Ruan Xing squinted and focused his eyes on the towering buildings in the distance. The corners of his eyes drooped.

So this was the base.

The battered car slowly rolled forward. As it passed the base's main gate, a loud beep rang out.

Red lights flashed. That meant the pollution value had exceeded the limit.

Many people backed away from the vehicle, their faces filled with suspicion and unease.

Ruan Xing looked over at the little girl. Their eyes met, and she seemed to make a decision. While the teenage boy got out to check the car, she quickly stuffed Ruan Xing into her pocket.

"That's weird. I didn't bring back anything from a polluted zone though?" The boy scratched his head while he and the staff checked around the car.

"Chen Chen, come here." They lined up at the manual inspection lane while staff moved the car to the side for further checks.

The girl took a deep breath and slowly climbed out, lining up behind her brother.

Another worker pulled out a scanner and started sweeping the vehicle thoroughly.

Ruan Xing could sense that the girl was very nervous. She clutched her pocket tightly and even trembled a little.

"Little girl, your turn," said a kind-looking female staff member. She took the scanner and ran it over the girl's body.

It stopped at the pocket. "What's in your pocket?"

Ruan Xing tensed up.

"Candy. My brother brought it back for me."

The girl reached into her pocket, grabbed a handful, and showed it to the worker.

The woman just patted her head. "Alright, pollution value 30%. Welcome back, little one."

"We found it! Under the car," someone inspecting the vehicle called out.

They dragged out a frog with eight legs from under the car, which spoke in human language: "I was framed and turned into a pollutant. I went through countless hardships to return home, only to be captured by corrupt officials! Transfer 50 credits to help me escape and join my revenge plan..."

The vehicle was inspected again, and this time, it passed without problem.

Once safely inside the city, the little girl subtly let out a breath of relief.

The teenage boy clenched his fists. "The folks at the Quarantine Center said the engine has problems. I knew it! Cheap stuff is never reliable. Old John even ripped me off!"

"What did she ask you just now?" the boy asked his sister.

The girl shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go quickly."

Both siblings had low pollution levels, so they did not need to go to the Quarantine Center. After their blood test came back clear, they were free to move around. But with their numbers, they still could not enter the inner city where the requirements were stricter.

The boy drove the car all the way to the edge of the outer city.

The houses were small, many of which were constructed from stacked shipping containers with walls marked by black oil stains. Each house was divided into inner and outer rooms, with the outer parts filled with scattered car parts that stretched down the entire street.

They stopped at the far end of the street. The boy jumped out of the car and shouted, "John! What kind of freaking repair job did you do?!"

From the shed, a bearded man emerged, clutching a car engine in one hand and a cigarette in his mouth. "Watch your mouth, brat. That junk car of yours is ancient. It's already a miracle it runs at all. Seemed to drive just fine to me."

The boy was clearly not satisfied. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from somewhere and tossed it over. "Fix it properly. If it breaks down out there again, I'm dead meat."

"These expired years ago!" John raised the pack in protest.

"Then give 'em back."

John quickly pocketed it. "Come by tonight. I guarantee that it'll be running smoothly for a thousand kilometers."

Grumbling a few more words, the boy finally left with his sister.

They walked a long way, bartered some scavenged goods for daily supplies, and arrived at a small alley. Overhead wires were tangled everywhere, and the houses were stacked like little boxes made from a mix of metal sheets, wooden boards, and other scraps. It was barely livable.

They stepped over puddles of dirty water and arrived at a tiny house in a corner.

This place was even worse than John's. At least he had two rooms, while this one was just a simple tin box.

The outside was covered with plastic sacks. Inside was a bed, a table, and some basic living items. It did not even have a window.

The boy entered and pulled the girl to sit face-to-face on the bed, looking all sneaky.

The girl's eyes lit up. "Did you find something good again?"

"Hehe, look."

The boy reached into thin air and pulled out a large bag of stuff.

Ruan Xing's eyes widened. A spatial-type ability user?

