After a while.
The middle-aged man suddenly approached Su Hao in a furtive manner and quietly slipped a long, slender object into his hand.
"What's this?"
Looking at the cane in his hand, Su Hao gave the man a startled glance.
"This was my father's cane. It might be a little worn out and easy to break—I've repaired it several times already, so be careful when you use it."
The middle-aged man grinned, though his yellow teeth were rather distracting.
"Anyway, since you're willing to take this gamble with me, I can't just watch you go to your death. This cane is the greatest help I can offer you."
"After that, it'll all depend on our luck."
After a few seconds of silence, Su Hao asked, "Can you tell me your name?"
The middle-aged man gave him a strange look. "Everyone's doing everything they can just to stay alive now. No one has time to care about names. You're the first person I've met who's asked."
"Dulse. My name is Dulse. My father gave it to me. Not bad, right?"
"...Dulse."
Su Hao murmured the name to himself, then asked out of curiosity:
"Then... where is your father?"
At the mention of his father, Dulse's expression immediately fell. He said sadly, "He was attacked by an Ultra Beast while saving me. He's gone."
"My condolences."
That was all Su Hao could say to comfort Dulse.
But Dulse was far more optimistic than Su Hao had expected. He smiled again, hope shining in his eyes. "My father told me that I had to reach Ultra Megalopolis alive. Now that Ultra Megalopolis isn't far away, he must be very happy."
"As long as we get to Ultra Megalopolis, everything will get better!"
As though hypnotizing himself, Dulse repeated the phrase so often