Chapter 762: Chapter 762: Pledging Allegiance

The next day was a day off, and Evelyn Ford took the opportunity to be lazy. She slept in until noon, woke up to eat a ready-made lunch, and went right back to her tent to sleep some more.

She didn’t drag herself out of bed until the afternoon, looking for something to do. Evelyn found Joelle Finch and Micah Manning and gave them some skeins of yarn so they could crochet shoes and clothes in their spare time. Micah had been very depressed ever since losing her child and parents. Although she kept busy, it was clear she wasn’t in a good state of mind. Giving her the yarn was a way to keep her occupied and prevent her from dwelling on her thoughts, which was terrible for her health.

Wyatt Vaughn’s death had also hit Joelle Finch hard. She was suffering, too. ’Perhaps time is the best medicine,’ Evelyn thought. This was all she could do for them.

Evelyn then called Wendy, Zoe, and Annie into her tent. She took out a tablet and put on a comedy for them to watch. Wendy was a little embarrassed; she felt she was an adult now, but Evelyn still doted on her like a child.

But to Evelyn, Wendy held a special place in her heart. Evelyn had watched her grow up, and in Wendy, she could see a reflection of her own transformation—from a little girl who was wary of the world and trusted no one, to a mature adult willing to show kindness.

"Joy Ford, do you think this world will ever go back to the way it was years ago?"

"Of course it will. It might take some time, but I believe Azure will get better."

"Joy Ford, Mr. Kendrick, we have a situation." Peter Owens’s voice came from outside. Evelyn Ford quickly pushed open the tent flap and stepped out. The others quickly followed, all of them tense, assuming something terrible had happened.

"What’s wrong?"

"I found some kids. They’re hiding behind those rocks over there. They didn’t say anything when they saw me. I think they came from the base."

Evelyn’s brow arched. "Bring them here."

"Right."

Peter Owens brought the children over. Evelyn counted them—my goodness, there were seventeen. The age range was huge; the youngest was being carried in another’s arms, while the oldest looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen.

Evelyn immediately recognized the boy who had sent others to cause a ruckus at their tent the other day. His eyes were clear and unabashed. When he saw her, not only was he not flustered, he even looked relieved.

Evelyn... ’Have I really lost my intimidating presence?’

Though she remembered who the boy was, she couldn’t recall his name. Evelyn walked up to him and stared down at him authoritatively.

"What’s your name?"

The boy pressed his lips together and said nothing. Just as Evelyn was about to ask another question, he suddenly went rigid and collapsed. He was about to hit the ground headfirst when Evelyn shot out a hand and yanked him up. Seeing the boy faint, the other little tykes beside him burst into tears. Some even dropped to their knees, begging Evelyn to save their "boss." Evelyn looked at the boy dangling from her grasp, a strange smile playing on her lips.

"So, he’s your boss, huh?"

Evelyn waved Wendy over. "Wendy, take a look at him."

Wendy might have been young, but she had the strength of two adult men. She hoisted the boy up and carried him to an empty tent to examine him. As for the other children, Evelyn decided not to question them. She would wait for their "boss" to wake up and ask him instead.

"How is he?"

"He’s eaten too much Famine Clay Soil and is impacted. He has severe abdominal bloating. On top of that, he’s suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion from the journey. His body is completely drained."

’Just as I thought,’ Evelyn mused.

"Help him pass the Famine Clay Soil in his system first."

She prepared a medicinal formula, and Annie volunteered to take it to be brewed.

The other children were in no better shape, especially the youngest ones. Their faces were sallow, their limbs were swollen, and their bellies were not only bloated but also had hard lumps.

Each child had to down two large bowls of the medicine. Then, Evelyn had Quincy drive all of them a kilometer away in the truck. Only after they had passed all the Famine Clay Soil in their systems did Quincy bring them back to the camp.

"They’re all completely wiped out. These kids are too weak; they’ll probably need some time to recover."

Evelyn couldn’t help but smile. "They’ve got some nerve, daring to track us down. Especially this audacious one. After offending me, he still dares to show up on my doorstep."

The boy looked at Evelyn, fidgeting nervously.

"You’re a good person. You won’t hurt us, and you won’t hold what I did against me."

Evelyn, who had been planning to teach him a lesson, was left speechless.

’This kid doesn’t play by the book. He’s buttering me up right from the start.’

"You’re pretty impressive, kid. To think you actually found us."

The boy looked Evelyn straight in the eye. "I saw you heading in this direction. Even though we’re slow, I knew I’d find you as long as I kept going the right way."

"What do you want from us?"

"You’re a good person."

Evelyn was speechless once again. "Cut the crap. I know perfectly well whether I’m a good person or not. Get to the point. If you don’t start talking, I’ll dump those little brats dozens of kilometers from here and let them go back to eating dirt."

The boy shook his head. "You won’t, Dr. Ford. You’re a good person."

Evelyn was getting annoyed. "You’re really good at brainwashing yourself, aren’t you? So certain I’m a good person? Now, tell me what you want."

"We want to join you."

"This isn’t a bandit camp. What would you join me for?"

"I don’t want to be a bandit. I want to plant trees with you. I know Azure is in danger—I can smell the rot in the air. You must be planting trees to save Azure, to save everyone. They don’t get it, but I do. Anyway, I have to join you. We can plant trees. Don’t look down on us because we’re young; we can work."

"Dr. Ford, I’m sorry. I was wrong before. I almost got you hurt. If you’re willing to take them in, I’ll leave. They’re all orphans. I overheard some people saying that Famine Clay Soil isn’t good to eat, but ’tasty little lambs’ are. I was afraid they’d be eaten, so I brought them to you. I know you’re a good person. You’re just... a little fierce."

Evelyn’s anger flared at that last sentence. ’Fierce? How am I fierce?’

’You little brat! The nerve! Asking for a favor and still daring to call me fierce.’

"What’s your name?"

"We all agreed. We’re not using our old names anymore. We don’t have parents anymore, anyway. If you’ll take us in, you can give us new names."

"Fine. From now on, you’ll be Rusty."

The boy froze. He didn’t seem to like the name very much, but the fact that Evelyn gave him one meant she was willing to take him in. He was overjoyed but didn’t dare show it, so he just nodded emphatically.

"Okay. Can I go plant trees now? I can do anything."

"You just passed all that Famine Clay Soil. You don’t have an ounce of strength left in you. How are you going to work? Get in bed and stay there."

"Thank you, Dr. Ford. You really are a good person. Can you give the others names, too?"

"Give me a couple of days. I need to think about it."

Rusty looked a little disappointed. "Why was my name so carelessly chosen?"

"Not happy with it? Fine, pick another one. How about Iron-head, Donkey, Blackie, Blockhead, or Dummy...?"

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