PSW - Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Early morning.
Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan woke up very early.
Zheng Yi used her ability to condense some water for a simple wash, then condensed some more for Yu Yinan before placing three bottles of water by the bed.
Breakfast, obviously, couldn't be too extravagant. Zheng Yi took out a few small bags of bread and shared them with Yu Yinan, then found two corn sausages and two cartons of milk.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yu Yinan used her ability to burn the packaging. Once that was cleared away, she had just taken two sips from a bottle of mineral water when there was a knock on the door.
Zheng Yi got up and went to open it.
It was Feng Shuxian. A clean towel was draped over her shoulder. The moment the door opened and she saw Zheng Yi, she skipped the pleasantries and said directly, "Last night, we made a brief announcement over the broadcast in the residential buildings about the rain. We'll make a more formal announcement in a bit and have everyone come outside. You two can get ready with me, and then you can start the rain."
"Just cover the area around the residential buildings as much as possible. You can bypass the earthen houses; I'll have the residents there move closer to the apartment buildings."
"Okay, no problem. But it won't last very long," Zheng Yi said.
"As long as it's not just a splash of water for three to five seconds, it's fine," Base Leader Feng replied. She glanced at Zheng Yi and confirmed, "About how long? I've already sent people to prepare to collect the rainwater."
"Maybe ten minutes?"
"That'll do." In any case, she had already contributed enough Saint Points. They could see the actual rainfall situation when it happened. If it was just a ten-minute drizzle… it wouldn't require a special effort. A simple announcement and a little rain would suffice. If the downpour was substantial, then naturally, they would have to maximize the efficiency of gaining Saint Points, promoting the Saint and Zheng Yi herself as much as possible to get more people to acknowledge Zheng Yi and believe in that deity.
"Then we'll go with you now," Zheng Yi said, looking back at Yu Yinan with a smile. "Jiejie and I are ready~"
"Mm, good." Base Leader Feng acknowledged, then turned and led the way. As they passed her office, she slowed down and asked, "Have you two eaten?"
"We had some compressed biscuits," Yu Yinan answered. "We've eaten."
"Mm." Only then did she continue downstairs, leading Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan to the broadcasting room. As soon as they were downstairs, Zheng Yi silently began to gather her ability.
The broadcasting room was very close to the power storage station and was built from wooden planks. It was likely a small structure built after the apocalypse. "You don't seem to mind the heat?" Before entering the station, Base Leader Feng used the towel on her shoulder to wipe her face and asked Yu Yinan curiously.
"I'm a fire-type ability user," Yu Yinan said with a smile. "High temperatures don't affect me much."
Base Leader Feng nodded, pushed the door open, and sat down directly in the seat. She fiddled with the broadcasting equipment, pressed a switch on the side, and the base's power came on.
Her broadcast to the base was also very simple. She briefly mentioned the person with a rather special ability from yesterday before getting straight to the topic of rain. She told all residents to come downstairs in an orderly fashion immediately, as it was about to rain in the open space in front of the residential buildings.
As the residents gradually filled the open area, even before everyone had arrived, some began to complain about the cramped space and the high temperature. Most of them didn't really believe in the "rain." The first ones to come down were all ability users, and most of them didn't believe in any "deities." As for this special ability, they didn't believe anyone's ability was to make it rain. Was that deity the "Dragon King" or something?
To avoid wasting Saint Points, they hadn't mentioned the special ability user's name or the "Saint" during their promotion. If Zheng Yi's rain was effective, these details would be publicized later.
"You can start the rain now," Base Leader Feng said, looking at Zheng Yi once almost everyone was downstairs.
Zheng Yi said nothing more. She simply raised her hand, closed her eyes to concentrate, and softly chanted incomprehensible, dream-like words. The vocabulary was profound and convoluted, extremely complex, but seeing Zheng Yi's expression, it didn't seem like she was making it up on the spot. It was as if she were speaking the language of the gods.
In a certain instant, Zheng Yi's entire aura suddenly underwent a qualitative change.
She abruptly opened her eyes, and in that moment, her aura burst forth with such intensity that Feng Shuxian didn't dare to meet her gaze. But this sharp, imposing pressure was quickly suppressed. Zheng Yi looked slightly toward the sky outside the door, a hint of compassion on her face. Her dark eyes seemed to hold boundless affection. Just standing beside her and looking at her, one could be infected by her aura, as if all emotions were being stirred. In that moment, Feng Shuxian felt as if she were truly seeing a deity descended to the mortal world, one who pitied the world and loved its people so deeply.
