It was noontime, and it was a bright day. But there was nothing bright as far as Xu Qing was concerned.

All of the hustle and bustle of Harbor 176 faded away. All Xu Qing could hear was silence. The sensation of unreality grew stronger, until he wondered if this was all some kind of joke. He saw people walking in the distance. Birds flying in the air. Waves crashing against the boats and ships. But it all seemed disconnected.

It was as if there were two worlds. In one of them, everything else existed. In the other... there was only him.

This was too sudden.

When news like this came, most people wouldn’t be able to accept it. Most people would be unable to react.

Xu Qing staggered back further until he reached the dharmaskiff railing. He grabbed it tightly. The wind blew at his hair, but it couldn’t dispel the heaviness in his chest. He wanted to yell. To scream. To howl.

Xu Qing was the kind of person who cared deeply about kindness shown to him by others.

Will we actually meet again...?

He thought about life in the scavenger basecamp, and about the lifespan flower. He thought about that tent. About Grandmaster Bai looking deeply at him....