Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Yu Lingling knew why the woman was saying all this now.
But she also knew the woman was telling the truth.
Everything her brother had said before entering the Grand Slaughter Instance, prepared to die, had been for her sake.
He had been worried that once he was gone, these people would bully her.
In Hua Nation, the dead were accorded the utmost respect, and her brother had sacrificed himself for everyone.
With those words from him, as long as Yu Lingling never betrayed the nation, these people would care for and protect her for his sake, no matter how many mistakes she made.
But Yu Lingling also knew those words had been meant for her. Her brother was telling her that entering the Grand Slaughter Instance had been his own choice, so she should not take her anger out on anyone else.
Most importantly, he was telling her that she could place some trust in the Special Department.
Yu Lingling thought her brother was a coward. Why hadn’t he dared to tell her any of this to her face? What if she really had been a stupid child and failed to understand what he meant?
But forget it.
This was the place her brother had protected with his life. She couldn’t destroy it.
Once she found him and brought him back, she would settle the score with him.
Yu Lingling said expressionlessly, “Give me my brother’s belongings.”
The white-haired woman agreed.
Everything Yu Huan had left behind was packed into a bag and handed to Yu Lingling.
After confirming that nothing was missing or damaged, Yu Lingling slung her backpack over her shoulders, gathered the bag into her arms, and left the command room.
She did not want to take part in what came next. Even though she firmly believed her brother was still alive, and even though she knew those people had done nothing wrong – that they could not allow so many sacrifices to be in vain – she still couldn’t bear to hear them discuss claiming the rewards.
Although Yu Lingling had nearly killed Xiao Zhang just moments ago, Xiao Zhang still followed beside her.
Looking at the girl bundled up in a black puffer jacket, Xiao Zhang felt a pang of sorrow. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I shouldn’t have said that.”
They all knew that Yu Huan and the other eighty-eight people would never return. But her words of condolence had been like driving a knife into Yu Lingling’s heart.
Even adults struggled to accept the death of a loved one, let alone Yu Lingling, who was only thirteen and had no one in the world but the brother she depended on.
Xiao Zhang said earnestly, “I’m sorry.”
Yu Lingling’s steps paused for a moment.
Just as Xiao Zhang thought she was about to say something, Yu Lingling walked straight toward the vehicle she had arrived in.
Cheng Yu and the other two already knew the outcome of the Grand Slaughter.
Hua Nation had not only successfully defended its base but had also taken first place and received generous rewards.
Yet no one could bring themselves to celebrate. The price of this victory had been far too steep.
They had lost so many comrades. If not for those people’s ambition and greed, none of them would have needed to die.
And what would become of Yu Lingling?
She had lost her brother at only thirteen. How was she supposed to live from now on?
When Cheng Yu and the other two saw Yu Lingling get off the helicopter, there was a moment when none of them dared approach her.
Yu Lingling saw them as well and greeted them just as she usually did.
But her perfectly normal behavior left all three of them frozen in place.
Even Liu Jianhui, the oldest of the group and their captain, couldn’t read Yu Lingling right now.
Seeing that they weren’t moving, Yu Lingling asked, “Aren’t you going back? Or did you move somewhere else now that the mission is over?”
If they had moved, Yu Lingling intended to call a cab and go home by herself. It was just that they were in the middle of nowhere, so it would probably take a while for one to arrive.
Cheng Yu was about to answer when Liu Jianhui spoke first. “We still need to go back.”
Yu Lingling gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.
Liu Jianhui shook his head at Cheng Yu, signaling for her not to ask questions or bring anything up. “Cheng Mo, get the car.”
Because Yu Huan and Yu Lingling were siblings, the Special Department had previously assigned this mission to Cheng Mo and Cheng Yu, who were also brother and sister, in the hope that they would be better able to connect with Yu Lingling.
The two of them were simply too young, so in the end, the experienced Liu Jianhui had posed as their father.
Both Cheng Mo and Cheng Yu followed Liu Jianhui’s orders.
On the way back, Yu Lingling sat in the same seat as before.
After a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Yu asked, “Lingling, is there anything you’d like to eat? Why don’t you come back to our place and have dinner first?”
Xiao Zhang had contacted them and mentioned that Yu Lingling hadn’t had so much as a sip of water from the moment she arrived until the moment she left.
Yu Lingling stared out the window. Just as Cheng Yu thought she wasn’t going to answer, she said, “All right. Sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Cheng Yu hurriedly replied.
However, they hadn’t had time to buy groceries and cook.
Cheng Mo, who had been driving in silence, said, “I’ll make a detour to the Special Department. The cafeteria should still be open.”
Cheng Yu was worried the food there might not suit Yu Lingling’s tastes.
Yu Lingling was still clutching her brother’s belongings and didn’t respond.
“All right,” Liu Jianhui said. “I’ll treat you all to some freshly cooked dishes.”
The Special Department was housed in a somewhat run-down six-story office building in a remote location. The only thing nearby was a neglected park. Even its fountain had dried up, with dead branches and withered leaves scattered inside it.
Virginia creeper covered the building’s outer walls, but now that it was winter, only dry, yellowing vines remained, lending the place a desolate air.
Liu Jianhui and the others took Yu Lingling straight to the cafeteria. All the private rooms were locked, and there were hardly any customers in the main dining area, so they simply found a table there.
Cheng Yu had already heard that Yu Lingling had nearly flown into a murderous rage after Xiao Zhang said, “My condolences.” She found herself wondering if they ought to order only vegetarian dishes.
Liu Jianhui picked up a menu and handed it to Yu Lingling. “Order whatever you want.”
Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Lingling spotted several familiar dishes on the menu. Whenever her brother returned from a business trip around mealtime, he would bring several takeout dishes home.
“Red-braised pork belly, pork belly with preserved mustard greens, Kung Pao chicken, fish-fragrant shredded pork, crispy pork cutlets, soy-braised pig trotters, Mapo tofu, dry-fried green beans, steamed egg custard, and kelp and pork rib soup.”
Her brother had brought home every one of these dishes for her before.
Cheng Mo had already written them all down.
“And add a pot of rice,” Liu Jianhui said.
Cheng Mo looked at him. At this hour, the kitchen staff would hardly be willing to go to so much trouble. Usually, they would just make them each a bowl of noodles and call it a day.
Besides, whenever Yu Huan came to order takeout, the head chef had personally cooked for him. Cheng Mo certainly didn’t have enough pull to get the head chef to cook for them.
Liu Jianhui realized the same thing. He stood, took the order slip from Cheng Mo, and went to speak to the head chef in person.
Yu Lingling put her brother’s belongings into her backpack.
Cheng Yu didn’t know how to comfort her. For the first time, she felt hopelessly awkward.
Cheng Mo was never much of a talker to begin with, and now he was even less inclined to speak. He merely set out the tableware and filled everyone’s glass with water.
Liu Jianhui soon returned. “Everything here is cooked fresh to order, not premade, so it’ll take a while.”
“The cafeteria’s food is actually pretty good,” Cheng Yu hastily said. “It’s just that sometimes they like to experiment, and what they come up with is… honestly hard to swallow.”
Yu Lingling thought of the stir-fried winter melon with watermelon her brother had once brought home.
One familiar dish after another was carried to the table. Once everything had arrived, Liu Jianhui invited them all to dig in.
Yu Lingling took a bite of the Kung Pao chicken nearest to her. The familiar flavor left a tight ache in her chest. Only after she had tasted every dish did she murmur, “So this is where my brother used to get the takeout.”
So she had eaten food from the Special Department’s cafeteria countless times before.
So her brother had been carefully, quietly forging a connection between her and the Special Department for a very long time.