She was affected without even making eye contact with Zheng Yi in this state.
It wasn't until a burst of cheers and wails erupted from outside that Feng Shuxian suddenly snapped back to her senses. She looked out and saw a heavy downpour. Everyone was looking up at the sky, doing their utmost to catch every single falling drop of rain.
It was rain, real rain!
At this moment, this base leader, who had always been extremely composed, was for the first time so excited she was at a loss. She clutched her towel tightly, wiping away the tears and sweat from her face, her mind already racing, formulating how to thoroughly and truly promote this faith.
A faint, unreadable smile played on Zheng Yi's lips, but when you looked at her, you always felt that her smile was one of utmost kindness and gentleness. Yet this gentleness and kindness were untouchable and inviolable.
Yu Yinan stared blankly at Zheng Yi. She met those dark eyes, and that familiar sense of panic washed over her, like drowning, squeezing the air from her lungs inch by inch. In that instant, she felt from the bottom of her heart that her desire for Zheng Yi was a form of blasphemy.
She instinctively took a step forward, then suddenly came to her senses. She turned her head, wanting to slap herself, but remembering Feng Shuxian was still there and that the action would be too abrupt, she forced herself to endure it, merely pinching herself discreetly.
Zheng Yi…
Could this too—these feelings, these expressions—also be feigned so easily?
Ten minutes isn't long, but it isn't short either.
But a ten-minute rain shower fell, drop by drop, into the heart of every person present. Those numb ordinary people, who had been lying in their rooms waiting for death's scythe to fall, were nourished by the rain. The parched, cracked earth finally welcomed a downpour. Though brief, it gave them hope for life.
It was rain, real rain. Not the kind that turned people into zombies, not the kind that caused ability users excruciating pain when it touched them, but real, pure rainwater! In this apocalypse, whoever could bring such a blessing must be a deity.
As the rain lessened and gradually stopped, some people lost control and fell to their knees, desperately pushing others away to prostrate themselves on the ground, trying to scoop rainwater from the earth. Some even kissed the ground directly, sucking at the puddles.
It's rain! It's rain!
It's raining!
They were soaked to the bone, yet every one of them was ecstatic to the point of madness. The brief rain couldn't cause the high temperature to drop suddenly, and even the dampness would soon be evaporated by the sun, but they were still indescribably happy. Many ordinary people whose expressions had long been numb suddenly broke down in tears, while some ability users looked at the rainwater collected in their hands and brought it to their lips piously and carefully, sipping and swallowing.
"This rainwater is sweet!"
What did the broadcast say last night? What did the base leader say just before she asked for the rain? Who was that special ability user? And who was that deity?
In that instant, both ordinary people and ability users thought of this question. Perhaps some of them scoffed at the idea of a deity, perhaps they were fundamentally non-believers, thinking that even the rain was just a trick of an ability user, but… but…
If faith was the prerequisite for rain, they were willing to believe.
The moment the rain stopped, Feng Shuxian turned back and met Zheng Yi's gaze. Looking into those dark eyes, she felt as if she had truly "met the gaze" of that ethereal deity for a fleeting moment, glimpsing a trace of pity for humanity from that lofty existence. But in the next instant, that presence "vanished."
It vanished from before her eyes. Zheng Yi was suddenly back in her own body. Her eyes became lively in an instant. Noticing Base Leader Feng looking at her, she seemed flustered for a moment, but she quickly understood and asked with excitement and anticipation, "How was it? Did everything go smoothly? Base Leader, I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Lively and vibrant. Feng Shuxian composed herself. Looking at Zheng Yi, she smiled for a rare moment, even stepping forward to take Zheng Yi's hands and saying with great solemnity, "Thank you."
They needed this rain so badly.
During the heatwave, ordinary people simply couldn't survive outdoors. They could only stay cooped up in their rooms every day. Although it was shady, the indoor temperature was by no means low, and the small amount of water distributed daily was just enough to keep them alive. They couldn't move, couldn't leave their rooms—not because someone was confining them, but because they couldn't. Outside, they could suffer from heatstroke and die at any moment.
But even staying in their rooms didn't eliminate that possibility. Seeing people suffer from heatstroke, dehydration, and fall unconscious before being taken away by ability users—which ordinary person wasn't terrified at first? When the bloody water was first brought back, every ordinary person was on the verge of collapse. They didn't even want to drink such a thing! But the bucket was left in their room, and when they were about to die of thirst, they no longer had the energy to think about it.
