Ellie didn't care about that kind of nonsense.
Ignoring everyone's expression, she stepped forward and pushed Zyler's wheelchair herself.
Following the map on her bracelet, she headed toward Zyler's house.
At the same time, she looked around at the wasteland world.
Fengtu Base was really big, divided into the inner and outer cities, with around a hundred thousand people living there.
It wasn't as advanced as she thought. Instead, it reminded her of her grandparents' countryside home from the 70s or 80s.
But the five-meter-tall metal walls, the flashing bracelets, the gray-yellow sky, and the busy robots kept reminding her that this was a post-apocalyptic world.
The farther they walked, the more desolate it became.
The ground changed from smooth concrete to uneven dirt, with yellow dust flying around.
The buildings turned from fine apartments into short, stone houses.
They were almost at the edge of the outer city when Ellie couldn't help but ask, "You... where exactly is our house?"
Zyler's ears turned slightly red.
His deep and clear voice was a bit muffled, "Just ahead."
Then Ellie saw something she would never forget.
Even years later, when she thought back, she could only describe how she felt with one sentence: her heart was like a dog's!
Right next to the metal city wall, there was a row of small, broken stone houses.
Each house was made entirely of piled stones, with only one door and one window.
Ellie: ...
To be honest, even the pigsty she had back home was better than this.
She didn't know what it was like living with a rough guy, but it was her first time living in a rough stone house.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door.
Zyler, still in his wheelchair, lifted his hand to stop her, but after hesitating, he let it drop.
This was his reality. He couldn't hide it.
A little regret suddenly rose in his heart.
What if Ellie disliked him?
Ellie stood at the doorway.
Looking inside, she guessed the space was no more than 30 square meters.
Right across from the door was a stone single bed. There was no mattress, just a metal plate with a thin, washed-out blanket spread on it.
Two pieces of folded clothing were neatly placed at the head of the bed. On top was a pair of gray boxer shorts and a pair of socks.
It looked like Zyler only owned those two sets of clothes.
The only other furniture was a stone table, with a stainless steel bowl placed right in the center.
Next to it were a few empty metal bottles, each about the size of a yogurt drink bottle.
Ellie picked one up and saw a stamped label that read [Nutrient Solution].
Under the table was a metal washbasin. A torn yellow towel, almost like cotton fluff, was draped over the edge.
There were no chairs.
Well, since Zyler couldn't leave his wheelchair, having chairs would be pointless anyway.
You could count the furniture with one hand.
Simple and poor… but clean.
Ellie turned around and saw Zyler looking a little embarrassed.
She grinned, showing her clean white teeth.
"Not bad. No stinky socks. Very clean."
Uh…
Zyler secretly let out a sigh of relief.
For a moment, he really thought Ellie might cry and run off.
Even though they'd only known each other for less than an hour, he already liked this cheerful girl.
Like a ray of sunshine, shining into the dark corner of the base.
Seeing Zyler relax a bit, Ellie felt at ease.
This handsome husband of hers was a little sensitive.
But she could tell he was clean, disciplined, and had some conscience.
If she had to choose a man to live with, compared to Zach, she would rather pick Zyler.
And it turned out her choice wasn't wrong.
She pushed Zyler into the room.
Suddenly, a loud rough voice shouted at the door.
"Zyler! Did you forget to get today's nutrient pack again? Are you trying to starve us?"
A short, fat man and a chubby old woman stormed in.
When they saw Ellie standing behind Zyler, they both froze.
The short man's eyes widened. "Brother, did you really get a wife assigned to you?"
Then his face lit up with excitement. "Does this mean you can get two nutrient packs now? Mom, can I finally eat enough today?"
The old woman, who was called Mom, didn't look happy at all.
She squinted at Ellie, scanning her up and down.
Then she suddenly stepped forward and punched Zyler on the shoulder with her fat fist. "You useless thing! People said you were given a strong wife, but you didn't want her. You just had to change for another useless one. I don't believe it."
"She's that useless Ellie, right?"
"Now you've got another useless person. What's the point? Just wasting nutrient packs. Why should I support you?"
As she spoke, she raised her fist again to punch him.
Zyler turned his head and closed his eyes, ready for the pain.
But instead of pain, he heard a cold laugh above him.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Ellie holding the old woman's wrist.
She had a polite smile on her face. "Sorry, it was me who wanted to change partners."
The old woman pulled her arm back with disgust and still punched Zyler. "You useless thing! You can't even take care of your younger brother, and now you brought back a burden!"
Ellie watched coldly.
She finally understood. The old woman simply hated Zyler, and now hated her too. She clearly favored the younger son.
Even though she didn't know why Zyler never fought back, she didn't care—she would protect him anyway.
She grabbed a stainless steel bowl from the table and smashed it onto the younger man's head.
Bang!
Then again.
Bang!
"Ow!"
The younger man held his head and squatted on the floor. His head was ringing, and blood started to drip from his forehead.
The old woman panicked and quickly stopped hitting Zyler. She jumped in front of her younger son to protect him. "You crazy woman! What are you doing?"
Zyler was also shocked. He quietly rolled his wheelchair closer to Ellie.
Ellie looked at them and said, "Just by looking at your bodies, I can tell you're not missing meals—even with just nutrient packs."
"Looks like you've been eating Zyler's shares."
"What right do you have to call anyone useless?"
She held the bowl and crouched in front of them. "And you're biased too."
Then she smiled coldly, saying each word clearly, "From now on, not even one nutrient pack of Zyler's will go to you."
"Why not!" the old woman started to yell, but Ellie shook the bowl in her hand.
"And if you dare touch Zyler again, I'll hit your precious little son ten times harder."
"If he's alive, I'll beat him. If he dies, I'll whip his corpse."
The old woman and her son stared at her like she was a monster.
Wasn't Ellie supposed to be useless?
The younger man looked at the blood on his hand and nearly fainted.
He weakly called out, "Mom…"
The old woman pulled him up and shouted stubbornly, "Just you wait! Both of you..."
But the words "useless things" got stuck in her throat when Ellie gave her a cold glare.
After they left, Ellie gently put the bowl back on the table.
"I said we won't give them nutrient packs anymore. Do you agree?"
Zyler's dull expression finally softened.
"Yeah, okay."
Ellie sat on the bed. "Do they hit you often? Why don't you fight back? With your size, you should be able to handle that brother of yours easily."