The sky was darkening.
There was no sign that the continuous gloomy rain would cease. Amid the damp air, Chen Fan leaned on the parapet with both hands, gazing into the distance.
He, too, had been young.
He could fully understand the boy's behavior.
But understanding was one thing.
As a leader, such issues had to be dealt with thoroughly to prevent future troubles, especially since Qi Chong was also watching how he would handle this.
Although a leader was the one who gave orders.
The subordinates would also present the leader with difficult problems, see how he handles them, and, in turn, determine their own future conduct.
A leader's way of doing things shapes the subordinates'.
It was like...
When a new teacher came to the class in his previous life, some students would always deliberately cause a stir to test the new teacher's tolerance, thereby deciding how they would behave in that class going forward.
Kill? Scold? Punish?
"..."
Chen Fan fell silent for a long time before making up his mind. He then looked toward the Altar in the corner of the camp. The building blueprint was what he had obtained a few days earlier; he had already constructed and placed it within the wall.
It could heal wounds.
He had tested it on Zhou Mo's injured hand, and the results were quite good, with minimal consumption of Eerie Stones.
The principle behind it was to repair wounds with Eerie Stones' energy.
"Eerie Stones" truly seemed like something all-purpose; they could be used for almost anything.
It would be dark soon.
He didn't know if there would be an Eerie Tide tonight. A sudden thought had just occurred to him: if he connected the Altar to the city wall using "Copper Pipes," could the city wall also be repaired by the Altar?
If that were the case, the city wall's defensive capabilities would be significantly enhanced.
Just then—
Commotion came from outside the camp.
Zhou Mo had returned, driving that simple tricycle. Crippled Monkey went up to conduct the routine inspection. Having passed it quickly, Zhou Mo, along with Pockmark Wang's subordinate, entered the camp to report to him.
...
Inside the rain shelter on the city wall.
"Station Master."
Zhou Mo seemed excited. "With the tricycle you built, Station Master, I reached several stations today that I couldn't before. I brought back lots of supplies and 578 Eerie Stones!"
"..."
Chen Fan turned to look at the tricycle outside the wall. A trailer was hitched to the back of the tricycle, piled high with various supplies. For the camp, this was indeed a great harvest.
"Perpetual Night will fall in less than half a shichen."
"The timing is too tight."
"Don't stay out that long in the future; safety first."
"Understood."
Zhou Mo grinned broadly. He appreciated the Station Master's concern. It was well known that every Architect had their own Protectors. An Architect's body was relatively weak, so when going out, they often needed a Protector as an escort.
If they encountered a fight, they needed to hold out until the Architect had constructed buildings.
Becoming an Architect's Protector was an honor.
For someone like him, who had loved martial arts since childhood and dreamed of becoming a great figure, this was a career he desired.
"Well done. Go rest. Tonight is ours to handle."
"Oh, one more thing."
Chen Fan looked at Pockmark Wang's subordinate behind Zhou Mo. "You stay. I want to talk to you."
...
Night was about to fall.
Everyone in the camp began to bustle about, making thorough preparations for tonight's invasion of Eerie Creatures. During the day, Pockmark Wang and Wang Kui had carried hoes and dug a trench around the camp, specifically designed to deal with the Flesh Worm Ghosts.
When a Flesh Worm Ghost fell into the trench, it would self-destruct and die.
Although this shallow trench would be almost useless against a massive tide of Flesh Worm Ghosts, even the least bit of help might tide them over until the wind direction changed.
Miracles did happen.
It was just that many people couldn't last until the miracle appeared.
"What's your name?"
On the city wall, Chen Fan looked at the boy in the rain with a light smile, his tone gentle.
He wasn't old, probably around eighteen or nineteen, usually quiet and reserved, speaking little. He was the youngest in this camp.
He had a womanly face.
This kind of appearance was considered exceptional among men; he could easily have ended up as a male prostitute in a brothel.
He was a head shorter than Chen Fan, with slender limbs.
"What's your name?"
"Dayu."(In Chinese, Dayu was the pronunciation of '大鱼'----Big fish.)
