Chapter 69: Charline

When Chang Yu awoke, his head felt heavy and his body was drained. It was as if he’d spent the whole night trapped in a nightmare, left utterly exhausted in both mind and body. In truth, he had indeed endured a long and taxing dream.

At the dream’s end, curiosity got the better of him, and Chang Yu asked Katya about her parents. It was a personal impulse, a desire to understand her origins. Katya, within the dream, told him her father was a solitary Russian gifted individual. He loved to roam the world, his greatest wish being to travel around it before turning thirty. Determined to fulfill his dream, he journeyed far and wide, eventually arriving in China.

As fate would have it—following the classic tropes of romantic dramas—her father met a Chinese girl there. That girl was Katya and Zhen Youcai’s mother. Katya’s father fell for her mother at first sight and pursued her ardently, though always with gentleness. Through many trials, he finally won her heart.

Coincidentally, her mother was also gifted, but unlike her father, who operated independently, she belonged to the Disaster Investigation Bureau, carrying special duties and responsibilities. At her mother’s earnest recommendation, coupled with her father’s spotless record and formidable abilities, he was able to join the Bureau, despite being a foreigner.

From then on, her father became a citizen, earning nationality and permanent residency. He abandoned his former nationality and began a new life as one of the country’s people. After all this, the bond between her parents grew much closer. Previously, though they loved each other, they were not truly of the same world—one a civil servant, the other a wandering foreign traveler. Their identities and status differed greatly, and they shared neither ambition nor goals.

Now, both worked for the same organization, received the same salary, and shared the same mission and responsibilities. Their relationship naturally deepened. As the saying goes, friendships forged in shared struggle are the purest and most enduring.

Thus, they married, and later Katya and Zhen Youcai were born. Katya’s parents were both outstanding—handsome and beautiful, extraordinary among people. Their abilities were exceptional, and their looks made them stand out wherever they went. It was only natural they’d have such a beautiful daughter as Katya.

Sadly, they both died too early, leaving Chang Yu with no chance to meet them. Otherwise, he would have loved to see his future in-laws in person. After experiencing last night’s dream, Chang Yu finally understood why Katya hated the Disasters so fiercely. The murderers of her parents were unforgivable; both had fallen to the Disasters, and it was no wonder she loathed them.

He now grasped why Katya was so determined to kill them. Every time she destroyed one, it meant one fewer victim and one fewer broken family in the world. She, being so kind, didn’t want other children to suffer as she once had, or endure that same despair. This was why she was so devoted to saving those harmed by Disaster.

Chang Yu used to think Katya was too idealistic—always talking about duty, obligation, and saving others, lecturing Chang Yu with lofty principles. But after experiencing her dream and learning her history, he truly understood her feelings and motivations. Because Katya had suffered the destruction of her family at the hands of Disaster, she could not bear to see others suffer the same fate.

Great as her ideals were, reality was brutal. Katya wished to eradicate all Disasters from the world, but that was impossible. As long as humanity continued to generate negative emotions, Disasters would never cease. Their motives were myriad—some killed for pleasure, others sought to unleash their violent urges, some simply fed on humans to gain strength, and some were innately cruel and savage, killing for no reason at all.

Since ancient times, Disasters and humans had been locked in opposition. When they met, it was always a battle to the death, with no room for compromise. Because humanity could not solve the root cause of Disaster, the only solution was direct action—destroy each one whenever encountered. Though this did not address the fundamental issue, it at least delayed their threat to the human world.

For every Disaster killed, many lives were saved. Chang Yu lay on the bed, lost in these thoughts, his mind spinning yet finding little satisfaction.

Just then, the door to the ward opened. Katya entered, wearing a deep gray pinstriped suit, followed by a girl about seventeen or eighteen years old.

“Well, you’re early today. Did you bring me breakfast?” Chang Yu asked weakly upon seeing her.

Katya wore a light touch of makeup, but even with foundation, her exhaustion was obvious. Clearly, she hadn’t slept well. That was no surprise—she’d spent the night reliving the tragic loss of her parents in her dreams. If she’d slept well, it would have been a miracle.

Even Chang Yu, just a bystander, felt off today; he could only imagine what Katya herself was feeling.

“I didn’t bring you breakfast today,” Katya said, dashing his hopes immediately.

