The truck slowly drove through the park gate, tires crunching softly over the newly laid gravel road.
The Defense Group members on and below the wall put down their tools and looked curiously toward the truck bed. When they saw that the people jumping down were not only familiar companions but also eight unfamiliar faces, they were puzzled.
Didn’t they say they were going out to find food? Why did they bring back several more mouths to feed?
“Boss He is back!”
“And she brought a lot of people!”
“Who’s that young guy with the big backpack?”
He Xu was the first to jump down from the truck bed. Just as her feet landed, before she could even turn around to say something to Chen Mingyuan, a figure crashed into her arms.
“Jiejie!”
Xie Zhiwei wrapped both arms tightly around her waist, burying his whole face in her shoulder.
The boy had run too fast, his breathing rapid. Through the thin clothing, He Xu could feel his body trembling slightly.
Twelve-year-old Xie Zhiwei was half a head shorter than her, and at this moment he was clinging to her whole body. He was hugging her so tightly, as if she would disappear the moment he let go.
He Xu was caught off guard and staggered back half a step, the jasmine pot in her hand almost slipping.
She had originally wanted to push him away, because in front of so many new members, as the park’s coordinator, she needed to maintain a certain authority.
But through their symbiotic contract link, she could clearly perceive the other party’s unease and longing.
Her heart softened.
“Zhiwei, I’m back.” She said softly. Her free left hand hesitated for a moment, then finally landed on the boy’s back, patting gently. “I’m fine. See, perfectly fine.”
Xie Zhiwei did not speak, only hugged her tighter.
His ability fluctuated unconsciously, the surrounding air temperature dropping a few degrees, and tiny frost flowers condensed on the ground.
Nan Leyou got out of the truck behind He Xu and happened to see this scene.
Oh ho! What a clingy pair of siblings.
He raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping back and forth between He Xu and Xie Zhiwei, finally landing on the precarious jasmine.
“Miss He Xu,” he considerately extended his hand, “shall I hold the flowerpot for you first?”
He Xu looked at him gratefully and handed over the flowerpot. “Thank you, sorry to trouble you.”
When Nan Leyou took the flowerpot, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushed the back of He Xu’s hand.
At that instant, the wood-type ability within him gave a slight throb, and it was actually resonating with He Xu!
What was going on? Wood-type natural types only resonated with natural types.
Unless… He Xu was a dual-ability user.
Nan Leyou lowered his eyelids, hiding the interest in his eyes.
He Xu’s full attention was now on Xie Zhiwei and she did not notice Nan Leyou’s abnormality.
She slightly opened the distance, held the boy’s face with both hands, and forced him to raise his head. “Let me see. Have you been eating well? Have you been resting on time?”
Xie Zhiwei’s eyes were a little red, though it was unclear whether it was from running too fast or something else.
He stared at He Xu, looking carefully for several seconds, confirming she was truly unharmed, before answering softly: “I ate. I slept.”
“Lying.” He Xu poked his forehead. “You have dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep well last night and sneak out to practice your ability?”
Xie Zhiwei pressed his lips tightly together and stopped talking.
At that moment, Dr. Zhang came out from the crowd and smiled to smooth things over. “Miss He Xu, you don’t know. During the day you were gone, young brother Xie hardly left the wall. He went up to wait at eight in the morning, and I had to drag him down for lunch.”
He Xu rubbed Xie Zhiwei’s hair. “Don’t worry. I said I would come back, so I will definitely come back.”
“I know.” Xie Zhiwei finally spoke, his voice muffled. “But I was afraid.”
Afraid you would be like Mom and Dad, leaving and never coming back. Afraid of the sudden accidents in the apocalypse. Afraid that I am still not strong enough, that I would not be in time to protect you.
He did not say these words aloud, but He Xu understood.
She sighed and held Xie Zhiwei’s hand. “Come, first take the new friends to the cafeteria. We’ll talk slowly.”
Chen Mingyuan and the other agricultural station personnel had all gotten out of the truck and were standing uneasily beside it, sizing up this legendary industrial park.
