PSW - Chapter 68
Chapter 68
When Yu Yinan's face started to look unwell, Zero One began urging Zheng Yi to pay attention to her instead of just driving. And she wasn't even driving properly! She'd just passed a squad of ability users and completely ignored them!
Of course, it was obvious. Zheng Yi had ignored not only the people on the road but also Zero One. So Zero One persisted, trying to persuade Zheng Yi with both emotion and reason, hoping she would show some concern for Yu Yinan's life. You couldn't just stand by and do nothing just because Yu Yinan told you to leave her alone and that she'd be fine in a bit!
When blood began to seep from Yu Yinan's mouth and nose without her even noticing, Zero One truly started to panic. But Zheng Yi still ignored it. Even if Zero One were banging gongs and beating drums in her mind, it wouldn't have affected her in the slightest.
[She's going to die! It's never a good thing for an ability user to over-exert their mental energy! Some might be able to improve themselves this way, but the mind has its limits. Ability users who recklessly push past those limits can end up as vegetables! She's already bleeding from her mouth and nose, Zheng Yi, just take one look!]
[Zheng Yi, don't you have a heart? Yu Yinan is going to die.]
[She's just not thinking clearly at the moment. She's too desperate to get stronger! But you can't do it like this. Nobody gets that strong in a single day! This is too extreme!]
[Zheng Yi!]
Finally, Yu Yinan's body went limp, and she fell completely unconscious.
It was only then that Zheng Yi slowly stopped the car.
[Oh, so you've finally deigned to stop the car?]
'System, fix your attitude.'
[...]
[Fine, I was unprofessional,] Zero One thought. It couldn't really be blamed; its emotional module was just a little too advanced. As a system for the Saint Growth Plan, it was supposed to possess a capacity for empathy far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Zheng Yi took out a handkerchief and wet it with a stream of water. She righted Yu Yinan's slumped head and carefully wiped the bloodstains from her face. When she was finished, she rinsed the handkerchief clean with another stream of water and tucked it into Yu Yinan's hand. Then, she reached for the lever on the side of the passenger seat and reclined it.
She opened the car door, took the keys, placed some biscuits and a bottle of mineral water on the driver's seat, then closed the door and started walking back the way they came.
[You're just leaving her here? Wait? What are you doing?]
'Didn't we just pass a few ability users?' Zheng Yi tilted her head, her expression innocent. 'I'm going to go check on them, of course.'
[...But what if they're good people? They didn't chase after us, did they?]
'They're potential Saint Points, at the very least. Just think of it as me taking a casual stroll.'
[...] This doesn't look like you're going for a stroll, Zero One thought, but it didn't dare say it out loud. It sighed in the system space. [Don't go randomly 'sending people to their final rest.' If you go too far, the judgment system might catch on, no matter how unsophisticated it is.]
Zheng Yi waved her hand dismissively, indicating she understood.
How to put it... Zero One felt relieved, but not completely.
Soon enough, Zheng Yi actually managed to find that squad of ability users, who were clearly out searching for supplies.
When Zero One saw Zheng Yi seamlessly switch expressions, her eyes instantly turning red as she stumbled toward them, the entire system was left utterly dumbfounded...
"Sob... save... save my sister... Please... help me..." The harsh afternoon sun seemed to soften as it shone upon her. Her dark eyes, looking as if they'd been soaked in water, shimmered with a heartbreaking light.
She was like a speck of pristine white snow on a winter branch, just on the verge of melting, reflecting a crystalline light in the warm sun.
"Where did this woman come from? Was she in that car from before?" Even Zero One was surprised by the ability users' reaction. They were cautiously surveying their surroundings.
"Captain, what's the call?"
"She's just a young girl." The one called captain was a tall woman in a blue and white shirt. She had ear-length short hair and was impeccably clean from head to toe. "You all step back. Don't scare her."
"...Captain, we still have a mission!" a squad member said, suddenly anxious. "This is the apocalypse! Have you forgotten what happened last time-"
"That doesn't mean we can just leave someone to die."
She strode over and approached Zheng Yi. "What happened? Don't panic, speak slowly. We're listening."
"My sister... she-she suddenly fainted... I-I don't know what to do... I... I have this, and there's lots of food and water in the car, you can have it all... Please, save my sister." Zheng Yi was sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath, struggling to make herself understood. Then, as if remembering something, she frantically pulled a compressed biscuit from her pocket and pressed it into the woman's hand.
"Calm down, calm down. Your sister fainted? Is it just you and your sister?" The woman held the packet of compressed biscuits, trying to soothe Zheng Yi.
"Y-yes... We-we came from Pujie. We... I don't know why... it just suddenly... My sister looked really unwell..."
"Captain, how could she have survived this long in the apocalypse if she doesn't know anything? She's not a little kid, and it's been four months already." Someone next to her couldn't help but speak up. "Don't let her fool you."
"I'm not lying! I'm not lying..." At these words, Zheng Yi, who had just started to calm down, began to cry even harder.
