ATIGIBTC Chapter 83

Arrival City, where many children are born yearly, has always had decent resources. To ensure that women can maintain their health while engaging in childbirth, women with stronger fertility are often given better resources. However, these resources decrease with age, leading to significant polarization within the city.

The younger women are radiant and stunning, while the older women age rapidly. When Bai Fu looks at each person, information about their age, physical condition, living situation, and reproductive status automatically appears in his mind.

Even though Bai Fu had already learned about the state of Arrival City beforehand, seeing it firsthand made him realize the city’s cruelty toward women.

The word “disease” floated everywhere in Bai Fu’s eyes. Every person seemed to carry countless illnesses. Childbirth itself takes a significant toll on women’s health, let alone continuous childbirth.

“How is it?” asked Shen Houyun, the nineteen-year-old who had brought Bai Fu here, his gaze fixed on Bai Fu.

Shen Houyun’s expression changed upon entering Arrival City. He looked like someone enduring constant pain, as if he was on the verge of collapse.

Bai Fu did not answer but continued to observe the place, which, despite efforts to maintain cleanliness, emitted a strange smell everywhere. His expression was one of disgust, as all he could see were germs.

Shen Houyun tried to reach out to Bai Fu but was avoided. Bai Fu even exaggeratedly stepped back, his brows tightly furrowed.

Shen Houyun then realized something: “Sorry, I forgot you don’t like being touched.”

Bai Fu’s expression slightly recovered but remained stiff.

“Ah, so handsome! It’s been so long since I’ve seen such a handsome man.” At this moment, voices of admiration came from beside Bai Fu, the soft and delicate tones of women rising and falling, seemingly trying to attract Bai Fu’s attention.

“Exactly, he’s really handsome! Who’s the one wearing the hood beside him? Judging by the shoulders, it seems to be a boy, too. Wow, is he a shy boy? That’s so adorable!”

Shen Houyun’s face turned awkward as he immediately stepped in front of the hooded young man. He looked up helplessly at the curious women, who were not yet pregnant but seemed eager, and said, “Ladies, this is the doctor I invited. You’ll definitely meet him again in the future, so no need to rush.”

“Eh, isn’t this Xiao Yun Yun?” The women who recognized Shen Houyun showed delighted smiles. “Wow, it really is Xiao Yun Yun! It’s been so long since we’ve seen you. Xiao Yun Yun is back. Go and visit Sister Shen quickly!”

Everyone noticed Shen Houyun’s completely missing arm. Each person’s expression subtly changed, but they quickly concealed it, pretending not to notice his missing arm, continuing to tease and smile as usual.

“Oh my, Xiao Yun Yun, is this the little husband you’ve brought for Sister Shen? He’s so handsome! Sister Shen is so lucky—he’s even a doctor. Having a son like Xiao Yun Yun is truly wonderful.”

However, as soon as this woman’s words were spoken, the entire space momentarily froze, though it was quickly followed by playful remarks from others.

“That definitely won’t work. After all, capable children like Xiao Yun Yun are very rare.”

“Exactly! Handsome doctor, how long are you planning to stay here? If it’s for a while, can I ask for your help during my next pregnancy? Your genes look excellent. I want an outstanding child, too.”

The women laughed freely, speaking without restraint. Some even expressed their desires unabashedly, and their clothing was quite revealing. However, it was evident that many of them already had visible baby bumps.

Bai Fu remained silent, still wearing a smile, though the smile did not reach his eyes. Bai Fu’s appearance was very trustworthy, with distinct tea-colored pupils that, when glanced at from afar, seemed to shimmer with a faint golden hue. A sudden glance at him could evoke a sense of reverence, making one hesitant to disrespect him.

“Ladies, please stop teasing my team members,” Shen Houyun said as he moved toward the group of women. “I’ve brought some gifts for you. I’ll deliver them to your rooms later.”

“Xiao Yun Yun is becoming more and more adorable. He’s already a grown boy now.” One bold woman even playfully poked Shen Houyun’s chest with her fingertip, teasing, “Sister can give you a pregnancy term.”

