A Small-Town Girl
"A lonely night, a lonely you, the Abyss Special Train song request station is here to keep you company."
"This is Wang Xiaomei, the host at the Council of Five Kings General Council counter."
"The next person to request a song is a passenger from the BH5015 express train. This friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, has the internet ID [Little Clever Sherlock Holmes] and is requesting 'Small Town Girl' for his dream girl. The audio source is from the Soul Power concert by David Tao, the godfather of Chinese R&B."
"I remember this ID has requested songs at the reception before. It's been a long time. I hope all lovers in the world can be together soon."
"Read the passenger comments--"
He said, "--"
"You were always in window seat number 18 in carriage 4 of train BH5014. We passed the breakfast shop on the platform together, watched the sparse fireworks together, traveled thousands of miles of mountains and rivers together, and planted plants together. In Brenwell, I was a Greenstone People, a gardener, and you were the honorary manager of the pet shop, who would bicker with mynahs and fight with mixed breeds."
"Every Saturday I have ten minutes to travel to see you, but you never notice the gaze from the next train track. We start from the same point, but travel along two different railway lines to different places."
"If you'd like, could you perhaps read my book occasionally?"
"Wang Xiaomei was really touched when she read this message. When she was a news anchor in Taipei, many young people called her, and some even came to the radio station's consultation room for relationship advice."
"A sincere and simple love is truly rare. It's the most wonderful and dreamlike fate in the world for two complete strangers, with no blood relation, to support each other through years or even decades."
"We also hope that this clever little Sherlock Holmes will soon win Ms. Eileen's favor."
"<Small Town Girl> tells a story of the passage of time and the changes of people, reminding us to hold on to those around us, cherish our lovers, embrace our most important loved ones, and not waste time and life."
"Years later, David Tao has gone from a superstar to an abstract artist. Since his father passed away, his vocal problems have caused his singing skills to decline significantly. However, this version of 'Small Town Girl' was one of the best live performances in the world at the Soul Power concert that year. Its arrangement and the singer-songwriter's performance were at the peak of Shan Hua Romantic."
"We also need to thank the advancements in science and technology, which allow countless sounds and images from the history of human art to be preserved through electromagnetic waves. It's like seeing the most beautiful moment in life; it's a magical preservation technology that allows us to live in the past, present, and future simultaneously."
The headphone wires were plugged into the radio. Bai Zhenzhen and her younger sister Zheng'er shared a set of headphones. The two Little Ghosts sat on the sofa on the third floor of the club, the older brother leading his sister to nod and sway their heads, humming along to the music.
Meanwhile, on the arena in the recreation room, the two older brothers and their parents were engaged in a brutal parent-child activity.
9527 clenched fist, palm rubbed, complete with protective gear.
On the other side, the eldest son Jiang Bai, had a long face, his head buzzing from being beaten by his mother.
Jiang Xueming, sitting in the audience, continued to advise, "There's no need to do this."
"He's the eldest son, he has to set an example! Zhengyang made a mistake, he's also responsible! This is family law!" Xiao Qi ignored the advice, raising her limp fist and pointing at Erwa: "Baby! You still dare to speak ill of your father?"
Zhengyang's face turned pale, his head was wrapped in blue protective gear, and he kept shaking his head. "No, no, no, I'll never say bad things about Daddy again!"
"He's naughty and mischievous, Mom! Why did you hit me?!" Da Bai shrugged and spread his hands. "You want me to discipline him? How could I possibly control him!"
"Brother! You have to discipline me! You have to discipline me! I'll listen to you!" After being educated by Daoist Master Ping'an, Zheng Yang had turned over a new leaf. "I will absolutely listen to you!"
"This guy can squeeze every last drop of urine out of a toad he catches. Last night he even grabbed Aunt Anna's tail and tied it into a knot. He runs fast, I can't keep up!" Da Bai said, looking aggrieved.
"Hey!" Xiao Qi's fists hardened at the sound of Anna's voice. Anna was one of the few opponents she could beat up at the card table. "You dare touch the Earth Dragon's tail? Come on up here!"
