Chapter 169

01. Tongtong & Lu Jiahe

Even after shifting back to human form, Tongtong kept his rabbit tail and long ears.

He was a lop-eared bunny. His soft, white ears flopped down, swaying slightly with every step he took.

Just looking at his back, it was hard not to suspect Researcher Xiao Bing had a secret love child somewhere.

Lu Yan had passed on the news: Li Ping was still working at the A City Pollution Disease Prevention Center. She was now responsible for teaching and training the new generation of Awakened.

Government job. High salary. Good pension. No 996 grind.

Li Ping got off work at five in the afternoon.

They say returning home is daunting. Tongtong squirmed in Lu Jiahe's arms, clutching a bouquet of carnations. "Teacher~ Will I see Mama soon?"

Before, Mama had picked him up from school. Now he was picking her up from work.

Lu Jiahe absently tugged on Tongtong's rabbit tail. "Yeah."

They weren't blood brothers, but in a way, his tastes were similar to Lu Yan's.

According to their investigation, Li Ping was currently single, childless, and had missed her own child terribly all these years. There shouldn't be any messy family drama.

As they spoke, the clock finally struck five.

Tongtong craned his neck, watching eagerly as adults streamed out of the square building. A few minutes later, his eyes lit up. He shot out of Lu Jiahe's arms like a rabbit.

"Mama! Mama!"

The little bunny ran desperately fast. He was tiny, barely taller than other people's knees, but his speed was nothing to scoff at.

Li Ping's phone clattered to the ground. She stared, disbelief written across her face, at the child sprinting toward her.

She crouched, arms open, and caught her little one in a tight hug.

It felt like a dream.

The person in her arms was warm. Soft. Real.

Tongtong fought back tears. "I'm sorry, Mama. I got lost before. I couldn't find my way home."

Li Ping couldn't speak. Tears blurred her vision as she just shook her head, over and over.

Lu Jiahe watched from a distance, a pang in his chest.

Family reunited. A happy ending.

He missed his own little sister. But she wasn't coming back.

His thoughts drifted. He'd been planning to start a law firm, specializing in disputes between Awakened and ordinary people. The Pollution Disease had eroded so much—the shared consciousness, the social morals that should have held.

His phone buzzed softly in his pocket.

Lu Jiahe checked it. A message from Lu Yan.

[Mid-Autumn Festival's coming. Want to get dinner?]

Lu Yan actually enjoyed cooking.

Ever since growing those tentacles, he could chop, stir-fry, and simmer soup all at once. Very convenient.

Lu Jiahe typed back a "Sure." He closed his eyes, a faint smile touching his lips.

02. Ning Huai

Returning to his old homeland, Ning Huai expected to feel a wave of nostalgia. Instead, his heart remained still, a quiet pond.

Changjia. He'd spent decades here. It probably counted as home.

New schools and factories had risen from the ruins, breathing some life back into the place. Rewiring people's worldviews was hard, but the Brain Flower had been dead for years. Even if its remnants dreamed of restoring the old kingdom, the possibility was gone.

He'd come back to sweep a grave.

Feng Qing. Bai Lang. Others. Their remains rested in the former Vault Base.

The base had been converted into a museum and martyrs' cemetery. Quite a few visitors milled about when Ning Huai arrived.

A teacher held a small flag, leading a trail of backpack-toting kids.

"These are the people who sacrificed themselves for Changjia during the Divine Kingdom operation," the teacher, doubling as a guide, said softly. "You were born after Changjia returned to normal. If not for their efforts, we'd still be like livestock, raised by pollutants, waiting for death."

"So, always be grateful. Remember history. But don't forget the hatred either. Remembering hatred isn't about extremism. It's a warning."

Ning Huai pulled his mask up and tugged his cap lower, leaving only his chin exposed.

He could sense obstacles through vibrations in the ground. Most of the time, he didn't need eyes.

He made his way to the cemetery behind the museum.

Feng Qing had loved flowers in life, so Ning Huai had scattered all kinds of seeds over the grave.

He'd thought, untended, they wouldn't grow well. But years later, the plot had exploded into a sea of blossoms.

Flowers of every color, from every season, bloomed together in impossible harmony.

An old gardener knelt nearby, shears in hand, meticulously trimming stems. His expression was focused, gentle.

He was from Changjia, born before the fall. He'd hidden all these years. An Awakened, with a gift for temperature control. Useless in a fight, but perfect for tending flowers.

Ning Huai thought Feng Qing probably didn't mind sleeping in a place like this.

03. Qin Huaijin & Qin Woyu

Qin Woyu could feel it—his older brother wasn't dead.

They were twins, two halves of a whole. Some connection lingered in the dark between them.

He just didn't know where Qin Huaijin was.

