Ding Meng's guess was correct. The Zhong family was not a commoner, but a middle-class family. They had a foothold in the business world of Skydream City, but after the riots a year ago, a purely commercial family like the Zhong family naturally couldn't continue to operate.
The Zhong family's internal problems were also very big. Xiao Si's elder sister, Zhong Ting, was the third in the family. The eldest son, Zhong Hao, and the second daughter, Zhong Ying, were the three people in charge of the Zhong family. Among them, Zhong Hao was more inclined to cooperate with the rebels, Zhong Ying was more willing to cooperate with the resistance, and Zhong Ting was unwilling to form a relationship with the local armed forces. After the Zhong Group fell apart, Zhong Ting mainly focused on the employees who had worked for the Zhong family for many years, because these people, along with their families, had all become refugees.
Of course, as the situation became more and more violent, the military completely sealed off the Linda area, and supplies began to be cut off. Regardless of whether it was the rebels or the resistance, no one was having a good time.
The Zhong family's mansion was originally a shelter for refugees, but a week ago, the rebels began to loot everywhere and suddenly killed people. Fortunately, Zhong Ting was not there.
The old man in front of him was Yu Fu, a servant who had worked for the Zhong family for many years. The child, Yu Tong, was his grandson. As for the child's parents, they had died in the explosion. Even their bones could not be found.
Hearing this, Ding Meng was a little angry. It seemed that the military's classification of the Dawn Army as rebels was indeed reasonable. No matter what, no matter what reason they found, they could not justify killing unarmed civilians.
"Where is Miss Zhong Ting now?" Ding Meng asked.
Yu Fu said, "She should be in another shelter, not far from here."
The shelters in the East District were now hospitals and rescue stations in the city, but they had been bombed and riddled with holes. The military would not attack these facilities on the ground, and the rebels rarely attacked these places, but it was hard to say at a time like this.
The shelter that Yu Fu was referring to was located at another street block. It must have once been a rather large hospital, but the original 10 storeys building had been bombed down to only 3 storeys. These 3 storeys were occupied by women, children, and the wounded. The courtyard and the empty space by the river were filled with temporary tents, and they were filled with refugees.
The rebels probably didn't dare to attack this place because there were too many people. If they really dared to kill all of these refugees, then the military might uproot the entire Eastern District. However, the shelter's supplies were extremely limited. After all, there were so many people in need of help.
When the fully armed Ding Meng walked into the compound, he naturally attracted the attention of many people. However, everyone spontaneously retreated, their eyes filled with deep fear. The riot had lasted for a year. No matter which side the armed personnel were from, these civilians were all beaten to the point that they were afraid of them.
Of course, there were also people who weren't afraid. A short woman walked over. Although she was only about 1.55 meters tall, the way she walked was extraordinary and filled with a unique kind of confidence.
Her clothes were similar to those of the refugees, tattered and ragged. As for her face, it was difficult to tell her original appearance because her face was covered in dirt. In fact, there were not many people alive in the East Borough who were clean.
"Who are you?
What are you doing here?
Please show me your personal information, "the woman asked bluntly.
Yu Fu hurried forward. "Third Miss, his name is Ding Meng."
Ding Meng let out a slight sigh of relief. When he saw this woman, his intuition told him that she was most likely Zhong Ting, Xiao Si's sister, because the two of them had very similar figures and faces.
When Zhong Ting saw Yu Fu, she was surprised and happy. "Uncle Fu, so you're still alive. I thought you had met with misfortune."
Yu Tong pointed at Ding Meng. "Aunt Zhong, it was this big brother who saved us."
Zhong Ting looked at Ding Meng with a much gentler gaze. "Mr. Ding Meng, thank you."
Ding Meng sighed inwardly. He didn't expect to meet Xiao Si's sister under such circumstances.
Yu Fu hurriedly explained, "Third Miss, Ding Meng was entrusted by Xiao Si."
"Xiao Si?" Zhong Ting had a look of disbelief. "Really?
Where's Xiao Si?
He was sent to the refugee camp for so many years. I didn't expect him to still be alive. Where is Xiao Si now … "
Ding Meng sighed. He took out the brown bracelet from his backpack and slowly handed it to Zhong Ting.
Zhong Ting was stunned. She carefully examined the bracelet. After a long time, she raised her head. However, at this moment, her eyes suddenly turned red. "I remember this bracelet. It was Xiao Si's. I gave it to him many years ago. I remember that day was his birthday."
When family members gave bracelets to each other, it was usually a blessing for their health and safety. Zhong Ting must have cared a lot about Xiao Si when he was young.
Ding Meng said, "Miss Zhong, Xiao Si asked me to tell you that he's been doing well all these years."
Zhong Ting's expression became excited. "Really?
Then where is he now?
Is he back?
Is he at the Immortal Weaving Planet or Heavenly Dream City? "
Ding Meng was silent for a long time before saying, "He's doing well. He won't be coming back."
"Why?" Zhong Ting and Yu Fu asked in unison.