"No, no, no! No! No! No!" Zhengyang ran to Xue Ming's side, clutching his head, crying, "Daddy, save me! Daddy, save me!"
At this moment, Xue Ming looked like a loving mother, watching his wife with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Why are you arguing with him?
"What are you yelling at me for!" Zhengyang, like a koala, clung to his father's leg and climbed up. He was very agile and in just two or three seconds he was on his father's shoulder and riding on Xue Ming's head, looking a bit like a dog taking advantage of its master's power.
Jiang Xueming: "He can't beat you, and he might not be able to even when he grows up. Besides, he has his strengths too."
Jiang Zhengyang: "I can't beat you in a fight! But I'm better at math than you!"
"Hey!" Xiao Qi's temper flared up, and SCK even popped out. The temperature dropped two degrees with the strong psionic tide.
"Besides," Jiang Xueming patted Da Wa's leg from below the ring, "You didn't need to beat up Da Bai, did you?"
"Doctor Zhang is so reasonable!" Jiang Bai immediately switched sides, but he still hadn't figured out Xue Ming's identity. The kid was just grinning foolishly—so many "gunsmiths" had come to the club these past few days, how could he possibly recognize who his real father was?
"Keep beating him, he's not thinking straight." Xue Ming rolled her eyes, ran to the referee's desk, and rang the bell. "Round two, begin!"
Xiao Qi cursed, "You little bastard! That's your own father! What are you calling him? Xiao Zhang?"
In the box that Wood Plark handed to Jiang Xueming, there was a complete set of identification documents and a medical license for the section on psychiatrists.
He had a new name: Zhang Congfeng.
Like the clever Sherlock Holmes, he came from Brenwell and was an ordinary person from District 19.
As he left his "hometown," the neighbors bid a heartfelt farewell to this approachable and kind neighbor, hoping that the young man could find a suitable job in the First District.
He had an elderly mother and another family that was both strange and familiar. Before Jiang Xueming took over this identity, all of this was arranged. Through the divine power of Teacher Victor's [Hell Highway], it seemed that there really was such a family in the Geyser neighborhood of Brenwell, who had lived there for thirty-six years.
Even if you trace Zhang Congfeng's background back to Brenwell, you can find his school admission certificate, his junior high school classmates, and how this shy and somewhat introverted boy grew up little by little, how he gradually made his way to the Nine Realms, and eventually became a psychological counselor in 9527.
"Doctor Zhang! Did you practice your exercises today?"
Meteor's expression was ambiguous and strange. When he arrived at the entertainment room on the third floor, he prepared to greet his older brother, a tacit understanding the two brothers had maintained for many years.
This time, however, Jiang Xueming did not respond; this habit needs to be changed.
Meteor, feeling foolish, watched as his sister-in-law brutally beat a child on stage. Her fists were raised high and then gently brought down, leaving Big White staggering about. The sight made his teeth ache. Finally, he returned to the water bar salon and went to Zhenzhen and Zheng'er's side.
"I still remember standing at the train station a year ago, watching my tragedy unfold, seeing your tear-streaked face through the glass window, the train engine still puffing smoke!"
He swayed his head and bobbed along with the two little ones, making them laugh.
"I don't understand!~ I don't understand!~"
Why can't you just let go!
The enthusiastic Red Stone People couldn't hear the music in his headphones, but the pheromones and psionic reactions emanating from Zheng'er alerted Meteor almost immediately, and he started humming along to Jiang Zheng's rhythm.
"I understand, I understand."
You will always exist in my heart; perhaps one day you will miss me.
But I am no longer here.
Meteor's body tilted, following the lyrics all the way back to Xue Ming, tilting its head back, its limbs very flexible, looking up at its older brother.
But I'm no longer here! ~ Oh, oh, oh! ~ Oh! ~
Xue Ming was starting to lose control.
"--Hahahaha!"
Meteor: "Hahahaha!~"
Xue Ming raised his hand and slapped his younger brother's shoulder, telling him to stand up straight when he spoke.
