The Nature of Robin's Ability

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Robin called Old Zhou and the others together. The earth, damp again after the night, gave off a reassuring, earthy smell. A few branches that had been added not long ago burned in the campfire, sending sparks drifting upward on the wind.

Seven or eight people gathered in a semicircle, but no one spoke. They all thought the young lady had called them together to give them a talking-to before they entered the city.

Jingxing sat a little farther away with a sketchbook spread across his knees, drawing a water flask. Whenever his curiosity got the better of him, he endured that momentary searing pain to steal a lightning-fast glance at Robin, then immediately looked away.

Robin sat across the fire, her hands folded on her knees. The smile had vanished from her face, leaving only a serious expression.

"After we enter Rovini tomorrow, you can't follow us anymore." A log burst in the campfire, sending sparks flying.

Old Zhou raised his head. "Why?"

"Because you're carrying guns." Robin was blunt. "Rovini is under wartime control right now. The government forces won't let armed people into the city without a unit designation or proof of affiliation."

She paused. "That would only cause more complications."

Old Zhou frowned and looked down at the gun in his hands, its body worn shiny.

He had brought it back from the battlefield, and it had kept them alive on the journey. But if they had to back down here... he could give it up.

So he suggested, "What if we hide the guns?"

"You can't hide them." Robin shook her head. "Besides, once I'm in the city, I have people of my own who can meet me."

Someone at the back of the group suddenly gripped his gun strap. His voice was quiet. "But we promised to escort you to the capital."

Robin looked at him. "You've already escorted me this far. From the winding mountain roads to the abandoned town, and then to the outskirts of Rovini, it's been a long enough journey. I can handle the rest myself."

"Then where can we go?"

"You can go home," Robin answered promptly.

Old Zhou froze. It was a long moment before he stammered, "Our homes... are all gone."

"Then find a city that hasn't been burned down by the war. Stay alive first, and think about the future later."

She looked at Old Zhou. "After the war ends, this planet will still need workers, farmers, doctors, and teachers. It will need people to rebuild homes on level ground. People with guns aren't the only ones who deserve to live."

Old Zhou stared at the fire for a long time without speaking. The others remained silent too. Some looked into the distance, some held their guns tighter, and one person quietly added a log to the fire.

Jingxing didn't interrupt. He realized he had misjudged Robin's ability.

She didn't hypnotize them.

He thought of Kafka on the day they escaped the camp. That woman had stood by the river, faced Glenn and the pursuers, and stopped them in their tracks with a single sentence.

When those people were controlled, their pupils had lost focus, as if someone had temporarily drawn their souls from their bodies, leaving only shells that could carry out orders.

But the people now affected by Robin's ability were completely different from Glenn and the others.

Old Zhou rubbed his nose, while an older man beside him muttered something no one could make out. Someone gave a dry laugh, then fell silent again.

Their emotions hadn't disappeared under Robin's influence. Instead, they seemed more vivid, more human than they had over the past few days.

The feelings that hunger, fear, and war had long suppressed were finally coming to the surface, little by little—the desire to go home, to stay alive, to stop pointing guns at their own kind, or even just to get a peaceful night's sleep.

So it isn't hypnosis. She draws out the emotions in people's subconscious? Jingxing looked at her and muttered inwardly, Is this Robin's Harmony?

She didn't erase anyone's will, nor did she turn everyone into obedient puppets. She merely plucked lightly at their heartstrings, playing the movement she needed.

After eating their parting breakfast, Old Zhou and the others left together. There was no send-off ceremony, nor any solemn farewell.

They simply shouldered their packs and guns and led the remaining people away along another path.

After a few steps, Old Zhou suddenly stopped, turned around, and tossed his last half-pack of cigarettes to Jingxing.

Jingxing caught it instinctively. "But I don't smoke."

Old Zhou only waved a hand. "You have to protect Miss Robin. Keep her alive."

"Of course," Jingxing said with conviction. "I'll always stand in front of her."

Only when every figure had disappeared at the end of the road did Robin slowly look away.

"Let's go," she said, reaching out her hand to Jingxing. "We'll be there in another hour."

To be honest, though Rovini was supposedly the planet's "capital," and though he had heard plenty about it from Old Zhou and the others, it was even more dilapidated than Jingxing had imagined.

When they were still a kilometer from the city, Jingxing spotted its gray-white walls. They weren't high, and gaps left by the war were still visible. Several stone bricks had been replaced, but their different colors clashed with the surrounding masonry, making Jingxing frown.

Sandbags were piled at the foot of the wall, and barbed wire was wound around the railings in loop after loop.

Several military vehicles were parked outside the checkpoint. Soldiers stood wrapped in greatcoats, guns in hand and muzzles all pointed down, but every one of them kept scanning the people passing through.

Jingxing instinctively took his hand out of his pocket. He could feel at least two pairs of eyes lingering on him for a few seconds.

War had trained the people here to react instinctively: when they saw a stranger, they first checked whether that person was dangerous.

Robin raised a hand and pulled back her hood, letting her long silver-white hair fall over her shoulders.

For an instant, the checkpoint fell silent. Then a soldier snapped to attention, apparently recognizing Robin. "Please wait!"

His voice was noticeably louder, and several people nearby followed his gaze. A low stir then spread through the crowd. An officer hurried out of the guard booth, reaching up to straighten the brim of his cap on the way.

He ran up to Robin and seemed about to salute, but then apparently thought better of it, forcing his hand to stop halfway up. "Are you, are you Miss Robin?"

"That's right," Robin replied. "It looks like you know me?"

The officer scratched his head awkwardly. "We received orders from our superiors. They sent us your photograph and said that if we encountered you, we were to escort you into the city with the utmost respect. Please wait a moment. I'll contact them right away."

It seemed the company had contacted the government forces here after all, attempting to provide Robin with protection.

But were they willing to do more for Robin? Wouldn't they take her away as soon as they met her and make her leave the planet?

Robin and Jingxing exchanged a glance, the same questions occurring to both of them. But now that they had reached their destination, there was no reason to run away at the last moment.

Half an hour later, a military vehicle pulled up outside the checkpoint. The driver got out and opened the door. "Miss Robin, please."

Robin nodded, took Jingxing's hand, and had him get into the vehicle with her. The driver gave Jingxing a subtle look, but said nothing.

He simply thought the man was most likely a local who had been lucky enough to save the important person behind him and was now going to be rewarded.