Spatial powers were extremely rare. He almost thought they were just a thing in reports. Supposedly, over twenty years ago, a spatial ability user woman had been active in the base, but she died from illness, and no one had appeared ever since.

He never thought he would see a wild one here.

The boy opened the bag. Inside were several machine scraps, candies, broken biscuits, a speaker with a carrot keychain, a few magic crystals, and several familiar contract papers.

Huh? Ruan Xing poked his head out. He thought everything got blown up when the factory exploded, but some things survived—and this kid had found them.

The boy squatted on the ground. "I can sell these tomorrow. If I give them to John, maybe he will finally fix the car properly. Otherwise, I swear I will beat him!"

Chen Chen smiled gently. "John is a good guy."

The boy snorted but did not disagree.

Ruan Xing secretly sized up the pile of stuff, wondering how he could get his hands on it.

Just then, someone shouted outside.

The siblings' expressions changed. The boy quickly put everything back into the spatial pocket. The room returned to its empty state.

Ruan Xing was a bit disappointed.

"Hey, kid! You found a lot of stuff this time, huh? I saw your car outside the polluted zone."

That voice—Ruan Xing recognized it. It was those two who showed up earlier but held back from stealing, likely due to the lingering effects of the contract. With the rabbit's soul thoroughly annihilated, not much was left in the factory. These scavengers probably thought the boy had taken everything, so now they were here to cause trouble.

The boy shouted back, "Get lost! What good stuff could I possibly have?"

"Your sister is so lucky. She must have found lots of stuff. We followed right behind you and got nothing. Shouldn't you show a little generosity?"

Hearing them mention his sister, the boy cursed under his breath. He looked around, grabbed a big sack, reached into the air, and stuffed a few items inside. Then he opened the door and went out.

Ruan Xing could only hear them talking in hushed voices, likely trying not to let the girl hear.

Through the cracked door, Ruan Xing saw a group of people gathered outside. The neighbors all looked weathered, malnourished, and exhausted—no one stepped forward to help the siblings.

The girl looked worried.

Soon, the sound of an engine roared, indicating that the men left.

The boy came back, his expression grim.

"What did you give them?" Chen Chen asked.

The boy waved a hand. "Nothing important. Just a few trinkets I pulled out. You have to give something, or we won't have peace."

Ruan Xing shook his head. Those greedy hyenas would never be satisfied. Once you give them something, they will always come back for more.

The best method was to show force and beat them into submission.

Chen Chen stayed quiet as the siblings began organizing their loot.

From beginning to end, the girl never showed any special attention to Ruan Xing or mentioned to her brother that there was something strange in her pocket.

That night, when everyone was asleep, Ruan Xing poked his head out of the girl's clothes pocket.

Good. Both are asleep. Time to make a move.

He really wanted the items inside that spatial pocket, but without permission, he couldn't access them.

The security scanner had not gone off earlier, meaning his current pollution level was low. He could try reaching out to someone he knew.

—Bai Xu might be a good option. That kid's brain isn't very smart.

Just as he was about to hop away, gunfire erupted outside.

The siblings woke up in shock.

Ruan Xing cursed under his breath and had to dive back into the pocket.

They got dressed and went outside.

At the city gate, a massive eight-legged frog had gone berserk. It screamed, "How could today not be Thursday?! It is Thursday! You liars!"

It was the frog that had hitched a ride back in their car. No one knew what had triggered it to become like this. It was now attacking indiscriminately.

"Thursday is for going crazy!"

Gunfire and the sound of blades clashing echoed. Many people joined the battle, and gunshots rang out continuously.

Some households did not even bother turning on their lights. Incidents like this happened every few days, so the residents nearby were already used to it.

Still, a few were woken up, and some looked worried as they observed the battle from afar.

The giant frog let out a final screech and then fell silent.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

But before she could exhale completely, the ground beneath them bulged as if something massive was about to burst out.

The boy's face changed. The bulge was too close to them!

The earth surged upward. With a loud crash, a car was flung into the air. The people inside were thrown out in their sleep.

