Moonlit: I made a Discord server. You can join the server for pinged updates, schedules, sudden announcements, etc… ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡
He Fang spent three days writing entertainment culture study content into “Ruins Without Restart”. When he truly started researching, he realized how much more complex the so-called “entertainment culture” was compared to what he had initially understood.
From the very beginning, from Hope City to Angel City, and then to Arrival City—every time He Fang added these cities into the system’s statistics panel, he would see the residents’ happiness levels hovering at nearly zero. This proved that, in the current post-apocalyptic world, people had almost no sense of happiness left.
Even though life was painfully hard, people still struggled to survive—it seemed like it was humanity’s instinct to go on. Even in ancient times, when nothing was developed, humans would still try to come up with things to play with. But in this apocalypse, even just keeping yourself alive had become extremely difficult.
He Fang thought of the public square in Scorching Sun City, where everyone shouted and laughed, but he didn’t feel any sense of joy from that scene. Rather than happiness, it felt more like a kind of reckless abandon, as if they had given up on tomorrow.
The most painful part was that people in the apocalypse hadn’t forgotten what entertainment was. It’s just that they no longer had the means to entertain themselves. After all, there had once been an era of peace, when everyone could enjoy entertainment freely. But now, after multiple generations in the apocalypse, entertainment had been reduced to mere stories.
Entertainment was important, just like laziness was important. To have motivation for growth, people needed more than just endless work—they needed some spiritual enjoyment. Without it, they’d develop psychological issues. This wasn’t the kind of ecosystem a healthy city should have.
When He Fang finally finished writing all the data he’d gathered into “Ruins Without Restart, he collapsed back onto his bed in pain. He had never studied so seriously before, his head was pounding.
“But… how could the happiness levels in the main city rise to such a terrifying number in a place without a single entertainment facility?” He Fang muttered to himself. At first, he had thought it was just a bug in the system, until he saw that the happiness levels could also drop.
Entertainment… Now that the combined population of the three cities had surpassed one million, there were enough people to start developing a range of entertainment projects. Maybe it was time to consider building an amusement park?
But building an amusement park would definitely require taking average income levels into account. Right now, the residents of Angel City have extremely low incomes, and the people in Hope City have poured all their money into schools and educational institutions. Only the residents of the main city had money, but their numbers were simply far too few.
But it should be possible to start introducing some ball games now, and maybe some clubs or something…
The moment He Fang thought of that, his head started hurting again. He scrambled up in one go, going online to search for any sports-related courses that could be added to the main city.
As long as the education in the main city improved, the education in the other cities could be brought up along with it.
The people in his main city just loved stirring things up. He Fang had only now realized that his small patch of virtual territory simply wasn’t enough to satisfy the relentless demands of those NPCs in the main city.
Ever since he got the sensory simulation pod, He Fang felt his in-game time in “Ruins Without Restart” kept increasing, squeezing out time for his other games. After all, with a fully open world and algorithmic, logic-free simulations, “Ruins Without Restart” had far too many variables and changes. Its playability was just too high, making other games feel dim in comparison.
He Fang thought about his rankings in other games. He believed he had already achieved a lot of records that would be hard for anyone to catch up to—probably no one had managed to surpass him yet.
As for that game the deliveryman liked, He Fang still hadn’t completed all the achievements with 100% completion. That was indeed because he had spent far too much time on “Ruins Without Restart”.
He Fang opened his phone and saw his last chat with the deliveryman.
It was a message where the deliveryman said he had a delivery for someone in He Fang’s building, then sent a location pin, asking if He Fang wanted anything he could bring back along the way.
He Fang said no. The deliveryman had been very enthusiastic, wanting to express his gratitude, and He Fang completely understood that feeling. But understanding was one thing. He Fang still didn’t like troubling others, so he had just flat-out declined.
He Fang had a lot of ingredients in his fridge and usually cooked for himself. He had originally been trying to deliberately reduce how often he ordered takeout. But then one day, while chatting with the deliveryman, the latter had complained that orders had been a little slow recently, and he was worried he wouldn’t hit his performance quota. So after that, whenever He Fang had nothing to do, he would just order some takeout.
The deliveryman still left things at the door and then sent a text saying everything was placed properly. He wasn’t so overly familiar as to strike up a conversation with He Fang every time he came upstairs, but whenever He Fang secretly crouched by the door to sneak a peek, he would always catch the deliveryman suddenly flashing a genuinely friendly smile toward the door.
