77 Brave Hearts

Li Aoz didn't ask too many questions. He had done this mission many times before, and Valenkov would become one of the most familiar maps to players in the future.

"Yesterday's Yesterday, is Spring," one of the most classic quests in the Abyss, boasts generous rewards, a clear quest flow, and a memorable storyline, making it a quest that leaves a deep impression on players.

Unlike the situation in Grant, where the country nearly perished due to its own weakness, the plot of Valenkov is very complex, making it almost impossible to determine which side is righteous and which side is evil.

If you start as a Vanlenkov Alien, this mission will become part of the main storyline.

However, all six endings in the main storyline are 'bad endings' in the literal sense.

Regardless of the outcome, Valenkov will inevitably descend into an abyss of no return.

Li Aoz reached an agreement with Nikita, the protagonist of the mission. To show his sincerity, Li Aoz took out a huge sum of 500 Ammonium Gold and gave them to Nikita, asking him to purchase the necessary supplies.

"So much?!"

When Nikita saw the Ammonium Gold deposited into his account, all four of his eyes widened in astonishment.

"This is just the standard market price. Most free mercenaries at Valkyrie Fortress earn about the same per kill on average."

Li Aoz disagreed.

"Standard quotes?"

Upon hearing this, Nikita almost laughed. He complained to the foreigner with exasperation, "Valenkov's official currency, the Ruta, has depreciated to 1:97.85 million, and it's still falling."

He waved the terminal, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"I need to make some other preparations. We'll meet at the Murdock Tower tonight."

As soon as Li Aoz finished speaking, his figure disappeared.

Nikita stood there stunned for a few minutes until he heard Verrazzi's employees patrolling downstairs. He then quickly packed his things and quietly left the area.

This all feels so unreal.

500 Ammonium Gold is not a large number. In the battles he participated in, he could often harvest nearly 5,000 Ammonium Gold in one battle, enough to support his family.

As it turns out, well...

Nikita, wrapped in a coat, hurried through the street. Because the mercenary city-state has no atmosphere, it doesn't snow in Valenkov in winter. The dry, cold wind takes away the moisture and heat from the body, giving people a restless, parched, and dull feeling.

The gray streets were desolate and indifferent, with only a few pedestrians visible, mostly civilians carrying sticks and weapons, returning home after looting shops.

In a sense, it's a good thing that Verrazzi cut off the weapons supply.

Nikita recalled a joke: Why would Primitive Man smash someone's head with a stick?

A: Because they don't have guns.

Nikita, with his hands in his pockets, walked past the thugs wielding chains and clubs. Although he knew the Ammonium Gold was in the cloud, Nikita instinctively gripped his phone tightly. His expression was relaxed yet troubled, and he didn't look like someone carrying a fortune.

"Damn! What a bunch of poor bastards! I'm starving, I can't even find a piece of chocolate."

A Vanlenkov Alien with antlers and a cat's face carried steel bars, its squid-like eyes drooping, and kept shouting.

"Say less and take a look at this place." His companion rudely rammed into Nikita, Nikita stumbled and instinctively turned his head to look back.

"Look after your grandma?! Get out of here, you old hag!"

An alien carrying a chain cursed loudly and casually picked up an aluminum can and threw it at him.

"Get out! You bunch of old geezers should just go and kill yourselves. Living is just a waste of air."

Nikita ducked to avoid the projectiles, watching as the thugs smashed open the shop door, from which came screams from a woman and roars from the male owner.

"Still watching?"

The thug raised his hand, his left arm instantly transforming into an acid sprayer, and spat out a mouthful of saliva. "You filthy idiot, if it weren't for Kalmetz insisting on that damn relief policy, you'd be finished long ago, get lost!"

Smash!

The shop's glass was smashed, and several aliens who had been eagerly waiting rushed in, soon followed by sounds of beatings and screams.

Nikita said nothing, turned around, and walked away quickly.

He turned left and right, taking a long time, and when he returned to his lodgings, the chest and abdomen of his coat were noticeably bulging.

He unlocked the door and opened the dilapidated old house, revealing the ceiling. The campfire had been extinguished for a long time. He went up and tidied it up a bit, then picked up some planks and table and chair legs from the side and stuffed them in. The fire was rekindled and grew even stronger.

"Are you back?"

Nikita turned her head, and a tiny pale green figure immediately popped out from the dark corner. She leaned against the wall and walked over step by step.

"Rosa, you should go to bed."

"I'm cold." Rosa blinked her grayish-white eyes, her unfocused pupils reflecting Nikita's complex expression. She said bluntly, "The blanket was taken away."

Unlike the other Xenomorphs who are tall and robust, Rosa's appearance is extremely unhealthy and childlike. She is short like a toddler and does not have any mutated defensive organs. Her light green hair hangs over her shoulders, and her childish face shows a mature charm that is completely different from her age.

