Why did you provoke me?

Yu Meng didn't look at the fake girl lying on the ground. When she got back to her front door, the four people inside and outside the door were gone. Niannian was waiting for her at the door. "Fourth sister, luckily we practiced anti-ambush techniques, otherwise I might have taken a big fall today. He's really cunning; he's been following us for so long, and we didn't even notice."

Yu Meng turned around and closed the door. "Go inside and sleep. Let's be more careful from now on."

Niannian was clearly still very excited. She tossed and turned on the kang (a heated brick bed), unable to fall asleep. Finally, she leaned closer to Yu Meng and asked, "Who is the person who secretly helped us?"

"Children who don't sleep won't grow tall." Yu Meng pushed her away. "Don't ask so many questions; it won't do you any good. Go to sleep. Liu Wei and the others might come back tomorrow, and you'll be busy then."

"Really? Does that mean my little gray baby will get some good food again? Fourth sister, didn't we say we were going to the Alien Battlefield? Do you think our lines will change if we go there? I'm really looking forward to it!"

Yu Meng snorted and stopped talking. Niannian had too much energy; if she responded, she probably wouldn't get any sleep that night.

In the town.

When Xiao Hao woke up, he was still a little confused. He looked around at the unfamiliar environment and felt a little scared. But he always slept alone at home, so he didn't cry or make a fuss. He got up and slowly put on his clothes.

Yu Hai came in. "Wow, that's great! You didn't cry, and you even dressed yourself. You're such a good boy!"

Xiao Hao looked at him, puzzled. He did this kind of thing every day at home, but no one ever praised him.

"Come on, I'll take you for a walk around the streets as a workout. You're too thin; if the wind picks up, it might blow you away." Yu Hai said goodbye to Changjiu and went out, telling him to prepare a bowl of steamed egg custard for Xiao Hao.

"Xiao Hao, let me tell you, my little sister was just as skinny as you when she was little. My parents prepared a bowl of steamed egg custard for her every day, and after she ate it, she grew really tall."

Xiao Hao responded and followed Yu Hai onto the street.

"We have to go out every day. We start with slow jogging, and once you get used to it, we run normally together. That's how I took care of my little sister when she was at home." Yu Hai didn't know how to take care of such a child. Back then, most of the time, his little sister took the lead, and he followed.

When they finally came back, Xiao Hao was lying on Yu Hai's body.

Mr. Yu was startled. "What happened?" He quickly took the child off Yu Hai.

"Oh, Dad, he's too weak. He couldn't walk any further before we even got to the small market, so I had to carry him around on my back."

Xiao Hao nestled in his father's arms, his stomach rumbling. He blushed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you hungry? Hai Zi, go put it on the table quickly. That bowl of steamed egg custard has been sitting out for ages; it's perfect to eat now." Aunt Yu came downstairs just as she heard the commotion. "Next time, make sure you're full before going out. She's not your little sister; this child is frail, so we have to take it slow."

Yu's father nodded in agreement. "Butler Xu said that he has just recovered from his illness and needs to rest and recuperate. You can't run around like you do with Xiao Si."

Perhaps it was because of his morning exercise. Xiao Hao actually ate the whole small bowl of steamed egg custard. His mother even patted his tummy, saying, "If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me, okay?"

Xiao Hao nodded.

"Your uncle has something to do in a bit. If you're not tired, you can go with him. If you are, go back to your room and rest, okay?"

Xiao Hao nodded obediently.

The day passed quickly, and Xiao Hao went to bed early. Yu Hai watched him sleep and went to his parents' room. "Dad, Mom, whose child is this? Why did you keep him? His health is seriously compromised."

"We've gotten involved with your little sister, and we don't know whether we should refuse. She's just a child, so it shouldn't be a big deal, just a bit of a hassle. We'll ask her when she gets back."

"When will my little sister be back?" Yu Hai asked in a muffled voice.

"Your older sister said she'll be here soon." Yu's father patted his shoulder. "Just take it easy. Before sending the child here, the parents must have investigated our family and knew our situation. They still sent him because they don't mind eating simple meals. Don't underestimate the most ordinary food; sometimes it's the most nourishing."

In the evening, Xiao Wen and his group arrived at the Yu family's old house. Yu Meng looked at them and asked, "Why do you look so disheveled?"

Everyone sat down on the floor. Nian Nian walked over. "Do you need me to check you over?"

Everyone nodded. That bone-drawing master at the entrance of the Alien Battlefield was really unreliable. Every time they came out, they would find aliens that hadn't been cleaned properly at Yu Meng's place.

"Because the cost of getting out is too high, very few people come out. And the supplies we bring in from the outside are also limited; if there are too many, they'll charge us, and they'll charge by weight. Those inside are suffering terribly. As a result, there has been constant fighting inside, which has not only injured many people but also caused deaths."

Yu Meng asked疑惑地, "Most of the people inside are from the Jingchuan base. Are you fighting amongst yourselves?"

Xiao Wen shook his head. "There are also people from the Seventh Base and some external forces. It's quite chaotic right now. They seem to have figured out the use of the Xenomorphs, so they sent in a large number of people. Many people have been parasitized, and then they directly extract the Xenomorphs there. After they're done, they don't let them leave. It seems like they have a mission, and they're only allowed to leave the battlefield after they've completed it."

Du Wenhe added from the side, "It seems they signed some kind of agreement; they can't quit until the mission is completed."

Yu Meng looked at them with suspicion. "Isn't this just throwing their lives away? Do those people even know they're going to die?"

Everyone fell silent. "If they pay high enough, many people would be willing to take the risk," Du Wenhe said from the side.

"So, what kind of people did you observe them to be? Young or old?"

"Most of them are elderly. They might be thinking that by risking their lives, they might be able to leave something for their children and grandchildren," Xiao Wen said in a low voice.

Yu Meng smiled, "Look, canceling the base now isn't such a bad thing. It will give many poor families a quick way to get rich."

No one spoke. The base existed precisely to prevent the Xenomorph from spreading among ordinary people; its destructive power was unstoppable.

But what Yu Meng said seemed to make some sense. If using one's old and frail body to parasitize an alien could bring in additional income for the family, many people would be willing to take the risk.

"But the human body has a limited amount of vital essence; excessive consumption can really kill a person," Xiao Wen said. "Don't be fooled by our presence in the alien battlefield; we're mostly protected by the base's bone-drawing masters. Sometimes we're parasitized just to collect samples. But now, we don't dare stay in there for long. It's too chaotic. You can encounter alien outbreaks anywhere. They've lost their minds and will pounce on anyone they see."

"So what are your plans?" Yu Meng could imagine the horrors that were to come.

Xiao Wen looked at Yu Meng and said, "Many forces want to recruit us base warriors, but we want to hear your opinion." Actually, they all wanted to follow Yu Meng, but they were afraid that if they spoke up, Yu Meng would refuse, and then they wouldn't be able to come to her anymore, which was not what they wanted.