by <unknown>
As the soldiers walked into the crowd to pull out the infected, their actions roused the anxiety of all the refugees present.
“What are you doing! Let go! I’m not infected!
“Let go of my kid!”
“Scram!”
The emotions of the refugees were akin to a powder keg, easily ignited by just a small spark. Even if the majority initially intended to stay obedient, with a small portion of rebels, everyone quickly turned chaotic to resist and attack the soldiers.
Shouts, pleads, grumbles, and even the sound of things being thrown on the ground could be heard. The entire place was a mess.
In such an extreme period, the methods employed by the guards were naturally as extreme. They employed kicks and punches, forcefully dragging out the infected to handcuff them and throw them into a corner. A few of the infected children were even forcefully snatched from their parents’ hands, causing them to cry nonstop.
Bang!
A gunshot was heard.
The entire field fell dead silent. Everyone saw a male refugee with a face of insanity, holding onto a handgun with the barrel emitting smoke. The gun was held up toward the sky, causing the refugees around him to immediately scramble away. In an instant, the man’s surroundings were devoid of human life.
The expressions of the soldiers greatly shifted, with a dozen over rifles immediately pointed at the man.
“Dammit, how did those searchers in front do their jobs‽ How did he sneak this gun into the city?”
“Put down your weapon, or else we fire!” the commander bellowed.
The man holding onto the gun was trembling in both legs, but he mustered his courage to reply, “Don’t… don’t be fooled by them! I heard that those who are quarantined were actually all executed. They cannot be believed!”
“You’re mistaken. We actually have a way to save these infected. Don’t be rash!” The commander immediately stepped out to placate the man while signaling with his eyes toward his gunmen.
The moment that the armed man’s attention was shifted, they would immediately fire and put him down.
At this time, one of the infected that had been pulled out screamed in an ear-piercing voice.
“Dad!”
An eight-year-old child struggled free from the hands of the guard, stumbling as he made his way in front of the man. He hugged tightly to the trouser leg of the man, his eyes wide open in fear as he stared around him in shock, his tiny figure trembling.
The commander immediately cursed inwardly, hurriedly covering the muzzle of the soldier near him. Nobody was willing to kill the father in front of his child. If only the child was not present!
“Please consider for your child and put down your weapon. We can attest to the fact that we have the means to save the infected!”
“How… how can you save them!” the armed refugee shouted in return.
The commander kept his patience and explained, “We have produced a drug that can suppress the virus. The reason we quarantine the infected is to ensure that they are easily identified so that we can give them the drug.”
“Then immediately bring the drug over for my child. I want to witness the whole process!”
“This…” The commander hesitated. “The production rate of the suppressant is extremely low. There are still several people within the quarantine zone waiting for the drug. The rough wait till your turn will be around three days. I have no authority…”
The gunman immediately grumbled, cutting into the commander’s explanation, “I don’t care! You had better bring the medicine over immediately, or else… or else, I’m gonna fire!”
As he spoke, the gunman pointed the muzzle at the worried Aurora, who was standing at a distance witnessing the scene. He had previously noticed that Aurora was the person responsible for identifying the virus and should be someone important. Only by threatening her could his demands be fulfilled.
Every soldier present lost color in their faces as their fingers almost depressed the triggers on their rifles.
“Don’t shoot! She’s the only person who can identify the virus now. The whole world needs her!”
“I don’t care! I want the drug!” The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his emotions highly unstable.
At that moment, a dark red energy bubble suddenly surrounded Aurora. Hila walked out from the side, her expression frosty with anger.
The armed refugee immediately fired, but the bullets were all deflected by the dark red shield. Hila waved her hand, and the energy turned into a beam, shooting directly toward the forehead of the assailant.
When Aurora worked, Hila would always make sure to accompany her as her bodyguard to prevent any misfortune from falling on her little sister. This move of hers was made to kill. She would not be lenient when removing any threats to her sister’s life.
“Sister, no!”
Hila’s brow wrinkled, and the energy beam that was en route to blowing the man’s head off changed course, shattering the firearm in his hand instead. The guards immediately swarmed to arrest the man while prying the kid who was still hugging onto his father’s leg to the side.
“You should have let me kill him,” Hila said impatiently. “Kindness is the natural enemy to survival. You need to change—stop being so naive.”
Aurora, however, smiled and replied, “That’s not the case. I know that with my sister present, he cannot hurt me. He was just impulsive, and we should not deprive him of his life just for that. We should be working to save the refugees instead.”
“Sigh, my silly little sister…” Hila narrowed her eyes, as all those bloody memories flashed through her mind. She shook her head to clear them. “Don’t be reluctant in viewing people from their worst side.”
In her black, skintight combat suit, Hila’s long legs enabled her to quickly reach the arrested man. Looking down from where she stood, she coldly snapped, “If you do not trust us and do not wish to quarantine your son, leave this place. We lack everything except refugees. No one will stop you from leaving. Guards, release him and the child.”
