Chapter 524 - Hila
Chapter 524: Hila
The environment of the wilderness was harsh, with some refugees choosing to remain cowering within their own homes. They had the mentality of leaving everything to fate, choosing to bear the potential problems caused by the mutation virus rather than leave the safety of their homes. As for other refugees, they did not wish to sit and await death, choosing to brave the danger to cross the desolate wilderness filled with beasts to reach the only Sanctuary left.
With Bennett’s temperament, he naturally would not be able to disregard them. Even if the Sanctuary was overcapacity, saving one more would be another gained. Thus, the current refugees accepted by the Sanctuary had already surpassed tens of thousands. The entire city was packed to the brim, with the land outside the original walls having been cleared to create a larger square to facilitate the sea of refugees.
Before they flowed endlessly in, even with the increased production of suppressants, it was still in short supply. Fortunately, there were the players present to maintain law and order. They willingly bore the burden, enjoying themselves in the process.
Due to the high number of people, Aurora was always busy as she had to play the role of a human virus detector. She constantly scanned each wave of infected, practically without any proper rest.
At a particular checkpoint of the Sanctuary, there were over a thousand dirty, unkempt refugees awaiting the virus check. Fully armed soldiers were present all around to maintain public order, and the eyes of the refugees betrayed their unease and panic. This disaster had stretched their nerves to breaking point.
“When will we be allowed to enter?”
“Do you know that in order to reach the Sanctuary, I braved countless dangers along the way! A physical search can be explained, but why are we still being kept here!”
Many of the refugees were getting emotional.
“Everyone, before being allowed into the Sanctuary, we need to run a virus check. Please cooperate,” a commander shouted. While the refugees looked unsatisfied, they could only endure the anxiety.
At this point, Aurora walked in front of the crowd, closed her eyes, and felt the life signs of all the refugees present.
After a long while, she finally opened her eyes and spoke with an expression of apology, “There’s an infected among you. Please follow the soldiers to the quarantine area when I indicate to you.”
As the soldiers walked into the crowd to pull out the infected, their actions roused the anxiety of all the refugees present.
“What are you doing! Let go! I’m not infected!
“Let go of my kid!”
“Scram!”
The emotions of the refugees were akin to a powder keg, easily ignited by just a small spark. Even if the majority initially intended to stay obedient, with a small portion of rebels, everyone quickly turned chaotic to resist and attack the soldiers.
Shouts, pleads, grumbles, and even the sound of things being thrown on the ground could be heard. The entire place was a mess.
In such an extreme period, the methods employed by the guards were naturally as extreme. They employed kicks and punches, forcefully dragging out the infected to handcuff them and throw them into a corner. A few of the infected children were even forcefully snatched from their parents’ hands, causing them to cry nonstop.
Bang!
A gunshot was heard.
The entire field fell dead silent. Everyone saw a male refugee with a face of insanity, holding onto a handgun with the barrel emitting smoke. The gun was held up toward the sky, causing the refugees around him to immediately scramble away. In an instant, the man’s surroundings were devoid of human life.
The expressions of the soldiers greatly shifted, with a dozen over rifles immediately pointed at the man.
“Dammit, how did those searchers in front do their jobs‽ How did he sneak this gun into the city?”
“Put down your weapon, or else we fire!” the commander bellowed.
The man holding onto the gun was trembling in both legs, but he mustered his courage to reply, “Don’t… don’t be fooled by them! I heard that those who are quarantined were actually all executed. They cannot be believed!”
“You’re mistaken. We actually have a way to save these infected. Don’t be rash!” The commander immediately stepped out to placate the man while signaling with his eyes toward his gunmen.
The moment that the armed man’s attention was shifted, they would immediately fire and put him down.
At this time, one of the infected that had been pulled out screamed in an ear-piercing voice.
“Dad!”
An eight-year-old child struggled free from the hands of the guard, stumbling as he made his way in front of the man. He hugged tightly to the trouser leg of the man, his eyes wide open in fear as he stared around him in shock, his tiny figure trembling.
The commander immediately cursed inwardly, hurriedly covering the muzzle of the soldier near him. Nobody was willing to kill the father in front of his child. If only the child was not present!
“Please consider for your child and put down your weapon. We can attest to the fact that we have the means to save the infected!”
“How… how can you save them!” the armed refugee shouted in return.
The commander kept his patience and explained, “We have produced a drug that can suppress the virus. The reason we quarantine the infected is to ensure that they are easily identified so that we can give them the drug.”
“Then immediately bring the drug over for my child. I want to witness the whole process!”
“This…” The commander hesitated. “The production rate of the suppressant is extremely low. There are still several people within the quarantine zone waiting for the drug. The rough wait till your turn will be around three days. I have no authority…”
The gunman immediately grumbled, cutting into the commander’s explanation, “I don’t care! You had better bring the medicine over immediately, or else… or else, I’m gonna fire!”
As he spoke, the gunman pointed the muzzle at the worried Aurora, who was standing at a distance witnessing the scene. He had previously noticed that Aurora was the person responsible for identifying the virus and should be someone important. Only by threatening her could his demands be fulfilled.
Every soldier present lost color in their faces as their fingers almost depressed the triggers on their rifles.
“Don’t shoot! She’s the only person who can identify the virus now. The whole world needs her!”
“I don’t care! I want the drug!” The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his emotions highly unstable.