He Fang liked the deliveryman’s smile—or rather, with the deliveryman’s looks, He Fang doubted anyone in the world could possibly dislike that smile.
They had been chatting more frequently these past few days. He Fang had also started replying to messages more often. He no longer spent ages overthinking every reply—he’d relaxed a lot.
He Fang felt that the deliveryman might be the first person in the real world he’d ever met who made him feel comfortable simply by being around.
When he logged back into the game, He Fang happened to reappear right behind Zhu Yan. This was the research institute. Before logging off, He Fang had come to ask Zhu Yan if there was any way to create something simple and convenient—something everyone could use with ease.
Since he was going to promote entertainment culture, it had to be through the most straightforward, most widespread, and easiest-to-understand medium. In modern times, that meant works that could be accessed via mobile devices were the top choice.
“How’s it going?” He Fang walked up beside Zhu Yan, bent slightly at the waist, and looked at the object laid out in front of him.
“I have an idea, but it’ll require a lot of experiments,” Zhu Yan said, only turning to face He Fang after finishing the experiment he had been working on.
As far as He Fang was concerned, having an idea at all meant there was hope.
“But to think you’d even have an idea for something like this… You really are amazing, Zhu Yan. You’re my precious one.” He Fang deliberately praised his NPC, and immediately saw Zhu Yan’s already high loyalty stat jump even higher.
Zhu Yan’s face remained its usual cool and composed self, but hearing He Fang’s words brought a flicker of surprise to his expression. A faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth, softening his usual demeanor quite a bit. “The city lord’s precious one is bound to attract envy. City Lord, you’ll have to protect me well from being framed by those who are jealous.”
There was a deeper meaning in Zhu Yan’s words—hinting, perhaps, at a certain detestable person who had freely wandered into the Creator’s quarters.
He Fang had absolutely not gotten what Zhu Yan meant. Instead, he suddenly noticed that Min Zhizhou was actually here.
He Fang met Min Zhizhou’s gaze.
Min Zhizhou awkwardly looked away and coughed twice, clearly embarrassed.
“Why have you let yourself go like this?!” He Fang felt like he could barely even look straight at Min Zhizhou!
The last time he saw Min Zhizhou, he had thought this NPC was just a little chubby. But now, seeing him again, all the muscle definition on Min Zhizhou’s body was completely gone, replaced by soft, droopy flesh!
Min Zhizhou was once one of his most important NPCs! He Fang had even considered making him the leader of Hope City. But Min Zhizhou had no grand ambitions and only wanted to live a peaceful life, so He Fang had let him be.
But now, just look at what Min Zhizhou has become! He had gone from a somewhat handsome middle-aged uncle to an utterly ordinary, chubby middle-aged uncle!
Min Zhizhou was a little embarrassed, too. He scratched the back of his head. “Because life here is just way too leisurely… You know what they say—peace of mind, body gets fat. Peace of mind, body gets fat.”
He Fang was practically heartbroken and grief-stricken. All of a sudden, he anxiously looked up at Zhu Yan. No way. Could Zhu Yan end up like this, too, after a period of indulgence?
As if he had guessed what He Fang was thinking, Zhu Yan explained, “No. The reason Min Zhizhou ended up like this is because he went from absolute poverty to a life of comfort and started binge eating and letting himself go as a kind of rebound. For people like us, who already live in the privileged city the City Lord created for us, we don’t have Min Zhizhou’s desires. At the very least, we all really want to maintain a perfect appearance.”
He Fang thought about it. True enough. Even someone like Sai Gu, who looked like the king of slackers, still kept up a high-quality appearance.
So actually, among all the NPCs who held residency in the main city, only Min Zhizhou had ended up like this…
“Mm…” He Fang looked at Min Zhizhou, who single-handedly dragged down the entire city’s average attractiveness, and felt a mix of emotions. “If you really feel like you’re living a good life this way… then I guess just stay like this.”
Min Zhizhou was a little embarrassed: “I honestly didn’t want to either, I just… unknowingly gained weight.”
“I understand.” He Fang nodded. “Probably because you’ve been eating well and with refined food, too. Now, the folks over in Hope City have all started putting on weight one by one as well, and their overall energy has gotten a lot better.”
