Chapter 212: Chapter 200: Yara, You Died So Tragically

The temperature over the ocean had indeed dropped.

Moreover, the once-kaleidoscopic whirlpool was gradually fading back to the blue of the sea.

On top of that, the group watched as the massive distant whirlpool began to slow, the change visible to the naked eye. The vortex’s diameter shrank and shrank until it finally vanished.

All that remained were vast slicks of marine debris and the corpses of sea creatures floating on the surface.

"The whirlpool stopped?" Cynthia Grant asked in disbelief. Ever since their yacht had broken free of the vortex, she had been a nervous wreck, terrified it might expand and swallow them whole once more.

Another reason was the giant tentacle that had dragged Flora Bloom away.

She worried for Flora Bloom’s safety and feared what other dangers might appear at any moment.

Now, the whirlpool had stopped, and the sea had calmed. Even the surrounding temperature had dropped, returning to that of a sweltering summer day. Over ninety degrees—hot, but reassuringly so.

’But what about Flora Bloom?’

In the month or so since meeting Flora Bloom, they had gone through so much, but it was usually Flora who was helping her. From being surrounded by zombies on the highway at the start, to Flora resolving a crisis for her at the Azuregard City Naval Base and helping rescue her uncle, Sherman Lynch. Every single day, it was because of Flora Bloom that they could live in this apocalypse—where zombies ate people, monsters ate people, and people even ate people—without hunger, without constantly being on the run.

It was almost like they were playing a post-apocalyptic survival game, eating, drinking, and sleeping as they pleased.

She gazed at the patch of sea where the whirlpool had been, her mind replaying all their past experiences, and finally broke down in tears.

"Flora, WAAAAH!"

Cynthia Grant’s sobs landed like a heavy stone on everyone’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

If Flora Bloom didn’t make it back, that meant their Boss was probably done for too. At the sound of Cynthia Grant’s wails, the eight other special forces soldiers suddenly felt a pang of despair.

"Nolan Jennings, pull me up!"

The hearts that had sunk at Cynthia Grant’s grief just a moment before now leaped as if they’d been jolted by a defibrillator. The nine special forces soldiers in particular whipped their heads toward the sound, their eyes finding the water below the yacht, their faces breaking into expressions of ecstatic surprise.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

"Boss, you’re finally back!"

The man he called to, Nolan Jennings, was a plant-type superpower user like Cynthia Grant. His vines, however, were from an unknown species of silver plant. Green filaments coiled around them, and they shimmered with a faint argent light—clearly a vine from the Mutant System.

Nolan Jennings’s vine coiled around Lex Cross’s waist and arm, swiftly hauling him onto the yacht.

"Boss, you’re okay!"

"Mm."

A black energy swirled around Lex Cross’s body. Between that and the fierce sun beating down on the deck, his soaking-wet clothes were dry in an instant.

The special forces soldiers were all celebrating Lex Cross’s return, and even Lex himself allowed the corner of his mouth to lift into a barely perceptible smile.

But to Cynthia Grant and the other two, the scene was utterly sickening.

Cynthia Grant ran up to Lex Cross, still sniffling, and pointed a finger up at his face. "Flora still isn’t back, and you’re all standing here laughing? And I actually used to admire you so much before the apocalypse! How can you be so heartless! Didn’t you jump in to save her? Where is she? Why isn’t she back?"

The hint of a smile on Lex Cross’s face didn’t fade. His expression remained neutral as he looked at Cynthia Grant, and he said nothing.

Five, standing to the side, couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped in front of Lex Cross and pushed Cynthia Grant’s hand away. "That’s enough, Cynthia Grant! The Boss jumped in to save her out of goodwill! You saw how huge that tentacle was; no normal person could fight that thing. It’s a miracle the Boss made it back at all. You can’t blame him for not being able to save Flora Bloom!"

This only made Cynthia Grant cry harder.

"Even if you couldn’t save Flora, can’t you at least not stand around celebrating with smiles on your faces? Are you really that happy she’s dead?!"

Lex Cross shook his head with a helpless sigh, a small smile playing on his lips.

"If she were dead, I certainly wouldn’t be happy." The words had barely left Lex Cross’s mouth when a familiar voice suddenly shouted from the water beside the yacht.

"Cynthia Grant! Where is everyone?! Hurry up and pull me up! I’m dead tired!"

Startled by the voice, Cynthia Grant rushed to the deck railing to look.

On her way back, she’d been lucky to find the Thunderbird pair hadn’t given chase. So, Flora Bloom had opened up her space, dived into the ocean, and swum toward any school of fish or sea creature she encountered.

Any marine life that came within five meters of her was swept into her space along with the seawater. After her space had evolved, the area beneath the whirlpool at the end of the Spirit River had filled with seawater, transforming the expanded river channel into a wide, flowing current. The sea creatures she had collected were now swimming about joyfully, perfectly content.

However, keeping her space open to directly absorb seawater and its inhabitants was incredibly draining on her spiritual power. Compounded by the physical exertion of swimming, both her spiritual power and her stamina were severely depleted.

As a result, when she finally appeared in the water below the yacht, her long, straight black hair was plastered to her face, half-covering her eyes. Through a gap in the wet strands, one eye glared wearily up at Cynthia Grant.

"Cynthia Grant, pull me up! I’m exhausted!"

Cynthia Grant took one look, her legs went weak, and she burst into a fresh torrent of tears.

"Flora, you died so horribly! How could you turn into a water spirit just like that! If I’d known this would happen, we never would have come! WAAAAH, how am I going to explain this to Aunt Jade!"

Flora Bloom’s face went pale as she listened to Cynthia Grant’s lamentations.

"Are you crazy, Cynthia Grant? Is your brain dead? I’m still fucking alive! Drop your vines and pull me up! I’m out of strength!"

The moment Flora Bloom finished speaking, Lex Cross shook his head, amused. Seeing that Cynthia Grant still hadn’t snapped out of her daze, he gestured to Nolan Jennings.

"Pull her up. Gently."

Upon receiving Lex Cross’s order, Nolan Jennings’s silver vine moved at his command, stretching down below the yacht and gently pulling Flora Bloom aboard.

Flora Bloom, hair sopping wet, stood before Cynthia Grant, who flinched away in fear.

"You’re really something else, Cynthia Grant! Not pulling me up is one thing, but you had to go and curse me to death, too?"

Cynthia Grant stared blankly at Flora Bloom for a long moment before lunging forward to hug her.

"Flora, it’s really you! This is wonderful, you’re not dead!"

Lex Cross noticed that Flora Bloom, now being squeezed by Cynthia Grant, didn’t look well. He pulled Cynthia Grant off and swept Flora up into his arms.

"What are you doing?! She’s not your woman! What’s wrong with me hugging my friend?!"

"How is she not the Boss’s woman? In life, she is the Boss’s woman; in death, she is—bah, forget that part! Anyway, any woman the Boss claims is his!"

Five suddenly stepped in front of Cynthia Grant again, his smug, arrogant expression making her clench her fists. Instantly, three green vines shot up from the deck beneath his feet, binding him tightly.

"What’s it to you? I’m hugging my friend! It’s bad enough your boss wouldn’t let me, but you have to keep looking for trouble! You meddling busybody!"

Flora Bloom saw Five’s Wind Ability begin to gather as he prepared to fight back. She was just about to speak when Lex Cross cut her off.

"Don’t worry about them. Five knows how to hold back. I’ll take you inside to rest."

With Flora Bloom in his arms, Lex Cross took a long stride into the yacht’s superstructure and found an empty room.