Polar Night…

In the study, Jiang Yue frowned as her husband’s dissatisfied complaints came from the other end of the phone.

She waited for him to finish before responding, “I know you’re worried about Chengzi, but Xiao Hai is really a good kid. If we don’t let them live together for a while to try it out, how will they build a good relationship?”

“You shouldn’t spoil that child so much. Her behavior yesterday disappointed me greatly, shouting and making a scene during dinner. She’s talked back to me several times recently.”

“I know, Chengzi’s health isn’t good… but that’s no reason for her to be willful. I’ve already made up my mind on this matter. If you feel it’s inappropriate, you can come back and see for yourself when I go over.”

After a few more words, Jiang Yue placed her phone on the desk and rubbed her temples, which were throbbing from lack of sleep, her mind constantly pondering.

Clearly, her husband was a little dissatisfied with her decision to have Bai Hai look after Xia Cheng.

This was only natural. After all, they weren’t ordinary siblings.

First, they had the same mother but different fathers.

Second, they hadn’t lived together for over a decade.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them strangers.

It was normal for him to worry about Xia Cheng’s safety.

Not just him, even Jiang Yue herself was a little conflicted about her decision.

However, after hearing what Bai Hai had said to her yesterday, for some reason, Jiang Yue felt a strange sense of trust in him and ultimately made the impulsive decision.

Since she had already decided to let him stay and take care of her daughter, she should trust him.

What’s more, she had cameras and alarms set up throughout the house, and she had also spoken to the neighbors.

At the same time, she believed that Xia Cheng was not the type to be taken advantage of.

It was only for a short time, a very short time.

If all went well, she might be able to come back after New Year’s Day.

At this thought, Jiang Yue relaxed slightly and stretched in her chair, planning to go to the living room to make a cup of coffee.

However, when she opened the door, she saw Bai Hai was already in the living room, which startled her.

“Bai… Xiao Hai? What are you doing here?” For some reason, Jiang Yue suddenly felt a pang of guilt, her voice a little weak as she looked at him, afraid that he had overheard her phone call.

But on second thought, it was impossible.

Her study was specially soundproofed. People outside couldn’t hear what was being said inside.

“Oh, I couldn’t sleep, so I came out to sit for a while… Didn’t sleep all night?” Bai Hai took over the conversation, appropriately adjusting his expression to make Jiang Yue believe he hadn’t heard anything… but in reality, he had been listening for a while—modified humans had superhuman hearing, and he could hear any rustle or movement clearly.

“Mmm… I have some things on my mind. You know, we talked a lot yesterday.” Jiang Yue relaxed a little and sat down on the living room sofa, gazing at the already-rising sun outside the window.

After a long silence, she spoke, “By the way, have you thought about it, about…”

“About taking care of Xia Cheng?” Bai Hai smiled. “Of course. It’s not like I have anything else to do.”

A look of joy appeared in Jiang Yue’s eyes, and she suddenly stood up excitedly. “It’s great that you agree. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything here before I leave. You don’t have to accommodate that girl too much. If she gives you any trouble, just tell her off. By the way, let me tell you, every day she…”

Bai Hai put on a serious listening expression as he listened to Jiang Yue’s instructions one by one.

It was clear that although she said he didn’t have to accommodate Xia Cheng too much, she was ultimately still worried.

She ended up talking for almost half an hour about rules and details, until she was tired and sat back down on the sofa, panting lightly.

Seeing this, Bai Hai poured her a glass of hot water and handed it to her.

Watching Jiang Yue finish the water, Bai Hai, who had been listening without speaking, suddenly said, “Xia Cheng must be very important to you.”

“Of course. Although that girl is stubborn and mischievous, doesn’t do well in school, and loves to eat junk food, she’s still my own flesh and blood. I have to dote on her. What else can I do? It’s really worrying…” Jiang Yue had a look of helplessness and a wry smile on her face, but the corners of her mouth remained upturned in a smile, as if she were showing off her daughter to an outsider.

But she quickly came to her senses, and a look of panic appeared in her eyes. The cup in her hand almost slipped.

“I, I didn’t mean it like that. What I mean is that you two…”

“Mom, do you remember the question I asked you yesterday?” Bai Hai interrupted Jiang Yue’s words and looked her in the eye. “I know you love Xia Cheng very much, but I’m still curious—if, right now, you had to choose between Xia Cheng and the research, which would you choose?”

Jiang Yue fell silent, but not for long.

Faced with the same question as yesterday, she clearly already had an answer.

“Xiao Hai, I know what you mean. Please believe me, I never meant to abandon either of you. It was an accident that no one could have predicted… And even now, if I had to choose between the research and Xia Cheng, I would still prioritize the research. I would just choose a more appropriate, a more proper way of handling things.”