A giant worm burst out from the ground. It had no eyes, just a gaping hole that could have been either its mouth or its rear. It opened wide and ate half of a person in one bite. Blood sprayed everywhere, soaking the ground and splashing all over the nearby people.

"Sandworm! It's a sandworm!"

No one knew how it breached the underground defenses—but it reached the base.

The boy grabbed his sister and jumped onto a rooftop, then leaped again to a nearby building.

Right after they escaped, the car crashed into their old home, crushing it completely. The tin box collapsed like an empty can.

The sudden attack injured many people. After eating one, the sandworm turned toward the siblings, its mouth dripping foul-smelling saliva that hissed as it hit the ground.

The boy's face darkened. "Sh*t!"

He carried his sister and ran, but the creature locked onto them like it had planned this all along.

The white worm's body wriggled toward them. If they got swallowed, it would be over. The boy gritted his teeth and fired his gun. Yellow blood burst from the sandworm, splashing down like a flood over both of them.

His aim was sharp, and his movements were swift. A few well-placed shots hit its weak spots, and the huge creature collapsed beside them, twitching and convulsing.

At that moment, people from the Quarantine Center arrived. Moving in small squads, they quickly formed a formation and suppressed the creature with heavy fire.

A uniformed staff member stepped up and patted the boy's shoulder. "Nice reflexes. Ever think about joining our Quarantine Center?"

Ruan Xing perked up.

Recruitment for the Quarantine Center was different from that of the Investigation Corps.

You can apply every August or September or gain entry through internal recommendations. With a year of work, you could qualify for official employment and enjoy full benefits.

As soon as he said that, the surrounding neighbors looked envious.

Everyone knew it was good to have ties with the authorities—but how many people actually could?

"Forget it. That pollutant came straight for him," someone muttered.

The boy snapped, "Bullsh*t! What are you talking about?!"

The voice was familiar. It was one of the two troublemakers from earlier. Ruan Xing took a good look at him—shoehorn-shaped face, scruffy beard, a sleazy vibe, and an accusatory tone that made people uncomfortable.

Ruan Xing frowned, his round eyes narrowing slightly. The mycelium on his head squeaked furiously.

The little girl, startled, quickly patted her pocket to calm it down.

The boy snapped, "If you have no proof, stop spouting nonsense. All you do is throw around false accusations all day."

The man rolled his eyes. "What do you mean no proof? You guys come back, and suddenly, it's frogs and sandworms all over again. That alone is evidence, is it not?"

A worker from the Quarantine Center frowned. "No causing trouble."

The boy said, "It was just a coincidence. So many people go in and out every day."

Some of the neighbors nearby seemed to think of something. Their looks toward the boy turned a little complicated.

"If you become a reserve, you can get 80% of the benefits. If you manage to join officially, the pay is even better. Want to consider it?"

"Is it higher than the Investigation Corps?" the boy asked.

The staff member's expression stiffened as if not expecting that question. "Well… no, but our job is relatively safer. We stay within the city, whereas they go outside more often. So their pay is a bit higher—"

The boy nodded sincerely. "I'll think about it. Thank you."

The worker left stiffly. His companion tugged at him and whispered, "This kid's got a big ego. Won't settle for anything less than the Investigation Corps."

"He did not join the special recruitment?"

"Who would write him a recommendation letter? Scavengers just follow behind the Investigation Corps, picking up leftovers. He is not close to anyone there. He interacts with us more. All the neighbors here know him. Besides… keep your distance. There's something weird about that kid."

Ruan Xing overheard all of this and turned to look at the boy. His back was unnaturally straight.

The boy walked back toward his sister.

The shoehorn-faced man shouted, "You two better move out soon. Otherwise, the neighbors are all going to suffer because of you."

The boy stayed silent.

"Brother…"

"Let's find John tonight and sleep in the car. I'll find someone to fix the house tomorrow," the boy said in a low voice.

Ruan Xing quietly watched the siblings huddled in the car as the crowd gradually dispersed and the surroundings fell silent again.

