Wang Xiaojuan and Bai Jiacao looked at each other and carefully opened the paper crane.
It was folded decades ago. The paper was very brittle, and the colors on it had faded.
But he could still vaguely see a smiling little star hanging high above the darkness, protecting the carefree little girl down below.
"Ah, this is the paper crane that the nurse gave your grandma when she was young!" Bai Jiacao cried out in surprise. "Young Juan, put it away!"
Wang Xiaojuan thought about it and folded the paper crane carefully. She stuffed it back into the pendant and tied it around Big Tooth's neck again.
"It's better if I put it here. It's such a fragile thing, and I won't have a place to put it in school. Young Cao, can you help me take care of it?" she said with a smile.
Bai Jiacao was a little flustered. She waved her hand and said, "It's too expensive. Can I?"
"If you can't do it, what should I, a crybaby, do?" Wang Xiaojuan lowered her head. "Young Cao, my parents are gone, and so are my grandparents. If you don't help me, I really don't know what to do."
Bai Jiacao thought about it for a long time before she sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, Young Juan, I promise you. We'll protect Grandma's star together!"
Wang Xiaojuan smiled through her tears, as if she had found her pillar of support.
She promised to go to the Meng family for dinner, and she went home to pack up the things her grandma left behind.
Bai Jiacao sat by the flower bed and stared at the devastated area in a daze.
Suddenly, she said to Meng Chao, who had been standing by her side, "Big Brother, I don't want to live in Dragon City No.1 anymore."
Meng Chao was stunned. "What?"
"I said that I don't want to live in that stupid Dragon City No.1 anymore. No matter how big the house is, how good the environment is, how complete the facilities are, and how fragrant the spirit energy is, I don't want to live there anymore. I just want to stay here."
Bai Jiacao hugged Sword-toothed Hunting Dog Big Tooth and said seriously, "Blessed Heavenly Garden is our home. I won't take even half a step back from here!"
Meng Chao fell silent as he looked at the notifications jumping in front of his eyes.
[Special citizen Bai Jiacao (Dark Witch)'s probability of becoming corrupted has been reduced by 5%. Dragon City's future has become more stable. Increased contribution points by 1,112.]
He could not understand it. 'What's going on? I didn't do anything, so why did my sister's probability of becoming corrupted decrease so much? It's even greater than the previous two important changes?'
His mind raced as he connected the memory fragments of his previous life together.
In his previous life, Granny Wang did not die during the monster invasion. Instead, she died during the invasion of the Ghost-eyed Golden Winged Flame Beetles.
The old man and the Sword-toothed Hunting Dog were burned to a crisp by the superbeast's flames. Naturally, they did not have the chance to join the Eternal Journey.
Everything inside the collar had become the dust of history.
No one had seen the little star that a nurse on Earth had drawn on her deathbed a long, long time ago.
Bai Jiacao's heart was entangled by all sorts of negative emotions, and she sank deeper and deeper into the dark abyss. In the end, she walked down the path of evil.
But in this life, many things had changed.
Blessed Heavenly Garden might have been invaded twice in a row, but the residents fought back and obtained a lot of tactical resources and fighting experience. Their own broken-star superhumans appeared, and the entire residential area became stronger.
Although Granny Wang had sacrificed herself, her corpse was mostly intact. She had successfully passed the transformation ritual and become a glorious eternal being. She would continue fighting to protect her home and her most beloved granddaughter.
Bai Jiacao received Granny Wang's request and found a brand new meaning in fighting. Granny Wang's spirit in heaven shone on her, so she should be able to walk down an even brighter path, right?
Meng Chao smiled from the bottom of his heart.
It was not as simple as him obtaining more than one thousand contribution points.
Instead, it was because he finally saw the crystalline butterfly flapping its wings and stirring up an insignificant gust of wind. Due to an indescribable chain reaction, it gradually turned into a storm that was about to sweep through the world.
Night was about to arrive before the storm, but no matter how long the night was, there would come a time when it would shatter, and the most brilliant dawn would arrive.
"Big Brother, I don't want to learn how to sing or dance. I want to train. I want to become stronger. Trust me, I know why I'm fighting. I can control my greatest power." Bai Jiacao touched Big Tooth's head with a determined look.
Meng Chao stared at his sister for a long time before he suddenly extended his hand and stroked the girl's hair. He said gently, "Alright, then we'll start practicing stances for two hours every night. I'll help you become stronger."
Bai Jiacao asked, "Pole-standing again? Help me! "
…
During the last two days, Meng Chao isolated himself at home.
There was not much meaning in him sharpening his spear at the last minute. Right then, what he needed the most was to relax and gather his will so that he could face the national college examination in his best condition.
On the night before the national college examination, he received another piece of good news that delighted him.
[First healing-type quest completed. Elite citizen Ning Shewo's hands have been healed at 93%. His basic functions have been recovered.
[Quest Reward: Increased contribution points by 453. Increased Skillfulness of Basic Harvesting Skill by 50%. Increased from Specialist Level to Master Level.]
The numbness, as if electricity had passed through his body, surged through his entire body.
From his central nervous system to his nerve endings, his nerve clusters and sensory cells continued splitting and multiplying. They were like the roots of a tree that grew at a speed that was hundreds or even thousands of times faster than before.
His fingers were incredibly sensitive. He casually stroked the table and chair, and even the seemingly smooth surface was slightly bumpy.
Next time, when he harvested monsters, his movements would be even more meticulous and precise.
However, what made him the happiest was that not only had Ning Shewo recovered, he had also won against his junior brother, Poisonous Hands Liao Santong.
He saw this news on the largest monster forum in Dragon City.
Ghostly Hands and Poisonous Hands were both rather famous elites in the harvesting circle. When the two of them fought in public, they naturally attracted a lot of attention. Some people even used drones and phones to record the entire process.