The guards did as instructed and let go of the man. The latter immediately scooped up his child, staring angrily at Hila. However, he instead got ferociously stared back at. From her glare that was full of killing intent, a cold feeling surfaced in the man’s heart, and he could only slowly retreat in anger.
He swept the remaining people a look, hugging his child tight as he took heavy steps toward the outside. He did not wish to be separated from his son, so he was not willing to stay.
At this time, Aurora suddenly opened her mouth.
“Please don’t leave.”
The man paused, turning his head back to look at the petite Aurora, his face an expression of shock.
Aurora said in a sincere voice, “While we will not restrict you from leaving, I implore you to stay. The wilderness is honestly too dangerous, and only by staying in the Sanctuary can you both obtain safety. Please believe in my sincerity.”
“Then immediately bring the drugs over and save my son!” Hearing her words, the man immediately interjected.
However, Aurora shook her head in response. “To resist and retaliate just to protect your kin regardless of the danger, trust me, I’m also deeply aware of such an impulse. I’m sorry, we will never give you suppressants in advance. That would be unfair to others, and making trouble will definitely not be exchanged for special treatment. But I hope that you can trust us. With patience, your child can definitely get healed.”
Even if she believed in kindness, she would never let it sway her principles. After experiencing such a long period of darkness, the naivety in her had long vanished.
Her words brought upon a sense of strength and reliance, and the man seemed to hesitate. At this point, his son suddenly wiped his tears and spoke out, “Dad, I believe her. Let me go to the quarantine area. I will protect myself well.”
The man gritted his teeth, finally letting go of the child. The commander came forward to hold onto
the kid’s hands, and while the man looked as though he wanted to intervene several times, he eventually refrained from any rash movements.
After this short episode, the emotions of the refugees also calmed down. They obediently accepted the quarantines, and order was restored.
The two sisters left the site due to the huge size of the bear tagging along behind Aurora, mild and docile.
Hila stroked Aurora’s head as she frowned, saying, “Did you forget what I said? There is no meaning in helping others. To be selfless to others is to allow them to be selfish for themselves—there is no point extending your goodwill to strangers as they do not have the qualifications to obtain your help.”
Aurora pulled on Hila’s hand as she softly replied, “Since we have the strength to help others, if we keep it hidden and don’t help them, aren’t we being selfish?”
“Helping others is considered a noble affair, but helping yourself is considered a repulsive matter,” Hila coldly replied. “This sort of hypocrisy makes me disgusted. The majority of morals are just scams to trick those who are stupid.”
“But Uncle Black Star once saved me out of goodwill. We’re people who have obtained help. Don’t say that you aren’t happy because of it.” Aurora chuckled.
“…” Every time they touched on this topic, Hila would become speechless. “In any case, this favor of his will be repaid one day. I don’t like owing others.”
While she said that, Han Xiao had already entered a new state, with a huge change in status. When they first met, Han Xiao had merely been a weak, pale test subject receiving training. However, he now had this sort of achievement, making Hila wonder if all of this was actually reality. Life was truly too fickle.
Thus, Hila had always been torn over how to face the current Han Xiao. He seemed to no longer need her strength, and she did not know how exactly she could return this favor.
“Sometimes, I really have no idea how to chat with you.” Aurora pretended to be an elderly, sighing. “If you could be less eccentric, the number of people giving you recognition would be a thousand times greater than the current number.”
“Humph, a person that requires the approval of others is merely so-so.” Hila frowned.
Aurora could only shake her head in response.
While I’ve always been protected by my older sister, sometimes, I feel as though she is actually the child instead!
…
Not far away, Herlous and Han Xiao had just arrived, and after listening to the talk between the two sisters, they looked at each other.
“Let’s go back, I feel that there’s nothing that can be done for you.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
Herlous was shocked. “D*mn your mother, you haven’t even asked! Could you play a more practical role‽”
Chapter 525. Aurora |
“You heard her. Even if you are my friend, they may not show you any face.” Han Xiao shook his head. Aurora was a kindhearted girl and would naturally be willing to help, but the same could not be said for Hila. This lass had a cold character and did not like bothering about other people’s affairs. Furthermore, she was extremely protective of her sister and would probably stop her sister from agreeing.
Even though Hila owed him a favor, with her obstinate temper, she would not let her sister pay him back.
“That can’t be right. It isn’t too much to just get her to use her Esper abilities.” Herlous became anxious.
“There is a historical reason for this. Whenever her sister uses her Esper abilities, she has to exhaust her own life force. She once suffered from some miserable mishap before and thus is extremely sensitive to this matter.”
“You promised me.” Herlous refused to give up.
“Alright then, I shall ask for you.”
Han Xiao shook his head helplessly and walked forward to stop the two ladies.
The nose of the gigantic bear twitched. It could smell a familiar scent, and its green bean sized eyes were fixed on Han Xiao, unsure if Han Xiao was his former owner. Only when Han Xiao waved did the bear charge out excitedly and roll around in front of Han Xiao, revealing his belly for Han Xiao to rub.
