None of them knew where this power came from or what it was.
At this moment, Xu An and Zhou Haimei, having obtained enough crystal cores, returned to the camp.
It was only upon returning to the camp that Xu An learned about what had happened to Liu Chang, Hong Ying, and the others.
"Is Liu Chang still in a coma?" Xu An asked Li Xin, looking at her with curiosity.
Li Xin frowned and sighed, "He's been unconscious for two days and still shows no signs of consciousness. I heard that Hong Ying is almost unable to suppress them over there."
"Isn't Hong Ying also an ability user? Can he be suppressed by ordinary people?" Zhou Haimei inquired with some curiosity.
Ability users far surpassed normal people in both physical strength and senses.
Let alone the motley crew in Hong Ying's team, even legitimate mercenaries would be helpless against ability users.
This was the first time Zhou Haimei had heard of an ability user being suppressed by ordinary people.
Seeing Zhou Haimei's confusion, Li Xin explained.
"Hong Ying's abilities are not as domineering or powerful as yours. I sent people to inquire before. Hong Ying's abilities lean more towards healing. His attribute is wood. He's already severely limited in this icy terrain. Furthermore, his skills lack much offensive power; they are more for support, enhancement, and healing. This is why Liu Chang has been unconscious for so many days and is still safe. It's all because Hong Ying has been using his abilities to heal Liu Chang. But for some reason, Liu Chang hasn't woken up after such a long time."
After Li Xin's explanation, Zhou Haimei and Xu An finally understood why they had never seen Hong Ying take action from beginning to end.
Initially, Xu An thought Hong Ying was the secret weapon of the other team, a trump card to be used at a critical moment.
He never expected it was because his abilities were wood-element and lacked offensive power.
Xu An mused that things might not be so absolute.
It was just that due to environmental factors, Hong Ying's abilities could not be fully developed, and there were many constraints.
However, the extreme cold would eventually disappear.
When spring arrived, Hong Ying's abilities would be maximized.
At that time, Hong Ying's abilities might grow to a terrifying level for everyone. But that was a story for another day.
Xu An saw Li Xin's hesitant expression and guessed that she had something to say, but perhaps felt it inconvenient to speak due to the entire team.
"Li Xin, do you have something to say? It's okay, you can say it and let's see if we can solve it."
Li Xin glanced at Xu An, hesitated, and finally decided to speak.
"An An, when I went to Hong Ying's camp to gather information, I found that a young girl was supporting such a large team and also taking care of and healing Liu Chang, which is really not easy. So, she pleaded with me, asking if she could bring Liu Chang over to recuperate. But we didn't immediately agree. I just said I needed to come back and ask for your opinions. But Hong Ying is truly pitiful. Do you think we can take them in?"
Li Xin finished speaking cautiously, afraid that Xu An would be angry, as Xu An was the true leader of their team.
She also knew that what she was saying was very inappropriate.
But when Hong Ying genuinely pleaded with her with such sincerity, Li Xin found herself unable to refuse.
However, Li Xin had not completely lost her reason. She knew to come back and ask for everyone's opinion.
Before Xu An could speak, someone else interjected.
"Li Xin, has your mind been clouded by greed, or is it blocked by paste? Who is Hong Ying? Who is Liu Chang? You don't even know their backgrounds, and you dare to sympathize with them. Haven't you had enough of being fooled? This is the apocalypse, Li Xin. Tell me, why are you acting like a saint now? Is your boundless compassion nowhere to go? Is your boundless compassion nowhere to go?"
"Or are you ready to wash your neck and offer it to them so they can chop it off? What on earth are you doing!"
Li Cheng looked at Li Xin with a look of utter disappointment, as if she had failed him terribly.
Li Xin, due to her excessive kindness, had suffered many losses despite her good skills.
If it weren't for Li Cheng protecting her, Li Xin would have died hundreds of times by now.
However, Li Cheng only realized that some habits are hard to change when he went out with Xu An this time.
He originally thought Li Xin's disposition had long since changed and she wouldn't easily trust others.
He never expected that Li Xin, under Xu An's protection, would immediately revert to her old ways.
Li Cheng, holding his spatula, was furious. Although Li Cheng's appearance was quite comical, the seriousness on his face ensured that no one present could laugh.
After being scolded like this, the tears that had been welling up in Li Xin's eyes could no longer be held back and finally spilled over.
As she heard Li Cheng's last sentence, the large teardrops could no longer be contained and fell one by one onto her shoes.
"Li Xin, do you only understand that kindness is the most useless thing in the apocalypse when I have to collect your corpse one day?"
Xu An watched the siblings argue, or rather, Li Cheng lecturing Li Xin.
Li Xin, the little girl, was just crying to herself, speechless.
In the past, when Li Cheng lectured Li Xin, Xu An would usually intervene to protect her.
She always felt that the world needed sincere people, so she was willing to tolerate Li Xin's naivete and willfulness.
However, when Li Xin's naivete reached the point of asking whether to let Hong Ying and Liu Chang come to recuperate today, Xu An finally understood the importance of the matter.
Xu An could not protect Li Xin's naivete forever.
They would eventually part ways, and there would be times when Xu An could not protect Li Xin.
Let alone Xu An.
Even Li Xin's own brother, Li Cheng, might not be able to protect her.
If Li Xin still retained such foolish naivete at that time, and neither of them were by her side, who would be able to awaken her?
It was then that Xu An realized one thing: do not easily interfere in others' lives.
And do not casually bestow your superfluous kindness upon others.
Because no one can afford the butterfly effect that arises from that kindness.
No one knows whether the splendor of flowers or the darkness of sin will bloom from the kindness you cultivate.