Zhu Xi Ning couldn't stand her acting like this. She crossed her arms and sneered. "What? Did you get a stiff neck? Do you need me to help you lift your head?"
As Zhu Xi Ning was currently in her Number Two persona, she might actually make someone's neck stiff if she decided to take action.
Wen Xiang Yuan jerked her head up high.
Nan Yue couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"The Federation's debts will be paid by the Federation. You couldn't control your birth, and neither could we."
"It's enough that we are standing on the same path now."
"Walk forward. Don't look back anymore."
Wen Xiang Yuan's eyes instantly filled with tears. She wanted to lower her head to wipe them away, but seeing Zhu Xi Ning watching her like a hawk from the side, she could only keep her head high and let the tears flow freely.
This did not align with the teachings of her father and grandfather.
They said that the women of the Wen family were of unparalleled beauty. Their smiles should be enchanting, their crying should be moving, and even their anger should look like the charming pout of a beauty.
But letting tears simply slide down her face, without concealment or embarrassment...
It felt quite good.
Gu Xiang Kai didn't say anything; he just reached out and patted Wen Xiang Yuan's head.
It had nothing to do with gender; it was simply the trust he held for a teammate.
Only Jiang Siyan showed no reaction, but he didn't do anything either, simply listening quietly to the conversation.
No one felt that Jiang Siyan's attitude was unfriendly. In fact, everyone felt that his emotional control was impressive.
That he could even do this much meant he already considered Wen Xiang Yuan one of them.
Wen Xiang Yuan thought so too.
Unlike Nan Yue and the others, who hadn't been away from the Scavenger Training Academy for long—even the most senior, Gu Xiang Kai, had only entered the Scavenger Project a year or two before Nan Yue.
Jiang Siyan, however, had been in the Scavenger Project for seven years.
The world they saw was inherently different.
Not to mention, Nan Yue and the others had mostly seen fellow scavengers die. They would mourn and feel sad, but they could keep moving forward.
After all, they had been trained for this.
But watching ordinary scavengers die was different from watching the most important person in your life die.
Specifically, Jiang Siyan's older brother hadn't died in the Scavenger Project; he had died on the path of exploring outside the wall.
There was nothing outside, only the pollution the Federation cast out like trash.
Their deaths seemed so worthless, not even granting a quick end.
Shen Nian and her two companions had actually discovered many years ago that there was nothing beyond the high walls.
But they had no way out; they couldn't escape their predetermined fate.
They were powerless, only able to tell those behind them not to investigate—to at least live, and live a little longer.
Such a stifling death and pain had completely changed Jiang Siyan, even destroying him.
Before meeting Nan Yue, he had nothing he cared about and no interests. Because his ability was too powerful, he couldn't die passively, and because of the persistence in his soul, he couldn't commit suicide.
He lived in agony like a ghost.
No one could demand anything from Jiang Siyan. He had the right to loathe everything and everyone related to the Federation.
Wen Xiang Yuan also understood that in the eyes of most scavengers, the Federation and its people were unforgivable.
"So, the pollution worlds we experienced before didn't actually happen? They were just manifestations of fear?"
Wen Xiang Yuan thought for a moment. "Part of it is real. The exploitation and oppression of Blooming Media Company were real, and it's also true that Antswamp Village ate the ant queen that had survived for over a hundred years during a famine."
"You can see it as the resentment of countless employees oppressed by Blooming Media Company gathering into a mission world. Their fear turned into hauntings there. Just like when we have nightmares, dreams manifest our fears in absurd ways."
"As for Antswamp Village, I went back and checked. That village likely existed, but it disappeared after a flash flood decades ago."
"It should be the fear of the villagers at the time of their deaths. They believed it was karmic retribution."
"It's understandable for humans to eat an ant queen to survive, but all things are equal. The fact that a spiritual being that had lived for over a century was eaten by their ancestors weighed heavily on them. They feared the karmic cycle and that one day they would have to pay the price."
"If you eat a young calf during a famine, don't blame the herd for retaliating."
"In the end, that's how Antswamp Village was presented. The village was remote, and the villagers believed everything had a spirit. Eating and being eaten are links in the causal chain; no one stays at the top forever. That was their fear."
Nan Yue offered no comment on this.
Whether natural disasters were coincidences or truly cycles of karma was unknown to anyone.
"Then Dawn Rubber Factory..."
Wen Xiang Yuan looked at Gu Xiang Kai. "The prototype for this rubber factory likely had many incidents and many deaths. Those who knew the truth, those who survived, and the victims all believed in karmic retribution, and so this world was born."
"Of course..."
Wen Xiang Yuan paused. "These worlds are too far removed from the current Federation. These are just my theories. Perhaps reality is just that absurd; no one can say for sure."
Humans always felt they understood and controlled the world, but in truth... maybe the world didn't operate that way at all?
"When we meet in the next mission, what do you need me to do?"
Wen Xiang Yuan looked at Nan Yue. She had gained a certain level of freedom in the Federation and could find out more things.
She didn't need anyone to remind her of what she should do, but whether as a friend or an ally, she felt an obligation to help Nan Yue and the others understand more about this man-made world.
"The thing inside me—what's going on with it?"
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded slightly. "I can tell you that right now. Because of the genetic coding used when creating scavengers, it's impossible for them to coexist with pollution."
"Scientists sometimes project emotions onto their creations. You are actually no different from real humans; you cannot live in symbiosis with pollution."
"So, this is my guess: the reason you can survive is likely because of your ability."
"An ability you possessed from the moment of your birth."
Wen Xiang Yuan sighed. "Every creation has its special characteristics, and you are the special one."
Nan Yue's fingers curled slightly. Wen Xiang Yuan's hypothesis was very likely correct.
Up to this point, only Nan Yue's ability had not appeared.
Although she could use pollution, her own ability remained a mystery.
If it was as Wen Xiang Yuan said—that her ability had appeared long ago but she just didn't know it—then it was highly probable that she could coexist with pollution precisely because of her ability.
"The next time we meet, I will tell you exactly what your ability is."
Wen Xiang Yuan looked steadily at Nan Yue, then turned to Zhu Xi Ning. "And regarding your situation, Xi Ning, I will also find out the general idea."
Zhu Xi Ning raised an eyebrow, surprised that Wen Xiang Yuan would mention her. "Me?"
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