230: Chapter 230 Playing along?

After Walker left, the room remained quiet for a long time.

The wind outside blew in through the gaps in the metal plates, carrying fine grains of snow that fell to the ground and quickly melted into a thin layer of white frost.

Yi Luo stood by the door, her chest heaving heavily.

She was very young and had a thin frame, but her eyes were filled with rage.

Lu Cheng looked in the direction Walker had left, then glanced at Yi Ning inside the pod.

"He's willing to help you take care of your sister. That doesn't sound too bad."

Yi Luo abruptly looked up.

She glared fiercely out the door, her voice suppressed with hatred.

"He would never be so kind-hearted!"

"I heard from those who traveled with her that the time my sister got hurt, it was very likely Walker's doing!"

Lu Cheng frowned slightly.

Yi Luo clenched her fists.

"My sister is the most powerful female hunter in Snow Rock Fortress."

"She has been to the Ice Rift Valley and the Abandoned Lighthouse."

"For such a simple expedition, there's no way she could have been injured so severely!"

As she spoke to this point, her voice trembled slightly.

"Very few people returned that day."

"Someone secretly told me that when my sister was fighting the Mutants, something went wrong at the rear of the team."

"Walker was also in that team."

"Later, that person went missing."

"I went to ask Walker, and Walker said he died in the blizzard."

"But I know he was lying."

Lu Cheng looked at Yi Luo.

For this young girl to have survived until now, it indeed wasn't just due to luck.

She knew she was weak, so she had kept many things hidden.

She had no power to seek revenge, so she could only suppress these suspicions in her heart while taking care of her sister.

Yi Luo being separated from the exploration team this time might have also been Walker's doing.

A comatose sister and a young little sister.

As long as the younger sister died outside, Walker could logically apply to take over care of Yi Ning.

Yi Luo lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer.

"I don't have any evidence."

"The fortress only looks at evidence."

"Someone in Walker's family works in the Council of Elders."

"Whatever I say is useless."

Lu Cheng walked over to the pod.

Yi Ning was still fast asleep.

Her blue hair was spread across the bottom of the pod, and the crack on the gemstone between her brows was clearly visible in the faint light.

"Your sister is very famous in the fortress?"

Yi Luo nodded.

"Very famous."

"In the past, every time she went out of the city, she would bring back blue crystals and herbs."

"During the coldest part of winter, my sister would hand over a portion of the blue crystals to the City Defense Team so they would turn on the heating in the West District for a night."

"She has saved many people."

"The Council of Elders also awarded her a Hunter's Medal."

Lu Cheng looked down at the pod.

According to Yi Luo, Yi Ning was indeed somewhat famous here. If he wanted to get things done in this world, he would definitely need more helpers.

Of course... with his combat power, conquering the world with his fists wouldn't be a problem either, but he was afraid of accidentally falling into a trap.

Lu Cheng spoke:

"I can heal your sister."

Yi Luo abruptly looked up.

She froze at first, and then her eyes widened bit by bit.

"Really?"

Lu Cheng nodded.

"To what extent she can be healed depends on the damage to her body."

"But waking her up won't be much of an issue."

Yi Luo stared at him blankly.

In the next moment, she suddenly fell to her knees, her forehead thudding heavily against the cold floor.

"I beg you, Big Brother, please save my sister!"

"As long as you can heal my sister, Yi Luo will be at your disposal!"

"I can lead the way, gather blue crystals, and even help you find people!"

Lu Cheng reached out and pulled her up.

"It's not that dramatic."

"I do need your help, but I won't make you risk your life."

Yi Luo looked up at him, her eyes already red.

"My sister is my only family."

"As long as she can wake up, I am willing to do anything."

Lu Cheng said no more. He placed his hand on the edge of the pod.

Yi Ning's only problem was that because her gemstone was ruptured, her life energy was constantly leaking out.

Her body was still strong and resilient.

This indicated that she was indeed very strong before she fell into a coma, belonging to the ranks of top hunters, at least at the level of Snow Rock Fortress.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes.

The System's power quietly activated.

[Wind of Recovery]

A gentle aura of life diffused from his palm.

The blue mist inside the pod vibrated slightly.

Fine points of light emerged along the edges of the crack on the ruptured gemstone between Yi Ning's brows.

The originally dim blue patterns began to flow once again.

The ancient instrument on the pod suddenly lit up, emitting intermittent beeping sounds.

