Xiao Han’s mind buzzed; the two previous impulses to recklessly stand up for Xiao Lei now, in retrospect, felt strange and terrifying.
"Have you ever considered why it had to be Xiao Lei?" Lu Shiyan’s voice was cold. "There are many people on the plaza who are worse off than him. Why are you so particularly concerned about him?"
"I… I don't know!" Xiao Han's veins throbbed on his forehead. "When I saw him getting beaten, my mind just exploded, I couldn't control it!"
Su Wan handed over a bottle of water: "Calm down."
Xiao Han gulped down a few mouthfuls, closed his eyes, and recalled. The scorpion's brutality, the public's numbness, Xiao Lei's thin figure, and… those eyes!
"No!" He roared. "Xiao Lei's gaze towards me wasn't right!"
"How wasn't it right?" Lu Shiyan pressed.
"He couldn't say it," Xiao Han’s head throbbed, "it was as if… he had calculated that I would help him! He was even guiding me!"
The more he thought about it, the colder his spine became. That feeling of being precisely calculated and manipulated was chilling.
"On the plaza, after the scorpion finished his harsh words, I was indeed angry, but I didn't intend to rush up." Xiao Han’s voice trembled. "But when Xiao Lei was called by his 'mother,' he looked back at me… That look was too complex! Then, I lost control."
Lu Shiyan’s eyes were deep: "Your emotional outburst was related to Xiao Lei?"
"Almost certainly!" Xiao Han slammed his fist on the hard wooden bed board, making a dull thud. "It was even more obvious at the street corner! He saw us, yet he let that burly man bully him, it was practically like putting on a show for us! Damn it! I was played by a little brat! What does he want to do?!"
Su Wan also recalled Xiao Lei’s eyes, which did not resemble a child's, and her heart tightened.
"That Xiao Lei, and his 'seriously ill' mother, live in Zone C," Lu Shiyan said slowly.
Su Wan and Xiao Han instantly understood his meaning. To prevent Xiao Han from being further affected, the three decided to go to Zone C the next day to investigate.
That night, Su Wan tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The Central Base was a bottomless pit.
The book's description of the Central Base was vague, only mentioning that it was swiftly destroyed by a mysterious force in its early stages, but the specific process and reasons were not elaborated upon, as if something was deliberately concealed.
Lei Laohu? Or someone else?
The more Su Wan thought about it, the colder her back felt.
What kind of messed-up situation was this?
Her chest felt heavy, and she got up from bed. The living room lights were on, and Lu Shiyan was sitting alone.
"Not asleep yet?" He spoke first.
Su Wan nodded and sat opposite him, her voice tight: "Lu Shiyan, are we… really going to see Lei Laohu? The Central Base is too strange, I'm afraid…"
"Afraid of getting dragged in?" He smiled, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "Want to leave?"
Su Wan felt a shiver from his gaze, and she gathered her courage: "The scorpion, and what happened with Xiao Han today, both feel sinister. I want to find my father. No matter how far Dawn Base is, it's safer than here, at least I can give birth to the child in peace."
Only on her father's territory would she feel truly safe.
Lu Shiyan reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead, his fingertips slightly cool.
"Do you think we can leave?" He retorted, the curve of his lips cold. "After the scorpion just put on his big show, will he let us leave easily?"
Su Wan’s heart sank. The scorpion was vengeful and would never let them go.
"Moreover…" Lu Shiyan looked out at the dark night, "it would be a pity not to get on Lei Laohu's ship and see the scenery, wouldn't it?"
"You want to know how deep the waters of this Central Base are, don't you?"
Su Wan suddenly looked up, meeting his deep eyes, and felt an even greater chill: "You really want to stir up this muddy water! It's too dangerous!"
"No 'buts'." Lu Shiyan cut her off, his tone brooking no argument. "Su Wan, remember, the more dangerous a place is, the more it hides what we want."
His gaze fell on her lower abdomen, his voice softening yet resonating clearly: "For instance, the strength and capital to let you and the child survive in this apocalypse."
Su Wan’s breath hitched. He was right; without strength, it was impossible to move an inch, let alone protect a child.
"As for Xiao Han," Lu Shiyan withdrew his gaze, "he won't die."
His tone was certain.
"That Xiao Lei is quite interesting." Lu Shiyan tapped his chin with his fingertips. "To be able to influence Xiao Han's emotions, it's either an ability, or… some form of mental control."
"Then we… go see Lei Laohu?" Su Wan’s voice was dry.
Lu Shiyan nodded: "We'll go tomorrow."
He saw Su Wan’s brows furrowed and reached out to pull her into his embrace.
"Don't be afraid." His voice was above her head. "I'm here for everything."
Su Wan leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, her unease slightly diminishing.
She didn't notice that from an angle unseen by her, Lu Shiyan’s lips curved into a cold and bloodthirsty arc.
The next morning, Lu Shiyan and the two others headed straight for Zone C. Xiao Han was still brooding over last night's events, his face as black as a pot bottom: "Are we really going to find that brat? Damn it, just thinking about being played by a kid makes me furious!"
Lu Shiyan ignored him, and Su Wan comforted him: "Let's find the person first."
Zone C was worse than expected, reeking of foul odors, with dilapidated tents and numb figures everywhere.
"This place…" Xiao Han frowned, lowering his voice, "is simply not fit for humans."
After finding out the approximate location, the three arrived in front of a rickety tent. Lu Shiyan raised his hand and knocked.
Lu Shiyan stepped forward and raised his hand to knock. "Who is it?" A hoarse and extremely weak female voice came from inside, with clear vigilance and a hint of approaching death.
"Looking for Xiao Lei," Lu Shiyan’s voice was calm.
There was a rustle inside, and the wooden plank door opened a crack, revealing the woman's paper-pale face, the same one from the plaza. She recognized Xiao Han, and her hand trembled, almost slamming the door shut: "You… what do you want with Xiao Lei?"
"Mother?" Xiao Lei squeezed out from behind the woman. Seeing Xiao Han and the two others, his small body stiffened abruptly, and a flicker of panic crossed those eyes that should have been clear. He quickly lowered his head and said timidly: "Big brother, big sister, why are you here?"
His timid appearance was identical to how he had been in the plaza and at the street corner. Xiao Han snorted, this acting, it would be a shame if he didn't win an award.
Lu Shiyan ignored Xiao Lei’s performance and looked directly at the woman: "Are you very ill?"
The woman subconsciously clutched her chest and coughed violently, each cough sounding as if it would expel her lungs. She bent over in pain, her voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "It's an old problem… it's nothing…"
"Is that so?"
Xiao Lei suddenly looked up, blocking the woman, and said with courage: "My mother is just sick! She's dying! What exactly do you want?!" His voice trembled slightly, but he tried to straighten his small chest.
Su Wan said softly: "Xiao Lei, we mean no harm. We just want to ask you, why did you make Xiao Han act?"
Xiao Lei’s body trembled violently, his face instantly turning pale, his lips quivering, unable to speak. His mother's face was even worse, she tried to pull him, but he stubbornly pulled away.
"I… I didn't…" Xiao Lei’s voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, his eyes fixed on the ground.
"Didn't?" Xiao Han was so angry he laughed instead, taking a step forward, his voice like a booming bell: "Kid, do you think I'm a fool? In the plaza, you looked at me, and I rushed up like a mad dog! What kind of sorcery did you awaken, damn it?"