As it happened more often, they did grow somewhat numb, because they knew they could be next at any time. The water they drank, the blood they drank, might become new blood tomorrow, becoming someone else's hope for survival.
The heatwave? They had no idea if they could make it through. They had no idea if they would survive, or for how long.
Were they resentful? Of course! Why should ordinary people be treated this way? Why did ability users get a larger share of water? Why weren't they water-type ability users? But what was the use of resentment? The ones who were active outside, distributing resources, and keeping the base running during the heatwave were also ability users. From their windows, they could see the water-type ability users who supplied water until they collapsed and were carried back to rest, and the thunder-type ability users who supplied power until their limbs went weak and were also carried back. Even the base leader had chapped and peeling lips, her face pale, and she had suffered from dizziness and discomfort several times.
What else could they resent? That this base had accepted so many ordinary people in the first place? Even if they were resentful, what could it change?
Ordinary people, those without abilities—most of them were powerless. Some among them were talented, capable, and courageous; they could go out on expeditions, design blueprints, provide all sorts of ideas, and help build this base together. But when the heatwave came, when faced with this kind of natural disaster, they…
They couldn't change anything. They were powerless.
Even some ability users had become powerless.
"Everyone, please calm down and return home in an orderly fashion," a slightly trembling voice came from the broadcast. Base Leader Feng steadied herself and continued, "Next, we will distribute materials about the rain-bestowing deity to everyone. The more powerful the ability, the stricter the conditions for its use. Therefore… for the rain in the coming days, we will need everyone to work together."
"Please cooperate with the base's work, for the sake of… a better survival."
Regarding the doctrine about the Saint that Yu Yinan had written.
Regarding the people's heartfelt acknowledgment of the connection between that special ability user and the term "Saint."
Regarding the best way to demonstrate faith, and the three chances each person had.
A great deal of information was written on paper, copied in large quantities, and distributed to the people of the base.
Feng Shuxian scheduled the collective act of faith, prayer, and acknowledgment for the next morning.
"Last time, a total of 64 Saint Points were provided, and you have 19 left over. Tomorrow, once the value reaches 45, please start the rain immediately and have them continue to pray in the rain." At that moment, the burst of faith should be at its purest, and their acknowledgment of Zheng Yi would be heartfelt.
"You just record the Saint Point data; you don't need to list out the names for us. Also… I'll have someone build a platform overnight. Tomorrow, everyone will be able to see you," Feng Shuxian said. "I will introduce you. You are the Saint."
[Ding! Detected Feng Shuxian's heartfelt belief that the Host is the Saint! Determining emotional intensity…]
[Determination complete. Reward: Saint Points_9!]
Zheng Yi looked at the base leader, surprised… it had actually risen to nine points? "You just provided me with nine Saint Points."
"Is that so?" Feng Shuxian was slightly taken aback, then smiled for a moment before continuing, "That way, they can better connect you with the Saint in their minds."
"By the way, this is ultimately still a type of ability. The possession, it should consume mental energy, right? Can you handle it?" Without even needing Zheng Yi or Yu Yinan to bring it up, Feng Shuxian thought of this herself and asked.
"It does consume energy. I… I should be fine. A full day of rest should be enough to recover mostly," Zheng Yi lowered her head, a little embarrassed. "It's just that the timing of the channeling might be a bit irregular, but it definitely won't be too short! If it's too short, I… I… I won't take the 45 Saint Points, just the required 40!"
"It's fine. As long as it can rain, you are the priority," Feng Shuxian said, looking at Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan. She hadn't expected these two ability users to actually be able to bring "rain" to the base. "If possible, I'd like it once every morning. With the faith of so many people in the base, once a day… should be enough to last until the end of the heatwave. If you're not feeling well, you can tell me in advance, and I'll find a way to explain."
"I will do my best to achieve it!" Zheng Yi replied earnestly. She looked at Feng Shuxian and said, a little shyly but with great determination, "The reason I came here… is because I saw what happened… in that alley. I… although I can't be of much help, I want to do what I can. As long as there are enough Saint Points, once a day it is!"
Feng Shuxian looked at her, then suddenly raised a hand and patted Zheng Yi's shoulder. It was a light, yet heavy gesture. Her voice was low. "You've been… a great help."
