What is a Surprise? This is a Surprise!

The next day, Emerich entrusted Chris to Alvin and went out to work alone.

According to him, he was going to the tavern to move corpses today. This kind of work was done once a week and could earn him an Energy Bar.

The Energy Bar was barely enough to keep the siblings from starving, but it certainly wouldn't fill them up.

As night fell, Emerich limped back from the alley corner, two Energy Bars in his arms. Despite being badly beaten, a happy smile still graced his face.

The boy shyly held out one of the Energy Bars, "Mr. Alvin, if you don't mind, you can have some of this."

Seeing the boy's bruised and swollen face, and though he was dirty, he had specifically washed his hands. Alvin silently took the cheap Energy Bar from Emerich's grasp. "Thank you."

Seeing that he had accepted the Energy Bar, Emerich smiled happily.

"You and your sister, how old are you?" Alvin asked, taking a bite of the Energy Bar and breaking the silence.

"I'm twelve, and my sister is eight."

Emerich broke the Energy Bar in half, one piece longer than the other. He handed the longer piece to his sister and ruffled her hair, "Eat up, Chris."

Chris obediently took the Energy Bar, still silent, and devoured it in large bites.

"She... can't speak?" Alvin asked, curious. Chris had been curled up in the corner during the day, occasionally stealing glances at him, but she hadn't answered any questions.

"Mm, Chris couldn't speak when I found her," Emerich said, stroking his own dry, yellow hair.

"Found her? You're not blood-related siblings?"

This time, it was Alvin's turn to be shocked.

"Heh heh, actually, we're not, Mr. Alvin."

Emerich shyly touched his nose, gazed dotingly at Chris, and softly recounted the story.

In fact, Emerich and Chris had no blood relation.

In the winter when Emerich was eight, gang wars erupted in the Underhive. Scavengers became the most sought-after "merchandise," carted off in droves to the warring gangs.

As for what the corpses could be used for, Emerich had seen it long ago.

At that time, after starving for eight consecutive days, Emerich could no longer bear it. He had to go out and find food.

Otherwise, the harsh winter combined with hunger would be enough to kill him.

Emerich ventured into the industrial district, hoping to find some valuable trash to exchange for enough provisions to fill his stomach.

If he were lucky, finding a couple of clothes would be even better.

The clothes on eight-year-old Emerich were rags he'd found long ago. They had mostly rotted away over the years and couldn't block out the cold winter air at all.

"I remember it very clearly. I searched for a long time that day, from morning till night," Emerich lowered his head, stroking his cute sister in his arms, a warm smile on his face. "Suddenly, I heard a baby crying. That's where I found Chris."

"She was so tiny, curled up in a snowdrift, her whole face frozen blue."

"Many people died of cold that year. Logically, an infant shouldn't have survived, but Chris was incredibly resilient. She lived."

"I believe it was a miracle bestowed by the Emperor!"

Emerich gently hugged Chris, his face beaming with a cheerful smile, and scratched his head. "Mr. Alvin, am I talking too much? Sorry, I just suddenly felt like sharing."

"No, you are very brave, Emerich."

After hearing the siblings' story, Alvin felt genuine admiration.

An eight-year-old child, with a sister he wasn't related to by blood, had struggled in the Underhive for eight years. How many hardships had they endured?

"Heh heh, it's not that much, Mr. Alvin." Praised, Emerich shyly touched his nose. "I just feel that Chris's survival must have been a gift from His Majesty the Emperor, a gift He bestowed upon me."

That night, Emerich talked a lot about himself and his sister.

It was clear that he truly loved his sister and often mentioned the Emperor.

As the night deepened, Emerich, holding his sister, curled up in the corner of the alley, covered by a few pieces of cardboard, and fell into a deep sleep.

In their dreams, the siblings nestled together, their lips slightly upturned, seemingly having a beautiful dream.

Curled up in the corner of the wall, Alvin felt as if he had overlooked something, but he couldn't recall what it was.

Never mind, it's probably nothing important.

He drifted off to sleep.

In the depths of his consciousness, he seemed to see that pale, cold sun again.

"8!"

A number echoed in his mind.

The third day. It was time to leave.

Although their time together was short, Alvin felt great sympathy for the siblings.

But he knew very well that he didn't have the means to take them to the Mid-hive. Even if he used his remaining gold to buy passage, it would take at least three more days.

The problem was, the Cult wouldn't give him that much time. Alvin had to reach the Mid-hive as soon as possible to seek a power that could break the deadlock.

"I'm leaving."

Alvin stretched his stiff body and turned to look at the siblings huddled in the corner.

"Thank you, Mr. Alvin."

Emerich solemnly led his sister and bowed deeply to him. "In the future, we will definitely repay your kindness."

"A parting gift. I hope you can protect yourselves well." After much hesitation, Alvin handed the old laser gun to them and instructed, "This gun has aiming problems, so you have to use it at close range. For the time being, try to avoid crowded places, understand?"

This was all he could do for the pitiable brother and sister.

The rest... was up to them.

Alvin put on his black robe again, bid farewell to the siblings, and left the alley directly.

"May the Emperor Lord bless you, Mr. Alvin!"

From behind, Emerich's young and sincere blessing could be heard.

Emperor Lord bless?

Alvin couldn't help but chuckle as he listened.

If the Emperor Lord could wake up, the first thing he'd probably do is tear down the Ecclesiarchy.

However, he also sent his own blessings to the siblings in his heart: May the Emperor Lord bless you.

"The situation... seems to be getting more tense."

As soon as he stepped into the black market, Alvin sensed a tense atmosphere pervading the air.

Even when the black market was less crowded in the past, it had never been this desolate. Looking around, there were hardly any stalls left, with only a few scattered figures.

The cult's development seemed faster than he had imagined. Alvin took a deep breath and quickened his pace.

He knocked on the iron door, and it was the same bald man as last time, signaling him to go to the second floor.

Tark had his legs propped on the table, a cheap cigarette in his mouth, and glanced at Alvin, who had just come up. "Too slow."

"I was slightly delayed on the way."

Alvin took off his hood, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "When I came, I noticed there were very few people in the black market. What happened?"

"Heh, what else could it be?"

Tark lowered his eyes and sneered. "Those scum from the Iron Hammer Gang are rumored to be going to war with another district."

Indeed, his guess had come true.

Alvin sighed inwardly. The cult, disguised as a gang, was rapidly expanding.

In other words, he didn't have much time left!

"I got what you wanted."

Tark put his legs down and pulled out a large bag from below.

Thud!

From the sound, it was clear that the contents were heavy, making the table groan.

Next, Tark unzipped the bag and laid out the items one by one until they filled the entire table before stopping.

"A bolter, standard Astra Militarum issue. It's a bit old, but believe me, it's worth having!"

"Two frag grenades. These are good finds, with a kill radius of ten meters!"

"Three high-concentration energy batteries. These are probably the cheapest and easiest things to get among all these items."

"Ten nutrient solutions, twenty energy bars!"

"And of course, the most important thing: a standard carapace armor. Although it's missing the ballistic plates and has some bullet marks, it can definitely withstand ordinary bullets!"

Alvin stared at the items on the table, dumbfounded and speechless from the shock.

These are things an underhive dweller can get?!

What do you call a surprise? This is a surprise!