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墨書 Inktalez
"Why do you have time to see me today? Aren't you very busy?"
Ban Qingya lifted the teapot and walked over to Chu Donglin, pouring him a cup of clear tea. She asked calmly, "Have you finished handling your matters?"
Sitting down in front of Chu Donglin, Ban Qingya looked at the white-haired man across from her, a look of complaint on her face.
"Ever since you left, Ling'er and Keara have been pestering me, blaming me for letting you get away... Have you thought about how to deal with them later?"
Chu Donglin smiled, took a sip of the tea, and his face showed a look of amazement.
"Wow... this is really good. Sister Qingya, your tea-making skills are impressive!"
Ban Qingya couldn't help but laugh, her previously tense expression softening with that smile.
"You fellow, I'm discussing something serious with you. Can you be a bit more serious?"
"Isn't it you who's not being serious right now, Sister Qingya?"
Chuckling again, Chu Donglin took another sip of tea and said, "Besides, I really have no connection with those two girls; I don't even know them. Why should my departure require an explanation to them?"
Ban Qingya shrugged. "When we found you at Donghua University, they both called out your name at first sight. How could they not know you? You don't need to hide it from me; is there some misunderstanding between you and them?"
"Huh? Misunderstanding? What makes you say that?"
"Don't hide it from me. I can sense it; you have a kind of wariness towards Ling'er and Keara. That kind of wariness seems like you're guarding against two enemies who might attack at any moment. This is not how Mr. Chu Donglin would normally treat two girls he doesn't know."
Chu Donglin laughed. "Does Sister Qingya know me so well?"
Ban Qingya nodded. "Maybe... I heard some stories about you from Xing'er, so I have a bit of an understanding of your personality."
Chu Donglin shrugged and sighed, "That silly girl Xing'er, she just can't keep anything to herself..."
As he spoke, Chu Donglin glanced out the window and noticed two identical cute heads quickly ducking out of sight.
Seemingly unaware of the twin sisters' secretive spying, Chu Donglin continued, "As for Ling'er and Keara, I did have a little interaction with them, but it wasn't exactly pleasant."
With that, Chu Donglin shrugged again and said, "They stabbed me in the back and then kicked me into the Li River... Tsk... Sister Qingya, you have no idea. There was actually a giant monster lurking beneath the Li River; it nearly scared me to death. If that creature had spotted me and attacked, I definitely wouldn't have made it back."
Chu Donglin's story piqued Ban Qingya's curiosity.
"A monster? Was it terrifying?"
"Of course. It was a huge and bizarre creature, almost like an octopus... Well, it might actually have been an octopus. Anyway, I saw several tentacles with suckers waving around in the water, each as thick as an elephant."
Ban Qingya looked astonished. "How did such a large monster end up there? And is there really an octopus in the Li River? Aren't they supposed to live only in saltwater?"
"How would I know? Maybe that monster swam up from the sea? All I know is that I nearly died back there."
With that, Chu Donglin glanced at the window again, where the two heads quickly ducked away as soon as he looked their way.
"Alright then, Sister Qingya, let's not talk about those girls anymore. Honestly, I don't have any good feelings towards those brats after they stabbed me in the back last time. I really don't want to get stabbed again."
"Okay then, let's change the subject... Mr. Chu, do you know about Ark Base?"
"Are you the one who's been making waves lately, rescuing Survivors all over the city and gathering people for the Survivor Base?"
Chu Donglin shrugged and replied, "To be honest, I noticed them the first time they entered the city. Those four military Humvees and dozens of Light Machine Guns were quite impressive. However, I later realized that we had no interaction; everyone kept to themselves, so I didn't bother with them... What? Have they been here?"
Ban Qingya nodded. "After all, there are one or two hundred Survivors here. With such a large population, any base looking to develop would not overlook this place. In this apocalypse, people who can fight and work are a scarce resource."
"How many people left your camp?"
"Six."
"Hey... I thought Sister Qingya that your camp would have fewer people leaving; I didn't expect that proportion to be so high... But you’re doing better than some camps where everyone was taken by Ark Base."