However, as the woman spoke, her gaze involuntarily shifted to Shen Houyun’s empty sleeve, where his arm was missing. A flash of pity appeared in her eyes.

“Sister, don’t joke with me.” Shen Houyun gently pushed the woman standing in front of him aside and said to Bai Fu, “Let’s go.”

Shen Houyun’s gaze briefly flickered toward the young man behind Bai Fu, whose face remained hidden, but he quickly looked away and turned his attention elsewhere.

Following Shen Houyun, Bai Fu observed the curious women around him. As he had been informed, there were many women but very few men.

Due to the vulnerability of women during pregnancy, pregnant women were assigned lighter tasks. However, Arrival City still needed to function, so the women rotated through pregnancy periods. Those not pregnant continued to perform the heavy labor required to keep the city running, using work to strengthen and recover their bodies.

Yet, after walking through the area, Bai Fu did not see a single healthy woman. All of them bore some form of illness.

These were not infectious diseases but rather ailments left behind by frequent childbirth.

“Shen Houyun.” As they moved forward, Bai Fu saw a man. The man’s appearance was ordinary—his sclera yellowed, his ears darkened, and his spirit appeared dispirited, with an air of excessive indulgence lingering around him. The man was openly armed within the city. As he appeared, the curious women who had been peeking around immediately retreated into their small rooms.

“Uncle Zhu.” Shen Houyun greeted the man respectfully upon seeing him.

The man glanced at Shen Houyun’s missing arm and frowned, but said nothing. Instead, he coldly reprimanded, “Who gave you permission to bring people in?”

“Uncle Zhu, no matter what, I am still part of Arrival City and have done so much for the city. Can’t I be given even this bit of privilege?” Shen Houyun shrugged nonchalantly with his remaining arm.

“This is the guy you brought back?” The man raised his eyes and scrutinized Bai Fu from head to toe. “Looks good—appearance and physique are both top-tier. Has he undergone a medical examination? Is he healthy?”

“Uncle Zhu, this is Bai Fu. He’s not here to provide seeds. He’s a doctor, an exceptionally skilled one at that.” As Shen Houyun spoke, he revealed his fully healed shoulder. “It was Doctor Bai who saved me, and I have other injuries as well. If treated by an ordinary doctor, I might not have survived. His medical skills are truly remarkable.”

“A doctor? Why can’t a doctor provide seeds? Isn’t he a man?” The man examined Bai Fu’s chest and Adam’s apple, confirming he was male. “Good physique, good looks, excellent medical skills—all signs of intelligence. Clearly, he’s premium seed material. He should contribute some for the next batch of pregnancies.”

Bai Fu’s face darkened.

“Who’s that behind him?” The man noticed the hooded figure following Bai Fu. “Take off the hood.”

Bai Fu frowned slightly, but the hooded figure took the initiative to remove the hood. Underneath was a young man with a refined appearance. Although he seemed ordinary at first glance, his eyes were exceptionally captivating.

The man frowned. “Still a child?”

“He’s Dr. Bai’s assistant, always following him. His name is He Fang, and he’s already an adult,” Shen Houyun said from the side.

“An adult?” The man scrutinized He Fang from head to toe. “So skinny, not very tall. This is what he looks like as an adult? Doesn’t seem like great genes. As an assistant, does he know medicine? Is he sharp?”

As he spoke, the man stepped forward, seemingly trying to approach He Fang. However, Bai Fu stepped in and blocked the man, standing directly in front of the boy. Bai Fu still smiled, but although the smile carried no malice, it was enough to make the armed man shiver with fear.

“Dr. Bai’s medical skills are excellent. I believe he’s capable enough to start working in medicine right away,” Shen Houyun abruptly broke the tense atmosphere. “Why not let Dr. Bai intern first? If he performs well, he can stay.”

“Follow me,” the man said after a moment of thought, deciding to take them to the hospital. Even if Bai Fu’s skills were average, his physical appearance alone was reason enough to keep him. As for the clearly underdeveloped-looking adult, well, at least he was male—better than nothing.

