Chapter 298 298 Recruiting Again
Lan Shiruo grabbed the leader and asked, "Where are you from? Why did you burn the city? Tell me the truth and I'll give you a chance to live."
The small boss was a bully in his own clan. He had little ability and was a coward. He confessed without any torture or intimidation. "I, we are from Q City. This place is under the jurisdiction of Q City. Because of the outbreak of an epidemic, we had to burn the city to prevent the spread of the epidemic. This is all orders from the higher-ups. It has nothing to do with me. I'm just a small errand boy. I don't know anything. Really, let me go."
Lan Shiruo narrowed her eyes, "You've done this kind of thing a lot, right?"
The leader waved his hands repeatedly, very sincerely, "No, no, no, this is the first time, really the first time, good man, heroine, let me go, I won't dare to do it again, I will definitely change my ways and become a new person, do good deeds every day, do good deeds, please spare my worthless life, don't dirty your hands."
My friend rolled his eyes and said, "Who cares whether you do good or bad things?"
"How did these people get sick? Have they been cured?"
"I don't know where they came from. These are just garbage. They stay in the garbage dump all day long. It's normal for them to get sick. Who would spend time and energy to treat them with medicine? Everything is precious now. It's better to give them away in exchange for supplies than to use them. These people are just garbage anyway, and they are all like this whether they are dead or not." The leader was a little timid, but he liked to tell the truth, which was an advantage.
The people in the small town were so angry that they vomited blood, but they could not find any words to refute. Yes, they were all useless trash, abandoned and driven to the small town to die. In order to survive, they wandered in various garbage dumps every day. It was normal for them to get sick, and no one would care about them or spend materials, time and energy on them.
But even if they knew and heard these words, they still felt uncomfortable. Who wants to be a useless person? Who wants to be trampled on? Who wants to live like a walking corpse? But what can they do? What can they do?
A group of people even forgot the pain in their bodies and just cried bitterly with their heads in their hands.
The little friends frowned. They were not overly sympathetic. The world was difficult and everyone had a hard time. This was not an excuse or reason to indulge in self-degradation. As long as you lived with hope and pursuit, you would believe that there was more than just rummaging through garbage dumps in your life.
However, Q City's actions are also chilling and infuriating. They simply abandon the places and people under their jurisdiction and directly destroy them once something happens. This is too brutal.
If there are more places and people like this, even if the Dragon and Phoenix Team has extraordinary abilities, it will be difficult to save the people.
Therefore, you have to deal with each one you meet to remove obstacles for your future career.
"Please, kind-hearted people, save us." An old man with a white beard and a wrinkled face was panting with every step. His body and face were covered with pus, emitting a foul odor. Only his eyes, which should have been cloudy, were exceptionally bright.
Seeing this, the others seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and rushed over to kneel and beg.
The little friend remained unmoved and watched coldly as everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, crying and begging.
The leader pursed his lips and said, "These are just cheap bones, heroes and ladies, don't pay attention to them, otherwise they will stick to us like dog-skin plasters, and you can't get rid of them even if you shake them off."
Zhang Yun glanced at him coldly, "You are just a prisoner, what can you do?"
The leader sneered, but did not agree with Zhang Yun's words. He was a useful prisoner, different from this group of trash.
Lan Shiruo stared into the old man's eyes with an indifferent expression. "They were shouting and threatening us this morning. What makes you think we will put aside our past grudges and save you?"
The old man sighed helplessly, "I know, this is all our fault. We've all been complaining about our lives, even hating everyone who's doing well. Now I'm sick, waiting for death day by day without hope, hating the whole world, yet feeling extremely unwilling to accept it, to the point of twisting my mind. Seeing that you're not only doing well, but also carrying the virus they speculated to be the source, jealousy and resentment erupted simultaneously. I didn't care and took my anger out on you. It's everyone's fault, but please, give us a chance, help us, and we'll repay you like slaves."
Lan Shiruo scoffed, "Repay? You've all been exiled and abandoned yourself. What's the point of talking about repayment? How can you repay? I don't think a walking corpse can repay someone else's kindness."
The old man choked, unable to find the words to refute, let alone to defend himself. Yes, being expelled is not scary, what is scary is giving up on yourself.
He has advised countless times, but those who have already entered the ivory tower and are complaining about everything in it just won't listen. They sink deeper and deeper and can never get out.
My heart sank little by little, and I couldn't escape this disaster after all.
Lan Shiruo said calmly, "I think the old man is very clear about life. Why doesn't he abandon them and find a way to survive?"
The old man sighed quietly, "My family, young and old, were driven out of the base because of injuries. It was everyone's help that allowed them to leave with dignity. You all helped me, I can't be ungrateful and abandon them."
"Really?" Lan Shiruo's expression was indifferent, and no emotion could be heard. "What did the old man do in his past?"
Talking about the past, the old man reminisced and regretted, "I used to be an ordinary professor at an agricultural university. I should have retired and enjoyed life, but I didn't expect to face the end of the world. I haven't accomplished anything great in this life, so this is it." The reluctance implied in his tone proved that he still had a heart full of passion and ambition, but the conditions did not allow it, so all his dreams and pursuits had to be buried in his heart.
Lan Shiruo raised an eyebrow. "As a professor, I imagine you must be very knowledgeable about agriculture. Do you have any ideas for research on new species?"
Speaking of his profession, the old man's whole body gleamed. "To be honest, young lady, although I'm a professor, my ambition isn't to teach students, but to research new species. Originally, after retirement, I was going to focus on the several independent research projects I've been working on, all of which have shown initial success. But then I thought, 'Forget it! No matter how much I say, it's useless. In my current situation, nothing I say will help.'" This is his only hobby in his life. When he was poor, he worked hard to earn money to support his hobby. Later, when he became rich, he had no time, so he spent all day teaching students at school and guiding them in their experiments. Then, when he had time again, he no longer had the means. Perhaps until his death, he would never realize his dream.
"Not necessarily." Lan Shiruo smiled, "It depends on whether the old man has the ability."
The old man looked up in surprise and looked at Lan Shiruo, "What do you mean, young lady?"
"Literally, if the old gentleman really has real talent and knowledge, I can give him a chance to realize his ambitions. However, we never support idlers, let alone useless people."
The old man hesitated. He wanted to give it a try. No matter whether what the girl said was true or not, he wanted to give it a try. As a dying man, he was not afraid of being deceived. But if he just walked away like this, what would happen to the others?
After hesitating for a while, he said, "I am willing to follow you and contribute the research results I have gained over the past few decades. However, I wonder if you can fulfill my unwelcome request?"
Lan Shiruo said calmly, "Tell me about it."
"Please, young lady, heal them and give them a chance to live."
Lan Shiruo stared at the old man. "Just treatment?"
The old man pursed his lips, a look of determination flashing across his aged face. "Yes, we're just treating them. We'll do our best. Whether they can recover depends entirely on fate. Of course, being able to be cured is the best. After they recover, how they live is entirely up to them. All I can do is ask the girl to give them a chance."
(End of this chapter)
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