On the way to becoming the strongest, I first became a popular person.

This is a clean, white, simple room.

"Brother Xiaojiu, this is for you. This is the candy that Aunt Lin from the cafeteria secretly gave me. It's so sweet."

Eleven reached into his pocket and took out a candy, wanting to hand it to the boy who was half leaning against the head of the bed, but was stunned when he saw the bandages wrapped around his body.

She blinked, then peeled off the candy wrapper with her hands, handed the crystal clear candy to his mouth, and looked at him expectantly.

A pungent smell of artificial flavor hit her face, so strong that she couldn't help but frown. Dongfang Shou tilted his head slightly, looked into her sparkling eyes and said softly, "I don't want to eat it, you can eat it yourself."

Although his parents seldom accompanied him, they had never treated him badly in terms of material things. His food and clothing were not only top-notch but also first-rate. There was no possibility that he would even see such inferior candy, let alone touch it.

"I've eaten it. This is specially left for you."

"Brother Xiaojiu, be obedient, ah——"

He finally succumbed to the girl's expectant gaze, lowered his head and took the purple candy from her hand.

A sweet taste with a strong hint of industrial saccharin spread from the tip of his tongue. The overly sweet feeling made him want to frown in discomfort, but when he saw the girl's happy expression, he immediately suppressed his frown and pretended to be calm.

"Is it tasty?"

"Ah."

"Auntie Lin said that this candy tastes like grapes, sweet. Brother Xiaojiu, have you ever eaten grapes? What do they taste like?"

"Just like you said, sweet and sour, nothing special."

"Oh."

Dongfang Shou looked at her somewhat disappointed eyes and said, "If you like it, I will buy it for you later."

"Thank you, Brother Xiaojiu, but it's not necessary. We can't go out anyway. You just finished your second experiment and you need to recuperate for a long time like last time."

"You scared me to death last time. When you were pushed out, blood was oozing out of your body. I thought you were going to die. Fortunately, you are fine."

"Well, you cried so much that your eyes turned into steamed buns."

"No! It's because you didn't respond no matter how I talked to you, and you ignored me. I was worried that you would die and there would be no one to accompany me in the future."

"Got it. I'll pay attention to you next time."

"That's not what I meant, huh. I heard from others that new people are coming soon. I wonder how many people there will be this time. Aunt Lin said that new supplies will arrive soon, and there will be a lot of meat this time."

"Also, I heard that someone escaped last time and was caught. He was then punished to clean the base toilets for a week. Every day he could only drink nasty and tasteless nutritional supplements, and he didn't even have any nutritional meals to eat."

He leaned his back against the headboard, the sweet and cheap flavor of the essence exploded in his mouth and spread everywhere, making him feel a little nauseous. He resisted the urge to spit out the candy and just looked at the girl who was chattering non-stop, occasionally responding to her and nodding.

To the current alliance members, even such inferior candies were extremely rare and precious items. Aunt Lin must have loved her very much to have given them to her.

For a child like her who grew up in an orphanage, this was a rare treasure, but she was still willing to share it.

Thinking of this, the inferior sweet taste in his mouth didn't seem so offensive anymore. A strange feeling filled his heart, warm, as if he was soaking in warm water.

Is this a friend? Or a family member?

Dongfang Shou lowered his eyes and looked at the girl's rosy face in front of him, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

After nearly two years of recuperation, she has now been transformed into a cute little angel. She has also grown a lot taller. With her cute looks, good personality, and being well-behaved and obedient, she quickly became the most popular person in the base.

This is the child he raised, his sister.

He couldn't help laughing when he thought of the jokes he made when he was teaching her basic life knowledge. Although she was mature in some aspects, most of the time she was like a child and had a completely childish mentality.

Because she grew up in an orphanage, she doesn't have much common sense, and needs to be taught slowly before she can understand many things. When she is very impatient, she will throw a tantrum and refuse to do anything. But she is only eight years old now, three years younger than herself, so it is normal for her to have a little temper.

The candy melted completely on the tip of his tongue and was swallowed completely by him. The warm current slid down his throat into his stomach, and he only felt sweet in his heart.

"Brother Xiaojiu, I'm going to tell you something in secret, don't tell anyone else. Yesterday I secretly saw the physical examination report that Sister Qing gave me last time, and it said that my data is qualified. Do you think I should start the experiment soon?" Eleven suddenly leaned over and whispered in his ear.

The smile on Dongfang Shou's face suddenly froze, his eyes fixed, and he looked a little out of control.

Although he knew this day would come, he didn't expect it to come so soon. When this day really came, he began to feel uncontrollably panicked, as if a big hand was holding his heart.

This is the sister he raised with his own hands. Although they are not related by blood, they have been getting along like family for the past two years. She has long entered his heart and become an indispensable part of his life, warming the part of his family that was missing in the past.

And now she was about to step into the abyss like him, experience the inhuman pain, and fight against death.

That was their fate from the first day they arrived here.

It couldn't be stopped, and she wouldn't let herself stop it.

"maybe."

He responded softly, his eyelashes trembling, casting a dark blue shadow on his face, the sweet taste in his mouth dissipated, and a bitter aftertaste came over him, exactly like his mood at the moment.

"I will come back alive, don't worry, Brother Xiaojiu."

Eleven saw his worry and a bright smile appeared on her face, like a peach blossom blooming in spring. She gently patted his bandaged right hand and said soothingly.

Brother Xiaojiu has taken very good care of her in the past two years, no matter how big or small the matter is, just like taking care of his own sister. In fact, in her heart, he has long been like a family member.

But she hasn't forgotten why she's here, and she won't back down.

Even if there is a bottomless hell ahead, she will crawl back and kill those guys, those star beasts that killed her family.

"Well, I'll wait for you to come back alive."

Dongfang Shou lowered his eyelashes and changed the subject. The two of them started chatting about some interesting things in the base. The room was filled with the girl's clear and sweet laughter like silver bells, and the boy's occasional low chuckles in agreement.