Chapter 125: Weeping Is to Wash Away the Filth Within the Heart

Jiang Huan hooked the carcass of the mutant octopus but kept it at a distance, loosening the rope to let it drift further away. Two sea beasts, whose original forms were unrecognizable, chased after the remains, giving Jiang Huan a moment to glance at her approaching teammate.

She held up her arm and made a gesture, indicating they should each take one. The teammate signaled "OK" in return. They moved in unison, quickly dispatching the two sea beasts. They were lucky; the creatures appeared to be some kind of mutated fish with a fatal weakness in their heads, allowing for one-shot kills.

The pair surfaced with the battered octopus and the two fish-like sea beasts. By the time they reported back, Jiang Huan’s record—having killed two beasts while rescuing a teammate—had already established her as a standout among the newcomers. Xiao Ming offered a word of praise and reached out to pat her shoulder, but he retracted his hand halfway, mindful of Jiang Huan's gender.

Jiang Huan took the initiative and shook his hand. "Thank you for the compliment."

Aside from the "preferential" treatment of rooming with the other two women, she had been subject to the same living conditions, training intensity, and rations as everyone else since arriving at the port for the selection process. Therefore, she saw no need to be overly reserved; after all, these people might become her teammates, comrades, or even superiors in the future, and Jiang Huan did not mind necessary socializing. As for unnecessary socializing—the kind reminiscent of a freshman overcompensating only to end up being bossed around by seniors, roommates, and counselors—she avoided that entirely.

Jiang Huan removed her helmet, breathing in the fresh air. Before long, most of the other teammates returned to the small ark with their hunted sea beasts. Two people had been eliminated; the specific reasons were not disclosed, but Jiang Huan could tell from their dejected expressions that their chance to compete was gone. She was uninterested in other people's business and followed the majority of those who remained to receive further instructions from Xiao Ming.

Entering the mess hall, Jiang Huan understood why Xiao Ming had been so confident about the quality of their treatment. Even at this stage, they still had nine dishes, two soups, and two types of staple foods to choose from. Jiang Huan filled a plate and tasted everything; the food was surprisingly good, even though the fish were processed products. Then again, it was lucky to have fish at all in these times; one couldn't afford to be picky about freshness. Out here on the ocean, who would dare eat fresh catch? Even if they had it, they wouldn't dare touch it.

They spent the night huddled in a large bungalow. The next day, they advanced to the twelfth layer of the underwater fishing zone. Looking at the sea, where the discoloration had become even more severe, Jiang Huan and the others wore grim expressions.

This time, Xiao Ming donned his gear as well. Everyone was equipped with an alarm, and help would be dispatched immediately if anyone encountered mortal danger. In truth, even at the twelfth layer, there were not many large sea beasts. This was the final stage of the assessment, and despite Xiao Ming’s warning of increased risks, not a single person backed down.

Yesterday's meal was enough to keep everyone willing to face the danger. In this apocalypse, if you didn't come to the front lines to earn a living, where else wouldn't be like hell? Jiang Huan checked her equipment carefully before submerging.

The color of the seawater caused visibility to drop sharply, but Jiang Huan remained calm. Following the techniques she had learned, she activated a watch-like device on her arm. It emitted a glow that seemed to penetrate the murky hues, maintaining a visibility range of about three meters.

***

Meanwhile, back at the mountain-top bunker, which was a great distance away, everyone noticed that the condition of the plants was becoming increasingly dire. Furthermore, with Jiang Huan gone, they found that the frequency of finding usable items while scavenging was dropping, often falling to zero.

With constant consumption and no production, everyone felt uneasy. Seeing that Jiang Huan and Xie Congzhou had been away for over half a month without word, they could not help but feel anxious. Although Wang Ping’s return brought the good news that the three of them had likely been selected, the realization that each person could only bring one dependent caused some to panic. One individual began hoarding food, a few bites at a time, though the cooked meals would spoil in the heat. When this was discovered after three days—during which the person hadn't eaten enough and had wasted food—he was reported to Liu Ling.

Liu Ling knew this behavior could not be tolerated, but with both main pillars of their group away, she tried to handle it gently. She spoke with the man, who acted meek and apologetic, but it was clear to anyone with eyes that he was only complying on the surface. Liu Ling rubbed her forehead; driving them away now would be too cruel, yet this situation could not continue.

As she complained to her husband about how easily people’s minds were swayed by the slightest disturbance, Jiang Xi, who was passing by, overheard and asked, "Sister Liu Ling, why don't you record their names and behavior? My sister will be back soon, and she will know what to do. Back at school, some classmates liked to bully others, but the teacher had a merit board, and everyone cared about their performance points and wanted to earn more gifts than the others, so the bullying stopped. If they bully you, you should do that too. If someone really doesn't like it here, then let them go where they like. If they try to fight, I will help you, because my sister told me I can trust you."

Jiang Xi, who had always been simple, kind, and innocent as an angel, suddenly spoke at such length, leaving the couple stunned for a moment. Liu Ling didn't know why, but tears suddenly streamed down her face.

"These worthless tears..." She had been a confidante to the siblings, trusting them and earning their trust in return, often acting as an assistant or secretary. Early on, many had called her a sycophant. Later, there were discordant voices who felt Jiang Huan treated her too well, but Liu Ling knew this was the apocalypse—there was no room for the prideful refusal of kindness. She wouldn't be foolish enough to reject Jiang Huan’s regard, but her emotions had been affected nonetheless. Hearing a teenager with autism like Jiang Xi say those words made her defenses crumble.

It must have been something Jiang Huan had mentioned repeatedly, enough for Jiang Xi to remember it as important information from his sister.

"I... I don't want to cry. I'm actually happy." Concerned that Jiang Xi might not understand how people often have uncontrollable emotional reactions at specific moments, Liu Ling explained why she was crying.

Jiang Xi crouched down, looked at her, and handed her a pack of tissues. "Crying is just washing out the things you don't like. It's okay. You're healthier after a wash."

The remark was unexpectedly witty, and Liu Ling couldn't help but laugh. Jiang Xi stood up and returned to his room as usual. He leaned back on the folding sofa his sister had set up for him, pulling his knees to his chest. He missed his sister, too.

When Liu Ling was crying just now, several images flashed through Jiang Xi's mind. There was a time when he and his sister were very poor—so poor that they had only five or six hundred to live on for the month. During his sister's exploration livestreams, to earn more money, she would follow the trends of other streamers, where viewers could pay to make requests. Someone had once asked her to eat bugs, and she did. Then, seeing a village in the background, they demanded she go to a lonely bachelor's house to beg for food, promising a gift worth three hundred. His sister had almost hung up immediately, as she never entered such remote villages due to the extreme danger. Then, someone donated a thousand and told her not to do it, to protect herself. His sister cried that day.

That clip was edited into a short video—they called it a "slice." Later, he asked his sister about her "work," and she told him that it was just washing the dirty things out of her heart.

"Then why do some people always cry, crying over everything?"

"That's because their brains are flooded."

The memory faded. Jiang Xi noticed the hidden, unopened food supplies in the corner. If his sister didn't return by the day after tomorrow, should he reveal these things so that everyone would stop worrying, stop being afraid, and stop arguing? He really wanted to go to a quieter place, somewhere where not everyone expected his sister to be responsible for them...