Ding Meng sighed. He decided to tell them the truth. "He went to a place where he'll never return."
Zhong Ting felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. She stood in place, unable to speak for a long time.
Yu Fu couldn't help but cry. "This poor child. Sigh … perhaps this is a form of relief for him?"
Ding Meng nodded. His expression was solemn. "Miss Zhong, Uncle Yu, my condolences. Xiao Si has been dead for more than a year."
Perhaps it was because she had seen too many deaths in this place, but Zhong Ting wasn't as emotional or sad as she thought she would be. She took a deep breath and said seriously, "Mr. Ding Meng, can you tell me how Xiao Si died?"
He really didn't want to tell Zhong Ting about Xiao Si's tragic past and the Black Gold Base, so he could only change his words. "Miss Zhong, Xiao Si was a good friend of mine. He died trying to save me. Before he died, he asked me to give this bracelet to you. He didn't want you to worry about him. My life was saved by Xiao Si. Therefore, Miss Zhong, if you have any orders, I, Ding Meng, will do my best to fulfill them."
Zhong Ting was undoubtedly a smart person. When she heard this answer, she knew that Ding Meng didn't want her to be sad for Xiao Si.
She rubbed her red eyes and murmured, "Xiao Si wasn't like that at first. He was just like any other child when he was young, living a carefree childhood. That was until one day when he went out to play in the suburbs. After he came back, he contracted a strange disease. But no matter how many tests we did, we couldn't find it, so you should know …"
Of course, Ding Meng knew that the strange hair and skin on Xiao Si's body was the reason why he was despised by others. Perhaps the ignorance and prejudice of humans was the root of the tragedy.
However, Little Rascal was puzzled. "That can't be right. If it was a disease, I would've detected it back in the experiment hall. There was nothing wrong with Xiao Si's body."
Xiao Ai said, "It could also be a genetic mutation."
Zhong Ting continued, "My father felt that Xiao Si was a disgrace to our family's image when he was alive, so he abandoned him. I didn't even know when he was sent away. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to it."
Ding Meng also felt dejected, but he still said in a deep voice, "Miss Zhong, that's all I can say. Xiao Si is a man, a real man. Although he encountered misfortune, I avenged him with my own hands. Please rest assured."
Hearing this, Zhong Ting was slightly relieved. "Mr. Ding Meng, thank you very much. I'm also very grateful for everything you've done for Xiao Si."
"Don't mention it."
Ding Meng looked around again. "By the way, there are so many injured and refugees here. Why don't you all think of a way to leave?
Staying in this chaotic area isn't a solution. "
Zhong Ting sighed. "Why wouldn't we want to leave too?
Right now, the Federation's army has completely sealed off the city. They won't allow anyone from the Eastern District to leave, much less head to the Western District. "
Ding Meng frowned and asked, "Why?"
Zhong Ting hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Ding Meng, do you know anything about medicine?"
Ding Meng said, "I know a little about it."
Zhong Ting waved her hand and said, "Come, come with me. Let's talk inside."
The condition of the shelter's first floor was worse than the basement of planet KV303. There were wounded people lying on simple stretchers here. The seriously injured had broken limbs, and judging from the wounds, they were all broken by energy weapons. There were even more light injuries.
Ding Meng now knew that because the riot had lasted for too long, supplies were very scarce. Coupled with the fact that the rebels were looting everywhere, there were almost no technological medical facilities available. The few medical cabins that were available had also run out of energy. Therefore, everyone was using traditional bandaging methods to slowly treat their wounds.
Ding Meng also noticed that there was a small quarantine area to the north of the hall. There were five or six alloy stretchers there, but the people lying on the stretchers were not wounded. Instead, they were normal people with all four limbs intact. The only abnormal thing was that their hands and feet were chained to the stretchers, as if they were afraid that they would struggle.
These five or six people all looked at the ceiling with different expressions. Some of them had dull eyes, as if they had become stupid. Some of them had frightened expressions, and their whole bodies were trembling. Some of them were giggling foolishly, as if they had seen a rare treasure … Anyway, no matter what expression they had, this was definitely not the state of a normal person.
This situation reminded Ding Meng of his fight with Lan Bing. The target of Lan Bing's mental attack was similar to these people.
Ding Meng frowned again. "Their minds don't seem to be normal."
Someone immediately replied, "You're right. There's obviously something wrong with their central nervous system. However, we can't find the cause of the problem. Even the medical cabins can't detect it."
He turned his head and saw a tall man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes walking over. He was wearing a white coat and was clearly a doctor.
Zhong Ting had already started to introduce him. "Dr. Zhan Qijun, originally worked in this hospital. He's a senior medical expert. Now, he's the only doctor left. If he leaves, there's no hope for everyone."
Zhan Qijun sighed. "Zhong Ting, don't say that. Didn't you stay too? Without your help, so many people wouldn't have been able to hold on until now, right?"
Zhong Ting was speechless. Ding Meng could not help but ask, "What about the other doctors?"