(Sorry, I've been gone diving too deep recently, thank you to the children who silently voted for me, thank you, contentment brings happiness.)
"Have you even forgotten all this?" NPC Maggie's sympathy overflowed even more, she made the excuse of being tired, ended today's reconnaissance activities, and took Xia You back to her home.
Unlike the depression prison where Xia You stayed the previous night, NPC Maggie's family's cottage is much neater and cleaner. The two did not enter the house, but instead sat together outside the house on a refurbished white wooden garden swing.
"When I was four years old, in the year 2564 of Earth, my parents secretly took me to the Prehistoric Society. They were fervent paleontologists working for third-world countries, and according to the order of immigration applications, experts from the Third World had to queue at the back. However, because of me, my parents had to violate the normal order of immigration and secretly brought me here with the help of Colonel Washington."
The year 2564? Xia You could hardly imagine that this eight-year-old child, covered with freckles, devoid of any childishness, actually came from the reality she lived in, over five hundred years later.
"To be honest, I'm envious of you," NPC Maggie started calling her by a nickname after their trust level reached two hearts, "You forgot everything about the past, including the suffocating air, gloomy skies, excessive solar radiation, and water almost like sulfuric acid. It's better to not remember such memories."
NPC Maggie was born in such an environment; she was a premature baby, and because of the severely polluted air, her respiratory system got infected, making her much frailer than normal infants. In the four years before she reached Prehistoric Society, she had to rely on a nutrition pod to survive. She couldn't play with playmates around her; her daily games consisted of identifying biological cards with her parents and the lab staff. To prevent Maggie's condition from worsening, her parents unhesitatingly chose to betray the government and joined the smuggling ranks.
Five hundred years later, Earth had become like that. Speaking of which, NPC Maggie leaned on Xia You's arm. It was still evening, and her mother and little brother had not yet returned home. The two sat outside the house, bathed in the setting sun, chatting unrestrainedly on the simple swing painted golden by the sunlight.
"After coming here, the Government Army soon discovered the existence of our group of illegal immigrants, and then there were a series of small-scale skirmishes, fighting over land, water sources, and suitable living environments. We were called the rebel army, lived in the worst places, ate the least food, and had the most basic medical facilities. Every month, Colonel Washington had to risk her life to attack the Government Army's supply lines to exchange for limited food and water sources. People would die every time; my father was also wounded in one action, and due to the lack of medical equipment, he died. Besides these basic fights, we also had to face those prehistoric creatures, like the Moth Dragon we encountered the day before yesterday." NPC Maggie's pupils kept contracting as she talked about death.
"If you could, would you choose to go back?" That day, the scene of NPC Maggie kneeling by the riverbank touched Xia You. Colonel Washington couldn't possibly be guarding Maggie all the time. Despite the harsh living conditions of 2564, human high technology could at least ensure the survival and well-being of Maggie's family. Surviving is the basic requirement of humanity.
"No, my mother told me that even though she sacrificed my father, she has never regretted coming to Prehistoric Society, because she wanted us to live better. I also believe that I have the responsibility to create a better living environment for the next generation. We can definitely defeat the Government Army and those prehistoric creatures, although saying this might sound unreasonable to you." NPC Maggie stood on the swing, facing the sunlight, swinging the swing. The simple swing bore a soul more brilliant than gold.
"Sister, we're back," a child's voice came from the distance from the cottage, and Xia You saw a woman and a boy walking over. They were NPC Maggie's family.
NPC Maggie's mother Sofia is a paleontologist serving the rebel army, and these days, as the Government Army has strengthened the surveillance of supply lines, the rebel army could get less and less food, and even the basic needs of food and warmth in the camp could not be met.
Xia You's identity had already been informed to Maggie's mother by Colonel Washington, which also included the incident where Xia You once tried to save her daughter.
"Hello," Sofia, brimming with an academic aura more comforting than the rebel army personnel including Colonel Washington, politely extended her hand and shook hands with Xia You after seeing her.
NPC Maggie's father came from a Third World country in Africa, and her mother came from a First World country. Together, they had Maggie, whose subsequent hardships made her more resilient than the average person.
When Xia You saw her, he faintly felt a certain degree of similarity to Xia Yun.
Maggie's mother also noticed a special temperament in this low-class soldier codenamed "0," a temperament somewhat reminiscent of both Maggie and her deceased husband. With penetrative eyes and perpetually pursed lips, traits of an excellent military person who strictly follows military rules and keeps secrets.
Maggie's reconnaissance talent was inherited from her father, so her mother lacked such abilities. She could only rely on her instincts to be sure that "0" posed no threat to her daughter.
Dinner was the simplest fare, slices of rye bread and a thin porridge cooked with seeds from prehistoric trees. Maggie's mother distributed a bowl of porridge and two slices of bread to everyone. Xia You ate a bowl of porridge and two slices of rye bread but didn't feel full at all. The food on the table was scarce, even NPC Maggie and her little brother did not receive more.
With the rebel camp's food supply already insufficient to meet demands, Xia You did not speak further. Moderate hunger was also a way of training.
After dinner, Maggie's five-year-old little brother volunteered to clean up the dishes and his mother did not stop him. It was evident that in prehistoric society, adults placed significant importance on cultivating children's adaptability.
"Maggie," Maggie's mother said quietly: "Mom needs to discuss something with you."
Xia You tactfully left the house. Only after Xia You's footsteps faded away did Maggie's mother begin to speak with reassurance. "Maggie, mom needs to go to Kapa Military District."
NPC Maggie nervously clutched her mother's hand.
Outside the house, Xia You was squatting in the corner. Pretending to have walked away, she turned back and hid in the corner instead. Maggie, and her daughter's lack of vigilance did not notice the movement outside, allowing Xia You to eavesdrop on their entire conversation.