"Ah, this feels so good…"
Soaking in the hot spring on Tianren 8, Zhang Zheng felt completely relaxed. However, there was one thing he was quite dissatisfied with—why were Zhixin and Yan wearing swimsuits?
"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter..." Zhang Zheng originally imagined it like this: he would bring the two angel girls into the hot spring, and then... well, reality was harsh. Zhixin and Yan were wearing swimsuits, so now Zhang Zheng really wanted to give Ge Xiaolun a beating because Ge Xiaolun once said that he is reality.
Yan and Zhixin glanced at Zhang Zheng, who had a lifeless expression, and really wanted to punch him. What was he thinking? He was the one who suggested the hot spring, but now he was just lying there looking lifeless—who was he trying to impress?
"Zhang Zheng, why do you look so out of it?" Angel Yan moved closer to Zhang Zheng, leaning against the edge of the hot spring beside him.
"Nothing, I'm just so comfortable right now I don't want to move."
Zhang Zheng tried hard to suppress his urge to turn into a beast, focusing his gaze on the starry sky.
"It's been so long since I've been this relaxed. If it weren't for you, I might still be out there tracking down Morgana."
Yan didn't mind Zhang Zheng's occasional glances over her body; she just kept talking, a hint of melancholy in her tone. During her 7,000 years as an angel, she had either been fighting or preparing for a fight.
Only during the time she spent at Zhang Zheng's place did she feel truly relaxed—she didn't have to think about fighting, only about ways to embarrass Zhang Zheng. Nothing else really mattered.
"Haha, that's because you guys don't know how to enjoy life. With such great conditions in the City of Angels, why do you always think about fighting?"
"You're just making things worse. The more pressure you apply, the greater the pushback will be."
Zhang Zheng reached out and wrapped his arm around Yan's shoulder, resting her head on his.
Yan didn't feel uncomfortable with Zhang Zheng's intimate gesture, but she did glance at Zhixin with some concern.
"Zhixin, come over here!"
Seeing Zhixin look over at him, Zhang Zheng didn't hide his intentions and called out directly.
"Okay..."
Zhixin didn't hesitate. The sound of splashing water followed as her warm body leaned against Zhang Zheng on the other side.
"Yan, Zhixin, just let go of the pressure in your hearts! I'll handle everything that comes next. You just need to be happy," Zhang Zheng said earnestly.
"Haha, Zhang Zheng, you still don't fully understand angels! Angels love to fight; it's just a hobby. We've never expected anyone to thank us. As for the pressure it might put on other civilizations, that's just their own perception."
Yan was touched by Zhang Zheng's words, but they weren't weak, ordinary girls—they were high-ranking angel warriors. Protecting weaker civilizations was just their way of passing the time.
"Yeah… In an endless lifespan, if you don't have a pursuit, you'll slowly go insane." Zhixin agreed with Yan's sentiment. Justice and order were the angels' pursuits.
"Uh…"
"Could you not make so much sense? I'm just a lazy guy with no ambitions, and being around you two is really stressful."
Zhang Zheng was only 25 years old and had never really thought about the future. Would he really go crazy if he didn't have any pursuits?
"Yan, Zhixin, let's go back to Earth tomorrow!" Zhang Zheng didn't want to think about the future anymore. It was too early for him to worry about it—he'd deal with it when the time came.
"I'm fine with it. How about you, Yan?" Zhixin had returned with Zhang Zheng, so going back wasn't an issue. But what about Yan?
"It's okay. I'll report it to Queen Kaisa tomorrow; there shouldn't be a problem."
Yan was also looking forward to going to Earth. Staying in the City of Angels all the time could get visually exhausting.
"Alright, then tomorrow we'll take Tianren 8 back to Earth. That should be quite the experience."
Zhang Zheng was looking forward to the moment when Tianren 8 returned to Earth, imagining the shocked expressions on Ge Xiaolun and the others' faces.
"Zhang Zheng, can't you keep your hands to yourself?"
Yan looked at Zhang Zheng's hand, which was almost sliding down to her chest, and spoke with some exasperation.
"Natural reflex, don't blame it."
Zhang Zheng moved his hand away, even defending his wandering hand.
"Uh… I don't want to talk to you."
Yan gave Zhang Zheng a playful glare.
Zhang Zheng took that glare from Yan, not feeling any shame, and instead smiled proudly.
Yan didn't bother with him anymore. After all, this was her own doing. If she, Ah Zhui, and Mo Yi hadn't constantly played pranks on him, he wouldn't have turned out like this. So, Yan could only accept the responsibility.
After that, Zhang Zheng didn't fool around anymore. Once they finished soaking, they returned to the castle.
Because of Zhang Zheng, the castle now had more masculine touches.
Of course, this was thanks to the Infinity Stones. The Reality Stone had become an indispensable part of Zhang Zheng's life.
In the City of Angels, Zhang Zheng was indulging himself.
But millions of light-years away on Earth, things weren't going so well for Ge Xiaolun and the others.
Just yesterday, they had taken down the vanguard of the Gluttony forces. And now, just a day later, the demons had emerged to cause trouble again.
"The Yunshan base has been attacked by demons. Although they have Iron Man suits, the base is also storing the Donghong-49 tactical nuclear missile, which absolutely must not fall into enemy hands. So, Xiaolun, take Liu Chuang and head out first."
"Rena, take your team on the Dawn Light to support them. Wukong, stay on the Giant Gorge to prevent any sneak attacks by the demons."
In the command hall, Ducao calmly issued the combat orders.
This demon attack was too sudden. Although the Yunshan base detected the demons in time and the Iron Man suits fought back, they couldn't take any chances. The base housed a tactical nuclear missile, and if the demons got their hands on it, the consequences would be catastrophic. So, the base commander quickly sent out a distress signal to the Giant Gorge.
"Commander, we're not going to run into Morgana, are we?"
When Ge Xiaolun heard it was demons, his first thought was of Morgana, the demon queen.
"According to images sent back by Deno 3, Morgana hasn't been spotted among the demons involved in this operation." Ducao understood Ge Xiaolun's concern, so he answered truthfully.
"That's good. If she were there, I honestly wouldn't know how to fight." Ge Xiaolun scratched his head awkwardly upon hearing Ducao's words.
You couldn't blame Ge Xiaolun; Morgana had left a huge impression on him.
"Let's go, Chuangzi. We're heading out." Ge Xiaolun walked over to Liu Chuang, and the two of them left the command hall.
"We're heading out too." Seeing Ge Xiaolun and Liu Chuang leave, Di Rena didn't waste any time and spoke to the others who were still dazed.
"Yes, ma'am."
When they reached the deck of the Giant Gorge, they saw Ge Xiaolun grabbing Liu Chuang's hand and taking off.
"How harmonious," Zhao Xin thought as he watched the two men holding hands in flight, and the word "harmony" popped into his mind.
"Full of bromance!" Di Rena commented boldly.
But when no one responded to her, she felt a bit bored.
What she didn't realize was that everyone was secretly relieved that it wasn't them being flown by Ge Xiaolun. Not to mention the safety issues, just being carried by another man, whether you're a guy or a girl, would feel pretty embarrassing!
"Why are you all still watching? Hurry up and get on board! Don't you know how dangerous Yunshan is?"
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Di Rena's mood soured. She wasn't in the mood to watch Ge Xiaolun and Liu Chuang's bromance any longer, so she loudly scolded the dawdling team.
"Yes, ma'am…"