“If all goes well, we can just grab something at a breakfast stand,” she added.

“What?” Chang Yu thought he’d misheard. He was so ill he could barely get out of bed—how could he leave the hospital and eat outside? Was Katya joking?

“Let me introduce you,” Katya said, not wanting to waste time. “This is Charlene, a colleague sent by the Bureau.”

“You’ve never met Charlene before, so you don’t know much about her. Like me, she’s a C-rank investigator in the organization.”

“So, the Bureau sent her here to help you remove that Disaster?” Chang Yu’s gaze lingered on Charlene only briefly before moving away. She was quite pretty, but compared to Katya, she paled.

“Not quite,” Katya replied. “The Bureau sent her to heal your injuries.”

“To heal me?” Chang Yu was surprised.

“Charlene’s gift is very special. She can instantly heal someone, restoring their body to peak condition.”

Could such a gift exist? Chang Yu drew a sharp breath. If Katya was telling the truth, then this unassuming Charlene was extremely valuable. The ability to heal instantly—it was like a full recovery in a game. It was miraculous!

“Normally, as a D-rank investigator, you wouldn’t qualify for Charlene’s healing. I fought for this opportunity for you,” Katya explained. “Since your injury was due to a Bureau misjudgment, the higher-ups made an exception and approved Charlene to heal you. Consider it compensation.”

“It’s decent compensation, but a bit stingy,” Chang Yu muttered, dissatisfied. He’d be healed, but everything would return to how it was, as if the injuries never happened.

The Bureau was so miserly, he thought. Physical wounds could be healed—but who would heal the wounds of his soul?

“What’s wrong? You don’t look very willing,” Katya noted his fleeting look of disdain.

“Charlene’s gift is strategically vital to the Bureau. With her, even the gravest wounds can be healed,” Katya continued. “For her protection, the organization keeps her existence strictly confidential. Only those of sufficient rank know about her.”

“Not everyone qualifies for Charlene’s healing—only C-rank and above. You’re a D-rank, so you should be grateful.”

“It’s not reluctance. It’s just not the compensation I wanted,” Chang Yu said, feeling troubled. “What I want isn’t just to recover—I want a handgun!”

“A handgun! Just like the one you keep tucked in your waistband—a real one!” Chang Yu was desperate; he’d always loved firearms, especially after watching gunfight movies, admiring heroes fighting evil with their guns.

“Getting authorization to carry a gun isn’t so easy,” Katya said with some fatigue, feeling she could never make him understand. Ever since Chang Yu saw her sidearm days ago, he’d clamored for one, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. It was like coaxing a child.

“You’ve only just joined. The Bureau doesn’t know you well enough to trust you with a gun,” she explained. “If you decided to take revenge on society and open fire on a crowd, the organization would be in serious trouble.”

“I’m an upright person! I’d never do such a thing!” Chang Yu protested.

“You know me—I’m not that kind of man. Why doesn’t the Bureau trust me?” he continued.

“I believe you wouldn’t, Katya nodded, affirming his character. “But it’s not enough for me to trust you—the Bureau must trust you.”

Katya paused, then turned to the girl beside her.

“Charlene, please take care of Chang Yu’s wounds. Thank you for making the trip.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Charlene replied, waving her hand. “Chang Yu is a good comrade. He was injured fighting Disaster, so healing him is my duty.”

With that, Charlene approached Chang Yu, and as he stared in confusion, placed her hand on his forehead.

Suddenly, something miraculous happened. A soft green glow radiated from Charlene’s palm, and a warm energy spread from her touch, enveloping his whole body.

It felt as if, after spending a day in freezing winds at thirty below, he’d been plunged into a hot spring. Warmth flooded him, soothing every part, making him never want to move.

Before long, the glow faded, and the sense of comfort ebbed away like a receding tide.

“That’s it. You’re healed,” Charlene said with a smile.

“Come on, that was so quick!” Chang Yu half-closed his eyes in bliss. He hadn’t fully recovered from the comfort, and yet Charlene claimed he was healed—it seemed too good to be true.

He’d barely had time for a cigarette, and his injuries were supposedly gone? Even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe it.

“It’s really done,” Katya chimed in. “If you don’t believe it, check your own chest.”