Child From The Orphanage

However, the firm resolve to build Jaegers was often accompanied by immense casualties.

When the Jaeger Program was first introduced, countries scoffed at the idea.

They believed the cumbersome Jaegers were nothing more than heaps of scrap metal.

Completely incapable of matching the colossal Kaiju.

That was until the neural control system and consciousness sensors were installed in the Jaegers.

Only after the pilot connected to the consciousness sensor via the neural connection could they truly pilot a Jaeger.

This made the Jaegers agile, transforming them into true warriors instead of clumsy metal hulks.

Six months ago, a Kaiju codenamed "Shanlan" landed in Dalian, Z Nation.

Shanlan resembled a wild boar, its body covered in sharp spikes.

It was slow-moving, but possessed incredible defense and considerable offensive power.

Shanlan stood about one hundred meters tall and weighed two thousand five hundred tons.

Its size and weight classified it as a Category 2 Kaiju.

Shanlan's sudden attack brought immense disaster to Dalian.

Although the military reacted swiftly, arriving on the battlefield in time to halt Shanlan's advance.

Dalian was completely engulfed in the fires of war.

Even with the timely evacuation of Dalian's residents to emergency shelters.

Nearly ten thousand people still lost their lives.

Over five million people were displaced.

The battle raged for three full days and nights, and the military was on the verge of deploying nuclear weapons.

Fortunately, Shanlan was killed just before that.

Due to the precedent set in Manila, Shanlan's corpse was immediately airlifted to the Buri Dun Desert.

It was one of the few desert regions in the northeastern area.

Because of the prompt disposal, the Kaiju's blood spatter in Dalian was relatively minimal.

The Kaiju blue phenomenon did not spread rampantly.

Thus, Dalian was spared the tragedy that befell Manila.

It was around this time that the technical hurdles for the Jaeger Program's consciousness sensor system were overcome.

Z Nation also solidified its resolve to build Jaeger warriors.

Not only that, but countries across the Pan-Pacific region began constructing Jaeger warriors one after another.

This officially marked the beginning of the great war between Jaegers and Kaiju.

June 17, 2024.

Dalian City.

Lushunkou District.

On Jianguo Road, there is a Grandma He's Noodle House.

The noodle house isn't large, with the dining area and kitchen combined covering only about sixty to seventy square meters.

The decor is quite old, exuding a strong sense of nostalgia.

There are only six small tables in the shop.

Yet, the business is booming.

People come and go, a constant stream.

Some, finding no space inside, would even take their noodles and squat by the entrance to eat.

This kept the shop's only young waiter incredibly busy.

Serving dishes to one table, then clearing and taking payment at another, then seating new customers.

Despite being busy, he wasn't flustered, handling everything with remarkable order.

It was as if he were a seasoned veteran in the industry.

The young man's name is Xiao Shou, he just turned eighteen this year. He's not handsome, but his youth makes him appear rather refined.

Especially his eyes, a rare pair of phoenix eyes.

Yet, they occasionally held a world-weariness that didn't belong to someone his age.

Xiao Shou is an orphan, having grown up at the Dalian City Third Social Welfare Institute since childhood.

The welfare institute is located in Lushunkou District.

Despite being an orphan, Xiao Shou's childhood was a happy one.

Although he was abandoned by his family shortly after birth.

He had a kind and amiable Director Grandpa at the welfare institute.

He had caregiver sisters who took meticulous care of him.

He had the care and affection of the elderly orphans in the welfare institute.

He also had companions in his fellow orphans.

Therefore, Xiao Shou's attitude towards life was very positive and upbeat, and he held no resentment towards society or life.

But all of this, which was originally beautiful, was shattered half a year ago.

The invasion of Shanlan brought great harm to Z Nation and Dalian.

Similarly, it also brought pain to Xiao Shou.

The welfare institute happened to be on the path of Shanlan's advance.

