Chapter 93: Back When I Was Young

What was a teenager?

A teenager was a piece of paper with plenty of white space on it.

The empty spaces yearned to be filled with all kinds of colors. That was why they were filled with curiosity and dauntlessness to explore.

They would boast about having tons of empty space, and they were not afraid to make mistakes as they could draw again in other spots.

It was simply because time was very tolerant for a teenager, hence they were powerful and intransigent, arrogant, and considered themselves above all.

Stripping away all the characteristics and intentional coating, the true nature of a teenager was always like that.

Tang Ling’s loud declaration of ‘Yes, I am’ was an ember that ignited the whole warehouse with an explosion. After his loud reply, everyone, including Amir, said in one voice, “Yes, I am!”

As for what the responsibility was and what should they be prepared for, no one spared any further thought before unleashing their urge to explore.

Thuja felt like he was looking at his younger self.

Humans were strange. Regardless of the era, kids would always behave like kids, and teenagers would always be arrogant. At most, they could be suppressed but their arrogance was not removed.

Was this lineage? The lineage from a single ancestor?

“Fine, fine, yes, you are.” Thuja smiled as if he had accepted defeat, but he still was not in a hurry to make a move. He walked to the back of the field and kicked open the sealed door.

The smell of trees and grass and the heat from the blazing sun gushed in when the door was opened.

Thuja leisurely walked out and signaled the young warriors to follow him.

Orston excitedly cheered as he removed the coat of his uniform that restrained his muscles. He stretched his body and shouted, “Boys and girls, what are you waiting for? Keep up!”

The group followed with delighted cheers. It was the middle of summer, the hottest month throughout the year. Their emotions were surging, and even the most cowardly Andy opened three buttons on his coat. The girls rolled up their sleeves and pants.

The bleak scenery was blessed with vigor when the group of teenagers cheered happily.

Thuja kept quiet and walked forward with his head down. He walked to the edge of the cliff where the New Moon Warriors had climbed up on the first day.

He stopped.

The teens were standing beside him without any signs of disappointment. They were longing to see something magical.

Would Safety Sector No. 17 below the cliff have changed? Or would the First Reserved Camp pop up with a bang?

The boys had sweat all over their bare chests while their eyes showed a sense of yearning. The girls held hands and did not even bother to tidy their sticky bangs as their eyes flashed with anticipation.

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Thuja was having mixed feelings at that moment. What was the meaning of his actions? Did he get infected by the miraculous New Moon Warriors that were packed with naivety and pureness?

He would never forget this scene for the rest of his life: standing beside the cliff, looking at a group of teenagers anticipating a new page in their lives.

There was a saying that you would hope to return a teen after walking for most of your life.

However, the naivety and pureness you once experienced might be hidden the moment you took the first step back home.

Thuja realized he was thinking too much, so he stopped his thoughts and raised his arm, pointing faraway.

The place that he was pointing at was beyond the whole Safety Sector No. 17. It went beyond the old settlement, and even beyond the entire Secondary Safety Zone forest. It was actually at the farthest point that one could see standing on the cliff.

“Where do you think that place is?” Thuja asked.

“I don’t know. I have a strict family, so I’m only allowed to move within 2.5 km of the Secondary Safety Zone, but there are many powerful ones in our family that can go beyond that.” Orston wiped the sweat off his face. His black sun tattoo was emanating unbridled vitality under the sun.

“There.” Yu raised his fair and slender right hand which felt a little stiff in the wind. He pointed at the same spot and said, “My goal was to reach that point, the edge of the Secondary Safety Zone. I wanted to see what it is like beyond the unsafe land but I didn’t achieve my goal. I know that there are mutated beasts at the edge of the Secondary Safety Zone.”

Indeed, when Yu first arrived at the venue of the first exam, he had a giant pair of claws in his backpack. Did he kill a mutated beast after another adventure outside the wall?

No one knew how far Yu’s capabilities were, not even now

“I never dared to walk out of the sector, but I did walk past the gate of the sector once when it was opened. I glanced at it from afar, and… I really wanted to go out,” Andy said softly and attracted Orston’s mocking laughter.

Amir lowered his head and then lifted it up again. For him, speaking was rare, but he said, “Maybe in that glance, you saw me. The place that I’ve been staying in is now gone.”

Amir’s words attracted a deep gaze from Tang Ling. It was the first time Amir mentioned the settlement. Even though he sounded calm, there was a very subtle sense of sorrow in between the lines.

Tang Ling could not say anything. His made-up background was that of a teen who came from outside the wall. He was supposed to be a teen with a muddled background and was brought into the Safety Sector by Su Yao.

Tang Ling gazed to the farthest spot. “I once felt very distressed, but not anymore now when I think about it. Sometimes, a person can anticipate the unknown places that he can go to after the sun rises, and acquire things that he would least expect. Even if there’s danger, it felt like death was just a myth and was very far from oneself. That’s why I really wanted to see the world. I want to go to many places, and those are my real thoughts.”

His words were vague, but it obviously hinted that he was once a nomad. It actually matched Tang Ling’s true emotions though. When he first walked out of the settlement to bear the burden of his family, his nervousness and worries were quickly replaced by yearning and fresh experiences. He yearned to reach further the next time.

It was actually the exploration instinct of humans, but it was not stated as such. No matter how far humans explored, as long as humans knew the way home, their anxiety would eventually fly away.

Alas, Tang Ling had no home to return to.

No one could understand Tang Ling’s sorrow, but saying that he wanted to go to many places resonated with the others.

Orston growled excitedly once more as the two girls held hands and smiled in agreement. “We too wanted to go to many places, even the end of the sky!”

Girls tended to say things a little bit more romantic. It was nothing but a casual question from Thuja, but it opened the hearts of the relaxed teens for the first time.

It should be a beautiful conversation among teenagers before the vast scenery, but it seemed like Instructor Thuja’s thoughts were not on the same page.

He looked tired and aged. Although he was only a middle-aged man, somehow, an unusual temperament appeared on his face at that moment. He seemed strong yet tired like there were stories within him waiting to be discovered.

He finally spoke and lit up a cigarette, which was rare, as he took a bottle out from his pocket and took a sip of liquor.

He said, “That place is actually nowhere. It isn’t the place you want to explore, and it isn’t the goal of your wishes. That place… is where the main troops of Safety Sector No. 17 are stationed.”