Yin Mingzheng returned to the base for only three days, and the demeanor of all the ordinary civilians in the entire base was completely different from before.
The most noticeable change was the smiles on everyone's once numb faces.
Especially Shi Qing, the little guy with healing abilities brought back by Yin Mingzheng. His favorite thing to do was to slip onto the streets and play around.
The outer city where the civilians lived was always full of people selling things. Most of these items were trinkets that the insect race hadn't brought, or things made by skilled craftsmen to make a living after moving into the base.
They often had defects, either being too weak to do the wall repairs or missing limbs, rendering them unable to join the defense team to earn money. So, they had to find other ways to survive.
Before Shi Qing arrived, these things were not easy to sell.
Well, when you were struggling to feed yourself, who cared about these trinkets?
But Shi Qing liked these things. Grasshoppers made of straw, small baskets made of branches, and pre-apocalypse, in his view, outdated game consoles.
While arrogantly saying, "Your human technology isn't advanced," he would honestly buy various strange and unique knick-knacks every day, like a little squirrel hoarding food, buying all sorts of odd and curious little things.
Yin Mingzheng even cleared a separate space in his not-so-small room for Shi Qing's little treasures.
The reason why Shi Qing was welcomed by all the civilians wasn't just because he was generous, but also because of his healing abilities.
Although Shi Qing was brought back by Yin Mingzheng, he didn't join his team of ability users, nor did he have to go to the battlefield. Since the appearance of healing abilities, he either used his abilities to treat Yin Mingzheng's wounds or used them to pay for the things he bought during his shopping sprees.
In the eyes of many, this was disadvantageous for him.
He was a healer, after all!
Even the team of ability users that gathered the most powerful individuals in the base only had one healer. And because his abilities were limited and only served the soldiers, the civilians never got to see him.
But then Shi Qing appeared.
This little guy with a naturally innocent and beautiful face walked the streets of the outer city with a pure smile. When the vendors dared to ask him if he could help heal their children, he readily agreed.
In that moment, Shi Qing, standing in front of the healed child, seemed like a deity in the eyes of many.
Soon, someone from the upper echelons of the base came to Yin Mingzheng, speaking vaguely, implying that he should keep Shi Qing in check. Ability users should act like ability users, and it was a waste of the rare healing ability to use it on civilians who didn't contribute much to the base. Someone as powerful as Shi Qing, with his potent healing ability, should serve and help all of humanity.
In the past, Yin Mingzheng would have agreed without hesitation. He used to be that kind of earnest and selfless person who would sacrifice his own interests for the greater good whenever someone said it would benefit everyone.
But now, Yin Mingzheng saw the outcome that the AI had presented to him.
He had quietly changed.
After his return, the upper echelons of the base immediately sent over the bodies of the high-ranking individuals who had attacked him and sent him onto the spaceship, along with the soldiers who had piloted the aircraft.
Yin Mingzheng smiled at them just as he had before, indicating his forgiveness.
Seeing those people visibly relax, Yin Mingzheng continued to smile. He wasn't blind; the attackers weren't high-ranking individuals, and no one had ordered them to attack him. How could they have dared to lay hands on him? He forgave these people because they were already dead.
But he had remembered the others who had wronged him. He had suffered at their hands, so why would he allow Shi Qing to become a tool in their hands?
At least until Yin Mingzheng had complete control, Shi Qing had to stay under his protection.
So, Yin Mingzheng listened to the commotion coming from the approaching teenager and smiled apologetically. "Shi Qing is still young and inexperienced in combat. I don't intend to let him participate in battles."
The visitor immediately showed an expression that said, "So even human heroes can spoil someone," but after glancing at the beautiful young man who was curiously peering at him from the man's arms, he secretly praised him.
There were many beautiful people, but someone like Shi Qing, who appeared pure and ethereal, as if one could see through to the depths of his soul at a glance, was a rarity in the base. It was no wonder that Yin Mingzheng protected him so carefully.
But that was good. The more Yin Mingzheng protected Shi Qing, the more vulnerable Shi Qing became as his weakness.
The man who had come to test Yin Mingzheng left, and Shi Qing, curious, poked his head out from the man's arms. "Mingzheng, who was that?"
"Someone unimportant."
Yin Mingzheng closed the door and playfully tapped the nose of the little guy who was still reluctant to let go of the door. He smiled and said, "You're even more popular in the base than I am now."
The alien teenager proudly smiled.
The man had originally wanted to admonish him, reminding him to be careful while playing outside and not to let anyone hold anything against him since the upper echelons of the base seemed happy about his return. However, when he saw the joy in the teenager's eyes, Yin Mingzheng couldn't bring himself to say it.
