Her tone was the very picture of pure innocence. She began by expounding on the goodness of human nature, then went on to explain the importance of saving lives, healing the wounded, and helping one another.
Finally, with an air of utmost holiness, she announced that from that day onward, she would treat the illnesses and injuries of Dawn Base’s residents without holding anything back.
Then she gently closed her eyes and waited for everyone to cheer.
She had done this many times at Tianze Base. Every single time, she had been met with cheers and gratitude. Every single time, people treated her with respect when they saw her. This time would be no different, Miss An thought confidently.
Apart from the five injured people, those present included members of the security team and ordinary people who had come down from the section of the wall under construction. They had initially stood around, dumbfounded, watching her spam her healing ability. But after hearing the young lady’s final statement, their expressions became difficult to describe.
Dawn Base already had excellent medical provisions. Anyone who had been formally admitted to the base was effectively guaranteed medical care.
The base regularly distributed supplies such as anti-inflammatory medication and cold medicine, so people could handle minor injuries and illnesses themselves. For more serious ailments, they could be sent to the medical center for treatment. In emergencies like the one today, Dr. Lu would come directly to the scene to save lives.
Since the apocalypse, people’s physical constitutions had changed dramatically. Those who had survived until now rarely fell ill. Most medical problems stemmed from external injuries, blood loss, inflammation, and the like.
Dawn Base already had comprehensive measures in place to deal with these situations. After all, with two powerful healers at their disposal, and a leader who had originally trained as a doctor, they were hardly lacking in medical care.
Consequently, Miss An’s speech at Dawn Base was utterly redundant.
If she had simply lent a hand and helped save the injured, everyone would have been grateful. But in their eyes, she would merely have been helping out. Trying to elevate such a simple act to the lofty heights she had just proclaimed was rather ridiculous.
Fortunately, Miss An was a pretty, adorable young woman. The group of men surrounding her, all cut from the same cloth, couldn’t bring themselves to say anything unpleasant to her face. They quickly covered up the awkwardness with a round of laughter.
Having failed to receive the gratitude and admiration she had expected, Miss An was shocked. Then anger began to rise within her.
What kind of people lived at Dawn Base? They were unkind! Stubborn and inflexible! They didn’t know how to be grateful!
In that instant, she developed an intense dislike for everyone in the entire base and wanted nothing more than to turn on her heel and leave immediately.
“Remember that pretentious guy?” Lu Zhongxia whispered as he moved closer to Zuo Li, giving him a gentle nudge.
After all, someone had stolen his job, and there was no place for them in the conversation among the big shots. So he had started chatting idly with Zuo Li instead.
“The young master from J City? The one who’s at Tianze now?” Zuo Li whispered back.
“Yeah! Do you think those two would make a good match?” Lu Zhongxia gestured toward Miss An with his lips.
“They’d be absolutely perfect for each other!” Zuo Li wholeheartedly approved of the idea.
“Right?” Lu Zhongxia said smugly.
“Xiao Lu, come with me somewhere.”
Before he could finish their conversation, he heard Chu Tian calling him.
For the first time, Young Master Chu had adopted such an imperious attitude. He left the man named Wei Li behind and, as he passed Lu Zhongxia, called him over in a tone that was equally unfamiliar—one that brooked no argument.
Lu Zhongxia froze for a moment, but was immediately overwhelmed by that imposing presence. Without quite knowing why, he lowered his head and answered, “Yes, sir.”
Even Zuo Li, standing nearby, suddenly felt nervous. He straightened his back and stood at attention.
Chu Tian went straight to the car Lu Zhongxia had driven over and settled into the back seat. Lu Zhongxia instinctively took on the role of chauffeur.
“Y-Young Master Chu, where are we going?” Lu Zhongxia asked, swallowing nervously without realizing it.
Yet at that very moment, the pressure generated by Chu Tian’s imposing presence suddenly vanished. Lu Zhongxia immediately felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“Sorry about that just now.” Chu Tian smiled apologetically, once again looking as gentle as he usually did. “I was putting on a show for those people.”
He offered a brief explanation.
As for why he had been acting, there was no need to explain that to Lu Zhongxia.
“We’re going to the training ground. Those kids must be getting impatient waiting for us. There are a few things I need to do, and I need you there to keep an eye on things.”
How could Lu Zhongxia possibly hold it against Chu Tian? He naturally nodded in agreement, and the car soon headed toward the training ground.
As soon as Li Nan returned to Dawn Base, he had immediately gone to the training ground to share the good news with his little friends. They had successfully “found” the “medicine” that could help them. All that remained was for Chu Tian to carry out the procedure.
Chu Tian had originally planned to deal with the children’s problem as soon as he returned to the base. But one unexpected event after another had held him up, and only now had he finally found some free time.
As for Quan Xiaoyu, he had gone to the training ground ahead of time while Chu Tian was away looking for the doctor.
After receiving the news, the children were indeed waiting with eager anticipation. Even Lian Bingbing, who was usually exceptionally cold and composed, had a hint of expectation in her eyes.
Although she hadn’t developed any physical mutations like her little friends, she still hoped that the children she regarded as her brothers and sisters could live like ordinary children, basking in the sunlight and smiling happily.
They had been forced to bear burdens that no child their age should ever have had to carry. They deserved to be treated with kindness all the more.
After waiting eagerly for a long time, the person who finally arrived was Quan Xiaoyu. Disappointment inevitably appeared on everyone’s faces.
Quan Xiaoyu merely smiled. Naturally, he wasn’t going to hold it against the children.
“Chu Tian got held up by something, but he’ll be here as soon as he can. Don’t worry.”
“Is it that woman who came to the base today?” Lian Bingbing asked.
