Seeing something he had never even dared imagine in his previous life, Chang Yuan slightly opened his mouth and swallowed the porridge.
Airi continued feeding Chang Yuan in the same manner.
Only after making sure Chang Yuan had finished the porridge did Airi put down the small bowl.
"Big Brother Chang Yuan is so silly. You actually need me to feed you, hehe. If Uncle Tok and the others heard about this, they'd definitely laugh at you too."
"Yes, I am a little silly. I'm not as smart as you, Airi."
Chang Yuan scratched the back of his head and accepted being called an idiot.
Besides, other people would not even get the chance to be scolded like that.
"All right, Big Brother Chang Yuan. For the next few days, rest in this tent first. Uncle Tok and the others are good people."
Holding the small bowl, Airi reminded him as she walked away.
Only after Airi had truly left did Chang Yuan weakly collapse back onto the crude bed.
"Seriously, heavens? You sent me into such a high-difficulty dungeon, and you didn't even give me a cheat?"
No matter how Chang Yuan called out, the system remained silent. Or rather, perhaps he did not have a system at all.
But when he thought of everything that would happen later, Chang Yuan began to panic.
The Pre-Civilization had nothing like a Honkai Antibody. Surviving the Honkai depended entirely on luck.
It was nothing like the later era, where women all possessed the Stigmata Sequence created by Dr. Mei and were therefore born with considerable resistance.
In the current Pre-Civilization, men and women were equal. Neither had a Honkai Antibody, and whether they could survive the Honkai depended purely on luck.
As an outsider, there was no way he could possess a Honkai Antibody. When the Honkai came, would he not be the first one to die?
"No, I can't give up yet. It was probably only the first Honkai outbreak now. The Second Herrscher did not appear until Airi was around fourteen or fifteen."
Judging by how she looked now, she was about six years old. At the very least, he still had eight years.
Chang Yuan sat up and crossed his legs, beginning to think about how he could survive in this Pre-Civilization.
Although the story had not gone into detail about many matters from the Pre-Civilization, it had covered many important turning points.
By using those crucial points, he might not be unable to turn things around.
Of course, none of that was the most important thing.
He looked at Airi's small departing figure.
Chang Yuan was lost in a daze for a moment.
"This time, I'll be the one to say it. I'll load my life into the chamber, all to save one person."
Now that he had already transmigrated, had no attachments in his previous life, and was facing what was practically a certain death—
Why not go a little mad? He refused to believe Airi's sacrifice was inevitable.
He had to find a way for Airi to live.
As Chang Yuan racked his brains, time slowly passed. Stars filled the night sky, carrying a beauty untouched by industrial pollution.
It was then that the small pink figure returned to the tent.
"Big Brother Chang Yuan, you're still awake?"
"No. I was thinking about something very important."
"Hm? How important is it? Can you tell me? I'm really curious."
Airi took out a worn little wooden stool and sat beside Chang Yuan's bed, swaying her head as she asked. Her adorable expression was exceptionally cute.
"...Sure, but you can't go telling everyone, Airi."
"Mhm, mhm. I promise I won't tell anyone. It'll be a secret between Big Brother Chang Yuan and me."
Seeing that Chang Yuan was willing to tell her, Airi happily agreed.
"Oh, right. From now on, Big Brother Chang Yuan can just call me Airi. That's what friends call each other~."
"Mm. Airi is my friend too."
Chang Yuan stroked Airi's silky pink hair, then began telling her what he had been thinking about.
"Airi, if sacrificing one person could buy endless possibilities for the future—a chance to defeat disaster—would that be right?"
"Huh? If that person was willing, then we have no right to change their mind. But if that person were me, I think I definitely would."
Because of her own special nature, Airi had been exceptionally mature from a very young age.
Even when she was little, she had already proposed to Celia that she wanted to travel alone.
Celia had seen Airi's uniqueness as well, so she did not refuse.
But when Chang Yuan heard that answer, his heart trembled.
So Airi had already possessed such resolve even as a child?
Chang Yuan unconsciously clenched his fists.
But when he noticed Airi's gaze, he immediately loosened them.
"But what if I wanted that person to live?"
"Um... I don't know what to do about that either, Big Brother Chang Yuan. If you really like that person, then there's nothing wrong with what you're doing.
But the person being stopped is not wrong either. She has her own noble ideals. She wants to save the world, so she is not wrong.
Still, if it really comes to that, Big Brother Chang Yuan can just knock her out, hehe. Everyone is selfish, after all. But you'd better be prepared for that person to hate you afterward~."
As she noticed Chang Yuan's expression growing increasingly gloomy, Airi finally made a little joke to ease the atmosphere.
"...Knock her out? Maybe that's not a bad idea. More than being hated, I want her to live. But before that, I want to try finding another way.
Why must this world sacrifice her? Why can't it be someone else? Why can't there be a way that requires no sacrifice?"
"Mm, I don't understand what you mean either, Big Brother Chang Yuan. But I support you, hehe."
Resting her face in her hands, Airi leaned against Chang Yuan's bedside and smiled happily.
But she did not know that the person Chang Yuan was talking about was her.
"Then thank you for your support, Airi. You have to help me in the future too, or I'm afraid that person won't agree."
"Okay, okay. I'll definitely help you, Big Brother Chang Yuan. I never lie."
Airi did not even hesitate before agreeing.
"All right, let's stop talking about that. I'll tell you some stories, Airi."
"Okay, okay. Then let me lie down on the bed first."
"Hm? On the bed?"
Chang Yuan was confused when he heard that.
"Mhm. Uncle Tok and the others have very few tents, so usually two people share one. I only arrived the day before yesterday, and because I'm a child, Uncle Tok and the others let me have a tent to myself.
Now that Big Brother Chang Yuan is here, we'll share a tent. It saves more space, and I'll be continuing my travels in a few days anyway, so I won't be staying long."
Before you continue