Chapter 353 Landing on Aers (3k)
On the vast Moon Sunken Sea, a civilian ship quietly approached under the cover of fog.
The salty sea breeze at midnight stimulated the nostrils of everyone on the ship. A light-colored detection array flickered on the civilian ship from time to time. Everyone leaned against the deck, eating dry rations, and laughter spread among them. It seemed that this trip was not a dangerous “death march” but a party.
Su Jiu found a spot and changed into white doctor’s attire. At the bow of the ship, the white coat fluttered in the wind.
She rested her hands on the railing, looking far into the vast sea. The ship should reach Aers’ small port before dawn.
Shaking her head, she sighed lightly, “Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and we didn’t encounter any danger.”
Just as she was about to go into the cabin to continue refining the Holy Light, the bald man Liu Gang, who had been there before, stood up and tossed a bottle of low-proof Bai Jiu to Su Jiu, calling out with a smile, “Hey, aren’t you coming over to chat? Eat more tonight, otherwise you won’t have the energy when you’re working in the morning.”
“I’m an outsider, so I won’t join. But I can try a little of this Jiu.”
Catching the unopened bottle of Bai Jiu, Su Jiu smiled, flicked the cap open with her fingernail, and took a small sip. These people were strange. They ranged from Advanced Stage Warriors to Intermediate Stage War Generals, gathered together, yet they could chat harmoniously.
The Warrior Class did not feel inferior, and the War General Level could laugh heartily and brag.
“They are just like this, usually fooling around. When it’s time to act, they won’t be.”
Seeing Su Jiu spacing out, Yuko, beside Liu Gang, also held a bottle of Bai Jiu, took out a sandwich from the packaging bag, and handed it over with a smile.
“Hehe, I can see that.”
Taking the sandwich, Su Jiu smiled lightly and took a small bite. It seemed to be salty with caviar, with some flavor from Sakura, and it wasn’t bad.
Yuko didn’t go back, but instead stayed here, clinking bottles with Su Jiu.
“Hoo…”
Blowing in the slightly cold December sea breeze, Su Jiu quickly finished the sandwich. She glanced at Yuko beside her and found that she was also looking out at the sea.
The latter was tightly holding a black amulet with cherry blossom embroidery. A name seemed to be carved on the amulet, and the fingertip pressing on the name was a little pale.
Seemingly noticing Su Jiu’s gaze, she suddenly smiled and spoke. Her voice sounded encouraging, but carried a certain inexplicable sadness. “Our mission won’t take long. When it’s over, I’ll treat you to some Sakura sake. This Bai Jiu is really bland!”
Su Jiu smiled and was about to reply when a Mandarin song and guitar sound came from behind her. She paused slightly and looked back in surprise.
“You forgot, the cold wind blowing across the wound.”
“You believed that a lifetime of indifference would pass.”
…
She found it was Liu Gang from before. He was holding a guitar, eyes closed, humming softly. His tall body sat cross-legged in the center of everyone, strumming the strings with rhythm.
Looking at the scene before her, Su Jiu couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. In her past life, she also liked to hold a guitar and sing like this with her students after class. It was very pleasant and relaxing.
She knew how to play this song too.
“Life is bittersweet like a song… Alas, it is true for those refugees.” Yuko threw the empty can into the trash can, her face flushed slightly, and said softly, tipsy.
Su Jiu lowered her head and looked at the swaying Bai Jiu in her hand. It was indeed true that in the face of disaster, the value of life was constantly being exploited.
While she was lost in thought listening to the song, Yuko beside her chuckled and looked towards the guitar, explaining, “Liu Gang seems to have been a music teacher at Chuan Yu Normal University before joining the Red Cross. He conquered everyone here with his guitar back then…”
Pausing slightly, Yuko’s gaze swept over the people playing the guitar and she smiled, “This is also the song he sings before every mission. Everyone has learned to sing it over time.”
“Music teacher?” Yuko’s words made Su Jiu freeze for a moment. She didn’t expect that burly man to be a colleague from her past life.
“Yes, I heard he joined our organization after he and several students died during a trip abroad.”
Supporting herself with her left hand on the railing, Yuko put the amulet back into her pocket and took out a thin cigarette with her right hand. The firelight flickered in the night, and she exhaled a puff of smoke, saying softly.
The voices that followed were all drowned out by the song, and silence inexplicably spread between the two. Occasionally, smoke wisped past.
“The International Hospital is quite a distance from the port we’re going to. We might pass through Yela’s blockade on the way. If we drive big trucks openly, we’ll easily be intercepted.”
Finally, the guitar music stopped. Su Jiu thought for a moment and decided to ask about their upcoming route plan. She knew that on the map, the Aers International Hospital was not close to this port, nearly thirty kilometers away.
Exhaling another puff of smoke, Yuko held the half-smoked cigarette between two fingers, leaned against the railing, and said, “Our Red Cross has already negotiated with Yela’s high-ranking officials. They’ve agreed that as long as we don’t harbor any Aers soldiers, we can pass through that road freely. Don’t worry.” (Qiu Ba Wu Lin Jiao Liu Jiu)
“That’s good. Then I’ll treat my waist injury first.”
