"Brother?" Sang Luoluo's voice was a little hoarse when she spoke.
Sang Yunpu immediately poured a glass of water and brought it to her lips. "Here, have some water."
Sang Luoluo let him help her sit up and took a sip. The water tasted just like the water she had drunk when she first arrived here. Although it had been purified by equipment, its taste was nowhere near that of the Spirit Spring water in her space.
Sang Luoluo pushed his hand away and said quietly, "I have water. This water doesn't taste good."
She held out her hand, and two bottles of Spirit Spring water appeared in it. She handed one to Sang Yunpu and kept the other.
Sang Yunpu still hadn't recovered from his shock. What had he just seen? His younger sister had produced two bottles of water out of thin air!
Sang Luoluo was no stranger to that astonished expression. "Don't be surprised, Brother. I'm an Evolved Human now. This is my ability-a spatial ability."
Sang Yunpu even stammered as he spoke. "I... I've been gone less than half a month. What's happened to you?"
Sang Luoluo chuckled. Her body was a little weak, and she couldn't unscrew the mineral water bottle's cap, so Sang Yunpu naturally took it and opened it for her. He hadn't even been away that long. Why did it feel as though his sister had changed so much?
The moment she woke and saw Sang Yunpu, the thin boy's eyes filled with care and concern, Sang Luoluo had made up her mind. Since the original owner's brother had returned, she would treat him as her own brother from now on. She was all alone in this world, too, so she would have someone with her now. Having taken over the original owner's body, she also had to take good care of her brother.
Sang Luoluo gulped down a bottle of water. Seeing that Sang Yunpu hadn't drunk any, she urged him, "Brother, drink up. This water tastes good. Don't worry about drinking it. I have plenty more."
Sang Yunpu put the water behind him and said gently, "I'm not thirsty. I just had some water. I'll drink it when I'm thirsty."
Sang Luoluo saw Wei Xing lying in the neighboring bed. He was injured, too.
Seeing her look around, Sang Yunpu said, "He Fei went to the bathroom. He'll be back soon. You'd better explain yourself properly. How did you end up joining the Guard while I was away?"
As Sang Luoluo looked at him questioning her, his eyes still full of concern, she suddenly remembered something. "An extra 1,500 points suddenly appeared in my account. Someone transferred them to me anonymously. I couldn't figure it out. Who else could it have been but you?"
"But why did you send them anonymously?"
Her gaze swept past the bedside and suddenly stopped on his leg. Before she could speak, she saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. She asked in shock, "Your leg... what happened to it?"
Sang Yunpu turned his head away, tears glimmering in his eyes. Keeping his voice under control, he said, "It's all right now. I hurt my leg on a mission. They had to amputate it."
Sang Luoluo didn't know how to describe what she felt at that moment: dejection, pity, sorrow, distress, and other complicated emotions. She couldn't help sniffling as she leaned forward and hugged Sang Yunpu. "Brother, were you planning to transfer the points to me and never come home?"
From the original owner's memories, Sang Luoluo had a rough idea of what kind of person Sang Yunpu was. He worked hard scavenging in the wilderness all on his own to support his sister. Although the original owner had often gone hungry growing up, she had never had to endure hardship. Sang Yunpu had handled everything at home, big or small.
A suspicion formed in Sang Luoluo's mind. "Were you planning to transfer the points to me in secret and then give up on yourself?"
Losing a leg meant he could no longer scavenge in the wilderness. Sang Yunpu clearly didn't want to burden her. Since he had already been gone so long, he might as well let his sister believe he really had died out there.
Sang Yunpu fell rather silent. That was indeed what he had been thinking. Before he left, there had already been very little food at home. What he had left could barely sustain Luoluo for three days, so he had to go out. But an unexpected accident had occurred during the mission, leaving him stranded outside. He had constantly worried that his sister might starve to death at home. His wrist terminal had no signal, so he couldn't contact her.
He had finally made it back, but with an injured leg, and staying alive would only make him a burden to his sister. His wrist terminal was linked to hers. Seeing that her vital signs were normal, he had decisively transferred all his points to her. Of those 1,500 points, 300 were from the mission, and the rest were official compensation from the Guard for his lost leg. Those points would support his sister alone for a long time.
Yesterday had been his last day in the hospital. He had planned to find somewhere to quietly wait for death, but he hadn't expected to run into his sister here.
Chapter 27: Points exchange: Give me twenty percent of the points you earn. How does that sound...
Sang Luoluo could tell what he was thinking. The seventeen-year-old boy couldn't hide what was on his mind. She patted his shoulder and encouraged him. "Brother, don't lose heart. I can earn points to support both of us from now on. We can buy a prosthetic leg. Technology is so advanced now, maybe you could even grow your leg back. Look, my legs are like this, too, but I haven't lost heart."
