The sky was full of yellow sand that stung Xu An’s face, but she seemed not to hear it. She made no effort to protect herself, letting the wind and sand scour her entire face.
Xu An tried hard to open her eyes. In a daze, amidst the sandstorm, she saw a figure. She reached out to grasp it, only to realize that everything before her was merely an illusion.
A soft moan reached her ears. She turned to look; it was Ana waking up.
“Xu An!”
Xu An heard the enraged roar, but said nothing. Before Ana could fully wake up, Xu An had carried her out and recalled the vehicle to her space.
She was truly despicable, not even forgetting to hide the matter of her space at such a moment.
Xu An looked into the distance and slowly said, “You should live. At least Hawler wouldn't want to see you die.”
“What did he say when he left… Never mind, I don’t want to know. He definitely didn’t mention me anyway,” Ana regained her composure and sat back down on the sand.
“He must have said something about protecting the country… That’s just how he is. Sometimes I don’t know if he’s truly foolish or just pretending. He always puts on a righteous front, as if he's ready to sacrifice himself for others at any moment. It was like that before, and it’s like that now.”
“Now, it’s all good. This idiot! He finally got his wish, he finally…”
The word “died” caught in Ana’s throat, but she couldn’t utter it. She seemed unwilling to admit that the vibrant, slightly simple-minded person was truly gone.
“Do you want to leave?” Xu An asked abruptly, cutting off the tears that were about to fall from Ana.
“Leave? Go where?”
“The Lighthouse.”
As Xu An said this, her face was as calm as if she were asking Ana what she wanted for lunch.
Ana scoffed at her words, “Doesn’t your noble Lighthouse say it’s no longer accepting outsiders? Do you have a way to get me in?”
“I can, but only you. Are you willing to go with me?”
Xu An didn’t know what motivated her to say such a thing. Perhaps it was her guilt towards Hawler.
The rat had mentioned before that they could provide entry permits for outsiders to the Lighthouse. Getting Ana into the Lighthouse, while difficult, was not impossible, but the price was steep.
However, Xu An was willing to pay that price, just to ease her own conscience.
Ana’s laughter grew louder, to the point of staggering. “Xu An, how did you suddenly become so capable? Do you think I can’t see through your little schemes? You want to bring me to the Lighthouse and then buy yourself peace of mind?”
“You feel guilty about Hawler’s death, so you want to make amends through me?”
“Xu An, I’m telling you, you wish! I want you to remember, to remember your entire life that this life of yours was exchanged for by Hawler! He saved you! You owe him a life forever!”
Facing Ana’s accusations, Xu An didn’t get angry. She merely frowned. “Ana, I’m serious. I know you dislike me, but I hope you can consider this rationally.”
“I believe you know what kind of place the Lighthouse truly is.”
“I know. I won’t go,” Ana said, then turned her head to look at the sand city not far away.
She suddenly asked out of the blue, “Do you know what Hawler’s wish was?”
Xu An did not answer.
“He wished for all the people of Sand City to be rescued. That’s why, even when he himself was struggling to get enough food, he gave his food to the children of Sand City.”
“Did you give him biscuits and mineral water?”
Xu An nodded in response.
“That fool! It was just a few bags of biscuits, and he was happier than you can imagine. He shared all the mineral water, keeping only a small sip for himself. And the biscuits, he only saved a quarter for himself.”
“But with that small piece of biscuit, he excitedly brought it to share with me.”
“At that moment, I thought, someone as foolish as Hawler, I must watch out for him. Others would definitely bully him because he’s so naive.”
“So, Xu An, I’m not leaving.”
Ana’s eyes sparkled. The death of Hawler had taken away the light in her eyes, but now something seemed to fill it.
“I want to guard the Sand City he wanted to protect. Even if you’ve abandoned it, I want to stay here, on this land that Hawler loved.”
Although she had anticipated this answer, Xu An couldn’t help but feel a sting in her nose.
“You don’t need to try and make amends through me. Your guilt towards Hawler, remember, it’s something you owe him, something you can never truly repay.”
With that, Ana stood up, brushed the sand off her back, and turned away without looking back. She walked resolutely towards Sand City.
After a few steps, Ana stopped. “For Hawler’s sake, I’ll give you one last warning: the Sixth is not simple. Although I don’t know why, he seems to be deliberately inciting conflict between the land and the Lighthouse. That’s all I have to say. Take care of yourself.”
Watching Ana’s departing figure, Xu An’s mind replayed Ana’s words over and over.
She suppressed the unease in her heart and turned to leave in the opposite direction.
The dead cannot be brought back to life. She had to move forward.
…
“Officer Qin, you’re awake? How are you feeling?”
Qin Chuan opened his eyes and saw the familiar silver-white ceiling. This was the Lighthouse’s medical bay, a place he was all too familiar with.
“Where’s Zhou Zhe?” His voice was hoarse and difficult. Qin Chuan managed to say the words haltingly.
“Deputy Captain Zhou only sustained minor injuries and is currently at the military headquarters giving a report. You have prolonged dehydration, which has caused some damage to your throat. You’ll recover after a few days of rest.”
Qin Chuan nodded to indicate he understood, then closed his eyes again.
Seeing that he didn’t even ask about his own injuries, the doctor felt compelled to add, “Officer, there is no major issue with your leg for now. With proper rest, you’ll be able to walk in a month.”
“Thank you.”
Seeing this, the doctor wisely retreated from the room. Qin Chuan was his old ‘customer’.
Ever since the medical bay on the Lighthouse was built, Qin Chuan had been ‘lying down’ there every few days.
Others, after coming and going a few times, would have become quite chummy with the doctor. Only Qin Chuan remained perpetually cold, as if everyone owed him eight million dollars.
It was also thanks to the Lighthouse’s most advanced medical technology, and ‘that thing,’ that Qin Chuan could be brought back from the brink of death time and time again.
Just like his leg this time; in the past, it would have certainly required amputation, but now, it just needed rest.
The male doctor shook his head and closed the door to Qin Chuan’s room, muttering casually, “Although Dr. Xia’s character isn’t the best, the things he tinkers with are really something.”