The ride to the inner cities was relatively uneventful, despite He Jiuyu being an impressively bad driver. As for Yan Lidong, he was impressively bad with directions, so despite Botany giving him brief descriptions of the route they were taking, he still had no clue what was going on.
Yan Lidong leaned back into the seat, yawning. He had always been hopelessly geographically challenged, so there was no point in trying to keep up with how the journey was going. Though he tried to keep up with the scenery outside, everything looked like a regular suburban neighbourhood, followed by vast expanses of grass and dirt. He slowly started dozing off.
"He's asleep," Botany noted, having looked back to check on Yan Lidong.
"It's been a tough journey for him, huh? I guess we still have a soft spot for silly, endearing kids like him," He Jiuyu mused.
"...do you think we'll ever get Hunter back?" Botany suddenly asked, her voice barely a whisper, her expression unreadable.
"...we've made progress; that's all that matters. Even if he doesn't remember us, he's still willing to get to know us as friends. We can make new memories as long as he hasn't left us."
"I guess. I just… can't imagine how empty he'd feel. All I forgot was my name, and even then, I feel like a part of me is missing."
"I know, Tianyun."
She frowned. For a moment, she sat in place, muttering the name under her breath before lightly shaking her head. "It's… weird. I feel like I can never acknowledge that word as my own name."
He sighed. "Figures. Forget it, we've already tried dozens of times. It's hopeless."
They fell into silence for a spell, neither one bothering to speak. Not moments later, Yan Lidong slowly cracked one eye open, peeking at their uncharacteristically solemn faces. He grinned. So there was something lurking under the surface—he figured that their hospitality was a bit strange. He would have to look into a kid named "Hunter" later. He closed his eyes again, his breathing even and face unruffled.
By the time Yan Lidong stopped feigning sleep, the siblings had managed to return to their regular jovial selves, and they had passed the towering gates into the inner cities. Yan Lidong finally had a sense of how futuristic this world truly was, with the gates emitting a strange, otherworldly glow. Perhaps they were also imbued with power from evolvers.
"Hey, we're here! Don't worry about the guards; we know them pretty well by now, so we got through with no issues!" He Jiuyu said, seeing Yan Lidong slowly blinking awake. "We came straight to City 1, since our business is here, but you can take the high-speed shuttle to any of the other inner cities—"
"He knows that already," Botany jutted in. "Anyways, we feel terrible that we can't send you straight to your city, but we really can't delay. We're dropping you off right at the station, though; can you handle the rest? Of course, we could always take you along! It's really no trouble for us, and we know that it'll be hard to get by when you don't have anyone's protection."
Yan Lidong wondered why the two of them seemed so eager for him to ask to continue traveling with them. In hindsight, given that he was still acting like a fragile young master, it may have been best to play along.
"Don't worry; I can handle this much. I have more money and supplies stashed away at home. You guys go on ahead," he assured them. The siblings' smiles cracked.
"You sure? It really wouldn't be a hassle…" Botany said.
Yan Lidong nodded. Sure, they could offer him protection, but he had far too many issues to sort out to keep dallying with them.
"Ah. Right. Haha. Of course! Yeah, you probably have a lot of things you need to sort out. Safe travels, kid," He Jiuyu replied. He then whipped his head around towards Botany and lowered his voice. "I told you we should've just brought him with us!"
"Well we can't just take him!" Botany whisper-yelled back. "Even if he was abandoned, he still has a home here!"
Yan Lidong, who heard every word they said, quickly waved farewell and walked into the station, which again, somewhat resembled the train stations he remembered. Clearly, those two could take care of themselves. As for himself, well, he could figure something out, just as long as he didn't actually get kidnapped—
Before he even reached the platform, he felt a cloth cover his mouth before a hand grabbed his arm and dragged him elsewhere. Yan "geographically challenged" Lidong immediately lost track of which way the person was dragging him, and frankly, he was barely putting up any resistance. There weren't many people in the station, and that person had managed to grab him without any of them noticing. He was honestly quite impressed, so he decided to properly respect them by accepting his fate and giving up.