Quan Xiaoyu looked a little surprised. “You saw her?”
Lian Bingbing gave a cold laugh. “She parades around like a peacock. It’d be hard not to notice her.”
The visitors had made quite a commotion, so Lian Bingbing had gone to take a look out of curiosity. The very first thing she saw was that woman surrounded by an aura of holiness. And from that first glance, she had felt an irrepressible disgust toward her.
“Fairness has never existed in this world. The apocalypse was like a great purge that reshuffled humanity’s cards, yet there are still people like her who live as proudly as princesses, using their so-called purity and kindness to reap the hearts of people like us, who are already covered in wounds.”
“And then there are people like us. We’ve done nothing wrong, yet we’ve been turned into something barely human. We have to hide in dark corners and gaze at the sunlight outside.”
“That’s why that woman is so disgusting,” Lian Bingbing said coldly.
Perhaps it was jealousy. She didn’t deny that. But as she had said, An Xuexi’s cleanliness, beauty, and purity were like a sharp, poisonous thorn. They inevitably pierced the hearts of those who had suffered torment and accumulated wounds.
Quan Xiaoyu fell silent for a moment. Words had never been his strong suit. Besides, hearing such emotionally charged words from the mouth of a girl barely into her teens left him unsure how to respond.
“Forget it. Rather than waiting around, why don’t you tell us roughly how long it’ll take and what kind of results we can expect? You know that much, right?” Lian Bingbing was the one who changed the subject.
Quan Xiaoyu frowned slightly at her impolite habit of calling Chu Tian by his name alone, but he couldn’t think of any grounds on which to reprimand her.
However, Li Nan spoke up seriously at that moment.
“You should call him Brother Chu or Brother Tian. That’s basic courtesy.”
He deliberately emphasized the word courtesy.
Lian Bingbing glanced helplessly at the earnest, serious Li Nan and immediately surrendered.
“All right, Brother Tian.”
Only then did Li Nan smile and nod. He then took Quan Xiaoyu’s hand and said, “This is Brother Xiaoyu.”
Hearing that, Quan Xiaoyu smiled and reached out to rub Li Nan’s head. The apocalypse hadn’t changed the fundamental nature of this child, and that was a great comfort to him.
“All right,” Lian Bingbing said helplessly as well. She had experienced Li Nan’s seriousness before and had no desire to argue with him over this. So, despite her reluctance, she called out, “Brother Xiaoyu.”
“Well, look at that. Our Xiao Nan is giving everyone a lesson in moral education,” Chu Tian’s warm, teasing voice came from a distance. “Sounds like some of you could use one.”
He directed his next words at Lian Bingbing.
“Suffering is never an excuse to abandon civilization and good manners.”
Lian Bingbing froze.
Before the apocalypse, she had been a well-behaved, polite girl too. After everything she had endured, her intelligence had noticeably increased. She had come to understand many things that children her age ordinarily couldn’t comprehend. She learned faster, and she had developed a much deeper understanding of the world. All of this had made her increasingly sensitive.
She was wary of the world and filled with cynical resentment toward beautiful things. As a result, she had long since ceased to be the clever, well-behaved girl she had been before the apocalypse.
Was she wrong?
Lian Bingbing suddenly asked herself that question.
At that moment, Chu Tian was surrounded by the children rushing toward him. Their eager, yearning gazes made even Chu Tian, who had been brimming with confidence, feel a flicker of worry.
He worried that if the procedure failed, it might shatter the children’s hopes.
Their longing was so intense.
As for Lian Bingbing, Chu Tian didn’t need to say anything more to her. Intelligent people needed only a gentle reminder. Anything more would be unnecessary.
Chu Tian casually patted the head of the child standing closest to him. Unexpectedly, a sharp spine concealed in the child’s hair pierced his hand, drawing blood.
Looking at his bleeding right hand, Chu Tian was momentarily stunned.
The child saw the blood and immediately looked terrified, as though he had done something terribly wrong. He lowered his head.
He was afraid. Afraid Chu Tian would get angry. Afraid that everyone would lose their hope because of what he had done.
Seeing the child’s expression, Chu Tian crouched down. Ignoring the wound on his own hand, he drew the child into his arms.
“It’s all right. Soon, you’ll be just like you were before. The things you fear right now will become your talents in the future, the very means that will allow you to survive in this apocalypse.”
The child couldn’t hold back any longer, and large tears rolled down his cheeks.
Lian Bingbing had always warned them not to cry. Crying was a sign of weakness, and they had long since lost the right to cry.
But he couldn’t help it anymore. Faced with such overwhelming hope, his fear and longing had overcome his reason.
“Let’s begin,” Chu Tian said with a smile.
His words immediately drew another burst of cheers from the children.
Quan Xiaoyu, who had been standing quietly to one side, had eyes filled entirely with Chu Tian’s figure. He watched the tenderness in Chu Tian’s smile, his own expression growing gentle without him even realizing it.
At that moment, his eyes held only Chu Tian. To him, Chu Tian radiated an endless light.
Gentle Chu Tian. Clever Chu Tian. Cunning Chu Tian. Calm Chu Tian. Domineering Chu Tian.
All these different sides converged in one person. At every crucial moment, Chu Tian always did what was most appropriate. Without realizing it, Quan Xiaoyu was falling deeper and deeper under his spell.
The more he came to know Chu Tian, the more he understood that what he had felt for Jialun Xu in the past had never really been love. He had merely been infatuated with that man’s false tenderness.
Chu Tian. Chu Tian. Chu Tian…
As he silently savored that name, Quan Xiaoyu felt his heart overflowing with emotion, yet he had no idea how to put any of it into words.