Before following along, Bai Fu turned back and carefully placed He Fang’s hood back over his head.

He Fang raised his eyes and followed behind Bai Fu.

Having entered Arrival City, he now saw the situation within the city firsthand. Even though he already understood the concept of “pregnancy cycles”, witnessing it for himself filled him with dread.

Human rights here were a joke. Humans treated their own kind like livestock, rearing them.

Clothing symbolized the advancement of human civilization, yet here, women dressed carelessly. Some even casually wandered out without much concern for modesty. He Fang felt as though his vision was entirely censored.

This was a city of production, where humans were reduced to mere components.

It wasn’t just women; men were also subject to this. When He Fang saw that man, he felt a sense of emptiness.

In He Fang’s mind, this place might have been imagined as a “longed-for paradise” or a “kingdom of hedonism”. But upon truly entering it, what He Fang experienced was nothing like that.

Here, sexuality was stripped of all meaning except reproduction.

The man, with a blank expression, uttered the word “seed”, his eyes filled with a lifeless void. Even though he seemed arrogant, his shoulders slumped as if he resented carrying such a burden.

Though the people around him all smiled, walking through the narrow space felt as if He Fang were trudging through sticky black sludge, making every step painfully difficult.

This city, from the inside out, radiated an overwhelming discomfort.

He Fang recalled a conversation with Shen Houyun.

“Early on, Arrival City was an ordinary city, but it underwent a war,” Shen Houyun said, lying pale as paper on a hospital bed. Even with painkillers, he looked far from well. “During the war, a large number of men were lost. The enemy’s objective was clear: massacre the city and plunder everything.

The men fighting outside launched a suicidal assault, infiltrating the enemy’s city and self-destructing. One martyr even destroyed the core of the enemy’s mobile city. Without its core, a mobile city becomes immobile and transforms into a dead city.

To prevent Arrival City from being overtaken by desperate invaders from the lost city, its ruler sacrificed half of the city as bait for the marauders and fled with the other half.”

The city that was taken away became the current Arrival City. Those post-war years were extraordinarily difficult, nearly bringing the city to the brink of annihilation.

To ensure the survival of Arrival City, the city lord at the time was forced to engage in population trade with nearby cities. After keeping only a necessary portion of the population, the rest were sold off to other cities.

Thus began the practice of population trading.

At first, it was out of necessity for survival. However, as time went on, the descendants of the city lord of Arrival City, having tasted the benefits of “bearing children to sell people”, actively started to develop in this direction.

Population is crucial, as the operation of a city cannot function without it. Gradually, under such demand, Arrival City transformed into its current state.

“The decision-makers of Arrival City have no intention of changing the status quo. They even start educating women from childhood on the ‘importance of childbirth’, promoting it as a noble quality that creates beauty for the world, forcing the inhabitants to accept this reality,” Shen Houyun explained.

After hearing this, He Fang asked, “If that’s the case, what’s your reason for wanting to restore freedom to Arrival City now?”

“Because it’s wrong,” Shen Houyun replied.

If Shen Houyun’s belief that this is wrong stemmed from having experienced “a different understanding of life”, then there must have been a trigger. What could be the reason that led Shen Houyun to risk his life to change the status quo and resist the lifelong education promoting “the supremacy of childbirth”?

Understanding He Fang’s question, Shen Houyun remained silent for a long time.

Eventually, he gave a very simple reason.

“Because my mother suffered greatly.”

Following behind Bai Fu, He Fang looked at Shen Houyun’s back. This man clearly had deep feelings for his mother. In this city, he had also seen countless mothers forced to part with their children, secretly weeping behind the scenes. The bond between a mother and her child is profound. How could any mother truly be willing to hand over a child she carried for ten months, nurturing it only to give it up once grown?

At that time, He Fang told Shen Houyun, “I will not interfere with the operations of your city or its core. The only thing I can guarantee is that if they enter my city, they will be taken in according to my city’s way. I cannot directly confront Arrival City, but I will shelter anyone who escapes from it.”

He Fang’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a frantic voice.

“Damn it! There are more births today than expected, and we’re short-handed.”

