The war in the Mariupol Sector had finally come to an end, with only ruins and uncleared war debris remaining on the smoke-cleared battlefield.
The Rostov Expedition was also entering its final mop-up phase, with the remaining enemy forces being gradually eliminated.
The intense fighting that had lasted for several months finally drew to a close, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief and their strained nerves to finally relax temporarily.
So, Alex, 32, Mai Mai, Twilight, Gutierrez, and Sea Hare returned to the peaceful 3k era, planning to take a good rest for a while.
The sudden return from the war-torn 40k World to the calm modern society made everyone feel a bit unaccustomed.
The bustling traffic on the streets and the joyful laughter in the shopping malls, these ordinary daily scenes, seemed particularly strange and distant in their eyes.
After all, in the final battle of the 40k World, they not only directly faced two Khorne Demon Princes and an entire Khorne demon army, but also personally witnessed the appearance of Khorne and the Emperor.
Those bloody and cruel battle scenes, those twisted and terrifying demon figures, still occasionally flashed in their dreams late at night, waking them up from their sleep.
32 and his group attended the Air Force Open Day event with Liu Yi, which was a well-deserved break from their high-intensity adventures.
Liu Yi pulled some strings to get them valuable exhibitor passes, allowing them to enter before the public and experience some weapons and equipment not accessible to regular visitors.
This excited 32 and his companions, and they cheerfully formed a group to head to the exhibition site early in the morning.
However, Alex's situation was somewhat different.
After returning from the 40k World, he clearly felt that his mental state was abnormal.
Although Old Man Huang immediately cleared the Khorne blessing from him, the illusions he had seen with his own eyes and the chaotic power he had touched still left an indelible impact on his mind.
Recently, he would involuntarily experience violent impulses, especially when seeing spherical objects, he would inexplicably have the urge to "chop off heads."
This abnormal impulse alarmed him, so he decided to seek professional psychological counseling during this rest period.
Upon learning of this, Liu Yi immediately contacted a comrade who ran a travel agency in Hainan, arranging a seven-day Hainan tour for Alex for recuperation, and specifically recommending a "reliable" psychologist.
Alex accepted this kind offer and was soon arranged to go to the picturesque Hainan Island.
But when he arrived at the agreed meeting point on the beach at the appointed time, he saw an unexpected psychologist—a young woman wearing a cool beach dress and stylish sunglasses, leisurely holding a fresh coconut.
Although Liu Yi assured him that this doctor was excellent in her professional field, her vacation-like attire made her look more like a tourist enjoying a holiday than Alex, who had come for treatment.
The sea breeze ruffled her skirt, and the sunlight danced on her exquisite sunglasses; this scene made Alex freeze in place.
"Are you Dr. Li?" Alex was stunned for a moment before greeting her.
"Yes, you must be Mr. Chen, whom Liu Yi introduced?" Dr. Li extended her hand to Alex gracefully, "Would you like a coconut too? This place's coconuts are especially sweet."
Alex nodded and followed her to a small stall by the roadside.
Dr. Li skillfully picked out a coconut for Alex: "Liu Yi said this is your first time in Hainan?"
"Yes, I've rarely had the chance to travel before." Alex took the coconut, handed it to the vendor to open, inserted a straw, and began to drink.
As they drank their coconuts, they walked slowly along the coastline.
The coconut water was sweet and cool, and Alex found his steps unconsciously lighter.
"The first time I came to Hainan was also this season," Dr. Li said, looking at the waves in the distance, the sea breeze making her voice sound a little ethereal: "I had just graduated then and came with my mentor for research, but as soon as I got to the beach, I forgot all about the serious business."
She smiled and shook her head: "We stayed in a hotel in Sanya for three days. My mentor's notebook was filled with classifications of various shells on the beach, but she completely forgot about the actual research data."
Alex smiled, the coconut shell gently swaying in his hand: "Liu Yi said you're an expert."
"He always exaggerates." Dr. Li took off her sunglasses and hung them on her collar, squinting at the sea.
"But the seaside really does make people relax. Look at the children playing in the sand over there," she pointed to a pair of siblings not far away: "They spent half an hour building a castle, and then a wave came and washed it away, but they still enjoyed it immensely."
Alex followed her gaze.
The little boy was frantically building a dam, while the little girl was focused on planting a small flag on top of the sandcastle.
Another wave crashed, and their masterpiece instantly vanished, but the two children giggled and started over.
The tide began to rise, and several small crabs scurried past their feet in a line, leaving a string of tiny marks on the sand.
Dr. Li suddenly squatted down and used her index finger to draw a simple smiley face on the wet sand, with a crooked pair of glasses on the round face.
"When I was little, I always loved to play like this, waiting for the waves to come and take it away, as if the sea was playing a game with you." As she spoke, a small wave surged in, and the edges of the smiley face began to blur.
Dr. Li rested her chin on her hand, watching the seawater slowly engulf the drawing: "Look, the sea is smiling."
Alex looked at her hair, disheveled by the sea breeze, with tiny grains of sand clinging to it, and suddenly said: "You don't look like a doctor."
"Oh, really?" Dr. Li stood up, casually brushing the sand from her hands, the fine grains rustling down between her fingers: "Maybe it's because here, even I forget I'm a doctor."
She pointed to a prominent cluster of reefs in the distance: "Do you want to go check that out tomorrow? When the tide is out, you can find really beautiful shells. Last time, I even found a heart-shaped coral stone."
As they walked and talked, Alex unknowingly felt his tense nerves relax quite a bit.
And time also passed without them realizing it.
The sun gradually set in the west, casting long shadows of the two.
Dr. Li looked at her wristwatch, the dial glowing with a warm orange light in the afterglow: "I have to go back. Same time tomorrow?"
She turned to leave, then seemed to remember something and turned back to add: "Oh, by the way, there's a local band playing at the beach bar tonight. The lead singer is a friend of mine. If you can't sleep, you can go listen. Their music is perfect for a night by the sea."
She smiled and mischievously winked: "Mention my name for free entry."
"I'll go listen," Alex nodded slightly.
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