First chapter of the week (June 23). We’re back! Despite the late release, there will be 5 chapters this week. Short note from Udeze in the end of the chapter.
If the Reading List on NU reaches 1000, there will be a bonus chapter! Currently: 809/1000.
Chapter 31: The Weak Bravery (Part 2)
On the surface, the group seemed to be led by Feng Ling. But in fact, it invisibly had Qing Yi"s influence. When Qing Yi stood up and made up her mind, Feng Ling also followed.
“Children! Listen to my pa.s.sword! Let"s try again, maybe this time…”
A group of wicked people had tied everyone in the welfare home for more than an hour. For many hours and after many struggles, those elderly and children"s hands and feet were tied up. Ceating a bluish purple bloodstained line on their tied up body parts, while there was not even a trace of change on the nylon rope. However, the elderly had yet to give up and also called the children to strive together. However, the children were long exhausted already, and could no longer exert much strength anymore.
At this time, Qing Yi led everyone to the door of the welfare home. For safety reasons, she carefully listened to the movements and sounds inside the courtyard. After having confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Liu Wei"s report, she then knocked on the door and asked, "Is there anyone in the yard?”
“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! Several dozens of children are trapped in the courtyard!" Upon hearing someone knocking the door, the elderly responded to the call and shouted immediately.
The door was locked from the inside. Under Feng Ling"s motion, Liu Wei jumped over the wall and then quickly opened the door.
Seeing the situation in the courtyard, Qing Yi immediately used her knife to cut the rope and saved those tied up while Feng Ling remained on full alert to prevent any unexpected variables.
After the roped that tied up the children had all been completely cut off, nothing unexpected happened.
The old woman was called Yang Suyan. She was the president of this Heaven Care Orphanage. Although at present, they did not know her, in fact, she was the Honorary President of the National Charity a.s.sociation—the 10th successive successor of the people—Chinese People"s Political Consultative Conference (CPCCC) member. Despite being 83 years-old, she was the national moral and labor model as well as the pride of Jiangnan City.
She had helped countless of people even though she lived an impoverished life. And for a person with such an ordinary life featuring such ordinary things to the extreme, her influence was quite powerful.
30 years ago, when she took her terminally ill daughter and adopted three disabled children, the orphanage only had one storied building when it was first covered by the China Central Television (CCTV). The orphanage which was named the Heaven Care Orphanage then blossomed in the country. And so far, in the 30 years of establishment of the Heaven Care Orphanage, at least more than 100,000 children with disabilities had been accepted by this inst.i.tute.
As the founder of the Heaven Care Orphanage, even though she only had an elementary school education level background, she had been invited many times by the United Nation to give speeches all over the world, and her story had touched countless people.
As the apocalypse came, all the normal schools had long been deserted. However, all these children with disabilities from this orphanage were homeless and could only persevere here. Originally, as the city"s moral landmark project, the police force also protected this Heaven Care Orphanage.
But after the police force planned to desert the Eastern District, the orphanage was eventually abandoned, leaving only the old woman and several volunteers, obviously leaving them without the strength and ability to lead these children with disabilities to leave safely. Therefore, the old woman sent a volunteer to the Northern District to seek help from the Government as they hid carefully, trying to avoid being discovered by the zombies.
A few hours ago, four Awakened men suddenly crashed into the orphanage and rounded them up while mercilessly killing the remaining three volunteers.
“The world has changed. Elders and children! Everyone, let"s leave quickly. The Government cannot send cops to pick you up. Some Awakened have entered the Secret Area in this place, so when the area is broken, all the creatures within it will also come out. By then, we cannot get out even if we want to!"
Leading so many either deaf, mute, or disabled children to flee together to the Northern District was not something that could be accomplished, and Feng Ling could only let them fend for themselves.
“You are all Awakened. I can see that you are not the same as the previous group. Could you please look after those children, for their sake? Please escort us to the government in the Northern District!" the 80-years-old elder bowed to Feng Ling and Qing Yi.
“Right now zombies are lurking everywhere in the city, and a little bit of sound could make the zombies swarm over. Hiding will enable you able to live for a few days. But if we take such a huge group of people, let alone us three Awakened, even if there are ten Awakened, there"s no way to guarantee everyone"s safety." Qing Yi really wanted to help this group of children. But she also knew that they could do nothing as she propped up the old woman after she bowed.
“Do you also want to enter the Secret Area?" The elderly asked again.
“We did have such a plan, but we can"t afford to pay the Blood Crystals. Much less that those four bad people have gone in for more than an hour. Even if we can go, we will only court our own death!"
A moment ago, after the elderly gave out the Secret Area position, Feng Ling also triggered the light curtain. But she had never expected that this Secret Area needed 2 large Blood Crystals to enter, causing her to back down without giving much thought to it.
“Since we cannot stay in this place for long, we"ll take the children to a slightly safer place. After the Secret Area in this place is broken, if the volunteer who I"ve sent to ask for help from the army and the police comes back, then we can go along with the army!" The elderly suggested.
