Bai Ling sat on a long bench, watching the fox emblem on the back of his left hand blur little by little.
It had once been crisp and lively. Now it looked like a fading ink wash—its outline dissolving into the fine texture of his skin.
Ivon noticed his silence and followed his gaze.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Bai Ling pulled his hand back, picked up the unopened soda bottle from the bench, twisted the cap, and took a sip. "Someone left for a while."
Ivon tilted her head slightly. The pink of her horns caught the sunlight with a soft sheen. She didn't press for details—only sat quietly beside him, her tail swaying absentmindedly now and then, occasionally brushing the back of the bench behind Bai Ling.
In the distance, Tata still wore its "-v-" expression, yet its lens subtly adjusted angle, storing the two of them—side by side—into its memory module.
"Bai Ling."
"Mm?"
"The two answers you asked for… I've figured them out."
Bai Ling turned to look at her. In the sun, Ivon's cheeks were faintly pink, but she didn't avoid his eyes.
"The true one is… I want to draw graffiti because so much has happened here lately—anchor points, corrosion, ground-renders, and you… I want to record all of it."
She hugged her knees slightly, speaking faster as if afraid she'd lose her nerve.
"Photos are too quick. You don't have time to feel anything. But if I draw, I can think slowly, draw slowly, and put all the important things in the picture."
Bai Ling didn't interrupt. He simply listened.
"And the made-up story…" Ivon hesitated, her voice dropping a notch. "I haven't finished making it up yet. When I do, I'll tell you."
Bai Ling looked at her and suddenly smiled.
It was light and faint—barely there—but it made Ivon's heartbeat stutter anyway.
"Alright," he said. "I'll wait."
Since they were here to work, they couldn't stay sitting like this forever. It was time to get moving.
Ivon brought Tata back into the research institute, then followed Bai Ling down to the outpost.
The resettlement site was bigger than Bai Ling expected.
The secondary integrated core glowed steadily, providing power and supplies that could be routed quickly through the network.
Rows of simple prefab rooms stood in neat lines. In the open space between them, clothes and quilts hung out to dry. Children chased one another across the packed ground, their laughter bright and sharp. Adults sat or stood in clusters—some repairing tools, some sorting provisions, trading a few quiet words now and then, their tone calm.
Ivon stood beside him and pointed out the layout.
"That's the housing area. Over there is the supply warehouse. And farther that way is the temporary clinic. We've got a bit over a hundred people right now—mostly transferred from the ore-vein source zone."
Her voice softened at the end.
"And… there are still missing persons we haven't found. We're still trying."
"Do you have enough manpower?" Bai Ling asked.
"Barely." Ivon thought for a moment. "The guild keeps trying, but this place mostly runs on self-management. The refugees elected a few representatives—major issues get discussed and decided collectively."
Bai Ling nodded, his eyes sweeping over the people moving through the site.
A middle-aged woman crouched by a doorway washing clothes, a metal basin full of water at her feet. Her motions were slow but orderly. A few young men carried building materials past her—sweat sliding down their cheeks, yet smiles still on their faces. The atmosphere reminded him of the reconstruction command post at the Energy Highlands.
Anyone who dared to rebuild a home on top of ruins deserved respect.
"Mr. Bai Ling?"
A hesitant voice came from the side. Bai Ling turned and saw a young woman holding a stack of clean bedsheets. Her expression was a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
He recognized her—the Feline girl he'd seen at the ore-vein camp before.
"Alya?"
"It really is you!" Her eyes lit up as she hurried over. "Why are you here?"
"To help." Bai Ling glanced toward the site. "How's the camp at the ore-vein source zone?"
"It's… okay, more or less. The quarantine line helps." Alya lowered her head, her voice turning quiet. "But some people can't stand how harsh it is, so they came here."
"As long as people are alive, that's what matters," Bai Ling said.
"I'll get back to work then. There's a lot to do." She bowed her head slightly.
"Go ahead."
Alya had barely left when another voice called from the opposite side.
"Hello. You're the special personnel Endfield assigned here, right?"