“This bear has been brought up well by you.” Han Xiao stroked the bear’s chin, and the bear’s furry feeling was much better than Harmon’s.
In this past, this bear could still be called a baby bear. Now that it was a few meters tall, Han Xiao could not call it a baby anymore.
“That’s right, it grew up extremely quickly. Being by my side, my Esper abilities caused his life force to flourish.” Aurora smiled.
Stroking the bear’s chin, Han Xiao suddenly mused, “If that’s the case, its meat quality should be great.”
The bear that was rolling on the ground suddenly froze in place as its ears shot up, feeling that something was wrong.
“Why did you stop us?” Hila asked.
Han Xiao then dragged Herlous out and said, “This is Herlous, my comrade. In one of the battles, he was accidentally injured. If your eyes are sharp enough, you should be able to tell that he has a mechanical arm…”
Hila was completely speechless. “Have you been using the standard of a blind person to judge others’ eyesight?”
“I promised to treat his broken limbs and wish to ask Aurora for help.”
“Don’t even think about it.” Before Aurora could even reply, Hila rejected Han Xiao.
Han Xiao’s mouth began to twitch. “You should at least pretend to consider…”
“You understand my sister; she is only able to restore the injuries of others at the expense of her own life force. In this world, I will only allow my sister to save a single person… that person is you.”
Hila suddenly paused for a while before adding, “Don’t think that our relationship is extremely good. It is just that we owe you a favor. Apart from you, we will not save anyone.”
Aurora’s [Dawn of Life] gave her an incomparably exuberant life force, and her cells were capable of producing a special life force. The life force that Aurora had was just like a bucket of water, and healing a severe injury would only require a single drop.
However, it was still her ‘life force’ being exhausted…
While Aurora was currently healthy, Hila would never allow her to waste her life force in such a manner.
Before Han Xiao could reply, Aurora interrupted, “Sister, this is an extremely easy task for me, and I have always been the one being helped by others. I wish to do something for Black Star as well.”
“No,” Hila rejected flatly.
“Sister, you can’t always make my decisions for me,” Aurora said helplessly.
“Why aren’t you willing to listen to what I taught you? The kind will only be bullied in this world!” Hila said with exasperation. “That was the case just now, and this happened again now. When will you be able to grow up a little? As long as there is a first time, all the injured people will come and find you. Are you going to always exhaust your life force to help them‽”
Han Xiao immediately became displeased. Why did it feel like this lady was scolding him?
Han Xiao immediately got Phillip to view through the surveillance record and briefly explain to him about the previous commotion outside the Sanctuary. The daily activities of the Sanctuary were controlled by Bennett, and Han Xiao could not be bothered to interfere with such small affairs. He only wanted to know the reason behind the two sisters’ conflict.
In the past, both the sisters had been living in challenging conditions and could only rely on each other. Now that they had spent a couple of years living in peace and seeing each other every day, even if they were biological siblings, their characters could not be completely compatible. Thus, conflict was inevitable.
“Sis, why are you always exaggerating matters? I will naturally reject them when I don’t wish to help,” Aurora said. “Besides, Uncle Black Star helped us so much, and I want to repay him…”
“No means no!” Hila then glared at Han Xiao and growled, “You are
our benefactor, and we will definitely repay this favor. However, I hope that you will not think about touching my sister.”
Han Xiao was speechless. These words of hers made it seem as though he had some unscrupulous motives. She was truly too overprotective.
Looking at the two quarreling sisters, Herlous looked at Han Xiao and said helplessly, “You were right. It is hopeless indeed.”
“Let’s go.”
Just when the two of them were about to leave, Aurora suddenly raised her voice and said with a solemn tone, “Sister, you will not be able to protect me forever, and I cannot be a little child who is forever protected. I sincerely request that you do not make my decisions for me.”
“No, your thinking is far too childish, and you don’t know how to protect yourself at all.” Hila refused to budge.
“Why do you always want to change me‽” Aurora was angered for the first time, and a golden light flashed in her eyes. “The kind of people I look down on the most are those who don’t need help but mock those who are willing to help others. Only someone who went through despair will understand how much you hope for help during times of hopelessness. I know this feeling extremely well. During the nights when I needed help the most, I prayed for someone to save me time and time again, but the needle pierced into my veins over and over again without anyone ever stretching out their hands to me. Do you understand such hopelessness‽”
Hila had a face full of guilt. It was her carelessness that had resulted in Aurora being captured by the Germinal Organization and going through so much suffering. However, she had not been able to provide much aid and had only been able to save her sister because of Han Xiao’s unexpected aid. Hila had always felt that she was a failure of a sister.
In the past, Aurora would never talk about the pain that she had gone through in front of her, and this was the first time that Aurora had blamed her. Hila was completely caught off guard and did not know how to respond.
“I know that you have a strong-minded personality, and to prevent you from facing pressure, I pretended to be extremely optimistic whenever I met you,” Aurora said. “However, how happy do you think I could have been?