Chapter 38

Chen Rusheng nodded and replied, “You’ve put in a lot of effort this time.”

She understood that in this place, the status of a teacher would naturally fade over time. Moreover, she herself had no desire to be bound by that identity any longer.

Xiang Tianhai lowered his head slightly and replied, “No, it was our response time that was too slow.”

Xiang Tiange made some space for Chen Rusheng and asked Xiang Tianhai, “What made you suddenly decide to come looking for us?”

“Does there have to be a reason…?” Xiang Tianhai composed his thoughts and looked at Xiang Tiange. “By the way, did no one from your branch campus archery team survive?”

Xiang Tiange blinked and replied, “They were away for a competition. They weren’t on campus at the time.”

She knew Xiang Tianhai wouldn’t come looking for her simply out of the goodness of his heart. In this base, he likely needed capable hands.

On the other side of the bar, Lin Yuxuan kept her eyes closed, but her clenched fists turned white at the knuckles. A thirst to grow stronger continuously spread from the depths of her heart.

Beside Lin Yuxuan, Su Xinge inconspicuously observed the man and woman before them. The man was much younger than she had imagined, looking no different from an ordinary college student. If she had run into him on the street, Su Xinge would have found it hard to connect this person with one of the top-tier figures among the base’s Awakened.

Seeing the situation, Jiang Le spoke up: “Since it’s confirmed they are from the Haida faction, let’s discuss the merit points.”

Xiang Tianhai exchanged a glance with Le Yao, then said, “Since the people have been brought back, let’s just calculate it per person.”

Le Yao walked over and said, “A total of 60 points. You can discuss among yourselves how to divide it.”

Su San, standing to the side, hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, “I also brought back some supplies. Do I get double points for those?”

Xiang Tianhai nodded and smiled. “Of course. That was the agreement. You can go exchange them directly.”

Ye Hai nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s divide the main portion first, then talk about the rest.”

Zhang Tian spoke up: “Let’s stick to the old rules—a three-to-one ratio for Awakened versus ordinary people.”

Su Xinge asked, “How does An Le count? Does she get an Awakened share?”

Zhang Tian nodded. “Of course she counts as an Awakened. Anyone who used their abilities during the mission counts.”

Ye Hai considered it for a moment. “I have no objection.”

Lin Yuxuan kept her eyes down. She hadn’t used her abilities in front of the others throughout the entire mission; there was no point in exposing her status as an Awakened now.

Xiang Tianhai suddenly remembered something and asked Zhang Tian’s group, “Did Liu Lindong die in the passage?”

Zhang Tian nodded. “Where else?”

Xiang Tianhai looked down and sighed. “He was too stubborn. if he did anything extreme along the way, I hope you won’t hold it against him.”

Zhang Tian shrugged. “There’s nothing to hold against a dead man.”

Seeing Zhang Tian answer, Ye Hai decided not to say more.

Once the merit point conversion was complete, Jiang Le spoke: “It’s done. The points will be available for use after the refresh at 3:00 PM today at the latest. If there’s nothing else, you’re free to go. Other Awakened will be gathering here later.”

Xiang Tianhai turned to Chen Rusheng. “Teacher Chen, I’ll arrange your accommodations first and help you get familiar with the surroundings. How does that sound?”

Chen Rusheng nodded. “Fine.”

Xiang Tiange stood up and turned to Su Xinge’s group. “Then we’ll be going. We’ll drop by to visit if there’s a chance later.”

Su Xinge nodded. “Take care.”

Xiang Tianhai stepped aside to lead the way. Chen Rusheng paused, walked over to An Le, and fished a piece of candy out of her pocket. “At your age, you should remember to smile more to look pretty. Life is bitter, but there is sweetness too.”

An Le took the candy and looked up to say something, but Chen Rusheng had already turned and walked away. An Le awkwardly twitched the corners of her mouth and looked up at Lin Yuxuan. “Does it look good when I smile?”

Lin Yuxuan reached out to smooth the lines around An Le’s mouth. “It’ll look better when you put on some weight.”

An Le whispered, “That big sister just now was so pretty.”

Lin Yuxuan frowned and corrected her, “Rude. You should call her ‘Auntie.'”

An Le pouted. She clearly thought the person just now looked very [read the original at bailiantales.com]young, and she didn’t feel like she was that small herself.

Zhang Tian stretched and stood up. “I should head back too.”

Su Xinge also began packing her things. Zhang Tian walked to An Le and said, “Little sprout, remember to come find me to play when you have the chance. I’ll be waiting for you at the Game Room.” An Le nodded obediently.

Ye Hai also rose. “I’m off too. See you around.”

Only the three of them were left in the room. Su Xinge looked at An Le and said, “Now that we have points, let’s go to the Inner City together. It’ll be safer.”

An Le nodded. “Okay.”

“Where were you living before?” Su Xinge added. “Is there anything you need to pick up?” It was better for them to stay close so they could look after each other; even though An Le was an Awakened, she was still a minor.

