Chapter 15

Su Cheng looked at her black bracelet. Just what kind of existence was the apartment system...

Author's note:

None.

Chapter 15

Su Cheng was woken by mournful crying.

The bracelet showed the time: six in the morning.

When Su Cheng climbed out of her sleeping bag, Yun Nian woke up too.

Yun Nian's eyes were swollen like walnuts. Somewhat embarrassed, she kept blinking and averting her gaze whenever she looked at Su Cheng.

Su Cheng rubbed her arms. It was still a little cold in the early morning. "I'll go take a look."

Yun Nian yawned sleepily, dutifully tagging along behind Su Cheng. "I'll go too."

Quite a few people under the canopy had also been woken by the crying. Some were used to it, while others were puzzled like Su Cheng and kept craning their heads out.

After leaving the canopy area, Su Cheng looked around and saw staff in protective suits carrying long, plastic-wrapped objects toward the open area behind the hospital.

That was where the crying was coming from.

Su Cheng understood at once. She stopped Yun Nian from going any farther and, after a moment's thought, told her the truth. "The hospital is probably taking the people who died to an open area to disinfect them and have their bodies identified."

Yun Nian stopped in her tracks. "I-is that so..."

Su Cheng patted Yun Nian's shoulder. "Don't worry."

"The driver isn't here yet, and it's still early. Let's take a look inside the hospital. Maybe your parents weren't registered, and that's why we couldn't find their information."

Yun Nian rallied herself. "Okay."

Su Cheng continued, "I also need your help asking the staff where the relief stations handing out free supplies are... We need food."

Yun Nian glanced sideways at Su Cheng and nodded.

There was only one staff member at the registration desk in the hospital lobby. Instead of yesterday's brown-haired woman, it was a woman with short black hair.

Yun Nian went up to ask her about the relief stations.

Yun Nian translated what she had learned for Su Cheng. "She said every hospital has a relief station. They'll all start handing out free supplies at ten in the morning."

Su Cheng nodded. As long as there were free supplies to collect, that was good.

"Next, let's split up to look for your parents. We'll meet here in half an hour."

"Okay."

The hospital had several inpatient buildings, and their time was limited. The two headed in opposite directions; splitting up to search would save the most time.

Machines beeped in the hospital wards in the early morning. Most patients were either staring blankly or sleeping.

Each ward held four or five beds, with exhausted companions slumped beside them. Patients lay in rows along the corridors, and there was an identification card at the head of each bed.

Su Cheng first checked whether a patient had an Asian face, then checked the name on the bedside card.

She moved through the hospital corridors, and only after seeing so many appalling injuries did she realize, by comparison, how lucky she was.

There was a water dispenser room at the end of the corridor on every floor. Su Cheng took the opportunity to refill her half-empty mineral water bottle.

Unfortunately, half an hour passed without her finding an Asian face belonging to anyone named Yun Cheng or Li Murou...

Su Cheng reached the lobby first, with Yun Nian arriving just after her.

Yun Nian shook her head in disappointment and told Su Cheng her plan. "If I still can't find Mom and Dad today... I'm going to the shelter..."

Su Cheng raised no objections. Yun Nian was a child who knew her own mind, and there was no need for her to say more.

The two walked toward where the truck was parked. The blonde woman and the two men were already waiting there.

It seemed they hadn't found their relatives at this hospital either.

Before long, the truck driver arrived on time to pick them up.

The driver took out steamed buns and handed one to each person.

Although Su Cheng couldn't understand his language, she could see genuine sympathy in his expression.

Su Cheng gnawed on the steamed bun. It was slightly sweet and salty, but very dry and hard. Fortunately, she still had a bottle of water. With water to wash it down, the bun wasn't too difficult to swallow.

It was almost ten in the morning when the truck reached the next hospital.

The driver gave them an hour. After that, he would head to the next location, and anyone who didn't return would be considered to have found their relatives here.

A delivery truck was parked outside the hospital, with a long line in front of it. Three or four young men and women in red volunteer uniforms were handing out supplies.

Everyone in the line turned and left after receiving one package of supplies. No one took two.

"Looks like we can't collect them for someone else."

Su Cheng and Yun Nian could only line up together and look for people after collecting their supplies.

The supplies had all been portioned and packed, so the line moved quickly. Su Cheng reached the front after waiting just over ten minutes.

Everyone collecting supplies had to fill in basic information such as their name, gender, and nationality.

When Su Cheng finished filling hers in, a volunteer handed her a bag of supplies.

Su Cheng stepped aside and opened it. Inside were a white robe, four bread rolls, a bottle of milk, and two bottles of water.

The white robe could both cover her body and protect her from the sun, so Su Cheng put it on immediately.

She also opened a bread roll and the milk. Although she had eaten a steamed bun earlier, she still felt hungry. Had her appetite grown a little?

Su Cheng had a guess. Could her body need more energy to repair her wounds while healing itself...

Once Yun Nian had collected her supplies, the two split up again.