Their gazes swept over the towering walls, the reinforced watchtowers, the orderly patrol teams, and finally landed on He Xu and Xie Zhiwei.
That powerful young boy, whose mere aura made people feel a chill in their hearts, was now following He Xu step by step, his hand still tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, completely looking like a younger brother dependent on his older sister.
This contrast made Chen Mingyuan feel a little dazed.
Liu Li had already come up warmly to greet them. “Everyone has worked hard on the road! I am Liu Li from the Logistics Group, responsible for supply distribution and housing arrangements. The cafeteria has prepared hot water and simple food. Everyone rest a bit first.”
She paused and looked at He Xu. “Miss He Xu, over at the dormitory, we have already cleared out two large bunk rooms according to your instructions before you left. But there are more people than expected, so adjustments may be needed.”
He Xu nodded. “Let everyone go to the cafeteria to rest first.”
She looked at Li Jun and said: “Uncle Li, please take the Defense Group and continue patrolling to ensure the outer perimeter is safe.
Sister Liu, take a few of the female researchers to settle in first.
Uncle Wang, please check the truck and see if it needs maintenance.”
Clear and orderly, she arranged what each person should do. The people she instructed were all no longer young. Yet without any physical coercion, she could make everyone trust her.
He Xu’s actions quickly stabilized the scene, which had become somewhat chaotic due to the arrival of new members.
Nan Leyou stood at the edge of the crowd holding the pot of jasmine, observing quietly.
He saw how He Xu, while soothing Xie Zhiwei, quickly assigned tasks, saw how the park members naturally carried out her instructions, and saw how the newly arrived agricultural station personnel gradually relaxed from their initial tension.
He realized that this girl might be a natural-born leader.
“Nan Leyou.” He Xu’s voice came.
“I’m here.” He answered subconsciously.
Nan Leyou looked up and saw that He Xu had already soothed her clingy younger brother and was walking toward him.
Xie Zhiwei followed half a step behind her, those deep brown eyes quietly sizing him up.
“Give the flower back to me.” He Xu smiled. “Thank you for helping just now.”
Nan Leyou returned the flowerpot. At the moment of handover, he asked as if casually: “When the ground was frozen at the agricultural station, were you using his ability?”
He Xu’s movement paused.
Xie Zhiwei suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp.
“The wood type is very sensitive to the flow of energy.” Nan Leyou said calmly. “The way the ground froze at that time was very special. It was not like the long-range support Uncle Li mentioned. It was more like someone standing in the middle of the zombie horde, personally casting the ability.”
“And at that time, the only ones with abilities were you and me.” Nan Leyou looked directly into He Xu’s eyes, waiting to see what answer the girl before him would give.
“So I guess that Miss He Xu’s contract-type ability is probably not just about communicating with animals, is it?”
The air was quiet for a few seconds.
He Xu took the flowerpot. The jasmine swayed slightly in her palm. She looked at Nan Leyou. There was no malice in this young man’s eyes, only pure curiosity.
“You guessed right.” He Xu said. “My ability does have something special about it. But exactly what it is, I am still figuring out.”
She could not reveal the specifics. The derivative ability of the contract type was too bug-like.
After contracting, she could obtain part of the other party’s ability. If she contracted enough powerful ability users, He Xu could absolutely make the west of the city—no, the entire city district—her own domain where only her word mattered.
Nan Leyou had also guessed her answer. He probed: “Very impressive. Even in Dawn Base, dual-ability users are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.”
“I am not a dual-ability user.” He Xu corrected.
Nan Leyou: “Then what are you?”
“Uh—hard to say.” He Xu: “Then just think of me as a magical girl who especially likes picking young boys to contract.”
Nan Leyou: “…?”
The young boy she had contracted, Xie Zhiwei: “…?”
He Xu thought their stunned expressions were quite funny. “Let’s go, to the cafeteria. Nan Leyou, you come too, and get to know everyone.”
