Chapter 601: Joel and Ellie (Requesting Subscriptions and Monthly Passes)

In the game, Li Yue could clearly feel the changes in Joel and Ellie’s relationship.

At first, right after Tess died, the two wouldn't even exchange a word on the road. However, seeing Ellie, this young girl, sighing when she saw deer in the woods, and her reactions to the arcade and record store, made her come alive. It reminded players that Ellie was still a 13-year-old girl.

But unlike a normal little girl, Ellie was clearly special, as she was born into a world where order had already collapsed. This explained why Ellie often blurted out 'fuck' without hesitation.

And despite being a 13-year-old girl, she also had a decisive side. In Pittsburgh, Joel was ambushed by a Hunter and nearly killed. Fortunately, Ellie helped just in time, grabbing a nearby gun and shooting the Hunter in the head.

Facing Ellie after she fired the gun, Joel's first reaction was anger, upset that she hadn't kept her promise. But Ellie chose not to humor Joel this time.

“You know what? You shouldn't be saying that!”

“You should be saying: ‘Hey, Ellie, I know this isn't easy, but it was either him or me. Thank you for saving me!’”

“Joel, do you have something like that you want to say to me?”

Ellie waited expectantly, but Joel just paused, then turned and walked away. Because of this, Ellie threw a small tantrum on their way.

However, Joel eventually chose to trust Ellie, even handing her a rifle so she could cover him. He then used his own words to thank her for the earlier incident: “Let’s get this straight. Back there… it was either him or me.”

Ellie was clearly taken aback by Joel’s words for a moment.

These moments allowed Li Yue and other players to feel that the relationship between Joel and Ellie seemed to be slowly changing.

But this change worried Li Yue deeply.

Make you feel warm, then stab a knife deep into your heart.

That was his assessment of Chen Xu.

How united was the Van der Linde gang in the early stages of Red Dead Redemption? Yet, it ultimately disintegrated, leading to Arthur Morgan’s death. And in Assassin's Creed, Ezio lost his father, brother, younger brother, and his first love.

A series of games followed this design pattern. The most critical point was that The Last of Us was already showing signs of this.

The heartwarming father-daughter moments with Sarah at the beginning ended in death. Tess and Joel’s friendship also ended in death. In the town, Bill and Joel had just completed a favor, only for Bill’s friend to die.

Especially in Pittsburgh, this desperate yet simple plot was repeated once more.

…………

In Pittsburgh, Joel and Ellie hid in a house, only to discover another pair of Black brothers inside: Henry and Sam, two very common names. They were the sole survivors of a small group, separated from the main force, with only the two of them left. Despite the apocalypse, both had children with them. This led Joel and Henry to decide to act together.

Along the way, they came to a toy store. Henry’s younger brother, Sam, wanted to take a Gundam toy, but he was stopped. Afterward, the four decided to use a radio to search for clues about the Fireflies.

However, they were attacked by Hunters midway. When climbing a ladder, the ladder broke, leaving only Joel. Henry and Sam turned and ran without hesitation. But Ellie, without any pause, jumped down, choosing to face the danger with Joel.

Their escape was perilous, with Joel and Ellie eventually falling from a bridge. When Joel woke up, he was on the beach, with Henry, who had chosen to leave with Sam, beside him. Joel was filled with anger, but then fell silent because of Henry’s words. He understood that Henry didn't want his brother to take risks; if Joel had been in Henry's position, he would have made the same choice without hesitation.

After this life-and-death crisis, the team seemed to become more harmonious. There was more laughter on the road, and Ellie and Sam, two children with similar personalities, became inseparable. They read comics, played games, bickered with each other, and even played darts.

Strict Henry did not stop them as he had in the toy store; instead, he laughed and chatted with Joel with some emotion. But just as Li Yue expected, the warmer the beginning, the crueler the end.

While Joel and Henry chatted, in another room, Ellie specially brought Sam the toy he had wanted to take earlier. But after Ellie left, Sam threw the toy on the ground. On his leg was a scratch, which had already begun to worsen.

So the subsequent plot unfolded naturally. In the morning, Sam was infected. Henry personally killed his brother, then, in despair, shot himself. There were no earth-shattering grand scenes, not even many lines of dialogue. Two gunshots brought despair and suppression.

