As one of the eight major survival bases in China, the actual area of the Longquan Survival Base is only about the size of a county town. Due to the large number of survivors, the population density far exceeds that of international metropolises before the outbreak. Nearly four to five thousand people per square kilometer. If it weren't for the changes in the size of plants and animals following the outbreak, the small Longquan Survival Base wouldn't even be able to support so many people.
However, precisely because the population was so large and it was around six or seven in the afternoon, the rush hour, the hotel entrance was crowded with survivors, who were almost surrounding the entire hotel entrance.
These people stood around pointing and talking in low voices, and some even spoke up for Chu's father and mother.
After all, there are still many people in this world who believe that even if parents make mistakes, it's for the good of their children. So, as long as the parents aren't going too far, they can be forgiven.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Chu were dressed simply and looked dusty, their behavior and words were not unreasonable. This alone was enough to make passersby more favorable towards them. Add to that the couple's distressed appearance and earnest words, and others not only had a favorable impression of them, but also felt a bit of pity for the weak, and more and more people immediately joined in their support.
A middle-aged man stepped out of the crowd. "Little brother, life is but a few short decades. I don't know what happened to your family before, but your parents have finally found you. Why don't you go back with them? Life has been tough for everyone since the virus outbreak."
The middle-aged man, who didn't know what he remembered when he said this, sighed with a frown, and continued, "Besides, you've been separated for so long. Don't you miss your parents and relatives all these years? A son wants to support his parents, but they are no longer there. Little brother, please don't do something that will make you regret for the rest of your life just because of a momentary impulse!"
"Yes, what the elder brother said is right. I see that you are well-dressed and can live in a big hotel, which means that your financial situation should be good. Your parents have raised you for so many years. I believe you can't bear to see them living in such a miserable state in their old age." Another person nearby also tried to persuade him.
Chu Hang didn't say anything. His cold eyes swept across the Chu couple, then passed through the other people, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Since he had already made up his mind to have nothing to do with the Chu family, Chu Hang naturally wouldn't stay at the Longquan Survival Base. The reason he was willing to come out this time was probably because he wanted to hear an apology from the other party.
But now it seems...
Or maybe he was thinking too much.
Chu Hang lowered his eyes and didn't intend to listen anymore. As for what others said, he never took it to heart from beginning to end.
Chu Hang was about to go back to the hotel when his father and mother thought he had persuaded them. With the help of others around, his father was delighted. He took two steps forward, grabbed Chu Hang's arm, and said, "Hanghang, can you please forgive your parents? We've really missed you all these years."
Chu Hang frowned slightly and said nothing, pulling out his arm.
Father Chu was not embarrassed and continued, "Our family will live together in the future. Your mother and I will take good care of you."
"Yes, no one can separate us anymore." Mother Chu followed her husband's footsteps, wiping her tears and swearing in her heart that she would keep her eldest son to live with them. Compared to living with a son who might become a murderer in the future, Mother Chu could not endure the hardship of working in the fields every day over the years.
However, Chu's father and mother, as well as several middle-aged men around them, were almost talking until their lips were worn out, but Chu Hang remained silent from beginning to end. Instead, his dark and deep eyes looked at them coldly, which made Chu's mother almost unable to continue speaking.
Sometimes people are just like this. No matter who is talking, it will be awkward if the person next to him remains silent or even looks at you as if you were air.
Knowing that their eldest son would not forgive them so easily, Chu's father and mother gritted their teeth in their hearts, secretly thinking that they were ungrateful people. But seeing that the opportunity to turn the tables was right in front of them, how could Chu's father and mother give up?
Especially when he saw the group of teammates who followed his son in and out every day, all of them were dressed in fancy clothes, and some of them even had greasy lips.
Father Chu hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, and bit his tongue hard. The pain spread from the tip of his tongue to his brain, and his eyes suddenly turned red. The middle-aged man's voice was choked with sobs, as if mixed with endless pain. He said sadly: "Hanghang, it seems that you don't want to forgive us... It doesn't matter. It's true that Mom and Dad were wrong about what happened back then, but your mom and I were also angry at the time. Your grandparents took care of you for so many years, but you didn't even cry when they died. How can your mom and I not be heartbroken?"