Yi Luo was so nervous that she didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

Pressing both hands against the edge of the pod, she stared at her sister without blinking once.

A pale blue glow gradually covered Yi Ning's forehead, cheeks, and neck.

The gemstone between her brows was mostly repaired.

Although a very fine crack still remained, it was no longer leaking life energy.

Yi Ning's finger twitched slightly.

Yi Luo's tears fell instantly.

"Sister..."

The woman inside the pod slowly opened her eyes.

Her pupils were a deep ice-blue.

When she first woke up, her gaze was still somewhat vacant.

"Am I..."

In the next moment, as if remembering something, her body suddenly tensed.

"Damn you, Walker!"

The pod's cover burst open with a bang.

Yi Ning sat straight up, her palm instinctively reaching for her waist.

There was no weapon there.

Her movement halted, and her ice-blue eyes quickly swept across the room.

Yi Luo threw herself forward.

"Sister!"

Seeing Yi Luo, Yi Ning's gaze softened instantly.

She reached out to hug Yi Luo, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Yi Luo?"

Yi Luo was crying heavily.

"I thought you would never wake up."

"It was Big Brother who saved you!"

Yi Ning looked up, gazing at Lu Cheng.

She first saw Snow Spirit on Lu Cheng's shoulder, and then saw Lu Cheng's calm eyes.

Her body tensed up instinctively.

Her hunter's intuition made her immediately realize that this young Outsider was extremely dangerous.

This was an absolute gap in power...

Yi Ning slowly stepped down from the pod.

Her body was still somewhat weak, yet she still stood very steadily.

"Yi Ning, hunter of Snow Rock Fortress."

She placed her right hand over her chest and bowed to Lu Cheng.

"Thank you for saving me."

Lu Cheng said:

"Lu Cheng."

Snow Spirit also raised her little paw.

"Snow Spirit."

Yi Ning glanced at Snow Spirit, her expression softening slightly.

In Snow Rock Fortress, a white fox symbolized a rare sanctuary amidst the wind and snow.

She had never seen a talking Little Spirit Fox, but she could sense the pure aura radiating from Snow Spirit.

"You called out Walker's name just now."

Lu Cheng asked:

"What exactly did he do?"

Yi Ning's gaze instantly turned cold.

Supporting herself against the edge of the pod, she spoke slowly:

"That expedition was an exploration of the Old City District approved by the Council of Elders."

"The team had fifteen people in total."

"I was leading the team."

"Walker was also in the team."

"The mission was originally very simple, just to recover a few blue crystals and a batch of old mechanical parts."

"I had traveled that route three times, and all dangerous areas had been marked."

She paused, her face growing darker and darker.

"After arriving at the Old City District, we encountered an extremely powerful Mutant."

"That thing had black ice scales on its body, and a mechanical skeleton grew inside it."

"It shouldn't have appeared on that route."

"I held it off and had the others retreat."

"When the battle was almost over, Walker attacked me from behind."

Yi Luo's face turned pale instantly.

"Although she had suspected it long ago, hearing her sister say it with her own ears still made her whole body run cold."

Yi Ning raised her hand and touched the gemstone between her brows.

"He cracked my gemstone with a Crystal-Shattering Nail."

"Then he pushed me toward the Mutant."

"I killed that Mutant, but my gemstone cracked, and my body lost its power supply."

"I can't remember clearly what happened after that."

Yi Luo gritted her teeth.

"I knew it was him!"

Yi Ning shook her head, looked at Yi Luo, and asked how she had been during this past month that she was away.

Yi Luo explained what she had gone through during this period.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Yi Ning walked over to the wall and picked up a hanging Short Hunting Knife.

Just as her fingers touched the hilt, her body swayed.

Lu Cheng raised his hand to support her shoulder.

"You've just woken up; your body hasn't fully recovered yet."

Yi Ning stabilized her posture, anger suppressed in her eyes.

"I'm going to the Council of Elders."

"Right now."

"Walker harmed me, and then tried to take advantage of Yi Luo's disappearance to take over my Care Rights."

"This debt must be settled."

She took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped.

Then she turned back to look at Yi Luo.

The anger was slowly suppressed.

It wouldn't matter if it were just her alone, but Yi Luo was still here.

For Walker to dare to do this, there must be someone backing him.

If I rush over now, I might not be able to protect Yi Luo...

Yi Luo grabbed her hand.