"Don't cry. Pay him no mind," the woman said, tucking the compressed biscuit back into Zheng Yi's pocket. When she saw Zheng Yi hurriedly try to take it out again, she grabbed her hand, then turned back to the other squad members. "Let's go take a look first. We'll reassess if something's wrong. Come on, stop crying. Get in the van with us, you give us directions, and we'll go see."
She led Zheng Yi toward their vehicle. As they passed the other squad members, the woman could feel Zheng Yi's body tense up. She seemed to have no sense of security, only clinging pitifully to her hand.
Two sisters? If it's true... then the older sister must have protected the younger one very well. But this is the apocalypse; spoiling someone isn't a good thing. So she thought, as she helped Zheng Yi into the second row of the van.
"Have you always been with your sister?"
"Yes, my sister takes me everywhere she goes."
"Is your sister an ability user?"
"Yes, my sister can control fire. I can create water," Zheng Yi answered obediently. As if afraid the woman wouldn't believe her, she held out her palm, furrowed her brow slightly, and concentrated on forming a ball of water.
"That's amazing. Did you notice anything unusual about your sister before she collapsed?" The woman smiled, her voice growing even gentler.
"...My sister was bleeding. From her mouth, her nose... and blood was seeping from her eyes and ears, too." Zheng Yi's voice dropped. "She was in a lot of pain, and then she passed out."
"I see." This sounds like a reaction to overusing an ability. Most ability users wouldn't push themselves this hard. She thought for a moment, then happened to glance up at the rearview mirror and saw her squad members making faces at her.
"..." Never mind, she thought. I'll wait until I see the person to assess the situation.
When they arrived at the modified vehicle, several of the squad members couldn't help but exclaim in awe, "This car is badass!"
"Isn't this the car that was just shooting fire!"
The woman ignored them, led Zheng Yi out of the van, and watched as she opened the car door. She stood outside and observed Yu Yinan, who was unconscious in the passenger seat. She checked Yu Yinan's breathing, then her pulse, before finally looking at Zheng Yi. "Your sister should be fine. She just needs to rest. She probably wants to protect you so badly that she tried to get stronger too quickly. But the process of getting stronger is painful, and she must have misjudged her limits and couldn't take it anymore, so she passed out."
"Is that what happened..." Zheng Yi looked dejected and lowered her head. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, my sister wouldn't have... I'm just a burden to her."
"Thank you for wasting your time on me... I'm sorry..." As Zheng Yi spoke, she moved to open the trunk to get them food and water.
"No, no, we have enough supplies. You keep it." This time, before the woman could refuse, the squad members who had been marveling at the modified car waved their hands in refusal. They stopped Zheng Yi, physically preventing her from opening the trunk.
"But..."
"We didn't really do much to help, so just keep the food. It must be hard for your sister to gather supplies." The woman patted Zheng Yi's head. She glanced around and pointed to a nearby shop. "Let's go inside and clean up a space so your sister can lie down and sleep. We have a folding cot."
"Don't be scared. We'll leave after your sister wakes up." As the woman said this, a squad member who couldn't resist touching the car's exterior shot a look over at her. Before he could reiterate the word "mission," he was shot a fierce glare and didn't dare to speak.
"What are you standing around for? Go get it cleaned up!" One moment she was speaking gently to Zheng Yi, and the next she was hurrying her squad members along like a tempest.
The squad members shivered and no longer dared to stand around the car admiring it. One got to work picking the lock, another started cleaning and tidying up, and a third, after a space was cleared, used his ability to pull a folding cot and a blanket out of thin air.
"Don't worry, this set is brand new. We prepared a lot of supplies before we set out." Seeing Zheng Yi's surprised expression, the woman smiled reassuringly. "Xiao Zhang's ability is a personal storage space. You can think of him as a walking warehouse. It's very convenient."
"That's amazing... Do you need water? I can make lots and lots of water for you!"
"Ah, we don't need lots and lots. Hmm, don't force yourself. These canteens... just fill up as much as you can. Even one full bottle would be great." She thought for a moment and took out several canteens from their vehicle. They were made of pure titanium and looked different from ordinary water bottles. They were all-metal with screw-on caps, more like the kind of military canteens used for survival in the wild. Each one had a capacity of about one liter.
"Okay! I'll be sure to complete the mission!"
"Haha, this isn't a mission," the woman couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't resist patting Zheng Yi's head again. She didn't know how old the girl was, but with such an innocent and sweet personality... it was no wonder her sister protected her so well, even in the apocalypse. "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name is Zheng Yi." Zheng Yi blinked. "My sister's name is Yu Yinan. What's your name?"
They don't have the same surname?... Perhaps it has something to do with their family. The woman wasn't sure what story she'd just invented in her head, but she smiled and said, "My name is Chi Heqing. How old are you?"
"I'm nineteen. Before the apocalypse, I was a sophomore in university." As she said this, Zheng Yi anxiously clasped her hands together. She asked timidly, "Am I... really useless? I'm already this old, but I can't do anything right..."
"That just means your sister has protected you very well. But you also need to start working hard to get stronger, practice your ability more, and learn to share your sister's burdens." Chi Heqing said, patting Zheng Yi's head. "Your sister is trying so hard, so you have to try hard to protect her too, right?"
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