He once again slipped quietly out of the pocket.

Squeezing through the opening, the black puffball bounced forward into the darkness, choosing paths that were hard to spot.

He stopped when he heard light footsteps.

Ruan Xing jerked his head around. A girl froze mid-step, startled. "I wasn't trying to follow you!"

The black puffball's eyes narrowed slightly.

They were on a hillside, surrounded by trees. The area was well-hidden.

"Sorry… I just noticed you were gone and got a little worried. You're not from around here, are you?"

Ruan Xing did not realize that only his two eyes were visible now. Every tiny expression was magnified. The girl saw those beautiful gemstone-green eyes glowing in the dark and instantly felt sure of her guess.

Ruan Xing nodded slightly.

The girl grew a bit bolder and leaned on a rock to gaze at him. Her nose was very close to those emerald eyes. Under the moonlight, she saw her own reflection and spaced out for a moment.

"So I really look like this now…"

She gently shook her head.

"It is only for a little while, but… can we be friends? Just for tonight. It has been so long since I talked to anyone else."

Ruan Xing said nothing.

The girl took that as agreement. "Are you from the base?"

Ruan Xing looked at her.

Chen Chen smiled. "I guessed. I'm usually right."

Ruan Xing turned his back to her, staring at the desolate land beyond. The temperature was dropping quickly. The cold wind ruffled his fur, and the mycelium on his head turned back into a blanket and wrapped around him.

The girl said, "Your pet really likes you."

Ruan Xing considered correcting her but decided it was not worth the effort. Forget it.

He boldly observed the scene outside. From a slightly elevated position, he looked at the outer layer of the outer city.

Utter chaos.

Ruan Xing had spent a short time in the outer city before, but he had always stayed in inns. Those conditions were far better than here. This was his first time getting up close to this kind of environment.

After looking around, he realized that the siblings were not even the worst off. At least they had a small home to shelter them from the wind and rain. Some people slept in cars, while others just stretched a tarp out and slept under the sky. Clearly, they had no place to go.

The cars and homes here were covered in woven plastic sacks, stuffed full of who knew what—maybe trash, maybe essentials. It was all bulky and heavy.

Everyone around here was probably a scavenger like the siblings. The brother's spatial ability let him keep their place tidier than most, but even their house had been covered in those sacks. After tonight, many of them had already been torn apart.

"My mom told me not to give people random nicknames. I don't know your name, so I won't call you anything. But I bet your name is beautiful," she said, looking up at the sky. Her sharp chin jutted forward, and the blue veins on her neck stood out clearly. "It must be something like a star." (T/N: The Xing on RX's name means star)

The girl had not spoken to anyone besides her brother in a long time, so now she was talking a lot.

"The two of us had nowhere to go at first, but when we made it to the base, they were willing to take us in. My brother found a car, and we started scavenging. Then we met a doctor… and now, we met you."

"Am I lucky or what?"

Ruan Xing looked at the pale girl, and a strange thought came to mind.

She read his expression. "I'm really good at guessing. Every time I use my ability, I make the best decisions."

[Luck]

Nine times out of ten, your guess will be correct. Trust your intuition when making choices.

"But maybe it is also because of my ability. People think I bring my brother good luck, but everyone else seems to get bad luck. Every time I show up, something bad happens."

Ruan Xing started reflecting again. Come to think of it, he might be the same. Wherever he went, something always happened.

Did his original body have some unknown ability?

The girl stood up, wobbling a bit, and steadied herself against a tree. "Alright, I guess this is goodbye. It was nice meeting a friend from outside. I'm happy you listened to me. I'll head back now. Hmm… feeling a little dizzy."

Before she could say thanks, a pair of rough hands grabbed her. She felt an arm around her waist and another hand clamped over her mouth, dragging her farther and farther from the road.

Chen Chen's eyes widened. "Mmm! Mmm!"

Let me go!

She tried to pry the hand off, but it was useless. The grip was strong and powerful—clearly an adult male.

