Chapter 222: A Season of Despair and Helplessness
After they finished eating and tidied up, Qi Yanxin began her “work.”
Xu Zhi had nothing in particular to do. She could only keep her extraordinary ability running while absentmindedly watching Qi Yanxin’s hands move.
At nine in the morning, the broadcast outside rang out once more.
—Attention, all citizens!
A stern, gender-neutral mechanical voice came through the loudspeaker.
—It has been confirmed that this Fog Season is: the Season of Despair and Helplessness.
—The night awaits us. Nothing will go smoothly. Please remain vigilant and do not allow doubts to take root.
The message was repeated three times before the broadcast finally ended.
Xu Zhi listened in a daze, completely confused. But when she turned to look at Qi Yanxin, she saw that the woman seemed to have let out a sigh of relief.
“So… what exactly does the broadcast mean?”
It was way too cryptic! Totally incomprehensible!
She hated riddlers—everyone except narrators who spoke in riddles!
Qi Yanxin put down what she was holding and explained patiently, “Based on past experience and official notices, during the Season of Despair, the fear in people’s hearts will be amplified. Many things you normally wouldn’t find frightening will start to scare you.”
“If there’s something you’re already afraid of, then you should stay even farther away from it.”
“Because during this period, fear doesn’t fade. It only keeps growing, trapping people in that emotion day after day. And when it reaches a certain point, it turns into despair.”
“I’ve heard that quite a few people who felt despair ended up committing suicide. Some were literally scared to death in their own homes.”
“And there were also those who, out of extreme despair, did some… very inhumane things.”
As Qi Yanxin said this, her expression looked like she was recalling something unpleasant. “Anyway, try your best not to fall into doubt. Doubt breeds fear, and fear turns into despair.”
In the past, this was the season she feared most. Every time it came, she would relive the most powerless moments of her life. But now, with Xu Zhi here, she had a new emotional anchor, and she was no longer so afraid of this season.
“I was worried it might be the Disease Season. Thankfully it’s not—otherwise that would’ve been real trouble.”
Xu Zhi’s body couldn’t withstand the ravages of the Disease Season.
“I see.”
Xu Zhi more or less understood what Qi Yanxin was trying to say. What she was thinking about now was something else entirely—what exactly was in the fog? What was mixed into it that caused such effects, that could influence people’s emotions and thoughts?
Where did this fog that spread across the entire city come from?
And what factor within the fog suppressed her pain, allowing her to absorb extraordinary energy again?
Xu Zhi desperately wanted answers, but clearly, she had no opportunity to find them right now.
Over the next few days, Xu Zhi deliberately avoided further contact with the fog. She was curious, but she wasn’t reckless. Opening the door that time had been an act of desperation—a gamble. She had already won once; there was no need to do anything unnecessary.
Nourished by extraordinary energy, the circuits within her body were slowly growing stronger. Xu Zhi didn’t know how large her circuits would be once her extraordinary level fully recovered, but at the current pace, it should be soon… probably.
During those days, Xu Zhi behaved exceptionally well—taking her medicine obediently, carefully controlling the absorption rate of her extraordinary ability. From time to time, when she felt a bit better, she would secretly prick her fingertip with a needle behind Qi Yanxin’s back and feed some blood to the little variant.
Every time she did this, Xu Zhi would drift into a slight daze, remembering how back in Yuncheng she had often been stingy with her blood and constantly complained that the little variant was too greedy.
She never expected that now, she would willingly want the little thing to absorb a bit more.
“…Things really do change.”
The nostalgic yet regretful tone made it unclear who she was thinking of.
Being confined to the room every day might have been dull for others, but for Xu Zhi and Qi Yanxin, it wasn’t too bad. Qi Yanxin had work to keep her busy, while Xu Zhi spent most of her mental energy on her extraordinary circuits.
She discovered that if she focused on the circuits constantly—“watching” them grow, carefully observing the pale golden pathways—her mind seemed to become clearer as well.
Ever since she woke up, her head had been muddled. During the high fever, even thinking had been difficult. After the fever subsided, the fogginess eased, but the pain remained. Yet over these days of observing the circuits, the pain in her head was actually fading bit by bit.
Xu Zhi marveled at the wonder of the [Lamp] attribute while watching even more intently. By now, she could almost recall the appearance and details of that exquisite, complex circuit inside her body even with her eyes closed.
However, even though they stayed indoors and avoided the fog, Qi Yanxin was still affected to some extent. This mainly showed in how she would often wake up in the middle of the night over the past two days, then anxiously look toward Xu Zhi, only relaxing slightly after confirming that Xu Zhi was still there and breathing steadily.
Sometimes her movements were so obvious that Xu Zhi would wake up as well. Now, Xu Zhi no longer slept as deeply as before, as if unconscious. With the return of her extraordinary power, her mind had grown more alert again.
Almost every time Qi Yanxin woke, Xu Zhi noticed it. But to avoid worrying her, Xu Zhi could only pretend to be sleeping soundly.
As for whether she herself was affected by the fog—it was strange. She felt no discomfort at all. At least emotionally, nothing felt off.
Was it because of the [Lamp]?
Still, this small home couldn’t very well have two people with unstable mental states.
Over the past few days, Qi Yanxin would visibly space out during the day. Each time, Xu Zhi had to call out to her before her expression changed too much. When Qi Yanxin saw Xu Zhi, her gaze would soften, as if she had found a mental anchor.
But soon, Qi Yanxin’s anxiety grew more and more pronounced. She started to fear something happening.
Xu Zhi asked her about it and knew exactly what she was worried about. The reason was simple—the fog had lasted six days straight. If it didn’t disperse by tomorrow, Xu Zhi would finish another portion of her medicine. Normally, she should go to the clinic for a follow-up and get new prescriptions, but if the fog didn’t lift, they couldn’t go out, and the clinic wouldn’t open either.
“What should we do?” The woman’s anxiety was written all over her face.
As she said this, Xu Zhi—sitting in her wheelchair with her eyes closed—suddenly felt her eyelashes tremble. It wasn’t because of Qi Yanxin’s words, but because at that moment, the circuit within her body completed another portion.
It was like a tree sprouting a new tender branch. The last time, she had reestablished her connection with her retainer. And this time, she had once again “unlocked” an ability she had possessed before.
Xu Zhi slowly opened her eyes. A flash of gold flickered through her pale gray pupils.
She didn’t rush to test the regained ability—this wasn’t the right moment. Instead, she turned her head and looked toward the worried Qi Yanxin.