“Then let them give birth on their own! It’s not their first time. Why do they need someone by their side? Find a few experienced women to oversee things!”

He Fang noticed the chaotic scene and realized they had arrived at the hospital.

“He Fang, we’re starting treatments. Stay close to me,” Bai Fu instructed before He Fang could fully react. Bai Fu extended his hand in a subtle gesture, motioning toward an anxious healthcare worker. “Where is the surgical prep area? Take us there.”

The flustered healthcare worker looked confused and turned to the armed man nearby. The man nodded, and Bai Fu led He Fang into the hospital.

He Fang followed closely behind Bai Fu, while Shen Houyun stopped outside. He Fang asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nothing at all.” Bai Fu’s steps were quick, but his demeanor, though seemingly indifferent, was remarkably patient. “The only thing you need to do is stay by my side, within my sight. Don’t go anywhere else.”

As the head of the main city’s hospital, Bai Fu was a highly skilled doctor. Thanks to the miraculous ability of his city’s medical system to save anyone short of death, He Fang had great trust in him. In Arrival City, a city centered on childbirth, hospitals were the easiest places to connect with everyone, which is why He Fang decided to bring Bai Fu here.

However, with only the two of them, and since Bai Fu wasn’t someone with significant physical strength, he couldn’t protect himself well. Therefore, their actions needed to remain covert.

The number of people coming in couldn’t be too many, as it would raise suspicion.

“That new doctor is incredible! The mothers said it didn’t even hurt when he helped deliver their babies.”

“Just now, a dangerous surgery that usually takes several hours—he finished it in half an hour?!”

“Oh my gosh, he’s so handsome! He didn’t even do anything special, yet he instantly quieted the entire scene.”

“Where did this doctor come from? He’s like a god!”

Hearing these comments from the people nearby, He Fang thought Bai Fu must truly be extraordinary. He could see the joy and astonishment on everyone’s faces.

He Fang, however, couldn’t grasp just how skilled Bai Fu was, because to him, everything looked like a mosaic.

He Fang felt a bit disoriented—the world around him was a mosaic. If he weren’t following closely behind Bai Fu, he might have gotten lost.

Yet, even with the mosaic everywhere, it was precisely because of this that He Fang was able to observe his NPC more carefully.

When he had been searching for this NPC, Bai Fu hadn’t rejected him, but also hadn’t agreed immediately. Instead, Bai Fu had called several other doctors to transfer his current patients and ongoing work to them.

Bai Fu was efficient and decisive. Like Zhu Yan, he always wore white—one in a lab coat, the other in a uniform—but the two were vastly different. Bai Fu was always quiet.

Zhu Yan, on the other hand, constantly talked about ideas, design principles, and progress, but Bai Fu remained silent.

But once he gets on the operating table, everything changes. He talks to the patients, asks questions, communicates with his assistants, and even cracks some not-so-funny jokes to ease the tension, though he himself doesn’t seem to laugh at them.

Perhaps it’s because of the nature of the game “Ruins Without Restart”, which isn’t overly professional. So, Bai Fu often diagnoses directly during consultations. He’s very confident in his medical skills and judgment. With the prior data, it’s easy for him to determine the condition.

He’s practically like a superhero.

“Thank you, doctor. You’re amazing, and my baby is safe.” Suddenly, someone spoke from the mosaic-like crowd.

“Thank me for what?” Bai Fu raised his eyebrows and looked at the mosaic-like crowd. While He Fang thought Bai Fu would comfort the mother, Bai Fu sneered coldly, “Thank me for successfully delivering a little gold mine for you?”

In an instant, the entire delivery room fell into a deathly silence.

A little gold mine—how fitting. These children, once they grow to a certain age, will be sold. As mothers, they’ll receive a small share of the profits. Isn’t that exactly what a little gold mine is?

“Dr. Bai, please don’t speak like that. It will affect the mother’s mood,” a young nurse immediately stepped forward to dissuade him.

“She’s been affected emotionally since before she got pregnant. What difference does this make?” Bai Fu said mercilessly.

He Fang was speechless.