Jiang Yue said it all in one breath, then lowered her head like a lamb awaiting judgment, waiting for Bai Hai to speak.

However, what she heard was not complaints or accusations, but:

“What I want to know is why you are so insistent on the research?” Bai Hai paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “The Great Civilization Blockade has been going on for over sixty years. People have lived in this world for several generations. Even though civilization is no longer developing, everyone is still living well. And you now have fame and fortune. Why do you still want to continue with the research?”

“Do you really think that by doing research, you can solve the problem of the current Great Civilization Blockade?”

Jiang Yue looked up, a little incredulous, looking at Bai Hai.

It was hard to imagine that this question could come from a young man in his early twenties.

And the question was so difficult to answer. She was silent for a very long time before she spoke.

“Last century, a writer made an analogy. There is an iron house with no windows and is extremely difficult to break. Everyone in the house is fast asleep and about to suffocate. At this time, someone in the house shouts, waking up a group of unfortunate people to face the agony of their impending death together…”

“Some people think this is meaningless, because it only adds a few more people to face the painful truth. But he said: Since a few people have woken up, you cannot say there is absolutely no hope of destroying this iron house.”

Bai Hai maintained eye contact with Jiang Yue, listening as she continued.

“Actually, that experiment was disbanded because it failed. We worked tirelessly, spent countless hours of effort, and broke countless pieces of equipment and computers. The draft paper could fill an entire research lab. Two thousand one hundred and ninety-one days and nights, in exchange for a single sentence: this path is a dead end… Although that research brought me status and fame, it wasn’t what I wanted.”

“Perhaps in this generation, even until the end of the world, we will not be able to solve the problem of the Great Civilization Blockade. It is like a polar night, and we are a group of ephemeral insects. No matter how far forward we crawl, we will never see the arrival of the sun before we die…”

“But if we don’t strive forward, how will we know that the line between light and dark isn’t just ahead?”

Jiang Yue finished speaking.

Her head, which had been bowed, was now raised.

Bai Hai looked at her and saw in her a spirit, a spirit of pioneering.

In this world, which was like a quagmire, there were still people willing to try to struggle, even if they knew it was useless. But the struggle itself was the meaning.

“I admire you very much… I am proud to have you as my mother.” Bai Hai stood up, his expression very serious. “Please leave with peace of mind. I will take care of Xia Cheng. I guarantee she will not be harmed in any way, not even a little.”

“Mmm, I believe you.” Jiang Yue also stood up, her gaze firm, her expression solemn.

Then her stomach let out a not-so-subtle growl…

Grrr—

Almost instantly, both of their expressions broke.

Bai Hai’s lips twitched, and Jiang Yue blushed, immediately wishing she could find a hole to crawl into—her image as a great mother had just been built for less than three seconds before it collapsed. To make such a fool of herself at her age…

When is the world going to end? Hurry up!

“It seems like no one ate enough yesterday. Actually, I was hungry too, so I came out to look for something to eat… There was just too much going on yesterday.” It was Bai Hai who reacted quickly, covering up the awkward atmosphere with a single sentence.

Jiang Yue also went along with it, nodding immediately.

“Yes, it’s all Xia Cheng’s fault. She was running around yesterday, and everyone was worried. We didn’t even eat properly… How about we order takeout?” Jiang Yue took out her phone. She rarely cooked at home. Although she was skillful in the research lab, in the kitchen, she could only guarantee that she wouldn’t blow up the stove.

“Forget it, I’ll do it. I just saw that there are plenty of ingredients in the fridge.” Bai Hai waved his hand and walked into the kitchen very skillfully, tying the scarf around his waist.

Jiang Yue looked at him in surprise, incredulous. “You can cook?”

“A little. After all, when you’re on your own, you have to do everything yourself… Do you prefer Chinese or Western food?”

Jiang Yue was even more surprised. “I get to choose?”

“Of course.”

Dark, black sewers.

This was a place that civilized people hated and despised.

However, it was precisely this kind of place that bore the filth and dirt of civilization.

Abandoned, despised, everything that civilization didn’t need was flushed down the pipes and gathered here, including ex-boyfriends’ rings and chopped-up body parts.

With the push of a button and the sound of rushing water, the toilet flushes everything away, and the city becomes clean again.

People can continue to enjoy a good life, and rightfully continue to produce garbage, because there will always be a place for everything.

Including that dazzling drop of silver water.

It also had a place here.

But it was by no means content to stay here.

So it followed the filth and garbage, squeezing through one pipe after another, looking forward to its hunting ground, where there would be endless flesh to eat and endless screams to hear…

And then, it found it.