"And your surname?"
"I don't have one."
The boy lowered his head, somewhat uneasy. "I originally came from a fishing village by the sea. My father was a fisherman. He hoped for big catches every day, so he gave me this name."
"My father didn't have a surname either. He was an orphan from birth and never knew his father's surname."
"He said if I made something of myself in the future, I should choose a surname I liked to pass on. If I didn't amount to much, this name was fine. A plain name helps you live long."
"A fisherman?"
Chen Fan looked into the rainy night. "From the sea north of the wasteland?"
"Mhmm."
"Who provided your Eerie Fire?"
"A natural Eerie Fire zone. There aren't many Eerie Creatures there. It's surrounded by cliffs. The village was built in the middle of a valley. Normally, during the rainy season, you just had to block the only exit with rocks to get through safely."
"So you left the village to seek your fortune because you didn't want to follow in your father's footsteps?"
"No." The boy shook his head, somewhat dejected. "During one rainy season, countless Eerie Creatures flew down from the cliffs and fell into the village. The village was destroyed. I escaped."
"..."
Chen Fan looked at the boy with a calm expression. He wasn't reflecting on the boy's tragic past; he was just somewhat curious how the boy had survived under those circumstances. But the boy seemed to be in a stress reaction at the moment, shivering all the time, his eyes filled with intense fear and pain.
He was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.
Fear was a contagious emotion.
Just looking into those eyes sent a slight chill down Chen Fan's spine.
When the Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide, or the female Eerie Creature, attacked the camp, there hadn't been this kind of fear in the boy's eyes, only panic and unease.
The camp wasn't large.
Although he hadn't known the boy's name before, he would observe everyone during major events to see their truest nature. In those situations, it was often hard to fake.
That was also why he hadn't immediately made an example of the boy to warn others.
Based on his observations, this boy wasn't someone selfish to the point of foolishness.
He could roughly guess something, but he didn't press further.
"This place is safe."
Chen Fan placed his hand on the boy's head, ruffling his messy, rain-flattened hair, and said with a smile. "What's past is past. People have to look forward. This is your new home now. As long as we work together, we will definitely get through the rainy season."
"Alright."
"Go back and rest. It's getting dark. Tomorrow you still have to go out on missions with Zhou Mo."
The boy's mood seemed to improve a little, but he still looked a bit dazed as he turned to go. Just as he stepped onto the stone stairs, the boy suddenly spun around to look at Chen Fan. "Station Master, my father used to say that too, that people have to look forward."
"But why do people always have to look forward?"
"Because the future will be better."
"But who knows if the future will definitely be better? What if it's an even greater tragedy?"
"..."
Chen Fan remained silent for a moment, then smiled at the boy whose face was blurred in the rainy night.
He could tell the boy wasn't abnormally emotional, as if he were struggling with something. This wasn't the time for reasoning.
Reasoning wouldn't be understood, and it might not even be right.
The boy stood frozen, seemingly not expecting the Station Master to say something so crude. After a while, he suddenly chuckled, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Station Master, aren't you going to kill me?"
"Why would I kill you?"
Chen Fan replied with a calm smile, as his fingers, which had been stroking the rain-dampened bluestone parapet, slowly stopped.
"I heard Qi Chong talking to you. He told you I secretly kept Eerie Stones. I thought you would kill me."
"..."
A bolt of lightning tore through the rainy night.
Darkness, like a tide, surged rapidly from the horizon.
In that momentary flash of lightning, he saw the boy's tear-streaked smile, pale and despairing.
"How did you know?"
Chen Fan asked softly.
"I can look back."
"And I can only look back."
"I'm not a normal cultivator. I am a 'Night Watcher'."
Another bolt of lightning flashed before darkness could envelop everything.
The boy shook his head, a cascade of black hair instantly sliding down, shimmering with starlight. His voice also became fragile at that moment, his eyes reddening with unshed tears, an aura of inexplicable sorrow emanating from him.
Like an injured stray puppy, making one want to step forward and pat its head.
He raised his head to look at Chen Fan, forcing out a rather heartbreaking smile.