Oleg, however, did not linger. He patted Seele on the shoulder and then left with the man beside him.
Seele looked at the dazed Orion and poked his face:
"Orion, why are you here?"
"Oh, I heard something happened to you, so I rushed over…" Orion came back to his senses. "It's good that you're okay."
Then he grabbed Seele's hand.
"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
"Huh? Where are we going?"
"It's a secret for now! You'll know if you follow me later!"
Soon, Orion led Seele through a few alleys and arrived in front of his shelter.
Orion pushed open the door, which was modified with iron plates.
Seele stood at the entrance, stunned.
The sight before her completely exceeded her imagination.
This was not just a simple, dilapidated shack.
Although it wasn't large inside, it was clean and tidy.
Thick cloths were spread on the ground, food was piled in the corner, and there were even a few books.
The most striking thing was that there was actually a soft blanket and a pillow on the bed.
This was simply a mansion among shacks!
"How is it?" Orion looked at Seele's shocked expression, feeling a bit proud. "I made all of this."
Seele slowly walked into the shelter, touched the blanket with her hand, and then picked up the soft pillow and squeezed it.
Her eyes were full of disbelief.
"Seele, move in and live with me."
Orion looked at her, his eyes serious: "It's safer here than outside. We can survive together."
Safe… together…
After so many days of surviving alone, these two words held immense appeal for Seele.
Seele suddenly felt her heart enveloped by a warm current.
Looking at Orion, she nodded, her voice a little choked:
"Okay… Orion, thank you."
At that moment, she truly wanted to stay, to spend these difficult days with Orion in this small shelter.
The two of them stayed in the shelter for a while.
Orion took out his reserved food, a grilled sausage.
This was the last piece of meat he had gotten from the snack stall owner, and he had been reluctant to eat it.
"Eat it," he handed it to Seele.
Seele didn't stand on ceremony, taking the sausage and biting into it.
The long-lost aroma of meat exploded in her mouth.
She looked at Orion, her eyes complex.
This boy always managed to bring her an unexpected surprise in the most difficult times.
They sat in the shelter, talking about old times.
They talked about their days searching for food in the garbage heaps, the bullies who had picked on them, and things about the Orphanage.
The atmosphere was unusually relaxed.
Seele felt a strange sense of security.
This place was like a warm home, allowing her to temporarily forget the chaos and danger outside.
But after the warmth, Oleg's words and that "Wildfire" flyer began to echo in her mind again.
"The Underworld cannot continue like this…"
"We have to do it ourselves…"
That evening, in a small room separated within the shelter, Seele lay on a bed made of cotton and fabric, feeling somewhat disoriented.
She looked at the comfortable current situation in the shelter and then thought of the people struggling to survive outside, feeling an inexplicable struggle in her heart.
Hiding here might allow her to survive safely.
But was this the kind of life she wanted?
The "Wildfire" Oleg described was not just about survival, but also a form of resistance; they might truly be able to change the current situation of the Underworld.
She gripped the flyer in her hand tightly.
The next day, Seele secretly went to Oleg's side to observe the situation.
She saw Oleg gathering a group of people in a hidden warehouse.
They were all the lowest-level people in the Underworld: wanderers, miners, refugees who had lost their homes, and many of them had numb eyes.
Subsequently, Oleg equally distributed some of the resources they had collected to everyone, and also gave them a temporary place to stay; although it was just a simple tent, it was enough for them.
Then, Oleg and his subordinates taught those refugees some simple combat techniques, organized them to patrol in shifts, and helped those who needed assistance.
Seele saw that these once desperate people, under Oleg's leadership, rekindled their passion for life.
The entire Wildfire seemed to be truly striving for a common goal.
This scene touched Seele.
After returning, and after a night of tossing and turning, Seele finally made a decision.
The next day, Seele woke up early from Orion's shelter.
Pushing open the curtain that served as a partition, she saw Orion sitting on the ground, holding a piece of wood in his hand, clumsily carving something.
Seeing her approach, Orion put down the wood.
"Seele, why are you up so early?"
Seele walked up to him and stopped.
"Orion."
She looked directly at him and suddenly said.
"I've made up my mind… I, I want to join Wildfire."
After she finished speaking, she waited for Orion's reaction.
She had considered many possibilities.
Orion might jump up, point at her and mock her, saying she was foolish, saying she was naive, or even forcing her to abandon the idea.
In her heart, Orion was the kind of person who was extremely rational and valued his own interests.
He would definitely not approve.
Wildfire? What kind of hellhole was that? A rabble, risking their lives for some baseless slogan, and could be killed by Fragmentum monsters at any time!
Orion might say something like that.
However, now Orion just looked at her, blinked, and then said:
"Wildfire? Sure."
"If you like it, go ahead."
He even tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a relaxed smile, then picked up the piece of wood again and continued carving.
Seele was completely stunned.
She thought she had misheard him.
"You… you just agreed like that?" She widened her eyes. "You're not going to ask me why I want to go? Not going to try to persuade me? Not… not scold me?"
"Why would I scold you? That's your freedom."
Orion's carving movements didn't stop.
"What you want to do, the decision is yours. Why would I ask so many questions?"
He paused for a moment, as if remembering something, and looked up at Seele.
"Oh, right."
"Go ahead, as long as you can come back for dinner every day."
Seele didn't know what to say for a moment.
She felt that her carefully prepared extraordinary debate had ended before it even began.
All the rebuttals and arguments she had anticipated had fallen flat.
She looked at Orion's indifferent expression, and a strange sense of loss welled up in her heart.
"You… you're not worried about me?"
She asked softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Asking this question, she felt a little silly herself.
How could Orion be worried about her?
He was Orion, after all.
Orion looked up, his black eyes seriously looking at her.
"I am worried," he said, "but I trust you."
Trust… me?
Seele was stunned for a moment.
She had always felt that in this world, she could only rely on herself.
Fighting, snatching, licking her wounds alone.
She was a lone beast.
But Orion said he trusted her.
"Okay."
Seele nodded, "Then I'll go today."
"Oh," Orion responded, "Remember to come back early for dinner, okay?"
Seele looked at him… and felt strangely at ease.
Then, she suddenly took a step forward, stretched out her small arms, and fiercely hugged Orion.
Orion's body stiffened for a moment.
Seele buried her head in his shoulder, holding him tightly for a few seconds.
Then, before Orion could react, she quickly let go and jumped back a step.
Seele's ears were already bright red, and even her neck was flushed pink.
She didn't dare to look into Orion's eyes, stammering out a sentence.
"S-see you tonight!"
She fled out of the shelter as if escaping, disappearing at the alley entrance.
Orion remained in the posture of being hugged, holding the piece of wood in his hand, stunned.
After a while, he finally reacted, lowering his head to look at his shoulder.
Then, Orion smiled.
He wasn't worried about Seele in his heart.
He was very clear about how Wildfire would develop in the future.
It would be safer for Seele there than wandering alone, and…
This could also be considered a job, right?
Being able to earn food or supplies was good.
Of course, the most important thing was…
At this moment, Orion had a new plan in his mind.
A plan that would allow him and Seele to live more easily in this Underworld.
By then, it wouldn't matter where Seele went or what she wanted to do.