377: Chapter 378 The First Guests and the "Hesitants"

Seventeen days after Wang left, the first batch of guests arrived at New Homeland.

To call them guests wasn't entirely accurate—they had been "sent" here.

That evening, Little Girl was in the courtyard grooming Huahua—that fellow had recently become obsessed with the game of rolling into mud puddles and then rolling back out, requiring three baths a day—when she suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked up at the sky.

"They're here," she said.

Madam Liu was cooking in the kitchen and poked her head out upon hearing the voice: "What's here?"

"Guests."

A thin crack opened in the sky; unlike the hideous rift that appeared when the Heavenly Court Fleet arrived, this crack was small, gentle, and rimmed with seven-colored light.

Seven people descended from that crack, landing lightly on the ground like seven feathers.

They wore the standard dark gold armor of the Heavenly Court, but the armor was covered in scratches and scorch marks, clearly having been through a fierce battle.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a fresh wound on his left cheek that was still oozing blood.

The first thing he did after landing was to kneel on one knee and lower his head deeply toward Little Girl.

"Thank you."

The six people behind him also knelt in unison.

Little Girl was startled, took two steps back, and hid behind Madam Liu.

"What... what are you doing?"

The leader raised his head, his expression complex—there was gratitude, shame, relief, and an indescribable exhaustion.

"My name is Han Zheng," he said, "Deputy Commander of the Heavenly Court Seventh Fleet. In the battle three years ago, I was in charge of the main assault on New Homeland."

When Wen Youyi arrived after receiving the news, those seven people were still kneeling on the ground.

Little Girl hid behind Madam Liu, poking out half her head, curiously sizing them up.

"Get up and speak," Wen Youyi said as he walked over.

Han Zheng didn't move, only raised his head to look at him.

"Aren't you afraid we're faking a surrender?"

Wen Youyi stared into his eyes for a few seconds, then said, "If you were faking a surrender, there would be no need to kneel for so long. Get up."

Han Zheng was stunned for a moment, then stood up. The six people behind him also stood up.

"Tell me about it," Wen Youyi said, finding a stone to sit on. "What's going on?"

Han Zheng took a deep breath and began to explain.

In the battle three years ago, he was the fleet's deputy commander, responsible for the frontal assault.

He, too, had experienced those 374 seconds of hesitation.

It wasn't because he was awakened by the Seed Crystal—his rank wasn't high enough, and he wasn't on that list of 374 people.

But he had seen with his own eyes the fate of those "Hesitators."

"One of them was my direct superior," Han Zheng said, "the fleet chief of staff. He was usually very strict with us, but he never made things difficult for the rank-and-file soldiers."

"In the battle three years ago, he suddenly froze, and stayed that way for a long time."

"Then he gave the order... to withdraw twenty ships, giving those Heavenly Soldiers who were still dazed a chance to escape."

Wen Youyi raised an eyebrow: "And then?"

"Then he was executed," Han Zheng said in a low voice, "in front of the entire fleet. The charge was 'colluding with the enemy'."

"Before he died, he looked at me. I will never forget that look for the rest of my life—it wasn't hatred, it was... reassurance."

"Reassurance?"

"Reassurance that we, who were still alive, could continue to see this world for him."

Han Zheng was silent for a few seconds, then continued:

"From then on, I knew that the Heavenly Court was not the right place."

"But we had no way out—defect, and your whole family dies; stay, and continue to be an accomplice."

"I hesitated for three years, until..." He looked at Little Girl.

"Until her people found me."

Little Girl blinked.

"It wasn't me who found you," she said, "the door opened by itself."

"The door?"

Little Girl thought for a moment, not knowing how to explain, so she pointed to her temple with her finger.

"There is a door here. For those who 'hesitate', the door will see them."

"When the door sees them, it can find them."

Han Zheng listened, only half-understanding, but he knew one thing—it was this child who saved his life and the lives of these six brothers.

"We killed seventeen pursuers before we could escape," he said, "and three more died on the way. Now there are only seven of us left."

He paused, looking at Wen Youyi: "We ask for nothing else, just a place to stay."

"Farming, blacksmithing, anything is fine."

"As long as... we don't have to kill people who shouldn't be killed anymore."

Wen Youyi was silent for a few seconds, then said: "How many people from New Homeland have you killed?"

Han Zheng's expression stiffened.

"In that battle three years ago, the troops I commanded killed at least three hundred," he said in a low voice. "If you want to take revenge for this, I will accept it."

"But please spare my six brothers—they were just following orders at the time; if they didn't kill, they would have been executed."