Hearing that He Fang understood, Min Zhizhou quietly let out a breath of relief. He had genuinely been afraid that He Fang would say he was ruining the city’s appearance.
“It’s actually not ugly.” Noticing that Min Zhizhou seemed a bit timid, He Fang thought for a moment and decided to offer some comfort. “It’s just that the others are all really good-looking.”
Min Zhizhou: “…” Honestly, not saying anything would have been better than saying that.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” He Fang asked curiously. He had thought Min Zhizhou would’ve already faded from the management’s radar by now.
“Compared to having others cooperate with the experiment, it’s better to use Min Zhizhou, who already knows a lot.” Zhu Yan leaned against He Fang’s side. His white uniform always gave off a bright, clean feeling. “Even though the main city is now open to the outside, we don’t plan on letting the other residents know the most important information.”
He Fang blinked: “Mm, I think so, too. If it’s something that requires Min Zhizhou’s cooperation… is it related to the Nightmare Beast seed?”
Zhu Yan turned slightly to look at their Creator. Though he normally didn’t like explaining anything to anyone, he always gave very detailed explanations to their Creator.
“Yes. City Lord, your request was to allow everyone to effortlessly enjoy culture with the least amount of resources. But in other cities, resources have always been limited. At any point in time, resources can’t appear out of thin air.” Zhu Yan tilted his head slightly, looking at Min Zhizhou, who was currently standing off in the distance, too afraid to come closer. Before them was the completely sealed-off Nightmare Beast Seed Laboratory. “But in this world, there is one thing that goes against that principle.”
Suddenly, it was as if He Fang realized something.
The Nightmare Beast Seed!
This thing, completely untouched by the world’s rules and balances, was an extraordinarily strange item. It could increase in value infinitely; its definition of ‘life’ was extremely vague. It was practically the embodiment of peculiarity!
“You mean using the Nightmare Beast Seed to create resources?” He Fang felt this might be a bit difficult. After all, research on the Nightmare Beast Seed up to now could only conclude that it was a completely independent existence, detached from the world.
“Turning it into resources is impossible.” Zhu Yan’s tone paused, then he switched to a more conservative phrasing, “As things stand now, it seems impossible. But if we truly want everyone to enjoy the culture that you, City Lord, requested—actually, all that’s needed is a mobile phone.”
“But phones need electricity. Even though there’s no shortage of power in the city, electricity is scarce out there in the world.” He Fang looked at the Nightmare Beast Seed and suddenly thought of something. “You mean… it can be used to charge phones?”
Zhu Yan gave a faint smile. His delicate and fair features became especially striking when he smiled: “The trait of the Nightmare Beast Seed is that as long as there is life activity, it can move endlessly. So we just need to find a way to make use of their activity patterns.”
Zhu Yan gestured toward Min Zhizhou. Min Zhizhou stepped forward and pressed his finger against the transparent glass of the sealed Nightmare Beast Seed testing platform. Then, He Fang saw that the once-dormant, small Revival Nightmare Plant suddenly burst out with countless Nightmare Beast Seeds, viciously rushing at Min Zhizhou’s finger. But they crashed straight into the glass and couldn’t break through at all.
“So, if we can properly harness the Nightmare Beast Seeds, then humans could have unlimited access to electricity?” He Fang was completely stunned. “If this really works, then this isn’t just about entertainment or culture anymore—this would be world-class new energy! Zhu Yan, are you planning to change the world?!”
Zhu Yan smiled in response to He Fang’s shock, his expression gentle. He lowered his eyes slightly to look at the testing platform. “The research institute has always had a question: why would something like the Nightmare Beast Seed even appear? By nature, Nightmare Beast Seeds move by devouring life and traces of life. But once those are gone, they become quiet. If they truly existed to destroy the world, then Nightmare Beast Seeds seem to lack the necessary power. They’re not even as destructive as a severe natural disaster.”
He Fang blinked repeatedly, his heart filled with disbelief.
“So until now, the research institute has been investigating the Nightmare Beast Seed, and we’ve come to suspect that its true purpose isn’t destruction, but rather a different kind of transition—an era shift.” Zhu Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. The way he looked at the Nightmare Beast Seed wasn’t as if he was looking at a terrifying monster bent on destroying the world, but rather like a tool with no resistance that could be used at any moment.
“Because Nightmare Beast Seeds suppress humans, humans can’t research them and can only run away. But it’s different for us.” He Fang murmured.
