Chapter 161: Chapter 151: A Losing Business

"Sister-in-law, you have to be careful out there on your own."

"Yeah, that’s right! You have to take good care of yourself!"

"If anything happens, contact us right away. We’ll fly over immediately—the helicopter is really fast!"

... ...

From the second-in-command all the way to number twenty-five, every single man gave Tang Mo a heartfelt reminder to take care of herself before boarding the helicopter.

Part of it was because they were truly grateful to and admired Tang Mo. But another reason was that in this apocalyptic world, Tang Mo was practically a miracle worker.

It was inevitable for people to get injured while trying to survive the apocalypse, and medical facilities were limited. That made someone like Tang Mo, who could handle any and all strange ailments, rarer than a giant panda.

It was a good thing Tang Mo was their sister-in-law. If the base ever found out about someone like her, they would do whatever it took to "invite" her back, plying her with the best food and drink to get her to work for them.

Qin Ling’s face darkened as he watched his subordinates fawn over his wife. He landed a kick on each of their asses as they walked by, just to vent his frustration.

"I won’t say more than I have to. Call me anytime if you need anything. I’ll be waiting for you at home."

Before boarding the helicopter, Qin Ling gave Tang Mo a tight hug.

"I know."

Tang Mo pinched Qin Ling’s surprisingly fair and smooth cheek, then waved goodbye.

After seeing Qin Ling off, Tang Mo took a moment to organize her thoughts. She realized she had quite a few things to take care of.

First, there was Lin Yu. Tang Mo wanted to say a proper goodbye. After all, they’d been through a lot together, and she had a feeling they would meet again someday.

Amid the ruins of Sand Town, Lin Yu and Xianxian were picking through the rubble, searching for anything still usable.

Their home was gone, but he and his sister still had to keep living.

Tang Mo felt a wave of relief at the sight. ’As long as they still have the will to live, that’s what matters.’

Human resilience was always far greater than one imagined. No matter what happened, as long as you could stick to a routine, you could endure.

"Did you dig all this out of the rubble?"

Tang Mo drew closer, her eyes falling on the small pile of food at Lin Yu’s feet.

"Yeah. It’s mostly food, but there are a few items of clothing for Xianxian and me, plus some Crystal Cores. It should be enough to last us for a little while."

By now, Lin Yu’s feelings toward Tang Mo went far beyond simple mutual assistance; he was grateful to her as if she were his savior.

If Tang Mo hadn’t helped, he would have lost his last remaining family member.

Tang Mo glanced at the Crystal Cores on the ground. A few Basic Level and Intermediate Crystal Cores were scattered about. There weren’t many High-level Crystal Cores—only about ten of them.

Ten of them. Tang Mo was suddenly reminded of a legend from her past life.

"What are your plans now?"

"I’ll take Xianxian to a nearby base. Then I’ll do missions to earn Crystal Cores and food. I’m able-bodied; I’ll find a way to support my sister."

Lin Yu was clearly much calmer than before. It seemed he had already managed to collect himself.

Tang Mo was impressed he could pull himself together so quickly after losing his home and family. ’A kid like that is bound to go far.’

"What about him?"

Tang Mo gestured toward Lin Shourong, who was still kneeling amidst the ruins, lost in a grief from which he couldn’t break free.

"I tried talking to him, but the mayor said he can’t leave. He said protecting this place is his mission... his destiny."

Of course, Lin Yu wanted to leave with Lin Shourong, but Lin Shourong was utterly incapable of moving past his grief. It seemed he intended to share Sand Town’s fate.

But Lin Yu still had Xianxian to think about. He couldn’t just stay here and wait to die. He had to keep living, for his sister’s sake.

Hearing this, Tang Mo nodded.

’This kid has been controlled and emotionally blackmailed by Lin Shourong for so many years. It’s a rare blessing that he can finally spread his own wings.’

’And Lin Shourong... it’s about time he atoned for the children who died here in the B City desert.’

"Strength is pretty important if you’re going to do missions at a base, right? So... want to buy this flower?"

Tang Mo retrieved the Desert Flower from her Space. She’d known Lin Yu for some time now. While they never spoke of it, no one was a fool; it was an open secret that Tang Mo had a Space. There was no need to hide it anymore.

"The Desert Flower?" Lin Yu’s expression shifted. It was an item every Spirit Attribute superpower user dreamed of possessing.

"Aren’t you a Spirit Attribute? You’re not going to use it?"

"I don’t need it. I don’t like using these kinds of shortcuts."

Tang Mo was telling the truth. She really didn’t like things that offered a quick boost in power. If she did, her own Spirit Flower—far more precious than this Desert Flower—wouldn’t have been sitting idle in her Space for so long.

Besides, she had just acquired so many Crystal Stones. She’d already made the comparison; even though her Spiritual Flower was an Innate Treasure with fewer impurities than Crystal Cores or other abnormal treasures, it was still a far cry from her High-level Blood Red Crystal Stones. At best, it was comparable to an Intermediate Light Blue Crystal Stone.

So, keeping this Desert Flower served no real purpose for her. She wasn’t short on money, food, or Crystal Stones. Rather than letting it gather dust in her Space or selling it to a stranger, she might as well do Lin Yu a favor.

She didn’t care what kind of person Lin Yu might become in the future. What she could see was his fundamental nature: he was a good person.

After her experience with Qin Ling’s squad, Tang Mo’s perspective had shifted. Making a few friends on her journey might not be such a bad thing after all.

"I... As you can see, this is everything I own. I can’t afford it."

Lin Yu’s gaze fell on the small pile of Crystal Cores on the ground.

Of course he wanted it, but he knew the value of the Desert Flower all too well. He simply couldn’t afford it.

"Aren’t there ten High-level Crystal Cores right here? They’re mine now."

Tang Mo picked up the High-level Crystal Cores one by one, then unceremoniously stuffed the Desert Flower into Lin Yu’s hands.

"Here, take this too."

She then produced a pre-packed bag of food and water from her Space and handed it to Lin Yu.

It contained bottled water, milk, bread, instant noodles, and cookies, plus a bag of milk powder for Xianxian.

"I..."

When Lin Yu saw the contents, the bag suddenly felt scorching hot in his hands. He stood there for a moment, torn between accepting it and pushing it away.

His rational mind told him the items were too valuable to accept.

But the sight of Xianxian, diligently helping him turn over rocks to search for supplies, made it impossible to refuse.

They desperately needed all of this.

"Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not a gift, it’s a loan. You’ll have to pay me back next time we meet."

’Tang Mo wasn’t one to give charity freely. When the time came, she planned to charge him some hefty interest.’

"Okay! It’s a deal!"

Lin Yu’s eyes grew moist. He tilted his head back, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall.

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