Chapter 225
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People in the Anomaly Control Bureau hurried around, their faces solemn and serious, exchanging documents everywhere.
The logistics team delivered boxes of spirit recovery needles to the battlefield, and the situation in various places was reported to the leaders through earpieces.
“… Seven cities in the country have fallen, and fifteen cities have lost contact…”
“Three small countries in Western Europe have been occupied by anomalies, namely…”
“The sea monster stirred up waves and submerged Country H… The volcano in Country R erupted, and the capital has fallen…”
One bad news after another made the atmosphere in the hall tense.
Countries with weaker power are more likely to fall in the fight against the anomalies. Those who can still resist the anomalies are recognized as strong countries in the eyes of the world.
“After comparison, our country is under more severe siege than other major powers.”
“Because the body of the Anomaly Lord is in our country, and the avatar of the Anomaly Lord attached to Wen Jiu has also followed!”
“D*mn it! The biggest boss actually wants us to deal with it!”
“Stay alert, let the third defense line protect the body of the Anomaly Lord. We are responsible for all humanity!”
In the corner, Little Yu gently pushed open the door of the rest area, looking like a cute hamster as she looked up at the busy crowd in the hall.
She heard these words clearly, and the anxiety and despair of the adults infected Little Yu. Little Yu pursed her lips, hesitated for a while, then pushed open the door and walked into the hall, carefully walking along the wall towards the outside.
The people she was worried about were all fighting outside, and Little Yu wanted to go and see if Lu Haoxiu and the others were okay.
The adults didn’t notice the quiet and slender little girl. Little Yu quietly left the hall. From a distance, Little Yu saw the brightly lit gate, her eyes brightening. She changed from a brisk walk to a jog, a joyful smile appearing on her face.
Her white dress swayed with her movements as Little Yu grabbed the door frame and squeezed out through the narrow gap of the door, eagerly lifting her head to see the world full of blood and death.
Human limbs were scattered everywhere, and not far away, anomaly creatures with peculiar appearances were excitedly devouring human corpses.
Roars and screams echoed continuously, and the warriors who were intact just a few hours ago now lay lifeless on the ground.
Little Yu stood at the doorway, staring blankly at the scene. Suddenly, an arm fell from the sky and landed straight in front of Little Yu. Startled, Little Yu took several steps back, tears in her eyes, and looked in the direction the arm came from, only to see a soldier clutching his severed arm lying in a pool of blood.
After a few seconds of confusion, Little Yu quickly picked up the bloody arm and ran to the soldier, kneeling beside him, trying to reattach the arm to him. But no matter how hard she tried, the arm wouldn’t attach. The soldier glanced at her weakly and said, “Run,” before closing his eyes.
Little Yu was splattered with blood from the severed arm, unable to hold back her silent tears. Tear drops slid down her cheeks, thinking the soldier had fainted. She cried as she stood up, trying to drag the soldier back to the Anomaly Control Bureau to find a doctor.
But the soldier was too heavy, and she couldn’t move him. Little Yu’s face was covered in sweat, her nose and eyes red. She only managed to move the soldier a little. Anxiously, she knelt down again, patting the soldier’s cheek, shouting “ah ah” a few times, unconsciously gesturing in sign language.
Don’t sleep, it’s too dangerous here, wake up quickly!
Little Yu looked around anxiously, stood up supported by the ground, wanting to find someone to help. But who could she find? The soldiers were busy fighting, the Talented and Half-anomalies were busy dealing with the anomalies, everyone was fighting against death, and no one had time to help such a small girl like her.
Little Yu walked forward a few steps in a panic, suddenly hearing Lin You’s voice.
“Ye Buyan?! Ye Buyan! What’s wrong with you!”
Brother Ye Buyan?
Little Yu immediately ran towards the direction of the voice, stumbling over many bodies along the way. When she finally stumbled over, she saw Lin You half-holding Ye Buyan, desperately injecting spirit recovery needles into Ye Buyan’s body.
Ye Buyan’s condition was very bad. He laid stiffly in Lin You’s arms, his eyes wide open, pupils almost narrowed to a line, his skin covered with black cracks. His hands were compressing from the fingers, twisting into the thickness of a piece of paper.
Little Yu’s heart tightened; she could tell at a glance that her brother Ye Buyan’s internal anomalies were beginning to revive.
Little Yu ran over quickly, urgently gesturing to Lin You, “The anomalies inside his body are starting to revive!”
