Chapter 551 Night

Evening arrived quickly, and the resort was quiet. People who had finished their day's work began to return to their rooms to rest, or gathered together to chat, drink, and play cards.

In short, no one was bored.

I stood by the lake at the resort, alone, quietly staring at the dark lake surface before me. The moonlight in the sky was hazy, as if shrouded in a veil, but it was just that the clouds were obscuring the moonlight from my eyes, like a barrier separating the past from the future.

Ripples spread across the lake's surface. After the clouds quietly passed, the moonlight reappeared, reflecting on the lake's surface. As the ripples gradually rose, the moon in the lake transformed into a wave-shaped potato chip.

The lake water is not as turbulent as the sea; although there are ripples, it remains calm.

Jingjie appeared beside me without my noticing.

I didn't even hear her footsteps.

"What are you thinking about?" Sister Jing came to my side and asked softly, facing the lake in front of us.

I shook my head and said, "I wasn't thinking about anything, just spacing out."

Sister Jing smiled and said, "It's good, spacing out isn't bad either."

I didn't speak, still staring quietly at the lake. The pitch-black night seemed like a giant beast crawling above our heads.

Jingjie asked, "What do you think the situation is like in the central town right now?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't know, but I estimate the damage to the central town won't be too severe."

"Why? Since Yao Chengjie and his group launched a sneak attack, it will take time for Central Town to react. If Yao Chengjie and his group launch a full-scale attack, Central Town will basically be unable to defend against it, right?" Sister Jing said.

I shook my head and said, "It's not that simple. If it were before, Yao Chengjie's sneak attack might have been somewhat effective and would have caused some damage to Central Town. But now it's not certain. Zhou Liang is in Central Town now. He was watching us at the door when we left Central Town yesterday. I think he must have noticed something fishy."

"A man like him would definitely make thorough preparations to deal with whatever happens. I think Yao Chengjie and his men's sneak attack may have already failed."

Sister Jing said, "Don't be so pessimistic. What if you succeed?"

I said, "Of course I hope Yao Chengjie and his team succeed, but the chances of success are too small. And even if this sneak attack succeeds, what then? Can it really damage the foundation of Central Town?"

Sister Jing said, "Can't I?"

I said, "Sister Jing, you've never been to Central Town, so you don't know. Even though I've lived here for a month, there are still many things I don't understand. For example, where do they get their guns and ammunition? Given the situation in Central Town, they couldn't possibly produce guns and ammunition themselves."

"And then there's Chen Tianqi, the leader of Central Town. He always appears alone, but I can tell that there must be a much larger force behind him. It's because of this force that he's able to maintain his position as the leader of Central Town. There are still many mysteries in Central Town that haven't been solved, and many things that haven't been clarified, so I don't think much of Yao Chengjie's sneak attack."

I gave a wry smile and continued, "But I also hope they can succeed, because only a successful surprise attack can draw out the true strength of Central Town. Since Central Town wants to unify the entire Delta region, it is unrealistic to rely on the current raiders alone. So I think there is an even greater force behind Central Town."

Jingjie said, "Are all these things you're talking about really that important?"

I nodded and said, "It's quite important."

Jing patted my shoulder and said, "But, Xiaonan, I think there's something you've got wrong."

"What's wrong?" I asked Sister Jing, puzzled.

Sister Jing said, "Tell me, why did we leave Jiajiang in the first place?"

I was stunned for a moment, unsure how to answer. Leaving Jiajiang was entirely out of necessity; we were forced out by Su Mu, not something we did voluntarily.

Seeing that I couldn't answer, Sister Jing continued, "It's for survival, right?"

I nodded and said, "Yes, it's to survive."

Sister Jing said, "At first, that's exactly what we did. We were running around trying to survive. After finding the research institute as our goal, we worked hard to move towards it. Originally, we had already survived in the research institute and had no worries or concerns about our lives."

"But now, look at our situation. We're back to where we were before, struggling just to survive. Do you really think it's worth it?"

Hearing Jingjie's words, I felt a little helpless and said, "I know I didn't know, but..."

Sister Jing shook her head: "There's no 'but' about it. Actually, all of us want very little. We just want to live peacefully and simply, without getting involved in any struggles or competitions. As long as we're at peace, that's better than anything else."

I looked at Sister Jing with a slightly apologetic expression.

Our current predicament is entirely my fault. If I hadn't locked Zhang Jianzhou up in the research institute, Jingjie and the others wouldn't be here now.

"sorry."

Sister Jing shook her head. "Don't say sorry. You've already done so much for us. Xiaonan, I hope you'll think carefully about our future. If we really continue to participate in the struggle, then we're all very likely to be killed by Zhou Liang in the future."

I took a deep breath, knowing full well that this was highly likely to happen.

After all, Zhou Liang is currently in Central Town, and I am still working with him. If he really takes control of Central Town, then our relationship will be over. At that time, Zhou Liang will definitely not let us go.

Jingjie left the lakeside not long after. I looked around, then lay down on the ground, staring at the moon in the sky, feeling restless.

The clouds reappeared, obscuring the moonlight, and everything in the world fell into darkness once more.

How is the central town doing now?

Did Yao Chengjie and his team succeed?

How will Zhou Liang handle this situation?

...

One question after another popped into my mind. I desperately wanted to know the answers, but all of this was happening in the central town, and I had no way of knowing what was going on there.

I closed my eyes and recalled what Sister Jing had just said.

It seems I really overlooked too many things. I originally thought that Sister Jing and the others would support me unconditionally, but I overlooked the fact that not all of them wanted to see war happen.

Once a struggle breaks out, someone will inevitably die.

In that case, it could be yourself who dies, or it could be a friend of yours.

From the very beginning, although I've gotten used to people leaving, I really don't want to see more people die because of some inexplicable things.

(End of this chapter)