"You heard it too, even if you're my friend, they might not give you face."
Han Xiao shook his head. Aurora was kind-hearted and would naturally be willing to help, but Hila might not be so. This little vixen was aloof and didn't like to meddle in other people's business. She also doted on her sister and might try to obstruct the process.
Although she owed her a favor, given her strong-willed nature, she wouldn't let her sister repay it.
"Seriously? Letting them use their abilities isn't an unreasonable request," Melos said anxiously.
"This is due to historical reasons. Her sister needs to consume her own life force to use her supernatural abilities. She also had some unpleasant experiences in the past, which makes her sensitive."
"You promised me," Melos insisted.
"Okay, I'll ask around for you."
Han Xiao shook his head helplessly and went out to stop the two sisters.
The white giant bear twitched its nose, sniffing a familiar scent. Its tiny, beady eyes stared hesitantly at Han Xiao, unsure if he was its former master. Only when Han Xiao Han Xiao did it run off excitedly, rolling around in front of him, exposing its belly, kicking up dust as it rolled.
"You've raised this bear quite a bit." Han Xiao scratched the giant bear's chin; it was furry and felt even better Harmon's.
This bear used to be called Baby Bear, but now it's several meters tall. It's so big that we can't call it Baby Bear anymore, or it'll be disgusting.
"Yes, it grows incredibly fast. It's always been by my side, and my special ability gives it a strong vitality," Aurora laughed.
Han Xiao stroked his chin and pondered, "So, the meat quality must be quite good."
The giant bear, which was rolling and frolicking, suddenly froze, its ears perking up as it realized something was amiss.
"Why are you stopping us?" Hila asked, puzzled.
Han Xiao pulled Melos out. "His name is Melos, he's my comrade-in-arms. He was accidentally wounded in a battle. If your eyesight is good enough, you should be able to notice he has a mechanical arm..."
Hila was speechless. "Have you been judging other people's eyes by the standards of a blind person?"
"I've agreed to treat his severed limb, and I'd like to ask Aurora for help."
"Don't even think about it." Aurora could answer, Hila decisively refused.
Han Xiao's lips twitched. "At least pretend to think about it for a moment..."
"You know my sister. She can heal others' injuries, but it consumes her own life force. In this world, I only allow my sister to save one person... and that's you."
Hila paused abruptly, thought for a moment, and added, "But don't think we're such good friends. This is just something we owe you. We won't save anyone but you."
Aurora's [Dawn of Life] endowed her with unparalleled vitality. Her cells constantly reacted on their own, generating special life energy. Aurora's vitality was like a bucket of water, while healing serious injuries only required a drop of water, a mere drop in the ocean.
However, what is being consumed is ultimately "life force"...
Although Aurora currently in good health, Hila will not allow her to waste her life force because of it.
Before Han Xiao could speak, Aurora interjected, "Sister, this is nothing to me. I've always been the one receiving help, and I want to do something for Black Star too."
"No," Hila refused decisively.
"Sis, stop making decisions for me all the time," Aurora helplessly.
"Why won't you believe what I teach you? This world is full of people who are kind and get bullied!" Hila said angrily. "It was like this just now, and it's like this again. When will you ever learn to be more careful? Once you've done it once, every injured person will come to you. Are you going to keep wasting your life force to help them?!"
Han Xiao was immediately displeased. He felt that this woman was making veiled attacks and was asking for trouble.
Regarding the commotion at the quarantine station, Han Xiao had Phillip pull up the surveillance footage and roughly explain what happened. Bennett was in charge of the Sanctuary's daily affairs, and ordinary refugees who were not important could be dealt with however they wanted; no one could cause a major upheaval. Han Xiao didn't have time to meddle in such trivial matters; his main goal was to understand the cause of the conflict between the two sisters.
The two sisters used to live in hardship and depend on each other for survival. Now, after several years of safe living and spending every day together, even blood relatives can't always be completely compatible. Friction is inevitable, just like a relationship that's bound to end sooner or later. Only distance can create beauty.
"Sis, why do you always go to such extremes? I'll naturally refuse when I don't want to," Aurora said. "Besides, Uncle Black Star has helped me so much, I want to repay him..."
"I said no, and that means no!"
Hila glared at Han Xiao and said in a deep voice, "You are our benefactor, and I will definitely repay this favor, but please don't try anything with my sister."
Han Xiao was speechless. This made it sound like I had some ulterior motive; this was just too much of a protective instinct.
Watching the two sisters argue, Melos looked at Han Xiao and said weakly, "You're right, there's really no chance."
"Old Mei, let's go."
Just as the two were about to turn and leave, Aurora suddenly raised her voice, her tone very serious.
"Sister, you can't protect me forever, and I can't always be a protected child. I earnestly beg you—don't make decisions for me."
"No, your thinking is too naive. You don't even know how to protect yourself." Hila wasn't buying it.
"Why do you always try to change me?!" Aurora was angry for the first time, her eyes flashing with golden light. She said, "What I despise most is those who don't need help mocking those who are willing to help. Only those who have experienced it know how much they long for someone to lend a helping hand when they are in trouble. I know that feeling very well. During the days and nights when I needed help the most, I prayed countless times that someone would come to my aid. Needles pierced my veins time and time again, scalpels cut my flesh time and time again, but no one offered a helping hand. Do you understand that despair?!"
Hila's momentum faltered, and she looked ashamed. It was because of her negligence that Aurora was captured by Germinal and suffered so much pain, while she, as the older sister, had been unable to help much. It was only thanks to Han Xiao's sudden assistance that she was able to rescue her younger sister. Hila had always felt that she was a failure as an older sister.