“Yes, City Lord, your idea gave us a direction—a chance. As for the utilization of the Nightmare Beast Seed, I think the potential for development is immense. But for now, what we need to do first is find a way to make it generate unlimited electricity.”
He Fang was shocked. He couldn’t help but look toward Min Zhizhou, who stood to the side.
Min Zhizhou caught He Fang’s gaze and revealed a trace of helplessness: “That’s why Zhu Yan had me do it. Zhu Yan said we absolutely can’t let humans discover that they can use Nightmare Beast Seeds to achieve unlimited resources. Once the research succeeds, Zhu Yan plans to impose certain restrictions on it.”
“What kind of restrictions?” He Fang asked curiously.
“For example…” Zhu Yan operated a few things on the control panel next to the console. Then he looked up at Min Zhizhou again.
Min Zhizhou once again placed his hand on the Nightmare Beast Seed testing platform. However, this time, the Nightmare Beast Seeds did not attack in the direction of his hand.
Then Min Zhizhou withdrew his hand and casually picked up an object from the side. When he placed that item onto the testing platform, the Nightmare Beast Seeds erupted in aggression again.
“I want to make it so humans can’t use the Nightmare Beast Seeds on their own. They must use something we provide for it to work,” Zhu Yan said, narrowing his eyes with a cold smile that made him look exactly like a mad scientist. He picked up the item Min Zhizhou had placed on the table—the one that could attract the Nightmare Beast Seeds. “And this thing will come at a cost.”
He Fang quietly clapped for this powerful researcher in his heart, then sneakily leaned forward and asked, “But I have a question.”
“Mm?” Zhu Yan tilted his head slightly, the end of his tone rising.
“Why not just directly produce more durable phones and batteries?” He Fang thought of the batteries they still hadn’t completely given up using, even to this day.
Off to the side, Min Zhizhou’s eyebrows suddenly jumped, and his mind blanked. From the beginning, he had been led into Zhu Yan’s line of thinking and hadn’t even considered that there might be such a simple solution.
“City Lord, your requirement was for something that everyone can use, and can use very cheaply.” Zhu Yan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest as he spoke slowly, “Phones and batteries can be made, but they require cost. If we’re to provide them for widespread use, then mobile cities would use their low-cost advantage to make bulk purchases—that would basically be giving away resources to others. But if we follow the one-per-person purchasing model, then for a city with hundreds of thousands or even a million people, the accumulated quantity is no small number. Add batteries to that, and it becomes a considerable resource.”
He Fang and Min Zhizhou were both stunned, finally catching on to the logic behind it.
“But if that’s the case, then what kind of thing could be made?” He Fang hadn’t realized things were even more complicated than he had imagined.
“It needs to be something small that can’t be repurposed into other resources. Technologically, it must be something no other city in this entire post-apocalyptic world could surpass. And as for the so-called ‘battery’, it could even be something with absolutely no practical use for mobile cities.”
Zhu Yan’s words sounded nearly impossible to achieve, and He Fang found it hard to imagine how it could be done. But seeing how firm the other was, he cautiously asked, “Zhu Yan… have you already come up with something?”
“Mm, I have a bit of an idea.” Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and opened a file on the nearby computer…
A file that turned out to be…
A sci-fi movie clip.
He Fang stared wide-eyed at the main character in the film, casually tapping a screen that floated in midair, performing gestures in the air to operate it before instantly pulling it back. It looked impossibly cool and futuristic, and yet—He Fang’s mind went blank.
Wasn’t this a clip he had put in the visual media education archive?!
These were all special effects!
Was Zhu Yan trying to turn special effects into reality?
What kind of joke was this?!
However, even more shocked than He Fang was Min Zhizhou, who immediately said, “How could something like that possibly be realized?”
“Why couldn’t it be realized?” Zhu Yan raised an eyebrow. “The Divine Lord, the Rainbow Squad, the Nightmare Beast Seeds—these things all already exist. So what else is truly impossible anymore?”
Min Zhizhou was at a loss for words.
He Fang, on the other hand, looked even more surprised. “Zhu Yan… don’t tell me you even studied those teaching materials?”
What, was Zhu Yan planning to learn acting too? Was he aiming to become an all-around pentagon-shaped warrior?