Bai Ling turned. A middle-aged man stood a short distance away with a roster in hand—someone Bai Ling didn't recognize.
"And you are…?"
"I'm the guild's temporary lead here. Norman." The man walked over briskly. "I saw the note on the noticeboard—said reinforcements were coming. Didn't expect to meet you this quickly."
Bai Ling nodded.
"How are things?"
Norman let out a breath.
"Not bad, but the problems are real. Food will hold for a while. Medical supplies are tight—especially inhibitors."
He paused, and his tone turned heavier.
"There are a few kids… a few infected children. They need regular doses."
"Let me see the list."
Norman immediately pulled a sheet from his file and handed it over.
Names. Ages. Places of origin. Health status.
Many were from the ore-vein source zone, with a small number from the Energy Highlands and the Hub.
In the "Infected" column, more than a dozen entries.
Five were children.
The youngest—five years old.
Bai Ling's gaze lingered on that name.
"This child…"
"Amu," Norman said softly. "Her parents… didn't make it. She's with her grandmother now. The old lady's not well either."
Bai Ling didn't respond. He kept turning pages.
Near the end, his fingers stopped.
On several entries, the "Place of Origin" field read: Valley Fortress.
"People from Valley Fortress were transferred here too?" Bai Ling asked.
By all rights, that place should've been improving. Why were people relocating?
Norman blinked, leaned in to check, then nodded.
"Oh, those. They arrived a few days ago. Valley Fortress is rebuilding too, but there are too many people and too few supplies, so some families got redistributed to other resettlement points. The guild coordinated the move—proper paperwork, safe arrival."
Bai Ling nodded, eyes skimming those names. Then he closed the roster and handed it back.
Thankfully…
Aji wasn't on the list.
"The priorities are inhibitors and food," Bai Ling said. "I'll handle arrangements for those. Everything else goes through the normal process."
Norman's face brightened instantly.
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Bai Ling!"
"No need." Bai Ling's tone stayed even. "It's my job."
He spent the entire morning walking the site.
Warehouse, clinic, temporary canteen—he checked everything, sometimes chatting with refugees, sometimes jotting notes onto a clipboard.
Ivon stayed close beside him, tail gently swaying, filling in details as they went.
At the clinic entrance, a young woman in a white coat stepped out.
"Mr. Bai Ling?" She paused, then smiled quickly. "You're here?"
Bai Ling recognized her too—the physician he'd met at the ore-vein camp, trained under Dr. Yue.
"Doctor Lin."
"You remember me?" Doctor Lin looked surprised, then immediately sobered. "Are you here to inspect, or…?"
"To assess the situation." Bai Ling went straight to it. "Do you have enough inhibitors right now?"
Doctor Lin's smile faded.
"No. Especially the pediatric ones. We have fewer than ten doses left. At our current rate, we've got one week."
"I understand." Bai Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'll contact the Dijiang. Supplies will arrive tomorrow."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. It's what I should do."
After recording most of the site's issues and briefly handing off to Norman, Bai Ling returned to the Originium Research Institute.
In Ivon's room, Tata lay curled on its charging dock, its screen switching between "-v-" and "^_^" in idle cycles.
As soon as Ivon got back, she sat at her desk, pen in hand, and began to draw.
Bai Ling walked over and glanced down.
It was today's graffiti.
In the picture, he was shown from behind, writing on the outpost noticeboard—refugees' silhouettes scattered around him.
"Looks good," Bai Ling said.
Ivon's cheeks reddened. She tried to sound casual anyway.
"I-I'm not done yet…"
Bai Ling didn't say more. He simply pulled a chair beside her and watched her draw in silence.
The pen scratched softly across paper. In a room so quiet you could hear breathing, the sound was unusually clear.
After a long time, Ivon spoke without looking up.
"Bai Ling."
"Mm?"
"You seem like you've got something on your mind today."
"I do," Bai Ling admitted. "A little. But I'll be fine soon."
Ivon put the pen down and turned to study him, trying to read his eyes.
"When you looked at the roster, you stared at one page for a long time."
