Chapter 902: Nightfall Approaches
"So... you're neither friends nor enemies?" The steam from a large cup of hot tea blurred the face on the opposite side, making even the voice sound as if it were evaporating in the steam. Lin Sanjiu had never realized that Hu Changzai liked tea so much—had they not had many chances to interact in the past, or had she simply forgotten after so many years?
"I don't know what kind of relationship we have," she sighed bitterly. "But he shouldn't kill me."
Hu Changzai held the tea cup and nodded thoughtfully.
After the hurried farewell at the Salvation of God, he had changed again: the excess flesh that remained when he was treated as "livestock" had somehow disappeared, and his skin was marked with fine lines from the wind, sand, and sunlight. Although he no longer needed glasses due to his improved eyesight, he still habitually wore a pair, even though one lens was empty. Only his sunken eye sockets, a result of his emaciation, still shimmered with the same warm and slightly stubborn gaze.
Recalling the adventurous days in Hyperthermal Hell, the memories remained vivid, as if it were the noon sun of yesterday. Meeting Hu Changzai again felt like encountering her own past—suddenly, all those memories came back to life: battles, bloodshed, reliance, laughter, scents, and starry skies...
"What about you?" Hu Changzai broke the silence after a few seconds, and Lin Sanjiu lifted her head, her gaze scanning the silent puppets behind him. "And what's the matter with you? How have you been all these years?"
Hu Changzai responded with the same bitter smile she had given him earlier.
"I don't know if I'm lucky or unlucky." He sighed and toyed with the tea cup. "The third apocalyptic world I experienced was the Central Twelve Realms. At that time, I was captured and treated as a rare item... I still remember being sold at an auction. Since then, I've rarely had the opportunity to leave the Twelve Realms."
Lin Sanjiu pursed her lips tightly and listened in silence.
"I've been bought and sold four or five times. Although I resisted fiercely and managed to defeat more than one person... my basic evolution was lacking. Moreover, I didn't have a Special Item, and they wouldn't allow me to have one. Even today, I still don't know what kind of relationship I had with those buyers... They knew I was different from ordinary items, they wanted to use me but also had to guard against me. Some people treated me exceptionally well, better than they treated others, probably hoping that I would obediently submit to them. But most buyers didn't want me to always follow them. I guess they didn't want others to know if they were telling the truth or not."
Hu Changzai seemed to no longer care about the days of being passed around, his expression calm as he took another sip of tea. He exhaled a warm breath and softly said, "If I had to define it, I would say I'm a mix of an item, a slave, and an employee to the buyers."
Lin Sanjiu lowered her head and took a deep breath.
"You've suffered a lot, haven't you?"
"It's not exactly suffering," Hu Changzai spoke in a low voice, slowly saying, "After all, I didn't have to take risks myself, and my living resources were abundant. But over these years, I haven't been able to see the scenery I wanted to see or go to the places I wanted to go... Although the days pass, it doesn't feel like my own life."
He lifted his eyes in the steam, seeming a bit lost. Surely, there were more painful and unbearable experiences during the process of being passed around as an item, but he didn't mention any of them. It seemed that what he cared about most was the journey he missed.
She couldn't imagine living a life tied to a rope.
"Do you want to break free from Puppeteer?" Lin Sanjiu suddenly raised her head, her voice somewhat urgent. "If you do, I'll definitely help you—"
"Ah, it's fine." Unexpectedly, Hu Changzai waved his hand. "Puppeteer... he's different from other buyers."
Lin Sanjiu raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Hu Changzai didn't continue explaining why Puppeteer was "different." He put down the tea cup, not intentionally changing the subject, but honestly admitted, "I think he wouldn't want me to talk about him like this behind his back, so I won't say anymore."
This nonchalant display of stubbornness seemed to reveal a glimpse of the Hu Changzai she had known back in the scorching hell.
"Alright," Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but smile faintly. "I have a friend named Bohemia who is currently taking care of Puppeteer in the medical room. So you don't need to rush over there, just eat something and rest for a while... If you need anything, just ask Silas."
Hu Changzai's face turned slightly red, and he chuckled with a hint of embarrassment. "Okay... You haven't changed much, just like before."
Haven't I?
Lin Sanjiu suddenly felt a moment of confusion. She vaguely felt that something had quietly changed about herself, but couldn't put a finger on it. She simply let go of that thought and sighed, "There's one more thing... It's about the order of the apocalyptic worlds. But it's a long story," she glanced at the sky visible through the skylight in the tea room, "I have to go out immediately. We can discuss it in detail when I return."
Hu Changzai nodded and carefully held the tea cup, following Silas' guidance as he left.
Even though the Exodus now housed seven living individuals and a large group of puppets, it still appeared vast and devoid of any liveliness. Lin Sanjiu didn't call for a single-person suspended cabin but slowly walked along the long, silent corridor. Along the way, she furrowed her brow, and only her thoughts and footsteps drifted aimlessly, as if she were the only person left on the entire ship.
After returning to her room, she changed into a black combat suit—apparently designed by Grand Prize based on the uniform of a certain country's field squad. The thick rubber-soled boots were both lightweight and sturdy, making almost no sound when she landed. She tightened her belt, double-checked her Special Items, and inspected the black backpack Silvan had left for her. Afterward, Lin Sanjiu called out to Silas.
"Silvan hasn't woken up yet, right?"
"No," Silas replied softly. "Do you need me to wake him up?"
It seemed he was more than just "tired" after all—Lin Sanjiu recalled the lingering hint of bloodiness around him.
"No, there's no need. Let him keep sleeping," she said.
Lin Sanjiu swung the black bag onto her back and fastened the straps across her chest. The weight of the firearms pressed heavily against her back, and the coolness of the bullet magazines pressed against her waist through the fabric.
"From the beginning, I never intended to go with him."
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