At the entrance to the Orphanage, a frail silver-haired girl sat curled up on the steps, her body trembling uncontrollably from the cold.
Although the sun was invisible in the Underworld, there was still a distinction between day and night.
The most obvious difference was that the Heating System reduced its heat output at night.
Xiao Bu sat on the very top step so she could spot her brother the moment he returned.
It was already very late. In the past, when her brother came back after skipping classes, he usually made it home before seven.
Xiao Bu always sat here waiting for Chu Mu. He told her to wait inside instead of staying out in the cold, but this was the one thing she refused to listen to him about. Stubbornly, she still waited outside every time.
After seeing this, Chu Mu had started coming home much earlier, always returning before six.
Six o'clock was when the Heating System lowered the temperature.
Of course, the price of doing so was that Chu Mu had to leave early at noon, often without eating lunch.
The moment Chu Mu returned each evening was the happiest part of Xiao Bu's day.
Sometimes he brought her a shiny stone. Those were the days when he had been unable to find work.
Sometimes, when he had earned something from a job, he brought home a flatbread tucked against his chest, still steaming hot.
Every time, he smiled and generously told her, "I've already eaten. The rest is for you, little sister."
As Xiao Bu thought of this, her nose began to sting again.
At noon that day, Chu Mu had told her he would definitely be back before six.
Xiao Bu waited and waited, watching six turn to seven, then seven turn to eight.
That small, thin figure never appeared at the intersection below the steps.
My brother's such a liar!
Xiao Bu began to cry again.
"Xiao Bu, why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to stay in the bedroom?"
Just then, Natasha happened to step out through the doorway. The moment she saw Xiao Bu, she pulled her to her feet, her heart aching.
"My brother... my brother still isn't back." Tears streamed down Xiao Bu's face. "I want my brother."
"Your brother..." Natasha was about to say something, but remembering what the Old Director had just told her, she suddenly did not know how to begin.
At that moment, the Old Director spoke from beside her:
"Chu Mu is all right, Xiao Bu. Go back and get some sleep. You'll see your brother tomorrow morning."
Hearing that Chu Mu was all right, Xiao Bu stopped crying. She looked at the Old Director and asked:
"Where is my brother?"
"Well, he... he's just been held up by something outside." The Old Director shook her head. "We're on our way to deal with it. Don't worry, Xiao Bu. We'll take care of everything. Isn't that right, Teacher Natasha?"
The Old Director looked at Natasha.
Natasha paused, then hurriedly nodded.
"Yes, that's right. That's what we're heading out to do. Xiao Bu, don't worry. Your brother is fine. Go back and get some sleep."
Hearing the same answer from both of them, Xiao Bu had no choice but to believe it.
As far as she was concerned, neither of them would ever lie!
"I'm sorry, Grandma Director, Teacher Natasha." Xiao Bu lowered her head. "My brother has caused you trouble. Please don't punish him. I couldn't talk him out of it. It's all my fault."
At the sight of this, Natasha looked at the Old Director. Each saw the same emotion in the other's eyes-
Heartache!
She was such a considerate little sister that it made their hearts ache.
"Don't worry, Xiao Bu. We won't punish him," the Old Director promised.
"Your brother is very brave." Natasha gently stroked Xiao Bu's head, emerald light swirling around her fingertips.
"Brave... what does that mean..." Xiao Bu's voice grew fainter and fainter. Her whole body seemed to relax all at once, and overwhelming exhaustion washed over her. She fell asleep on the spot.
Natasha caught Xiao Bu and lifted her into her arms. She carefully laid her down in her own bedroom, then gently closed the door.
"I'm sorry, little one. Your teacher lied to you, but I'll do everything I can to make sure you see your brother tomorrow. Good night. Sweet dreams."
After hearing this, the Old Director beside her remarked with a sigh:
"You've actually mastered the power of a Path. If I'm not mistaken, it's the Path of Abundance?"
"You have a discerning eye, Old Director." Natasha nodded. "Perhaps seeing so much suffering during my studies at the Medical Academy led me onto that Path."
"Excellent!" the Old Director said approvingly. "I'm truly delighted to have a Pathstrider become the next guardian."
A look of fierce determination appeared on her face.
"Let's go, Natasha. To Boulder Town. Let's pay that old mole a visit!"
By the time the Old Director and Natasha arrived in Boulder Town, a crowd had already surrounded the boxing gym known as the Fight Club.
The Silvermane Guards had sealed off the premises, but the onlookers had packed the surrounding area so tightly that there was barely room to move.
The mines operated on a two-shift system, and the day shift was just getting off work. The miners had been planning to visit the Fight Club for some entertainment, only to stumble upon something even more entertaining.
Scott, the Fight Club's owner, was notorious throughout the Underworld. The tragedies caused by that profit-obsessed old mole were simply too numerous to count!
If the Orphanage's Old Director represented the pinnacle of goodness in the Underworld, then Scott undoubtedly represented the pinnacle of evil.
These two opposing sides had always despised each other. Normally, they kept their distance and left each other alone, their paths rarely crossing.
But today's events had given good and evil a battlefield on which to confront each other directly!
This was a battle without gunfire, but its outcome would undoubtedly affect the future of the entire Underworld.
The scales by which people weighed good and evil in their hearts would also tilt because of this battle.
At that moment, Chu Mu still had no idea he had caused such an enormous stir!
Meanwhile, on their way over, the Old Director and Natasha had reviewed the entire incident and reached the same conclusion.
Tonight was not just about Chu Mu. It was about the future of the entire Underworld!
If the Orphanage lost to Scott of the Fight Club over this incident, its children would face even greater hardship in the future.
Therefore, Scott had to pay!
A devastating price, one severe enough to deter anyone else from committing such evil!
These two women, one old and one young, were like warriors marching onto the battlefield!
The crowd parted for them without prompting, and some people shouted encouragement!
"Old Director, we're behind you!"
"Don't let Scott get his way!"
"You have to win!"
Hearing these words, the two women felt immensely encouraged, but they also felt the crushing weight of that responsibility.
At last, the Old Director and Natasha passed through the crowd and entered the Fight Club.
The doors opened and closed again, shutting all the clamor outside.
"Oleg, you owe me an explanation! You had the Silvermane Guards seal off my Fight Club, and now tonight's business is ruined! You're costing me a fortune!"
The moment the two women entered, they heard Scott's ducklike squawking.
"Heh, isn't this exactly what you asked for? Since you insisted on negotiating here, naturally I had a duty to clear the venue and ensure neither side was disturbed," Oleg retorted with a cold sneer.
He had his own motives, of course. Otherwise, he could simply have sealed off the backstage area rather than the entire Fight Club.
Still, seeing that old mole so furious gave Oleg a peculiar sense of satisfaction.
"Oleg, enjoy yourself while you can! You won't be throwing your weight around for much longer. I'll find someone to have you removed!" Scott snapped, his humiliation turning to rage.
Then he caught sight of the Old Director approaching and immediately shouted:
"Hey, you're just in time. You'll have to compensate me for my medical bills and emotional distress, the medical expenses I paid on his behalf, and the Fight Club's losses tonight! Also, out of my personal respect for you, I, Scott, am willing to round the total down. Just one hundred thousand Winter City Shields!"
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