Lina, a home for three

The burly men in the warehouse whipped around at the sound and looked toward the entrance. When they saw only two people there-a middle-aged man and a boy barely over ten-their leader immediately grinned, his face full of contempt. "What gutter trash dares meddle in the Black Snake Gang's business?" He rested his steel pipe on his shoulder and walked toward them, viciousness in his eyes. "I'd advise you to mind your own business, or you'll be leaving here feet first!" Lin Ye watched him without a flicker of emotion. The Black Snake Gang was the gang whose two members he had killed shortly after arriving in this world. He had later killed their leader, too, but apparently the remnants were still terrorizing people here. "Get lost," Lin Ye said flatly. "Take your men and leave now, and I'll spare your lives." "Hahahaha!" The burly man roared with laughter as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world, and his underlings joined in. "A brat who hasn't even hit puberty thinks he can threaten me? You must have a death wish!" Before he finished speaking, he raised the steel pipe and swung it at Lin Ye's head with all his strength. He was fast, a vicious fighter even by Meteor City's standards, but to Lin Ye, he moved like a snail. Lin Ye's Observation Haki had already predicted the path of his attack. Just as the pipe was about to strike his head, Lin Ye moved. He used neither Shave nor Armament Haki. He simply turned sideways to avoid the pipe, clenched his right hand into a fist, and followed the momentum of the man's swing with a light punch beneath his ribs. There was no earth-shattering crash, no violent eruption of aura. Yet the man's body instantly froze. His eyes went wide, rasping sounds escaped his throat, and the steel pipe clattered to the floor. He collapsed limply, dead. Lin Ye's fist had been coated in Ryuo, invisible to the naked eye. The punch had looked gentle, but the Ryuo had flowed through his fist into the man's body, shattering his heart and internal organs. The laughter in the warehouse abruptly died. The remaining men looked at their leader on the floor, then at Lin Ye, who stood where he was without even a change in his breathing. Their eyes filled with terror. They had not even seen how Lin Ye had struck. All they knew was that their leader had been killed with one punch. This brat was a Nen user! "M-monster!" Someone screamed, and the remaining men spun around and fled, abandoning even their leader's body as they dashed out of the warehouse like madmen. In moments, they were gone. The warehouse fell silent. Only Lin Ye, Fei Lan, and the little girl huddled in the corner remained. Lin Ye turned to look at her. She was still fiercely shielding the little boy in her arms, trembling with fear, but her eyes remained fixed stubbornly on Lin Ye without looking away. Lin Ye paused, softened his tone, and tried to make his voice sound gentler. "They're gone. You're safe now." The girl said nothing. She merely bit her lip and continued watching him warily. Fei Lan walked over to Lin Ye, glanced at the little boy in her arms, and sighed softly before shaking his head. The boy was no longer breathing, and his body had already gone cold. He had probably died of hunger or illness. In Meteor City, that was all too common. Looking at the girl's frail body and the stubbornness and fear in her eyes, Lin Ye felt a sudden pang in his heart. He remembered when he had first arrived in this world: waking in a pile of corpses, covered in wounds, facing the malice of the entire world with nothing to do but grit his teeth and fight to survive. He crouched down, took a piece of bread and a bottle of clean water from his backpack, and gently placed them in front of her. "Have something to eat," he said softly, looking at her. "Your brother... he's gone. You have to live on. That's what you owe him." The girl looked at the bread and water on the floor, then at Lin Ye, and a little of the wariness in her eyes finally eased. Her stomach growled involuntarily. Clearly, she had not eaten in a long time. After a long hesitation, she finally reached out with a trembling hand, picked up the bread, carefully broke off a small piece, and put it into her mouth. She ate in tiny bites, and as she ate, tears began falling onto the bread. It had been a long time since she had eaten clean bread. Fei Lan stood nearby, watching without a word, a trace of warmth passing through his eyes. Only after the girl finished the bread, drank a few mouthfuls of water, and calmed down a little did Lin Ye ask gently, "What's your name? Do you have any other family?" She raised her head, looked at him, and whispered, "My name is Lina. I don't have any family left. I only had my brother, and now... he's gone, too." As she spoke, her tears fell again. She hugged the little boy tightly to her chest, her body trembling without cease. Lin Ye's heart ached as he watched her. In Meteor City, there were thousands upon thousands of children like Lina. They had no families, no food, no shelter. Every day, they struggled on the edge between life and death. Even living past ten was a distant dream. He turned to Fei Lan, a hint of pleading in his eyes. Fei Lan took one look at him and knew what he was thinking. He fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded. He walked over to Lina, crouched down, and said gently, "Lina, if you have nowhere to go, come with us. At least we can give you something to eat and a safe place to stay." Lina looked up at Fei Lan, then at Lin Ye, disbelief filling her eyes. "R-really?" she asked in a small voice. "You... you won't sell me?" "No," Lin Ye said earnestly, looking at her. "We won't hurt you, and we won't sell you. Come with us, and as long as you work hard to learn the skills you need, you'll be able to survive." Lina looked at the sincerity in Lin Ye's eyes, then at Fei Lan's gentle gaze. