Gotta give the “patients” some kind of guidance.
“It’s true that I’m a Tier 5 Healing-type ability user, but I’m no saint who can bring the dead back to life. Every half-month, someone in the base comes looking for a cure after their ability gets crippled. I’ve never seen a single one recover.”
As for that couple just now—if he had to say, it was the woman who wasn’t very smart. The man was already a cripple, so why hadn’t she ditched him sooner? Instead, she wasted so many crystals on him.
If she had spent all those crystals on herself, she could have had any handsome man she wanted.
In today’s base, the one thing that wasn’t lacking was attractive men and women.
The little brother-in-law immediately flattered him. “Brother-in-law, you’re the best!”
Doctor Zhao let out a cold snort. “How many crystals did that group give you earlier?”
“A Grade 3 crystal. And that was only after I hinted at it for ages.”
Not exactly generous.
Now that they had left, they wouldn’t turn around and try to take back that Grade 5 crystal, would they?
That also depended on whether they could even take it back.
…
After leaving the quadrangle courtyard, the atmosphere inside the car was terrible.
The teammate named Ah Zhe hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth, speaking hesitantly, “Weiran, are we still looking for the Tier 6 Healing-type ability user?”
Forget about a Grade 6 crystal—they didn’t even have a Grade 5 crystal anymore.
Lin Weiran was silent for a few seconds before firmly replying, “Yes! But not now. We’ll wait until we get a Grade 6 crystal, then we’ll go find the Tier 6 Healing-type ability user!”
Hearing this answer, Ah Zhe instinctively looked toward Si Zhe, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.
The latter neither agreed nor objected.
Ah Zhe retracted his gaze and exchanged a glance with the other teammate.
Two seconds later, he spoke again, “Weiran, why don’t we just give up?”
Lin Weiran was driving and didn’t react for a moment. “What do you mean, give up?”
“Let’s stop looking for a cure and focus on improving our own strength instead. Once our ability levels increase, won’t it be easy to get close to those high-tier Healing-types? Why gamble everything on this?”
Scraaaatch—
The off-road vehicle screeched to a halt, its tires grinding sharply against the ground.
Lin Weiran turned her head, her expression cold, and stared intently at the two teammates in the backseat. “What do you mean by this?”
Ah Zhe lowered his eyes and said calmly, “We just don’t want to gamble anymore.”
Having just suffered a major setback, and now hearing this from her teammates, Lin Weiran completely lost control of her emotions.
Her voice suddenly turned sharp. “What do you mean, gamble? Treating Si Zhe—is that a gamble in your eyes?”
“Isn’t it?” The other teammate couldn’t help but retort, “From south to north, over two thousand kilometers, we spent nearly a month on this journey. It was the three of us holding things together that got us safely to the northern base. It was also the three of us working together that got us those two Grade 5 crystals!”
“One of them was consumed by you, and the other was just given away. Weiran, we’re still Tier 4 ability users. We already showed enough loyalty by giving up both Grade 5 crystals for you two!”
“You can’t seriously expect us to risk our lives to get a Grade 6 crystal, just for you to take it and bet on some uncertain chance of treatment!”
Their sudden outburst caught Lin Weiran completely off guard.
She hadn’t expected them to think this way. In the past, the team had always distributed spoils under an unspoken rule—Si Zhe and she would take priority, and once they advanced, they would, in turn, help their teammates advance as well.
That was how it had always been, and Lin Weiran had never thought there was anything wrong with it.
A surge of anger rose in her chest. “Ah Zhe, Ah Liang, how can you be so heartless? In the past, Si Zhe was the backbone of our team’s offense! The reason we advanced so quickly is because of his strength!”
“Now that we’ve hit a rough patch, you’re showing this much dissatisfaction? Can you only share in the good times but not the bad? That’s just too cold and ungrateful!”
Ah Zhe pulled the corner of his lips into a smirk. “Is this really ‘sharing the bad times’? Or is it just you refusing to see reality and trying to drag us down with you?”
Ah Liang also said, “Weiran, if we were truly heartless and ungrateful, we wouldn’t have followed you all the way north, nor would we have let you take both Grade 5 crystals without complaint.”
“Right now, we’re just trying to get you to recognize what’s important. Everyone remembers what the captain did for us before, and none of us would abandon him. But we also have to survive!”
The northern base was filled with talented individuals. Even Tier 4 ability users had been reduced to the middle ranks, and the difference in treatment between tiers was like heaven and earth.
Ah Zhe continued earnestly, “If it really doesn’t work out, let Si Zhe stay home and rest for a while. Weiran, you should focus on improving your strength first. Once Si Zhe recovers, with you leading him, he can easily catch up. What is there to be afraid of?”
Afraid of what?
Lin Weiran didn’t know how to answer. As long as her lover’s injury remained untreated, the weight in her heart would never lessen.
Besides, relying solely on her own ability—by the time she reached Tier 6, wouldn’t the people in the base already be at Tier 7 or 8? Would she still be able to catch up then?
Lin Weiran still hoped that Si Zhe could recover as soon as possible.
With him around, the two of them could unleash a strength greater than the sum of their parts. If he could regain his abilities soon, she was confident she could lead the entire team to Tier 6 in one go.
She hesitated for too long, and the two teammates saw through her thoughts.