Everyone could not bear to look at such a group of children as Qing Yi herself then nodded. They might be unable to escort them to the Northern District, but taking them to another building a few hundreds of meters away from this place was an acceptable compromise.
As for when the Secret Area would shatter, n.o.body could guess it. So the elderly immediately arranged the preparation. Although these children were not normal and healthy, but they could tidy up after listening to the elder’s words as they prepared to go along with Qing Yi and Feng Ling to leave the orphanage.
Suddenly, footsteps from a group of people could be heard from the outside.
“Is it here?”
“Yes, it"s here!"
“Good!”
A squad of soldiers slammed and kicked the door open.
Upon seeing several heavily armed soldiers with the volunteer worker who was sent by her, the elderly was quite excited as she staggered forward and tightly held the officer"s hands, "I knew the Government would not abandon the children. Thank you for your hard work everyone!"
“Are you the president, Yang Suyan?" The officer"s brows wrinkled and asked with a sinking tone.
“Yes, I am Yang Suyan. On behalf of these children, I thank you and the government!" Because of the excitement, the elderly did not hear the unusual tone of the military officer.
“Then you should know the specific position for the fallen light pillar from the rainbow!" Once again the officer asked.
“You came to this Eastern District because the Government send you to pick up these children, no?" President Yang realized that things were not as beautiful as she imagined them to be, and carefully answered.
“Yes, tell me the position where the light pillar has fallen. And then we"ll immediately arrange to send you the Northern District!” That officer coated his words with a bright tone.
Since the matter had developed like this, Qing Yi, Feng Ling, and the group could smell something unusual and suddenly turned nervous.
“Who are you guys, what are you doing here?” Noticing the strange reactions from Qing Yi and the group, the military officer"s face sank.
“They are the ones who I have invited to help the children. They are not outsiders!” Yang Suyan knew that things had changed and quickly took over.
“The government is here to protect the people. As long as they don"t violate the laws and commit crimes, everyone needs not be tensed up. First, tell me where the light pillar"s position is first, and then we"ll protect everyone to leave immediately!" The military did not pursue the matter and talked bureaucratically, inquiring about the gate"s position to the Secret Area.
“There"s no one who found the gate to the Secret Area in this place! Up to now, at least three people have come here to find it!" The elderly—who almost never lied—knew, that if she told them the location of the gate to the Secret Area, she could tell that these soldiers would certainly enter the Secret Area and would no longer care about the children, so she sprinkled a lie.
“There"s no gate to the Secret Area here. Then why did you say that your President has seen the light Pillar, huh?!" The officer"s eyes turned again as he stared tightly at the volunteer who had brought him to the orphanage.
“I’m sorry, I have no way to know it! I"ve knelt for a few hours at the Government"s entrance, and the staff ignored our requests so I could only lie and deceive you to get here in hoping that you can have sympathy and help these children and take them to the Northern District!" The volunteered, who was stared by the military officer, did not panic and said his reasons calmly.
“You dare to deceive us and lie to the lieutenant?! It seems you are too bored to live!"
Ever since he evolved and became an Awakened, this was the first time someone deceived him, and he was blazing in anger as he pulled out his gun and pointed at the volunteer"s head.
“What do you wanna do? You are a Government soldier, the People"s Army that exist to help people through the disaster! Isn"t this your obligation?” President Yang quickly shouted upon seeing the soldier pointing his gun to her people.
“Old d.a.m.n woman, I know you are a celebrity, but that d.a.m.n rhetoric you"ve said in the peace era have all expired! My obligation is to find the Secret Area, and there"s no information about the Secret Area whatsoever now! Deceiving us to get here in the first place has cost us two brothers, so it"s f.u.c.king fair if I kill him for our two brothers!"
The officer had just finished saying his words when he finger pulled the trigger. And bang, one fresh life then fell under his muzzle.
“Eldest Brother…”
Upon seeing the military officer"s murdering, a pockmarked face soldier behind him seemed a bit unable to bear it.
“Pock Face! Now is the apocalypse, that means that even if you lack the strength, you never must you have a soft heart! You have to f.u.c.king learn this if you want to follow me!" The military officer turned around and reprimanded the soldier.
“Y-y-you are the People’s Army! H-how could you kill so freely…" The old woman was shocked and shivered violently by the scene in front. She was originally full of hope, but it was really unacceptable for her that the government"s army even fired at the people.
“Don"t lecture me about your f.u.c.king principles. Those are the remnants of the past. If there"s no gate to the Secret Area, then you, you, you, and everyone else has to die!" The officer pointed his gun one by one to Qing Yi, Feng Ling, and finally pointed at the President Yang Suyan"s chest.
This was the natural order—the standard of a madman who pursued strength in the apocalypse. Telling the location of the gate to the Secret Area to such a ruthless and merciless lunatic, would not necessarily prevent them from danger; this caused everyone"s heart to suddenly shudder.
****
Notes:
I was unable to translate even a chapter for the last 2 week due to my sickness. I was too tired, caught a flu, and got appendectomy. So, the verdict was, I have to rest for a month, and just got discharged last Thursday. However, I was bored and asked my wife to bring me my laptop to translate some chaps and kill my boredom.