“But after we took someone else’s car to the base city, we regretted it not long after. We were afraid that you wouldn’t have a good life, especially after we heard that Xingyue City would not build a new survival base in the future. We tossed and turned every night, worried that something had happened to you and wanted to go back to see you. So we worked hard all these years just to store food and go find you... cough cough cough.” The tall middle-aged man couldn’t help coughing in pain when he said this, as if an old illness caused by hard work all these years broke out at this moment, and many people immediately felt pity for him.
After receiving her husband's signal, Mother Chu also clutched her chest, her face pale with grief. "Hanghang, it's okay if you don't want to live with us in the survival base. Mom and Dad just want us to be together as a family in the future... So even if we follow you to one of those small shelters, it's fine as long as you're willing to accept us."
"At the very least, ask your father and I to follow you to the shelter. We live far away from you, but as long as we can see you a few times a day and help you wash your clothes and cook, we will be satisfied." Tears as big as beans slid down Chu's mother's cheeks. Seeing Yang Fan and others approaching, Chu's mother cried even more heartbrokenly.
The couple's actions and appearance were seen by everyone else present, and instantly moved everyone.
If before, some people in the crowd thought that the Chu couple did not really want to recognize their son, but wanted to take advantage of their child's success and kept a wait-and-see attitude, then now after hearing that Chu's father and mother did not even want to stay in the survival base, but wanted to follow their son to the small shelter to help with laundry and cooking, this group of people also stood on the side of Chu's father and mother.
After all, in the minds of all survivors.
The living environment at the official survival base was a hundred times better than those small shelters. Even if life was tough in the base, ordinary people like them wouldn't have to worry about their lives. Even Yang Fan and the others following behind Xia Ruanruan had witnessed Xia Ruanruan's abilities and knew that the mutant beasts wouldn't attack them and would even help them find supplies.
But the old ideas that have been engraved in my mind for many years still cannot be completely changed.
Nothing else to say.
The official base is much stronger than the makeshift team of private survivors in terms of all aspects of life for the survivors and overall safety. Especially before the outbreak of the virus, the official base had a strict gun ban organization that did not allow ordinary people to own guns privately, and the gap between the two sides was even greater.
The tall and majestic city walls, the hundreds of gleaming machine guns and heavy artillery, and the soldiers in uniform standing at attention, all of these can bring the survivors an unparalleled sense of security.
Behind Yang Fan, several survivors who had just left the hotel were whispering to each other: If their families weren't still in the shelter, and they couldn't afford the food fees to enter the survival base, and they didn't have any mutant beasts to help them, they would actually prefer to stay in the survival base. They didn't expect this couple would actually consider leaving the survival base and living in their tiny shelter for the sake of their child.
No matter how capable Xia Ruanruan is, she is only one person.
Even if these mutant animals listen to each other and are driven by each other now, if one day Xia Ruanruan is not in the shelter, or moves to another place to live, the mutant animals turn around and attack humans, then it will be a disaster for them.
“Ah, huff, huff…”
As if she was too emotional, Mother Chu suddenly covered her chest with her hands, her face pale, and a suppressed cry of pain came from her throat.
"Wife, wife, how are you? Are you feeling uncomfortable again after a heart attack? Quick, quick, I have medicine here, put it under your tongue!" Chu's father anxiously took out the small medicine bottle from his pocket, opened the bottle cap and stuffed the pill into Chu's mother's mouth.
The middle-aged man's cheeks were covered with sweat from anxiety. He looked at Chu Hang with expectation and earnestness in his eyes. "Hanghang, your mother's health wasn't very good before the virus broke out. She's been in the survival base for these years. She's been losing her appetite every day because of you. Add to that the hard work, and I'm afraid... I'm afraid she won't live for many years."
"This time...this time, just agree to her, right? Maybe your mother can live a few more years..."
