Great Harvest

Eileen panted heavily as she looked at the VSS in her hands, stroking the gun with heartache.

This thing was a treasure… hopefully it wasn’t too badly damaged.

She thought to herself that she should probably learn how to shoot as well.

Casting a wary glance at the still trembling girl, Eileen hesitated for a moment.

Like declaring her sovereignty, she raised her dagger, baring her teeth in a low growl.

For some reason, her fur and tail all stood on end, popping her hat off, while a beastly snarl rumbled from her throat.

No matter where this person came from, there was no way she was going to hand these things over!

But strangely, seeing Eileen like this, the nun girl who had been trembling in terror suddenly froze.

Covering her mouth, she actually let out a shy laugh.

That laugh made Eileen embarrassed for a moment, awkwardly standing in place.

“S-sorry! Um… I didn’t mean to laugh…”

Seeing Eileen like that, the girl seemed flustered as well.

She hurried forward a few steps, which instantly put Eileen on guard again, making her want to retreat instinctively…

But soon, a smooth and gentle warmth came.

The girl, ignoring everything, grabbed Eileen’s hand.

Her pure gem-like eyes looked straight into Eileen’s, glimmering with concern.

“You’re not hurt, are you? I know a bit of medicine… Thank you for saving me, I don’t even know how to repay you…”

Her speech was a little stammered from anxiety, but it was clear she was a good person.

In a place like this… was there really a Christian church?

Eileen had thought this whole area only followed Eastern Orthodoxy or something.

“No, I’m fine. How did you come here?”

Eileen took a deep breath.

There was no way this child could be a scavenger.

Her clothes, her manners, her innocence—all showed she didn’t belong to this hell.

Besides… this was Eileen’s first time holding hands with anyone.

“I… I came to get something. But I didn’t expect… never mind, it’s not important.

Thank you for saving me.

My name is Sydney, I’m a novice nun.

Are you… are you an angel? You’re so beautiful…”

The girl who called herself Sydney let go of Eileen’s hand, trying to behave properly.

She seemed nervous, but still forced herself to look into Eileen’s eyes.

Her question made Eileen chuckle softly.

An angel? Me?

“My name is Eileen. I’m not an angel, I’m a scavenger.”

Eileen had no intention of lying.

The girl before her was pure, but not necessarily foolish.

There was no point in lying—she wasn’t going to fight her over the loot anyway.

“Eh? A girl like you…”

Sydney looked genuinely shocked.

But Eileen’s gaze drifted toward the church ruins, pointing at the two bodies on the ground.

“The radiation zone is dangerous.

Do you know those people?”

“I… I guess.

I came back to fetch something, and those two older men said they’d help me if I led them through the church.

So I agreed…”

Sydney shook her head, biting her lip as she looked at the two corpses.

Good grief, what an unlucky kid.

Eileen sighed.

As expected, those two weren’t good people.

The best way to explore a singularity was either to toss in scrap bolts—or send someone in to die so you could follow safely and grab the anomaly.

“You were tricked, Sydney.

They meant to send you to your death and grab the loot afterward.

Luckily… they ended up worse off.”

“Eh!”

Sydney was visibly shocked.

She stared in disbelief at the two corpses, but still gripped her bloodstained cross and whispered:

“May the Lord forgive their sins…”

Eileen herself had no intention of forgiving.

Her mind was on the equipment.

“Mm, forgive them…

Since you insist, I’ll bury them.

You should leave quickly—this radiation zone isn’t safe for anyone.”

Eileen said casually.

“I’ll help you. And… let’s add each other as friends.

I promise I’ll repay you someday.”

Looking into Sydney’s pure eyes—eyes that didn’t seem to belong to this wasteland—Eileen sighed inwardly.

Repay?

All she wanted was the gear.

But outwardly, she nodded.

“…Fine. Let’s lay them to rest first.”

The two exchanged phone numbers, then silently walked toward the wreckage.

Eileen quickly pulled a folding shovel from her cart and chose a patch of firm ground away from the singularity’s core to start digging.

Sydney quietly crouched beside her, clumsily scraping soil with a broken tile she had picked up from the church ruins.

Her white nun’s dress soon became stained with dust, her delicate fingers blackened with dirt.

But she didn’t stop.

From time to time she would pause only to make the sign of the cross and whisper a prayer.

Eileen dug swiftly, though her eyes often strayed toward the bodies and the scattered gear.

The VSS rifle’s stock seemed slightly bent, making her wince.

The exoskeleton looked mostly intact, though a few parts were dented.

The grave wasn’t deep, but enough to hold two men.

In the radiation zone, this was already a luxury.

Eileen felt no guilt.

Together, they dragged the deformed corpses into the pit.

Sydney stiffened when touching the cold twisted limbs, her face paling, but she clenched her lips and refused to back down.

Eileen, expressionless, worked briskly—like moving sacks of garbage.

“May the Lord accept their souls, forgive their sins, and guide them to eternal rest in His light…”

Sydney knelt by the grave, clutching her cross, eyes closed in prayer.

Sunlight filtered through the dust, casting a sacred glow across her dirt-streaked face.

Eileen stood aside, subtly blocking Sydney’s view while kicking a few useful items into her cart—

a working radiation counter, a faintly glowing anomaly detector, and their backpacks.

When the prayer ended, Sydney drew the final cross and whispered:

“It’s done…”

Eileen immediately responded, grabbing the shovel.

She quickly shoveled dirt until only two small mounds marked the graves.

With that ritual complete, Eileen felt relieved.

She turned decisively toward the corpse wearing the exoskeleton.

“Wait! Miss Eileen…”

Sydney looked at her, as if wanting to protest.

Eileen froze, tail twitching defensively as she glared.

“What? Regret it?

The loot’s mine. My rule is clear—what you take from the dead belongs to you.”

“No! That’s not it!”

Sydney waved her hands anxiously.

“I don’t want those terrifying weapons! Take them!

I just wanted…”

Before she could finish, Eileen was already kneeling by the corpse.

Her fingers moved quickly—straps, buckles, release latches—everything came off with practiced speed.

Within minutes, she had stripped the exoskeleton into portable parts, stuffing them into her overloaded cart along with the rifles and packs.

The cart was now bursting, heavy as lead.

This trip was worth it.

Dusting her hands, Eileen looked at Sydney, who was staring blankly.

“Listen to me.

Don’t say another word—just leave.

Radiation levels are too high, and the gunshots will draw scavengers soon.

If you stay, we’ll both die.”

Sydney’s lips trembled.

Slowly, she pulled out a warm golden cross from her chest.

“No… I only wanted to thank you.

This is my church’s personal identification token.

Since you saved me… I want you to have it.”

Give it to me?

This little nun… she really doesn’t know how dangerous people can be.

Eileen sighed and suddenly stepped forward, slamming her against the wall.

Sydney’s body, small and timid, crumpled instantly, tears welling up in her eyes.

She curled up like a frightened kitten, not knowing why Eileen did this.

But Eileen only shook her head and whispered:

“The only reason I saved you…

Maybe it’s because you’re about my sister’s age.

Cute.

So here’s advice:

Don’t flaunt wealth—especially in a mutant zone.

I might help you.

Others won’t.

They’ll be far crueler than me.”

“Your pretty little face here… is a delicacy many would kill for.”