The six people behind him became anxious: "Brother Han! We are with you!" "If we die, we die together!"

Han Zheng turned back and glared at them: "Shut up! You have wives and children at home; I'm a lone wolf, if I die, I die!"

Wen Youyi watched this farce and suddenly laughed.

"Who said I wanted to kill you?"

Han Zheng was stunned.

"Killing you, can it bring back those three hundred lives?" Wen Youyi stood up. "No."

"But letting you live, using the rest of your lives to atone, means those three hundred lives didn't die in vain."

He looked at the seven people and said, word by word: "New Homeland does not accept 'innocent' people."

"You are guilty, you know it, and I know it."

"But here, we accept people who are 'willing to atone'."

"From today on, you are under Zhao Iron Pillar's management."

"Whatever he tells you to do, do it."

"Work for ten years, and if no one complains, you can apply to become official residents."

Han Zheng stood there, his lips moving, unable to speak for a long time.

Finally, he bowed deeply.

"Thank you."

When Zhao Iron Pillar received these seven "new employees," his expression was very complex.

"Let me lead them?" He scratched his head. "I was almost hacked to death by them back then, and now you want them to be my apprentices?"

"What, you don't dare?" Wen Youyi raised an eyebrow.

"It's not that I don't dare, it's just..." Zhao Iron Pillar looked at the seven people, one of whom was still wearing blood-stained Heavenly Court armor, and felt strange inside.

Little Girl said from the side: "Uncle Iron Pillar, once they take a bath and change their clothes, they will be just like normal people."

Zhao Iron Pillar looked down at Little Girl, then at the seven "former enemies" who were tense and uneasy, and sighed.

"Fine. My blacksmith shop happens to be short-handed. Xiao Li can't handle it alone."

He walked up to Han Zheng and looked him up and down.

"Can you smith?"

Han Zheng shook his head.

"Can you farm?"

He shook his head.

"What can you do?"

Han Zheng thought for a moment: "I can fight."

Zhao Iron Pillar rolled his eyes: "In New Homeland, fighting isn't the main job; farming is."

"Starting tomorrow, learn blacksmithing with me in the morning, go to Madam Liu's fields to learn farming in the afternoon, and at night... do whatever you want at night."

"Remember, you must work for ten years without any complaints to become official."

Han Zheng nodded, a trace of a smile appearing on his face for the first time.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, just get to work."

That evening, Wen Youyi went to the memorial tower again.

Wang appeared beside him, though he didn't know when.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about what you said earlier," Wen Youyi said. "There will be more and more 'Hesitators'. How many people can New Homeland take in?"

Wang was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Even if we can't take them all, we have to."

"Because if we don't, they will continue to be accomplices, continuing to kill people who shouldn't be killed."

Wen Youyi certainly understood this principle.

But knowing it is one thing, and doing it is another.

In the battle three years ago, 3,721 people died in New Homeland.

Every name was engraved on the tower behind them.

Now, they were going to let their former enemies live under this tower, till the same land, drink the same water, and bask in the same sun.

It wasn't forgiveness.

It was a choice.

"That Han Zheng," Wang said suddenly, "the chief of staff he mentioned, I knew him."

Wen Youyi turned to look at him.

"Codename 'Pine', a fifth-generation member of Cracked Eye."

"He was undercover for twenty-three years, and in the end, he used his own death to buy time for twenty ships to retreat."

Wen Youyi was silent.

"Before he died, he sent one last message to Cracked Eye."

"What message?"

Wang looked at the distant forest and said softly:

"'Tell the children who come after, behind the door, there is light.'"

Wen Youyi was stunned.

Behind the door, there is light.

That was meant for Little Girl.

He knew Little Girl would come.

He knew Little Girl would use that door to catch those who hesitated.

He knew that light would continue to shine.

In the distance, in the courtyard of Little Girl's home, Huahua was chasing after Bright Fur Ball, chirping non-stop.

Bright Fur Ball dodged with a look of disdain, but never ran far.

Little Girl sat on the threshold, hugging her knees, watching them play.

Madam Liu was sewing shoe soles by the lamp light nearby, occasionally looking up at her daughter, then bowing her head to continue.

The moonlight was beautiful.

It spilled into the courtyard, onto the two little beasts, and onto the nine-year-old child.

She raised her head and looked at the sky.

In the sky, countless stars were twinkling.

Among those stars, how many people were "hesitating"?

She didn't know.

But she knew that her door was still open.

It would always be open.

(End of Chapter)