Lin You’s face was heavy and tired. He slowly turned his head to look at Little Yu, only to find Little Yu had actually run into the battlefield. Lin You blinked tiredly and hoarsely said, “Little Yu, go back quickly, don’t stay here… What do you want to say? I can’t understand.”
Little Yu anxiously pointed to Ye Buyan’s hands, and then pointed to the anomalies in the distance.
Lin You hadn’t been with Little Yu for long, he didn’t understand what Little Yu was trying to express, and his suppressed mood prevented him from guessing Little Yu’s thoughts clearly. He smiled bitterly and said again, “Little Yu, this is not a place for you to play, go back quickly.”
“She’s saying that the anomalies inside Ye Buyan’s body are reviving.”
Zhou Wuxin, wearing a gray prison uniform, leaped in front of them. He pushed up his glasses, brought his emaciated face close to Little Yu’s, scrutinizing every tiny expression on Little Yu’s face, calmly like a detective, “You can tell that the anomalies inside his body are reviving? Have you seen the scene of anomalies reviving before at your age?”
Little Yu saw Zhou Wuxin, her pupils flickered, her eyes full of tension and panic.
“You’ve seen me before,” Zhou Wuxin leaned closer to Little Yu, his eyes behind the lenses shimmering, “and you, at your age, know about anomalies reviving… I understand now. You’re the ‘vessel’ who escaped from the cultists, right? Cai Mo once took a ‘vessel’ to Liu Shu village for a mission, but Cai Mo and his men all died, and the ‘vessel’ disappeared. Are you that ‘vessel’?”
Upon hearing Cai Mo’s name, Little Yu trembled uncontrollably, and she hurriedly hid behind Lin You.
Lin You protected Little Yu, frowning vigilantly at Zhou Wuxin, “What do you mean by ‘vessel’? What do you want to do?”
But Zhou Wuxin didn’t answer his question, still staring at Little Yu with piercing eyes, pointing at Ye Buyan, “Do you have a way to save him?”
Little Yu nodded gently, reaching out and grabbing Ye Buyan’s arm. Something magical happened; the black cracks on Ye Buyan’s body disappeared quickly from where Little Yu touched, and his hands, which had turned into paper-thin layers, swelled up again like inflated balloons!
Lin You stared in astonishment at this scene, unable to believe his eyes as he looked at Little Yu.
After letting go of Ye Buyan’s hand, Ye Buyan regained his senses. Rubbing his forehead, he sat up from Lin You’s arms, looking at himself in confusion, “What… happened to me?”
“…The anomaly in your body has revived, and Little Yu saved you.”
Lin You murmured, wiping his face harshly. He solemnly pulled Little Yu in front of him, looking at her pale face with concern, “Little Yu, is this your innate ability? Does saving Ye Buyan require any sacrifice from you? If saving others would consume your vitality, then I hope you won’t do it. You’re still a child, and the world hasn’t reached the point where children need to save it…”
“No, the world has reached the point where children need to save it,” Zhou Wuxin firmly rebutted Lin You’s words. Unexpectedly, he reached out and hugged Little Yu, then leaped backward, “Many semi-anomalies on the battlefield are on the verge of revival. This child can reduce the anomaly power within them, slowing down the revival process. You know how crucial semi-anomalies are. Only if they survive do we have hope of winning.”
Lin You frowned instantly, standing up solemnly to look at Zhou Wuxin, “Let go of Little Yu.”
“No,” Zhou Wuxin retreated a few steps, the lenses of his glasses gleaming ruthlessly, “The apocalypse is imminent. All decisions you make should be rational and in the best interest of humanity. If you don’t understand the consequences of the semi-anomalies’ revival, then let me tell you now. Semi-anomalies will die, and our defense against anomalies will be greatly weakened. Moreover, anomalies reviving within semi-anomalies will invade us alongside the enemy, effectively bolstering their strength. Don’t you understand, Captain Lin You? By sacrificing this child, we can ensure that these semi-anomalies survive and continue to fight anomalies. This is the most correct choice.”
Just by sacrificing this child…
Lin You clenched his fists. He looked at Little Yu and then at the semi-anomalies struggling hard to fend off the enemy on the battlefield, torn by a painful silence.
He knew rationally that Zhou Wuxin’s approach was the right one, but he couldn’t bring himself to let a little girl sacrifice herself to save others.
