Pretending To Be A Boss
Chapter 950 - 81: Masked Dumpling Hero

81

Endless waves of mechanical armies and beast armies surged forward—it's hard to believe this was merely a fraction of the Eden Royal Court's forces.

Though the four directions—east, south, west, and north—were desperately defending, the four commanders were struggling to cope; naturally, they couldn't spare attention for Baichuan City itself.

When Akasi and the others saw the black-winged giant bats, they had already foreseen the likelihood of casualties within Baichuan City.

They could only pray that the number of losses might be as small as possible, for they couldn't break away to return.

Thus, they were unaware of the specifics of what was happening inside Baichuan City.

Even those anomalous Judgment Knights showed no signs of noticing.

The little girl followed Zhang as they continued walking.

Zhang himself didn't know what was happening either; caught up in a desperate flight, he hadn't realized how oddly smooth their progress had been.

"The refuge, we can't get in anymore... Ugh, how long do we have to wait for them to open the door? Damn them—those rich folks all got inside while us poor folks are left out here to die!" Zhang finally pulled the little girl into hiding behind a counter in a clothing store.

The little girl felt this wasn't a very good spot to hide if they were trying to survive. Moreover, if those outside died, the ones hiding in the refuge—the underground fortress—wouldn't survive either.

She shook her head and said:

"Grandpa, we don't need to go to the refuge. It must be very crowded inside right now."

Zhang thought about it and agreed. Truthfully, he'd only been venting his frustration moments earlier; though he lacked education, he could accept this arrangement.

Li Xiaoyu's allocation rules were indeed overly rational.

The elderly, the infirm, and those without useful skills were generally not assigned a place in the underground fortress.

Because Li Xiaoyu had already made the worst-case preparations.

She assumed that human civilization might once again be driven back into the Pyramid. If necessary, she would order Lin Sen and Yu Xiaozhe to lead the refuge's inhabitants collectively into the mines, where they could pioneer a new civilization.

Thus, she had to ensure those who stayed were useful individuals.

This was an ethical dilemma nearly impossible to resolve.

If it were Song Que, he would allow everyone inside—at the very least, he wouldn't sort them based on "superiority" or "value."

But Li Xiaoyu would filter them according to the theory of value.

Human lives shouldn't measure who is worth more, but to expand new territory, someone with knowledge would ultimately have a higher probability of survival than someone ignorant.

Her aim was simply to preserve humanity on a macro level.

This calamity brought despair of a magnitude capable of obliterating all civilization.

Li Xiaoyu didn't wish for the end to come.

The Earth Vein Dragons lacked sharp senses, but their appetite for destruction was overwhelming—they began indiscriminately demolishing Baichuan City's structures.

The streets, built painstakingly by Baichuan's residents, visibly crumbled and decayed at an alarming rate.

Many storefronts collapsed. Watching the scene outside, Zhang's heart ached:

"Damn these blasted monsters—damn them! Such fine shops, all ruined like this!"

"Does it really hurt you? It's not actually difficult to rebuild," the little girl remarked, unnervingly calm.

It was only then that Zhang realized the girl hadn't cried or screamed at all—her demeanor was peculiarly odd—and today her tone carried an unusual steadiness.

She said:

"Humankind won't perish like this. My... friend predicted as much. However, what's about to happen next will be far more brutal."

"What are you talking about?" Zhang asked, barely able to comprehend.

He found it even stranger to hear these words uttered by such a young girl, her face utterly detached.

She said:

"I have a name. I remembered it just a few days ago."

"What's your name?"

"Qi Yuan. Qi, as in 'pray,' and Yuan, as in 'fate.' They won't hold out much longer. You stay here and don't move." With that, Qi Yuan prepared to head outside.

"Kid! Where are you going? Come back! Get back here—it's too dangerous out there!"

Zhang was terrified. Had the child been scared witless?

Qi Yuan blinked and said:

"I'll return. Would you be willing to raise me, to be my family? I'm different from my... 'sister.' I will grow."

"Sister? You have a sister? Which street does she live on?"

"She's already dead."

"Ah, this world! Just come back—hurry up—it's too dangerous out there!"

Of course, Zhang was willing to take care of the little girl; he'd been treating her as a granddaughter anyway.

Qi Yuan had, at one point, considered seeking out a family that wasn't so ordinary. But she merely wanted to experience life—for a life of wealth and privilege, or one of poverty and struggle, the difference seemed negligible.

Qi Yuan shook her head and said:

"Listen to me—stay here and don't move. I'll ensure the surrounding area is safe. As for whether to help those outside, I'll have to think about it first."

After saying this, Qi Yuan really left.

Zhang wanted to chase after her, but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. Before he could get up, he fainted on the ground.

His last vision was of Qi Yuan's eyes—though he couldn't quite grasp why he had abruptly fallen asleep.

Qi Yuan possessed many abilities, and even in today's crisis, she wouldn't reveal them all.

Just a few days ago, she hadn't yet decided on her name and was still adapting to interacting with people.

She was adjusting to accepting someone who wasn't particularly clean, not particularly smart, and whose lifespan had only seven years left, as a companion.

Companion might not be the right word; "family" seemed more fitting.

Though Zhang's cellular vitality would only sustain him for seven more years—after that, his body's organs would fail, and he would die of old age—

By then, Qi Yuan thought, she herself would have reached a blossoming age, perhaps ready to experience love, and familial ties could naturally be abandoned.

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