"People from Valley Fortress were transferred." Bai Ling didn't hide it. "I was worried. That place should be one of the most stable by now. There shouldn't be relocations."
"If you're worried…" Ivon's voice softened. "Then go look. I'll be here."
Bai Ling didn't answer immediately—he just looked at her, a small smile resting at the corner of his mouth.
That gentle, steady gaze made heat crawl up Ivon's neck.
"D-Don't… look at me like that…"
"Want a hug?"
The room went very still. Even the scratch of the pen stopped.
After a pause, a tiny answer came.
"…Yeah."
Bai Ling didn't go to the outpost first.
He went to the hub and found Qin Zhuchi, requesting the latest status report on Valley Fortress's temporary shelter.
Qin Zhuchi looked surprised, but asked nothing. She pulled the report up for him right away.
Bai Ling read through it page by page.
Over 300 people were currently housed there. Supplies were broadly sufficient, but manpower was stretched thin.
The clinic treated dozens of patients daily—mostly minor injuries and colds, though a few severe cases required transfer.
On paper, nothing looked critical.
Still… he'd rather see it with his own eyes.
That afternoon, Bai Ling brought supplies and went to Valley Fortress.
Compared to last time, the shelter had been upgraded across the board.
It no longer resembled the ruin it had been when he came with Talulah.
Some of the old sheet-metal rooms had even been replaced with two-story structures fitted with insulation panels—stable, almost orderly.
Refugees recognized him. When he passed, they smiled—quiet approval, the kind that didn't need words.
Bai Ling didn't detour. He went straight to where he remembered the person in charge would be.
At the designated spot, two people were already mid-conversation. One of them—wearing an eyepatch over half his face—noticed Bai Ling immediately and turned.
"…Mr. Bai Ling?"
"Yeah."
"The shelter is stable," the man said, direct and businesslike. "What brings you here?"
"Why were refugees from here transferred to the Originium Research Institute outpost?" Bai Ling asked, cutting straight to it.
The man hesitated, then answered honestly.
"…Those people lived here, but their relatives were at the institute. They were presumed missing—then found. So they went to reunite."
"I see." Bai Ling nodded. "I heard resources are tight, so I brought some supplies. Take them."
"Timely help," the man said, voice sincere. "Thank you, Mr. Bai Ling."
After confirming conditions, Bai Ling prepared to leave.
As he stepped away, he felt it again—eyes watching him from somewhere behind.
Bai Ling exhaled with a small smile, didn't turn around, and left the shelter.
Behind him, several children stood together and watched him go.
Among them—Aji, the child who had survived because of him.
At dusk, Bai Ling returned to the Originium Research Institute, worn out.
He'd been running all day.
When he looked up, Ivon was standing not far away, holding two bottles of soda.
"Done?" she asked.
"Mm."
Ivon walked over and handed him one.
"Want a drink?"
Bai Ling took it, twisted the cap, and drank.
They stood shoulder to shoulder on the high ground, looking down at the outpost at the foot of the mountain.
The sunset painted everything gold—hopeful, warm, almost unreal.
Ivon spoke softly.
"Bai Ling."
"Mm?"
"You look like someone who's never done this kind of work before… but you handle everything so well."
"If there's work to do," Bai Ling said, "and I'm able to do it, why wouldn't I?"
Ivon didn't look at him. She stared into the distance, but her tail lifted slightly, betraying her mood.
Bai Ling didn't speak, just drank his soda.
After a while, Ivon's voice turned small—carefully casual.
"…Are you staying here tonight?"
Ivon's tail swept the alarm clock off the bedside with a slap.
At the exact same time, her stomach let out a loud gurgle.
She turned her head.
The couch was empty. Only a rumpled blanket remained.
Even a genius beauty scientist like Ivon faced an unsolved century problem—
Like sleeping in and missing breakfast.
But today was different.
Just as she tried to close her eyes again, the elevator hissed.
Footsteps followed—not too heavy, not too light.
And the soft rustle of a cloth bag.
"…Still asleep?"
Ivon sat up slowly, smiling, not even bothering to fix her messy hair.
"I'm up."
....
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