"Sister..."

Lu Cheng stood at the doorway, his tone very calm.

"Leave everything to me."

"No need to fear."

Yi Ning looked at him.

She could sense the confidence in Lu Cheng's words.

Yi Ning fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"You said it."

Lu Cheng nodded.

"I said it."

Yi Ning tucked the short knife into her waist.

"Then let's go to the Council of Elders."

...

The Central District of Snow Rock Fortress was much cleaner than the West District.

The road was paved with intact metal plates, and the Warming Stones of the houses on both sides shone with a stable blue light.

The Council of Elders was located next to the Central Tower, and was a grand hall built of black rock.

Standing at the entrance were two old-era Mechanical Guards.

They no longer moved, with only the Crystal Cores in their chests still faintly flickering.

Yi Ning led Lu Cheng and Yi Luo to the front door.

When the guards at the door saw her, they were clearly stunned.

"Yi Ning?"

"You're awake?"

Yi Ning did not stop.

She walked over to the Identity Verification Console in front of the hall and pressed her hand onto it.

A blue light swept across the gemstone between her brows.

After a moment, a low prompt sounded from the verification console.

"Hunter's Medal holder."

"Contribution Points: 7,421."

"Appeal Authority: High-tier."

The hall's doors slowly opened.

Yi Ning walked in, arriving in front of a large black drum in the center.

The large drum was made of some kind of beast hide and a metal frame, covered in carved blue patterns.

"This is the Judgment Drum."

Yi Ning whispered to Lu Cheng.

"Anyone in the fortress with Contribution Points can beat the drum to make an appeal."

"Once the drum sounds, the Council of Elders must convene."

She picked up the drumsticks.

Dong!

The dull sound of the drum reverberated throughout the entire Central District.

People on the streets stopped in their tracks one after another.

Dong!

The second sound rang out.

The Crystal Lamps on both sides of the Council of Elders lit up one after another.

Dong!

The third sound fell.

Deep within the hall, doors opened one by one.

Several elderly Elders walked out of different rooms.

They wore heavy robes, the patterns on their faces of various colors, and the gemstones between their brows were very dim, yet they carried stable fluctuations of Source Power.

Seated at the highest position in the center was a white-haired elderly woman.

When she saw Yi Ning, her eyes clearly flickered.

"Yi Ning."

"You're awake."

Yi Ning raised her hand in salute.

"Elder Lotta."

The white-haired elderly woman nodded.

"You beat the Judgment Drum. For what matter?"

Yi Ning stood up straight, her voice echoing through the hall.

"Walker attacked the captain during the Old City District exploration, causing my gemstone to Rupture, leaving me severely injured and comatose."

"During Yi Luo's disappearance, he took the opportunity to apply for my Care Rights."

"I request the Council of Elders to summon Walker for a Heart-Word Detection."

Low whispers immediately broke out in the hall.

Several Elders exchanged glances.

The face of one Fat Elder changed slightly.

Standing at the edge of the hall, Lu Cheng happened to see his reaction.

Yi Ning saw it too.

She said nothing, only staring coldly at the Elders' seats.

Elder Lotta tapped her staff.

"Summon Walker."

Soon, Walker was brought into the Council of Elders by the Law Enforcement Team.

He originally looked completely impatient.

The moment he walked into the hall and saw Yi Ning, his face froze completely.

"You..."

"You're awake?"

Yi Ning looked at him.

"Are you very disappointed?"

Walker quickly recovered his composure.

He squeezed out a smile.

"Yi Ning, of course I'm happy you've awakened."

"To take care of you these past couple of days, I even submitted an application to the center."

"You might have misunderstood me."

Yi Luo couldn't help but shout:

"You harmed my sister!"

Walker's face darkened.

"Don't talk nonsense, kid."

"The Elders are all here."

"You must have evidence to speak."

After saying this, he quietly glanced at the Fat Elder.

The Fat Elder sat upright in his seat without responding, instead turning his gaze toward Lu Cheng nearby.

Walker's expression became even more unsightly.

Elder Lotta looked at Walker.

"Yi Ning has applied for a Heart-Word Detection."

"Do you accept?"

Walker's throat bobbed.

"Elder Lotta, I don't think it's necessary."

"Yi Ning has just woken up; her memory might be muddled."

"We indeed encountered Mutants in the Old City District back then, and I was injured as well."

"We were all contributing to the fortress."