"Your three meals a day and daily drinking water will be left at your door from now on," Feng Shuxian said in a low voice. "The base doesn't have many resources, so the food isn't great, and your water ration can only be the same as a regular ability user's. I hope you don't mind."
"This? We have food and water, you don't have to-"
"Go and rest," Feng Shuxian waved her hand. "Tomorrow, we're counting on you."
Zheng Yi looked at her, the young girl seemingly deeply moved. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back, only saying "Okay" with a choked voice, firm and sincere.
Feng Shuxian watched as Yu Yinan pulled Zheng Yi over, wiped her tears, and comforted her in a low voice before finally leading her away. It was only after they had both left that she let out a long sigh, sorting through and suppressing the tumultuous emotions in her heart. She picked up the towel beside her and wiped her sweat again.
"Rain…"
Zero One calculated the potential gains this time. There were just too many people in this base! And so many ordinary people were still alive. If Zheng Yi made it rain, the acknowledgment and faith from those ordinary people might be substantial. The harvest…
It might be unimaginably high! Zheng Yi's cumulative Saint Points were only 898 right now. Breaking a thousand this time would definitely be no problem; the question was whether she could hit two thousand. Items like the 【Saint Exemption】 she had received before, and the 【Stamina Recovery Pill】 that Zero One had unlocked with its authority—the former wasn't sold in the store and could only be obtained as a reward. The latter could only be unlocked after reaching a certain amount of Saint Points, and there were many similar hidden items.
As Zero One thought about it, it felt a little regretful for unlocking the Stamina Recovery Pill early, but then again, if it hadn't, Zheng Yi definitely wouldn't have come to this base to make it rain. It didn't dwell on this cause-and-effect relationship. Just the thought of tomorrow's "great harvest" made it laugh out loud in the system space.
'…'
Zheng Yi really wanted to block Zero One. At times, the system's chatter gave her a headache.
And the other one beside her was now almost eerily quiet. Back with Feng Shuxian, Yu Yinan had played her part alongside Zheng Yi perfectly. But the moment they left, Yu Yinan had fallen silent.
"Zheng Yi…"
'…' Zheng Yi, who had just stepped onto a stair, stopped and turned to look at Yu Yinan.
She was well aware of Yu Yinan's strange mood, but Zheng Yi never took the initiative to explain anything. She just stopped, looked at Yu Yinan, and clearly watched the unease and helplessness in her eyes, watched as a trace of confusion rose in her heart again.
But in the end, Yu Yinan didn't ask anything. Even though she had so, so many questions, even though Zheng Yi had so, so many secrets.
Yu Yinan raised her hand, slowly, uneasily, tentatively and tremblingly grabbing Zheng Yi's clothes. She looked at Zheng Yi, gazing into those dark eyes. Before this pair of eyes, it seemed she had no secrets left to hide, yet she could never see through the emotions and secrets beneath them. This was extremely unfair.
Yu Yinan moved closer. The weather was sweltering, and she could even see the fine beads of sweat on Zheng Yi's forehead. She leaned in, her voice low and faint, like the buzz of a mosquito, "I want to kiss you."
Here, now, in this place.
Yu Yinan grabbed Zheng Yi's shoulders, her fingers tightening slightly before quickly relaxing. She leaned in to kiss her, gently, just meeting Zheng Yi's eyes. Those dark eyes were as clear as ever, as calm as ever.
A clear pool, without a single ripple.
She felt like she was pushing her luck more and more.
Yu Yinan thought this, and couldn't help but apply a little more force. But even so, Zheng Yi showed no extra emotion, merely… indulging her, permitting her.
At a certain moment, Yu Yinan couldn't help but wonder: could Zheng Yi truly be some kind of deity?
But she dismissed the thought. How could there be gods in the world, and how could a god tolerate her blasphemy, her constant pushing of boundaries, her insatiable greed?
"Zheng Yi…" Yu Yinan's fingertips gently caressed the corner of Zheng Yi's eye. When would those dark eyes ever be colored by emotion for her? When would these eyes be tainted with desire? She was so frenzied, so fervent, just when… would she be able to glimpse the same emotions in these eyes? Even a ten-thousandth of it.
There on the staircase, Yu Yinan kissed those closed eyelids, like a believer kissing the holy scriptures.
"Will you come to hate me? For my offense, for my… greed," Yu Yinan whispered. She sniffled, and after her transgression, she stood before Zheng Yi with her head lowered, like a puppy that had done something wrong.