“I just looked into it a bit. It wasn’t a difficult course,” Zhu Yan said casually, shrugging his shoulders like it was the most ordinary thing in the world, not worth mentioning in the slightest. “As a researcher, the more you know, the broader your thinking becomes. I won’t pass up any kind of knowledge, even if it seems irrelevant.”
He Fang looked at Zhu Yan, and Zhu Yan also noticed his gaze, meeting it directly.
From those always-cold and quiet eyes, He Fang saw vast knowledge, profound and bottomless.
If people like this existed in the world, then was it possible he’d never be able to truly reach someone like that in his entire life?
A person this outstanding… maybe the only place he could get close to someone like that was in a game.
Was it really possible for someone this powerful to exist in the real world?
As He Fang spaced out, Zhu Yan reached out toward him and covered He Fang’s eyes with his hand.
Zhu Yan bent down, leaned close to He Fang’s ear, and said slowly, “City Lord, all these things I’ve done aren’t anything particularly powerful. Without you, I wouldn’t have any stage on which to show them.”
He Fang blinked. He could feel his eyelashes brushing against the palm of Zhu Yan’s hand. Zhu Yan’s fingers stiffened slightly. He then withdrew his hand and placed it behind his back, showing He Fang a warm, gentle smile.
Back when He Fang directly made that request to Zhu Yan, he hadn’t considered the complexity involved. But as a researcher, there was no way Zhu Yan didn’t understand it. He must have known clearly. Even so, he had agreed to the request without the slightest hesitation.
It was as if, no matter what request he put forward, Zhu Yan would find a way to fulfill it, no matter what method he had to use.
He Fang sighed.
He stumbled out of the research institute in a daze. Every time he entered the institute, he felt like there were always new surprises waiting for him.
Coming out with him was still Min Zhizhou, whose expression also looked extremely complicated.
“Sometimes I think… everyone’s really amazing. They unconditionally meet all my requests. But am I putting too much pressure on them?” He Fang felt a little dejected. He suddenly wondered whether all the demands he’d made of everyone had already gone beyond what they were capable of—only, everyone had gone along with him so smoothly that he hadn’t realized it.
“I don’t think so,” Min Zhizhou offered some comfort to the young city lord who was lost in doubt. “Everyone is very smart. They can clearly judge the situation. They won’t agree to something they can’t accomplish just out of sheer willpower. They respect you, and they’re also afraid of letting you down. They wouldn’t stay silent and let things reach the worst-case scenario.”
He Fang thought of the cold and distant researcher who had now become a mad scientist. “But I feel like I might’ve gone too far. Zhu Yan seems to be getting pushed in a weird direction by my demands.”
“I think… there’s nothing bad about it,” Min Zhizhou, although admittedly a little intimidated by Zhu Yan, still said to He Fang, “Since it’s something created by the research institute, in the old world it probably would’ve had a patent. But in this era, without universal law, using control over technology to create balance with other cities… I think it’s a workable strategy. Zhu Yan’s thinking is thorough.”
He Fang nodded in understanding, but his expression remained complicated. “That may be true, but just now… Zhu Yan’s expression really looked like a final boss who’s taken control of the world.”
“Mhm, yeah. It did look kind of terrifying,” Min Zhizhou admitted honestly. He didn’t actually feel quite as complicated about it. Or rather, ever since entering this city, he’d never once felt that it wasn’t ‘terrifying’. So now, he was taking it pretty well. And then, he turned his head to glance at the young city lord beside him.
He wasn’t someone skilled at flattery, but the thought that now rose from the bottom of his heart was this: As long as this young city lord was here, the latent madmen scattered throughout the main city would never become a problem.
As long as he was here.
Everything would remain peaceful.
Because this young city lord possessed a rare and precious quality, one that many had already abandoned in this post-apocalyptic world.
The longer he stayed, the more he saw. Logically speaking, he should be growing more familiar with everything. Yet, the more time he spent with the people of the main city, the more strongly he felt a sense of difference.
Not just the difference between these people and himself. Even between people themselves—even between fathers and sons, between family members—there was a strange kind of distance.
It was almost as if…
People from completely different worlds had been forcibly merged, and yet everyone willingly maintained this current way of life.
And that was why, even though he was someone who came from the apocalyptic outside world, he was still able to blend into this city with such ease.
“Min Zhizhou, are you happy with your life right now?” He Fang suddenly asked.
“Of course,” Min Zhizhou answered firmly and without hesitation.
“Is it the life you once dreamed of?”