Seeing light gradually return to Sang Yunpu's eyes, Sang Luoluo continued, "Brother, I dug up loads of moderately irradiated honey on this mission with the Guard. I reckon there's about a hundred cubic meters. I'll exchange it for points later."
"How... how much?"
Sang Yunpu couldn't believe his ears.
When had his sister become so capable?
Sang Luoluo reached out, scooped up a small bowl of honey, and brought it out, holding it before Sang Yunpu. "See? Most of it is honey like this."
Sang Luoluo casually scanned it with her wrist terminal for Sang Yunpu to see.
"Beep, beep, beep! Radiation level: 32. Moderate radiation. Recommended for consumption!"
Sang Yunpu took it, dabbed a little onto his finger, and put it in his mouth. A sweet fragrance filled his mouth. In all his life, he had never tasted honey before.
This had come from the hive of mutated bees. He couldn't imagine how difficult and desperate it must have been for his sister, trapped inside that hive. "It must have been very dangerous."
Sang Luoluo thought back to what had happened and shook her head. "It wasn't too bad. I was wearing the Guard's heavy armor, and I could dig honey out of the hive and make passages to move around a bit. The others trapped inside with me couldn't even move. Later, people came to rescue us. Thinking about it now, it doesn't feel that frightening anymore."
At that moment, none of Sang Yunpu's earlier despair remained in his heart. If his sister could be this optimistic, he couldn't give up either. If they really managed to save enough points to buy a prosthetic leg someday, he could live like a normal person and earn points, too.
"How could surviving in the wilderness not be dangerous?" Sang Yunpu knew all too well what it was like out there. Even with the Guard's full set of equipment, survival wasn't that easy.
Sang Luoluo said, "Brother, our lives will definitely keep getting better."
Sang Luoluo noticed some original-flavored nutrient solution by the bed. Seeing her gaze move toward it, Sang Yunpu's voice softened further. "Are you hungry? There's nutrient solution here."
Sang Luoluo shook her head. She didn't like the taste of nutrient solution, but she couldn't rashly take food out of her space, either. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to explain it.
Sang Luoluo took a few baked potatoes from her space and stuffed them into Sang Yunpu's arms. "Brother, eat these."
"These are... potatoes!"
"Where did you get them?"
Sang Luoluo had already prepared an explanation. "I found them in the wilderness. Nobody knows. I secretly stashed them in my space. Brother, go ahead and eat. I have lots more."
There were four potatoes in his arms, each the size of a palm and still warm. They must have been freshly baked not long ago. Sang Yunpu glanced outside the window, saw no one, and asked in puzzlement, "Why are they still hot?"
Sang Luoluo explained, "Brother, I'll let you in on a secret. My spatial ability can preserve food in exactly the state it was in when I put it inside, keeping it in stasis. It won't expire."
Now Sang Yunpu was truly astonished. What did that mean? His sister's claim that they could save up lots of points in the future really wasn't a dream.
When he had gone out looking for food before, whatever he brought back would spoil before long. He could only exchange some of it for points or dry it to preserve it. But now that his sister had this ability, it would be incredibly convenient for their family.
Sang Yunpu told Sang Luoluo to hurry and put the potatoes away. If someone saw them, they might set their sights on the two of them. His leg was gone now, and neither of them could protect themselves. It was better to be careful.
Sang Luoluo nodded, but still left one potato out for him to eat.
She also took half a baked potato for herself.
Just as the two finished eating, He Fei returned.
Sang Yunpu hurriedly wiped his mouth, then used a towel to wipe Sang Luoluo's mouth as well, making sure no crumbs remained.
Only then did he look at He Fei and say evenly, "You're back. My sister's awake."
He Fei caught the aroma of food in the air. His taste buds were naturally stimulated, making his mouth water. He murmured, "What's that smell? It smells pretty good."
When neither sibling offered an explanation, He Fei felt Wei Xing's forehead. He still had a fever. Sang Luoluo, on the other hand, was back to normal now, though she looked a little weak. Remembering Captain Qi's instructions, he asked, "Sang Luoluo, how are you feeling now? Can you come with me to sort out the things you brought back?"
Sang Luoluo felt all right. "No problem."
Seeing that she had trouble moving, He Fei said, "Wait here. I'll find a wheelchair."
Before long, He Fei returned and helped Sang Luoluo into the wheelchair.
Seeing that Sang Yunpu had trouble getting around, Sang Luoluo insisted that he lie in bed and rest until she returned.
She didn't know how long she would be out this time, so she left two bottles of water and two bottles of nutrient solution by his bed.
He Fei pushed Sang Luoluo outside toward the Guard's premises, asking as they went, "You'll have to support your brother from now on, too. That'll put a lot of pressure on you. Once you've recovered a bit, would you consider having an amputation and getting prosthetic legs? They work just as well as real legs, and they won't stop you from going on missions in the future."