Chapter 15: I’m a Big Sister’s Girl

A pattering rain began to fall outside.

It was the time of the spring equinox, when Plague Rain and Acid Rain were the norm. When people went out, they generally wore Protective Suits and full-face Protective Helmets to prevent the rain from eroding their skin.

Ah Yuan and his sister also had raincoats on their bike, but cycling was always inconvenient.

Ruan Ming’s eyes curved. “See, even the heavens don’t want you to leave.”

Ah Yuan had no choice but to sit back down.

“Well, if we’re staying for a bit, then I’ll build that cat tree. I saw a pile of wood behind the house the other day when you were putting up the vegetable trellis. That’ll work perfectly.”

Ruan Ming wasn’t handy with such things. Seeing he genuinely wanted to help, she got up and fetched an axe and a saw for him.

Ah Yuan was a man of action. He took the tools and headed to the back door.

“Bring the wood to the living room doorway to work on it. The light is better here, and you won’t get rained on.”

Ah Yuan acknowledged, quickly bringing several pieces of wood from the back. He sat down at the living room entrance, starting to hammer and saw noisily.

The three of them were each busy with their own tasks. Ruan Ming and Ah Yuan chatted sporadically.

Ruan Ming recalled the conversation she’d overheard when picking up the cat, Liu Guang and the others discussing Ye Fengwan in the vehicle. She couldn’t help asking, “Ah Yuan, how much do you know about the Ye sisters from the Research Institute?”

Ah Yuan replied while sawing wood, “Quite a bit. All sorts of rumors out there. What do you want to know?”

Ruan Ming thought for a moment. “Back when Ye Fengwan was at the Second Research Institute, there was that experimental accident. I later heard that Cui Rong and a few others died, but I’ve never heard that the Base Chief’s brother also died in that accident.”

Ah Yuan stopped sawing, glanced around cautiously, and lowered his voice. “Sister, what you don’t know is that the Base Chief’s brother, Qu Baichuan, originally had no ability. His Skin Hardening Ability was only awakened later through a gene serum injection at the Second Research Institute. But I’ve heard this serum has many side effects—at the very least, his lifespan is only half of an ordinary person’s.”

Ordinary people generally lived to be about 80 to 100 years old, whereas Espers could reach 150.

According to Ah Yuan, these Cyborgs would only survive to about 50 or so.

Ruan Ming was shocked. “If his lifespan was cut in half, why would Qu Baichuan awaken an ability this way?”

Ah Yuan sighed. “Why else? Might makes right. In this world today, who doesn’t want to become stronger?”

Ruan Ming fell silent. When she was dragged into that vehicle back then, hadn’t she also desperately wished she could pay any price for an ability?

She just hadn’t expected the base to actually have such a serum, one that could forcibly develop abilities.

“Not only half the lifespan, but the body also suffers from various problems periodically, requiring regular treatment and maintenance. Otherwise, how would Cui Rong have had the chance to die at the Second Research Institute!”

When investigating her own kidnapping, Ruan Ming had roughly learned that Cui Rong had been admitted to the Research Institute for physical problems.

Hospitals in the Safe Zone mainly handled physiological illnesses; the Research Institute dealt with genetic defects and difficult, complicated conditions.

She hadn’t realized Cui Rong had entered the Research Institute because of his status as a Cyborg.

Ah Yuan returned to her original question, explaining, “The method of forcibly awakening an ability using the serum has too many side effects; Central City doesn’t openly permit it. As the Base Chief of Base One, Qu Wanshan naturally couldn’t let it be known that his own brother awakened his ability through such an illegal method. So, the experimental accident involving Institute Director Ye’s sister never brought Qu Baichuan into the story.”

“So the Qu family had to swallow a bitter loss in silence?”

Ah Yuan spread his hands. “On the surface, they swallowed a bitter loss. But behind the scenes, they certainly found ways to cause trouble for Ye Fengwan.”

“At least there’s no evidence that Ye Fengwan did it,” Ruan Ming said, feeling a sense of relief.

“It’s a good thing Institute Director Ye is protecting her; otherwise, the Qu family definitely would have gone after Ye Fengwan recklessly.”

She hadn’t even noticed when it began, but she had started unconsciously placing Ye Fengwan on her own side.

Ah Yuan nodded in agreement, then lowered his voice further. “Actually, the Base Chief’s brother wasn’t a good person either. It’s said that many people going missing in the Safe Zone was his doing…”

Hearing this, Ruan Ming suddenly shivered.

All the information rapidly collided in her brain. Connecting the cause and effect, Cui Rong and those people must have been following Qu Baichuan’s orders to abduct people. If not for that stranger rescuing her by chance, she would have long since become another name on the missing persons list!

Ah Yuan continued, “Some people have seen early missing persons in the Unclaimed City. They’ve been reduced to slaves for the various District Masters there. Some were sent to mine, others work in black-market workshops—ah, although Qu Baichuan is dead, in the past two years, people still occasionally go missing within the Safe Zone…”

Ruan Ming gritted her teeth. “Human trafficking has huge profits. He’s dead, but wouldn’t someone take over?”