Elder Lotta's tone was steady.

"Do you accept?"

Walker fell silent.

Everyone in the hall was looking at him.

In Snow Rock Fortress, refusing the detection was almost equivalent to admitting guilt.

Walker gritted his teeth.

"I accept."

Two Law Enforcers wheeled over an ancient instrument.

The instrument's casing was silver-white, with many blue crystals embedded on its surface.

There was a metal ring in the center.

Walker was ordered to stand inside the metal ring.

A blue light rose from beneath his feet, connecting to the gemstone between his brows.

Elder Lotta spoke:

"Walker."

"During the Old City District exploration, did you attack Yi Ning from behind?"

Cold sweat broke out on Walker's forehead.

"No."

The blue light on the instrument suddenly turned red.

A cold prompt sounded in the hall.

"Lie."

The crowd immediately went into an uproar.

Yi Luo clenched her fists, her tears falling once again.

Yi Ning closed her eyes briefly.

She had known the answer all along, but seeing the detection result with her own eyes still made the hatred in her chest surge.

Elder Lotta continued to ask:

"Did you use a Crystal-Shattering Nail to attack the gemstone between Yi Ning's brows?"

Walker's lips trembled.

"I..."

Elder Lotta's staff struck the ground heavily.

"Answer."

Walker's face was deathly pale.

He suddenly looked at the Fat Elder and said angrily:

"You said you would protect me!"

The hall fell instantly silent.

The Fat Elder's face changed drastically.

"Walker! What nonsense are you talking!"

Walker was already panicking.

"You were the one who told me to submit the application!"

"You said Yi Luo would die outside and Yi Ning wouldn't wake up, and that as long as I got the Care Rights, Yi Ning's Hunter's Medal and the Blue Crystal Quota under her name could all be transferred out!"

"And now you're pretending to be deaf?"

The Fat Elder stood up abruptly.

"Impudent!"

Elder Lotta raised her hand.

Two Law Enforcers immediately pinned down the Fat Elder.

She looked at Walker.

"Continue the detection."

What followed ended very quickly.

In front of the Heart-Word Instrument, Walker didn't hold out for long.

The attack in the Old City District.

The Mutant being lured onto the route in advance.

Yi Luo being intentionally lured toward the blizzard after she went out.

The application for Care Rights.

The Fat Elder pulling the strings behind it.

Matter after matter was questioned and revealed.

The fortress residents in the hall went from shock to anger.

Yi Ning held high prestige in Snow Rock Fortress.

She had saved many people.

After she fell into a coma, many people thought it was an accident.

Now that the truth was laid bare before them, no one could remain calm.

Elder Lotta finally announced the sentence.

"Walker, for plotting against a High-Tier Hunter, usurping Care Rights, and indirectly plotting against a minor fortress resident."

"You are stripped of your Fortress Residency Rights."

"Your gemstone power supply eligibility is revoked."

"And you are sentenced to thirty years of hard labor in the North Mining Area."

Walker collapsed onto the ground.

"No!"

"Elder Lotta, I was wrong!"

"I am willing to make compensation!"

Yi Ning looked at him coldly.

"When you harmed me, you didn't think about making compensation."

The Law Enforcers dragged Walker away.

The Fat Elder was also taken away for questioning.

The hall of the Council of Elders quieted down once again.

Yi Luo stood beside Yi Ning, her tears not yet dry.

Yi Ning reached out and rubbed her head.

"It's all right now."

Yi Luo nodded vigorously.

Yi Ning turned around and looked at Lu Cheng.

"Mr. Lu Cheng."

"I owe it to you this time."

"In the future, whatever you need in Snow Rock Fortress, I will help you with all my might."

Lu Cheng said:

"I want to know about the Outsiders, the Rifts, and the world outside."

Yi Ning looked toward Elder Lotta.

"Elder Lotta, he was the one who healed me."

"He comes from beyond the Rifts."

"He is currently searching for other Outsiders."

"And he also wants to know how to leave this place."

Elder Lotta's expression underwent a change.

The gaze she directed at Lu Cheng became complex.

Vigilance.

Scrutiny.

And a deeply hidden wariness.

After a moment, she spoke slowly:

"Come with me."

Just as Lu Cheng took a step forward, Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck suddenly reacted.

This Elder Lotta... didn't seem as righteous as she appeared right now...

Was she putting on a show?

If so... who was she putting on this show for?