Guided by the faint warmth, she slowly sat down beside Nikita, groped around, found the teapot, gently shook it, and listening to the sloshing water inside, Rosa immediately smiled:

"There's still water. I'll get you some hot water to warm you up."

"Rest, Rosa."

Nikita was not good with words. He raised his hand and gently pressed it on Rosa's shoulder, not daring to show any more concern or enthusiasm, for fear of crushing her deformed and fragile bones.

"I'm not that fragile," Rosa said stubbornly. Nikita gently brushed her hair aside without saying a word.

"I'm sorry, Rosa." Nikita didn't dare look at Rosa's face. He turned his head away and said, "I've inquired, and I'm afraid Doctor Fox is right. In the Abyss, only Narrative-level Civilization can cure this disease..."

"If the price of curing my illness is for you, Dad, to betray your beloved country, then to hell with the illness, I won't get treatment."

Rosa then said:

"I've already lost two children, one in battle and one to starvation. I have nothing left to fear."

Nikita dared not answer.

He watched his daughter Sora Rosa Nikita, grow from an infant into a beautiful young woman, don her wedding dress, get married, and have children—a life that should have been happy. Yet, he now watches her regress to childhood, shrinking back into an infant.

This genetic disease, known as ' Hydra Syndrome ', originated from their ancestors.

An ancestor whom I have never met, whose time has passed and for whom I do not know, ascended to the Abyss. He came from the Third Floor of the Star Abyss: Zhou Yuan.

At that time, people did not know that Star Abyss's Curse was hereditary, permeating the entire family lineage, generation after generation, endlessly, and would erupt and manifest at any time.

The curse of the Abyss is very mild and has been adapted to by normal people, so it is called the curse-free.

The curse of the Abyss can distort one's vision, hearing, and beliefs, and even cause physical distortion.

Zhou Yuan's curse was even more severe, disrupting the body's concept of time and making creatures unaware of aging and growth.

The body of a living organism is very fragile. If there are a few blood clots or plaques on the walls of blood vessels, the whole person will be in trouble. Not to mention that after the concept of time is removed, we are unaware of our own hunger and aging. Wounds will not heal over time. Metabolism will either be too fast or stagnate, or even accumulate in reverse.

All hormones and drugs require the body's circulation to function. When the concept of time is disrupted, even if the drug is taken, it will not combine with the body's cells to produce an effect, and may not even enter the circulatory system.

Zhou Yuan's curse is difficult for even the strongest to bear, let alone an ordinary Gamma-rank mortal.

Rosa is lucky. Thanks to the bloodline inherited from her ancestors, she did not suffer too much pain. She just kept aging in reverse and could eat and drink well, but her immune system and physical condition were getting weaker and weaker.

The magic that was once paid at a high price to protect her has instead turned into magical radiation that endangers her life, so a great deal of effort had to be put into hiring a sorcerer to remove it.

She is going to get the same illness she had as a child again, and the wounds she suffered in the past will have to be healed all over again.

The implanted lens in the eye had to be removed by a doctor, otherwise the entire eyeball would be squeezed and burst.

Having finally enjoyed over a decade of light after birth, they immediately returned to the darkness of their birth.

Actually, Nikita wasn't afraid of his daughter's illness; he was afraid that he would no longer have the ability to accompany her as she slowly grew smaller again.

Death and illness are never scary, not at all. Only poverty is truly terrifying.

I did not find Julian.

Nikita said:

"I wonder where your half-elf husband has gone. That kid... I knew he was unreliable."

"Julian isn't that kind of person, you know him, Dad," Rosa retorted. "The moment Leader Kalmetz announced the fleet's deployment, he immediately went off to make a living."

"What's the use? If he went to the battlefield, without logistical support or weapons, he would just be like dust scattered among the stars. And even if he died, the country can't pay him any compensation now."

Nikita said irritably, "His best option is to stay by your side. I still have some welfare money, so please, just stay home and live off your parents. Going out to work will only empty your wallet even more."

"Julian is half elven, and elves are all very clever; he'll definitely find a way."

"I hope so."

Nikita fell silent.

The flames burned quietly. Rosa poured water into the small pot, and Nikita added biscuits, chocolate, and some kind of shredded meat, mixed them together, and put it on the fire to cook.

The father and daughter worked together seamlessly. Although Rosa's body had shrunk and she had returned to her childhood state of blindness, she immediately became energetic again as soon as she got her hands on kitchen utensils, showing her true nature as a virtuous wife and loving mother.

"Dad, do you hate Kalmetz?"

Suddenly, Rosa asked.

"Kalmetz is a good man; he gives money to the elderly and the families of fallen soldiers."

"I mean, do you hate him?"

"I hate Kalmetz because he gives money to the elderly and the families of fallen soldiers."

Nikita's words, however, did not sound contradictory at all.

"A good person is not necessarily a good leader. Dad, you are clearly a beneficiary of the Kalmetz policy, yet you hate Kalmetz —this world is really strange, isn't it?"

"I have no idea."