Xie Jinyu looked dejected; her once unyielding back was now hunched, and even her voice was hoarse.

"The Prime Minister passed away last night."

brush!

Gu Zuozuo turned around abruptly, her expression one of surprise.

"Impossible! I personally examined him a month ago, and his body clearly could hold out for another two months!"

Xie Jinyu wiped her face, her voice choked with sobs.

"He didn't keep your instructions, he compressed six months' worth of work into just over a month, he overworked himself, and at night... he died."

This matter was kept under wraps and not made public. Only senior officers and above knew about it, for fear of causing unrest.

Gu Zuozuo felt a lump in her throat and fell silent.

She understood his thoughts.

Knowing that their time is running out, doctors always want to do more so that those who come after them can avoid some of the pitfalls. This is the kind of person that doctors both admire and find infuriating.

A paper crane silently appeared before her.

Gu Zuozuo reached out and took it, and a hoarse voice, tinged with sobs, came from the paper crane.

"Comrade Gu, the commander has passed away. He left you some things. Do you... want to come and get them?"

It was Wang Erzhu's voice.

Xie Jinyu's eyes were bloodshot as she looked at the paper crane in her hand.

His arrival here was at his father's behest; he informed Gu Zuozuo to bring him to the capital.

Gu Zuozuo remained silent for a long time before shaking her head.

"No, let Cai Wenyue bring the things over when she has some free time."

She couldn't stand that sad atmosphere, even though she didn't know why. Just thinking about that scene made her feel inexplicably sad.

Xie Jinyu stood with her for a long time, so long that the sun began to set and the evening glow hung in the sky.

"Zuo Zuo, do you think there's still hope?"

This ailing nation, this era shrouded in darkness, now has one of its pillars supporting it have fallen. How will the rest hold on?

Gu Zuozuo looked at the darkening sky and remained silent for a long time.

"meeting!"

Xie Jinyu and Jiang Bei only stayed in Malutun for half an afternoon before hurriedly returning to Beijing.

In the stillness of the night, Gu Zuozuo lay half-reclined on a towering tree, silently watching the sparse stars in the sky.

[Host, you are sad.]

The system glanced at the host's emotional value, which was lower than ever before, making even the system itself feel inexplicably sad.

"Commander, what is the purpose of your existence?"

[I don't know. From the moment we gained consciousness, we had to start selecting hosts from countless planes to assist. If we found one suitable, we could bind to them for life; if not, the binding would expire and we would continue searching for the next one.]

Their purpose seems to be to make up for the shortcomings of a certain environment, a certain person, or a certain time, and to help them fulfill their own or others' wishes and regrets.

[Host, are you very sad?]

The host it had always seen was a strong, calm, and open-minded person. This was the first time it had ever seen her so negative and silent.

"How can this not be considered sadness?"

System: ······(=ＴェＴ=) Something about this sounds off.

Recently, the health station in Malutun has become quite lively in the evenings. After dinner, the villagers like to bring their families to gather together and listen to the radio.

The old ladies who used to gather at the village entrance to gossip no longer go there in recent years. Instead, they bring their small stools or straw mats and set up a circle under the grapevines in front of the health station to chat about this and that.

This grape variety was a new one that Gu Zuozuo discovered through the sign-in system. It grew well within two years of being planted, and the club members who often came to visit built a grape trellis for it, where it was often filled with people.

The fruit that grows is sweet and juicy, and the two grapevines are laden with fruit every late summer. It has become one of the most popular fruits among the children in the village in recent years.

These past few days, there have been even more people, because Gu Zuozuo plays the radio for them every day, and even people who have just finished get off work at the glass factory come here to pick up their children.

It was not yet six o'clock in the afternoon.

The area around the entrance of the health station was crowded with people. After a day of farm work, they would sit here in the evening to relax, listen to the radio, and chat.

"Gu Zhiqing, did you go on your blind date?"

Gu Zuozuo fiddled with the radio in her hand, and when she heard the question, she looked up at the old lady who had asked the question and shook her head directly.

The old woman slapped her thigh, her voice filled with excitement.

"It's best you didn't go! Let me tell you..."