The brightly colored jackets in the tree and the rising column of smoke finally brought their reward.
From afar, Su Cheng caught the sound of people walking. Lifting a hand to her ear, she listened closely; the footsteps grew clearer. She hadn’t heard wrong—her hearing had indeed grown stronger than before.
“Yun Nian, wake up.”
Rousing Yun Nian from her slumber, Su Cheng stood up to look out toward the direction of the sound.
“Over here! Is anyone there?”
She called out toward the source of the noise.
Rubbing her eyes and watching Su Cheng’s actions, Yun Nian grasped the situation instantly and hurriedly joined in, shouting, “Help! Is anyone here? We’re right over here!”
Su Cheng heard the footsteps drawing closer. Amidst their eager calls, two men—one tall, one short, both wearing red work uniforms—appeared on the horizon to the upper left.
Their features were deep-set, making them look of a different ethnicity from Su Cheng and Yun Nian.
Each of them carried a toolbox. Their clothing and hats marked them as members of a search-and-rescue team. Spotting Su Cheng and Yun Nian, they quickened their pace.
Yun Nian bounced up and down excitedly, her eyes turning red with the tears of relief. “Sister, are we saved?!”
“Yes.”
Su Cheng let out a sigh of relief as well. Once they managed to leave the tsunami-affected zone with the search-and-rescue team, this dungeon would effectively cease to pose any life-or-death difficulty.
Taking a closer look at Su Cheng and Yun Nian’s faces, the two rescue workers spoke in accented Chinese: “Are you from Country C?”
Yun Nian nodded repeatedly. “Yes!”
The tall rescue worker’s gaze landed on the little bonfire, and he offered an affirming nod of approval:
“We only just started searching this area. We originally planned to take another route first, but when we saw the smoke in the sky, we came straight here.”
The shorter man also nodded, pointing toward the jackets hanging on the ancient tree. “And later on, seeing the clothes up in that tree made us even more certain of the direction.”
Yun Nian looked at Su Cheng with adoration. “It’s all because Sister is so smart!”
The tall worker sized Su Cheng up, his gaze lingering briefly on the scars on her face. “Are you injured?”
“The cuts on my face don’t hurt,” Su Cheng said, gesturing toward her abdomen. “My stomach was hit and injured, but it doesn’t hurt too much right now.”
The tall worker nodded. “And you, little one?”
Yun Nian shook her head. “My back hurts a bit, but I can manage.”
“Since there are no injuries impairing your mobility, come leave this place with me immediately and head to the hospital in town. There are volunteers there to help you contact your embassy so you can go home.”
“Alright. How far is the hospital from here?”
“About 10 kilometers. I’ll take you to the truck first, and the driver will deliver you there.”
After consulting with each other, the two rescue workers decided that the shorter worker would escort them to the vehicle pickup point while the tall worker continued searching the area for survivors.
“Watch your step, don’t step on sharp objects, just follow my footprints.”
Taking the lead, the shorter worker wore professional gloves to clear away obstacles ahead.
Perhaps mindful of Su Cheng and Yun Nian’s physical condition, he didn’t ask them to run, but maintained a brisk walking pace.
Under the blazing sun, Su Cheng’s back was drenched in sweat.
Yun Nian wiped the sweat from her forehead, yet pressed forward tightly on their heels like a little adult.
Hot as it was, nobody wanted to linger in this zone that could face another tsunami at any moment.
Yun Nian asked softly, “Uncle, how can I find my mom and dad?”
A look of pity filled the short worker’s eyes. “You don’t need to do anything; the government and embassy will help you. Many families are searching for children—perhaps your mom and dad are among them.”
“…Thank you, uncle.”
Perhaps because it was rare to encounter a child as sensible and resilient as Yun Nian after a tsunami, the worker’s expression softened further. “Would you like to rest for a bit, or do you need me to carry you?”
Yun Nian shook her head. “Thank you, uncle, but I can manage.”