Their dissatisfaction had reached its peak. Ah Zhe said impatiently, “What exactly are you hesitating about? Isn’t what we’re saying the best possible solution right now?”
Lin Weiran: “I…”
Seeing his lover repeatedly forced into a difficult position, Si Zhe, who had been sitting with his eyes closed to calm himself, could no longer endure.
He looked into the rearview mirror and coldly stared at the two teammates who had accompanied them until now. “If you want to vent your anger, direct it at me. There’s no need to make things difficult for Weiran.”
Vent their anger? Did they think their concerns were just venting, just deliberately making things difficult?
Ah Zhe’s tone turned sharp as well. “Fine then, I’ll ask you directly—Si Zhe, do you think what I said makes sense?”
“You are free to do as you wish.”
“I don’t agree!” Lin Weiran hurriedly objected. “If Si Zhe recovers his strength, we have a chance to advance quickly in a short time. Without him, can any of you guarantee that you’ll reach Tier 6 quickly? Should Si Zhe just sit around and wait while we risk our lives to climb higher? How long would that take?!”
“And how can you guarantee that he’ll recover quickly?”
Lin Weiran’s lips moved slightly.
She could guarantee it.
As long as the three of them worked together to accumulate resources, it wouldn’t take long before they could attempt another recovery.
In the dead silence, Si Zhe suddenly spoke: “After all this arguing, isn’t it just because you want to abandon me, this burden?”
“As long as I resign myself to being a cripple, you’ll finally get what you want, isn’t that right?”
The two teammates exchanged another look.
They couldn’t deny it.
No one had ever confirmed whether a crippled ability user could truly recover. What if even a Tier 6 Healing-type ability user was powerless?
Since things had come to this, wouldn’t it be better to accept reality?
But they had never intended to completely sever ties. If given the chance, they would still be willing to support Si Zhe’s treatment… But right now, their priority was securing a foothold in the northern base!
Seeing their expressions, Si Zhe let out a mocking laugh. “I understand now.”
“If you want to split up, then go.”
“No matter how low I’ve fallen, I won’t drag you down with me.”
“But you’d better think it through—once we split up, the next time we meet, we’ll just be strangers.”
“If you’re doing well, Weiran and I won’t come bothering you; if we’re doing well, don’t even think about coming back to us.”
The cold, emotionless words pierced everyone’s hearts.
Ah Zhe wanted to say something more, but the person beside him tugged him forcefully.
“Let’s go. Didn’t you hear him? He’s telling us to leave.”
Ah Zhe hesitated for a few seconds before silently stepping out of the car.
“Weiran, Si Zhe, I…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the off-road vehicle roared to life, tearing off with resentment-fueled speed. The deafening engine noise echoed through half the street, and in the blink of an eye, the car had disappeared from sight.
Ah Zhe was finally at a loss for words.
The person beside him let out a cold sneer. “What’s wrong? Lin Weiran is stupid, and you’re stupid too? Are you really willing to be a blood bag for them?”
Ah Zhe shook his head.
He wasn’t willing, which was why he had spoken up. Now that things had blown up into such an ugly situation, it only meant that their paths had reached a dead end.
“Let’s go. First, we need to rent a place to stay. The two of us working together, at least we have a shot at reaching Tier 5.”
As for those two Grade 5 crystals—consider them a farewell token for their former companionship.
—
Driving away in the off-road vehicle, Lin Weiran was not nearly as composed as the car’s reckless speed suggested.
By the time they returned to the old apartment complex, she pulled down her scarf, revealing reddened eyes.
“Why? Why did it come to this?”
“They make it sound nice, but the truth is they just didn’t want to wait for you to recover. A bunch of ungrateful traitors!”
Only when one falls from grace does the world’s coldness and people’s fickle nature truly become apparent.
When Zhao Zhenyu betrayed them before, Lin Weiran had been furious.
Now that the last two teammates had also turned their backs on them, she felt not only anger but also pain and confusion.
Si Zhe wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Weiran, this is normal.”
In the apocalypse, people only banded together for mutual benefit. It was just that these teammates had joined too early and traveled together for too long, creating the illusion that they would never betray each other.
The thin man let out a silent sigh.
Aside from Weiran, there was probably no one who would stay by his side wholeheartedly, without hesitation or abandonment.
Lin Weiran tilted her head back, forcing back her tears.
After choking up for a long time, she finally asked, “Then what do we do now?”
“……”
Si Zhe’s arms suddenly tightened around her, his eyes flashing with a murderous chill.
Was he angry?
He was.
From a high-tier ability user to a crippled man, now forced to endure the anger and disappointment of his teammates’ betrayal alone.
That kind of excruciating pain stabbed relentlessly at his self-esteem, like countless needles piercing his heart.
“Ah—pain!”
It wasn’t until Lin Weiran cried out in surprise that Si Zhe snapped back to his senses and quickly loosened his grip.
“…Sorry.”
Lin Weiran turned around and shook her head gently, considerately. “It’s okay.”
Si Zhe gazed at her deeply.
A moment later, he suddenly pulled her tightly back into his arms.
“Weiran, believe me.”
“I will turn things around—I will rise again, and take you with me.”
Rise to the very top of the northern base. Return to the position he once held.