Meteor, responding to this force, spun around in place, then put his hands on his hips and said smugly, "Zhang Congfeng! What a great name!"
"Is there a new version of the story?" Xue Ming asked curiously.
The meteor gestures sometimes resembled the imposing martial arts style of a four-legged warrior, and other times the stances and postures of Xingyi Quan.
"Dragons follow the clouds! Tigers follow the wind!" A Xing pouted, his expression serious as he tried to evade the question, "How about I change my name too? Like Bu Jingyun?"
"That won't do." Xue Ming joked, "You don't have Peter Ho's expressive face, nor Aaron Kwok's looks. You're not the Grim Death God who doesn't cry, you're the Death God cries randomly."
At that moment, a childish, guttural battle cry erupted from the stage.
"Come on! I won't give up!"
Da Bai suddenly perked up, as if he had met his idol, and his morale suddenly soared. This kid didn't like Xue Ming, but instead regarded Liu Xing as his role model.
"No matter what difficulties I encounter, I'm not afraid, poop ha!"
Before he could finish speaking, Big White was knocked down by his mother!
Xiao Qi knocked his son down with one punch, then ran to the bell in the boxing ring and rang it twelve times.
She raised her fists and let out an excited roar, finally understanding the pleasure that Daoist Master Ping'an felt when he beat up the child.
"Whoosh!!! Yeah! We won! We won! An overwhelming victory, no doubt about it!"
Xue Ming hesitated, then said, "She... she..."
"What is she so smug about? And him... my precious darling. What's he so excited about?"
Why them?
It's too mysterious; Xue Ming doesn't understand.
The winner, Xiao Qi, picked up her son and kissed him passionately. It was the highest form of humiliation in the boxing ring, but also a mother's expression of love for her son. She did a somersault and landed, carrying Jiang Bai to the infirmary for a check-up. The entertainment area then quieted down.
"Come on, Ming Ge, it's been a long time since we've sparred. Let's practice some kung fu." Bu Liuxing nimbly climbed onto the boxing ring and took the blue boxing gloves.
"I'm Xiao Zhang now. Are you going to beat up medical staff?" Jiang Xueming grabbed Erwa's arm, striking a pose like a French military salute, surrendering before the fight even started.
"No! No! Don't do this! Oh dear!" Bu Liuxing cried out in distress, "Please! Come on, brother! Come on! My wife won't be angry! Your wife isn't that scary."
"No, I've only been back to normal for a few days," Jiang Xueming explained. "Look at my tiny arms and legs, I haven't adjusted yet."
Bu Liuxing took a closer look--
Jiang Xueming has now grown to over 180 centimeters tall, and his physique does indeed appear somewhat malnourished.
Xue Ming's height was originally only 172 centimeters, but this sudden extra 10 centimeters took away a large amount of his physical essence.
With Ms. Yukri's help, when Xue Ming regained his male body, his bones underwent abnormal growth in the weightless environment. It's hard to say whether this excessive growth is beneficial or harmful. Originally, he was in a state of unity of body and soul. After all this, he did cancel his disabled veteran's certificate on Little Red (a Chinese social media platform). However, in real society, these suddenly added bones might harbor some hidden ailments.
Its bone density is certainly not as strong as its previous physique, and the sudden increase in arm span will also affect its overall balance.
Like kneading dough, Jiang Xueming was originally a short and stocky man with a broad frame supporting a strong and powerful physique, has now been stretched by a rolling pin, and his XL-sized body is now quite out of shape.
He's been training at the shooting range these past few days, trying to pick up firearms again. However, changes in his muscle structure have drastically reduced his aiming ability, and his shooting performance is even worse than Jason Megan's.
The way he used to hold a gun couldn't be used on this body. His fingers had grown longer, his palms had become wider, and the process of positioning the gun using the sights had become cumbersome, requiring him to readjust. He used to be able to contract his core to counteract the recoil, but now those muscle memories were all unreliable.
