Another year passed. Jiang Mo was nine.
Life after the lockdown was even harder than imagined. The Fragmentum corrosion in Rivet Town accelerated. The roars of monsters could be heard from the edge of town every night. Without the Silvermane Guards, monsters began to infiltrate the town frequently, causing casualties. Soon, a mass exodus from Rivet Town to Boulder Town began. The orphanage, on the edge of town, was hit hard.
Eventually, Natasha made the difficult decision to close the Rivet Town orphanage. She led the last group of children and their meager supplies to Boulder Town, where they settled in an abandoned, dilapidated building. It was far from ideal, but it was shelter. Natasha set up a small corner with her medical supplies, and soon, her clinic was open for business in Boulder Town. Her skill and kindness quickly earned her a reputation and the trust of the residents.
Jiang Mo watched from a distance. He wasn't concerned for her well-being, but for the favor she owed him. As long as she was around, that debt remained.
He returned to his shelter, which he had continuously upgraded over the past year. It was now a sturdy, hidden fortress. He looked around his well-stocked home and felt something was missing. An idea popped into his head: Why not invite Seele to live with him?
He even acquired some clean blankets and a soft pillow—absolute luxuries in the Underworld. This wasn't out of charity. He admitted, he was a bit lonely. And Seele was one of the few people his age he could connect with.
Seele's life had gotten tougher. She was quieter, her eyes colder. She was like a little wild animal, fighting for survival. She missed the old order and hated seeing people fight over scraps of food. But what could a child do?
One day, she was caught in a brawl over some scrap metal. One of the scavengers tried to steal the food she had hidden, and she fought back without hesitation. Her agility and ferocity quickly took him down. But her food was exposed. In an instant, the other starving scavengers, and even some normally timid residents, surrounded her, their eyes red with hunger.
"Kid! Give us that!"
Just as things were about to turn ugly, two figures stepped in. "That's enough," a middle-aged man with white hair said. The tall, expressionless man beside him moved swiftly, taking down two of the scavengers who charged forward. The rest of the crowd froze, intimidated.
The white-haired man turned to Seele. "Are you alright, child… Wait, are you Seele?" he asked, surprised.
Seele recognized him. A fuzzy memory surfaced—a tall guard escorting her to the orphanage years ago. It was… Oleg, the captain of the Silvermane Guards? She thought he had returned to the Overworld.
Oleg handed her a crudely printed flyer. "We've formed a group, a group for the Underworld," he announced to the crowd. "We are called Wildfire! We will maintain order, fight the monsters, and make sure the Underworld is no longer the Overworld's trash heap! Join us! Let's burn like a fire in the earth and light up the darkness!"
His words ignited a spark of resistance in Seele's heart. This was the change she had been longing for.
"If you're ever in trouble, come find me at this location," Oleg said to her, pointing to a mark on the flyer.
Just then, Jiang Mo rushed over, having heard she was in trouble. "Seele! Are you okay?"
She smiled slightly. "I'm fine. They helped me…" she said, gesturing to Oleg.
Jiang Mo looked at him. "Uh, you saved her? Thank you so much…"
"No need to thank me," Oleg smiled. "With Wildfire around, things like this won't happen again. I promise."
Hearing the name "Wildfire," Jiang Mo's expression changed. He suppressed his excitement. So, Wildfire is finally starting to emerge…
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