His voice was choked with sobs, and Father Chu's expression was sad and listless. His haggard back looked truly lonely and desolate, especially the hope in his eyes, which seemed to be the last hope of these two people, and moved the onlookers even more.
The crowd onlookers were whispering from all sides. This time, not only the two people who had just helped to speak up, but also many onlookers came forward to help persuade them. Everyone surrounded Chu Hang. Seeing that he did not say a word from beginning to end, and even did not move his eyebrows, some people began to get annoyed and felt that he was ungrateful.
Chu's parents felt even more like their son was an ungrateful idiot. Even if they had been bad before, Chu Hang was fine now, wasn't he? Seeing him jumping around, he looked so much better than the ordinary survivors. Perhaps Chu Hang had them to thank for this opportunity, to have a mutant beast as a pet. Deep down, Chu's parents gnashed their teeth, but they didn't show it on their faces.
Chu Hang swept his cold eyes over the people around him, listening to their words of persuasion one by one, and seeing the occasional voices that came into his ears from the crowd, accusing him of being inhuman and unfilial, not caring about even his own parents.
Suddenly, I remembered how, back in kindergarten, no one, whether teachers, classmates, or parents, believed little Chu Hang. Even when he pointed at the screen on the monitor and told them the child in the video wasn't him, no one believed him. He couldn't argue, and instead, many people pointed fingers at him, saying he was inhuman, cold-blooded, and selfish, saying he was bad to the core, in his genes.
The man lowered his eyes, his long, flexible black hair swaying in the evening breeze. His fingers unconsciously clenched slightly, leaving deep scratches on his palms. Even though he was usually emotionally aloof and rarely showed interest in other people or things, he was not a fool who understood nothing and could not experience anything. Even a fool would instinctively avoid some malice that was overflowing with malice.
only……
This time, he really didn't care about the overt or covert accusations from others.
The clenched joints loosened slightly, and it seemed that some emotions suppressed in the heart disappeared without a trace with the sound of the little girl's footsteps. As the ancients said: It is enough to have one true friend in life.
It is enough to have someone in this world who understands him and is his good friend.
It doesn’t matter whether others can understand him or whether he can understand other people’s interests.
What is important is that he can firmly walk on the right path, be impartial, live up to his conscience, and live up to the expectations of the little girl.
Chu Hang lowered his head and looked at the little girl who was now furious, with puffed cheeks, grabbing him tightly.
Xia Ruanruan's current body was only seven years old, with short legs. She was still eating at the time, so she hadn't anticipated Xiaobai being surrounded by others at the door. Naturally, she was a bit slow to leave the restaurant. Even so, Xia Ruanruan heard what Chu's parents said later. If she hadn't heard from Xiaobai earlier that the couple had sold Xiaobai to an underground laboratory before the virus outbreak, where he had endured three years of torture, she would have been almost convinced that the couple in front of her had simply made a mistake and wanted to turn back.
Listen to what these two people said?!
He completely avoided the main point, not mentioning the underground lab at all. Instead, he played down how hard his life had been these past few years and how much he cared about Xiaobai. But if he truly cared about Xiaobai, how could he have sent a healthy person to a lab for human experimentation?! Sending someone to an underground lab is no different than simply letting Xiaobai die! A life like that would be worse than death!
In an underground laboratory like that, nearly four to five thousand people died in three years. Xia Runrun simply couldn't imagine what kind of purgatory scene it was.
In the final analysis, the reason why this couple came to us today was definitely because the team had been too high-profile these days and had exchanged a lot of supplies, which the couple had seen and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a profit.
Xia Runrun's eyes rolled around, and her originally puffed-up cheeks shrank back. Without a word, she pinched her thigh hard. Children's skin is naturally delicate, and this pinch sent pain straight from her thigh to her head. Xia Runrun's eyes instantly turned red. She held Chu Hang's hands tightly, her voice choked with sobs, "Brother Chu, are these your mom and dad? Can I call them mom and dad from now on?"
Chu Hang: “…”
Chu's father and mother: "......?"
The others around: “……?”