Qu Baichuan’s backing was Base Chief Qu Wanshan. It wasn’t hard to deduce that the human trafficking business wasn’t just an individual act—it was clearly behavior at the level of the base’s administration!

Ah Yuan saw her expression darken and said, “Sister Ming, let’s not talk about this anymore. What if there’s someone with an Auditory Ability nearby who overheard us and reported it? We’d be done for.”

Ruan Ming looked at Little Yu, who was playing happily with the little calico nearby, and gently inhaled, pushing down the rage in her heart.

She took the peeled pineapple into the kitchen, soaked it in salt water, then cut it into small pieces and put them in a bowl.

She found three small bamboo skewers and stuck them in the pineapple chunks.

Then she brought it out to the living room and offered it to the siblings.

Ah Yuan didn’t refuse, but he only ate one small piece before stopping.

Little Yu also ate two pieces, then shook her head at Ruan Ming. The little calico next to them, however, seeing them eat, meowed continuously.

The two children seemed exceptionally well-mannered. Ruan Ming couldn’t persuade them to eat more. She gave the kitten a tiny piece; animals rarely eat fruit, as it can cause digestive system problems.

Sure enough, the little calico licked it a couple of times, ate half of the piece, and left the rest.

Today’s rain was just a light drizzle and stopped after a short while. After nearly two hours of hammering and sawing, Ah Yuan finally finished assembling a cat tree.

Ruan Ming was immensely grateful, thanking him profusely.

Ah Yuan scratched his head, embarrassed. “My carpentry skills are just passable, it looks pretty rough…”

Ruan Ming smiled, pointing at the little calico climbing up and down the wooden frame. “Whether it’s well-made isn’t for us to decide; Little Calico gets the final say.”

After the siblings left, Ruan Ming tidied up the house.

The fields were too muddy to work in, so she simply had the sesame sugar cake Ah Yuan brought for her lunch and dinner. She lay on the recliner at the living room entrance, staring out at the scenery, lost in thought.

Thinking about Ah Yuan’s account of Qu Baichuan’s death, her thoughts once again drifted to Ye Fengwan.

Were Qu Baichuan’s and Cui Rong’s deaths experimental accidents, or did she do it on purpose?

Regardless of the truth, the elimination of vermin like Qu Baichuan and Cui Rong was a tremendous blessing for the ordinary citizens of the entire base.

Ruan Ming pressed her wristband, opening Ye Fengwan’s communication icon. She wanted to send her a message, but didn’t know what to say.

She’d sent a picture of Little Calico the day before yesterday, and the reply had come very late, noting how busy she was.

Their initial connection was merely that of a forum manager and an ordinary user. Now, with the little calico as a bridge, they still hadn’t reached a point where one could casually chat or vent at any moment.

She sighed softly, just about to put her wristband back on, when the screen suddenly lit up with a new message.

“What are you doing?”

Ruan Ming immediately sat up straight: It rained, nothing to do. Just lying under the eaves watching the rain.

The reply came back: Sounds very relaxing.

Ruan Ming: Quite. It’s the first time I’ve rested like this since coming to the territory. How come you’re free now? Don’t tell me you’re just eating lunch?

Ye Fengwan: It’s four in the afternoon. Wouldn’t eating lunch at this hour be a bit late?

Ruan Ming’s eyebrows arched in a smile: For a busy person like you, forgetting to eat wouldn’t be impossible.

Ye Fengwan: My sister used to always forget to eat, and later developed stomach problems. She can’t manage herself, but she assigned a young girl to supervise my meals. Even if I wanted to forget, I couldn’t.

Ruan Ming: Institute Director Ye is truly the most reliable older sister.

Ye Fengwan sent a pouting emoji: You always praise Institute Director Ye right in front of me. It makes me feel so inferior.

Ruan Ming replied with a facepalm emoji: I praise her because she protects you so well.

Ye Fengwan: Indeed. After all, I’m a big sister’s girl.

Ruan Ming: Why do I sense a huge note of complaint? Is being a big sister’s girl not good? I don’t even have the conditions to be one.

Ye Fengwan: If you need someone to supervise your meals, I’m available.

Ruan Ming: Are you teasing me? You want to supervise me eating?

Ye Fengwan: Is that not allowed?

Ruan Ming: Of course not. I’m not like you, so busy I forget to eat. As a farmer, the most punctual thing I do is eat.

Ye Fengwan: Oh.

Ruan Ming saw that single word reply and felt it seemed cold and distant. For a moment, she didn’t know how to continue. She changed the subject: Is it afternoon tea time now? You should rest well for a bit, don’t just chat with me. Give your eyes a break.

Ye Fengwan: Mhm, I’ve rested enough. I need to go back to the lab.

Ruan Ming: …Alright. Balance work and rest, take care of yourself.

Ye Fengwan: Got it.