After receiving Yuko’s affirmative reply, Su Jiu leaned back in her wheelchair, glanced at the sky which had turned from night to a hazy gray, and began to purify the Holy Light on her waist.
“Still about fifteen percent left.”
After an unknown amount of time, the eastern ocean began to show a hint of light. The dawn of a new day had risen again.
The efficiency of this ship was indeed quite good. In less than one night, they could see the shadow of the small port in the distance, as well as dense black dots like ants, which should be refugees waiting to leave.
“Sister Bairnis is awake… Mama, I’m going to evolve too.” E Huo on her earlobe suddenly spoke, then yawned and rushed into the Spiritual Space as white light.
When she, E Huo, came out again, she would be even bigger!
“Bairnis is awake?! Shouldn’t she wake up after the drug treatment?”
Hearing E Huo’s voice, Su Jiu suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at the Spiritual Space incredulously. Bairnis’s cocoon had broken open, but her appearance had changed to that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old, with waist-length black hair and a pale, delicate little face.
Su Jiu softly called out, “Bairnis, what’s the situation now?”
As if sensing Su Jiu’s mental power, Bairnis’s contracted eyes trembled slightly. After a while, she slowly opened them. Her light blue pupils were a little confused, and then she communicated with Su Jiu mentally, “A sacred power began to merge into the cocoon, forcing me to wake up and resist.”
Hearing “sacred power,” Su Jiu’s mouth twitched. Was it her fault? She then became slightly serious. Looking at Bairnis in her loli form, she asked with some worry, “Did you fail your advancement because of this?”
“It’s considered half successful… Due to the lack of drug treatment and waking up early, I only have Half-King Level strength now.”
After speaking, Bairnis burst out of the mental force space. Seeing Su Jiu sitting in the wheelchair, her face showed a worried expression, “Miss, what happened to you?”
“Is that a humanoid Beast Pet? What is the origin of this doctor?”
Bairnis’s appearance quickly caught the attention of the old man with a white beard, Eir. He suddenly stood up, his gaze sharpened. He felt Bairnis’s aura, and his cloudy eyes slowly narrowed—
Why?
He couldn’t sense the level of either of them. Yes, not only Bairnis, but also Su Jiu, the Priest wearing a red ribbon and a white coat, he couldn’t sense her.
“Mr. Eir, have Yela’s ships appeared?” Yuko, who was not far from him, saw him suddenly stand up and thought something unexpected had happened, so she quickly walked over and asked nervously.
“No, it’s this girl in the wheelchair. She seems a bit strange.”
Eir slowly shook his head and said calmly, his gaze fixed on Su Jiu and the other.
“Are you talking about Frost Blade? … Is that a humanoid Beast Pet?” Yuko also looked in Su Jiu’s direction upon hearing this, with a hint of surprise in her eyes. But then she smiled with relief, “It’s not strange for this Frost Blade Priest to have a humanoid Beast Pet. She’s a captain in the world competition.”
“This old man hasn’t paid attention to world competitions for a long time. Those places where children fight are both ridiculous and boring.”
As the port drew closer, Eir sighed. He fumbled around his body for a moment, then extended his thin hand and took out a Storage Bag, which he held and tossed over.
“Take it. It contains some medicinal herbs. It’s a small token of my appreciation.”
On the other side.
“A small matter… When we get ashore, you’ll follow me and push the wheelchair. Go and treat the wounded when necessary.”
Reaching out to stroke Bairnis’s head, Su Jiu looked at Bairnis, who was wearing a black dress as if she were a little princess from the European Middle Ages, and felt a little pity. “Turn around, I’ll help you fix your hair.”
Bairnis nodded her little head slightly, then turned around and obediently leaned between Su Jiu’s knees, as obedient as a daughter facing her mother. In a few moments, Su Jiu used a blue Magic Crystal hairpin to style her hair in a very Eastern fashion, with sideburns.
Before long, with a “clang,” the ship finally stopped at the port. The noise surged upwards, and various unintelligible languages poured into the ship like magic sounds. Su Jiu patted Bairnis’s little hand and said softly, “Push me over to take a look.”
“Okay, Miss.”
Under the astonished gazes of some Red Cross members, Bairnis pushed Su Jiu towards the side of the ship.
As her body got closer and closer to the edge of the ship, Su Jiu gradually saw the scene below more clearly. There were many small boats, and residents scrambling to leave.
Most of these residents were wearing relatively expensive clothing, indicating that they were well-off, or they were foreigners waiting for evacuation. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have rushed to the seaport to prepare for evacuation at the first opportunity.
But these were exceptions. On the left side of the densely populated street, there were three or four empty spots. The crowd seemed to be consciously avoiding them. Dozens of more destitute refugees slept on the street in each spot, their faces haggard.
“Excuse me, do you have a Priest or antibiotics?”
Suddenly, a peculiar voice from below the ship caught Su Jiu’s attention. It was a middle-aged man wearing a faded white shirt. His face was dusty, his hair was curled, and it seemed a little greasy.