Everyone around was just accusing Chu Hang of being unfilial, but they were suddenly confused by the words of this little girl who came out of nowhere. Especially Chu's father and mother, they were unable to react for a while. Fortunately, Chu's father was smart. After a brief moment of shock, he was immediately overjoyed. He hurriedly took two steps forward and half-crouched down, saying to Xia Ruanruan lovingly: "Little girl, you and our Hanghang are teammates, right? Since you are Hanghang's teammate, you are the same as Hanghang to us. If you miss your parents, you can call us if you want."
These days, over 30% of those who own mutant beasts as pets are children, especially those between the ages of 5 and 10. These children are just the right size to communicate accurately with adults and carry out missions together, while also being more attractive to mutant beasts than adults. Therefore, it's quite common for many teams to have children and mutant beasts as companions.
Father Chu instantly regarded Xia Ruanruan as a little girl who had a good relationship with his son and possessed a mutant beast.
The best option for the couple is to attract as many children with potential and ability as possible.
"That's right, if you want, you can also follow Hanghang and call me auntie mom." Mother Chu also reacted and half squatted down.
Xia Ruanruan immediately smiled sweetly at Mr. and Mrs. Chu, looking at them with sparkling eyes, and said in a soft and sweet voice, "Really? Uncle and aunt, you are so kind~!"
Children are easy to coax. Chu's father and mother immediately showed a satisfied smile. Even if Chu Hang completely ignored them, as long as Chu Hang's teammates were willing to help, the couple would definitely be able to live a much better life than now. According to the average number of people in the entire team and the number of mutant beasts, almost everyone has two mutant dogs on average!
However, the smiles on Chu's father and mother's faces had barely risen for long when the little girl in front of them suddenly lowered her head shyly. Her white and tender little fingers gently tugged at the hem of Chu's mother's clothes and said, "Then, then Auntie... can I borrow some food and supplies from you?"
Father Chu: “……?”
Mother Chu: “……?”
Suddenly feeling that something was wrong, Chu's father and mother pricked up their ears and stared at Xia Runrun.
Unfortunately, the little girl seemed completely oblivious to the burning gazes of Chu's father and mother. She continued to tug at Chu's mother's clothes, saying softly, "Ah, don't worry, Auntie... I'm not borrowing the food for nothing. I'll return it to you when I grow up..."
"Brother Chu and I were rescued from a group of mutant dogs by Brother Yang Fan and his team in Xingyue City. We originally wanted to retreat to the shelter with Brother Yang Fan and his team. After all, we didn't have the money or food to buy permanent residency at the survival base... But now..."
The little girl raised her head shyly, a blush staining her fair face. She scratched her cheeks a little embarrassedly and said, "I want to stay in the survival base with Brother Chu to take care of my uncle and aunt. Is that okay with you, Auntie? Please help me pay for these food points first. I will definitely pay you back when I grow up!"
The little girl's eyes sparkled, and when she looked at Chu's father and mother, a bright and clean smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Mother Chu's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously turned to look at her husband.
Father Chu frowned slightly, and carefully examined Xia Ruanruan from head to toe. The little girl was wearing clean clothes, and her cheeks were plump. She didn't look like an ordinary survivor who had experienced long-term hardship and hunger. Thinking back to the scene when they had inquired about it before, this little girl was sitting on a mutant dog with two mutant birds...
Father Chu raised his lips and revealed a kind smile: "Of course, no problem. It's great that you are willing to stay in the survival base with your brother Hanghang."
"Uncle and aunt, you are such nice people! Since we were rescued by Brother Yang Fan and his friends half a month ago, our daily food and lodging have been paid for by Brother Yang Fan and his friends. Even the clothes I am wearing were given by Grandpa Yan. I want to borrow 200 kilograms of food to return to Brother Yang Fan and Grandpa Yan~ Then I also want to buy 666 and Xiaolu. Although they are just two birds, they can fly! They can also help to pass on messages! They are not expensive. I specially asked Brother Yang Fan, and he only wants 2,500 kilograms of vermicelli in exchange for 666 and the others going with me!" The little girl chattered excitedly.
Father Chu: “…”
Father Chu's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt that something was not right...
