Chapter 25 Return

```

"Time is up..."

With that moment of enlightenment in his heart, Tao Yu knew that the fifteen-day trial of Awakening Day was about to end!

Everyone who awakens their talent at the age of eighteen and becomes a Pioneer must stay in The Abyssal Rift for fifteen days by force, and only then will they reestablish contact with the will of the world and return!

Besides this time, subsequent travels between the Abyss and the real world rely on individual meditation, and after getting proficient, a quarter of an hour of meditation is enough to complete the transfer.

However, no matter which side, the minimum cooldown time for transfer is five days, and staying too long in the real world could lead to accumulating insanity. Therefore, it is best to visit the Abyss once a month.

The same holds true in the Abyss; one must regularly return to the real world if they stay for too long. However, this varies from person to person and is not absolute; some can last longer, others go mad in less than a month, and current conclusions are drawn from experience.

It is only certain that the stronger one's power, the longer they can maintain continuity, whether in the Abyss or the real world.

Stories circulate about some powerful figures who are thought to be dead because they haven't been seen for a long time, but in reality, they have encountered some special events in the Abyss.

It is said that in some unique areas of the Abyss that are beyond the influence of the world's will, transfer becomes impossible. Wealthy people can use Yuan Force to extend their duration and such.

However, these special circumstances had nothing to do with Tao Yu, the former Outsider mud-leg.

Ordinary Outsiders would travel to and fro once a month.

Shua~

Tao Yu found his body gradually disappearing like a mosaic being erased, and in the next moment, the scene before his eyes transformed.

It was still the public square he had left from in the Outer City, with the same old spotty statue.

The Floating City above their heads still hung in the sky, bringing with it a heavy sense of oppression. The Grey Mist Wall on the perimeter was also still churning.

As he returned, human voices gradually began to enter his ears.

"He's back! He's back!"

"The first batch has already returned, why so few?"

"Are there even fifty people?!"

"Abao! Abao, are you there?!"

"Why only so few!"

"What has happened with the space-time anomaly?"

"Even the Inner City has lost people?"

"Where is Joseph?"

"..."

The chaotic sounds were like those in a vegetable market. Tao Yu looked around and saw that the perimeter of the square was filled with people, mostly poorly-dressed and even unkempt Outsiders. There were also security squads specifically maintaining order.

Some well-dressed individuals stood apart, silently observing. They must be important figures from the Inner City or even the Floating City.

In the center of the square lay or stood sparse groups of forty or fifty people, almost each one covered in dirt and mud, with many obviously injured and continuously crying out with bloodstains.

Tao Yu himself was no better off, with fifteen days without a bath, rolling in mud, and some stench of blood plasma decay on his body, reeking, and the surface of the cowhide armor all congealed and filthy.

Yet his Dynamic Vision easily caught sight of his parents, who were full of concern. They seemed to be anxiously searching for him, and then Tao Yu raised his hand and called out:

"Dad, Mom, I'm here, I'm fine!"

Although Tao Yu had undergone a great change, strengthened by the Blood Orchid and the Breathing Technique, and with a diet constantly supplemented by meat, he had grown stronger. His height had increased considerably from being less than 1.7 meters with a skinny stature to a smooth figure close to 1.8 meters.

But his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tao, recognized him immediately, relieved to see that he was safe and appeared to have had some significant gains. They both breathed easier.

It was a relief that he had returned safely. The experiences of the eldest and second child had given them PTSD, so even though their income wasn't high, they gritted their teeth and managed to provide Tao Yu with a decent entry-level set and a thousand units of Yuan Force Points.

It is indisputable that without their support during the toughest times, Tao Yu would have had little chance of returning alive.

"How can this be? Where is Joseph?"

"What happened to Wino? Why is he so badly injured?"

Startled by two cries of alarm next to him, Tao Yu jumped in shock.

Damn, has someone come back to life?

```

Glancing back, it was certain that Joseph was dead, but unexpectedly, he really did see Wino's towering figure!

There was a gigantic wound torn open in his chest, with ribs splayed outward; one could even see the mangled organs within, yet this fellow had somehow managed to survive!