At that moment, a dark red energy bubble suddenly surrounded Aurora. Hila walked out from the side, her expression frosty with anger.
The armed refugee immediately fired, but the bullets were all deflected by the dark red shield. Hila waved her hand, and the energy turned into a beam, shooting directly toward the forehead of the assailant.
When Aurora worked, Hila would always make sure to accompany her as her bodyguard to prevent any misfortune from falling on her little sister. This move of hers was made to kill. She would not be lenient when removing any threats to her sister’s life.
“Sister, no!”
Hila’s brow wrinkled, and the energy beam that was en route to blowing the man’s head off changed course, shattering the firearm in his hand instead. The guards immediately swarmed to arrest the man while prying the kid who was still hugging onto his father’s leg to the side.
“You should have let me kill him,” Hila said impatiently. “Kindness is the natural enemy to survival. You need to change—stop being so naive.”
Aurora, however, smiled and replied, “That’s not the case. I know that with my sister present, he cannot hurt me. He was just impulsive, and we should not deprive him of his life just for that. We should be working to save the refugees instead.”
“Sigh, my silly little sister…” Hila narrowed her eyes, as all those bloody memories flashed through her mind. She shook her head to clear them. “Don’t be reluctant in viewing people from their worst side.”
In her black, skintight combat suit, Hila’s long legs enabled her to quickly reach the arrested man. Looking down from where she stood, she coldly snapped, “If you do not trust us and do not wish to quarantine your son, leave this place. We lack everything except refugees. No one will stop you from leaving. Guards, release him and the child.”
The guards did as instructed and let go of the man. The latter immediately scooped up his child, staring angrily at Hila. However, he instead got ferociously stared back at. From her glare that was full of killing intent, a cold feeling surfaced in the man’s heart, and he could only slowly retreat in anger.
He swept the remaining people a look, hugging his child tight as he took heavy steps toward the outside. He did not wish to be separated from his son, so he was not willing to stay.
At this time, Aurora suddenly opened her mouth.
“Please don’t leave.”
The man paused, turning his head back to look at the petite Aurora, his face an expression of shock.
Aurora said in a sincere voice, “While we will not restrict you from leaving, I implore you to stay. The wilderness is honestly too dangerous, and only by staying in the Sanctuary can you both obtain safety. Please believe in my sincerity.”
“Then immediately bring the drugs over and save my son!” Hearing her words, the man immediately interjected.
However, Aurora shook her head in response. “To resist and retaliate just to protect your kin regardless of the danger, trust me, I’m also deeply aware of such an impulse. I’m sorry, we will never give you suppressants in advance. That would be unfair to others, and making trouble will definitely not be exchanged for special treatment. But I hope that you can trust us. With patience, your child can definitely get healed.”
Even if she believed in kindness, she would never let it sway her principles. After experiencing such a long period of darkness, the naivety in her had long vanished.
Her words brought upon a sense of strength and reliance, and the man seemed to hesitate. At this point, his son suddenly wiped his tears and spoke out, “Dad, I believe her. Let me go to the quarantine area. I will protect myself well.”
The man gritted his teeth, finally letting go of the child. The commander came forward to hold onto the kid’s hands, and while the man looked as though he wanted to intervene several times, he eventually refrained from any rash movements.
After this short episode, the emotions of the refugees also calmed down. They obediently accepted the quarantines, and order was restored.
The two sisters left the site due to the huge size of the bear tagging along behind Aurora, mild and docile.
Hila stroked Aurora’s head as she frowned, saying, “Did you forget what I said? There is no meaning in helping others. To be selfless to others is to allow them to be selfish for themselves—there is no point extending your goodwill to strangers as they do not have the qualifications to obtain your help.”
Aurora pulled on Hila’s hand as she softly replied, “Since we have the strength to help others, if we keep it hidden and don’t help them, aren’t we being selfish?”
“Helping others is considered a noble affair, but helping yourself is considered a repulsive matter,” Hila coldly replied. “This sort of hypocrisy makes me disgusted. The majority of morals are just scams to trick those who are stupid.”
“But Uncle Black Star once saved me out of goodwill. We’re people who have obtained help. Don’t say that you aren’t happy because of it.” Aurora chuckled.
“…” Every time they touched on this topic, Hila would become speechless. “In any case, this favor of his will be repaid one day. I don’t like owing others.”
While she said that, Han Xiao had already entered a new state, with a huge change in status. When they first met, Han Xiao had merely been a weak, pale test subject receiving training. However, he now had this sort of achievement, making Hila wonder if all of this was actually reality. Life was truly too fickle.
Thus, Hila had always been torn over how to face the current Han Xiao. He seemed to no longer need her strength, and she did not know how exactly she could return this favor.
“Sometimes, I really have no idea how to chat with you.” Aurora pretended to be an elderly, sighing. “If you could be less eccentric, the number of people giving you recognition would be a thousand times greater than the current number.”
“Humph, a person that requires the approval of others is merely so-so.” Hila frowned.
Aurora could only shake her head in response.
While I’ve always been protected by my older sister, sometimes, I feel as though she is actually the child instead!
…
Not far away, Herlous and Han Xiao had just arrived, and after listening to the talk between the two sisters, they looked at each other.
“Let’s go back, I feel that there’s nothing that can be done for you.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
Herlous was shocked. “D*mn your mother, you haven’t even asked! Could you play a more practical role‽”