Jiang Feng continued, "Her reporting Huang Weiguo might be a way to save herself, or it could be a more cunning way to cut her losses and survive. The connections behind Huang Weiguo haven't been fully uncovered yet, and her background is shrouded in mystery. She is currently 'Minglang's sister,' an identity that serves as both a protective shield and a constraint."
Howard's jaw tightened, and he nodded emphatically: "I understand. I'll wear this tight rein. I'll continue to observe, and report any abnormalities immediately. But before that, I request... that she be given a chance to learn. Let her read. Perhaps, knowledge can truly free her from the shadows of the past."
This was his selfish motive, and also the only seemingly "normal" way out he could fight for for her.
Jiang Feng stared at Huo Hua for a long while, then finally nodded slowly: "Okay. Basic books are fine, I'll put in a good word. But that's all. Highly technical or sensitive books are absolutely out of the question. Also,"
He pointed to the radio box Howard had placed to the side. "You bought it?"
“Hmm,” Howard’s expression softened a bit. “Captain Jiang, I think your suggestion was very good. Letting her listen to the radio more, learn pronunciation, and imitate speech is better than just sitting around doing nothing. Maybe… she can recover faster.”
Jiang Feng rarely showed a smile: "This method will work. The pronunciation on the radio is clear and accurate, it'll be good to listen to it more often. Okay, go ahead, remember, keep your eyes open, and... keep your heart firm."
Howard's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded solemnly: "Yes!"
When Howard pushed open the courtyard gate carrying his luggage and radio box, the midday sun was bathing the courtyard in a warm golden light.
He instinctively looked at the window of the small house, which was tightly closed and covered in dust, making it impossible to see inside.
He strode into the house and closed the door behind him.
The scene inside the room startled him slightly.
Mingzhao wasn't sitting at her desk, nor was she lying in bed. She sat like a frozen statue, her back to the door, crouching in the corner. It was the corner he had cleared out that morning, the corner that had previously been piled with clutter.
On the ground in front of her lay a thick book, its cover worn and yellowed, titled "Fundamentals of Mechanical Principles."
Those were books he brought from his dormitory, basic textbooks from his time at military academy.
But what attracted Howard's attention was not the book, but Mingzhao's demeanor.
Her slender back was taut and trembling slightly. Her hands gripped the edge of the book tightly, her knuckles turning pale from the force.
Her head was buried deep, her dark hair pointing towards him, and she exuded an aura of despair and utter devastation.
Howard's heart sank! He put down his luggage and radio and strode over: "Mingzhao? What's wrong?"
Upon hearing his voice, Mingzhao's body trembled violently, but she did not turn around.
She seemed to have all her strength drained away; her hand gripping the book slumped open, and the heavy book fell to the ground with a "thud," its pages scattered.
Howard crouched down and finally saw her face clearly.
There were no tears. But those eyes, which were always clear and calm, or filled with a thirst for knowledge, were now frighteningly empty.
A sense of bewilderment and self-loathing, almost devastating, surged within her—a feeling Howard had never seen before! Her lips were pressed tightly together, almost drawing blood.
“Books…” she managed to squeeze out a broken syllable, filled with a heavy, indescribable sense of frustration.
She raised her hand, her trembling fingertips stabbing fiercely at the densely packed Chinese characters scattered on the pages of the book, then pointing at her own eyes and head, her movements intense, filled with self-denial and anger!
What's wrong with the book?
Mingzhao pointed forcefully at the words, gestured with his hand on the ground, and then looked at Howard blankly.
Howard felt as if he had been struck by lightning!
She...she can't read?!
This realization was like a cold lightning bolt, instantly cleaving through many doubts lingering in Howard's mind, but it also brought even deeper questions.
An illiterate person!
A mute man who was treated like livestock in a family like Huang Weiguo's and never went to school!
How did she "accidentally" see and "memorize" those complex and sophisticated fighter jet blueprints?!
Where does her extraordinary visual comprehension and memory come from?!
The Interstellar Alliance's top scientific research star is now completely stumped by the most basic Chinese characters from the 1970s!
In Mingzhao's understanding, knowledge can be directly transmitted through stream of consciousness, visually displayed through holographic images, and directly understood through logical deduction.
For her, writing, especially this pictographic and structurally complex system of square symbols, was nothing short of an incomprehensible enigma! It was an inefficient information carrier, far more difficult to understand than wormhole equations!
She opened the book with high hopes, thinking she could immediately grasp the technological landscape of the world, only to find herself in a completely incomprehensible desert composed of unfamiliar symbols!
This blow was heavier and more thorough than being hunted by space pirates, being abused by adoptive parents, or being suspected of being a spy!
It directly negates the only way for her to survive in this world and even find herself—knowledge!
Her pride in her intelligence was crushed in the face of the cruel reality of being illiterate!
Howard looked at the girl on the verge of collapse, at the bottomless despair and self-loathing in her eyes.
All suspicion, all vigilance, all weighing of pros and cons were overwhelmed by an overwhelming sense of pity and heartache at this moment!
His previous suspicions, like a dull knife, now swirled back and pierced his own heart! He actually suspected that a child who couldn't even read, who was like a helpless infant in the face of knowledge, was a professionally trained spy?!
He reached out to support her trembling shoulders, but stopped abruptly just before touching her. He was afraid that his touch would cause her to completely break down.
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