Chapter 84: The Rescue-Apocalypse Archive(Mountain Chatter Sunflower Seeds (Giant))

“My path, my purpose, is to protect my friends, my loved ones, everything I hold dear, and not let them come to harm—do you understand, Yang Fan?” Yang Fan said to himself with unwavering determination.

His gaze became much clearer, and he felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. All the violence within his heart vanished, and the resentment born from a month of suffering in his past life faded away like smoke in the wind. Yang Fan had come to a sudden realization and understood the true essence of the apocalypse.

Perhaps he could not change the world or alter everything, but as long as he did not let the world change him and could protect those he loved, that was enough. And if possible, saving others along the way would not be out of the question.

Just like now, looking at this pitiful little girl, Yang Fan walked over. To put it simply, she had awakened the part of his nature that was almost worn away. Right now, it might not seem like a big deal, but in the future, it could have led him down a path to become a tyrant, a madman—a deranged survivor of the apocalypse.

If that happened, he would no longer be himself. Even with the power to turn back time, what use would it be? A person’s character is not easily changed; it must be cut off before it becomes ingrained, else it becomes impossible to correct.

Xiao You had helped him immensely. Yang Fan stepped forward, the crowd parted, and a foul odor greeted him.

“The injuries are serious.” Yang Fan quickly examined the little boy and found knife wounds on both his abdomen and back. The cuts themselves were not the worst part—the real threat was excessive blood loss and severe infection. If things continued this way, the boy would die of blood loss and infection within just a few hours.

“Hold him steady,” Yang Fan said as gently as he could to Xiao You. She wiped her eyes; when Yang Fan had arrived, she was already overjoyed. Though she did not know if Yang Fan could save her brother, in her helplessness, she clung to him as a drowning person would grab onto anything, refusing to let go.

Xiao You supported her brother, and Yang Fan saw the boy’s pale face, looking about fifteen or sixteen, still childish yet handsome, though now unconscious and barely breathing.

“Please save my brother, big brother! He’s all I have left!” Xiao You cried, looking at her brother’s pallid face.

“Alright!” Yang Fan nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, then focused all his attention on Xiao You’s brother. He took a vial of blood-replenishing potion from his backpack and had the boy drink it. Then he purchased a bottle of MX Cleansing Solution, a medicine to prevent infection.

A small bottle of this green potion cost four hundred apocalypse credits. If Xiao You hadn’t awakened his humanity, Yang Fan might have demanded something outrageous in exchange. But now, he didn’t hesitate to buy the cleansing solution, pouring it onto the boy’s abdominal and back wounds.

The green liquid oozed onto the wounds, viscous and repulsive. Instantly, the boy let out a miserable scream—the pain was intense, but perhaps it was the only thing that could rouse someone so close to death.

Luckily, he was not fully conscious, or the pain would have been torture. Xiao You watched her brother nervously, then glanced at Yang Fan. He patted her head and smiled. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”

Afterward, Xiao You stroked her brother’s hair, saying, “Brother, big brother said you’ll be alright. Be brave, don’t be afraid. Even I’m not scared of needles anymore, so you shouldn’t be afraid either!”

She encouraged her brother—her words childish and even a little funny, but mostly heartbreaking.

Perhaps the boy heard her, for he only groaned softly rather than screaming, sparing them unnecessary trouble. Soon, at Yang Fan’s instruction, someone brought cotton swabs—military issue—and Yang Fan carefully cleaned the wounds as directed in the MX Cleansing Solution’s instructions, painstakingly dabbing for fifteen minutes.

Once the medicine had soaked into the skin, it was best to rinse with either clean water or blood-replenishing potion—the latter was preferable. Without hesitation, Yang Fan took out another vial and washed the boy’s wounds.

Looking at the bloody gashes, Yang Fan silently cursed those beasts. But those men were now in Li Qiang’s hands; they would not escape punishment. Evil brings its own retribution.

Minute by minute, time passed. When Yang Fan finished cleaning the wounds, he carried the little girl to the sleeping quarters—originally reserved for officers but now requisitioned by Yang Fan. No one dared protest, for even the chief commander Li Qiang respected him. Who would defy him and court death?

He laid the boy on the bed and asked someone to find suitable clothes for him.

Along the journey, the army had amassed a wealth of supplies, from toothbrushes and toothpaste to food and gas. Finding clothes was not a problem.

After setting the clothes aside, Yang Fan told Xiao You to rest. She insisted she would wait for her brother to wake before sleeping, but weariness soon overtook her, and she drifted off next to him.

Yang Fan covered her with a blanket, then sat at the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her. Looking at Xiao You’s pure, lovely face, he felt his thoughts clear, and he realized just how adorable she was.

After a while, there was a soft knock at the door. Yang Fan opened it slightly to find Li Qiang standing outside. He stepped out quietly, not wanting to wake Xiao You.

As a soldier, keen observation was second nature to Li Qiang. He studied Yang Fan with curiosity, sensing from various details that Yang Fan seemed like a different person. What he didn’t know was that Yang Fan had reclaimed his fading humanity; his spirit was renewed, his resolve stronger than ever.

But that was none of Li Qiang’s concern. All he cared about was reclaiming his own interests.

Yang Fan knew why Li Qiang was here. After glancing at the closed door, he said, “Counting the two children inside and the four from before, that’s six in total. Let’s go to the eighth carriage now—once I select the final four, we’ll be done.”

The Courtesan Cultivation Plan must not be canceled; this was a bottom line, a matter of principle—it had nothing to do with morality. In fact, Yang Fan believed he was doing these women a favor and, indirectly, benefiting the refugees as well.

Now, the women who met the requirements had been found. The only thing missing were two more “Goddesses.” If he found three or four, all the better.

Once he found two more and placed them into the Courtesan Hall, excluding Bai Su and Wu Yinmei, there would be exactly one hundred ordinary courtesans and ten goddesses. Ten courtesans would form a group, making operations much more manageable.

The goddesses were: Liu Qiaoqiao, Bai Chen, Fang Na—the first two women, plus the two he’d found in the Baisheng Supermarket. That made eight. With Bai Su and the little girl, there would be ten.

If he couldn’t find more, Yang Fan would rather spend apocalypse credits to “make” another goddess out of Liu Xue or Xiao Chen.

As for Bai Su, Bai Su… Bai Su…

Yang Fan…

He was silent.