Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 106 Punishment

"We didn’t survive just to help people. Our second chance is for us, and I definitely didn’t come back because of other people, I came to conquer." Ling Xuan said, her voice was calm but her eyes said otherwise.

Laurel lifted her head, meeting her gaze with a look of disappointment. "I thought we were better than this," she muttered under her breath.

"Yes, I admit it’s my fault, but I don’t regret it, Ling Xuan." She added.

"Tell that to the family of the deceased." Ling Xuan’s words struck a nerve in Laurel’s chest.

Laurel’s lips quivered slightly, and she closed her eyes letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks. What was right? And what was wrong? She really couldn’t figure it out anymore.

She thought she had done a good deed only for it to turn back and bite her right in the face.

Laurel stood up slowly, her eyes were empty. "Let’s continue this conversation later, I need to be alone." She walked mindlessly towards the purple room.

Ling Xuan scoffed. "Pathetic."

Laurel’s steps faltered at her words, that single word cut through her heart like a blade before twisting sharply in her chest.

She continued walking, her hand hovered over the handle of the purple door for a few seconds before she finally pushed it open.

The familiar glow spilled over her face, bathing her in a soft violet light. The moment she stepped inside, she felt all the emotions she had been trying to contain spilling out.

The door closed behind her with a quiet click.

Laurel stood there without moving, staring at the rows of soil beds and the faint shimmer that hovered above them. Everything in this room responded to her touch, to her intent, to her will, but she completely felt useless.

Her shoulders sagged as she walked forward and sank down beside one of the empty plots, her fingers digging into the soil. It crumbled easily under her touch. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Pathetic..." she whispered to herself, the word echoing in her mind.

Was she?

Ling Xuan’s voice still lingered in her ears.

"We didn’t survive just to help people... I came to conquer."

Laurel clenched her hands tighter in the soil, feeling the grit press into her skin.

"And what are you conquering for?" she muttered under her breath. "An empty throne?"

A sob tore from her throat, and her fingers dug into the soil as if it were the comfort she could anchor herself to.

Meanwhile, back in the hall, Ling Xuan remained in her spot, her sharp gaze glaring at the purple door. As much as she wanted to blame Laurel, she knew she was the one who made the final decision.

She was also to blame, if she hadn’t listened to Laurel, her people wouldn’t have died. She believed she had failed her beliefs and morals, and she needed to atone for being swayed by emotions.

Ling Xuan turned and walked towards the end of the hall, where she had kept all her collections of weapons. Her hands trace along the weapons on the shelves. They move past her favorite blades and arrows, stopping on a black whip that lay coiled on the shelf.

Her fingers hovered above it before retrieving it from the shelf.

"Master Ling Xuan, what are you doing?" Luo’s small voice echoed from the corner of the wall.

Ling Xuan glanced at it, but she didn’t utter a word, she walked back to the center of the hall. Her gaze hardened, although they were cold, the mixed feelings of anger, disappointment, and guilt remained in the depths of her eyes.

She swiftly yanked her warrior clothes off, leaving just the innerwear. Her fingers tightened around the whip, and her teeth clenched tightly together as she braced herself.

Ling Xuan unfurled the whip with a violent slash, the whip hit the floor with a loud sound, cutting through the air like a blade.

Her spine straightened, and her chin slightly lifted as if invisible soldiers were lined up before her awaiting judgment.

Without lowering her head, her knees dug into the ground, but no sign of pain reflected on her face.

"A general who fails to put her own people first," she said evenly, her voice calm and steady, "does not deserve to command."

Her arm moved without hesitation. The whip cut through the air and the crack sliced through the air.

The leather struck her back with brutal force, slicing through her fabric and biting into her skin. A thin red line appeared almost instantly.

Ling Xuan did not flinch, if anything, her gaze hardened more.

"I swore," she continued in the same level tone, "that the lives under my command would outweigh all others."

She raised the whip again and brought it down across the first mark. The second strike landed heavier, deepening the red and drawing a darker line across her skin.

Luo stood beside the wall with its hands fidgeting nervously as it stared at her with a look that resembled pity.

Inside the purple room, Laurel sniffled. Her gaze burned, as her heart felt like it was being crushed.

Just then, a sharp pain tore through her. She winced but couldn’t find out where the pain was coming from.

The pain came again, this time stronger.

’Ling Xuan.’ She thought inwardly. Her breath caught in her throat and her hands trembled at her sides.

She wiped off her tears and struggled back to her feet. She walked out of the purple room, and her steps faltered when her gaze fell on Ling Xuan on her knees, whipping herself.

"This is for failing my duty as a commander." The whip lashed against her back again. Her innerwear had turned red from her wounded skin, yet she didn’t stop.

Her hands tightened into a fist, and her knuckles were white, but her gaze burned with resolution.

Laurel’s hands twitched by her side. She hated to admit it, Ling Xuan might be one of the heartless people she had known, but she was worth respecting, because she was righteous in her way.