Chapter 23: The Whole of Humanity Is Watching Me

Chen Chu began by linking the five people together, left hands resting on right hands in a chain, then sat beside the girl with glasses, pressing his right hand on her shoulder. His spiritual power streamed ceaselessly into her, probing the condition of their bodies.

As he had expected, the situation inside all five was far from optimistic.

The three men had multiple fractured ribs; the women fared even worse. The girl with glasses had a puncture in her lung, stabbed by a broken rib, while the ponytail girl suffered from cracks in both her shoulder and leg bones.

Internal bleeding was present in several organs.

Chen Chu had not yet mastered any healing spells. All he could do was use his spiritual power to cover the wounds, acting as a temporary protective membrane to stop the bleeding, and then employ another stream of energy to drive the accumulated blood outward through the injuries.

The girl with glasses was the first to regain consciousness. The radiant sunlight made her squint involuntarily, then she realized she was lying on a coastline.

Turning her head, she saw that the captain and the other team members were also nearby, their protective suits removed. From a cursory glance, she deduced that the impact when their ship crashed into the sea had caused severe internal injuries; without immediate treatment, their lives were in danger. She tried to sit up, but her whole body was wracked with pain—her lungs especially so. One touch told her that a broken rib had pierced her lung.

She sensed an indescribable force at her shoulder, moving through skin and flesh within her body, making the pain less acute.

She looked up.

What she saw was a handsome face.

She had seen that face countless times aboard the ship, studied its data many times as well. He was the child left behind on Earth; she had never expected him to be the one to rescue them. Had the power of cultivation advanced to the point where it could enhance the human body so greatly? As a doctor and biologist, she couldn’t help but make professional associations.

Spiritual power coursed through her body without harming her meridians—a complex feat, especially when navigating five bodies simultaneously.

Chen Chu kept his eyes closed, both hands resting on the girl's shoulder as she lay on the ground and he sat behind her.

From her angle, she looked up at him—she could see his nostrils directly, but that did not diminish the aura he exuded in this moment.

What a beautiful person...

The metallic taste of blood in her mouth brought a trace of light back to her eyes.

Her teammates—they must be saved first.

She was just about to speak.

“What’s your name?” Chen Chu, eyes still closed, spoke first.

“Liu Qingqing.”

“What’s your responsibility?”

“Medical care.”

“What are you doing on Earth?”

“I… I’d like to treat my teammates first, may I?”

Chen Chu nodded and helped her slowly sit up. “No problem, but you’re bleeding from the lungs. You must stay in contact with me to stop the bleeding. Move slowly.”

Liu Qingqing gave a soft assent.

He was a gentle man.

Her protective suit was much larger than the others’, packed with portable emergency medical supplies.

In the shipwreck below the sea, weakness and pain had nearly stripped her of all movement; she had barely managed to administer emergency medicine to Captain Liu Yinyun. Now, with Chen Chu’s help, she could move with difficulty.

She produced a mini syringe from her suit and gave each of them, including herself, an injection—a special medicine unique to Xia Country, excellent in emergencies. Whether for external or internal bleeding, it could stop hemorrhage in a very short time.

After the injections, her cheeks flushed slightly. “We’ve already had the bleeding-stopping shot; you don’t need to press my shoulder…”

Chen Chu withdrew his hands, uttering a quiet “Oh.” “Treat them well. Call me when you’re done.” With that, he leapt onto the stone round table by the shore and sat cross-legged to cultivate. His body grew warm, steam rising from his seawater-soaked clothes like a sauna.

[Men must tough it out: “Haha, I don’t know what they’re saying, but in this situation, his behavior is that of a true iron-willed man. At a time like this, he’s still thinking about cultivation?”]

Thanks to Liu Qingqing’s efforts, the Earth-return team gradually awoke.

They still couldn’t stand—their fractured ribs and damaged internal organs made moving impossible. For now, their lives were stabilized, but surgery would be needed later.

Chen Jingshan’s arms were so weak he couldn’t even lift them.

The joy of surviving disaster made him feel these troubles were insignificant.

His gaze drifted to Chen Chu, cultivating on the stone table nearby. “Is this the child left behind on Earth? Seeing him in person, there’s a certain… hmm, aura. It’s quite unique, more than what you see in live broadcasts.”

Suddenly, Chen Chu opened his eyes and fixed them on Chen Jingshan. “Child left behind on Earth? My name is Chen Chu.”

From the distasteful title, he guessed that the ecological ship from Xia Country still maintained means of contact with Earth—perhaps via artificial satellites or surveillance cameras, which had revealed his presence.

Chen Jingshan gave an embarrassed laugh. He had long wanted to complain about that damned name, but in front of its subject, he chose to forget it. He said, “When the ship entered the atmosphere and was about to crash into the sea, we suddenly encountered a strange waterspout. Thanks to it, the ship was cushioned, its descent speed reduced slightly, and the hull held together just long enough to avoid disintegration.

If we had fallen even a fraction faster, we’d all be dead. Truly, a blessing amid misfortune…”

The ponytail girl woke as well. Her face was pale, but her expression betrayed no pain, as if it belonged to someone else.

She looked at Chen Chu, pulled a small pocket watch from her pocket, studied it for a moment, and confirmed something. Then she saluted with her right hand and said, “Mr. Chen Chu, greetings. I am here on behalf of Xia Country’s government, and I am also the captain, leader, and commander of this ship. It is an honor to meet you…”

Chen Chu asked, “Didn’t humanity abandon Earth, fleeing the solar system aboard ecological ships? Why have you returned?”

Liu Yinyun glanced around at the surrounding surveillance devices and answered directly, “Humanity may have left Earth, but most systems can autonomously function for some time, including these cameras. There’s no distinction of nationality or number aboard the ecological ship. Every human can freely access real-time surveillance to view Earth. This system was intended for commemorating Earth before its destruction, but unexpectedly, it revealed your continued presence here.”

Chen Chu felt an acute sense of awkwardness—no wonder he had always felt a lack of privacy from the start.

The feeling of being watched by all humanity, twenty-four hours a day, was indescribable. Usually it was bearable, but sleeping, bathing, or… cough! How could a cultivator behave as ordinary folk?

Hmm…

He had bathed once at the Clearwater Palace atop Clearwater Mountain, though he hadn’t noticed any surveillance devices in the bathroom.

Otherwise, he would have been mortified…

Liu Yinyun flipped open the device in her palm, reminiscent of a pocket watch. “Please rest assured, I brought several interference devices. They can emit signals covering a kilometer radius, disrupting electronic equipment. Surveillance may still record video, but audio will be cut off. If you speak with your back to the cameras, you needn’t worry; no one will be able to read your lips and deduce your words.”