Inside a makeshift snow castle at Tianyu Base.
“Miss Hongling, I’m so sorry that you and the children have encountered such a thing as soon as you arrived at our ‘Tianyu Base’.” Chen Yu said to Li Hongling with an apologetic look. “However, as you have seen, Li Xiubai and the others are clamoring to split up the family. I really don’t know what to do. Although you have not officially joined our ‘Tianyu Base’ yet, you should make a decision as soon as possible.”
"Sigh! To be honest, this time, we might lose badly, and we might lose everything!" Chen Yu sighed. "I really don't want the children to suffer with me."
"No need to say anything more, General Chen. You saved my life and the children's lives. No matter what, we stand by your side," Li Hongling said firmly.
Her words were filled with an unwavering determination, as if she were declaring war on fate. "We have weathered countless storms and struggled out of despair, and have long since learned resilience and perseverance. Under your protection, we have found a brief moment of peace, and this kindness is more precious than any material wealth."
“Miss Hongling, I have to criticize you here. Although you are the leader of these children, we can’t make decisions unilaterally, can we? The choice should be based on their opinions, shouldn’t it?” Chen Yu said sternly.
Li Hongling opened her mouth, but had no words to reply.
Then, Chen Yu looked at the hundreds of children of all ages present and said with a solemn expression, "Children, now you are facing a major choice that will determine your future life and death. This base is about to split up. If you choose to follow me, you may go hungry for a long time, and life may be even more difficult than in Guangping Prison. But if you choose to follow the other team, you will not only have no worries about food and clothing, but you will also no longer have to worry about any bad people."
"If I follow them, will I get candy?" A child's innocent voice broke the heavy atmosphere, carrying a hint of naivety and curiosity.
"There should be some," Chen Yu said with a slight smile. "Do you want to go with them?"
The child was somewhat tempted by this: "I...I..."
"Zhou Xiaotong, do you have any self-respect?" a child of about the same age next to her shouted angrily.
"I... Tongtong won't eat candy anymore. Only bad people give candy, not General Brother," Zhou Xiaotong said quickly.
“We’ll follow General Brother too.” The other children echoed, their eyes shining with determination and trust, as if their small bodies contained an indomitable strength.
Chen Yu nodded: "Very good. Your decision makes me feel gratified and proud. Remember, true courage is not just about not being afraid of difficulties, but also about choosing to uphold justice and beliefs even when facing difficulties. From today onwards, we are an inseparable family. No matter how rugged the road ahead may be, we will stand hand in hand and face it together."
He turned to Li Hongling and said, "Miss Hongling, your resilience and the children's innocence have given me hope. Rest assured, I, Chen Yu, will never let down anyone who is willing to follow me."
As he spoke, he glanced at Li Hongling's empty arms and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid limb regeneration is not possible in the short term, but don't worry, after this matter is over, I will have someone make two biotechnology prosthetics for you as soon as possible, as a temporary solution."
Li Hongling smiled bitterly upon hearing this. She knew that Chen Yu was just trying to comfort her. After all, with the split of the "Tianyu Base," Chen Yu's side would most likely get nothing. Survival would be a problem, let alone the energy to research 'limb regeneration technology'. Even if they created biotechnology prosthetics, it would be impossible.
Although she thought this way, she didn't show any frustration or dissatisfaction on her face, and said softly, "Thank you."
"Okay." Chen Yu nodded, then took his leave.
After leaving Li Hongling and the others' residence, Chen Yu had Feng Xinran deliver some food to Li Hongling and the others before taking a helicopter back to the post-apocalyptic bunker.
Although Chen Yu didn't seem to care much about the children under Li Hongling's command who had lost their loved ones in the disaster, he was actually quite concerned about them.
Firstly, he himself was an orphan, so he has a natural sympathy and empathy for these children who have no relatives;
Secondly, children are the most malleable and the easiest to cultivate into specific talents for the base.
Most importantly, since they are all alone and will grow up in the base, their loyalty to the base will be unparalleled, and he can cultivate them into his true confidants.
He plans to include these children in a special training program, not only teaching them survival skills and knowledge, but more importantly, cultivating their sense of responsibility and loyalty, so that they can become the backbone of the base in the future.
Therefore, he was still gratified that these children were able to collectively choose to stand by him during this difficult time.
When we got back to the post-apocalyptic bunker, it was almost 8 p.m.
Qiao Meng had already prepared dinner, and Yang Yue had also finished her day's work in the biology lab.
"Mr. Chen Yu, how did things go today?" Qiao Meng asked with concern as she served Chen Yu rice.
"Everything is going according to plan, hehe, Xiao Qiao, once the base is stable, you should go out more often. Staying at home all day is getting boring." Chen Yu took the rice bowl from Qiao Meng, smiled and responded, his eyes full of tenderness.
"No, it's great here. The space is big enough. When I have free time, I go to the entertainment center to use the VR equipment to see the scenery or read a book. My days are quite fulfilling," Qiao Meng said with a smile.
Chen Yu smiled slightly upon hearing this, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. He knew that Qiao Meng said this because she didn't want him to worry, but at the same time, he realized that he needed to provide more care and support to those around him.
“Xiao Qiao, you’re always so understanding,” Chen Yu said softly. “But I hope you can have more freedom and choices. Once the situation stabilizes, I hope you can go out and help me manage some affairs on the base, or at least participate in projects that interest you, so that your talents and abilities can be fully displayed.”
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Qiao Meng's eyes: "Really?"
"Of course it's true. I don't want my woman to be a housewife all day long," Chen Yu said jokingly, his tone filled with a mixture of affection and seriousness.
"Ahem~" Lin Lele coughed lightly, somewhat displeased, "You two, that's enough, Yueyue and I are still here."
"You're the same, hehe, you're the same too." Chen Yu chuckled awkwardly.
Hearing Chen Yu's perfunctory reply, Lin Lele and Yang Yue both pursed their lips. Chen Yu's differential treatment was too obvious.
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