novelburst
Chapter 376: Visiting Chen Zizhen
Chapter 376: Visiting Chen Zizhen
Chapter 376: Visiting Chen Zizhen
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Yao Ran nodded at the little girl and replied, "Yes. Your elder brother is working for me, and I promised to pay him by curing your illness. This is part of his payment."
The girl hesitated before saying, "I will eat it later with my elder brother."
Looking at her obedient look, Yao Ran reached out to stroke her messy hair. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will prepare another portion for your elder brother. You should eat this now so you can recover faster."
The little girl stared at the corn and egg porridge for a moment before nodding obediently. Seeing this, Yao Ran placed the bowl in front of her and handed her a spoon.
While the girl was eating, her elder brother returned with information about where Chen Zizhen lived.
When the boy saw that his younger sister had woken up, he rushed toward her. Touching her forehead to check her temperature, he asked, "Younger Sister, how do you feel? Is your leg still hurting?"
The little girl smiled at her elder brother and replied, "Elder Brother, my legs are not like roots anymore. I'm not a monster."
Hearing this, the boy paused and looked at her legs. In his excitement to see his younger sister awake from her coma, he hadn't noticed the change in her legs. When his eyes finally landed on her legs, they reddened with emotion.
He turned to Yao Ran and sincerely said, "Elder Sister, I owe you a favor. Thank you for saving my younger sister."
Yao Ran calmly replied, "You don't owe me anything except the information about where Chen Zizhen lives."
Hearing this, the boy pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. He then explained, "This is the address. I found out that almost everyone living in Area 2 is connected to him. Elder Sister, be careful when you go there."
Yao Ran put the paper away and nodded. "Thanks."
Before leaving, she took out four meal boxes, two one-liter bottles of lake water, and a five- gallon bottle of diluted lake water.
Glancing at the boy, she said, "Don't share this water with anyone else. Drink it with your younger sister. Otherwise, you might end up with root-like legs, too."
The boy clenched his hands as he watched Yao Ran and Long Yu leave.
After the door closed behind them, he sighed and looked down at his own legs. Staring at his skin, which was already beginning to turn root-like, he hesitated and then looked at the bottles of water on the ground.
Seeing him just staring at the water, the girl urged him, "Elder Brother, quick, drink the water."
The boy nodded, took a bottle of lake water, and drank it. Moments later, he felt a tingling sensation in his legs. Looking down, he was stunned to find that the root-like skins had begun to fall off and returned to their original appearance.
As he regained his composure, he turned to the closed door, his expression a mix of shock and gratitude.
After leaving the boy's home, Yao Ran and Long Yu followed the directions signs. They arrived at Area 2 after getting lost twice on their way.
Looking at the map of Sector F hung on the wall, Yao Ran sighed and muttered, "Sector F really is like a maze."
Long Yu heard her complaint, smiled, and said nothing. After studying the map for a moment, they made their way to Area 2.
When they approached the entrance of Area 2, a few people chatting nearby noticed them. One of them recognized Yao Ran and hurried over.
"Miss Yao, long time no see," he greeted.
Yao Ran recognized him as one of the men who had helped transport supplies from her villa to the slum. Nodding him, she said, "I want to see Chen Zizhen."
The man quickly nodded and gestured for her to follow him. "Sure. I will lead the way for you. Please come with me."
With over 300 living units in Area 2 of Sector F, Chen Zizhen's people occupied more than 100 units, while the rest housed other slum residents. As they made their way to Chen Zizhen's residence, a few groups of survivors cast curious yet wary glances at Yao Ran and Long Yu.
Noticing the tension in the air, Yao Ran asked curiously, "Brother, why are they looking at us so warily? Did something happen?"
The man nodded and whispered, "Something did happen."
After ensuring no one could overhear their conversation, he explained, "When we arrived, another group of survivors arrived at the same time."
"Because we are all from the slum and living space is limited, the base assigned four people per residence. But the leader of the other group is an ability user, and their group has more than ten ability users, so they refused the arrangement."
"The staff said that if each family got their own residence, Area 2 could only accommodate their group, but they didn't care. Fortunately, the soldiers didn't give in and enforced the shared arrangement. Since then, they have resented us for their poor living conditions." "Because of this matter, Brother Zizhen sought help from a black market dealer named Yuan Rihui. I don't know what that black market dealer did, but the other group has been quiet ever since. Despite the order from their leader, their survivors still glare at us with hostility."
After listening to his story, Yao Ran and Long Yu exchanged glances.
It wasn't surprising that Yuan Rihui had intervened, given they had paid him to locate Chen Zizhen and the connection between the three of them. However, Yao Ran was very curious about what he had done to pacify the other group.
Making a mental note to inquire later, Yao Ran followed the man to Chen Zizhen's residence.
"It's here." The man said, knocked on the door, and asked, "Brother Chen, are you home?" The door opened shortly after, and Chen Zizhen was surprised to see Yao Ran and Long Yu there. His fatigued face brightened upon seeing them.