The competition between harvesters was not a competition of fists and kicks. Instead, it was a competition of the quantity and quality of the resources they harvested.
Coincidentally, a pair of Double Star Snapping Turtles had appeared during the fog's descent.
These superbeasts were usually twins, and the two snapping turtles were inseparable. Their size, weight, organ distribution, and body structure were the same. Even their brain sizes were about the same. Only when they fought could they share their consciousness and senses.
They had thick shells on their backs, and there were layers of bone plates in their bodies that intersected with each other. Even anti-tank missiles could not pierce through them, so it was incredibly difficult to destroy them.
It was perfect for Ghostly Hands and Poisonous Hands to take one each. They could fight fairly to see who could harvest faster, gather more resources, and get the better quality of the rare materials.
Even though they were superbeasts that weighed thousands of kilograms and were like small tanks, the two masters did not spend a lot of time fighting against each other. The victor was decided in a flash.
Meng Chao watched the two of them swing their multi-purpose mechanical arms. All sorts of large adzes, chisels, axes, and saws turned into terrifying gray fog. They seemed to be swinging their arms madly, but their movements were as precise as scalpels. They used their butts to dismember a cow and removed the deformed bone plates. Meng Chao knew that he still had a long way to go.
Ning Shewo won.
He harvested seventeen seconds faster than his junior brother, and the amount of resources he harvested was 3.5kg heavier than his junior brother's. The most important remote-sensing crystal core in the Double Star Snapping Turtle's brain was used to share its consciousness and senses. It was connected to more than one hundred hair-like nerves, and it was perfectly extracted.
Poisonous Hands Liao Santong might have also taken out the remote-sensing crystal core from the other Double Star Snapping Turtle, but he had broken three nerves, so its quality was still slightly lower. He had to admit defeat with a dark expression.
"Ghostly Hands won against Poisonous Hands!"
"Didn't they say that Elder Ning was poisoned, and no famous doctors could cure him, so he could only retire in dejection? How is he still so good?"
"Which medical team treated him? He recovered so quickly!"
The monster lovers on the forum cried out in surprise.
But what shocked them the most was not Ning Shewo's recovery or victory, but his actions after he won.
Ning Shewo announced in front of hundreds of his friends and onlookers that he would donate half of his wealth to set up the Fire Relayer Foundation. It would specifically nurture the children in the harvester circle who were talented but came from poor families.
Also, he would set up online classes and share everything he had learned for free. No matter who wanted to learn, he would give them careful guidance, including the most advanced Seven Dissection Methods Performed in Reverse.
Once he said that, the crowd burst into an uproar.
The first condition of setting up a foundation was one thing.
Due to the unique tax system in Dragon City, many of the powerful and rich people set up all sorts of foundations to help the middle and lower classes while avoiding taxes reasonably.
But the second condition was for him to teach everything he had learned. What was Ning Shewo trying to do?
Even his junior brother, Poisonous Hands Liao Santong, stared at him dumbfoundedly by the side.
"Junior Brother Liao, we've been fighting against each other for decades. There's no way I wouldn't know what you're thinking."
Meng Chao saw Ning Shewo placing his hands behind his back in one of the videos. He smiled and said, "In truth, in the past, I really enjoyed fighting against you both openly and in secret. We fought against each other until we got the titles of Ghostly Hand and Poisonous Hand, and I was smug about it.
"Now that I think about it, we're the only Earthlings in the Other World. We're surrounded by monsters, so what's the point of fighting against each other?
"It might seem like I'm suffering a loss if I share everything I know for free, but if more people learn my harvesting skills and gather more resources for Dragon City, Dragon City's fighting strength will become stronger, and our descendants will be able to live safer lives and have a brighter future."
As he spoke, Ning Shewo patted the dumbfounded Liao Santong's shoulder.
"Junior Brother, I know that over the past few decades, you've been thinking about the Jade Trial Skill my master taught me, and I was too narrow-minded. I was afraid that you would surpass me, so I didn't want to tell you about it even after decades." Fortunately, I was heavily injured some time ago, and it made me think about many things. I also received guidance from a mysterious senior, and I was basically enlightened. I gained a new life, and I came to a complete realization. Later, we'll find a place, and I'll tell you all the key points of the Jade Trial Skill. "
"What?" Liao Santong took two steps back. His hair and beard trembled. He could not believe it.
The entire monster forum burst into an uproar. "A mysterious senior who gave Elder Ning an epiphany and allowed him to gain a new life? What sort of legendary existence is that?! "
Kindling shone in front of Meng Chao.
[Thanks to the Fire Relayer's guidance, Ning Shewo's understanding has increased, and he has turned from an elite citizen to a pseudo-heroic citizen. The overall resource harvesting efficiency of Dragon City will also increase as he and more people change. Increased contribution points by 999.]
"…"
Meng Chao's heart surged, and he could not calm down even after a long time had passed.
Meng Chao suddenly felt a subtle sense of shame.
He was bound to Kindling, so he could accumulate contribution points, which was why he took the initiative to contribute.
But Principal Sun, Granny Wang, Elder Ning, and the other seniors were not bound to any system. Contributing did not bring them a lot of benefits. In fact, they would have to pay a terrible price for it.
But they were willing to endure hardship and faced death with equanimity.
Compared to them, Meng Chao was nothing. What right did he have to guide them and give them an epiphany and allow them to gain a new life?
"It should be Principal Sun, Granny Wang, and Elder Ning who enlightened me," Meng Chao mumbled.
"So, the citizen units aren't fixed, and heroes aren't born. Any normal citizen can become an elite, and elite citizens also have a chance to become heroes.
"Then, what kind of citizen am I?"
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