She was thrown beneath a remote shack.

No one was around.

Under the moonlight, she finally saw who had kidnapped her. "It's you!"

The man's shoehorn-shaped face cast deep shadows under the moonlight. His eyes gleamed with something Chen Chen did not understand.

"Little Chen Chen, I have been thinking about you for a long time. Your brother watches you too closely as if you were some kind of treasure. I had no chance to make a move."

Before she could scream, he clamped her mouth again, pinned her down with his knee, and tied her hands in a few quick motions.

"Just one night. Let me enjoy it. It will be fine."

A wave of intense nausea hit her. Now she understood what this man wanted, causing goosebumps to spread like wildfire up her arms. "Get off me!"

But she was completely restrained. The man's body loomed over her, his hands already moving.

"Don't struggle. Otherwise, it will hurt even more."

Chen Chen kicked as hard as she could. The man's foul breath blew against her neck, making her stomach churn.

Through blurry tears, she thought she saw a hallucination.

The man's head flew off, bouncing like a ball and rolling to the side.

A gush of hot, metallic-smelling liquid splattered across her face.

"Are you alright?" A clear male voice rang out. The one who spoke was not human but a pitch-black blob with deep green eyes that shimmered like gemstones.

Chen Chen clutched her mouth, not daring to sob loudly, afraid it would attract others.

Ruan Xing looked at the cooling corpse in front of him, his gaze growing cold.

The mycelium shook its threads in disgust. It had just sliced off the man's head and felt utterly filthy.

Chen Chen lay on the ground for quite a while before the mycelium cut through the cloth binding her hands. "Can you stand?" Ruan Xing asked.

The girl trembled all over as blood dripped from her hair. When she heard Ruan Xing speaking to her, her eyes widened in shock—the little black ball could talk?

"I-I'm fine…"

After Ruan Xing spoke, Chen Chen suddenly found herself acting much more restrained than before. Maybe it was because she had realized that this little coalball was a sentient being—or because she just realized that this creature was actually male.

Ruan Xing had no idea why and did not bother finding out. Seeing that she was not seriously hurt, he turned back to deal with the body in front of him.

He asked the mycelium, "Can you handle this?"

The tiny bit of mycelium that peeked out looked at the large human corpse. It raised a thread and bent slightly as if in thought.

Ruan Xing made an empty promise without a second thought. "I'll give you lots of magic power."

The mycelium nodded instantly but still did not want to eat literal garbage. So it quickly dug a big hole in the ground and buried the corpse, even patting the dirt down with its tiny threads.

It scraped up the surrounding blood and buried that too.

The whole process of hiding the body was clean and efficient. Chen Chen watched in a daze.

Once it was done, Ruan Xing said, "Let's go. Your brother will worry once he wakes up."

That snapped Chen Chen back to her senses. She moved to pick Ruan Xing up but stopped halfway.

"Let's go. I'll take you home first," Ruan Xing said as he jumped into her pocket himself. The mycelium followed right after, curling up on top of his head.

Chen Chen stumbled as she walked. When she finally found the car, just as expected, the boy was not there. He had probably gone out looking for her.

She stayed calm. She pulled a water bottle from the car, wiped herself down thoroughly to get rid of the blood, changed into clean clothes, and sat quietly inside with the door closed, waiting for her brother to return.

Not long after, the boy came back alone, worry written all over his face. When he saw Chen Chen, he let out a breath of relief. "Where did you go? You scared me to death."

Chen Chen stammered but refused to say. Her brother sighed and said, "Tomorrow, I'm going scavenging in a new place. You stay at the base with the doctor."

Chen Chen grabbed his arm. "But without me guiding you, how will you manage?"

The boy had always been ahead of others, managing to get resources others missed, largely thanks to Chen Chen.

He ruffled his hair in frustration. "Doesn't matter. You have to rest. Your body can't take it anymore."

"I can rest in the car."

"No!" the boy said firmly. "It's too hard running around outside. Just stay here. I will be back soon."

Chen Chen said nothing in the end.

