Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 178 Saving Them

Silence stretched through the space, as Ling Xuan stared at Laurel, completely stunned.

Even Luo, who had started with the reconstruction of their statue, had to pause for a moment, its jaw almost dropping to the ground.

The frozen bodies of Chris and Alexander were inches behind Laurel, who stood nervously scratching the back of her head.

She chuckled nervously. "They are completely frozen and unconscious..." The remaining words stuck in her throat. She cleared her throat before opening her mouth to speak. "The cave collapsed and there was no way out... There was no time to talk to you or give you any heads up."

Ling Xuan’s brows twitched slightly, still unable to believe her eyes.

Laurel turned around with a sheepish smile, she casually knocked on the ice block around them. "You see, they are frozen... just like frozen veggies. They can’t tell this is our space system." Laurel whispered the last part before her brows furrowed in worry as she stared back at Chris before moving to Alexander.

Ling Xuan did not respond immediately, her gaze lingering on Laurel for a moment longer before shifting to the two frozen figures behind her, her expression calm but her eyes sharpening slightly as she stepped forward.

She stopped in front of them, her fingers lifting as she tapped lightly against the ice, the dull sound echoing faintly as her brows drew together.

"Are they even still alive?" she asked.

Laurel straightened slightly, her earlier awkwardness fading as her expression settled. However, there was still a hint of tension in her gaze as she glanced briefly at Luo before returning her attention to Ling Xuan.

"They were," she said, her voice wavering. "When I found them, they were still breathing, but the mist had already spread across most of their bodies, and the frost followed almost immediately. I didn’t have time to check anything properly before the cave started collapsing."

She paused briefly, her fingers curling slightly at her side before she continued.

"The cave gave way from the inside. The path we came through was already blocked, and the mist was closing in faster than before, so I made a decision on the spot. There was no safe way out, and I couldn’t leave them there."

She held Ling Xuan’s gaze this time, her tone quieter but firm.

"It was the only way," Laurel added, her heart thudding in her ears at the thought that if they remained like that, they might really not live.

Ling Xuan’s eyes flickered slightly at her words, but she did not comment. Instead, her gaze returned to the frozen bodies, scanning their faces, the thick layers of ice, and the faint frost patterns that had spread unevenly across them, as if something had frozen them from within rather than from the outside.

Luo floated closer, circling the two figures slowly, its eyes flickering faintly as it paused in front of Chris before drifting toward Alexander, as if comparing their conditions.

"They are still alive," it said after a moment, its tone returning to its usual mechanical calm. "But they are unstable, and their life force is gradually declining."

Laurel’s fingers tightened slightly at her side, her expression turning into one of worry.

"What can we do to save them? We can’t let them die... they can’t die." Her eyes were watering slightly.

Ling Xuan straightened slowly, her expression unreadable as she turned her gaze back toward Laurel, her eyes lingering on her just long enough to make the space feel quieter than before.

"They are already as good as dead, there is no point in bringing them here."

Laurel met her gaze without avoiding it this time, her posture straight despite the underlying tension.

"Really?" she replied simply. "I know what this place means, and I know I shouldn’t have exposed it, but leaving them there would have been the same as killing them."

Her voice did not rise, but there was a quiet firmness in it. "They are our friends and family... Ling Xuan, we should be finding ways to save and not argue."

Silence stretched between them for a moment, the tension thickening.

[Warning.]

The system’s voice cut through the space.

[Foreign frost energy detected. If not neutralized, targets will enter an irreversible frozen state.]

Laurel’s brows furrowed slightly as she shifted her gaze toward the screen.

"...How long do we have?" she asked.

[Time remaining: 09:42]

Her fingers tightened slightly.

"That’s not much time..."

Ling Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped closer again, her gaze fixed on the frost covering their bodies, observing the thin patterns spreading slowly along the surface as if it were still alive.

"And the solution?" she said.

The system’s space flickered again.

[Recommended method: Heat-based energy or purification.

Warning: Standard heat sources may be insufficient.]

Laurel’s lips pressed together slightly as she processed the information, her gaze shifting between the two frozen figures before settling briefly on Ling Xuan.

"Heat won’t be enough..." she murmured, thinking aloud. "If it spreads from the inside, then melting the surface won’t solve the problem."

She paused for a brief moment, then added. "And if we use too much force, we might damage their bodies before we could melt all the frost."

Ling Xuan’s gaze was still fixed on the ice as if calculating something, her fingers lifting slightly before lowering again.

"...Purification," she said quietly.

[Host Laurel meets minimum compatibility requirements.]

Laurel’s eyes shifted toward the system’s screen. "Me? How do I do that?"

[Host Laurel’s attributes are light with healing powers. If anyone can save them it is you. If you don’t know what to do... I’m afraid there is nothing I can do to help.]

Laurel chewed her inner cheeks. She swallowed before walking closer to Alexander’s body. "I really hope this works."

She raised her hand, gently placing it on the ice. She closed her eyes, and she imagined her arms were covered with light. And she felt warm energy rushing through her veins.

Then a gasp tore from her throat, as she felt something tugging her chest, and then a bolt of chillness rushed through her body.

She snapped her eyes open in shock.

"It’s working." Ling Xuan said, rotating the baseball stick in her hand.