Chapter 9 Hope "Living happily every day is the most important thing for survival..."
A few days later, Savare had recovered enough. The wound on her back had begun to scab over, and most of the bruises on her face had faded, leaving only a faint mark from a pebble that ran from her cheek to her ear.
Fortunately, when she was escaping that day, Savare was close to the cave entrance and was not directly hit by the collapsing rocks; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
All I can say is that it's incredibly fortunate.
But in this context, the word "fortunately" always seems somewhat ironic.
Chen Mi sat on the edge of the bed, watching Shavalei take out repeatedly used strips of cloth from the drawer, her thin hands wrapping the cloth around her arm. The room was quiet, with only the faint sound of the fabric rubbing together.
The hand protected by the strips of cloth was as thin as a withered tree branch. Chen Mi looked at the makeshift wristband she had made for him and felt an indescribable pang of sorrow.
Savare focused intently on tying the two ends of the cloth strip tightly, and after a long while, she spoke: "Sister Chenmi, I heard from others that... Steward Kulun wants you to work in District C, is that true?"
Shen Mi hummed in agreement. "It's true. Luckily, Manager Mei helped me get an extra month."
Savare looked up at Chen Mi, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "But...but Area C is very dangerous."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undisguised worry.
Although Savare was young, her work experience in the labor camps far surpassed hers, and she naturally knew what being sent to Sector C meant. It was far away, and those who went in were basically prepared to never come out again, and... anyone involved with Cullen would never have a good ending.
Tekai was one of them... Shavalei looked at Shen Mi, her heart filled with conflict.
However, since things had come to this point, Shen Mi had no choice but to go in order to complete the task assigned to her by the system.
Only by going there can you have a chance to complete the mission.
However, being busy surviving, they never noticed that Savare had two hair whorls on the top of her head, which were parallel and formed a heart shape.
It's quite unique!
Shen Mi smiled, placed his hand on her head, and rubbed it firmly twice in the heart shape, comforting her, "Oh, it's okay, it's not like you're not coming back. Besides, there's still a month before I leave."
However, there was one thing that Shen Mi hadn't expected: she never imagined that rumors about the labor camp could spread so quickly!
When she listened to Kulun and Danheng talking, she specifically looked around, and there should be no one around.
It seems I need to be more careful with my words from now on. No wonder his first reaction when he saw Dan Heng's naked body was to chase after him and kill him to silence him.
At this rate of spread within the labor camp, I'm afraid that the moment it's exposed, the person will be arrested and investigated by the company.
Thinking of the scene he unexpectedly stumbled upon that night, Chen Mi felt a warmth in his nose, as if a warm current was about to flow out.
Shen Mi thought with relief that it was he who had seen Dan Heng's body. He just hadn't expected that the person known in the game as "poor and stingy" was actually not only generous but also quite well-endowed.
Shen Mi shook his head, banishing those chaotic thoughts from his mind.
Now is not the time to think about these things.
Savare was still staring at her, seemingly unreassured by Shen Mi's nonchalant "It's nothing," and her brows furrowed even more.
Shen Mi guiltily looked away and pretended to tidy the bed: "It's really nothing. If something really happened, we insignificant ants would have no choice but to let them do as they please."
Even so, she knew better than anyone that there was no such thing as "waiting to die" in this place. Waiting would not bring a way out.
Savare clutched the strip of cloth in her hand, the cloth that had been used so many times that the edges were frayed and the threads were coming undone; at that moment, it was like the only thing she could hold onto.
Shen Mi noticed that her knuckles were white, sighed softly, took the strip of cloth from her hand, and put it back in the drawer: "Hey, Savare, don't wrap it too tightly, it will affect blood circulation."
Savare bit her lip and whispered, "But... people who go to Zone C rarely come back."
These words, which seemed to foreshadow her fate, made the air in the room feel heavy.
Shen Mi remained silent for a moment.
She had indeed heard that Zone C was Kuren's territory, where the environment was worse, the workload heavier, and there were even some unspeakable atrocities. Those who went to Zone C, whether voluntarily transferred or forced there, rarely returned unscathed.
But so what?
Shen Mi lowered his head and looked at Shavalei's still somewhat childish face, and the fear and worry that she couldn't hide in her eyes.
She suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
"Savare." Shen Mi called her name softly, reaching out to touch her hair, circling it around the two heart-shaped hair whorls side by side.
"You have to believe me," she said slowly. "Going to Zone C doesn't mean I won't come back. I'll be fine."
Savare's eyes were a little red, and her voice was even softer: "But...but what if they don't let you come back?"
Shen Mi was stunned for a moment.
What if Kulen doesn't intend to release them?
The image of Dan Heng chasing after her with a cold face that night, and the sword Ji Yun that he had pressed against her back, flashed through her mind instantly.
It's a pity she's not a Star Core Essence now, otherwise, given Dan Heng's personality, he would have already connected Yun to his brain in the next second.
Let's just consider this a chance to get to know Danheng all over again.
