RotA – Chapter 42

Drowsiness crept up on her before she knew it, and Chai Yuening fell asleep on the sofa.

When Chu Ci woke her, the television, filled with black and white static, was buzzing. It was too late at night; the station had already stopped its reruns.

The living room window was open. The night wind was cold, enough to give one a throbbing headache.

Her head groggy, Chai Yuening washed up, took off her outer clothes, and fell into bed.

In a daze, someone tiptoed over to close the window for her and tuck her in.

That person seemed to have said something in her ear, and she answered absentmindedly, almost by instinct.

She must have understood the words, but after falling into a deep sleep, she couldn’t remember a thing.

The next morning, a sneeze so loud it was impossible to ignore was the first sound Chai Yuening made after waking up.

There was one particularly bad thing about the Floating City. Though it had a temperature control system just like the Underground City, it was simply colder.

Like right now. It was clearly almost the end of spring, yet it was as cold as early spring here.

She had been too excited last night to pay it much mind. Who knew that after a night’s sleep, once the excitement wore off, the cold would immediately set in.

Sniffling, Chai Yuening wrapped herself in the blanket and sat up, her eyes heavy as she glanced from side to side.

From the moment the Sixth District fell, she had been constantly on the run. After finally settling down in the main city, she hadn’t bought many changes of clothes. In the end, all she could bring were short-sleeved shirts, which were clearly unsuitable for the Floating City.

On the nightstand, a long-sleeved shirt was folded neatly.

It wasn’t Chai Yuening’s; it was probably Chu Ci’s.

Fortunately, it was just an outer shirt. Their builds weren’t too different, so it wasn’t a terrible fit.

It was just… the shirt was very new, as if it had never been worn.

A strange thought flashed through Chai Yuening’s mind.

There was no sound of Chu Ci anywhere in the apartment, which made her feel a little uneasy.

She threw off the covers, slipped on her slippers, and stood at the bedroom doorway, looking around.

The living room curtains were drawn. A sliver of daylight squeezed through the gap, unable to illuminate the empty room.

There was no movement from the kitchen or the bathroom; it was so quiet you couldn’t even hear a breath.

She turned back, stunned, only then noticing a cup of still-steaming hot water on the small desk in the bedroom. Pinned beneath the cup was a small note.

—I’m going to buy some groceries. I’ll be right back.

The handwriting on the note wasn’t what you’d call pretty, but each stroke was written with great care, like that of a child who had just started their basic lessons.

Chai Yuening stared at the note for a long while, an unconscious, soft laugh escaping her lips.

Some people… so incredibly clingy back in the Underground City, but now that she was in a place she knew, she didn’t even call for her when she went out to buy things.

After washing up, Chai Yuening cupped the warm water and pulled open the bedroom curtains.

The dim room was instantly filled with light.

The morning sun spilled through the glass onto Chai Yuening. She instinctively squinted, using one hand to slide the glass door open a crack.

The morning breeze rushed in, carrying a hint of chill.

Chai Yuening walked back to the desk, casually picked up a book and flipped through a few pages, then gently set it down. She then leaned over to fiddle with the pens in the wooden pen holder.

After a simple survey, she walked over to the wardrobe.

Inside, many clothes were either hanging or folded. The top shelf was stuffed with spare sheets, quilts, pillowcases, and pillows for changes. The colors and styles were on the plain side, and some of the clothes were quite worn.

Chai Yuening was silent for a long time before letting out a sigh of relief.

For some reason, ever since she learned Chu Ci was returning to the Floating City, a part of her heart had always felt heavy.

She was afraid Chu Ci wouldn’t be well-off upon her return, afraid she would be locked up and studied by the people of the Floating City, that she would be in pain, that she would suffer, that she wouldn’t be treated as a person, that she would have no freedom at all.

Chu Ci had told her the situation wasn’t that bad, but she had always found it hard to believe.

