

Sister Chu Yao Yao's fingers pinched the ring, a trace of light flashing in her eyes.

She looked at Lu Ran, her lips moving, and with her last bit of strength, said a sentence: "If you live in the light, you feel the whole world is bright."

As these words fell, Sister Chu Yao Yao's arm swayed, and Lu Ran hurriedly reached out to catch it.

She looked into Lu Ran's eyes, the light inside dimming bit by bit, yet still carrying a trace of gentleness. She tremblingly placed the ring into Lu Ran's palm, then used all her strength to grip his fingers, letting that seed ring firmly press against his palm.

"I'm sorry... I can't build a home with you anymore..." Sister Chu Yao Yao's voice was as light as a gust of wind, yet it slammed heavily onto Lu Ran's heart. "A Nian... is handed over to you..."

After saying this, Sister Chu Yao Yao's hand completely lost its strength, sliding from Lu Ran's palm and hanging at her side. Her eyelids slowly closed,

and she never opened them again. The wind and snow whipped snowflakes, landing on her face, as if covering her with a thin veil.

Lu Ran looked down at the seed ring in his palm, the cold texture digging painfully into his palm. He gripped the ring tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force,

tears falling in large drops onto the ring, blurring into circles of wet marks.

He didn't cry out loud again, just held Sister Chu Yao Yao's body, kneeling motionless in the snow, letting the snowflakes cover his hair and shoulders, freezing him into an ice sculpture.

A Nian watched this scene and finally couldn't help but crouch on the ground and sob uncontrollably.

She knew Sister Chu Yao Yao had used her life to trade for her survival, and that unfinished promise had become an eternal gap in Lu Ran's heart.

Meanwhile, in the command center of the Western Hills Safe Zone, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Lin Chen stood before a huge electronic map, holding a piece of intelligence that had just been transmitted back,

his brows tightly furrowed into a ball. Several staff officers were gathered nearby, their faces solemn, looking at the red light dots constantly flashing on the map, their eyes full of vigilance.

"Has the intelligence been confirmed?

" Lin Chen's voice was low, carrying a hint of imperceptible tension.

A staff officer nodded immediately, pointing to the red area on the map: "Confirmed, Captain Lin. The drone was in the Black Forest area three hundred kilometers from the safe zone,

and captured the movement trajectory of a large-scale zombie tide. Judging by the body size and quantity,

the scale of this zombie tide exceeds one hundred thousand, mixed with a large number of high-tier mutants, including speed types, strength types, and special mutants capable of releasing virus mist."

Another staff officer added: "The movement direction of the zombie tide is exactly toward our Western Hills Safe Zone.

According to their movement speed, they will arrive at the outskirts of the safe zone in at most five days."

Lin Chen's gaze fell on the map, the lines formed by the red light dots like a hideous giant python, winding toward the safe zone.

He knew clearly that the scale and combat power of this zombie tide far exceeded any one they had encountered before. If they resisted head-on, even if the Starfire Group exhausted all its strength, it would suffer heavy losses.

"Immediately activate Level 1 combat readiness." Lin Chen's voice was decisive, without the slightest hesitation. "Notify all team members on the training ground,

stop training, and immediately return to their respective posts. Open all defensive works,

and deploy heavy firepower weapons to all high points on the city wall. Manage all food and medicine centrally, giving priority to combat personnel."

"Yes!

" The staff officers responded in unison, turned, and ran toward the communication equipment, beginning to convey the orders.

Lin Chen walked to the window, looking at the team members busy outside, looking at the orderly buildings in the safe zone, his eyes becoming incomparably firm.

He remembered that Sister Chu Yao Yao and Lu Ran were still in the Icefield Mountains, remembered the signal receiver in A Nian's hand, and remembered that the location of the Human Alliance headquarters had not yet been confirmed. He knew now was not the time to retreat; he had to guard this safe zone and guard this hard-won stability.

"Also, closely monitor the communication signals from the Icefield Mountains." Lin Chen shouted to a staff officer. "Once you receive news from Lu Ran, report to me immediately."

The staff officer nodded and walked away quickly. In the command center, only Lin Chen remained. He looked at the red light dots on the map, his fingers slowly clenching. The threat from afar was approaching, and a fierce battle was about to begin. ===== CHAPTER 263 =====