"Hey! You're bad!" Meteor said, but then she thought, "But I can help you with your rehabilitation! Come on, don't try to slack off!"
"Isn't that inappropriate?" Jiang Xueming glanced at the children in the playroom. "You want to spar with me in front of my little darling?"
Meteor chuckled mischievously, "Are you afraid of losing face? Hehehehehehe!"
"You said it." Jiang Xueming put Zhengyang down, crawled under the ropes, walked to a corner of the red team's enclosure, and put on his protective gear. He repeatedly emphasized, "You said it."
Meteor licked his lips, driven by the warlike nature of the Red Stone People, urging him to challenge a powerful foe.
"Come on! Come on! You come and fight me!"
"Let's set the rules first." Jiang Xueming took off his fist and gestured. "No eye gouging, no groin kicks, no attacks on the back of the head, no using soul power."
Meteor: "Come on! Come on, I know!"
Xue Ming put his boxing gloves back on and shouted to his son, "Ring the bell! Zhengyang! Three minutes per round!"
Zhengyang ran excitedly to the referee's area, nervously watching his dad. The little darling had seen his dad and Uncle Meteor fight in the ring before, and his dad always lost more often than he won.
Xue Ming and Liuxing have a huge difference in height and weight. If it comes to hand-to-hand combat, Xueming is no match for Liuxing at all.
"Are you done?" Zhengyang asked. "Want to warm up?"
Xue Ming: "No need."
Meteor: "No need."
The two leaders of the nameless gang never had the habit of warming up. Xue Ming and A Xing had said that thugs wouldn't wait for you to warm up.
Ding ding ding ding--
The moment the bell rang, Meteor lowered his fists, bared his chin, and pressed close to Ming Ge. He was almost ready to end the fight in the first round, which was A Xing's fighting style.
The lowered fist will disappear from Xue Ming's sight. This is a high-risk, high-reward gambling-style fighting method that can turn a simple striking technique into a throwing technique, or a rock-paper-scissors style of fighting.
Xue Ming calmly gave way to A Xing. His steps were steady, just like before. He moved out of the center of the ring with a very large stride, holding his ground and defending tightly.
The meteor was about to follow up with a punch, but before it could get its footing, it used a jabbing punch to probe.
The punch that blocked his way grazed Xue Ming's arm, and he dodged it.
After another push, Meteor confirmed the distance and did not rush in rashly.
He had a very strange feeling in his heart; his past experience fighting Ming Ge was no longer useful!
He's faster now! Xue Ming's height gives him a wider field of vision, and his longer stride gives him greater mobility!
In the past, Ah Xing would have slammed his right hand into the ground with a powerful punch after these repeated attempts to push him forward. But this time, it was as if A Xing had kicked a steel plate; his right hand was too idle to lift at all.
Six bright red scars appeared on Xue Ming's right arm, cuts made by Meteor's rangefinding jab, but no blood was drawn.
He never fought back, but continued to walk in circles. As soon as the meteor started moving, he would slip away from the corner like a slippery eel and slide to the other side.
As the second round of probing began, A Xing finally lost his patience. He cornered Xue Ming and, seeing her intention to dive down and dodge again, suddenly ducked down as well.
He made a strange, exaggerated expression, as if trying to scare his opponent, pouting as if blowing bubbles.
"Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!~~~"
In an instant, these strange noises and expressions become a form of mental pollution, a move that can make your enemy hesitate, wondering, "What on earth is this guy doing?"
No sooner said than done --
At such close range, it's like a game of rock-paper-scissors for the two of them—there's absolutely no time to react!
A Xing opened his arms to hug Xue Ming and bring him to the ground!
Once he reaches the ground, his weight will become an advantage, and that advantage will immediately turn into victory!
The next second, the meteor kissed the floor of the arena fiercely.
He lost memory of that one second, completely forgot the process, and had no recollection of what happened.
Huh?
When he got up, his calves and liver were still throbbing.
The echo still reverberated in the recreation room; it was the loud thud that came from the moment he collapsed to the ground.
