Tears were like heavy rain washing away the fire in her heart. In the extinguished embers, she seemed to see the heavy shackles on her body for the first time.
These shackles, as heavy as boulders, pressed against her back day and night, but she was completely unaware of them.
Because there are always new things to do in front of her, and new people are constantly appearing and leaving around her. After encounters and partings, fate always leaves more entanglements and sharp cores for her to resolve.
She accepted the order in a daze.
Now that Chiba had given this feeling a name, she tried to understand it. But there were more and more tears, and the difficulty in her heart became more and more serious. In the end, Hesta even became a little dazed. She didn't remember or care what she was crying for. She just felt that every tear was soaked in. pain.
Chiba said nothing. She stood aside, neither stopping nor comforting.
After a long time, Hesta's last bit of strength was exhausted. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was so weak that she seemed about to faint at any time.
Chiba approached, "Are you done crying? Do you feel better?"
Hesta shook her head, she frowned and looked at Chiba: "What on earth did Miss Chiba do today...?"
Chiba raised her right hand, and a silver key ring gently rotated on her fingertips, like a magic trick.
"Qiang Qiang."
There was a small key hanging on the key ring, exactly the same as the one taken away by Sean.
In an instant, Hesta felt her eyes became hot again.
"It's just a key, don't worry about it." Chiba said calmly, "As long as the person is still there, you can have as many keys as you want."
She put the key in Hesta's hand, "I'm here today specifically to tell you that anger is important.
"Anger is important because it is a person's only spear in this world. And precisely because it is rough and sharp, when you are threatened, weak, and humiliated, it will not pay attention to any secular rules of etiquette. , it will jump out at all costs, protect you, and ask you to resist... Everyone should hold his own spear."
Hesta adjusted her breathing and looked at the ceiling, tears welling up in her eyes.
I should... hold my spear.
"Do you know why I came here to emphasize this to you?" Qianye tilted his head and asked.
Hesta choked and shook her head.
“The more vulnerable you are in the situation, the easier it is for you to be deprived of the power of anger - because this emotion is ugly, inelegant, and quite destructive, it is easy for others to reject you even more because of your anger. .The base is a place that places great emphasis on order. Don’t be deceived by the atmosphere here. Especially don’t hate yourself because of your anger.”
Chiba nodded his head, "When you are angry, you are often the most powerful - you must learn to control it."
Hesta listened with all her concentration, and her tears flowed away unknowingly. She endured the pain in her upper limbs and thought carefully about every word Qianye said. A storm surged in her heart, as if a mountain rain was about to come.
"I asked the doctor, and they said you will be discharged from the hospital in about a week or two." Chiba crossed his arms, "Have you thought about what to do after you get out?"
Hesta nodded wordlessly.
"Tell me?"
Chiba leaned towards Hesta, and after listening for a while, she couldn't help but frown.
During the discussion between the two, the visit time passed quickly.
Before leaving that day, Chiba took off his thin windbreaker hanging on the hanger.
"Have a good rest, Jane." She stood at the end of the bed holding a tablet, smiling and waving to the girl who couldn't move, "Don't let me down."
…
At night, Turan stood at the door of Liz's room.
"Liz, Liz, can you open the door?"
No one answered the door.
Turan put her head against the door panel, her brows knitted together, "Liz, can you talk to me? Don't shut yourself in alone... Please."
Inside the door, the lights in the room were dim.
Liz was lying on the floor, on her side with her knees curled up.
There was a wooden photo frame next to her hand. Inside the photo frame was a somewhat faded black and white family photo. Liz closed her eyes and lightly touched the glass surface of the photo frame with her fingertips.
Turan waited outside the door for a long time, but there was no answer inside for a long time. She walked to the corner of the living room and called Valenti on the landline.
Although it was already past nine o'clock at night, the call to Valenti's office was answered as soon as he dialed it.
"Hello?" Valenti answered the phone, "Tulan, um, you said... um, um, I understand, um. Yes, yes... don't worry... you can go to bed early tonight , Liz also needs some time to digest by herself. I will go talk to her tomorrow. Well, you’re welcome, bye~"
At the door of the office, Qianye leaned against the door, "Jian and his dormitory?"
"Well, Liz was a little down tonight, so Turan called to say something." Valenti carried her bag, "I can leave now."
The two went downstairs side by side and soon followed the elevator into the underground part of the base.
"This is the first time I have received such an instruction from Ms. Morley..." Valenti said while entering the password, "In the past, she would never have allowed me to bring anyone directly into the base's new file room. "
"I'm not 'anyone'." Chiba stood behind Valenti and said with a smile, "Besides, Ms. Morley has always supported my work and is very reasonable -"
Valenti rolled her eyes and turned around, "...Are you serious?"
Chiba raised his eyebrows and pointed at a suddenly bright light panel in front of Valenti, "I'm going to scan your irises."
Valenti laughed and aimed his eyes at the corresponding area.
Soon, after Chiba also left his biological information, the two officially entered the archives room of the underground base.
This is an underground warehouse with a floor height of about 9 meters. As the two people entered, thousands of cold lights on the top floor and file shelves gradually lit up, like a wave of light extending into the distance.
The two of them were chatting while walking towards the F-series archives area. Chiba put his hands in his pockets and looked forward along the rows of characters hanging on the display racks.
Chiba walked quickly, and Valenti trotted behind him: "Whose files are you looking for this time, the Gringoire brothers?"
"No, I'm looking for Liz Fletcher."
"Liz...?" Valenti looked puzzled, "I should have given you her personal data last time along with Sean's."
"No need for combat data," Chiba replied, "I want to see more of her personal background."
"Why?" Valenti became curious, "Besides Jane, are you interested in anyone else in the base?"
"Of course I'm interested." Qianye replied with a frown, "I met with Jane this afternoon and asked her if she wanted to have something serious with Sean. She said no because 'Liz would be sad if she got serious'.
Chiba's expression was a little irritated, "It's been less than two months since Jane entered the base, right? Where did Liz come from, to lead someone into a ditch so quickly?"
Valenti stopped on the spot - the "real character" in Chiba's mouth is absolutely different from the "real character" in ordinary contexts.
"First of all, tell me clearly, what is it really? What do you want to instruct Jane to do?"
"What can I do?" Chiba also stopped and turned around, "My little girl was bullied and you don't want me to teach her how to fight back?"