Min Zhizhou paused for a second, then smiled. “It’s a life even more comfortable than what I dreamed of.”
He Fang blinked.
Then maybe, the direction he was heading in wasn’t wrong after all.
He had to believe in himself.
—
Recently, Mother Shen had been working at a factory. The work was simple, though rather tedious, but after doing it for quite some time, she had grown used to it.
After work, she would go to the canteen. The food there was cheaper, and the portions were large and filling. She would have her dinner at the factory’s canteen, then rush off without a moment’s rest to the restaurant. She had also taken up a job as a dishwasher there, which lasted four hours.
To be honest, the cost of living in Hope City was very low. Everyone could manage to save a little from what they earned. It was a life so good it used to be unimaginable. At the very least, she could see that her old friends were now glowing with newfound vitality.
Aside from Mother Shen, the others who had once taken care of Shen Houyun would also give her some money and urge her to learn a skill. While she did wish to use the money to enroll in a class, the very first thing she did when her wages came in was always to go to the hospital.
She worked until midnight before finishing her shift. Only then did Mother Shen drag her exhausted body through Hope City’s night market. The scent of food wafted through the air, making her subconsciously swallow a mouthful of saliva.
The food wasn’t expensive, but Mother Shen didn’t want to indulge her cravings at the cost of even the smallest portion of her son’s medical expenses.
From work, she didn’t actually need to pass through this night market on her way to the hospital. She had deliberately taken a large detour to come here, just to stand before the Divine Lord.
Mother Shen knelt and bowed before the Divine Lord, offering her prayers with utmost sincerity.
The ground was somewhat cold. Though the area had been fully paved with hard surfaces, Mother Shen didn’t feel it was cold in the slightest.
Because the City Lord had once told her that her son’s life was currently being sustained by the Divine Lord.
She prayed in silence and without distraction for half an hour. When she stood up, her legs no longer felt numb like they had in the beginning. Now she had become as used to it as eating or drinking. Then, she headed toward the hospital.
Her son was in the hospital’s intensive care unit. She didn’t stay in the dormitory provided by the factory for its workers. Instead, she went to her son’s side every single night without fail, rain or shine.
Arriving at Shen Houyun’s bedside, Mother Shen lowered her gaze to look at him.
She had once seen Doctor Bai changing Shen Houyun’s dressings. When she saw that his entire body had been pierced through, leaving nothing but pitch-black gaping holes, she fainted on the spot. From that day on, Doctor Bai never changed the bandages in front of her again.
Mother Shen knew that Doctor Bai was a good person. She also knew he was doing everything in his power to save her son’s life. But she also knew that, up until now, Doctor Bai remained helpless.
Mother Shen gently wiped the small patches of skin that were exposed outside the bandages on Shen Houyun’s body.
She held his cold hand and placed into it the Divine Lord pendant that Shen Houyun had given her, which she always carried with her. Every day, she prayed for a miracle to happen.
Mother Shen was very tired. But somehow, this kind of fatigue was far more bearable—even more comforting—than what she had experienced back in Arrival City. Maybe her life now still wasn’t as good as others’, but one day, eventually, she too would be like them—able to go shopping with her loved ones.
“Yun Yun, when you wake up, let’s go pick up your little sister together.” Mother Shen lay down and spoke softly of her hopes for the future, then closed her eyes, wishing that when she opened them again, she would see Shen Houyun opening his.
When Mother Shen woke up, it was a morning as uneventful as always. The sun was rising on the horizon. It still wasn’t time to go to work.
She cleaned her child’s body once more. As she looked at the child who seemed to still be peacefully sleeping, she began to hum a tuneless melody.
“Did you compose that tune yourself?” Suddenly, a voice came from the doorway. Startled, Mother Shen stood up and saw the young City Lord.
Realizing he had asked her a question, she shook her head. “It’s a lullaby that’s been passed down orally by the older generation. When Yun Yun was little, I used to hum little songs like this to him often.”
“I see. Do you like music?” the City Lord asked.
Mother Shen nodded and said, “Yes, I do. Yun Yun likes it very much, too.”
“In the future, you’ll hear many beautiful songs.”
Mother Shen looked at the City Lord. She gave a slightly helpless smile. As long as she could be with her family, any melody would become beautiful. She tried hard to force out a faint smile. She didn’t want this young City Lord, who had led them out of fear, to feel displeased because of her demeanor.
