Chapter 577: Civilian Hero

The "Tian Ma Shi Ke" has drawn to a close.

The entire city has visibly fallen silent.

Although the black lines floating chaotically in the sky didn't kill everyone here, they were enough to make people quiet.

Apart from the fresh corpses spraying blood on the streets, the survivors are hiding in corners, gasping for the foul air of "Zhong Yan Zhi Di," and they seem even more silent than the corpses.

Countless "Hui Xiang Zhe" awakened on the brink of death, then tragically welcomed their fate with their memories.

The whole "Zhong Yan Zhi Di" is like a battlefield after a massive war, with rivers of blood and massive destruction to buildings.

Unfortunately, the place was already in ruins, like tossing a wad of tissue into a dump, so the changes are hardly noticeable.

Everyone needs a moment to catch their breath, but "Zhong Yan Zhi Di" doesn't.

For it, the destructive "Tian Ma Shi Ke" is just a minor episode in its long history, forgotten once the noon hour passes.

A heavy, exhausted sigh drifts weakly from an abandoned building.

"Are you okay?" the little boy asked the young woman in front of him softly.

"I'm fine..." the woman replied, panting and managing a bitter smile as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Little brother, why did you save me?"

The little boy said nothing and pulled a bottle of water from his small backpack, handing it to the woman. "Would you like to drink some?"

The woman took the bottled water, finding the child a bit odd. "I'm Tian Tian. You can call me Big Sister Tian Tian. What's your name?"

"I... I'm a hero."

The little boy adjusted the crown made of newspaper on his head, as if introducing himself or answering her question. "I saved you because I'm a hero."

"A hero...?" Tian Tian smiled and nodded, glancing at the old bicycle leaning against the wall not far behind Zheng Yingxiong. "You're such a strange kid, riding a bicycle around during the 'Tian Ma Shi Ke'..."

Zheng Yingxiong pulled his cape from behind him and wiped the sweat from his neck with a serious expression. "Civilian, you worked hard too. If you hadn't helped me pedal in the second half, I probably wouldn't have survived."

"Civilian...?" Tian Tian chuckled in amusement, holding out the water bottle. "What kind of term is that... Little hero, do you want some water?"

"Heroes... heroes don't get thirsty." Zheng Yingxiong licked his lips, his eyes full of longing, but he shook his head.

"Pfft..." Tian Tian burst out laughing at the boy. "'Heroes' don't get thirsty? Does that mean 'heroes' aren't human?"

"'Heroes' are human...?" Zheng Yingxiong paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No, no... Civilian, 'heroes' and people are fundamentally different. I wear a cape and a crown, and with my sword, I save all my subjects from disaster..."

"Hmm?" Tian Tian scratched her head, thinking for a bit before saying, "I get it... In that case..."

Tian Tian knelt down halfway, holding up the water bottle with both hands and bowing her head with a smile. "Hero, sir, this is a humble offering from your civilian sister. Please, do me the favor of drinking it~"

"Ah..." Zheng Yingxiong was startled and quickly reached out to help Tian Tian up. "Sis... I mean, civilian, you don't have to do that... I-I'll drink it."

"Good boy."

Seeing Zheng Yingxiong take the bottle, Tian Tian smiled and pinched his cheek, her previously gloomy expression easing a bit.

Zheng Yingxiong was clearly parched and downed the remaining half of the bottle in one go.

Before running into Tian Tian on the street, he had been pedaling that old bicycle with his small body the whole time.

Although he had ridden from his own city to this place just a few days ago, that trip had taken an entire day.

Continuously riding and dodging through the city full of black lines for over an hour was tough for a kid his age, probably around ten or so.

Just as he was about to reach his limit, he spotted Tian Tian, who was running herself to exhaustion.

After a brief exchange, Tian Tian let Zheng Yingxiong sit on the back seat and started pedaling herself. The two of them had just managed to shake off the black lines completely.

Only after confirming that all the black lines had stopped moving did they push the nearly wrecked bicycle into this house.

The buildings in this area are strangely dilapidated—every house in sight is damaged, except this one, which somehow still stands, shaky but upright.

"Still saying you're not thirsty, you silly kid." Tian Tian reached out and patted Zheng Yingxiong's head. "'Heroes' don't drink water? Then why did you carry a backpack with water while escaping?"

"It's from those 'cats'..." Zheng Yingxiong said. "They're a group of capable civilians... Each one smells fragrant."

"Fragrant cats?" Tian Tian furrowed her brow in confusion, finding whatever this child said hard to follow.

"Mm." Zheng Yingxiong nodded. "Civilian, you're a good person, so you should be careful of that team."

"A team?" Tian Tian thought for a moment. "So, you're saying those 'cats' are a team?"

"That's right." Zheng Yingxiong said seriously. "The one to watch out for is one of them—he has a strong stench... His smell is very..."

Before he could finish, blood started dripping slowly from Zheng Yingxiong's nose, and his face turned pale.

Tian Tian jumped in fright and quickly pressed her hand against his nose.

"Kid, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine... It's an old problem..." Zheng Yingxiong pushed her hand away. "I'll be okay..."

"Listen to me!" Tian Tian didn't wait for any explanation and pulled him over, forcing his head back, which made his crown fall to the ground. "You can't be a 'hero' right now—you're hurt. Wait until your nose stops bleeding, then you can be a hero again."

Zheng Yingxiong felt a bit awkward and wanted to resist, but Tian Tian's movements were so gentle that he hesitated before slowly saying,

"But... but someone told me that if you tilt your head back, the nosebleed will go into your stomach... and cause..."

"I don't care!" Tian Tian pretended to be angry. "I'm not educated enough to worry about all that. I just know this is the fastest way to stop the bleeding. That's how my parents stopped it for me when I was little and had nosebleeds."

Zheng Yingxiong blinked, surprisingly obedient as he tilted his head back without moving.

"That's more like it!" Tian Tian said with a laugh. "Once you're better, we can play the hero game again."