The child had been quietly watching him since earlier, with a small face the size of a palm and eyes that were distinctly black and white. Because the eyes were so large, her eye sockets appeared sunken, and with dark circles under her eyes, she looked like a little zombie. Her limbs were as thin as newly sprouted branches, and she wore a tattered adult shirt that hung down to her calves. Her entire body was covered in charred dirt and bloodstains, as if she had just survived an explosion.
"Little kid, who are you? Didn't your guardians tell you not to go outside the city after dark?"
Li Xing didn't say anything, just stared blankly at Li Yi, but secretly, she felt a little thrill.
The situation wasn't too bad; there were people in this world, and she could understand what they were saying. This person seemed well-equipped, with electronic devices on his wrist, so Li Xing guessed that the technology here was advanced, at least not worse than on Blue Star.
Generally speaking, in technologically advanced worlds, social systems tend to be relatively complete and humane, so they shouldn't be too harsh on a "child" like her.
People without long-term worries might be worried about surviving until tomorrow. Yet, now that the situation had turned for the better, Li Xing couldn't help but curl her lips into a shallow smile, clearing away the confusion and sadness in her eyes.
A child of just a few years, who knows what she's been through, not only isn't crying but musters up the courage to smile sensibly at him. Li Yi's hardened heart felt like it was dealt a heavy blow. While deeply pained, a surge of anger rose in him without reason. If he found out who the heartless person was who left the kid here, he'd make sure to break their legs!
At this moment, the patrol members returned. There was no trace of a high-level Star Beast, and the previous alarm was likely a false alarm. In this outdated equipment of the lower city, such errors were quite common.
Everyone sighed at the sight of such a frail child. Datang City certainly wasn't in great condition; it couldn't compare to the prosperity and development of the central or upper city, but it was still better than countless Satellite Towns and Poverty Villages. In these peaceful times, no one had starved to death yet.
Even the homeless, without income, could fill their stomachs with low-grade nutrient solutions using social welfare funds. Such a thin child, with a big head and a tiny body, like the starving figures from old documentaries, seemed like a gust of wind could blow her away, shattering everyone's understanding.
"Captain, we didn't find any Star Beasts, but the main team just sent a message that a commercial spacecraft left Datang for Star Shining City without proper reporting and approval, using fake plates. It's likely a smuggling ship. Calculating the time, they would have passed through this airspace about twenty minutes ago."
"Smuggling ship? Could it be human trafficking?" A baby-faced team member speculated suspiciously, "What do you think? Could there be a possibility that this little one is related to the smuggling ship?"
Everything about this child, from her frame to her clothes, screamed refugee, but there hadn't been refugees in Datang City for centuries. Aside from slaves, he really couldn't think of the child's origins.
Five hundred years ago, the Federation Government declared the abolition of slavery, listing the trade of humans as a severe crime. But the bad habits of thousands of years couldn't be changed overnight. Without slaves, there were massive gaps in numerous grey industries like arenas, night venues, mines, and organ workshops.
Where there's a market, there's trade. Under the huge temptation of profit, human trafficking has become a tumor that the Federation Government can't eradicate. Each year, tens of thousands of civilians are captured by slave traders, sold across the world, and become a new form of slave under the guise of a free system. The government repeatedly cracks down on human trafficking organizations, but instead of decreasing, their numbers grow. Claiming these organizations lack capital forces supporting them is something even a fool wouldn't believe!
Li Yi frowned, trying to put on a kindly expression and softly asked,
"Little one, how did you get here?"
This place used to be a military post, long abandoned, and just ahead lay the Black Forest, teeming with Star Beasts. Given how frail this child was, barely able to stand, Li Yi didn't believe she could have made it here on her own.
Li Xing trembled as she extended a finger, replying in a tiny voice, "From the sky."
Everyone: ...?
"I fell from the sky."
After the surprise subsided, everyone was filled with rage. Xiao Liu had really guessed it; Li Yi's teeth chattered in anger. Those slave traders, truly deserving of retribution!
Case closed!
This child must be a Little Slave, so emaciated perhaps due to some illness. The slave traders didn't want to waste resources on her, so they threw her off the spacecraft, hoping she'd die from the fall. Judging from the headquarters' intelligence, the smuggling spacecraft had been skimming low to avoid inspection and Star Beasts. Thus, the ship wasn't high above the ground; the child was light, and with the dense moss and grass below, these factors combined allowed the child to survive.
"Good child, don't be afraid. You're safe now! I'm Uncle Li Yi, the Guard Captain of Datang City. Tell me your name and ID, and I'll be sure to find your family and get you back home!"
Li Xing internally gave a bitter smile. Go back? She'd love to, but unfortunately, none of these "uncles" present could tear through space.
"I, I'm Li Xing, I don't have an ID..."
Li Xing thought that this ID thing was probably like an identity card, and as an outsider, where would she get such an ID?
New to this place, Li Xing had no way of fabricating a story for herself, so she chose to tell the truth. After all, she currently looked like a child, and even if her story had holes, these people definitely wouldn't suspect her to be a time traveler. Instead, they'd come up with reasons to explain her situation.
Indeed, upon hearing that Li Xing didn't have an ID, the baby-faced Xiao Liu immediately exclaimed, "How is that possible! Every Federation citizen receives an ID at birth, unless—"
The helpful Li Yi chimed in, "Unless she was born in a slave factory, a second-generation slave."
Everyone fell silent. If there was anything more tragic than being a slave, it was being a second-generation slave. Unlike first-generation slaves, who might have experienced beautiful and free years or even decades before being captured and sold.
Second-generation slaves are the offspring of slaves, taken from their parents at birth, raised in filthy dark environments, never knowing a single good day. They are born slaves, having never seen the outside world, with no hope, no future, only changing owners and one pit of despair after another.
Thanks to Li Yi's helpful input, Li Xing's identity was established. She was now a pitiful, parentless slave.
Li Xing wanted to seize this opportunity to ask where she was, but her body was uncooperative. The side effects of the blood and flesh sacrifice couldn't be completely tempered by just three cycles of Spiritual Energy. Li Xing's little face turned pale as she coughed up another clot of blood and collapsed weakly.
The team collectively gasped: Gah—! (ŎдŎ;)
Li Yi felt a heart attack coming on: What the hell—! (ΩДΩ)!!!
She seemed fine just now; surely she wouldn't just pass away!
"Quick, quick, quick! Get her to a hospital—!"
A group of burly men, who hadn't panicked even in the face of Star Beasts, scrambled carefully to get Li Xing onto a stretcher and sprinted toward the city.