“Dr. Bai, please don’t insult us casually,” said the mother, weak but still firm.

“Do you think I’m lying?” Bai Fu replied with a faint smile.

It’s not a lie; precisely because it’s the truth, it becomes hard to accept.

“You should at least consider the current situation,” someone nearby tried to stop him.

Bai Fu smiled at the person, “So that they’ll willingly give birth again?”

“Do you think we’re willing? These are our own children. Do you think we can bear it?” A nearby mother, finally angered by Bai Fu’s words, responded.

“Oh?” Bai Fu narrowed his eyes, asking coldly, “Then, if I gave you a chance to escape, would you take it?”

“What nonsense are you talking about, Dr. Bai? Please stop saying things like that. If those above hear you, it’ll be trouble!” Someone immediately shut the door, anxiously looking around. “Your medical skills are excellent, absolutely excellent. With you, we believe things will be better. But could you please not say things like that?”

“If I don’t say it, you’ll be better off?” Bai Fu, however, showed no intention of stopping, replying with a faint smile.

The room fell eerily silent until someone knocked on the door, “Dr. Bai, are you there? Another patient is in critical condition.”

“Mm.” No matter how harsh his words were, Bai Fu, upon hearing about the patient, immediately opened the door and left with He Fang.

“Bai Fu, you…” He Fang seemed to hesitate, clearly finding the doctor’s temperament difficult to handle.

“If these people can’t enter the city lord’s city and serve him…” At that moment, in a place where only the two of them could hear, Bai Fu looked back, gazing down at He Fang, saying, “Then I’ll need to calculate my consultation fees with them.”

Although Bai Fu’s words were relatively friendly, He Fang couldn’t help but shudder inexplicably. Even though he had seen from the attribute panel that Bai Fu’s temper wasn’t good, he hadn’t imagined it could be this bad. On their way here, Bai Fu had been fairly quiet, and he clearly disliked being touched by anyone except himself. But the extent of his temper was unexpectedly harsh.

“You look very angry,” He Fang said truthfully.

“Yes, I am angry.” Bai Fu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and the handsome features of his face darkened with a shadow. “I hate patients who willingly get sick and accept their conditions.”

He Fang froze for a moment, as though understanding the source of Bai Fu’s anger.

The words Bai Fu uttered, cruelly provoking those already weak, might seem excessive. But in situations like this, people were often the easiest to incite.

Just as He Fang had always worried, after growing up immersed in the influence of Arrival City, these people had come to regard their current way of life as normal. Were they truly willing to leave, as Shen Houyun believed they would? This was the very reason they had come here.

He Fang needed to identify a portion of those who were genuinely willing to leave of their own accord and bring them to Hope City first!

Perhaps sensing that his attitude was making He Fang uncomfortable, Bai Fu looked away, seemingly annoyed and wanting to do something. However, he also had to ensure his body remained sterile, which made his already agitated mood seem even more restless.

“I am not venting my anger at you, City Lord.” Bai Fu said regretfully, turning around anxiously in place twice.

“Dr. Bai!” Someone called out urgently from a distance.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Aren’t you all doctors yourselves? Just hurry me! If I don’t show up today, you all won’t work, huh?” Bai Fu snapped grumpily, but his steps were quick as he rushed to the next surgery.

They had just arrived at the hospital, and it seemed the work never stopped turning.

“Assistant, wipe my sweat,” Bai Fu said to He Fang.

“Assistant, stand behind me,” Bai Fu ordered He Fang.

“Stop yelling so loudly! Did you hear me? You’ve given birth so many times already, haven’t you? Bear with it! Listen to what I’m saying!” Bai Fu shouted at the patient.

“What are you spacing out for? Is now the time to zone out? If you’re tired, go grab something to eat quickly and come back in three minutes!” Bai Fu scolded the other nurses at the operating table.

“How did you end up so skinny? Did your doctor not notice other illnesses you might have? And yet they still let you have a child—this is reckless! For those responsible for your health neglect, deduct their wages, cut their food supply! No, fire them! Kick them out!”