—But as the battlefield commander, Lin You had to make choices that were more beneficial to humanity.
“No… absolutely not!”
Ye Buyan stood up from the ground, his face cold and full of hostility as he glared at Zhou Wuxin. He walked step by step toward Zhou Wuxin, “No one can decide the life of another, and you have no right to decide what Little Yu should do. She’s a human being, not a tool. Don’t bring your foul habits from being a cultist here!”
Zhou Wuxin pushed his glasses and indifferently said, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t waste words here with you. I should just take this child and save the other semi-anomalies. Don’t stop me. You know the consequences if humanity loses in this battle.”
After speaking, Zhou Wuxin intended to carry Little Yu away, but he was stopped by Lin You, “Wait, Zhou Wuxin… We should let Little Yu make the decision herself.”
Lin You spoke slowly, “If she doesn’t want to, then no one can force her.”
“…Humans always let emotions control their brains at critical moments. What you said is very irresponsible, Captain Lin You.”
Zhou Wuxin sighed and compromised by putting Little Yu down. He squatted down, his rational and sharp eyes meeting Little Yu’s, “Child, do you want to save other semi-anomalies?”
He thought the child would be scared, refuse, or cry. Lin You and Ye Buyan also thought so. Ye Buyan even walked over with open arms, ready to take Little Yu away.
But Little Yu dodged away from Ye Buyan’s embrace, shook her head towards the three people, and then nodded towards Zhou Wuxin.
The three of them were stunned. Even though Little Yu didn’t speak, they understood her meaning—she was willing to go and save other half-anomaly individuals.
Ye Buyan instinctively said, “No, I promised Brother Lou and Lu Haoxiu that we would protect you, Little Yu, it’s not possible!”
Little Yu once again avoided Ye Buyan’s embrace, rushing into Zhou Wuxin’s arms instead. She tugged at Zhou Wuxin’s clothes and pointed in the direction of a nearly hopeless half-anomaly individual.
Zhou Wuxin looked at Little Yu with a complex expression, holding her as he stood up. He didn’t know how to describe his current feelings. He hoped Little Yu could sacrifice herself to save more fighting power, but when Little Yu agreed willingly and without coercion, he felt a sense of helplessness and guilt.
“—You might die, you know,” Zhou Wuxin paused, not understanding why he brought this up with Little Yu, but he still did, “A vessel exists to absorb excessive anomaly power from others. When the anomaly power you absorb is full, you will break—that means you will die. Do you understand?”
Little Yu nodded, her black and white eyes clear and clean. She gestured with her hands seriously.
“I understand. It’s okay. I’m willing to save them.”
Her life was supposed to end in Liushu Village, but Lou Yan saved her. Little Yu once wanted to sacrifice herself to absorb the anomaly power from Lou Yan, but she was rejected by Lou Yan.
“No need, I don’t need it.”
That day, Lou Yan rubbed her head and tapped her forehead, saying, “Why would a child like you meddle in adult affairs?”
Thinking of this, Little Yu couldn’t help but smile.
She touched the watch on her hand that Lou Yan drew for her, recalling again and again Lou Yan, Li Sanxin, Lu Haoxiu, Ye Buyan, Duan Zege, Lin You, and all the soldiers sacrificing themselves to save others.
She remembered the scenes of “Water Ghost” ravaging Chengjiang City, the rescued people crying tears of joy.
Finally, Little Yu remembered the feeling when she was saved in Liushu Village.
That warm and comforting feeling made Little Yu unable to forget. It was like a drowning person getting air, or a person trapped in darkness finding freedom and light. Little Yu also wanted to learn to save others and let them experience the feeling she had at that moment.
She remembered her mother telling her, “Little Yu, this world is a circle. One of the reasons Mom likes to help others is that Mom hopes that when I am not around, other people can help Little Yu. If other uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters help Little Yu, Little Yu must also remember to help others, so that this friendly circle can continue~”
Little Yu remembered this sentence, and she also wanted to become a part of this circle.
So, let this child make an effort for the survival of humanity.
Just…
Little Yu looked at the watch on her wrist with reluctance.
Could she see Brother Lou Yan one more time?
Brother Lou Yan said he would come back when the hour hand completes a circle, but the hour hand of this watch hasn’t moved at all.
Zhou Wuxin fell silent for a few seconds, then took Little Yu with him to find semi-anomalies, and said in a hoarse voice, “Thank you.”
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