Chapter 546 Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 546: The Calm Before the Storm

"When I first entered the game, the talent I received was 'Chatty Grade-Schooler.' At the time, I had no idea what such a lackluster talent could even do," Le Shiya's tone carried a hint of embarrassment. "I do love talking in daily life, though. My grandma's condition has been very serious for the past two years. Most of the time, she doesn't recognize me, can't hear me, and is always lost in her own world."

"But my dad died from sickness when I was little, and my mom... I don't know where she went. Even though community aunties help take care of us, my grandma is my only family."

"So every day, I talk and talk in her ear, telling her everything I see, hear, and experience. But she couldn't hear any of it." Le Shiya took a deep breath. "One day, I felt really, really terrible, so sad and heartbroken. I just leaned against my grandma and bawled my eyes out. That's when a strange thought suddenly popped into my head: if I could get inside my grandma's head and cry my heart out, would she finally hear me crying? Would she hold me like she used to, pat my head, and comfort me, telling me not to cry?"

"And then, my grandma actually did hear the crying. She still didn't recognize me, but she anxiously said she could hear her little granddaughter crying and searched all over the house for me." Le Shiya chuckled, the joy in her words genuine. "From that day on, I worked hard to use my ability to talk to my grandma. At the very beginning, I'd be left gasping and exhausted after just saying a few words. But I kept talking to her, chattering in her ear day after day. Now, even though my grandma still often can't see me, she will respond to the sounds I transmit to her."

"Ah..." At this point, Le Shiya sighed again. "I originally thought that after our local Special Operations Team was established, I could earn a lot of money to provide better treatment and living conditions for my grandma. I never imagined our local team would be so terrible. They look down on kids, they look down on my ability, and even when appraising items I bring in, they offer much lower prices than for others! The problem is, I really can't get my hands on any powerful items. Besides the Special Operations Team, the trading section on the Player Forum now prefers bartering, and many people like to trade items for these 'points' or whatever they are. There are really few places for me to earn money. I can't even pay off the debts I owe to relatives..."

As Le Shiya spoke, she felt a hand gently pat the top of her head. Looking up, she saw Su Bai smiling at her. His face was so handsome she almost didn't dare look directly, and though his eyes were a hazy gray, his smile was so warm it made Le Shiya feel like crying.

"You're already amazing," Su Bai patted the girl in front of his "eyes" again. Perhaps because their experiences shared some similarities, Su Bai could deeply understand how the girl felt.

However, Su Bai recalled what Le Shiya had just said and his brow furrowed slightly, asking curiously, "The Special Operations Team you mentioned, is that the one in Qingliu City?"

"No, my home is in Lanshan City," Le Shiya mentioned Lanshan City, a city quite far from both Qingliu City and Honghuai City. "I have an uncle I don't really keep in touch with who lives in Qingliu City. I don't know what happened to him during the previous lockdown there, but he suddenly changed, remembered me and my grandma, drove over, and took us to live with him for a while."

"So this time entering the Nightmare Game, I couldn't meet any players I knew before," Le Shiya said, giving Su Bai's sleeve a little tug. "But you've been really good to me, brother. I'll definitely work hard not to hold you back."

"It's fine," Su Bai leaned down and whispered in Le Shiya's ear, "We will definitely leave this game safely."

"Mhm." Le Shiya wasn't entirely confident in her heart, but whenever she looked at Su Bai's face, she always felt a sense of peace.

...

"We should hurry back upstairs. Staying here gives me the creeps," Tian Yue, who had already packed her food, said from the side. "This Newborn Ward is just too quiet. The quiet lets your imagination run wild."

Perhaps because they all shared the same feeling, the others agreed with Tian Yue's suggestion.

Even Su Bai felt it was excessively quiet. Especially after experiencing that terrifying, storm-like surge of power at the nurses' station earlier, it made the current moment feel even more like the calm before the storm.