Preparing to Return to Blue Star

Lin Tianxiao nodded in satisfaction. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he wore a wistful look and said to Fang Yao and Jiang Weiwei, "Speaking of your fathers... Fang Wei was the biggest troublemaker among the three of us back then, but he was always the first to charge into battle, too. Once, we were deep behind enemy lines on a reconnaissance mission when a whole reinforced company of mutated beasts surrounded us. We were almost out of ammunition, and he took a cleaver and hacked a bloody path through them... He took three blows to the back, deep enough to expose bone, and didn't even make a sound."

The fires of battles long past flickered in his eyes. "Tianhai looked frail, but he had the sharpest mind. Once, we were trapped in an abandoned research facility, riddled with traps and self-destruct programs. He cracked the central password in less than half an hour and led us to a way out, even copying a trove of precious research data along the way... To cover our data transfer, he drew the pursuers away by himself. He almost..."

His voice sank, as though he could once again see the back of his gentle-smiling yet resolute brother, weaving through a hail of bullets.

Fang Yao and Jiang Weiwei listened, rapt, their eyes shining. Their fathers rarely spoke of those perilous days at home; they were usually the composed, imposing elders their daughters knew. Hearing about their fathers' youthful passion and bravery from Lin Tianxiao, who had lived through it all, deepened their admiration for them. It also felt as if they had touched the golden years of their fathers' generation—a time they had never been part of. Their bond with Uncle Lin and Lin Hao seemed all the more tangible and profound.

"After that..."