Chapter 35: Recovery

After finishing her work, Marie turned around and saw Yingzhou sitting on the wooden bed, his eyes slightly closed and his breathing steady.

She sat to the side, watching him quietly out of curiosity, and did not disturb Yingzhou.

Yingzhou, meanwhile, was concentrating on Gathering Spiritual Power with all his might, hoping to recover his physical condition as quickly as possible.

As his breathing became steady and rhythmic, a faint glow seemed to permeate the area around his body. It was his spiritual ability at work, constantly repairing his wounds and restoring his strength.

Marie watched, mesmerized; she could even feel a warm energy flowing through the air, as if resonating with Yingzhou's breathing.

Time passed second by second, and beads of sweat began to appear on Yingzhou's forehead, while his complexion gradually turned rosy. Clearly, this recovery process was not easy for him, but he persisted without the slightest relaxation.

Finally, Yingzhou slowly opened his eyes. His gaze revealed a trace of exhaustion, but it was also filled with a sense of satisfaction, for after this period of cultivation, he could clearly feel that his body had recovered significantly.

"I feel much better," Yingzhou said softly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Marie could not help but feel happy for him: "That's great! I'm really happy to see you recovering so quickly."

Yingzhou tried to move his body and discovered that he had recovered more than half; the remaining injuries would not affect his light movements.

Yingzhou slowly climbed down from the wooden bed, his feet touching the solid ground, and felt a long-lost sense of strength; although he had only been unable to move for a day, it was a feeling he would rather not experience again.

Yingzhou lowered his head and walked out of the shack, which looked like it could collapse at any moment, and what came into view was a scene of ruins.

This shack was built among a pile of architectural debris, and there seemed to be a few more shacks in the distance.

"Marie, are those shacks over there also inhabited?" Yingzhou asked, pointing his finger at them.

Marie looked in the direction Yingzhou was pointing and nodded, saying, "Yes, that is the Xisi family; there are 6 people in their family! However, you had better keep some distance from them. When we first came here to live, we had some conflicts with them."

"What happened?" Yingzhou asked curiously.

"Because our arrival made the already scarce items nearby even scarcer, they tried to find ways to drive us away. But because Charlie and Geerman were here, they didn't dare to have a direct confrontation with us," Marie replied while stacking the items near the shack neatly.

After hearing this, Yingzhou frowned slightly. He could understand that in such an environment, the scarcity of resources would lead to tense relationships between people. But he could not help but feel worried for Charlie and the others; after all, in such a harsh environment, being isolated and helpless was a very dangerous thing.

"Then how do you usually deal with this situation?" Yingzhou continued to ask.

Marie stopped her work and answered earnestly: "We try our best not to provoke them, and at the same time, we are more careful about protecting our resources. Charlie and Geerman often go out to look for food and water, minimizing contact with the Xisi family as much as possible."

Yingzhou nodded, having anticipated this situation.

In the evening, after Charlie and Geerman returned, they were both surprised to find that Yingzhou's body was actually able to move freely.

"Your physical fitness is just too good, isn't it? Which slave district were you from before?" Charlie exclaimed as he watched Yingzhou easily pick up the items he had brought back.

Yingzhou heard the new term, and after putting down the items in his hand, he looked at Charlie curiously and asked, "Which slave district are you from?"

Charlie answered honestly, "I am from the Third Slave District, and Marie and Geerman are from the 15th Slave District. The place we are in now is the Hunting Ground. People here are captured by the Zerg every three years; during other times, those Zerg do not hunt Humans as frequently."

At this moment, Geerman asked, "Are you from the Human Alliance side?"

Yingzhou had no intention of hiding it and nodded in agreement.

Unexpectedly, Geerman's complexion turned bad instantly, his eyes full of anger: "Are you from the military?"

"No, I am still a student. Geerman, what is wrong with you?" Yingzhou asked, seeing that Geerman's emotions were a bit off.

"How is that possible! No student would be as strong as you!" Geerman roared at Yingzhou, his eyes bloodshot.

"Wait, Geerman, your emotions are Out of Control right now, calm down first," Yingzhou tried to persuade Geerman, but at this moment, Geerman could not listen to anything.

"Brother, what are you doing!" Marie's voice came, and one could see her watery eyes filled with fear as she looked at the Out of Control Geerman.

"Marie, *huff*... I'm sorry, Marie. I was emotionally agitated just now. I will communicate with Yingzhou properly." Upon seeing Marie's pair of light blue eyes, Geerman took a deep breath and calmed his emotions.

Yingzhou watched Geerman gradually calm down and felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Marie walked to Geerman's side and gently held his hand.

Geerman felt the warmth coming from her palm, and the anger in his heart gradually extinguished.

Seeing this, Charlie also stepped forward, patted Geerman on the shoulder, and said: "Geerman, we all know you have bad memories of the Human Alliance military, but Yingzhou is our friend now; you can't just vent your anger on him."

Geerman nodded, took a deep breath, turned to Yingzhou, and his tone softened significantly: "I'm sorry, Yingzhou. I lost my composure just now. I just... I once had a very painful memory related to the Human Alliance military."

Yingzhou nodded in understanding. He did not blame Geerman but patiently waited for him to tell his story.

Geerman began to recount his past: "I was born in a region of Humans; as for what it was called, I have already forgotten. I only remember that the Zerg invaded at that time, slaughtering everywhere in the city, and our parents were all killed by the Zerg. At that time, a unit of the Human Alliance military happened to be fighting in the region we were in. I originally thought they would help us and protect us. But they... in order to complete their Task, they actually ignored us and withdrew from this region. In the end, those of us who survived were all captured by the Zerg to the slave district, where we lived a difficult life."

After listening, Yingzhou's heart was filled with sympathy. He knew this must be an internal problem of the Human Alliance, letting these poor people at the bottom pay for their stupid actions, and even abandoning an entire region of Humans—what kind of heaven-defying operation was this?

"Geerman, I understand your pain. There are indeed many problems within the Human Alliance now; this is undeniable. Don't worry, if there is a chance, I will definitely take you all away from here," Yingzhou said sincerely.