At this moment, the Thunderbolt Car had already driven into the small town. Ren Zhong could no longer endure it and shook his head weakly, "Mm, I already know. You don’t have to say it."
Chen Hanyu sensed something was off about Ren Zhong’s tone, "Mr. Ren, if you’re tired, shall we rest today?"
Ren Zhong wearily waved his hand, "No need, it’s fine."
Chen Hanyu: "Alright then."
Ren Zhong said no more, merely gazing ahead like a walking corpse.
To hide his unruly emotions, he emptied his mind.
He knew he had failed.
Clearly, he had been thriving in Starfire Town like a fish in water.
Yet today, his heart’s defenses were easily shattered.
Once again, he deeply felt how incompatible he was with the world.
He couldn’t restrain the sorrow in his heart.
Because he knew the truth.
The most tragic aspect of the elderly’s great self-sacrifice was that their sacrifice had no meaning!
They wanted to save the quota for their families.
The highest price they paid with their lives was so small.
But the fact is, the census of Starfire Town had already been sentenced to death in advance.
This small town carrying such heavy hope actually had no future.
"By the way, Mr. Ren, can we stop here for a moment? Also, I’d like to borrow the motorcycle."
Yujin, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke from behind.
Ren Zhong nodded, "Of course, what’s up?"
Yujin showed a struggling expression, hesitated a bit, and said, "Although a few days ago, I told my mom that with Mr. Ren’s help, I am already a qualified professional with survival skills in the wild. My mom also agreed not to consider giving her spot to me anymore, but seeing this car today, I still feel a little worried."
"Then why don’t you hurry home! You should have said so earlier! What are you doing hunting today!"
Yujin apologized, "Actually, I’m just a little worried, after all, my mom did promise me."
Five minutes later, just as Ren Zhong was about to park the Thunderbolt Car in the lot, he received a phone call from Yujin using the First Level wristwatch he had borrowed from him.
On the phone, Yujin spoke incoherently and in panic.
Ren Zhong only understood one sentence.
The boy had just gripped the gun in his hand, had just taken the key to the new home Ren Zhong gifted him.
The boy had just ignited the passion to give his mother a better life.
But the mother quietly disappeared.
Yujin’s mother ultimately used her life to lie.
When Ren Zhong and Chen Hanyu drove to Yujin’s home, the poor boy was clenching his fists tightly.
His lips trembled, his eyes glazed over, tears soaked his collar.
On his tear-covered eyeballs, red blood vessels spread like cobwebs.
His clenched fingertips were frighteningly white.
He opened his mouth wide as if wanting to cry out loud, but only made hoarse sounds from his throat.
He could not cry aloud.
He didn’t even have the strength to breathe.
No one could imagine his feelings now.
Chen Hanyu, who had been somewhat indifferent when witnessing other elderly choose to end their lives, quietly turned away, unable to bear looking any further, tears brimming in her eyes.
When the subject became the mother of a friend rather than a stranger, she empathized with Yujin’s grief, felt it deeply.
Ren Zhong stepped forward and slapped Yujin across the face.
Yujin was stunned for a long time before slowly coming back to his senses, staring blankly at Ren Zhong, then suddenly lunged forward to hug his leg.
"Mr. Ren... Mr. Ren... my mom lied to me! She lied to me! My mom is gone! Gone!"
Ren Zhong shouted angrily, "What nonsense! Maybe she just went out!"
Yujin shakily raised his right hand, opened it, and inside was a crumpled piece of paper, "This... this... my mom left this for me."
Ren Zhong picked up the paper and carefully unfolded it.
On the crumpled paper, written in crooked handwriting, it said:
"Yujin, by the time you see this letter, mom is already gone. I went with Aunt Jiang and Uncle Liu, we won’t be lonely. Doctor Sun said based on my age, I could only live another year or two anyway. So, don’t be sad, don’t be upset, this is mom’s choice. Mom doesn’t regret it."
"Mom is very happy to see that you have become a qualified professional. You told me Mr. Ren praised your talent. I also asked around, and Mr. Ren’s praise for you is genuine. My son is indeed a remarkable gunsmith. I am very proud."
"I believe that one day you will become a Citizen. But you cannot leave the town, cannot lose the status of a temporary wastelander, only by staying in the town is there hope to become a Citizen. If you leave, then hope truly will be gone. Goodbye, Yujin. You are my pride."
"I previously saved two points myself. Luckily, the Mengdu Group gave me 20 points, so there are 22 points in my wrist watch, which has been transferred to your account, and you should receive 19.8 points. Mom is sorry to have saved this little money, but mom really tried. From now on, follow Mr. Ren and work hard. Goodbye. Goodbye."
As Ren Zhong read the letter, Yujin’s cries gradually became hoarse.
Ren Zhong didn’t speak, nor did he show any expression, but he too was on the verge of breaking down.
He saw a great mother.
He also saw a world darker than he could have imagined.
Twenty points, two hundred days’ meal money, a human life.
Moreover, how could the county-level branch of the Mengdu Group, being one of the Nine Major Groups, be unaware of the inevitable demise of Starfire Town?
My parents fought their whole lives to reclaim this life for me. Before they died, they were all thinking of me embracing a new life.
These elderly wastelanders harbored the same thoughts, yet even the meaning of their sacrifice was stripped away.