Aurora had never talked about her pain in front of her before, but this was the first time she had blamed her. Hila was caught off guard and didn't know how to respond.
"I know my sister has a strong personality, and to avoid putting pressure on you, I always pretend to be optimistic and cheerful whenever we meet. But do you really think I could be happy?!"
Aurora said earnestly, "I have endured a lot of pain. I know how cruel people can be. I know the despair of being trapped in a desperate situation with no one to help you. The only resistance I can give is to not succumb to the darkness, to not be easily transformed into a hateful and twisted person by that pain... Believe me, this is even more difficult than enduring physical pain."
"Han Xiao helped me when I was at my most desperate, so I'm willing to help others."
She looked into Hila's eyes and whispered, "We can't live in the past forever. People have to grow... Sister, I love you, but I'm not your puppet. I have my own thoughts, and I want to be the person I want to be."
Hila opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the two sisters to start arguing. It seemed that the pent-up resentment they had harbored during his absence had finally erupted.
Even if they went through a lot together, it was impossible for them to stay in love forever. When there were no external enemies, their incompatible personalities would inevitably lead to arguments. Han Xiao had learned this lesson from his neighbor's disharmonious marriage in his previous life.
However, arguing isn't necessarily a bad thing; at least it can deepen mutual understanding and help people find common ground while respecting differences.
Han Xiao shook his head. "Ha, women."
Everyone fell silent. Aurora scratched her face sheepishly, her previously assertive demeanor crumbling instantly. She asked cautiously, "Sister, I went to treat him, okay?"
"You've said so much, what other opinions can I have? Just pretend I'm not your sister anymore, go on, go on," Hila said irritably.
Aurora with joy, and she gave Hila a hug.
Seeing this, Han Xiao led the group to the mechanical modification room, removed Melos's mechanical arm, and Aurora aimed her palm at Melos's severed arm. Dense golden light shot out from her palm and continuously Melos's body. Fibrous buds began to grow at the severed limb, causing unbearable numbness and itching.
In recent years, Aurora has also been developing her own superpowers, no longer needing to use blood to save people, but instead releasing the active life energy within her body.
Meanwhile, Han Xiao and Hila stood side by side, watching the treatment scene.
Suddenly, Hila spoke, her tone complex, "Do you think I'm wrong?"
"Um?"
Han Xiao turned his head and glanced at her. He saw that Hila had pursed her lips and frowned, still brooding over what had just happened.
"There's no right or wrong, everyone has their own ambitions. But if you ask me, I think you have more to say. This world is dangerous, enemies are everywhere, and self-preservation is the wise thing to do."
"You would actually think that..." Hila looked at her strangely. Han Xiao had returned from space during the planetary crisis, which was so great. She had thought that Han Xiao would support Aurora.
Han Xiao shrugged. "But if I had to choose... I'd rather be friends with kinder people."
Aurora hadn't insisted, Hila would have rejected his request; he preferred obedient people.
Both sisters are high achievers. Grade S superpower potential is extremely rare. If Hila grows up and reaches the level she reached in her previous life, she could take down dozens of Melos with a single finger. Aurora's healing ability is also very useful, essentially making her a walking super health potion, providing life support.
As for their contrasting personalities, Han Xiao didn't care. As long as they were useful talents, these issues were trivial. For example, Ames was very willful, but few people dared to criticize her in the Shattered Star Ring. So, ability is the most important thing.
Not long after, Melos's arm grew back, with a smooth, delicate skin. He tried waving it a few times, then exclaimed with delight, "Haha, my hand is back!"
Aurora wiped the light sweat from her forehead and said happily, "I'm glad I could be of help."
Han Xiao patted her head and praised her profusely before leaving with Melos. Melos was very satisfied with her new arm and was happy all the way home.
Back in his room, Han Xiao dismissed Melos, took out his interstellar communicator, and turned on the regional channel of the Garton Star System.
The player recruitment plan is now on track, and the power skills for the next level stage have been acquired. Now it's just a matter of when the Goddora Rescue Team will arrive.
Version 2.0 has been out for half a month; judging by the timeline, Goddora should be arriving soon.
The Garton Star System is under the jurisdiction of Goddora. The simultaneous outbreak of disasters on many civilized planets is too coincidental. Goddora naturally had some suspicions. The first thing that came to mind was their nemesis, DarkStar. They felt that this might be a conspiracy, so they did not take any rash actions and investigated for a period of time, which is why it has been so long.
But just a few hours earlier, Han Xiao's communicator received a regional push notification about this very matter.
Many interstellar media outlets took notice of the situation in Goddora's territory and reported on it, thus drawing even more attention to the disaster. Goddora's media were of particular concern—after all, it was a problem within the territory of a civilization.
After the broadcast, more and more people in Goddora learned about the disasters suffered by these allied civilizations, and discovered that their own civilization had not yet sent a rescue team. Public outcry began to rise, with everyone urging the authorities to take rescue action as soon as possible.
After quickly reading the regional news from the Garton Star System, Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and drew a conclusion.
"DarkStar has started activities on hetushu. com. com..."
At this time, Goddora had not yet officially intervened. The news of the Mutation Disaster was naturally leaked by DarkStar through its own efforts. With the help of those with ulterior motives, it created a large-scale impact, making the entire Goddora Civilization the focus of attention in this event.
Apart from Han Xiao, everyone in the galaxy believed that this was just a sudden, unknown disaster, and no one knew that it was a conspiracy by DarkStar.
"If I'm not mistaken, DarkStar's team is already infiltrating Planet Aquamarine."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered as he pondered to himself.