CH 59.2

Chapter 59.2 – Garbage

Three days later, the professors of the research center gave an explanation: “We believe that Abyss No.0 is special. It may be that the garbage has wavelength residues from other abysses that create mutual repulsion with it, that’s why there is a strong counter-current that makes all the harmful garbage fly back…”

Lu Tinghan asked, “Then why is there buried garbage next to the abyss?”

The professor couldn’t answer.

Lu Tinghan said, “Don’t you think it looks like someone buried it?”

The professors looked at each other, and some hesitated: “It really looks like…”

“I think so too!”

“I didn’t dare to say it just now. It’s too unprofessional. I’m afraid you would think I bought my degree.”

“Ah, it turned out that you didn’t buy your degree…”

“Hiss… how come it looks like someone did it? What’s going on, are we all crazy?”

The next day, Lu Tinghan went for a psychological assessment with a group of professors.

There was no conclusion to this matter in the end.

Later, the Alliance tried to throw garbage into Abyss No.0 again, and the garbage was thrown back in anger, each time with a burst of infection values, as if it was trying its best to express its discontent.

No one wanted to anger the terrible Abyss No.0.

As a result, no transport ship came again.

And Shi Yuan continued to work hard, dealing with the first round of garbage.

Lu Tinghan was still his Watcher, appearing periodically and gazing into the abyss.

After the initial heartbreak, Shi Yuan calmed down.

He felt that Lu Tinghan’s action of throwing garbage at him wasn’t because he hated him.

—But because Lu Tinghan simply had ‘no quality’.

As long as Lu Tinghan didn’t hate him, Shi Yuan felt much better.

He really liked his human so much that he could accept such a no-quality Lu Tinghan.

Later, after an unknown amount of time, maybe three or four years, maybe five or six years, Shi Yuan continued to bury garbage every day and finally dealt with it almost.

He learned a lot, including human words, pronunciation, including newspapers and magazines, a variety of strange pictures documenting human life… The garbage dump was his enlightenment teacher.

Shi Yuan still liked his Watcher.

But this didn’t mean that he forgave such mannerless and impolite behavior. After all, he had never been so heartbroken or cried so badly.

He held a grudge.

The twilight went and the morning came, and ten years passed.

In the ward of Fengyang City, Shi Yuan looked at the candy wrapper in Lu Tinghan’s hand, and said solemnly and grievously: “Lu Tinghan, you can’t litter.”

This simple sentence carried his countless grievances.

Lu Tinghan said in confusion: “I’m not littering, I want to put it on the bedside table.”

“No,” Shi Yuan said, “You just want to litter, I know it, I know it clearly.”

Lu Tinghan: “Why?”

Shi Yuan said, “Because you have no quality.” After speaking, he took Lu Tinghan’s candy wrapper, went to the trash can in the hallway and threw it, and then came back and said, “It’s okay, I will supervise you.”

For the first time in his life, Lu Tinghan was accused of having “no quality”, and it actually came from Shi Yuan’s mouth. He was so shocked that he even forgot to listen to the military broadcast that day, and remembered it until he was discharged from the hospital.

—Discharged from the hospital.

Leaving the corridor full of disinfectant smell, leaving the cold-toned single ward, the two went home and turned on the lights.

The light was warm, shining on everything in the old house. Coffee table, sofa, bookshelf, fish tank, exquisite sailboat decorations, old books with yellowed paper, old sudoku games, and rocket models, the white bird put its beak into the feathers and fell asleep, and the wretched fish all hid in the rockery, a peace full of memories.

Obviously, he had only been away for nearly two months, but he felt like he had been away for a lifetime.

At the door, Shi Yuan hugged Lu Tinghan and said, “Lu Tinghan, welcome home.”

Lu Tinghan lowered his head and kissed his hair.

Lu Tinghan still had to change medicine for his wound. Before going to bed at night, Shi Yuan helped him change it and put the bandage back on.

The wound in his abdomen was particularly hideous, and he didn’t know when it would heal.

The lights were turned off and they lay together.

In the dark, Shi Yuan asked, “I heard them say that there were still a few hours before the ‘Heavy Hammer’ fell. Why didn’t you send me a message? Why didn’t you call me and make a video? You didn’t try to contact me at all…”

This was a post-accusation.

Lu Tinghan said, “Because saying goodbye will soften people’s hearts. I need the courage to die.”

Shi Yuan asked, “If you talked to me, you wouldn’t want to die?”

“I do not know,” Lu Tinghan said.

There is no answer to this question now, the only certainty is that Shi Yuan will make him sway.

Shi Yuan was silent for a long time.

