Shen Feng looked at Luo Hui, who had a helpless expression. This child seemed to be only about ten years old, yet he had to live in the mountains. Moreover, the mountains were now inhabited by mutated beasts and birds. Even if he was safe now, it didn't mean he would be in the future. If he continued to live here, he would surely die in the mountains.
Besides, the brother Luo Hui was waiting for was likely already dead in the mountains, and his waiting was just a pointless waste of time.
Chu Chaoyan, being a woman, was more compassionate and couldn't bear to see others suffer. She couldn't just watch a child continue to stay in the mountains. A child of this age should be in school. How could a child bear so much of the dangers of the outside world by staying in the mountains?
With this thought, Chu Chaoyan said to Luo Hui, "There's going to be a war in the mountains. If you come with us, you'll be killed if you stay here. The sky is full of mutated birds now, and you won't survive. Come with us."
However, Luo Hui still refused to leave. He was determined to stay in this dilapidated mud house, unwilling to leave no matter what happened. To him, although it was simple and the environment was harsh, it was his home. Before his brother left, he had said, "Wait for me to come back, and never go out!"
Therefore, Luo Hui insisted on not leaving.
"I'm not leaving. I'm going to wait for my brother to come back here. You are all bad people. If you take me away, you want to sell me. I heard from my brother that many people abduct children now, and you are those kinds of bad people." Luo Hui not only refused to leave but also began to accuse Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan.
Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan exchanged glances, both looking helpless. They never expected their good intentions to be misunderstood. Where could they reason this out?
Shen Feng thought for a moment and changed his approach to persuade him. "You won't be able to survive if you stay here. When the potatoes in your house are finished, you'll starve. When winter comes, you won't have firewood to burn or food to eat, and you'll definitely freeze to death or starve. Think about it, if you're already dead, how can you see your brother again?"
Actually, Shen Feng could have directly said "your brother is already dead," but considering the child's tolerance, Shen Feng still didn't state the fact directly. Doing so to a child would be too cruel. In the end, Shen Feng chose to persuade him indirectly.
Luo Hui considered this issue and immediately hesitated. He looked at the potatoes in his house and knew that they would be eaten sooner or later. By then, if his brother hadn't returned, what would he do?
For a child in his teens, the question of where to go was too advanced. How could a child know what to do? Their worldview had not yet formed, and they were easily influenced by what others said. Now, facing a dilemma, Luo Hui fell into confusion.
"But if I leave, my brother won't be able to find me," Luo Hui lowered his head. He knew he shouldn't stay here any longer, but emotionally, he still didn't want to leave.
Shen Feng thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll leave a letter for your brother here. When your brother comes back and sees this letter, he'll know where to find you. Okay? If you can read, you can also leave a message yourself."
Luo Hui's heart was immediately moved when he heard Shen Feng say this. He had finally found a perfect solution that would neither make his brother unable to find him nor let him starve to death in the valley.
"I can read. I'll write a letter to my brother," Luo Hui quickly said.
Shen Feng handed Luo Hui paper and a pen. Luo Hui immediately began to write. His handwriting was crooked, and it read: "Brother, I've gone with the aunt and uncle. Come find me when you get back."
At the end of this letter, Shen Feng left his address: "Yuzhou, Fengshen Palace."
Now, the matter was clear. The person who had set the animal traps was likely already dead. Otherwise, the animal traps in the mountains wouldn't have rusted. Rusted animal traps would have a smell, and animals with keen senses of smell like wild boars and wild dogs would not approach them at all.
Shen Feng had also found a lonely child in the mountains and planned to take him back to Yuzhou. He would either send him to an orphanage or find a kind person to adopt him.
Luo Hui carefully pressed the letter with a stone and then followed Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan out.
Shen Feng took out his walkie-talkie and said, "This is Shen Feng. Please respond if you receive this. Tell Chang Haojie to pick me up. Fly higher so as not to be seen by mutated birds."
Before long, Chang Haojie and Lu Kaiyang arrived. Chang Haojie had originally planned to come alone, but Lu Kaiyang insisted on escorting him. Otherwise, if something happened to the young master, it would be difficult to explain.
Shen Feng couldn't help but compare Chang Haojie and Luo Hui. Although Chang Haojie was a few years older than Luo Hui, they could still be considered peers. However, Chang Haojie was dressed luxuriously and exuded an innate arrogance, while Luo Hui was dirty all over, and even his face was smudged with dirt. Standing next to Chang Haojie, he looked like a little beggar.
Luo Hui was astonished when he saw someone descending from the sky on a cloud. Looking at the figures of the two descending from the sky, he asked in disbelief, "Are you gods?"
Chang Haojie looked at the little beggar in surprise, completely unexpected that his brother-in-law would have such a down-and-out child with him. But he then replied, "I'm not a god, I'm an ability user. Get up, let's go!"
Shen Feng took Luo Hui's hand and walked onto the cloud. The others also walked up. Chang Haojie used his ability, and the cloud carried the group away quickly, heading towards the command center.