After some time, he heard a door creak open, then slam shut behind them.
"Hey, you—geez, why do you look so resigned? Don't make me feel like the bad guy here," the person said after some while.
Yan Lidong opened his eyes, seeing what seemed to be a maintenance room, and a girl about his age before him. He blinked in confusion, then tilted his head. "They make kidnappers so young these days."
She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't consider 22 to be terribly young anymore. Besides, I'm not committing a crime here! You'd be completely screwed without me around. You don't have any currency, or a transit pass—you literally just woke up, so why are you aimlessly wandering around a society you know nothing about?!"
Yan Lidong narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by 'I just woke up'?"
She rubbed her temples. "Listen, I'm not interested in beating around the bush. I have my own reasons, but I know who you are. I saved you when the apocalypse first hit, and I've been keeping you alive all this white."
He pouted, immediately faking distress. "Then abandoned me in a cave? How cruel."
"Why is that the first thing you ask about?! I mean, yeah, I did, but I had to get you away from that—" she stopped herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No, I mean… whatever, you'll understand later. I know you have questions, but this is still a public space, so save them for when we're in a safer place. I only came here to give you this."
She shoved a mask in Yan Lidong's hands. "I got a high-level evolver to make this one. Make sure you wear it at all times; it's pretty hard to take off, though, so you should just get used to leaving it on. It'll completely disguise you with a more average-looking face."
"This is the first time someone's been repulsed by my looks," Yan Lidong teased, though he cooperatively took the mask.
"It's not that. There's an insane weirdo who's been searching for you for a while now, and even if he didn't exist, your face stands out way too much. Contrary to what you seem to believe, I want you to be alive and well, so lay low for now."
Naturally, that was Yan Lidong's plan from the beginning, and he could tell the girl held no malice. If she did, then he would've long been done away with. Unfortunately, that did not quash his incorrigible desire to be absolutely insufferable.
He hummed in response, turning the mask over in his hand, inspecting it. "Right, we've gotten so well-acquainted, but I still don't know your name."
The girl scoffed. "That's completely superfluous. Why are you so curious?"
He grinned. "Don't you want me alive? Well, when my life is inevitably endangered, whose name should I be wailing to come save me?"
She was incredulous. "...you, wailing? I can't see it."
He sighed weakly. "Then it can't be helped. If you insist on being so secretive, I could cry for my mother. I'm actually quite skilled at abandoning my shame—"
The girl's eyebrow twitched. "I get it. You can call me the Warden."
Yan Lidong paused, then softly chuckled. "Man, these names really are nonsensical. So I guess you have a defensive ability?"
The Warden frowned. "It's just my codename—everyone calls me that. I understand your confusion. Frankly, I also think I'm undeserving of being lauded as a protector."
"What do you mean 'also'? I think you're plenty good at protecting people, else I would've been a pile of bones by now. Still, these names seem rather silly, don't they? I don't see the point in announcing your ability to the world, especially when others can deduce that themselves."
"I told you to save your questions. I don't have that much time," she said, making to leave.
Yan Lidong raised his eyebrows. "Then I take it they're just especially proud of their characteristics? I guess I can go around introducing myself as 'Beauty', then."
She immediately turned around, flustered. "Don't do that! Are you not embarrassed?! Seriously, what's your problem?!" She raised a hand to her forehead, feeling the onset of a headache. "Fine. When people first evolve, they're… malleable, for lack of a better word. It's like they're blank slates who latch on to the first things they see or experience; think of it as something like imprinting. That's usually their ability, so when they pick a new name, they'll only identify with something that's related to it. Some people are more pragmatic—that's how we've ended up with five guys named 'Healer' at our base. Others find more proper-sounding names that still have some connection with their power."
Yan Lidong's smile fell slightly at her words. Without waiting for him to reply, though, she had stormed out, slamming the door behind her. He pondered her words as he looked at the face on the mask, a disconcerting feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.
Before he could figure out why, he snapped out of his thoughts, registering exactly what the mask looked like.
…She wasn't kidding when she said it was average-looking. He suddenly felt a faint sense of reluctance.