He Fang watched Bai Fu, who had been consistently volatile from start to finish. Finally, after the last surgery was successfully completed, a total of thirty-four hours had passed. He Fang was shocked by this number.

Could doctors in real life really endure for such a long stretch?

“Damn, why did it have to happen right when I arrived?” Bai Fu muttered as he stepped off the operating table, tossing his gloves aside before heading to wash his hands.

He Fang stared at Bai Fu with curiosity. As a player, he didn’t feel the need to sleep, but do NPCs also go without rest? Yet, he distinctly remembered that the streets would be empty late at night.

“I’m exhausted,” Bai Fu said, his handsome face full of irritation. Then suddenly, he turned back and noticed He Fang standing nearby, and his expression froze.

He Fang gazed at him curiously, and Bai Fu’s face gradually turned red. He then covered his face with his hand and said, “Apologies, when performing surgery, I like to talk more. It helps me focus.”

“It’s fine, just a personal quirk.” Besides, Bai Fu’s scolding was never repetitive. It was almost entertaining to listen to. However, as He Fang watched Bai Fu remove his mask and headgear, revealing his pale face, he tentatively asked, “Um, aren’t you tired?”

Bai Fu froze for a moment, then walked up to He Fang. Slowly, he bent down and leaned heavily on He Fang’s shoulder. The weight was almost too much for He Fang to bear.

Bai Fu whispered into He Fang’s ear, “City Lord, doctors aren’t philanthropists. We don’t work for free. But this time, I didn’t get paid.”

“I’ll make sure Lu Hu arranges the commission for this mission when we return,” He Fang replied, already calculating how much Hope City could expand its population if this mission succeeded, how much benefit those people could bring, and how much of it would need to be allocated to Bai Fu.

But Bai Fu didn’t respond with agreement.

Instead, He Fang felt Bai Fu’s body suddenly go limp. He quickly reached out to support him, but Bai Fu was heavier than expected. He Fang ended up sitting down on the ground, following Bai Fu’s weight. Bai Fu’s legs gave out, and He Fang managed to drag him down gently, eventually letting Bai Fu lie sideways across his lap.

The ever-focused Bai Fu had fallen asleep the moment he leaned on He Fang. He Fang couldn’t even recall how many surgeries Bai Fu had performed since arriving. The doctor, who was known for his slight germophobia, was now lying on the ground, completely unconscious, resting on He Fang’s lap.

A young nurse nearby softly asked, “Excuse me, um, should we move Dr. Bai to the rest area?”

The nurse clearly only knew Bai Fu’s surname and didn’t know He Fang’s name.

He Fang shook his head. “He doesn’t like being touched.”

After several inquiries, He Fang sent the others away, deciding to let Bai Fu sleep for an hour or two to recover. He planned to then find a place that Bai Fu would accept for resting. Otherwise, knowing Bai Fu’s personality, waking up in a disliked environment might make him very irritable.

He Fang opened the system map to observe the areas he had explored so far. As expected, the places they had traversed barely constituted even a small section of the city. Judging by the general layout, the city likely had hospitals scattered throughout, and the newborns would certainly be taken care of collectively.

Although people were still being sent in one after another, it was clearly a situation that the other doctors could now manage on their own.

This sudden crisis seemed, to He Fang, like something orchestrated by the game “Ruins Without Restart”. After detecting his actions, the game must have calculated and designed this scenario specifically for them.

In this way, Bai Fu’s reputation was immediately established. Now, they needed the people of Arrival City to believe in them within a short period. Once trust was established, it would make many things much easier to accomplish.

In such a city, doctors were the most convincing figures.

He Fang placed his hand on Bai Fu’s forehead. Bai Fu shifted into his arms, seeking refuge from the light that reached his eyes.

Shen Houyun went home to see his mother. She wasn’t pregnant at the moment, but by her side was another two-year-old child—his younger brother—whom she was caring for.

By the age of five, children could be sold off.

When Shen Houyun came to find his mother, what he saw was the child wrapped in a small cloth bundle, sleeping quietly beside her at her workplace. His mother seemed to be resting, gazing gently and tenderly at his younger brother, her expression soft and warm.

