novelraw Chapter 298: A Bit Too Far
Chapter 298: A Bit Too Far
Seeing this, Xiao Ya's eyes grew even softer, tinged with a hint of pity. She spoke as if coaxing a child, "Don't be scared, uncle, really, don't be scared. We're not bad people. Look, we're from the official authorities. We're taking you to a good place. There are warm beds, hot meals, and doctor uncles and aunties who will help you..."
Seeing this, Brother Li's expression grew even more impatient;
he felt wasting words on a madman was pure nonsense. He straightened his face, stepped forward, and deliberately used a stern tone to intimidate, "Behave! Come with us! Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
His harshness made Su Zhan perform even more vigorously. He almost went completely limp on the ground, limbs flailing wildly, tears mixing with the grime on his face as he let out even more miserable howls.
Xiao Ya immediately shot Brother Li a dissatisfied glare. "Brother Li! You scared him! He has mental issues;
you can't do that!" She then turned back to patiently comfort Su Zhan, "Uncle, don't be scared, don't be scared. He was just joking. Here, let us help you up. We'll walk slowly, okay?"
As she spoke, she signaled to Brother Li, and the two of them, one on each side, grabbed Su Zhan's arms.
Su Zhan inwardly groaned in despair. But he didn't dare resist with any strength at all, only allowing them to half-drag, half-support him up from the ground. Every muscle in his body was tense, yet he deliberately made his limbs appear limp and weak.
Xiao Ya, struggling to support Su Zhan, continued to offer gentle reassurance, "Alright, alright, we're almost there. Once we get in the car, it'll be fine... Look, the car is right ahead..."
Brother Li frowned, enduring the foul odor emanating from Su Zhan, and muttered a low complaint, "Xiao Ya, is it really worth it... this kind of..."
Xiao Ya cut him off, "It is worth it! He's a human being too. We can't just ignore him!"
Supported by the two of them, step by step towards the off-road vehicle painted with the Aberrant Purge Division emblem, Su Zhan's heart turned ice-cold. He felt like an ant being held over a fire. Resisting would expose him. Not resisting meant being sent to a mental hospital, completely derailing his plans. He could only continue playing the part of the terrified, helpless madman, his brain racing, searching for any possible chance to escape."Don't be scared, uncle. Believe me, everything will get better," Xiao Ya said gently. "Once you're there, you'll never have to go hungry or cold again, never be exposed to wind and rain. You'll have a small, clean room, hot soup to drink every day... The doctors will help chase away all those things that scare you."
As she spoke, she tried to adjust her posture to make Su Zhan more comfortable, completely disregarding the grime from him smearing onto her clean uniform.
"Xiao Ya, get a grip. Haven't we seen enough of this kind of person?" Brother Li finally couldn't take it anymore. "Daxia is so big. There are plenty of poor souls like him. Can we possibly take care of them all? If you help him today, there will be thousands more like him tomorrow. We're just carrying out patrol duty;
we're not saviors. Dropping him at the relief station entrance is already going above and beyond."
"Brother Li, you can't say that," Xiao Ya retorted sharply, turning her head, her gaze stubborn. "We can't help everyone, but since we've encountered him, we can't just turn a blind eye. Helping even one person counts. If everyone thinks 'since we can't handle them all, let's give up,' then these poor people truly have no hope left. Look at him. He might be someone's father, or someone's son. He's wandering the streets;
how worried must his family be? Even if we can't find his family, we can't just watch him fend for himself. Every life deserves to be treated well. As long as there's a sliver of possibility, we shouldn't give up. Sending him to the sanatorium might not completely cure him, but at least it gives him a chance not to have to scavenge for food in garbage dumps. Isn't that worth it?"
Brother Li was left speechless by this barrage of saintly words, only letting out a helpless sigh. "Alright, alright, you're right, you're absolutely right... Let's just get him in the car quickly. Consider it us accumulating good karma."
Listening to this conversation, Su Zhan felt a complex mix of emotions. This girl... was kind to a fault.
Supported by the two of them, he was only a few steps away from the off-road vehicle. Su Zhan's heart was agreeing with that Brother Li. "Brother, can't you hold your ground a bit longer? Don't give in so quickly!" Su Zhan inwardly wailed. "This girl is stubborn as a mule. Can't you persuade her a bit more that 'less trouble is better'? Do you have to send me to some mental hospital?"
At this moment, he completely agreed with Brother Li's theory of "can't take care of them all." There are so many poor souls in this world. Can you help them one by one?
"If you really want to save more people, then climb up the ladder," Su Zhan mentally retorted at Xiao Ya. "Climb to a position where you can make the rules. One policy, one well-crafted welfare bill, can save thousands upon thousands of poor souls like this. That's tackling the root cause. You, a low-level squad member, struggling to shove me into a mental hospital here, aside from messing up my plans, how much real effect can it have?"
Only by standing in a higher position, wielding greater power, could one fundamentally change things. This piecemeal, sporadic assistance was a drop in the bucket and often backfired. Like right now, it was a case of good intentions leading to bad outcomes, nearly screwing over him, the fake madman.
If he really resisted, he'd be exposed. So now, he could only go to the mental hospital and then find a chance to escape later. A direct confrontation was the worst option. The best choice was to escape without exposing his identity or his true strength. That was the optimal path.
There was no point in resisting them now. Sigh, he could only go along with them.
After weighing the pros and cons, Su Zhan completely abandoned any thought of resistance and accepted this unplanned detour. He allowed Xiao Ya and Brother Li to stuff him into the back seat of the off-road vehicle.
Su Zhan's stance towards this girl remained the same in his heart. If you really want to do this, if you really want to save many people, many poor souls, your best choice is to work your way up to the center of power. Only with authority can you issue orders and save and help countless people. But someone in such a low position can only help one person at a time. The efficiency is extremely slow. And it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Only by standing in management, at the center of power, can you treat the root cause. That's the truth, sigh. Having a kind heart is good, but if the method is wrong, then it's really not very useful, and it might even lead to good intentions causing harm.
The off-road vehicle drove into a large compound located on the outskirts of a small town. A sign reading "Anxin Mental Health Sanatorium" hung at the entrance. The car stopped in front of a small white building. Xiao Ya and Brother Li helped the feigning-mad Su Zhan out of the car. A middle-aged male doctor in a white lab coat and two orderlies were already waiting there.