"Yukari... I miss you... The place you're in, I can find it... Regardless, it must be a very beautiful and enchanting place, without oppression or helplessness, right?"

I can feel the saltwater filling up my nostrils. I won't mourn for myself, and no one will mourn for me either, let alone come to my rescue.

Perhaps this is a form of release, countless remnants flash before my eyes, every fragment of my life unfolding, as if I've gone through another cycle.

They say this is the prelude to leaving this world...

Breathing, how distant and extravagant it is. It's finally over!!

"Don't you want to unravel the reason why all of this happened?" Yukari's figure remains as large as before, but her voice carries a tone of disappointment, "The existence of mirages doesn't belong to the original world, but it is the last trace of humanity that remains in the world after death—the desire!"

Whether it's the pursuit of justice and peace, or the act of evil plunder and slaughter, it is all just the desire within the human heart, fundamentally no different.

"And I... cannot abandon the desires from my previous life... that's why..."

Unyielding desires? Yukari sighs and appears to have something on her mind.

"Yukari?"

"Mmm... It's okay, stay strong and keep living. Someday, we will meet at the crossroads of karma."

"Sis, uh..."

I reach out to try and grab the dark silhouette, but it's already impossible.

"Believe in your sister, just like how I believe in Juxi. I will accompany you... as we continue on this journey... together!"

Yukari's voice becomes increasingly faint, until it finally disappears completely in the distance.

Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough... Ugh, ugh!

I vomit out the seawater in my mouth and look around at my surroundings. I'm surrounded by the ocean on three sides, apparently still far from my destination.

Am I dead? The answer is obvious—I'm still alive.

With my completely drenched clothes hanging limp, I find a relatively concealed cave and take off my clothes, then spread them one by one on the rocks inside the cave to dry.

"Ugh... It hurts!"

As expected, it's impossible to escape unscathed. Blood is gushing out from my left arm, with a wound stretching across my forearm, as long as a handspan.

"Pant, pant..." By the time I make it back to the cave, I'm already gasping for breath heavily. I should be safe here, right?

There's one question that has been bothering me. First, why didn't the Alliance soldiers rush in immediately after blasting open the breach? Second, that big guy seemed to be a colonel or something in the Alliance, but why... could it be!?

"Those guys... damn it!!"

I angrily raise my left hand and smash it down onto the soft, damp mud... Slap. My left fist lands weakly on the ground without any pain. It means... my left hand has lost sensation!

Even if I could stand up and rush over at this point, it would be too late. Since they were able to blow open a breach, they would definitely be able to quickly exterminate everyone on the ship.

"Cough, cough, cough. I hope they've just imprisoned Yukari and Yuanhui... cough!"

My injured arm is growing increasingly heavy and weak.

"Cough... Save... save me!"

"Chief, there's someone here!" (An anxious female voice)

It's the sound of a living person, a real, living person! I feel a surge of joy in my heart.

"May God bless him, poor child..." (A calm old voice)

Wait, on second thought, what if it's the local cannibals? I might end up being eaten alive. Thinking of this, I start to feel a bit anxious.

"Oh my, Chief, if we don't save him now, he really might die!" (The woman interrupts the chief's prayer)

"Yes, yes, quickly, get help over here! We need assistance!"

The voices belong to the local residents, it seems like I'm being saved... I was about to meet some indigenous tribe, wasn't I? I really am a foolish worrywart.