Chapter 4

*Picked Up*
Backwater Chaos Sector.
Meteors streaked—distant booms—Helan sweeping as usual wiped her apron, climbed her cart with a snake-skin sack toward the fall.
Empire–Federation border—poor, polluted—neither country cared—no real name.
Scavengers already waited—scrap from wrecks—sometimes good money.
Today was odd. Helan looked—two bodies.
One clutching a silver-haired woman—curled smart—head and heart protected—a huge parachute nearby.
No survival at that speed.
Dead cheapest—no recycle value.
Crowd scattered—cursing—no free lunch from sky.
Helan circled—bored—cut the canopy anyway—knife out—shooed looters off corpses.
As she neared—the younger body twitched—Helan jumped back.
“Help……” faint—wind took it.
Last gasp. Helan ignored—cutting rope—then saw the black-haired girl sit up—kiss the woman on the ground—peck peck—CPR—stare at her hands—pound the dirt—collapse.
Not sane.
Helan kept distance—skyfall plague maybe.
Still struggling—thin voice: “Someone save her—she’s alive—I’m alive—”
“We’ll be useful—please—”
Two skinny girls—useless—Chaos doesn’t keep strays—not a savior. Sigh—folded canopy—turned to leave.
Voice fading—“Mom……”
Helan stopped—scraped mud off shoes—the girl still mumbling.
Finger lifted—“Ma—!”
Too loud.
Already one at home yelling. Frown—went back—checked wounds.
Someone near—clear black-and-white eyes—soft suddenly:
“Mom—I’m fine—not hurt—”
“I want to eat.”
Still eating—Helan steadied breath—left.
Minutes later—cart returned—breath on both—alive—snarling—spread canopy—loaded them.
Girl at the door saw the cart—bundle in back—jumped: “Wow—Mom—!”
Helan waved: “Stop wowing—help—picked up two people.”
……
Zhu Yu woke to a face in hers—“Wow—!”
Like inspecting a pet—she patted herself—still human.
“Are you a pilot? You fell from the sky and lived!”
Is that what pilot means—
Fell from sky—memory—scrambled to Bai Shuzhou beside her.
Girl craned—pale silver hair—brow knit—dirty still glass-beautiful.
“Wow—Mom—is she a meteor fairy?”
Zhu Yu almost laughed—she’s pilot, princess is fairy—genre shift.
Gaps—living room floor—plastic bottles—handwritten pills.
Water from the kid—throat eased—“You saved us—thank you.”
“Don’t thank—” white coat, black apron—tall in light—reassuring.
For a second—her own mother—but disinfectant not cooking smoke.
Nose sting.
“Pay up—medicine isn’t cheap.”
“Yes—thank you.”
Breath and brow—temperature normal—leg bandaged rough.
Bottles—no certification—scrawl: fever pain sleep anti-inflammatory.
Multitask pills.
“Pilot?” bright eyes again.
Woman watched—wary—“Who are you—how hurt like this?”
“We—” cough.
Those nobles really fired—won’t stop—secret base hidden—memory said they weren’t close enough to share.
They wanted the princess from the start.
Safe here?
Faded awards on wall—lie: “Sisters—school run—pirates—ship blew—”
“Sisters?” Helan odd—remembered the kisses—maybe CPR—girl seemed honest.
Clean face—shy smile—torn white shirt—student believable.
“College—” which school?
“Quantum Tech University.”
Many “Tech”—safe answer.
Helan nodded—prestige—“Good school—for a Beta.”
Weird—if Beta meant ordinary human it fit.
Slum origin—Royal Academy heaven—carp leaping dragon gate.
Everyone thought she got in for being Alpha—even inferior.
Shy smile.
Without releasing scent she couldn’t tell A/B/O apart—one nose two eyes.
They assumed Beta—cheap illegal shuttle—pirates—no official report if blown.
Border—Helan saw dead smugglers—two lucky—whole bodies.
Kid mapped the area—chaos—relatively safe—no army—patchy comms.
News slow—she didn’t know yet—wanted for kidnapping the imperial princess.
Still glad—nobles wouldn’t find them soon.
Loud kid—Heming—Helan’s daughter—single parent.
Only Omegas conceive naturally—others needed Life Tree—strict.
Helan ran a handmade restaurant—rare—pricey—few regulars.
Scavenging sometimes—raise Heming.
Zhu Yu spun a story—sick mom—school her—working sister—broken home—
Sister quit school for her—dance talent—leg hurt now—head down.
Helan softened—medicine free—rent side yard—sixty a day.
Grateful—opened the yard—
Mini junkyard.
Screws creak—scrap appliances—tin shack—“Take what you need from the pile—no extra charge.”
No coin—old Zhu Yu would die of shame—this Zhu Yu had grown—
Scumbag Zhu Yu in a mascot suit—fake armor—no face left.
Rub hands—“Pretty sis—”
Smile gone—hands on hips—“Don’t—‘mom’ won’t work—sixty a day, not a cent less!”
“Pretty mom—I’m single-parent too.”
“……”
Sincere: “You feel like family—my mom was like you—carried everything—amazing.”
True—single mom—doctor—white coat—never looked back—ponytail—cool.
Wish she’d looked back sometimes.
Bai Shuzhou on the plank bed—heard Zhu Yu outside.
Warp dive—arms around her—complex eyes—
Then sweet clear voice: “Pretty mom!”
Bai Shuzhou: “……”
Closed her eyes again.