Quite a few people had already gathered in the cafeteria. The original thirty-seven members were all present, sitting in their usual places. But no one greeted the people from the agricultural station, using their own behavior to radiate an unwelcoming attitude.
No one would like more mouths to feed when there was not much food to begin with.
The eight new arrivals crowded at the cafeteria entrance, their boots still stained with mud from the farmland, their expressions awkward.
The atmosphere was momentarily a little embarrassing.
After entering the cafeteria, He Xu glanced around.
The old members were subconsciously sitting in small groups: several young people from the Defense Group were talking and laughing at the very back, the women from the Logistics Group occupied one side with their children, and Uncle Wang from the technical group and Dr. Zhang were sitting alone at a table discussing something.
There were empty seats, but they were scattered.
She did not say anything and walked to the front end of the long table. Beside the seat where Li Jun usually sat, she pulled out an empty stool and sat down.
Xie Zhiwei also followed and sat down beside her.
Then He Xu raised her head and waved toward the entrance. “Station Chief Chen, sit here. Uncle Li, move in one seat? Station Chief Chen has some suggestions about wall defense and wants to ask you.”
Li Jun was stunned for a moment, then readily stood up. “Sure! Station Chief Chen, come, sit here. It’s easier to talk.”
Chen Mingyuan walked over hesitantly and sat down in the seat Li Jun had yielded. The shoulders of the two middle-aged men touched, instantly closing the distance.
He Xu then looked at the youngest female researcher from the agricultural station. The girl was clutching her backpack, her fingers twisted white.
“Jian Ling, right?” He Xu remembered everyone’s name. “There’s an empty seat over by Aunt Liu. Her daughter also used to love tinkering with bottles and jars doing experiments. You two should have things to talk about.”
Hearing this, Liu Li immediately smiled and waved. “Come, girl, sit by me. Oh, how did you scrape your hand? Let Dr. Zhang take a look later.”
A seat, a spot, a word of concern.
The young researcher Jian Ling’s eyes reddened slightly, and she sat down next to Liu Li.
He Xu continued calling out names, her voice not loud but clear:
“Engineer Zhao, Uncle Wang is talking about circuits over there. Don’t you know solar panel repair? Come chat, come chat.”
“Sister Sun, take the child and sit inside. It’s sheltered from the wind there.”
“Da Zhou, you young guys stop crowding at the door. Go inside and share a table with the Defense Group brothers.”
“Li Hao, move in a bit and make room for the new brother.”
With every sentence she spoke, someone moved.
In less than two minutes, all eight newcomers were seated, scattered across five places, each next to at least one old member.
Nan Leyou was dumbfounded watching this. He had truly witnessed what it meant to balance everything. No wonder everyone trusted her.
Not only did she balance things, she did it well and fairly.
At that moment, Liu Li brought out the food that had been prepared earlier: thin porridge, roasted potatoes, and a few jars of pickles just opened yesterday.
In the apocalypse, this could already be considered a sumptuous meal.
The people from the agricultural station stared at the food, their eyes fixed. They had not eaten hot food for a long time.
“According to the rules, new members can enjoy basic rations for the first three days without deducting points.” He Xu explained to Chen Mingyuan. “After three days, food and supplies will be distributed according to the point system based on the posts and workload everyone chooses. Sister Liu will explain the specific rules in detail later.”
Chen Mingyuan nodded solemnly. “We understand. Thank you for taking us in.”
“Not taking you in, cooperating.” He Xu corrected. “You bring seeds and knowledge; we provide safe housing and labor. This is mutual benefit.”
As she said this, Xie Zhiwei had already silently filled a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of He Xu, then filled another bowl for himself and sat down beside her.
He Xu: “Thank you.”
Xie Zhiwei smiled lightly. “You’re welcome.”
Nan Leyou sat on the bench across from them, sipping porridge in small mouthfuls while continuing to observe.
Halfway through the meal, Chen Mingyuan finally could not help himself. He pushed up his glasses and leaned slightly forward:
“Miss He, about that plot in the southeast corner, I have some concerns.”
He Xu put down her spoon. “Go ahead.”