Chapter 12: Cruelty and Struggle

Ian left from Adrian's hut with a heavy heart. He had originally pinned his hopes on the help of this former important figure of the Enlightenment Alliance, but he had only received indifference and rejection in return. The hope of the City of Ashes seemed to be far away from him once again.

He walked aimlessly through the chaotic and gloomy streets of the City of Ashes. As the sun gradually sank into the ruins in the distance and the sky darkened, the buildings on both sides of the street were in disrepair, and the walls of the houses were covered in blood and burn marks. Broken furniture, scattered supplies, and abandoned bodies lay scattered on the ground, and a sickening stench of decay wafted through the air.

From time to time, there were bursts of cries, whispers and the sound of supplies being forcibly moved. On both sides of the street there were constantly figures traveling quickly, their eyes dodging and alert.

It was then that a scream suddenly rang out, and Ian quickly turned his head to see a few people not far away removing supplies from a dilapidated store whose owner was struggling to try and stop it.

"Please! These are all my supplies, I can't live without them!" The owner of the store, his face full of tears, desperately clutched a bag of flour and refused to let go.

The people grabbing the supplies were also full of exhaustion and despair, and one of the men pushed the store owner away ruthlessly, "I'm sorry, we can't survive either! There's nothing anyone can do!"

Ian's heart snapped as he quickly walked up to try to stop it, but stopped halfway there. As he looked at the scene in front of him, a trace of powerlessness suddenly arose in his heart.

Among the crowd of people grabbing the supplies, there were aged old men, skinny women, and a few yellow-faced children. Pain and struggle were written all over each of their faces, and the eyes filled with despair and begging pierced his heart deeply.

Ian clenched his fists, struggling with a complex inner struggle. He understood that stopping them at this moment was tantamount to making these people even more desperate towards death. But if he didn't stop them, how would the shopkeeper survive if they snatched away his last food?

He felt as if his heart was tightly clutched by a pair of invisible hands, painful and helpless.

"Forget it ... you all take it!" The shopkeeper finally let go of his hand and sat paralyzed on the ground, bowing his head and hiding his face as he cried bitterly, "There's no hope for this world anyway."

The people grabbing the supplies had complex faces and quickly picked up their things and fled the scene, leaving the shopkeeper leaning helplessly against the wall with a vacant gaze.

Ian slowly walked up to the shopkeeper, hesitated for a moment, but crouched down and softly said, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

The shopkeeper looked up at him, his face full of tears and despair, "It's okay, I know, it's not your fault. In this world, who can really help anyone?"

Ian's heart snapped, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. He saw in the shopkeeper's eyes the deep struggle and conflict within himself.

"I hope you survive." Ian got up and whispered.

He stepped onto the dilapidated streets of the City of Ashes once again, his heart heavier. He had witnessed too many similar scenes along the way: people desperately struggling for a bite of food, children hiding in corners and crying silently, survivors attacking each other for a bottle of water.

He gradually realized that the cruelty of this post-apocalyptic world was far deeper than he had imagined.

As the night drew on, there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the streets, leaving only Ian's lonely figure walking slowly through the ruins. His heart was filled with countless chaotic and complex emotions, confusion, pain, self-reproach and a deep sense of powerlessness.

He stopped in his tracks and looked up at the cloudy night sky, asking himself in the back of his mind, "Why did I come to this world? Did I come here just to feel the darkness of this world?"

The system's voice slowly sounded at this moment, calm and mechanical: [The host's emotions are fluctuating drastically, it is recommended to calmly analyze the current situation and your own abilities].

"Yes, how weak my ability is, nothing can change ...," Ian laughed to himself inwardly, "Perhaps it was simply a mistake for you to pick me."

[The host's current confusion and struggle is a normal human emotional response, but please believe in your own potential and the system's abilities. Change does not happen overnight, it requires gradual growth and strength."] The system still responded icily.

Ian was silent, staring down at his scarred hands. He thought of Ron and Alyssa, and the people who were struggling to survive in the ruins.

"Maybe you're right ...," he whispered, "but right now, I don't really know how to move on."

He sat down on a cairn by the side of the road and stared blankly at the devastated city before him. He knew inwardly that he was not powerless, but rather he was overwhelmed by the true cruelty of this world.

Suddenly, a faint cry interrupted his thoughts. Ian turned his head to look, a little girl was hiding in a corner, shivering and crying.

Ian slowly stood up, walked over and squatted in front of the little girl, softly asking, "Why are you here alone?"

The girl raised her tearful face, "Mommy went to look for food, she said she'd be back soon, but she hasn't been back ..." 

Ian's heart clenched violently, and the struggle at the bottom of his heart surged up strongly once again. He looked at the little girl's eyes full of fear and hope, took a deep breath and said gently, "Don't be afraid, I'll wait with you."

The little girl's crying gradually stopped, timidly looking at Ian, her voice small but full of dependence, "Will you help me find my mom?"

Ian stared at her, finally a trace of clarity in his heart, "I will, I will definitely help you."

The light belonging to humanity was quietly rising in Ian's inner heart at this time.