When Lu Tinghan thought he was asleep, Shi Yuan said again: “Well, if there is a next time, I… I still hope that you can talk to me, just one or two words are enough.” He hugged his tail, his voice aggrieved, “I’m not saying I want there to be a next time, but I really don’t like you leaving without saying goodbye.”

He had already experienced an unannounced goodbye once.

That day, Lu Tinghan stepped in the morning sun and left the abyss. Shi Yuan thought it was an ordinary farewell, but unexpectedly, Lu Tinghan never came back.

He was afraid of being alone, afraid of the hope of falling short, and hopeless waiting.

Lu Tinghan agreed: “Okay.”

He agreed very simply, Shi Yuan turned to look at him: “Really?”

“Really,” Lu Tinghan said, “It’s really unfair to you not to hear a goodbye. I keep my word. If there is really a next time, it will definitely be a decent farewell.”

Shi Yuan quickly said: “Don’t have a next time!!”

“Hmm.” Lu Tinghan laughed in a muffled voice, causing the wound to hurt slightly.

In the month after that, Lu Tinghan concentrated on recuperating at home.

The Lu family’s defiant spirit was reflected in every aspect, even his wounds seemed to heal a little faster than normal – of course, according to Lu Tinghan, listening to Shi Yuan’s purring every day and being in a happy mood had a miraculous healing effect.

The Level I warning was also over.

As Lu Tinghan said, the pollution values of each abyss fell, and the monsters temporarily calmed down their attacks. The city, like him, got a short but precious respite.

The data center worked overtime, studying the abyss while specializing in ‘Overlook’. With Iron City’s data, Alice’s calculations were much faster, and people began to pin new hopes on ‘Overlook’.

The spacecraft in the ‘Overlook’ plan could only take away seeds, fertilized eggs, and very few people.

Most people would not leave the ground anymore, born in the city, died in the city, looking at the sea of stars.

However, it was still a comforting thing to know that one’s own race still had a future and that the bloodline could continue on the alien planet.

As for why Iron City’s data was sent back, there were different opinions, speculations, and so on.

Some say that the lightning may have struck the communication tower, the electricity turned on, and the undamaged data then continued to upload; some say that the monster may have accidentally touched some switch, and by mistake, helped the Alliance; others guess towards the metaphysical side, saying that the heroic spirit of the communication tower is still there, never forgetting, and its pride will eventually echo.

These were all good guesses.

No one knew that the protagonist of the story was a brave little monster and a crazy deserter.

They had a short and wonderful adventure.

In this relaxed atmosphere, Lu Tinghan worked for a few hours a day to understand the situation and give simple commands.

He also went out.

Shi Yuan saw through the window that the people who met with Lu Tinghan were the same senior officers he had met before. They whispered under the iron blue sky, everything was dark, and only the gray-blue of Lu Tinghan’s eyes was particularly eye-catching.

Then, when they got into the car, Shi Yuan couldn’t see them anymore.

Shi Yuan didn’t ask Lu Tinghan who those people were.

He didn’t understand the military, nor the winding power struggle of the Alliance. Even if Lu Tinghan explained it to him, he might not understand it. Besides, how could he question Lu Tinghan’s actions?

Lu Tinghan had time to accompany him every day, nothing could be better than this.

But he still didn’t forget about the littering problem.

Lu Tinghan’s candy wrapper incident made Shi Yuan very vigilant. He felt that Lu Tinghan was going to lose his quality again.

Whenever Lu Tinghan had garbage in his hand, he would always see Shi Yuan emerge from behind the sofa, across the table, and around the corner of the wall, casting a condemnatory look at him.

Lu Tinghan said, “Shi Yuan, I really don’t litter.”

“I don’t believe you,” Shi Yuan said, “Your quality is too low.”

As a deep abyss whose house had been thrown several tons of garbage by Lu Tinghan, Lu Tinghan’s light-hearted words were not convincing at all. He must watch Lu Tinghan throw the garbage into the trash can to feel at ease.

After just a few rounds, one night, Shi Yuan supervised Lu Tinghan to throw a piece of waste paper into the trash can.

Then, he helped Lu Tinghan change medicine by the bed.

The other minor injuries were basically healed, but the abdominal wound was still hideous, and it must be scarred.

Shi Yuan looked at the wound fixedly, stretched out his hand, and stroked the scar a little bit with his white fingers.

After touching it for a while, he felt that the scar was too dazzling, and he didn’t know how to get rid of it, so he stretched out his hand and stroked it from top to bottom.—

As soon as he touched it halfway this time, his wrist was caught.

Shi Yuan: ?

He raised his head, Lu Tinghan grabbed his wrist and leaned very close, his gray-blue eyes seemed to be surging with dark clouds.

“Shi Yuan,” he said, “actually, my quality can be even lower.”