Even though the authorities had sounded the alarm and warned people to evacuate in time.

Most of the people in the welfare institute were the elderly and children who had difficulty moving.

Xiao Shou could only work with a few older children in the welfare institute to move the elderly and young children back and forth.

But there were over two hundred elderly people and children in total. Excluding over a hundred who could move freely, there were still over a hundred who had difficulty moving and needed to be transferred back and forth.

"Shanlan" attacked Dalian by surprise. It had been lurking at the bottom of the sea before.

The sudden landing and attack at this moment meant that the authorities did not have time to evacuate the public.

At that time, there was no underwater wormhole detection system, so the lurking surprise attack of the Kaiju could not be detected in advance.

After "Shanlan" landed, it advanced very quickly.

Although it was intercepted in Dalian.

But the welfare institute was located in the Lushunkou District on the Pacific coast.

It could be said that the landing site of "Shanlan" was the Lushunkou District.

Even though Xiao Shou was exhausted, he had not completely transferred all the more than a hundred elderly people and children.

And at this moment, "Shanlan" was already very close.

The surrounding high-rise buildings were as fragile as building blocks in front of it.

A casual nudge would turn them into ruins.

The compound wall, which had been unreachable in Xiao Shou's eyes before, along with the three-story building of the welfare institute, was directly turned into ashes at "Shanlan's" feet.

Seeing "Shanlan's" front hoof about to fall on Xiao Shou.

At this moment, Xiao Shou, whether out of fear or genuine exhaustion, simply sat there in a daze.

Just as Xiao Shou's mind went blank and he didn't know what to do, a pair of strong hands pulled him up.

It was the old dean, Xiao Kaiyuan, but it was already too late.

The old dean threw Xiao Shou to the side with all his might, lifting him up.

He himself couldn't escape, and "Shanlan's" hoof had already fallen.

Xiao Shou swore that his feet were less than ten centimeters away from "Shanlan's" hoof!

The shockwave from the falling giant hoof sent Xiao Shou flying more than twenty meters away.

After struggling for a long time, Xiao Shou got up and limped to where the old dean had fallen.

Only some bloodstains remained on a huge hoof print.

This caused Xiao Shou great psychological trauma, and he even thought he had caused the dean's death.

Even now, Xiao Shou often dreams of this scene at night, waking up countless times in the middle of the night.

The casualties among the elderly and children in the welfare institute were also significant. More than seventy people who did not manage to evacuate.

Coupled with those who died in the aftermath of the battle, only a little over thirty elderly people and a little over twenty children remained in the welfare institute.

With the dean dead, the finances were suddenly cut off.

Although the government allocated special funds every year, it was like a drop in the bucket for the welfare institute.

Most of the elderly and children fostered in the welfare institute had poor health or even some ailments.

The medical expenses required were enormous.

Before, the dean would travel around and give speeches to solicit donations.

Coupled with the assistance from adults who grew up in the welfare institute and worked outside.

The welfare institute's expenses were barely managed.

And now, this burden suddenly fell on Xiao Shou.

People often grow up overnight accompanied by a major blow or a deeply impactful event.

Xiao Shou was like that. Before, he was just a playful and mischievous kid.

Now, however, he was worried about the future of the welfare institute.

He worked odd jobs to earn money, actively taking on the expenses of the welfare institute.

Although it was just a drop in the bucket for the welfare institute.

It was still good to be able to contribute a little.

Grandma He, the owner of Grandma He's Noodle House, was a friend of the old director and a long-time neighbor of the welfare institute.

She had watched Xiao Shou grow up.

Seeing her old friend and the welfare institute suffer such a great disaster, she naturally wouldn't stand by idly.

She offered Xiao Shou a high salary to stay and help her manage the noodle house.

She also made extra noodles from time to time, letting Xiao Shou deliver them to the elderly and children at the welfare institute to help them out.

And so, Xiao Shou has been working at Grandma He's Noodle House ever since.