Wen Xiang Yuan nodded. "Artificial humans shouldn't develop split personalities."
Zhu Xi Ning quieted down.
"You can only meet us during missions, and our communication has a delay."
Jiang Siyan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Wen Xiang Yuan looked over; his gaze was calm, as if he had already adjusted his emotions.
Wen Xiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.
This was a fact. Their resistance and alliance would be constrained by the Federation until their objectives were met.
“What's outside the wall?”
Jiang Siyan changed the subject. If there was only emptiness outside the wall, then Shen Nian and the others at least wouldn't know they were just expendables for the Federation.
Just the lowest-tier trash people.
“Outside the wall is nothing but chaotic pollution. Because the pollution is released by the Federation, the Federation merely structured the scavenger world. Your city states are individual small spaces. Outside these spaces... I speculate anything is possible.”
Jiang Siyan said coldly, “If the operating system crashes, the teleportation system will also fail, right?”
The others were stunned. They had thought Jiang Siyan was the most affected by the truth, yet he hadn't merely wallowed in his pain.
Nan Yue gave Jiang Siyan a deep look, then turned to Wen Xiang Yuan.
“If the teleportation system fails, all our city states will become isolated islands. We won't even be able to contact scavengers from other city states, let alone fight together.”
Wen Xiang Yuan's beautiful brows furrowed. She was still inexperienced and hadn't spent much time in the scavenger world.
Many details hadn't been considered.
“So, if we're to fight for the final resistance, leaving the city states is a must. I need to know if the city states exist within a single space.”
“In other words, can I carve a path through the pollution outside the city states?”
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded, making a mental note. “Next time we meet, I'll tell you if the city states can be physically connected and what method is needed to stabilize such a passage.”
Nan Yue was silent for a moment before asking, “In the Federation, is there anyone who can help you?”
Wen Xiang Yuan fell silent.
She had been confined by the Wen family for too long, not having much contact with those truly in power in the Federation. She had no allies.
“I'll find a way.”
No one could help her with Federation matters; she had to forge her own path.
Wen Xiang Yuan stood up. Even dressed in the clothes of that era, she remained breathtakingly beautiful.
“Nan Yue, until next time.”
Wen Xiang Yuan smiled at Nan Yue, tears in her eyes, but more so, determination.
She had to leave first; what she truly came here to do was finished.
Nan Yue stepped forward and hugged Wen Xiang Yuan, a voice close to a sigh whispering in Wen Xiang Yuan's ear.
“You don't have to go down this path.”
For scavengers, this was a matter of survival.
But once Wen Xiang Yuan embarked on this path, there would be no good end for her.
At the very least, she was currently at the pinnacle of the Federation. If she wished, she could enjoy all the prosperity and luxury.
The Wen family and the Presidential Palace would grant her immense respect and status.
She had a choice; she didn't have to choose the perilous single-plank bridge.
Wen Xiang Yuan hugged Nan Yue back tightly.
Nan Yue's warm aura reminded her of her mother.
Her mother's embrace was always warm.
But the last time she saw her mother, she was already cold.
In that lavish room, her mother's lifeless form was beautiful like an oil painting.
“No, I don't have a choice either.”
Wen Xiang Yuan logged off. In the files Jiang Siyan had found, Zhao Yao's obituary had already been publicly displayed, and Granny Zhao had taken her ashes back to be buried in the vegetable garden behind the house.
The cheers and applause from next door indicated that the movie was nearing its end and the audience was dispersing.
Jiang Siyan walked to a nearby table and turned on the loudspeaker.
He tapped the microphone, which was covered in red cloth, and his indifferent voice echoed through the loudspeaker.
“Several announcements will be made in ten minutes. Please, all relevant personnel, gather at the factory office beforehand.”
All scavengers would know this message was for them.
After saying this, Jiang Siyan turned off the microphone and sat down quietly.
Nan Yue subtly observed him. After what had just happened, Jiang Siyan's demeanor had changed.
The previous Jiang Siyan, though inherently indifferent, was at least coated in a gentle sugar shell.
Those who usually interacted with him couldn't see his core; they only perceived his gentlemanly, gentle, and dignified exterior.
But now, he was like a block of ice, radiating a chill even without getting close.
No, more like a volcano beneath a snow-capped mountain, always on the verge of erupting.
The calmer his surface, the more unfathomable his depths.
In this situation, Nan Yue was the only one who dared to approach the volcano. She walked to Jiang Siyan's side, bent down, and met his eyes.
“Don't keep anything bottled up.”
Jiang Siyan took off his glasses at that moment. He had been resting with his eyes closed but now opened them. Knowing who was approaching, he didn't show any aggression.
Jiang Siyan's eyes were beautiful. Hidden behind his glasses, his dark brown eyes beneath thick lashes easily made anyone he looked at feel a sense of gentleness.
However, once his glasses were removed, his narrow, elongated eyes often revealed the innate detachment and coldness in their owner's gaze.
But Nan Yue, who was being watched, didn't feel any of that. She only sensed Jiang Siyan's pain and his rare vulnerability.
He said nothing, but she understood everything.
Action preceded thought. Nan Yue hugged Jiang Siyan, gently patting his head as if comforting a child.
Why am I doing this?
I'm not quite sure.
Nan Yue only knew she didn't like seeing that look in Jiang Siyan's eyes, and she didn't want him to keep dwelling on what had happened to Shen Nian and the others.
And inexplicably, Nan Yue seemed to know that doing this would make Jiang Siyan feel a little better.
Jiang Siyan paused slightly, then his slender hands gently hugged Nan Yue back.
Normally, he would have been happy, with enough presence of mind to consider how to strike while the iron was hot and let Nan Yue know his feelings.
But now, Jiang Siyan had no other thoughts; his eyes welled up with tears in Nan Yue's embrace.
Gu Xiang Kai watched for a moment, then stepped forward and tightly hugged both of them.
He was a bit slow, but he also knew that among the four, Jiang Siyan was suffering the most.
Companions are supposed to give each other strength at times like this, aren't they?
…Like hell they are.
Zhu Xi Ning rolled her eyes and didn't join in.
Gu Xiang Kai wasn't just a bit slow.
He was extremely slow.
When Song Chunhua arrived at the factory office, she saw Jiang Siyan, whose emotions were already composed. However, he hadn't put his glasses back on, and his gaze was so sharp that she instinctively looked away.
“Is it... is it through a broadcast announcement?”
Song Chunhua breathed softly, catching her breath. Nan Yue nodded and briefly told her about her hypothesis.
Rate on N.U.
