Seeing Injustice

Although Lin didn't explain anything, Chen Qiang was feeling a little awkward. In his previous life, he'd only just started college and wasn't even twenty yet. He'd never had a girlfriend, and aside from his parents, he'd never even touched a woman's hand.

But he'd thought she was still a child, so he'd worried that she was hurt and touched her in all sorts of places. After all, she was a child, so he hadn't thought there was anything to be embarrassed about.

Now he knew she wasn't a child, but a young woman only a little younger than him. That made Chen Qiang feel awkward.

"By the way, what's your ability? That explosion was so powerful, but you weren't hurt at all!"

To cover up his embarrassment, Chen Qiang quickly changed the subject.

"Contracts! I can make a contract with any living thing I touch! That explosion did hurt me, but I transferred the damage to someone I have a contract with. As long as the person I contracted with doesn't die, I won't die! And if they willingly enter into a Symbiotic Contract with me, I can use their ability and share their life. As long as I don't die, they won't die either."

Speaking of her ability, Lin proudly lifted her head.

"Impressive! Really impressive!"

To ease the awkwardness, Chen Qiang praised her.

"Of course!"

"..."

"So, where are you going now? Are you going home?"

"I don't have a home!"

They'd been chatting happily, but when Chen Qiang asked about her family, the cocky look on her face vanished, and she became visibly downcast.

"Then where are you going?"

Seeing that she was upset, Chen Qiang tactfully dropped the subject of home and asked what she planned to do next.

Lin's ability was impressive, and she'd said she was already sixteen, but there was no way Chen Qiang could reconcile her appearance with that age. He couldn't help thinking of her as a child, and what he had to do next wasn't suitable for a child. So he wanted to ask what she planned to do, get her settled somewhere, and then go take care of his own business.

"Next? I'm going to save my fellow villagers! Oh, my fellow villagers!"

Hearing Chen Qiang's question, Lin answered without thinking. Then she realized that the villagers who'd been captured alongside her were also on this ship. She still had to save them, so without even saying a word to Chen Qiang, she ran toward another cabin.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

They'd been chatting happily, so Lin's sudden dash caught Chen Qiang off guard. He was about to chase after her when he suddenly remembered something. He hurried back to the room where he'd been held, picked up the Seastone chains he'd used earlier, wrapped them around himself, and then hurried after Lin.

"My fellow villagers are gone! What should I do? Waaah..."

Following Lin, Chen Qiang made his way down the passage. They soon reached a room where slaves were kept, but all the slaves inside had disappeared. Lin had no idea what to do. She sank helplessly to the floor and began to cry.

"Don't panic. They might still be all right. Think carefully: after the slave traders captured you, how many times did the ship stop along the way? Maybe your fellow villagers were taken to the island earlier. We still have a chance to rescue them." Seeing Lin in tears, Chen Qiang quickly crouched down and comforted her.

"You're right! This ship only stopped once after they captured us—before you were locked up here. It seemed like the ship had been attacked, and it only stopped for a few hours before setting sail again. Maybe my fellow villagers really were just taken to the island!"

At Chen Qiang's words, Lin forced herself to calm down, tears still in her eyes, and quickly thought back over what had happened. Though she'd been kept in a dim room, she could still sense what was happening outside. Sailing and stopping felt completely different, so she quickly recalled what had happened recently.

Having thought of this, Lin got up in a hurry and tried to rush out of the room to save her fellow villagers on the island.

"Don't rush! We don't even know what the Underground City is like. And if it's called a city, it must be huge. If you just charge out like that, you'll never find them!"

This time, Chen Qiang was quick. As Lin tried to rush out, he grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

"What am I supposed to do? I've been without parents since I was little. My fellow villagers all helped raise me, and that's how I grew up. I can't let anything happen to them!"

As Lin spoke, tears began streaming down her face again. She was clearly remembering how kind the villagers had been to her when she was little. Now they'd been captured and taken to the island, where their lives were at stake, and she couldn't stay calm.

"It's all right! I'll help you!"

Chen Qiang bent down, wiped the tears from the corners of Lin's eyes, then placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke with conviction.

Hearing Chen Qiang's words, Lin gazed at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

"But we still don't know where on the island those people are. So first, we need to find them!"

"How do we find them?"

"First, we need to get to the island. If slave traders can do business there, it must be somewhere the Navy can't reach. Places like that are bound to have people who sell information. We just need to find them and buy some intel!"

Chen Qiang explained.

"But we don't have any money. How can we buy information?"

"Who says we don't have money? And even if we didn't, we have something that'll make them tell us what they know."

As he spoke, Chen Qiang pulled out the box he'd found in the captain's cabin and raised his sandbag-sized fist.

"But..." Lin still seemed hesitant.

Before she could finish, Chen Qiang cut her off and instinctively ruffled her hair. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. I'll help you rescue your fellow villagers!"

"Why are you helping me?" Hearing the certainty in Chen Qiang's voice and seeing his determined expression, Lin slowly calmed down. She raised her head and looked at him, puzzled.

"Because I can't stand it. I can't stand people who don't treat others like people, and I can't stand seeing such a cute girl in tears."

"Is that all?"

"Of course!"

Chen Qiang said firmly, smiling warmly.