Last night, she had even suspected that this wasn’t Chu Ci’s residence at all, but just a temporary place tidied up by the base, a facade put on by the Floating City for everyone to see. Once they left, Chu Ci would lose this brief and false freedom.

But looking at it now, the furnishings were complete, with no lack of daily necessities. It was clearly a place where someone lived long-term, and Chu Ci showed no unfamiliarity with it.

Evidently, she had been too sensitive and overthinking things these past few days.

The Floating City had no need to put on an act for a mere mercenary team.

She wasn’t some big shot in the Underground City Base; she had no influence over the relationship between the two bases.

Chai Yuening drank the water Chu Ci had boiled for her before leaving, and the intangible, invisible vexation in her heart seemed to quietly dissipate at that moment.

She walked into the living room, turned on the television, and sat on the sofa to pass the time.

On the screen, a middle-aged military officer in a crisp uniform stood at a highly anticipated podium, giving a passionate speech.

The gold branches and star insignias on his shoulders were medals of honor symbolizing his lifelong achievements.

“Our ancestors established the four great bases upon the wastelands of the old world. They helped and supported one another, all for the sake of repopulating and continuing the collective civilization of humanity.”

“However, in the year 2217, we lost our allies from the Desert Base! In 2226, we lost our allies from the Maritime Base!”

“Since ancient times, humanity has always been a community with a shared future. The disasters this world inflicts upon humanity are always sudden, but the more this is so, the more humanity must unite!”

From the hallway outside, the sound of light footsteps approached.

“The Underground City Base is our last of kin in this world. To prevent the Floating City from becoming a lone boat in this apocalypse, we have launched a rescue of the Underground City without reservation.”

The sound of the door being swiped open caught Chai Yuening’s attention.

She turned her head toward the entrance. Chu Ci, carrying two large bags, walked in and closed the door with her elbow.

“Because the communication waves disappeared, we were unable to locate the Underground City. If we were to traverse the depths of the Fog Zone and search blindly on the dangerous surface, the costs in every aspect would be incalculably high.”

“You’re back.” Chai Yuening got up and walked over, reaching into a bag. “What did you buy?”

As she spoke, she saw some expensive fruits and meats.

“You said you wanted to buy me things to eat,” Chu Ci said, tilting her head and smiling at her.

Chai Yuening’s face flushed, and she said guiltily, “Um, how much was it? I’ll give you…”

“We chose to dispatch our most elite reconnaissance team, equipped with a positioning system, to go first. But we lost contact with the entire team, and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.”

“I don’t have money,” Chu Ci said. “I can just take these things.”

“…Right.” Chai Yuening awkwardly took the bags and carried them to the kitchen.

“Among them were many of the base’s finest, yet in a single night, the base lost them…”

Chai Yuening crouched in front of the refrigerator, organizing the things Chu Ci had bought.

The plastic bags rustled, making the voice from the television somewhat hard to hear.

When she finished putting things away and walked out of the kitchen, Chu Ci was leaning against the window, its long, dark curtains pulled open.

The pale gold morning sun fell upon her.

She stood exceptionally still, her placid gaze, devoid of sorrow or joy, fixed on the military officer on the television.

“The base, too, fell into a panic, but in the end, we overcame everything and successfully rescued the Underground City Base!”

“Today, our soldiers have returned in triumph, and the Underground City Base has been able to reclaim its lost territory and rebuild after the disaster. We will establish an even closer connection and will never allow the regrets of the Desert and Maritime Bases to be repeated!”

“No matter what we face, we will not retreat a single step out of fear.”

“Any one of us can die, but humanity is eternal!”

At that moment, the impassioned speech was drowned out by countless rounds of applause.

Chu Ci withdrew her gaze and turned to look out the window.

Chai Yuening walked to her side and followed her gaze outside. “They didn’t mention you at all.”

Chu Ci was completely unconcerned. “The Underground City was able to receive aid because of everyone’s indispensable contributions, and in the end, no one was mentioned by name, right?”