Zheng Yi raised a hand and pinched the soft flesh of her cheek. The slight pain made Yu Yinan frown. She looked up and met Zheng Yi's gaze, and then felt that this gesture was extremely intimate.
Yu Yinan craved Zheng Yi so much. And now, she craved Zheng Yi's response just as much.
"It's too hot," Zheng Yi said softly. She let go, and an ice cube condensed between her fingers. She held the ice cube and pressed it to the corner of Yu Yinan's mouth, sliding it across her lips. "Jiejie, cool down a little." The half-melted ice cube was pushed between her teeth. Zheng Yi said nothing more, turned, and continued up the stairs.
"…" Yu Yinan's heart pounded like a drum. She instinctively swallowed the melted ice water in her mouth, which only fanned the flames in her heart even hotter.
Zheng Yi. The name rolled between her lips and teeth, swallowed, as if she had silently recited it a million times. She watched that retreating back, and finally took a step, quickening her pace to follow.
Like and love, craving and desire—Yu Yinan only half-understood. But at this moment, she couldn't help but wonder if all the lovers in the world had ever felt what she was feeling now. When you like someone, are you always as lost and infatuated as she was? Have you always had such fervent emotions? Her body, her soul, felt as if they were about to burn, to be reduced to ashes in this ambiguous indulgence and permission.
Pain, greed, confusion, infatuation… all the feelings of loss and unease, all sorts of emotions—it seemed that as long as they were related to Zheng Yi, she would bear them all, and gladly.
A Tier 10? Yu Yinan let out a low laugh. She was willing to offer her flesh, blood, and soul, just to ask for the Saint's favor.
"Yu Yinan."
"!" Yu Yinan snapped her head up.
"If you get any hotter, go stand under the sun to cool off."
"…" Yu Yinan stopped, slightly aggrieved. She watched Zheng Yi walk past the office and go straight back to their room. After hesitating for a moment, she raised her hands and rubbed her face hard, trying to banish the chaotic thoughts from her mind and calm her emotions. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her heartbeat finally returned to normal. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief and was about to follow Zheng Yi, her mind suddenly flashed back to the moment she had kissed her, to Zheng Yi's calm, dark eyes watching her. And then to the rain, to the Zheng Yi of that moment, gentle and inviolable, her dark eyes full of compassion and pity, yet also as if seeing nothing at all. She saw you, watched you, but her eyes were cold and empty.
…This wasn't good.
Yu Yinan froze in place. After a moment's hesitation, she took a few more deep breaths and headed downstairs. She really did need to… cool down a bit.
[I don't get it,] Zero One spoke up. [Are you just going to let Yu Yinan be like this?]
'It's just a moment of intimacy, what does it matter?' Zheng Yi didn't care. She lay lazily on the bed, condensing one ice cube after another and chewing on them with a crunch.
Zheng Yi seemed to have very strong teeth. Whether it was hard candy or ice cubes, she always crushed them when she ate. The thought suddenly occurred to Zero One. It shook its head. [This intimacy is too…]
It had felt that this wasn't good, but upon careful consideration, it didn't know what would be good for Yu Yinan either. Break it off? Become distant? Yu Yinan would probably go crazy… That seemed too hurtful, and besides, Zheng Yi was indeed partial to Yu Yinan. But if the two of them were to establish a relationship… Zero One couldn't even imagine what Zheng Yi would be like in love.
[Forget I said anything,] it sighed. [It's just, haven't you noticed that because of your indulgence, Yu Yinan's obsession with you is getting deeper and deeper?] It didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
Zheng Yi chewed on an ice cube, seemingly listening.
[…Never mind.] Zero One thought, what does a Saint Growth System like me know about love? [Speaking of which, Zheng Yi, have you remembered some memory fragments? Did your original world have gods?]
[That moment you were acting, it was really… that aura was too hard to describe. Though I've never seen a real god from another world.] But for that one moment, Zero One had really thought in a daze that Zheng Yi had been possessed by a god. Luckily, it had quickly come to its senses: if Zheng Yi were truly possessed by her Saint God, it wouldn't be to save all living beings, but more likely to "ferry" all living beings to the afterlife.
Zero One rambled on for a long time. When it didn't get a reply from Zheng Yi, it looked over and saw that the space under the iron bed was covered in solid ice, with a cold mist swirling around. And Zheng Yi herself had her eyes closed peacefully, as if she had already fallen asleep.
Comments
Post a Comment