Shen Mi smiled, her tone carrying a hint of unspoken expectation: "Then it's even simpler. If they won't let me come back, then I'll come back myself."
Savare looked up at her, stunned, as if she hadn't grasped the meaning of those words.
Shen Mi didn't explain further. Instead, he ruffled her hair, turning her two heart-shaped hair whorls into a messy tangled mess, and said lightly, "Alright, stop frowning. If you keep frowning, you'll get another wrinkle here."
Savare gave a muffled "Oh".
Shen Mi leaned against the bed, looked up at the light bulb on the ceiling, and squinted slightly.
If Cullen really doesn't intend for her to come back, then she should come back on her own.
No matter what method she uses, she will have to leave this place sooner or later.
—Deep inside the mine.
The miner's lamp hung shakily overhead, its dim light casting long shadows on the rock walls. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and rust; each breath felt like swallowing a heavy cloud of dust.
Chen Mi bent over and swung his pickaxe repeatedly, sending stone chips flying and landing on his shoes and trouser legs.
"Bang."
Another pickaxe swung down, the impact sending numbness through her arm.
Not far away, Savare was also mining, but her movements were noticeably slower. Her movements were unnatural, and dark bloodstains were faintly visible through her clothes, as if her wounds had reopened. The girl's face was pale, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Shen Mi's brows furrowed tightly.
"Savare." Shen Mi finally stopped what he was doing, trying to make his voice sound as steady as possible. "Take a break."
Savare gripped the pickaxe tightly, her voice barely audible: "I can still dig..."
"Your back is bleeding," Shen Mi calmly pointed out the fact.
Savare reached out and touched it, only to see specks of blood on her palm. She instinctively tried to hide it behind her back: "It's okay, really..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Mi walked over, took the pickaxe from her hand, and put it aside: "Sit down."
Savaree froze: "But—"
"I said, sit down." Shen Mi's tone was not harsh, but it brooked no refusal.
The girl hesitated for a moment, but still obediently squatted down by the rock wall, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Shen Mi knelt in front of her, took out a clean strip of cloth from his pocket, and gently lifted her clothes. He got stuck halfway up, because Shavalei's top was soaked with sweat and repeatedly dried, and each bit he peeled off brought a stinging sensation.
Savare gasped.
"Bear with it for a moment," Shen Mi said in a low voice.
She used her small water bottle to wet the corner of the cloth, carefully wiped away the scabbed blood from the edges of the wound, and then quickly and deftly wrapped a new strip of cloth around it, her technique so practiced that it seemed she was already used to this method.
Savare kept her head down, staring at Shen Mi's hands, and asked softly, "Did you... often bandage people's wounds before?"
Shen Mi didn't look up. Her mind flashed through the steps of first aid. She focused on tying the knot and made sure the bandage wouldn't come undone before saying, "No. But I've seen other people bandage it."
Shavalei pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
Shen Mi stuffed the water bottle back into his pocket: "You stay here, I'll dig it for you."
“But…” Savare panicked, “They will check, and if they find I haven’t completed the task, they will punish me…”
Shen Mi looked up at her, her tone softening: "No."
"Why?"
“Because you’re keeping watch for me.” Shen Mi picked up his pickaxe and smiled at Savare. “I’ll mine, and you keep an eye on the surroundings. If anyone comes, tell me we’re in the same group.”
Savaree was stunned.
Shen Mi patted her shoulder: "In this way, you can be considered to be working."
Without waiting for Savare's response, she turned around and walked back to the stone wall, raising her pickaxe once more.
The sound echoed through the mine, one beat after another, like the muffled beating of a heart.
Shavale sat there, staring intently at Shen Mi's back, her hands clenched into fists as if trying to restrain something.
After a while, she spoke softly, "Sister Chenmi..."
Shen Mi didn't stop what he was doing: "Hmm?"
"You're so nice to me, is it because...you think I'm pathetic?"
Shen Mi paused for a moment, but didn't turn around: "No."
Why is that?
Shen Mi remained silent for a while before slowly speaking: "Because in this place, just surviving is difficult enough."
“It will be even more difficult if we don’t help each other.”
Savare stared at her blankly, her nose suddenly feeling a little sore.
She lowered her head, quietly wiping away a bit of moisture from the corner of her eye, then sat up straighter and began to carefully watch the movements at the mine entrance.
She had no money or anything of value to repay her for saving her life, so she could only keep a close watch on the cave entrance to prevent others from getting involved and to ensure that her sister Shenmi wouldn't be implicated because of her.
Shen Mi swung her pickaxe incessantly, the sound echoing loudly in the cave. With her back to Savare, she raised her voice and said, "Alright, alright, nothing has happened yet, so stop looking so gloomy."
"To live each day happily is the primary goal of survival!"
A note from the author:
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La la la, I accidentally posted this early today, hahaha [covering face and peeking][covering face and peeking][covering face and peeking] Teacher Danheng will appear in the next chapter!
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