Chapter 014: Establishing Contact

In Zhou Yirong's eyes, Han Xue's intelligence was beyond question—she belonged to the rare class of exceptionally gifted minds. Yet, what set her apart from other prodigies was the innocence she carried. Despite her brilliance, she had not grown prematurely serious; besides her high intellect, the natural vivacity of youth was vividly present in her demeanor. Such a girl was, at the very least, extremely likable to adults. Zhou Yirong mused that if, someday, he could have a mischievous daughter like her—even if she drove him mad every day—he would surely delight in it.

The two young people in the front seats exchanged words intermittently, their playful banter enlivening what would otherwise have been a tedious journey with laughter and cheer. The only blemish on this pleasant scene was Xu Lang's coldness. That chilling indifference, so deep it seemed to seep into his bones, always made those around him somewhat uneasy. However, Zhou Yirong could unmistakably sense a change in him; at least, Xu Lang was now willing to communicate.

On the second day after the jeep resumed its journey, Wang Dawei finally woke from his long slumber. Perhaps he had slept too long, for upon waking, he seemed a little dazed and adorable. He stared blankly at the hole in the roof of the car, his mind wandering. After a moment, he seemed to realize something, turning to look at the boy beside him, Xiao Ronghao, only to find Zhou Yirong there as well.

"Assistant Zhou, you're here too?"

Zhou Yirong smiled wryly, raising both arms, saying everything without words.

Wang Dawei struggled not to laugh. "Seeing you like this puts my mind at ease."

"You heartless scoundrel! After all I've done to care for you these days, you really are a beast!"

Unable to hold back, Wang Dawei burst out laughing. "Assistant Zhou, to be honest, whenever I see you looking so miserable, I feel especially happy, haha!"

Zhou Yirong's face darkened as he motioned for Xiao Ronghao to loosen Wang Dawei's restraints halfway, then placed a neatly folded blanket behind him.

Wang Dawei sat up, leaning against the blanket. "After lying so long, my whole body feels weak…"

Zhou Yirong said, "At this rate, we'll reach our destination tomorrow… Hmm, it's been over twenty days since your surgery. If it weren't for all that happened in between, you should have been up and walking ages ago."

Wang Dawei moved his upper limbs, then turned to look at Ronghao. His intuition told him there was something off about the boy, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what.

Ronghao felt uneasy under Wang Dawei's gaze and pouted, calling him uncle. In the past, when he was caught stealing, he would pitifully call out uncle or aunt, and most times, this would win him sympathy; people wouldn’t pursue his wrongdoing, and sometimes they’d even give him food.

Wang Dawei smiled. "Good boy…"

…

…

When the evening glow bathed the desert in orange and gold, the jeep came to a halt.

Everyone climbed out, stretching their stiff limbs. Han Xue opened her arms, closed her eyes, and faced west, taking a deep breath—this was her quietest moment each day. The sunset cast a dreamy beauty upon her lovely face.

Xu Lang leaned against the jeep, watching her from afar, while Xiao Ronghao crouched beside his brother, having learned his lesson and not daring to wander into the desert alone.

Han Xue turned to look at Xu Lang, who quickly lowered his head.

"Don’t you think the sunset is beautiful?" Han Xue asked.

"I’ve heard that the brilliance of the sunset doesn’t last; after its splendor comes endless darkness," Xu Lang replied.

Han Xue looked at him in surprise. "I didn’t expect you to say something so poetic, but I think whoever said that was a bit too pessimistic… Only when I see this warm scene every day can I keep going; otherwise, I wouldn’t even know why I try so hard to persevere."

"Why persevere?"

"Because it’s warm… Only warmth can remind me that the world is still beautiful, and it’s worth hoping for a better life!"

Xu Lang turned away, staring westward at the sunset.

Is that so? Is it necessary to hope for a better life?

Xiao Ronghao tugged at Xu Lang’s pant leg. "Brother, what the young lady said sounds so nice."

Xu Lang grunted softly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The two men standing not far away naturally overheard the exchange between the young ones.

Wang Dawei sighed, "Youth is wonderful. At least they still have countless dreams… so many hopes for beauty."

Zhou Yirong laughed, "Brother, you’re being dramatic—you're barely in your twenties and already lamenting about youth? What am I supposed to say at thirty-something?"

Wang Dawei chuckled awkwardly. "After everything I’ve been through, I feel like an old man, haha…"

After stretching their legs for over ten minutes, the group settled down for dinner. Unfortunately, the meal was not pleasant; since there were beastmen at the last supply point, their food was limited to hard bread and liquid nourishment.

Then Wang Dawei began his wild performance.

Thirty pieces of bread!

Fifty pieces!

Ten packs of liquid food!

Well… okay, half-full will do. Maybe a bit more water—after all that food, he was quite thirsty…

Bread followed by water…

Everyone stared in astonishment, but the show wasn’t over yet. Timidly, another voice piped up, "Could I eat a bit more too? I’ve been so hungry these days…"

It was Ronghao, clutching a plastic bag that had long since emptied of bread.

Without hesitation, Xu Lang handed over his bread. But Ronghao shook his head. "Brother, can I be like that uncle?"

He drew a circle in the air with his hands, saying, "Just like that uncle, I want to eat as much as he did…"

Xu Lang’s expression froze. He glanced at Han Xue, then at Zhou Yirong, the meaning clear.

A few minutes later, a whole box of compressed biscuits was brought out.

Zhou Yirong, a bit embarrassed, said, "Why don’t you have this first? We’re running low on bread…"

Xu Lang said nothing; as far as he was concerned, having food at all was a blessing, and he didn’t mind. Ronghao had no objections either, sprawling atop the box and eating heartily.

Wang Dawei licked his lips; truthfully, he wanted more, but felt too embarrassed, so he stood aside swallowing his own saliva.

Han Xue watched Ronghao devour his food as if it were rare delicacies. She looked at her own bread, which she had found difficult to swallow, but now felt perhaps she was too delicate. She took a big gulp of water and began eating with gusto.

…

After dinner, Zhou Yirong and Han Xue discussed contacting the institute, since they would arrive at their destination tomorrow and some matters had to be communicated.

The satellite phone connected quickly.

A staff member answered, and upon learning it was Zhou Yirong, sounded very excited.

"Assistant Zhou, it’s wonderful to hear you’re safe! You don’t know how worried everyone at the institute has been!"

Zhou Yirong managed an awkward smile, thinking he had made a fool of himself—as a deserter, he had caused everyone anxiety, which was hard to justify.

"Thank you, thank you all for your concern… Could you please call Professor Han Yi?"

"Professor Han Yi is already on his way. As soon as your call came through, we contacted him…"

After three or four minutes, rapid footsteps approached; it sounded like more than one person was coming.

"Hello, this is Han Yi!"

"Hi, Dad!" Han Xue shouted boisterously from the front seat, bursting into laughter.

"You little rascal!"

On the other end, Professor Han Yi’s eyes grew moist.

Since the last accident, they had lost contact with the group, and everyone had feared they had already perished at the hands of the beasts.