He subconsciously lowered his head to look at the little girl opposite him, only to see that the little girl became more and more excited as she spoke. Her dark eyes were bright and clear. She looked at him eagerly and said a long string of words with her little mouth.
"Uncle, I have a very good relationship with 666 and the others, and Dahei likes me very much too, but I can't afford Dahei..."
The girl was a little happy but also a little disappointed. She said, "Dahei is Uncle Wu's dog. Uncle Wu's family used to run a kennel. I heard Uncle Wu say that he has trained over a hundred mutant dogs. More than sixty of the mutant dogs in this team are his pets. Uncle Wu is really amazing~"
Father Chu: “……???”
Chu's mother: "......??!!!"
No wonder they'd always felt something was amiss. Their normally gentle younger son still hadn't had a mutant beast willing to accept him as their master or pet. How could their older son, usually so cold and unlovable at home, possibly have a mutant beast?!
Both Chu's father and mother felt depressed, and the feeling of regret was almost solidified.
"Huh? Uncle and aunt, what's wrong with you? Why are you so pale? Are you feeling unwell? Brother Hanghang, hurry up! Ask the hotel to find someone to send uncle and aunt to the hospital. From now on, we will live in the survival base with uncle and aunt. Uncle and aunt can't get sick at this time. They have to be happy every day to live a long and long life." The little girl's curled eyelashes were thick and long, and they fluttered slightly, like two light butterflies, playful and lively. But in the eyes of Chu's father and mother, this look was like a giant beast with a bloody mouth, wanting to swallow gold and blood. It almost made them want to spit out blood!
But this time, Chu Hang, who had never spoken a word before, slowly said, "Dad, Mom. Since you are willing to help us pay for the permanent residence, I will stay in the survival base from now on... It's not easy to run around outside every day, especially for ordinary people like me and Ruanruan who don't have mutant beasts."
“Boom!——”
It was as if a huge thunderbolt suddenly struck Chu's father and mother on the head. Now they finally believed that Chu Hang really had no mutant beasts with him, and those mutant dogs in this team were probably all from the dog boss named Wu in the team!
According to their previous understanding of Chu Hang over the years, he had a cold personality and a bad temper. He and his wife sold him to the people in the underground laboratory. Given his temper, it was impossible for him to forgive them in a short time and stay in the survival base!
Otherwise, the couple would not have set their target as Chu Hang's teammates from the beginning, and worked so hard when Chu Hang's teammates came out.
People with apathy lack emotional responses to external stimuli, rarely showing facial expressions, and often appear indifferent to everything. Therefore, based on their previous experience with Chu Hang, they believed that even if the child was upset, his face would likely remain expressionless, and he would be unlikely to refute them as eloquently as others and describe the events of three years ago.
Therefore, as long as Chu Hang didn't say anything, even if he didn't want to see the couple from the bottom of his heart, the two of them could use the sympathy of the people around them and the sympathy of Chu Hang's teammates to sneak into the other party's shelter, and then rely on Chu Hang's relationship to secretly build good relationships with Chu Hang's teammates, and finally rely on time to slowly eliminate Chu Hang's resentment towards them.
Children, no matter what, want their parents' care, especially those who have lacked parental love since childhood.
However, plans are not as good as changes. Father Chu never expected that among this large group of mutant dogs, not a single one belonged to Chu Hang!
Without the mutant dog to help, what would they do with an ordinary piece of trash? Even if this person was young and strong, with that annoying burden beside him, Chu Hang would probably have a hard time just getting enough to eat every day.
"Hey, I see that uncle's face doesn't seem as pale as before. Why don't we go to the office and find someone to apply for a permanent resident ID card now!"
Xia Ruanruan swung her short legs, her expression serious and expectant. "Uncle and aunt have lived in the survival base for such a long time. Add to that the points and supplies I've saved up over the years to look for Brother Chu, and I'm sure we can directly raise the cost of 666 and the permanent residents. Why don't we do both of these things today~"
"Eh? Uncle and aunt, why aren't you talking?"
"Hey hey hey?! Don't leave~~"
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