Su Cheng went to search the inpatient buildings first, while Yun Nian went to inquire at the lobby registration desk.

After finishing two bread rolls and the milk, Su Cheng walked into a corner and put all her remaining food into a storage slot.

Every hospital had more or less the same layout, differing only in decor. As Su Cheng ran around, she suddenly realized that her lower abdomen hadn't hurt in a long time.

She lifted her clothes. The bruises had already faded somewhat.

"Looks like it's almost healed."

Su Cheng counted on her fingers as she recalled that her self-healing ability could completely heal superficial bleeding wounds within about three hours.

More serious injuries, such as internal organ damage or major blood loss, needed a day or two.

Su Cheng thought of how she never seemed to feel full. "Could my healing speed also have something to do with what I eat? If I get enough energy from food, maybe I'll heal faster?"

She could only test that guess through practice in the future.

Su Cheng remembered a key term the mechanical voice had mentioned in its announcement: gene lock first stage.

This was very important information.

Yan Yu hadn't mentioned it to her before, most likely because Yan Yu herself had never heard of or obtained a gene lock.

Since gene locks had a first stage, there had to be a second and third stage.

She wondered what changes the second and third stages of the gene lock would bring...

With these thoughts on her mind, Su Cheng searched the hospital. Unfortunately, she still couldn't find the names of Yun Nian's parents.

Su Cheng sighed, checked the time, and saw that it was nearly time to go. She returned to the lobby to wait for Yun Nian.

But even after waiting for over ten minutes, she still saw no sign of Yun Nian.

This was very unusual.

Su Cheng frowned. Had something happened to Yun Nian?

Su Cheng glanced at her watch. She had to go find Yun Nian, but just as she turned, she saw Yun Nian appear.

This time, Yun Nian hadn't returned in disappointment. She was holding a man's hand.

A radiant smile spread across her face. The man bore a forty-percent resemblance to Yun Nian. It seemed he was indeed Yun Cheng, whom they had worked so hard to find.

"Sister! I found Dad!"

Holding her father's hand, Yun Nian excitedly jogged over.

Yun Cheng had already heard about Su Cheng from Yun Nian on the way. His gaze was full of gratitude as he looked at Su Cheng, bent forward slightly, and extended his hand.

"Niannian has told me what happened to her over the past few days. Thank you, Miss Su. Thank you for helping my daughter!"

Su Cheng shook his hand. "Niannian helped me a lot too."

Yun Cheng continued, "When I found Yun Nian's mother, she was seriously injured after the tsunami. Medical resources are stretched thin here, so I had no choice but to contact my younger brother back home and have him come take Yun Nian's mother back for treatment."

"I stayed behind to keep looking for Niannian. These past few days, I've been either at hospitals or running around the disaster area... Thankfully, our whole family survived."

Yun Cheng looked haggard and exhausted, but when he looked at Yun Nian, his gaze held the tenderness of having recovered what he had lost.

"So, truly, thank you, Miss Su!"

"You're our family's benefactor. I hope you'll leave here with us."

Yun Nian tilted her little face up. "Sister, come with us!"

Faced with the father and daughter's expectant gazes, Su Cheng still shook her head. "Thank you, but I don't plan to leave for now."

It wasn't that she didn't want to leave. She was an outsider in this world, an undocumented person. She had no identity records and couldn't take transportation such as planes.

Even if Yun Cheng helped her find a way to get a temporary ID, it couldn't be done right away. She couldn't hold up Yun Cheng and his daughter from returning home to reunite with their family.

Besides, she only had another two days before it was time to leave the instance.

Yun Nian held Su Cheng's hand, reluctant to part. "Sister..."

Yun Cheng looked thoughtful. "Miss Su, is there something you're worried about? You can tell us, and we can work it out together."

Su Cheng ruffled Yun Nian's hair. "Thank you, but I have my own plans. You don't need to worry."

Seeing that Su Cheng was firm, Yun Cheng stopped trying to persuade her. He sighed softly. "You probably don't have anywhere to stay right now. Why don't you stay at the inn I've booked for these few days?"

Su Cheng knew Yun Cheng wanted to do something to repay her for helping Yun Nian, so she didn't refuse his kindness.

Holding Yun Nian's hand, Yun Cheng led Su Cheng to the slightly old compact car he had rented specifically to search for Yun Nian over the past two days.

"Sister, are you really not leaving with us?"

Instead of sitting in the front passenger seat, Yun Nian stayed in the back with Su Cheng. She clutched the hem of her clothes, her eyes full of reluctance to part.

"Don't worry. You can leave me your address, and I'll visit you if I have the chance."

Yun Nian nodded emphatically, asked Yun Cheng for a pen, and wrote her home address on the sheet of paper with the names from earlier.

"Sister, I'll be waiting for you!"

Su Cheng put the paper away and gave a faint smile. "Okay."

Yun Cheng parked in front of an inn in town. It wasn't large, but it had two stories and a modern British-style decor.