Rita smiled and gently set Theresa and Li Sushang down. The moment she touched the ground, Li Sushang squatted down, stuck out her tongue, and repeatedly patted it with her small hands, trying to get the sand off.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—this sand is so bitter..." After cleaning it off, a crestfallen Li Sushang spat a few more times before speaking uncomfortably.
"Sand isn't supposed to taste good in the first place..." Theresa retorted helplessly.
But was sand actually bitter? Theresa was a little curious, but after another glance at the sand under her feet, she shook her head, quickly dismissing the thought.
She was an Apocalypse, after all. If people found out she had done something like that, her life would probably be over.
"Rita, where on earth is the City of Sighs..." Her thoughts returning to the present, Theresa looked out at the vast, desolate desert, a wave of dizziness washing over her.
Scenes like this, stretching endlessly to the horizon, often gave one the intuitive feeling of a life whose end could be seen at a glance.
Li Sushang also stood up, staring blankly into the distance.
"Sister Rita, we've been walking in the desert for days... when will we get there..." she said, her eyes lifeless.
Rita didn't speak, only looked at the sun to get her bearings.
The car they had driven from ARC City was now stuck in quicksand. They had tried to save their fourth teammate, but had failed. The power of nature was not something they could contend with. They could only watch helplessly as the car was sacrificed to the quicksand.
All they could do was mourn for the car and then continue their journey to the City of Sighs.
Normally, there shouldn't be so many areas of quicksand in the desert. But if there was a Honkai Emperor constantly plowing the desert with storms, that was a different story.
"Well, it should be a few more days' journey," Rita said to the two after taking some time to confirm their direction.
"A few more days?!" Li Sushang felt as if the sky was falling. She looked down at her feet in silence, beginning to doubt if she would even reach her destination alive.
Looking at the situation, Li Sushang felt it was a long shot.
She had never even heard of the City of Sighs. Theresa had heard Otto mention it, but he had expressed his disdain for the place and hadn't elaborated much. He had only told Theresa a little more in the past two days.
But they were still largely in the dark, and were now complete burdens to Rita.
After all, among the three of them, only Rita had actually been to the City of Sighs.
However, the way she had gotten there was a bit... special.
"I snuck in by hiding on the plane of a wealthy man who was invited," Rita said, pointing in a direction, and then calmly uttered a sentence that made both of their hearts stop. "So I'm not very familiar with the route."
The two little ones, who were about to set off, froze in their tracks. They stared at Rita with wide eyes, their fear palpable.
"Haha... that's a good one," Theresa swallowed, forcing a smile, trying to define Rita's words as a simple joke.
"Theresa-sama, I'm not joking," Rita shook her head with a smile, her tone filled with sincerity.
Theresa fell silent. Her and Li Sushang's eyes grew even wider, their burning gazes threatening to pierce through Rita.
"Really?" Li Sushang asked, still not giving up hope.
"Really," Rita nodded, her smiling face showing no signs of guilt or falsehood.
Li Sushang's head lolled to the side. She closed her eyes peacefully and collapsed into Theresa's arms.
"Sushang!" Theresa let out a mournful cry, slowly cradling Li Sushang's body and laying her flat on the desert, holding only her upper body.
"Theresa... Captain..." When Li Sushang opened her eyes again, they held a serene detachment that had seen through life and death.
She stared blankly at the sky, a forced smile on her lips. "Can I call you big sister?"
Theresa, filled with sorrow, nodded at the "dying" Li Sushang. "Of course, you can..."
"I don't think I can go on with you..." Li Sushang weakly turned her head, looking at the rolling horizon, the endless yellow sand, as if seeing her own end.
"No! Sushang, you can do it!" Tears welled up in Theresa's eyes. She tightened her arms, trying to transfer her strength to Li Sushang. "We all believe in you! Don't give up!"
Theresa's words were filled with grief, her vivid, crying voice making even Rita turn away, unable to watch.
"Theresa... big sister..." But such a call brought no strength to Li Sushang. The light in her eyes continued to fade. She could only move her lips, trying to leave her last words.
"Actually... there's something... something I've always wanted... to tell you..." Li Sushang's gaze returned to Theresa, a hint of relief and gratification in her eyes.
"But, I was always afraid..."
"Say it..." Theresa interrupted Li Sushang's words. She bowed her head deeply, as if unable to face the inevitable.
Li Sushang took a deep breath, her trembling hand reaching up to gently brush a grain of sand from Theresa's hair.
"Actually... I never thought bitter melon juice tasted good..."
"..."
"But now... I miss it so much... It didn't taste good, so why do I miss it so much?" The light in Li Sushang's eyes had almost completely vanished.
Theresa's body began to tremble, as if holding back a sob.
"It's really... a shame..." Li Sushang squeezed out a few more words. Her vision had completely blurred. Her last words were a murmur, filled with genuine laughter.
"If... in my next life... if I could... I'd want to be in a squad with you forever..." She seemed to have spoken her heart's desire. Then, under Theresa's gaze, Li Sushang closed her eyes.
"I would do anything..."
Her hand fell limply onto the sand. Li Sushang looked as peaceful as if she were asleep.
Theresa was silent, but refused to let go. Instead, her hands tightened, holding Li Sushang's body close.
She leaned in close to Li Sushang's ear and whispered with a trembling voice.
"Is bitter melon juice really that bad?"
Li Sushang's eyes remained peacefully closed, but a large bead of sweat dripped from her forehead.
"Pfft—"
Rita couldn't hold it in any longer.