Qin Woyu had been sickly since childhood.

With the Pollution Disease under control, his health had improved, but sleep still claimed most of his days.

He knew Qin Huaijin was on the wanted list. Not a good man.

But sometimes, a childish, selfish hope still surfaced. He wished his brother was living well, somewhere out of sight.

The Spring Festival was approaching. As usual, Lu Yan would host a huge reunion dinner at his place.

Aside from Lu Yan, their little group's average age hovered near triple digits. Most had no family or friends left in the world. Celebrating together was a way to huddle for warmth.

Because Lu Yan cooked so well, everyone looked forward to these holiday meals.

Ye Liangshan, in particular, would starve himself for three days beforehand just to make extra room.

This year, the festival happened to fall on Qin Woyu's birthday.

He rarely mentioned it. Even Yanbei, a close friend, didn't know. To his surprise, Lu Yan emerged from the kitchen carrying a small cake.

Qin Woyu was delighted, and a little embarrassed. "For me?"

"Mn," Lu Yan replied quietly. "I found out late. Didn't have all the ingredients. It's just something simple."

If not for the system's reminder, he wouldn't have known either.

The cake was small, just enough for one person.

Ye Liangshan stared, practically drooling. Lu Yan hadn't made him any special desserts since the Changjia Sea Mist incident.

Under that gaze, Qin Woyu grew flustered. "Xiao Ye, do you want it? I don't really like sweet things…"

Ye Liangshan hastily retreated. "Don't mind me. My stomach has a mind of its own. I don't actually want it."

In any case, it was truly Qin Woyu's first birthday celebration in many, many years.

He knew you were supposed to make a wish.

The lights in the dining room went out. Qin Woyu blew out the candle, hoping his brother, born on the same day, had a cake too.

-

C City. Awakened Detention Facility.

A group of inmates watched the Spring Festival Gala with profound boredom.

The Warden scoffed. "The fuck. Gets worse every year. Forcing us to boost the ratings, are they?"

Qin Huaijin seemed lost in thought.

"What's on your mind?"

"My brother."

Warden: "Your brother's a healing-type Awakened. The headquarters keeps him plump and happy. Worry about yourself."

With that, the Warden shoveled a mouthful of New Year's Eve dinner into his mouth.

This year's spread included chopped pepper fish head, dumplings, sweet rice balls, sweet and sour pork, braised ribs.

The Warden sighed. "C City, the capital of good food. Even prison grub is this decent… Wait? Why does your tray have a little cake??"

Qin Huaijin: "Want it?"

The Warden happily swallowed it whole.

His gift was World.

World governed space.

If the Warden wanted to hide, probably no one could find him.

But times had changed.

The Warden wanted to play online games. Eat junk food. Drink bubble tea.

So, after much deliberation, he'd dragged Qin Huaijin along and turned themselves in.

According to the verdict, the Warden got six years—primary charge: aiding Lu Zhi in establishing the slaughterhouse. Qin Huaijin got fifty-four years—charges: disturbing public order in A City, spreading plague.

Hiding underground wasn't much different from prison. The food he cooked himself was worse than prison rations.

The Warden figured if not for 03 still being alive, and their cooperative attitude, Qin Huaijin would likely have gotten the death penalty.

The first day of the New Year.

Headquarters, in a spirit of recycling difficult assets, would sometimes dump harder-to-handle pollutants on the prison.

Qin Huaijin had just finished slaughtering a giant catfish. He hadn't even washed the blood from his face when a guard called his number.

"Qin Huaijin. Visitor."

He was surprised.

Per his request, headquarters had agreed not to inform his family. He couldn't imagine who else would come.

It was Qin Woyu.

For a second, Qin Huaijin wanted to turn and run. But the tears welling in the other's eyes pinned him in place.

Qin Huaijin let out a soft sigh. "Why did you come?"

Qin Woyu answered, "Lu Yan told me. Can't I come see you?"

Qin Huaijin looked down. "You can."

Qin Woyu wiped the corner of his eye. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted you… to stay clean."

Qin Woyu met his gaze. "Wrongdoing needs to be paid for. I believe you didn't mean to be evil, not in your heart. Otherwise, with so many pollutants dying on the Day of Awakening, they wouldn't have spared you alone."

"I won't speak for the dead and forgive you either," Qin Guoyu continued, his voice quiet but clear. "So... reform properly here. Your gift is useful. You can still create value. I won't make excuses for you. But I won't define you forever by your past."

Through the iron mesh of the visiting window, Qin Guoyu reached out and gently took his brother's hand. "You are a stain. But you're also my brother."

The brother who, to keep his sibling alive, had learned to suppress himself, who had turned his own body into a breeding ground for parasites.