“Your smile doesn’t look sincere,” the young City Lord directly exposed her pretense. Mother Shen’s smile froze on her face, her brows tinged with sorrow. “You’ve clearly gained some weight already, your complexion is also much better than before. You’re still very young—you should smile more.”
Yet Mother Shen couldn’t hold the smile any longer. Even though she clearly knew that the young City Lord had no intention of mocking her, hearing such words still felt like being told: even though your child is still on the brink of death, you’re still able to enjoy life.
“If you can eat properly, work hard to earn money, Shen Houyun will definitely be very happy.” Mother Shen didn’t argue with the young City Lord, but after that, her smile inevitably carried deep bitterness. Then, she heard the young City Lord say again, “Maybe, when he wakes up and sees you healthy and beautiful, he’ll be grinning from ear to ear.”
At that moment, Mother Shen felt her heart, which had been silent for so long, suddenly let out a powerful thump, shaking her eardrums with a sharp pain.
“City Lord, I didn’t hear wrong, did I? You said… Yun Yun will wake up?” Mother Shen felt like the thick, stagnant blood in her body had suddenly come alive with new vigor. She lost control and lunged toward the young City Lord. Even though the people beside her stopped her, she kept trying again and again to get confirmation from him. “City Lord, is what you said true? My child, can he really wake up? City Lord, can Yun Yun wake up? Can he be healthy again? Can he still… he…”
Mother Shen felt like her brain had started to hallucinate. Clearly, the City Lord hadn’t answered her yet, but it was as if she had already heard a confirmation.
“Don’t get like this just yet. I only said there’s a possibility. We’ll have to try it first. Whether it works or not, we won’t know until we try.”
Seeing the young City Lord at a complete loss because of her, Mother Shen didn’t want to behave this way, but she truly couldn’t help herself.
“Calm down first.”
Mother Shen was pulled away by the nurse beside her, but her gaze remained fixed on the City Lord. She was pressed down onto the nearby sofa, yet at this moment, Mother Shen didn’t dare to make a single sound, as if even the slightest noise might interfere with the resurrection of her child.
“Is the recording ready?”
Following the City Lord’s gaze, Mother Shen looked to the side. Was that… a camera?
Right now, the camera was aimed at her son, recording. Doctor Bai had also arrived, the nurses were here, too, and many people were gathered around her son. Did this mean—did this mean her son really had a chance of waking up?
In that instant, hope surged in Mother Shen’s heart. Her once-dark life was suddenly filled with light.
She saw Doctor Bai actually remove all the bandages from her son’s body. The holes that once terrified her—the very wounds that had claimed her son’s life—suddenly didn’t seem so harsh to look at anymore.
And at that moment, Mother Shen’s eyes flew wide open.
What… did she just see?
She actually saw that the holes in her child’s body were healing?
“Hmm… even after pouring in so much faith energy, why has only this little bit recovered?” Mother Shen heard the City Lord’s voice and instinctively looked up, but she didn’t dare make a sound, afraid that her interruption might cause the divine power to vanish.
She saw the City Lord’s fingers waving in the air, and what accompanied it was the sight of the wounds on her child’s body disappearing.
Bit by bit, just like a miracle.
No.
Mother Shen felt that perhaps this was truly a miracle.
“It really works… but the cost is simply too much.”
Seeing the City Lord reveal a troubled expression, Mother Shen’s heart leapt into her throat. She was scared—scared that saving her son would demand too much divine power from the City Lord. If, in the end, the City Lord chose not to continue saving her son… what would she do?
“Hmm, let’s try adding a little more. Strange… judging from the attribute values, it should already be within the safe range.”
Mother Shen didn’t understand the City Lord’s words, but—
In a moment of complete silence from everyone present, Mother Shen, as if guided by intuition, instantly turned to look at the bed.
What did she see?
Shen Houyun—her son—had actually opened his eyes just slightly.
At that instant, Mother Shen could no longer hold herself back. Like someone gone mad, she lunged toward her son, cupping Shen Houyun’s face in both hands, gazing directly into his eyes.
And in that moment, she saw, in her son’s eyes, a light flickering into life.
In her ears, a voice echoed—the words once spoken to her by Wei Qixuan:
—The City Lord is our second parent, someone we absolutely cannot be without. He is a god. He is a hero.
At this moment, she understood that sentence from the depths of her soul.
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