The brother and sister were stunned when they heard this.

They hadn't expected these people to come so early in the morning to help. In fact, they had initially planned to have the villagers help fix the door, but the villagers' uninvited enthusiasm was truly beyond their expectations.

The brother and sister looked at each other in bewilderment.

Watching the villagers busily working.

Sun Muchen poured water for everyone and brought it over. After returning to the house, he sat down next to Wang Lan and said with a smile, "How about it, brother? These people are still very down-to-earth, aren't they!"

Wang Lan nodded and said, "Yes, that's down-to-earth."

He meant it sincerely.

But something unusual must be amiss; no one visits the temple without a reason.

No one is kind for no reason, especially... this kind of unsolicited, extraordinary kindness.

Just as Wang Lan was puzzled by this, Chen Bihua walked in, covered in sweat, and said with a smile, "The door is basically finished. Once the hinges are done, we can install it."

"Thank you, Village Chief Chen." Sun Muchen expressed his gratitude politely, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him.

Wang Lan asked, "Village Chief Chen, who saw that my door was broken?"

Chen Bihua was taken aback, then turned around and called out, "Old Wang, Old Wang!"

As the voices were being spoken, an old man poked his head in from outside and said, "Village chief, did you call me?"

Chen Bihua pointed at the old man and said to Wang Lan, "That's him. He lives near your house. I just happened to pass by and saw him."

Wang Lan looked the old man up and down a few times, nodded, and said, "Thank you."

To everyone's surprise, after hearing Wang Lan's words of gratitude, the old man trembled with excitement.

Chen Bihua laughed and said, "Alright, go and get to work for Mr. Wang!"

"Hey! Hey!" Old Wang nodded repeatedly, turned around and threw himself into his work, working extra hard.

Chen Bihua turned to look at Wang Lan and smiled, "Wang Lan, you don't know this, do you? These people treat you like a god! Your strength gives them a great sense of security, and you've become their guardian angel. They're incredibly eager to do things for you, and they consider it an honor!"

“Oh,” Wang Lan nodded, giving a very calm reply.

Sun Muchen laughed and said, "In this apocalypse, despair is everywhere. It's not easy for someone to appear and bring hope. It's indeed inspiring. No wonder they regard you as a god."

“But is there despair here?” Wang Lan pointed outside and said, “Everyone in this village is harmonious and there is no backstabbing. Although the conditions are a bit poor, the so-called holy city provides them with food and water. These people can even hold a bonfire party every night. Where is there despair in this Hope Village?”

“You can’t say that,” Chen Bihua said. “This is also to prevent the villagers from becoming negative. I think that in this apocalypse, mental well-being is even more important. Only when you are in a good mental state can you survive better and have more confidence in the future!”

Upon hearing this, Sun Muchen nodded emphatically.

Wang Lan frowned, picked at her ear, and seemed completely unconcerned about what she was saying.

Chen Bihua wasn't embarrassed. She turned to look outside and said, "With Wang Lan here, when the Holy City leads another team out in a few days, there will definitely be more people coming back alive."

"Huh?" Wang Lan asked in surprise, "What did you say?"

“My brother doesn’t know,” Sun Muchen said to Chen Bihua, then explained to Wang Lan, “Brother, you don’t know this, but every now and then, the Holy City will send people out with the villagers to investigate whether there is any danger around the village, and also to see if they can find any other survivors.”

"Oh..." Wang Lan nodded, then asked, "Is there a great risk? From what you just said, it seems like quite a few people die each time?"

Chen Bihua replied, "Yes, after all, we are far from the village and have left the protection of the Holy City, so there is bound to be danger."

"oh."

Wang Lan nodded, then stood up, walked to the door, turned around and said, "Don't count me in, I'm not going."

Chen Bihua: "......"

After Wang Lan finished speaking, she turned and left.

Over the next few days, Wang Lan did not feel any physical discomfort. Sun Muchen checked him every day, and he was healthy in all aspects.

The men in black who attacked for two consecutive days have not yet shown up.

These past few days have been unusually uneventful.

Every day, I go to teach the children with Sun Muchen, and then go home after school to eat and sleep.

The cycle repeated itself, which made Wang Lan feel extremely bored.

He seemed to have grown accustomed to fighting, battling, and fleeing.

So much so that after calming down, I felt increasingly uncomfortable, both physically and mentally.

That night, Wang Lan tossed and turned in her chair, unable to fall asleep.

Sun Muchen noticed Wang Lan's unusual behavior and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

“It’s so boring,” Wang Lan sighed, then rolled off the bed, poured himself a glass of water and drank it all in one gulp. “I’m probably not used to such quiet days. It seems to have made me feel lethargic and without any fighting spirit.”

"Isn't this kind of life good?" Sun Muchen said. "Not having to fight endlessly just to survive, and being able to continue like this is not bad at all."

“Not good,” Wang Lan shook his head and said, “The mutation is not over yet, and the animals affected by it have not stopped. The peace and stability in this village is just an illusion, only temporary. Although this village looks okay, it will make people lose their fighting spirit and even gradually degenerate. Once danger appears, even if it is not a big danger, it will cause a devastating blow to this Hope Village!”

Sun Muchen thought for a moment and said, "But if that happens, we can protect them!"

“We are not the guardians of this village, and you shouldn’t put yourself in such a position,” Wang Lan said. “Besides, if we continue like this, we will become weaker day by day, and in the end, we may degenerate into the same state as them.”

Sun Muchen bit his lip and said, "No, brother."

"You go to sleep," Wang Lan said. "I'm going out for a walk."

“Oh,” Sun Muchen could only nod, unsure of what to say to Wang Lan.

The door opened.

The door closed.

Wang Lan walked out.

The night was long and deep.

Looking around the village, only a few lights remained, and as the snoring began, those lights gradually went out.

Wang Lan walked through the village, feeling its tranquility.

But he couldn't calm down.

Instead, a long-lost sense of irritability quietly rose from my heart.

Wang Lan walked slowly, then suddenly stopped.

His gaze shifted to a room beside him.

The lights in the room were still on, and you could see shadows of people inside through the window.

It appears to be a woman washing her body.

Wang Lan stared at the figure for a while.

He clenched his fist tightly.

A strong impulse suddenly arose in my heart, and I couldn't control it!