Seb kept trying to give the baby artificial respiration. Kat couldn''t help but freeze and shed tears, showing her expressionless face again.


    The minutes have passed. All that could be heard was the sound of a blizzard outside.


    Leva got up with difficulty, then limped to hug the amber-eyed girl.


    Seb applied the final pressure to the little human''s chest, then gasped. After a few seconds of silence, he finally looked at Kat with a gloomy expression, shaking his head slowly. "I''m sorry."


    Kat knelt down, covering her face with both hands. Her cries began to echo.


    The baby seemed to be sleeping peacefully. No one would have guessed that he was dead.


    Tears welled up in my eyes again. Why? I thought we would be given a chance to atone for our sins by raising this tiny human.


    It''s too cruel.


    Seb wiped a tear from his eye, then covered the poor baby''s face.


    If only the baby''s mother was still alive, she would have been able to take good care of this tiny human.


    Eric got to his feet, went into the storeroom, and came out with a shovel.


    "I''m going to bury him now." The man said in a low voice.


    Seb looked up at his son. "It''s still stormy outside, son."


    "Poor him if we dy...." Eric''s words stopped when a banging sound came from the front door. The gazes of him and the others, except for Kat who was still sobbing, fixed on it.


    Someone''s voice was heard from outside, but it wasn''t clear because of the storm. I pressed pause and checked out. It turned out that in front of the door a man was carrying another person on his back. He looked so desperate, while the man on his back seemed to close his eyes, either asleep or unconscious.


    I don''t know whether to let them in or not. The supplies of my colonists are limited.


    Wait. I know them. Especially the old man, whose skin was brown, and baldness covered the front part of his all gray hair. With a beard that was also gray, he looked even older than thest time I saw him.


    For a while, I studied the two men''s faces, then went back in and gave orders to my colonists.


    "Those people outside need help. It''s up to you all to ept them or not."


    Yes, this time I want them to decide. The big decisions I make always end badly.


    As soon as I put everything back to normal, Eric opened the door, sending strong winds and snow into the house.


    "Help us! It''s cold outside! We just need a temporary shelter!" The person outside was crying. His medium-sized body shivered.


    "Suja?" Leva gasped at the sight of her former tribe leader.


    Suja, whose body had shrunk drastically, looked at Leva with wide eyes. Then, he knelt down and pressed his hands on the floor, making the man on his back nearly fall. Fortunately, Eric swiftly caught the unconscious man.


    "I swear, I don''t want to sell you into very, Leva!" Suja''s cries get louder. "It was the voices that prompted me to do it."


    Leva lowered her head, approaching the old man with a limp. "Then, what about that expedition? Are you still going to say that you got a whisper from that magical voice? Because of you, my whole family died, you know."


    Suja choked hard, then pressed his forehead to the floor. "Then I plead guilty!!! All because of my selfishness and greed!!! I have no other reason!!! I''m really sorry!!! So please ept us!!! We won''t be able to survive outside there in a situation like this!!!"


    "He''s dead." Eric spoke suddenly. His index and middle fingers pressed against the veins of the neck of the man Suja was carrying.


    Suja flinched again, hastily propped his partner against his forearm. "Xe, wake up! We promised to endure to the end, right?"


    Manu motioned for Seb to remove the gag in his mouth, then spoke gibberish like a drunk. "He Xe? Mr. Zhen''s son who taught me crafting while in the Redtooth tribe?"


    Suja turned his head to my male colonist. "It was Zhen who had this kid save me, and...." The man''s eyes narrowed at Manu. "Why are you tied up like that? That face of yours.... Pale and your eyes are red.... Have you recently consumed devil''s tears, young man?"


    "How do you know?" Manu asks while starting to wince in pain again.


    "I''ve seen the soldiers I ordered to use it many times.... I know the effect very well." Suja gulped, then looked at the others with pleading eyes. "I''ve never practiced any healing techniques for devil''s tears addiction. However, I''ve seen addiction treatments many times. I think I can do it."


    Leva was still looking down in silence. Kat continued to cry, Manu started to squirm again, and Suja looked at them in turn.


    "I know that you still have a history with him, Leva." Seb sighed, just gagging Manu''s mouth again. "But I think we''d better just ept him. We''ve all justmitted a grave sin. Maybe this is our way of making amends."


    Eric closed the door of the house and bolted it, blocking the wind and snow from entering. "I agree with my dad."


    Leva clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth. However, it onlysted a moment. After her hands opened again as usual, she went to the toilet.


    So, this is their decision.


    Seb smiled and walked over to the former tribe leader, crouched down, and held out his hand. "Wee to.... Ah, we don''t have a name yet."


    "Thanks very much!" Suja shook Seb''s hand with both of him''s. That''s when I noticed something odd. The pinky and ring fingers of Suja''s gloves looked limp.


    Have the fingers been cut off?


    [Suja wants to join your colony, will you ept him?]


    [Yes]


    [No]


    I pressed yes, ording to the wishes of my colonists.


    [Suja, 66 years old (Colonist)]


    STATS:


    Ranged attacks: 50/100


    Melee attacks: 19/100


    Construction: 22/100


    Crafting: 92/100**


    Cook: 56/100


    nts: 8/100


    Mining: 5/100


    Animals: 6/100


    Medic: 27/100


    TRAITS:


    Hard Drinker – Suja really likes to drink liquor. Not drinking for long periods of time will affect his mood. He will also ignore orders not to drink.


    INCAPABLE OF:


    -


    HEALTH ISSUES:


    Scars on both legs (-35% walking speed)


    Missing four fingers (-40% working speed, there are some jobs he can''t do)


    Presbyopia – Suja''s eyes are farsighted due to old age (-30% vision at close range)


    Cirrhosis – Suja''s liver is damaged due to excessive alcohol consumption (Major, -10% moving speed)


    Hypertension – Suja''s blood pressure is sometimes very high (Sometimes his vision is reduced by 10%, and his body gets tired easily)


    Damn, his condition is so bleak.. It was amazing that he was still alive after battling the cold of winter, even defeating the younger Xe.