………………

Time flew by, and it was autumn in the blink of an eye. Ellie and Joel arrived in Jackson County, where Joel met his brother, Tommy. Although they had argued in the past, they were still brothers. They cursed at each other, but neither was willing to let go when they hugged.

Through conversation, they learned that Tommy was now married, and he and his wife had built a settlement. These were not Hunters who preyed on their own kind; this group lived self-sufficiently by planting crops and raising livestock. Everyone had a clear division of labor and sufficient armed forces to protect them.

This was something Li Yue had never seen in the game until now. Despite it still being the apocalypse, despite zombies still being rampant outside, this place was full of vitality and hope.

Upon arriving, Tommy handed Joel a photo. It was a photo of Joel and Sarah. However, Joel did not accept the photo, as it was an eternal pain in his heart.

But Joel’s next words made Li Yue freeze slightly. Joel wanted to back out here; he wanted to entrust Ellie to Tommy and leave himself. They had a big argument over this, as Tommy was no longer alone; he had his own family now. While they were at a stalemate, nearby Hunters arrived. After working together to repel the enemies, Ellie passionately recounted the situation to Joel, but Joel didn’t listen at all, only checking Ellie nervously and asking if she was hurt.

Watching this scene, Li Yue, in the game, showed an expression of realization. He understood why Joel was unwilling to continue taking Ellie on the road. Because during this journey, without realizing it, Joel had come to see Ellie as the most important person in his life; he saw Ellie as his daughter.

Tommy clearly understood as well, so he decided to take on this difficult task. Tommy had also thought about what happened twenty years ago, wondering if Sarah would still be alive if he had arrived earlier.

However, everyone overlooked one thing: what did Ellie think? Ellie, who had overheard Joel’s conversation, stole a horse and rode out of the camp alone. Eventually, Tommy and Joel found her at a ranch. Looking at Ellie, who was leaning on the balcony reading her diary, Joel angrily scolded her, saying she was too willful and didn't realize how much trouble she caused them.

And here, Ellie finally erupted.

“Stop talking nonsense! What are you afraid of? Afraid I'll end up like Sam? I won’t get infected, I can take care of myself.” Ellie looked at Joel.

“How many times have we been in danger?” Joel said, but averted his gaze.

“So far, we’ve handled it pretty well.”

“You’d handle it even better with Tommy!” Joel retorted.

“I’m not her… Maria told me about Sarah, and I…” Ellie said softly.

“Ellie… you're pushing yourself into a corner…” Joel turned to look at Ellie, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry about Sarah, but Joel… I’ve lost important people too.” Ellie looked Joel directly in the eye.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Joel shook his head at Ellie, clearly not believing that a 13-year-old girl born in the apocalypse could have experienced much.

Facing the stubborn Joel, Ellie finally couldn’t hold back any longer and shoved Joel hard.

“F**K! Everyone who cared about me is either dead or left me!”

“Everyone is like that! F**K! Except for you, you asshole!”

“So don’t tell me I’d be safer with someone else, F**K! That just makes me more scared!”

Seeing Ellie's emotional outburst, Joel's lips trembled: “You’re right. You’re not my daughter, and I’m not your dad… We’ll go our separate ways.”

After eliminating the attacking enemies, accompanied by a mournful guitar, the three returned to the town. All the way back, none of them spoke a word.

Outside Tommy’s town, it was quiet and peaceful, like a paradise, with no hint of the apocalypse. Here, Joel looked at Ellie’s back and finally made up his mind.

“Where’s their lab?”

“Far away, University of Eastern Colorado.”

“Ellie, get off the horse. Give it back to Tommy.”

Hearing Joel’s words, Ellie suddenly looked up.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to spend a little more time with her.” Joel said to Tommy, then looked at Ellie: “Come on, don’t make me say it again.”

“There’s room for you here,” Tommy tried to persuade Joel and Ellie to stay before they left.

Joel didn’t answer Tommy, only turning to glance at Ellie behind him.

“Ready?”

After getting a response, Joel nodded slightly at Tommy.

“Goodbye, brother.”

The journalists reviewing the game were completely engrossed in the story by this point. They weren't thinking about reviews; all they wanted to know was what Joel and Ellie would encounter next. Would Chen Xu really be cruel enough to stage another tragedy?

(End of Chapter) <>