Chapter 703: Is Brother Leaving?

“The Divine Dragon…?”

Everyone turned to look at the aunt, unsure of what she meant.

“It was a person with a dragon’s head, standing right outside the park in the west!” the aunt said with a smile. “When I passed by him today, I suddenly felt that his aura was different from others, so I quickly knelt down to worship him. And guess what? He really blessed me!”

“What…?”

Some of them clearly didn’t believe her, their scents twisting with skepticism.

“It’s true!” the aunt insisted earnestly. “I could clearly sense the power emanating from that ‘Divine Dragon’! Otherwise, how could I have gained ‘Fragrance’?!”

Uncle Wan was momentarily stunned—this place seemed to grow stranger by the minute.

“The Divine Dragon…?” Uncle Wan scratched his cheek, as if recalling something. “Whether it works or not, since we’re family, let’s all go worship him every morning from now on!”

“From now on…?” someone objected. “Brother Wan… isn’t this place about to…”

“Perish?” Uncle Wan shook his head. “To be honest, there’s nothing to fear about ‘Perishing.’ We’ve all experienced it once already—you’ve just forgotten.”

Uncle Wan explained in detail how, during the last “Perishing,” everyone had turned to dust before returning to the real world.

Then, after spending a day and a half in reality, we’d all come back here.

The “Fragrant Ones” could retain their memories, while the others couldn’t.

“Brother Wan…” one of the aunts asked excitedly, “Is that why you’ve been doing everything possible to help us gain ‘Fragrance’? You want us to keep our memories?”

“Yes,” Uncle Wan nodded solemnly. “Originally, I just wanted to be a ‘Selfless One,’ but too many people distrusted me. So now, I’m telling you my true intention—I want everyone to gain ‘Fragrance’ so that one day, we can all escape this place together.”

After speaking, he reminded everyone that if we returned after the next cycle, we must gather at this supermarket—our “home.”

At that moment, I realized just how good Uncle Wan was. I’d never understood what “family” meant before, but now I did.

“Family” was a group of people helping each other, discussing problems together, sharing food, and encouraging one another.

So this was “family.”

On the tenth day, we each went to our favorite spots to face “Perishing.” This journey had come to an end once again.

Holding Brother Gu Yu’s hand with my left and Sister Siwei’s with my right, the three of us walked down the empty street. My heart was both happy and sad.

Happy because I felt like I’d finally found my family. Sad because we were about to part again.

“Siwei, do you think Brother Wan is doing the right thing?” Brother Gu Yu asked.

Sister Siwei shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Gathering people together… can we really escape?” Brother Gu Yu turned his head coldly. “In the end, all the ‘wealth’ will be in Brother Wan’s hands. He’ll be the one to escape, not us.”

“I’ve thought about that too, but do we have a better option?” Sister Siwei sighed, her grip on my hand growing slightly sweaty. “The situation is scarier than I imagined. Those people are being brainwashed right before our eyes. But even if we leave, we can’t take Little Hero with us—Brother Wan won’t allow it.”

“Then leave him behind,” Brother Gu Yu said. “Siwei, I’m leaving this group. Are you coming with me?”

His words froze both Sister Siwei and me in place.

Had I heard that right?

What did he mean by “leave him behind”?

“No… Little Hero stays with me,” Sister Siwei said, her voice flustered. “I can’t abandon him. Without me, I can’t imagine how he’d survive here.”

Brother Gu Yu frowned. He looked down at me, then up at Sister Siwei, and finally sighed.

“Siwei, we’ve been here for twenty days. Don’t you get it yet? This place doesn’t need ’emotions’ or ‘family.'” His scent carried sadness as he glanced at me. “This kid isn’t some savior, and Brother Wan isn’t the ‘king’ here. We need to find another way.”

“But we’re safe here,” Sister Siwei countered. “Gu Yu, I agree with you on most things, but for the past twenty days, we’ve been safe. Remember? When Little Hero and I first met you, we were being robbed. Even if this group is clearly a ‘cult,’ what else do we have to lose? We’ve always had nothing.”

Brother Gu Yu turned and pointed at his temple. “We still have you.”

“Me?”

“We still have ‘thought,'” he said. “If we stay in Brother Wan’s group, even if you keep your ‘thought,’ not everyone will stay as clear-headed as you. Ever heard of ‘three men make a tiger’? I have a bad feeling about this.”

Sister Siwei lowered her head silently, her scent wavering with hesitation.

I could feel she really wanted to go with Brother Gu Yu, but she couldn’t bear to leave me.

I wanted so badly to say, “Sister, go ahead,” but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to.

If she wasn’t in this “family,” I truly wouldn’t know what to do.

But I also couldn’t say, “Sister, stay.” I was just a kid—children shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking. I was terrified she might suddenly dislike me.

So I just squeezed her hand tighter, my palm sweating, but I stayed silent.

“I can’t leave,” Sister Siwei finally said. “Gu Yu… to be honest, I know myself well. Even if I went with you, there’s no guarantee we’d escape. Instead, I’d rather help this child develop the right values.”

Her words only deepened the confusion in Brother Gu Yu’s scent.

“Help him develop values…?” He frowned. “No offense, but you two barely know each other. Is this really a must-do?”

“Yes. I just feel it’s necessary,” Sister Siwei smiled. “Gu Yu, you know what? That’s just how I am in life. I love everyone—if I see someone in need, I can’t ignore them.”

Brother Gu Yu let out a bitter laugh. “So you’re saying… you’re the real ‘Selfless One’?”

“I’ve never called myself that,” Sister Siwei shook her head. “I just do what I can.”

At that moment, “Fragrance” bloomed around Sister Siwei—a scent named “Healing.”

That day, the three of us held hands as I watched Brother Gu Yu and Sister Siwei fade away.

But I never imagined that the next time I’d see Brother Gu Yu would be four years later.

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