128: Chapter 128 The Hero Returns

After the scare from the Star-Glow Rank beast just now, Qin Ce did not plan to linger any longer in the increasingly chaotic wilderness.

He suppressed his aura and, riding the Qingluan and carrying Tianlu, flew toward Yuntai Town under the cover of night.

The Qingluan's speed was extremely fast, but Qin Ce deliberately kept the altitude low, flying close to the shadows of hills and forests to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention.

Only after leaving the combat zone did he fly back up into the high altitude.

Tianlu was nestled in his arms, its golden eyes half-closed as its little head nodded off to sleep.

The ordeal just now had clearly exhausted the newborn little thing.

Qin Ce looked down at it, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly as he pulled it a bit closer into his arms.

...

Several hours later, the silhouette of Yuntai Town finally appeared in his field of vision.

As the beast tide retreated, Yuntai Town, located to the southeast, had not been the primary target of the western beast tide, so the beast riots in most areas had already subsided.

The beasts that had once run rampant in Yuntai Town due to the tide had either been cleared by the garrison or had fled back into the deeper mountains and forests. The wilderness had regained its former tranquility.

However, Qin Ce then noticed something.

Even though the beast threat had subsided,

the military base was unexpectedly brightly lit at this time.

Looking from afar, the entire base was like a torch in the dark night, abnormally bright.

The beams from searchlights swept back and forth across the night sky as if searching for something.

Doubt rose in Qin Ce's heart, and he had the Qingluan lower its altitude, preparing for a silent landing.

The Qingluan folded its wings and passed through a thin layer of clouds.

Tweet—!

A sharp whistle suddenly rang out from the base!

Immediately following that, tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet—a series of whistles rose and fell in succession!

Qin Ce's heart tightened, and his hand was already pressed against the Qingluan's neck, ready to pull up at any moment.

But Tianlu, in his arms, suddenly transmitted a feeling of joy.

That emotion was very pure, with no fear or wariness, only a sense of happiness.

Happiness?

Qin Ce was stunned for a moment.

The next moment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Streaks of fire soared into the sky from the base!

Those streaks of fire trailed long tails of flame, piercing the night sky and shooting rapidly toward Qin Ce's direction!

Qin Ce's pupils constricted, and he instinctively wanted to dodge.

But Tianlu squirmed its little body in his arms, and that feeling of joy became even stronger.

Qin Ce suppressed his impulse and did not move.

The next second.

Those streaks of fire exploded in the sky!

One, two, three...

Crimson, golden, emerald, indigo—fireworks of various colors bloomed one after another in the night sky!

They were like blooming flowers, dyeing half the sky into a brilliant canvas!

And the positions of those fireworks actually followed Qin Ce's movement, blooming one after another to his left and right.

The fireworks seemed to form a path of light.

It was as if an invisible hand was paving the way for him in the sky.

It was as if the entire base was using this method to welcome his return.

Qin Ce stared blankly at the fireworks, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.

The last time he came here, he was stopped and driven away by the guards, only managing to enter after shouting the name of the person in charge, Mike.

But this time...

The Qingluan slowly descended, passing through that brilliant rain of fireworks and landing toward the central plaza of the base.

The plaza was brightly lit.

Everyone was there.

The guards who had once treated him coldly, the officers who had once ignored him, and the soldiers who had once pointed fingers behind his back.

At this moment, they all stood on the plaza, looking up at the sky, watching that slowly descending blue-green figure.

On their faces were excitement, admiration, and pride.

And the moment the Qingluan landed in the center of the plaza,

"Great!!!"

It was unknown who shouted first.

The next second, thunderous applause erupted.

"Good lad!!!"

"Hero! The hero has returned!!!"

"Qin Ce! This is the Qin Ce who counter-killed the Raven King!!!"

Cheers, applause, and shouts of praise converged into a heatwave that rushed toward him.

Qin Ce flipped down from the Qingluan's back, still holding Tianlu in his arms.

He stood in place, looking at the surging crowd, feeling somewhat at a loss for a moment.

Then, a burly figure strode out from the crowd.

It was Mike, whom Qin Ce was familiar with.

This base commander no longer had his usual seriousness and coldness on his face; in its place was an excitement that bordered on ecstasy.

He strode forward and gave Qin Ce a big hug.

The strength was so great that Qin Ce almost couldn't catch his breath.

"Good lad!" Mike patted Qin Ce's back, his voice so booming that the entire plaza could hear it. "Good lad! Well done! You did fantastically!"

He let go of Qin Ce and looked him up and down, his eyes full of pride.

"That old fellow Wei Ming really didn't misjudge you! No wonder he was willing to break protocol and ask for a favor for your sake. You are indeed worth it!"

"If it were up to me, I would have personally sent you here myself."

Qin Ce's mouth twitched slightly.

He didn't know what to say.

But Mike gave Qin Ce no chance to speak at all, pulling him by the hand into the crowd.

"Come, let me introduce you! This is our base's Deputy Commander, Old Zhao. He was the one who strongly opposed you tracking the Raven Flock before, but he was also the one who happily smashed the control console when you killed the Raven King."

A middle-aged officer with graying hair came forward and gripped Qin Ce's hand tightly: "Good lad! That roar that pointed out the Raven King's location was beautiful!"

"This is our base's Intelligence Chief, Old Sun. The military merits for those Ravens you killed earlier were all directly verified and submitted by him! If we're talking about who followed you most closely, he's the one."

A civilian officer wearing glasses rushed up and patted Qin Ce's shoulder hard: "Incredible! Just too incredible! A Bronze killing a Gold! I've been in the army for twenty years, and this is the first time I've seen it!"

"This is..."

Mike pulled Qin Ce along, introducing them one by one.

Every person introduced rushed up with an excited face, either shaking hands, patting his shoulder, or hugging him, their mouths repeating those few words over and over.

Good lad, beautiful, awesome, powerful, impressive.

Qin Ce was a bit dazed by this wave after wave of enthusiasm, and could only mechanically nod, smile, and say thank you.

As for the ordinary soldiers around them, although they weren't qualified to come up and shake Qin Ce's hand, they used another way to express their respect.

Applause.

Continuous, warm, and heartfelt applause.

That applause echoed in the night sky, not ceasing for a long time.

Then, amidst this applause,

Qin Ce's gaze crossed the crowd, looking toward the other end of the crowd not far away.

There, two familiar figures were being enthusiastically surrounded by a group of people.

...