The next morning, their car was suddenly kicked hard, causing the whole vehicle to rock back and forth.

When Ruan Xing crawled out of the pocket, he saw that same shoehorn-shaped face outside the window. He was stunned.

He killed this guy last night, right?

The man's pancake-shaped face was pressed right against the glass, giving off a creepy vibe.

Chen Chen shrank back inside the car.

"Come out, you little brat! Get your ass out here!"

He was always stirring up trouble, so the neighbors had grown accustomed to it by now. Most just glanced and went on with their day.

As soon as he spoke, Ruan Xing realized this was not the same man as last night. The voice was different—this must be his brother.

Sure enough, when the teenage boy came out, the man demanded to know where his brother had gone last night. The boy snorted sarcastically, "Can't find your own brother, so you came to ask me? What, do you want me to be your brother now?"

The man was enraged and raised a hand to strike, but he couldn't win the fight. The boy quickly took him down.

"I don't care what drama you and your brother have. I have work today, so watch yourselves. I may not be able to kill you in the base, but outside, that's another story."

The boy looked fierce. He somehow pulled out a knife and flicked it.

It sliced right past the man's face, leaving a thin line of blood.

That flash of ruthlessness made the man back off in fear as he broke into a cold sweat and quickly apologized.

As the boy walked back, Ruan Xing heard him mutter to himself, "Strange. Those two brothers are always glued together. Why would the older one suddenly disappear?"

Ruan Xing, still in the pocket, kept his face blank and his thoughts to himself.

—

The doctor was the only medical professional in this area, and he was very skilled.

When they lifted the curtain to enter, the doctor smiled warmly at the two siblings. "Good to see that both of you are safe."

He was around fifty, with a kind face full of weathered lines. He looked like someone who had been through a lot.

The boy visibly relaxed. "Yeah. I also got some decent finds. Please check Chen Chen too."

The doctor nodded. "Of course."

He let the girl lie down on the bed and began a physical check.

Ruan Xing squirmed in the pocket, trying to avoid the doctor's touch.

"Her condition is worse than last time," the doctor said seriously. "Her body can't handle long trips anymore. Try to find that special medication as soon as possible."

In this era, medicine was extremely scarce. Other than pollution-suppressing drugs, which were widely distributed thanks to the high towers, all other medications were expensive. And those labeled "special" were astronomically priced and difficult to obtain.

The boy gritted his teeth. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Don't worry. I will take good care of Chen Chen. Come back early," the doctor said, patting his shoulder.

He was one of the few people in the camp who treated the siblings well. The boy bowed deeply. "We really appreciate it."

The doctor waved it off. "Alright, no need to be so formal."

Chen Chen watched her brother leave with eyes full of reluctance.

The doctor told her to rest in a corner room. "Mornings are busy with patients. Your body is weak. Get some good rest. I will take you out for a bite around noon."

Chen Chen nodded obediently. The doctor was very patient and treated every patient like a family member. Being with him made her feel like she was back at her mother's side—warm and safe.

She lay down to rest. When she woke up, it was already night.

Chen Chen sat up suddenly. "Ah! I overslept."

The doctor's figure was busy in the front room. "It's fine. I made something to eat. Just eat what we have."

The meal was simple—shredded potatoes, a bowl of porridge, and a steamed bun. It looked plain, but the smell was mouthwatering and felt very homey. Even Ruan Xing in the pocket could smell it.

After eating, Chen Chen felt sleepy again. She said goodnight to the doctor and lay down on the bed to sleep.

This place seemed safe. Ruan Xing felt he might finally be able to leave.

But something felt off. The girl is sleeping too soundly.

He slipped out of the pocket, and what he saw made his fur stand on end—the doctor had pulled out a shiny scalpel and was walking straight toward the girl.

As the shadow fell across the doctor's face, the friendly, caring look disappeared as if it had never been there.

Author's note:

Every day is a chaotic struggle between my urge to drop spoilers and my duty to stay silent. (Left hand pinning down the right…)