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded hard, tears spilling once more. "Thank you... thank you both." That afternoon, Lin Ye and Fei Lan first helped Lina bury her brother on a sunny slope of the garbage mountain and put up a small wooden marker. Lina knelt before the grave and cried for a long time. Only when she was too exhausted to cry anymore did Lin Ye help her to her feet. Then the three of them traded for medicine and food at the supply exchange, along with several sets of clean clothes and a small dagger for Lina to defend herself. Only then did they leave the exchange and return to the abandoned factory where they were hiding. Entering the clean, safe courtyard for the first time, Lina was painfully cautious, like a frightened kitten. She dared not touch anything or wander around, afraid she might dirty the place. Lin Ye's heart ached at the sight. He poured her a cup of hot water and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous. This is your home now. You don't have to hold back." "Home..." Lina repeated the word softly, tears glistening in her eyes. She had wandered through Meteor City since birth and had never known what a home felt like. She had thought that, like her brother, she would die silently in some forgotten corner. But now she had a home. Fei Lan prepared a room of her own for Lina and found clean bedding. He watched as she cautiously lay down on the bed, finally relaxed, and fell asleep. Only then did he gently close the door and step outside. In the courtyard, Lin Ye sat at the stone table, wiping down the katana they had just traded for. "What's this? Going soft?" Fei Lan walked over and asked with a smile. Lin Ye stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and looked at Fei Lan earnestly. "Master, I saw myself in her-the way I was when I first arrived in this world. I know that helplessness and despair all too well. I don't want her to have to walk the same road I did." "I know." Fei Lan nodded and patted his shoulder. "You did the right thing. The strength of the strong is meant to protect, isn't it?" He paused before continuing, "But now that we've brought her back, we have to take responsibility for her. In Meteor City, compassion isn't wrong, but compassion without the strength to back it up will only hurt her and us. Starting tomorrow, you'll train with her. I'll teach her Nen and how to defend herself. Whether she survives and finds her footing will ultimately depend on her." "All right." Lin Ye nodded firmly. From that day on, the little courtyard hidden inside the abandoned factory went from housing two people to three. The once-cold courtyard, where there had been nothing but training, gradually began to feel like a lived-in home. Lina was considerate and hardworking. Every day, she rose before dawn, swept the courtyard spotless, washed their clothes, and made breakfast before waiting for Lin Ye and Fei Lan to get up. She spoke little, but always quietly took care of everything. The timidity in her eyes faded bit by bit, and she gradually began to smile more. Fei Lan also kept his promise and began teaching Lina the basics of Nen. Her talent was not exceptional, but it was far from poor. She was attentive and steady by nature, and Water Divination revealed that she was a Manipulation Type Nen user, neatly complementing Lin Ye's Enhancement Type. Fei Lan devised a training plan specifically for her, starting with the basics of the Four Major Principles. He taught her to use Manipulation Type Nen to control tiny objects and develop precise control over her aura, while also teaching her basic self-defense and dagger techniques. During breaks from his own training, Lin Ye also practiced with Lina, sharing his experience in real combat and teaching her how to use Observation Haki to anticipate danger and protect herself in a fight. Lina worked hard and endured hardship well. Whatever Fei Lan and Lin Ye taught her, she practiced over and over. Even when she fell so often that she was covered in injuries, she never once complained of pain or exhaustion. She knew this was her only chance to survive-a precious, hard-won chance Lin Ye and Fei Lan had given her. The days passed one by one. In Meteor City, a place abandoned by the world, the three of them formed a makeshift family. Fei Lan was like a stern yet gentle father, teaching the two children how to survive and how to conduct themselves. He patiently guided them when their training hit a bottleneck and carefully tended to them when they were injured. Lin Ye was like a dependable older brother, training alongside Lina, protecting her, caring for her, and sharing all his combat experience without holding anything back. Under Fei Lan's guidance, he also honed his own abilities step by step, fully integrating Haki, the Six Powers, and Nen. Lina was like a considerate younger sister, quietly looking after their daily needs, training hard, and growing stronger little by little. From a girl who could only hide in a corner and tremble, she gradually became a Nen user capable of standing on her own. Lin Ye's heart gradually changed as well. For the first six months or so after arriving in this world, his only goals had been to become stronger and escape Meteor City. Now, however, he had people he cared about, people he wanted to protect. He finally understood what Fei Lan had told him. The strength of the strong was not meant for plunder, but for protection. His journey along the Gale Path was no longer a solitary struggle. He had a home, and he had people to protect.