Shi Qing had been fine staying on the spaceship, protected by millions of humanoid machines. But because of his selfishness, he had lied to Shi Qing and brought him to the base. He had also tacitly allowed Shi Qing, who was now just a regular human, to not summon the humanoid machines for protection.
It was his fault to begin with, so why should he restrain the innocent Shi Qing?
Oh well, he would spread some rumors in the base about Shi Qing being difficult to bully, so that some reckless people would think twice before bothering him.
Yin Mingzheng swallowed the words he had almost uttered and just smiled indulgently at the teenager, reminding him, "When you go out to play, remember to call a few people from the team. There are some who are about your age, and it would be a good way to relax."
"Okay!"
Shi Qing happily agreed and, as he watched Yin Mingzheng turn around to make the bed, he pounced on him playfully from behind. With his several-ton weight, he nearly knocked the man out.
Just as Yin Mingzheng was recovering from the sudden blackout, he heard the teenager urging him impatiently, "Go through the procedure!!"
He could only helplessly turn around and encircle the young man in his arms, just like a little leopard pouncing on its prey.
Such a silly little guy.
But how could he not worry about him?
General Zhao returned home after a meeting, his face looking very displeased.
As soon as he got home, he saw his daughter coming back from shopping, and her expression made his face even worse. "I told you to build a good relationship with Yin Mingzheng and bring him to our side, but instead, all you do is go shopping every day!"
"I don't want to get close to Yin Mingzheng, okay? He likes men, what can I do? Dad, you didn't see it. He's practically doting on that wild kid from who knows where."
Zhao Miaomiao's face also turned gloomy. "I've been making advances, but Yin Mingzheng just ignores me. What can I do?"
General Zhao snorted. "Then enjoy your shopping spree. Wait until Yin Mingzheng's reputation grows and he becomes the leader of the base. With his temper and focus on those lower-class people, there won't be any good days for us."
After saying that, he turned around with a cold face and left, leaving Zhao Miaomiao fuming and stomping her feet in place.
Her friends by her side hadn't expected to witness a father and daughter quarrel. After an awkward moment, one of them consoled her in a hushed tone, "Miaomiao, don't be too upset. It's just some wild kid, and General Yin is just temporarily infatuated. That infatuation will pass."
"Is that so?" She sounded hopeful.
Her friend was eager to offer advice, "General Yin can't stand it when people bully others. You could try..."
Meanwhile, Shi Qing had a pleasant night and the next day, while Yin Mingzheng went out to patrol the outskirts of the base and clear out the insect creatures, Shi Qing carried a small basket and went shopping again.
However, as he had just reached the street corner today, a scruffy-looking man suddenly rushed toward him from somewhere, desperately kowtowing to him.
"Young Master, I dare not accept your money anymore, really, I won't dare. Please spare us, our family is really struggling."
This grown man was crying so intensely that it was heart-wrenching.
Without waiting for Shi Qing to speak, the man spontaneously started telling a story amid his tears. "Shi Qing used his power to bully me into not paying for his goods. When I refused, he ordered people to take everything from my house."
Shi Qing: [...]
[I seriously doubt Miss Zhao's intelligence.]
Like a deus ex machina, Zhao Miaomiao, dressed in white and appearing pure, arrived on the scene. Seeing this situation, she covered her mouth in astonishment and approached.
"What's going on here? Stop crying, Shi Qing, quickly apologize to this man."
Upon seeing someone else arriving, the man immediately started cursing at the teenager.
Zhao Miaomiao, noticing the situation, cast a discreet glance at Shi Qing. To her knowledge, this wild boy, who was held in the palm of Yin Mingzheng's hand, had quite a temper. She had heard that he would grab onto people and act stubborn if things didn't go his way. Even Yin Mingzheng had had to hit him a few times during their arguments. Could Shi Qing tolerate this injustice?
Let it escalate.
It would be better if it escalated.
Once Shi Qing caused a scene, if this commoner dared to lay a hand on him and got beaten to death, this matter would be difficult to resolve.
Although this method was straightforward and crude, Shi Qing's personality in the outside world did indeed seem somewhat simple (foolish), innocent (gullible), and quick to anger.
She eagerly looked at Shi Qing, waiting for him to get angry and take action.
In front of the onlookers, the young teenager known for his fiery temper took a step back.
—With a wailing cry, he burst into tears.
Waiting for the teenager to get angry, Zhao Miaomiao exclaimed, "..."
Then she turned around and discovered that the gazes of the surrounding commoners were filled with condemnation.
Zhao Miaomiao once again, "..."
Things weren't developing quite as she had expected.
The author has something to say: I want to clarify that so far, Big Yin and Little Shi Qing haven't really been harmonious; they've just been affectionate with each other.
Also, from now on, the update time will be around 9 PM!
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