Traveling through the rift wouldn't have any healing effects, so did this guy just tough it out?

This even made Tao Yu's eyes widen in astonishment.

He had assumed that the frenzied Wino would have died earlier, but who would have thought that he would be the one to survive?

Was he captured to serve as a breeding machine, and then lived on through some special lifeforce?

It's a bit exaggerated...

Tao Yu saw a robust red-skinned man with horns on his head and a face like that of a demon, push through the crowd and quickly walked up to Wino. Without any hesitation, he stuck a needle into Wino's body, his eyes full of rage.

"Where in the world did the World Will toss itself? How come some hick from the Outer City survives, yet Wino is injured so grievously?"

"Joseph is dead!"

Another figure, who looked ordinary but was exceptionally beautiful, so beautiful it was surreal and unclear whether it was male or female, also had a solemn expression on their face.

How is it possible, how could Joseph die in a place like this!

"He was probably parasitized by creatures known as Aliens. If there were enough of them, it's quite normal that they couldn't cope with the situation upon entering."

A cool voice came from the side, and Tao Yu also saw a slender figure.

She was unblemished by dust, still in her tight black combat suit, a sister from the Floating City duo, her brother, just as exquisite and ethereal in appearance, now came over and stood to one side with a cold indifference.

There were only seven Pioneers from the Inner City in the first batch, and with one dead and another severely injured, the news was certainly not good.

Seeing them come over, the clearly enraged red-skinned horned brute also suppressed his emotions and managed a smile

"Miss Sun, I'm truly sorry, it seems my son won't be able to serve you for a while."

"It's alright, this is a bottle of micro life potion; it should be of some use. Heal up quickly."

Sun Shiyu's pretty face still held some coldness as she tossed out a bottle of red potion, which the red-skinned brute gratefully accepted and then poured directly into Wino's wound, making a sizzling sound.

Tao Yu could clearly see how Wino's originally purplish complexion seemed to have eased quite a bit; the effects of the potion were significant.

Wino's condition quickly stabilized and he was placed on a stretcher and swiftly taken away.

Such injuries would have spelled certain death for anyone from the Outer City, but there might be a chance of survival in the Inner City.

After dealing with the problem of one injury and one death in the Inner City, Sun Shiqing, the brother of the duo, glanced at someone on the outskirts.

It was a man with a square face, impeccable attire, and neat moustache tufts.

Tao Yu knew this man as well, the captain of the Outer City security team, and one of the most powerful individuals in the Outer City, named Ze Chuan. He wore no signs of mechanical or mutant alterations, but he firmly held the position of captain of the security team, which indicated his considerable abilities.

With just a look, the square-faced captain of the security team hurriedly walked over to the platform where Uncle Hu had been and loudly declared,

"Alright, quiet down."

The somewhat chaotic scene, still filled with some sobs, quickly quieted down at his command.

Although there were still a few uncontrollable sobs and some wails, the overall situation had stabilized.

"This time-space anomaly was an unexpected event and the casualties are particularly tragic. Even Pioneers from the Inner City have perished on Awakening Day, which shows the difficulty of the ordeal.

"However, the City Council has already urgently passed a construction proposal for a new settlement. With Miss Sun Shiyu and Mr. Sun Shiqing, two Pioneers, at the core, the Starshine Company has been commissioned to build our second settlement in Starshine City!

"Encountering a time-space anomaly is unfortunate, but compared to others who have faced time-space anomalies, this group is indeed fortunate..."

The survival rate for Awakening Day, which was originally around 60%, plummeted by more than half, enough to illustrate the risks involved.

But just as the captain of the security team, Ze Chuan, said, the Starshine Company will take charge of constructing a new gathering site with the two core Pioneers from the Floating City at the helm.

Compared to the Pioneers of the past who faced time-space anomalies and were left to their own devices, it was indeed not too bad; at least there was something to look forward to.

However, judging from the fact that they have immediately drawn conclusions now and it seems that the Sun siblings were already informed, the siblings from the Floating City must possess an artifact that allows direct communication with the present world.

Indeed, their foundation is nothing that Pioneers from both the Inner and Outer City can compare to...

————