When Shen Feng and his group returned to the command post, he asked someone to find a way to clean Luo Hui. Luo Hui used half a bar of soap and finally washed away the dirt. Then, Chang Haojie gave him a set of his unworn clothes. Luo Hui didn't mind and put on the clean clothes, looking completely refreshed, no longer like a mud monkey.
Shen Feng was satisfied with Luo Hui's current appearance and said, "I'll send you to a place where you can study with peace of mind. If you perform well, I can even let you become an ability user, that is, someone who can fly. Do you understand?"
Luo Hui nodded as if he understood and was soon sent away.
At this time, Lu Kaiyang came to report, "City Lord, I've inquired. Three years ago, when the zombies appeared, many families hid in the deep mountains to seek refuge. But later, the mountains changed, and the number of mutated beasts became too large, requiring constant vigilance against attacks. Mutated birds also appeared at this time. Some survivors managed to escape the mountains alive, saying that most people in the mountains had already died."
Shen Feng shook his head helplessly and sighed, "So, Luo Hui is likely the only survivor in the Dabashan Mountains. It's really not easy for a ten-year-old child to survive in the mountains."
Shen Feng couldn't imagine how such a young child could survive in the mountains. Relying solely on planting potatoes and peanuts was clearly not sustainable for long. He also didn't know how to hunt, so he couldn't get meat supplements. Over time, he would inevitably suffer from malnutrition and more likely starve to death.
Chu Chaoyan also took out her notebook at this time to record her observations of the day, her mood quite complex. She knew that there were many children like Luo Hui in the world, struggling to survive. Yuzhou had orphanages, but what about other places? How would those children live?
Just as Shen Feng was waiting for the night's battle to begin, a soldier suddenly came to report, "Reporting to the City Lord, your relatives are here."
Shen Feng was puzzled, "My relatives? Who is it?"
Chu Chaoyan volunteered, "I'll go and see. Let's see which relatives they are."
Chu Chaoyan immediately went out to check. When she arrived outside the camp, she saw a beautiful woman standing there, graceful and elegant. Her appearance immediately attracted the attention of many sentry soldiers. Beautiful women always attracted people's gazes, and men's preferences had never changed: beautiful women.
Chu Chaoyan looked carefully and immediately recognized her, walking forward excitedly and saying, "Sister, why are you here?"
The person who appeared outside the military camp was none other than Shen Feng's sister, Shen Yu. She was in her twenties and in her prime. After drinking the ability-enhancing potion given by Shen Feng, she had become an ability user as expected and was now an important figure in Rongcheng, with influence in the logistics department.
As they spoke, Chu Chaoyan rushed forward and hugged her affectionately. She was quite familiar with Shen Yu, otherwise, her actions wouldn't have been so intimate.
While hugging Shen Yu, Chu Chaoyan said, "Sister, why are you here? Why didn't you notify us before you came? Afeng is in the military tent right now. I'll take you to see him."
Shen Yu was also very excited to see Chu Chaoyan. She quickly said, "I originally planned to go to Yuzhou, but after contacting Zhang Xixi, she said that Shen Feng and you were in Dabashan, so I came to Dabashan halfway. I didn't know how long it would take to arrive, so I didn't notify you."
"Alright, since we're relatives, why bother with notifications? Come with me. I'll treat you to a whole bird feast later. We have so many mutated birds that we can't finish them all. Many have been dried and made into jerky." Chu Chaoyan walked away, holding Shen Yu's arm. With Chu Chaoyan leading the way, no one dared to stop them, and they could only watch from the side.
Shen Yu, however, appeared dispirited, not looking very happy. Chu Chaoyan noticed this but didn't pry, preparing to take her to Shen Feng immediately.
After Chu Chaoyan led Shen Yu away from the entrance of the military camp, many soldiers began to discuss, "Did you hear what Mrs. Chu called her? That seems to be the City Lord's sister. Wow, she's really beautiful. Whoever can marry her would be truly blessed!"
"More than blessed, it would be like their ancestral graves smoking with good fortune. Marrying the City Lord's sister would surely lead to future prosperity."
"Did you see it? The City Lord's sister has very fair skin. She looks like someone who has been pampered and is a lady from a good family. You should look at yourselves in a puddle of urine and see if you're worthy of her."
"Tch, is it wrong for me to fantasize? Can you control my speech, or can you control my thoughts?"
The sentry soldiers began to discuss. Because Shen Yu lived a secluded life, many people had never seen Shen Feng's sister. Moreover, Shen Yu had always lived in Rongcheng, so others had no opportunity to see her. Many of them were seeing Shen Yu for the first time.
After Shen Feng returned to his tent, he continued to read comics. As the City Lord, it was very easy for him to slack off, and no one dared to criticize him.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan entered the tent with Shen Yu and said with a smile, "Afeng, guess who's here!"
"Sister, why are you here?" Shen Feng put down his comic and looked at his sister's appearance there in surprise.
At this moment, Shen Feng had a bad premonition. Normally, his parents and sister would not leave Rongcheng, and even their actions were monitored, making communication difficult. Yet, now, his sister had appeared here. Could it be that something had happened to his parents in Rongcheng?
With this thought, Shen Feng quickly asked, "Did something unexpected happen in Rongcheng? Tell me quickly!"