The worker looked at Su Cheng. “Has she always been this strong? Are you her older sister?”
“I’m not her family, but she really has always been strong.”
Su Cheng continued, “How wide is the scope of this tsunami? Is the place we’re heading safe enough?”
Her questions were direct, yet completely natural for someone who had just survived a disaster and feared getting hurt again.
“The scope of this tsunami has affected dozens of countries, but please rest assured—the town we’re heading to is built above the highest recorded tsunami wave height, with an altitude greater than 10 meters.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Suddenly, Su Cheng caught a faint sound, and the short worker stopped in his tracks at the exact same moment.
Only then did Su Cheng realize that her hearing had reached a level comparable to that of a professionally trained individual.
Beyond her hearing, her vision, sense of smell, and taste had all undergone massive enhancements compared to before—likely the sensory reinforcement brought by the unlocked gene lock.
Noticing both of them halt, Yun Nian asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Making a shushing gesture, the worker held his breath and cocked his head to listen intently for a long moment before confirming the direction.
“Hope I didn’t hear wrong.”
Quickening his pace, he led Su Cheng and the others toward the right.
Wading past barren muddy ground, they arrived in front of several fallen trees where a foam box resting atop them served as the source of the sound.
Su Cheng and the short worker walked over. Inside the foam box sat a brown-haired toddler of about three or four years old, strapped securely to the box by a strip of cloth.
The boy’s cries were hoarse and his cheeks flushed red. Dressed in nothing more than swim trunks, his skin bore mild sunburns, but he had no severe injuries. Spotting strangers, his crying hitched; instead of showing fear, he blinked blankly and held out his arms.
“A poor yet lucky little fellow.”
The worker unhooked the water pouch from his waist, poured water into the cap to feed the boy, and patted water onto the toddler’s face to cool him down.
Untying the cloth strap, the worker lifted the boy out of the box. “This child is running a high fever and needs to be sent to a relief center for treatment as soon as possible. We need to hurry.”
Su Cheng and Yun Nian naturally raised no objections.
…
The three of them quickened their pace to reach the spot where the truck was waiting.
The truck was a transport-style vehicle with an enclosed front cabin and an open-air flatbed in the back capable of seating many people.
The driver was a dark-skinned, frail-looking man.
Waiting beside the vehicle, the driver looked in surprise at the approaching trio and rattled off a string of local language that Su Cheng didn’t understand.
The short rescue worker motioned for Yun Nian and Su Cheng to climb onto the truck, then hoisted the toddler into Su Cheng’s arms.
“He’s in your hands, lady. I still have to go look for other survivors; you just need to bring the child to the hospital, and someone will take over.”
Cradling the sleeping toddler, Su Cheng felt his body radiating heat from the high fever. “…Okay.”
The short worker walked over to the driver’s seat and exchanged a few words with the driver—presumably explaining the situation.
“Vroom, vroom…”
The driver started the truck shortly after. Turning around, the rescue worker plunged back into the muddy terrain without a moment’s rest.
Yun Nian stared blankly at the short worker’s shrinking red silhouette. “These uncles are so amazing…”
Su Cheng didn’t deny it; she deeply respected these soldiers willing to risk danger to rescue others.
The vehicle bumped and shook along the uneven dirt road, rattling whenever it hit stones. Su Cheng had no choice but to cradle the child with one arm while gripping the truck’s side railing with the other.
“Wuwu…”
The toddler in her arms whimpered uncomfortably.
“Sister, will he find his mom and dad?”
Yun Nian’s voice was very soft—she seemed to be asking about the boy, yet also asking about herself.
A tsunami shatters countless happy families.
Su Cheng recalled the cloth strap that had bound the boy to the foam box earlier; that must have been the final act of survival insurance his parents could secure for him…
Su Cheng wasn’t great at comforting people, so she could only offer, “He will…”
Lowering her gaze, Yun Nian buried her head in her knees, and nobody spoke for the remainder of the ride.
