Beneath a leaden, ash-gray sky lay a scarred and desolate planet. Those with means had long since fled, leaving only the poor and wretched to scrape by in the ruins. They stayed hidden in their homes, silent and still, venturing out only when forced by hunger; to be discovered by the Zerg meant certain death.
Xingyu was one of the orphans left behind by parents who had abandoned her. Unless starvation became unbearable, she rarely left her corner. Curled up, she would listen to the screams outside, reading and rereading an old book of essays by the sliver of light that filtered in—a book she knew by heart, every word etched into her memory.
The mundane, beautiful life described in the pages stood in stark, agonizing contrast to the despair of her present reality.
Chapter 162