An Le nodded. “I have things to get.”

Su Xinge shouldered her backpack. “Then let’s go. Get your things first, then enter the Inner City.” She didn’t ask Lin Yuxuan, because in the novel, Lin Yuxuan didn’t seem to have any real friends, relatives, or a place to stay in the Outer City. The brief descriptions were all of her wandering from place to place.

The three of them walked out of the station. The Advance Station was located at the outermost edge of the city; the further they walked toward the center, the more crowded it became.

An Le led them through streets and alleys, eventually stopping at a corner by a dilapidated single-story house. From a distance, one could even see holes in the roof tiles. The people around were dressed in rags, their faces haggard.

An Le quickly slipped through a side window of a house and hopped back out a moment later, clutching a small bundle in her arms.

“You little brat!” a curse echoed from a distance.

Hearing the voice, An Le hurriedly urged the two, “Run!”

Su Xinge and Lin Yuxuan were pulled along by the small hands, looking back in confusion.

“Little brat, trespassing on my territory again!” the cursing continued from behind.

Su Xinge realized what was happening. She didn’t stop, but instead let An Le lead her as they ran freely forward. As the breeze blew through her hair, Su Xinge felt an unprecedented sense of liberation.

Up ahead, An Le’s pace gradually accelerated. Su Xinge intentionally controlled her own speed, not overtaking An Le but staying right behind her. Su Xinge wasn’t in a rush; an ordinary person naturally couldn’t keep up with an Awakened’s speed, even at a slow jog.

An Le led them through twists and turns before finally stopping at a corner. Panting, she turned around. She didn’t speak or explain, but instinctively began to laugh to herself. Seeing her like this, Su Xinge also began to laugh—first at An Le’s disheveled state, then at the realization that she herself had been led along in that same mess.

Seeing the two of them, a rare dimple appeared on Lin Yuxuan’s face. It wasn’t shallow or superficial like her usual smiles, but one that reached her heart.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Xinge’s attention was drawn to the bustle of the nearby street. There were stalls and onlookers. Su Xinge felt an impulse and said, “I want to go see if there’s anything useful. Do you want to come?”

An Le shook her head vigorously. “I need to rest.”

Lin Yuxuan said, “I’ll stay here with her. You go ahead.”

Su Xinge nodded and waded into the crowd. Since transmigrating, she hadn’t had a proper chance to browse these places. The Outer City described in the novel was filthy and chaotic, but with luck, one could find good things.

Once Su Xinge was out of sight, the smile faded from Lin Yuxuan’s face.

“Xiao Xuan?”

A sudden, questioning shout came from behind. An expression of loathing flashed across Lin Yuxuan’s face. She gripped An Le’s hand, wanting to leave, but was intercepted by the person behind her.

“We finally found you! We’ve been looking everywhere…” Wu Guojun panted as he blocked Lin Yuxuan’s path.

As Lin Yuxuan looked at the old man, various thoughts surged from her heart. Wu Guojun’s eyes swept over Lin Yuxuan’s clean clothes. He reached out to touch her, but she stepped back.

Lin Yuxuan retreated half a step in disgust. In this life, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to ask for a reason or seek the truth. She only wanted to stay away from this man, as far away as possible.

Seeing Lin Yuxuan remain silent, Wu Guojun began to explain: “We didn’t know the place Old Li recommended was that kind of place. It’s our fault, we let you suffer. But we couldn’t find any Suppressant Patches—it was a last resort, wasn’t it?”

Wu Guojun rattled on, pouring out his grievances. Lin Yuxuan curled her lip; hearing these words only felt absurd. How could she have been so naive as to believe such a low-level lie in her past life?

On the other side, Su Xinge noticed the situation and hurried over. Although she was picking through items, she had been keeping an eye on Lin Yuxuan. Seeing things were wrong, she acted immediately.

Wu Guojun, seeing no reaction from Lin Yuxuan, assumed she had forgiven him. He followed his impulse and asked, “I saw you walking on the street with someone else a few days ago. Is that person an Awakened?”

Lin Yuxuan felt like laughing from pure rage, but found she couldn’t. She knew Wu Guojun’s desire to be protected by an Awakened, and naturally understood the implication of his question.

At that moment, Su Xinge arrived and stepped in front of Lin Yuxuan, shielding her. She asked the person behind her, “Is this someone you know?”

“I don’t know him,” a cold voice came from Lin Yuxuan.

Su Xinge nodded, then met the middle-aged man’s gaze. She channeled her inner “vicious thug” to the fullest and snarled, “If you don’t want to die, get away from us.”

Wu Guojun’s eardrums rang from the intensity. He scrambled back two steps. “I… I didn’t mean anything by it…” Terrified by Su Xinge’s chilling aura, he couldn’t find any other words.

Ignoring his reaction, Su Xinge protected Lin Yuxuan and An Le as they walked away.