“Mom,” Shen Houyun said softly.

Mother Shen immediately looked up, her expression momentarily blank, then quickly blossomed into a radiant smile, as if a beautiful flower were blooming in fast-forward. “Houyun, you’re back!”

At that instant, Shen Houyun felt as though he heard the sound of wind chimes again.

He stepped forward and embraced his mother.

“It’s wonderful. You’ve come back safely,” his mother said, her hands trembling as she hugged him. Shen Houyun felt a lump in his throat as he noticed that his mother’s body had grown thinner. Compared to women her age, she seemed far more worn and frail. If this continued, her next pregnancy might render her discarded.

And he was the culprit behind his mother’s premature aging.

He helped his mother with her work while she soothed the two-year-old brother.

“Mom…” Shen Houyun shifted his gaze and asked, “Where’s my sister?”

“Ah, your sister is in her pregnancy period now,” Mother Shen replied. Upon mentioning her daughter, her eyes dimmed. Though she played with her mischievous three-year-old son, her face showed no trace of joy, not even a forced smile.

Shen Houyun fell silent. When the shift ended, he carried his younger brother on his back and glanced at his mother.

By age, his mother should still be very young.

He was her firstborn.

He was a twin, born alongside his sister. According to the rules of Arrival City, daughters were kept while boys were sold. But a mother’s attachment to her firstborn was something she couldn’t relinquish. Immediately after giving birth, she knelt before the doctor.

She had delivered two children and pleaded with the doctor to report only one, so the other could stay.

Shen Houyun was hidden through the collective goodwill of those around him.

He was kept in a room devoid of light. His mother wasn’t solely Mother Shen; other mothers who were still in their pregnancy periods would help care for him, driven by a small, selfish hope for the firstborn mother.

As a mischievous child, he grew up suppressed in such an environment. His mother worked tirelessly, dragging her weary body back from work to spend time with him.

During that period, his mother’s mental state was constantly poor. He never truly understood what empathy meant.

When he turned five, his mother was particularly anxious. By then, boys were eligible to be sold, but he hadn’t been. Although no one had ever discovered him, his mother was gripped with extreme fear. This mental strain, combined with another pregnancy, nearly cost his mother her life.

That incident severely weakened her health. By the time Shen Houyun was ten, he was discovered.

The authorities were enraged, launching a thorough investigation throughout the city for hidden children. His mother was punished with continuous pregnancies, and the other mothers who had helped him faced slightly lesser penalties.

With advanced technology, pregnancy was no longer a matter of chance, and in Descent City, the pregnancy rate had reached a staggering 90%. Over five years, his mother’s body was completely drained.

Every child she bore was taken away immediately after weaning, without exception.

At thirteen, Shen Houyun found ways to study within Descent City. By fourteen, he began contributing genetic material, and at fifteen, he earned the right to leave the city. He used his abilities to bring greater benefits to Descent City than his mother’s childbirth could, all to secure a normal pregnancy period for her.

His mother’s health was already failing.

She looked as though she could die at any moment.

“Mom, I brought back a very skilled doctor this time. How about I take you to see him later?” Shen Houyun said.

“Oh, my body can’t be fixed anymore,” his mother replied with a smile. She had always been like this, never regretting hiding her child.

When they opened the door to their home, Shen Houyun immediately noticed the old, handmade wind chime hanging by the bedside. It was rough and simple, crafted by him and his mother when he was confined to the room.

It had always hung there, never disappearing.

“Houyun, how long are you staying this time? Do you have any dirty clothes? Let me wash them for you, okay?” His mother was delighted, looking much more spirited.

“Not for now, Mom. I still have something to do. I need to meet with the administrators.”

“Can’t you go tomorrow? You’ve worked so hard. Can’t you rest for a bit?” His mother was deeply worried, her gaze evasive, refusing to look at her son’s missing hand.

“Mom, I’ll make sure you get better.”

Shen Houyun stood in front of his mother, who was much shorter than him. He bent down and, with his only remaining arm, pulled her into an embrace.

---