As Chu Donglin spoke, Ban Qingya shook her head.
"I'm not power-hungry, nor do I want to control everyone for my own purposes. I just want everyone to live better. If Ark Base can provide a better life for everyone, I wouldn't refuse their invitation; instead, I'd actively lead everyone to join that base."
"But right now, we know nothing about this base's existence and situation. Our understanding comes almost entirely from those soldiers' accounts. No one has ever been to their base; who knows if what they say is true? For everyone's safety, I've temporarily declined Ark Base's invitation."
Chu Donglin couldn't help but laugh. "Sister Qingya, are you suggesting... that I go check out Ark Base and see if it's really as good as those people claim?"
Ban Qingya nodded. "Mr. Chu is very clever; you guessed my thoughts right away."
Chu Donglin smiled and shook his head. "Sister Qingya, you're asking too much. Crossing half the city to find a base and then figuring out how to sneak in without being detected is quite a challenge. Aren't you afraid I'll get eaten by High-Level Zombies along the way?"
Ban Qingya shrugged. "Mr. Chu has managed to roam freely in this apocalypse without relying on collective strength and has survived until now; how could this task pose any pressure for you? After all, you're a powerful Ability user—shouldn't you be unafraid of such difficulties?"
"Even Ability users are not invulnerable... Can you share a bit, Sister Qingya? How many Ability users are there in your camp? I'm quite curious about that number."
"So far, there are only Ling'er and Keara... and they joined later. Before that, no Ability users were discovered in the camp."
"The number of Ability users is so scarce... Tsk... Alright, Sister Qingya, I accept your request. After all, you took me in before, preventing me from dying in the wilderness, and I apologize for leaving so abruptly."
"To be honest, I've always been curious about your situation, Mr. Chu..."
Ban Qingya looked at Chu Donglin across from her and asked, "Do you have any other family members nearby? The kind that really needs your care?"
Chu Donglin was taken aback; he hadn't expected Ban Qingya to ask such a question.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you have never joined any Survivor groups and have always lived alone. No matter how capable you are, that seems a bit dangerous. Moreover, Xing'er mentioned that you're not a reclusive person, which rules out the possibility that you don't want to join other survivor camps due to personality issues."
Ban Qingya speculated, "Considering this, along with how hurriedly you returned after awakening, I can guess that there might be some important family member or friend who needs protection and care. And her situation doesn't seem too good... at least she lacks sufficient self-defense abilities and may not be able to integrate into a group for some reason. That's why you've been living outside with her, right?"
As Ban Qingya inquired, Chu Donglin smiled.
"Sister Qingya is quite accurate; I do have a family member nearby who needs care... um... she's my adopted daughter. I took her in after the apocalypse began. After her father passed away, I was the only one willing to take her in."
"As for why I haven't joined any other Survivor groups, it's indeed because of her. She has experienced certain things that instilled a fear of humans other than me. So until I can help her overcome her fear of people, I don't plan on joining any Survivor groups."
The most deceptive lies in this world are never perfect lies but rather half-truths that make it hard to discern reality.
Moreover, what Chu Donglin had described was quite ordinary, without any loopholes, so Ban Qingya believed him.
"How about your adopted daughter? How is she doing now? You've been unconscious for so long; is she alright?"
Chu Donglin smiled with a hint of complexity, his expression unclear whether it was happiness or sadness, but it carried a touch of bitterness.
"I'm somewhat helpless regarding her current situation. Overall, she's much better than before, but... sigh... has Xing'er been in touch with you recently?"
Chu Donglin shifted the topic, and Ban Qingya smoothly followed suit.
"We've been in contact every night. Her father's injuries are almost healed. In a few days, you can go pick her up."
Chu Donglin nodded in understanding. "In that case, I'll head to Ark Base first. Once I get a clear picture of the situation there, I'll go pick her up."
"Mr. Chu, are you leaving?"
Chu Donglin nodded and stood up. "After all, there's still a girl at Home; I worry about leaving for too long."
Ban Qingya stood to see him off. "I'll walk you out." (To be continued...)
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