“True,” Chai Yuening laughed. “We’re insignificant together.”

As she spoke, she pushed open the window. “It’s really cold here.”

“We should still close it.”

As Chu Ci spoke, she reached out to close the window but was stopped by Chai Yuening.

“Let’s leave it open for some air. It’s nice,” Chai Yuening said. “In our base, there aren’t any buildings with windows. If you want to feel a breeze, you have to go to the surface.”

Chu Ci let out a soft laugh. “The wind on the surface isn’t so pleasant.”

Chai Yuening laughed with her. “Isn’t that the truth. The wind up in the sky is much better.”

After she spoke, they both fell silent.

The two of them, each with their own preoccupations, were so close it seemed they could talk about anything—except for those preoccupations.

But without them, there was nothing left to say.

After an unknown amount of time, the drifting clouds slowly enveloped the world.

The view before them was a vast expanse of white, as if they had fallen into the Fog Zone on the surface, and the air seemed to have grown much more humid.

Chu Ci suddenly turned to her side. “Chai Yuening.”

Chai Yuening: “Hm?”

Chu Ci: “That meat, do you know how to cook it?”

Chai Yuening: “Uh… you probably just cut it up and put it in a pot to boil, right?”

Chu Ci: “I see.”

Chai Yuening: “Yeah.”

Chu Ci: “I thought meat and vegetables would be cooked differently.”

“Different or not, as long as it’s cooked, it’s edible…” As Chai Yuening spoke, she suddenly remembered something. “Hey, for this kind of thing, you can’t look to me. I only know how to boil everything in one pot. How about this, later I’ll go get Lao Xiang and Ren Dong. They know other ways to cook! This is all good stuff, and good stuff should be shared with everyone.”

“No need,” Chu Ci said.

“Huh?” Chai Yuening was confused.

“I bought extra and already sent it to them,” Chu Ci said seriously. “These are ours. Just ours.”

“Ah…”

“They’re going to be out and about for the next few days, let’s not bother them,” Chu Ci added. “You can cook it however you want. I’m not picky.”

“Oh, oh…”

And so, that afternoon, the two of them entered the kitchen one after the other and, with bewildered unfamiliarity, began to make a simple and crude hodgepodge soup of meat and vegetables.

Chai Yuening felt like she was committing a criminal waste of good food, but Chu Ci was happily helping out beside her.

She felt like she had rarely seen her smile like this, as brilliant as a ray of warm sun on the horizon.

As it entered her eyes, it seemed to enter her heart.

The water in the pot came to a boil, filling the kitchen with steam. It was time to start adding the chopped vegetables.

From outside, a somewhat familiar female voice could be heard.

“This time, we brought back some samples from the Underground City Base that the Base Research Institute has never seen before. One of them is particularly special—it is the remains of a giant mutated beast that can devour black vines to gain power. Dr. Yi Shuyun and the scholars from the Underground City’s research institute are in agreement that the appearance of this mutated beast is very likely the key for humanity to safely integrate with the black vines and push open the door of evolution.”

Chai Yuening subconsciously turned and glanced through the doorway toward the living room.

On the television, she saw the female driver from last night, who seemed to be named Ye Qing. She was currently being interviewed on behalf of Dr. Yi, who was still in the lab. Compared to the female reporter beside her, Ye Qing was not tall and had a somewhat thin frame. She looked a lot like Chu Ci—the delicate and frail type at first glance.

“Should I add this?” Chu Ci, holding a plate of spinach, pulled Chai Yuening’s attention back.

“That only needs to be blanched for a moment to be ready, no rush to add it. Let’s cook all the meat through first.”

“What about this?” Chu Ci swapped the plate for one with potatoes.

“You can put that in first.”

The television in the living room was still reporting on something.

Most people didn’t care.

And the insignificant people didn’t want to care, either.

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Author’s Notes:

The “ordinary person” experience card is briefly in effect.

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