Chapter 399: Farewell by the Bonfire

Galaxy Team Headquarters' open ground hosts a grand bonfire party in full swing.

The dancing flames reddened everyone's faces, while laughter, cheers, and playful shouts intertwined; people raised cups to chat, sang and danced, freely releasing the fear and repression accumulated over this period, and the air was filled with the relaxed joy of having survived a calamity.

Huo La, as the hero who saved Hisui, was surrounded by the crowd who toasted him with several cups of hot wine, listening to their thanks and blessings, his face always bearing a gentle smile.

When the clamor faded a bit, he quietly slipped away from the crowd, walked alone to the stone steps in the corner and sat, his gaze stretching over the bustling figures before him; the smile at his mouth remained, but his eyes concealed a barely perceptible loneliness and resolve.

"Someone sitting here alone, what are you thinking?" a gentle voice sounded beside him; Wang Luo walked over at a leisurely pace, casually wiped the wooden bench beside him, sat down without hesitation, and his tone had lost its former aloofness, gaining a hint of relief.

Huo La lifted his eyes toward him, his gaze sweeping over his hands, raised an eyebrow, and said with a teasing tone, "What? No longer tying you up, completely letting you go?"

Wang Luo shook his head helplessly, waved his hands, and gave a wry smile, "Even though you're not tying me, look at those gazes—they're hardly any different, still watching me all the time."

Huo La followed the direction of his finger and indeed saw a few Galaxy Team members not far away, occasionally glancing this way, their expressions showing some caution but no overt hostility.

Perhaps sensing Huo La's gaze, the members halted their peeking, gave a slight nod as a greeting, and quietly averted their eyes.

Huo La withdrew his gaze, fell silent for a moment, and asked softly, "Do you want to go back? Return to your original world."

Wang Luo lowered his eyes to watch the flickering bonfire, his fingertips gently rubbing his garment's edge, pondered briefly, then slowly said, "Want to? Actually, it doesn't matter."

He lifted his gaze to the distance, his tone indifferent, "Whether this world or the one I came from, to me they're the same. I used to cling to controlling everything, possessing the so‑called 'The Whole World,' yet I never took a moment to truly look at this world, living weary and hollow."

After a pause, a faint smile curved his mouth, and his tone added a hint of hope, "If I must choose, I'd rather stay in this world. Live differently, set up a small stall, sell goods, truly feel the everyday life of this world—also not bad."

"Mm." Huo La replied softly, said nothing more, but nodded in agreement.

He could understand Wang Luo's mindset, just as he himself, during this journey, gradually found his own responsibility and belonging.

"How about you?" Wang Luo turned his head toward Huo La, his gaze sharp yet gentle, "Just planning to leave silently, without a word, without a farewell, just slip away?"

Huo La lifted his eyes to him, a flash of astonishment passing through his eyes.

Wang Luo smiled, pointed at his own nose, then lifted his chin toward the direction of Ma Jia Mu and the others, "Don't stare at me like that; your thoughts are basically written on your face, you can't hide them from us 'old guys'."

Huo La followed his pointing direction and saw Ma Jia Mu and Xingyue holding wine cups, their gazes gently fixed on him;

Dr. Laben leaned against a nearby tree trunk, his face bearing a grateful yet reluctant smile;

Even Bei Li La, Gangshi and others occasionally glanced this way, their eyes full of reluctance.

"Sigh, I thought I was hidden well," Huo La sighed helplessly, then raised his hand, gave a gentle wave toward Ma Jia Mu and the others, his tone mixing apology with resolve, "I still have things I must do; I can't just stay."

Wang Luo looked at him, asked firmly, "Is it about A Er Zhou Si's matter?"

A flash of surprise crossed Huo La's eyes, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know?"

Wang Luo shook his head lightly, a knowing smile at his mouth, "I just guessed."

Huo La stared at the flickering bonfire, and involuntarily the words of Ma Shu Mu resurfaced in his mind; he sighed helplessly, "There's no way around it. Though it's not my subjective decision, it's still my pot to handle, so I have to solve it myself."

He murmured softly, as if explaining to Wang Luo, yet also to himself: "To completely resolve A Er Zhou Si's soul, one must return to the Time and Space where he resides. He can send me to this time and place, but cannot go to a future that hasn't occurred; otherwise, I wouldn't have to go to such lengths to use a bunch of Rainbow Rocket Team as Pawns."

Wang Luo listened quietly, asked nothing, simply raised his hand and gently patted Huo La's shoulder, his tone sincere, "Then may you find your own luck; these old bones won't trouble you any longer, I'm going back to sleep."

Having said that, he slowly rose, walked at a leisurely pace toward the camp, his figure gradually merging into the noisy crowd.

After Wang Luo left, the bonfire's warmth seemed to dim a bit; Huo La sat alone on the stone steps, silent for a moment, then softly asked himself, "And you? Go with me to the future, or stay here, return to the Universe?"

In his mind came a silent reply from Dai Ou Qi Xi Si; after a long pause, that slightly lonely voice finally said, "Go to the future."

"Mm." Huo La replied softly, rose slowly, brushed dust off his backside, his gaze returned to the revelers at the bonfire, lingering briefly on Xiao Zhao and Ming Yao's faces, his eyes full of reluctance, yet he whispered, "Then let's go."

As the words fell, he no longer hesitated, turned and walked into the darkness opposite the bonfire venue.

The ground beneath his feet rippled faintly, Time and Space twisted gradually, a pale halo enveloped his figure, and moments later Huo La's silhouette vanished completely into Hisui's night, leaving behind the still‑lively bonfire and the unspoken reluctance hidden within the laughter.