Transitioning from the dirt roads onto flat pavement, an hour later Su Cheng finally spotted buildings—they had likely arrived at a nearby town.
The main street bustled with people. Affected by ultraviolet rays, the locals had relatively uniform, darker skin tones. Because temporary relief centers had been established in town, other lighter-skinned individuals could also be seen coming and going along the street.
Canvas stalls selling food and fruit lined the roadside. Leaving behind the tsunami-ravaged zone, the breath of human life finally returned.
Passing through the main street, the truck pulled up in front of a hospital.
Numerous canvas tents had been pitched on the open ground in front of the hospital entrance. Disaster victims lingered temporarily under the shelters, while people of all skin colors hurried back and forth.
Su Cheng climbed out of the truck carrying the toddler, accompanied by Yun Nian.
The driver poked his head out of the window, pointed toward the hospital, and signaled for them to head inside directly.
“Thank you!”
Offering her thanks, Su Cheng cradled the boy and turned back to instruct Yun Nian: “Stay close to me. There are lots of people here, don’t get lost.”
Yun Nian clutched the hem of Su Cheng’s shirt tightly. “Okay.”
Bypassing the crowds and tents, Su Cheng walked into the hospital lobby.
Inside the lobby, a crowd swarmed around a registration desk made of two pushed-together tables, where two female volunteers in work uniforms were logging information.
Squeezing into the crowd, Su Cheng looked at the registering woman. “This child was rescued by the rescue team after the tsunami. Who should he be handed to? He has a high fever and needs treatment.”
The woman didn’t understand what Su Cheng was saying, but the moment she laid eyes on the toddler, she grasped Su Cheng’s intent instantly.
Taking the child, the woman asked, “Are you his family?”
Though spoken in English, the short sentence used simple phrasing that Su Cheng could understand. “No.”
Su Cheng wanted to explain that the boy had been saved by the rescue team, but she didn’t know how to say it in English.
Her spoken English had been quite average back in her student days, and after entering the workforce, she never needed to use it, leaving her language skills long rusted over.
Who would have guessed a dungeon would throw language barrier issues at her…
Seeing Su Cheng couldn’t speak English, the woman didn’t dwell on it. After trading a few words with her companion, she carried the child away.
This small interlude didn’t distract the others from continuing their discussions with the registration staff.
Listening to their rapid-fire English, Su Cheng could only gather from their expressions that emotions ran high, but the specifics escaped her.
Glancing over, Su Cheng noticed the word name written in the registration staff’s ledger—a word she recognized—and the surrounding entries appeared to be names.
Su Cheng looked at Yun Nian. “Do you know English?”
Yun Nian nodded. “Basic communication is fine.”
Su Cheng was surprised. So young and already this capable?
“I see the registration staff recording names. You can ask about your family members.”
Yun Nian’s eyes brightened momentarily. “Okay, sister, wait for me.”
“Alright.”
Stepping back to clear the registration desk and standing in an unoccupied corner, Su Cheng waited.
The entire hospital was in a chaotic uproar. Doctors and nurses hurried past with exhausted expressions on every face. In the corner of the lobby, patients with non-critical conditions were even lying on the floor receiving IV drips, illustrating just how tight hospital beds were.
Pulling up her hem, Su Cheng glanced quickly at her abdominal bruise; it hadn’t vanished.
Though it no longer ached spontaneously, sudden, wide movements still sent momentary waves of dull pain through her abdomen.
It seemed her self-healing ability repaired superficial wounds quickly, but fixing internal organ damage took time.
Su Cheng had originally intended to get an X-ray and checkup at this hospital, but considering the sheer volume of injured patients here—with people in far worse shape than her everywhere she looked—there was no telling how long she’d have to wait.
Plus, she had a language barrier.
“I’ll just rely on self-healing to mend slowly. We can figure out the specifics once we’re back in the apartment’s white diagnostic room.”