Chapter 32
One person opened the peephole in the main door to look outside.
"There\'s a military off-road vehicle and a military truck out there."
Hearing this, Zhao Rongyan\'s expression immediately changed.
"Quickly open the door."
His tone was somewhat urgent.
"What are you standing there for? Didn\'t you hear me tell you to open the door?"
Zhao Rongyan put on his authoritative air as the son of an official, and the person at the door was truly intimidated, unconsciously opening the large door.
Zhao Rongyan strode outside and stood in front of the first military off-road vehicle.
Immediately, someone came out holding a gun, aiming it at his head.
It\'s unclear what he said to them or what token he showed them, but after seeing whatever it was, their attitude towards him became much more respectful.
Soon after, Zhao Rongyan returned to the dog farm.
With an air of superiority, he addressed everyone in a condescending tone.
"My father sent people to pick me up. Considering we\'ve spent some time together, I can allow you all to come back to the base with me."
Hearing this, Zhang Xiuyan and the others looked at each other.
In the end, everyone unanimously decided to go.
After all, the dog farm didn\'t offer any security guarantees, and their food supplies were running low.
If they could go to a survivor base, that would certainly be the best choice.
Most importantly, they would have military protection on the journey, which would greatly increase their chances of safely reaching the base.
"Should we go pack our things first?"
"Go ahead, but hurry up. We won\'t wait long," Zhao Rongyan said haughtily.
Then, he walked towards the off-road vehicle outside.
He didn\'t need to pack anything; once back at the base, what couldn\'t he have?
Jiang Rui\'an hurried to follow him.
The others quickly returned to their rooms to gather their belongings.
They didn\'t have much, so they were packed quickly.
Just as everyone was about to leave, they realized one person was missing.
"Where\'s that little girl?"
Zhang Xiuyan asked, puzzled, "Has anyone seen her?"
The others shook their heads.
"I\'ll go check," Zhang Xiuyan said, heading towards Yun Xiaoxiao\'s room.
Long Zhe quickly followed, saying, "I\'ll come too."
They arrived at the room and indeed found Yun Xiaoxiao sitting alone inside.
"Why are you still here? If you don\'t hurry, we\'ll miss our chance to leave," Zhang Xiuyan urged.
Yun Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. "Auntie, I\'m not going."
Her big brother hadn\'t arrived yet, so there was no way she could leave.
Even if she were to leave, she wouldn\'t go to Rongsheng Base.
Not only did Zhao Rongyan and Jiang Rui\'an\'s presence there make her uncomfortable, but the governance of that place was also questionable.
In her previous life, Rongsheng Base had become notorious for corrupt management, leading to widespread discontent and eventually a political coup.
This coup nearly led to the complete destruction of the entire base.
She couldn\'t possibly go to such a place.
Rather than staying at someone else\'s base with constant restrictions, she\'d prefer to be as free as a bird in the vast sky.
Besides, she wasn\'t short on food.
"Why? Do you want to stay alone at this dog farm? There\'s nothing here. How will a child like you survive?"
Zhang Xiuyan was completely unaware of Yun Xiaoxiao\'s thoughts.
She only felt that a large base would be better than the empty dog farm.
So, unable to bear the thought of Yun Xiaoxiao staying behind alone, she tried to persuade her earnestly.
"Besides, humans are social creatures. If you\'re alone and get sick or hurt, there\'ll be no one to take care of you. What will you do then? Listen to auntie, come with us. At least we can look out for each other."
Yun Xiaoxiao shook her head. "I have something important to do here. I can\'t leave yet."
Zhang Xiuyan frowned. Just then, someone called her from outside, telling her to hurry as the vehicles were about to leave.
"Auntie, you should go quickly. Really, don\'t worry about me."
"Oh, child, why are you so stubborn?"
"Just make sure to take good care of yourself."
"I will, I know."
"Well then, we\'re leaving."
Zhang Xiuyan felt reluctant to leave; she had grown quite fond of this child.
She thought the little girl didn\'t want to go to the base because Jiang Rui\'an was there, and she didn\'t want to see such a heartless person again.
"Oh, and auntie, keep an eye on that man with glasses. He might not be a good person."
Yun Xiaoxiao offered this piece of advice kindly.
She actually quite liked Zhang Xiuyan.
Her nature was such that if someone treated her badly, she would repay it a thousand times over.
But if someone was genuinely kind to her, she wouldn\'t hesitate to reciprocate that kindness.
"Also, even if you go to the base, don\'t forget that personal strength is what truly matters. If you find that the base isn\'t a good place, it\'s best to leave early."
She had said all she could; anything more would be too explicit.
Zhang Xiuyan nodded repeatedly, "Alright, alright. You take care of yourself too."
With that, she called for Long Zhe, and they hurried away.
For them, going to Rongsheng Base seemed like the best option at the moment.
Long Zhe kept looking back at Yun Xiaoxiao as they left.
His eyes dimmed a little.
He wanted to stay with her.
But he couldn\'t be so selfish.
His younger siblings were still small; only by going to a large base would they have a place to live and enough food to eat.
Their parents had died saving him, so he had an obligation to protect them!
Moreover... even if they stayed, they would only cause trouble and hold her back...
He just hoped that one day, when he became stronger, they might have a chance to meet again.
The vehicles gradually disappeared into the distance.
This parting meant they didn\'t know when or where they might meet again, or how many of them would still be around.
Turning her gaze away, Yun Xiaoxiao calmly walked to the main gate and closed it.
Looking back at the dog farm, just a minute ago it had been bustling with cheers, and now it was left in complete silence.
She moved a small table into the courtyard, along with a chair.
The weather was nice today, perfect for basking in the sun.
She then took out a cake.
On the cake was a drawing of a cute doll, with the words \'Happy 5th Birthday\' written in cream.
She hadn\'t been able to eat cake when she turned five, so today she would make up for that missed birthday.
If no one was there to celebrate with her, she would celebrate by herself.
She lit five pink candles, closed her eyes, and began to make wishes.
The first wish was to see her big brother soon.
The second wish was to become invincible.
The third wish...
For the third wish, she thought for a long time, only to realize she didn\'t really want anything else, so she casually wished for \'world peace\'.
She cut a slice of cake and put a spoonful in her mouth.
"Happy birthday, Yun Xiaoxiao."
Just as she finished saying this, a small dark figure appeared in her line of sight.
Looking up, she saw a little scorpion on the other side of the table, stealing a bite of cake.
Noticing Yun Xiaoxiao watching, it stopped and looked back at her.
The girl and the scorpion stared at each other.
"Heh, not bad. At least I have someone to celebrate my birthday with, even if it\'s just a little scorpion."
"Go ahead, eat as much as you want."
Yun Xiaoxiao smiled.
The little scorpion seemed to understand her words and began to munch away happily.
And so, under the warm sunlight, a girl and a scorpion leisurely enjoyed a birthday cake together.