"That trick won't work on me." Xue Ming took off his boxing gloves, shook his fingers, and said with a chuckle, "Useless! I'm a warrior trained by Pankrasin, it won't work on me!"
"How did I lose?!" Meteor scrambled to his feet, repeatedly asking, "Holy crap! Holy crap!"
Xue Ming flipped off the ring, his phone still recording, and tossed it to A Xing before running back to the infirmary to check on his wife and children.
Meteor, after pondering for a while while holding his phone, realized that Ming Ge's attack methods had undergone a significant change.
--At the moment he went to intercept Xue Ming and opened his arms to restrain the low-lying target, two things happened.
Ming Ge didn't actually lower himself completely; his center of gravity was still in the middle, and he showed no intention of deliberately losing his balance. Before Meteor even began setting up his attack, Xue Ming had already started casting his net.
"How could they react at that distance?"
Meteor scratched his head vigorously, unable to comprehend Xue Ming's reflexes. Was that the reaction speed of a thirty-year-old?
As he initiated the embrace, a vicious low sweeping kick struck his right leg, without exposing half of his body—
--This low sweeping kick, with its minimal range of motion, combined the force of both individuals, creating a counter-attack effect.
In the instant that Xueming kicked Meteor's shin, causing him to lose his balance, Xue Ming's right fist landed almost simultaneously on Meteor's abdomen. In that instant, Meteor lost consciousness and was subdued by the combined attack of his hands and feet.
"This balance..." Meteor gasped when she saw her eyes rolling upwards. "It's outrageous."
Normally, in order to ensure the quality of their attacks, boxers in competitive sports only mobilize the strength of one limb to throw one punch at a time, or throw punches continuously, rather than throwing both fists simultaneously. This is because the way the human body generates power limits the boxer's tactical approach.
Xue Ming had just simultaneously mobilized the power of his right arm and right leg, almost multitasking, clearly defining the attack route. This required a very high level of core strength, balance, and strategic thinking in tactical deployment.
This extra ten centimeters in height gives Xue Ming a wider range of target acquisition. His sweeping kick is like a whip, and the length of the whip determines the impact of the kick. It can also incorporate a punch, which is a bit incredible—something Meteor's knowledge is blind spot.
Xue Ming needs to readjust to his physical form in shooting, but in the realm of hand-to-hand combat, he has already been severely beaten in the Royal Court and is no longer in the same league as Meteor.
"One more round! ~ Ming Ge"
A Xing shouted loudly--
"--Who are you calling?" Xue Ming poked her head out.
Meteor immediately changed his tune--
" --Doctor Zhang! Doctor Zhang! I won't help you with your rehabilitation! Please help me! Stop looking at your wife! Look at me!"
A little dust had settled in the office on the second floor.
When Bu Liuxing crashed to the ground, he shook the dust out of the cracks in the wooden wall.
Tang Ning held Anna's tail, sweating profusely with anxiety.
Anna's face was ashen. "Can't you untie it?"
Tang Ning: "I'm already trying."
Anna: "How about we just cut it off? And then use Universal Elixir to fix it?"
"No, that's such a waste." Tang Ning suddenly exclaimed.
Anna: "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch, it hurts!!!! Be gentle!"
Outside the office, Red Sister led guests to see the anonymous person in charge.
Hearing the commotion inside the door, Red Sister was completely bewildered. Before the guests could ask any questions,
With her exceptionally high emotional intelligence, Red Sister decided to take the initiative and draw a clear line between them. She politely asked the guests what was going on.
"With an Earth Dragon? Has he always been playing this high-stakes game?"
The guests immediately understood and analyzed the situation logically and with evidence.
"The boss's arrangements are all reasonable."
"I have absolutely no clue either."
"Oh, perhaps it was General of Tears who taught this etiquette to Mr. Tang Ning?"
Red Sister immediately and naturally took the customer away, went to wait on the first floor, and left the problem to someone else, without any intention of saying a kind word to the customer.
Two dark-skinned young men squeezed in through the main entrance.
Red Sister was so frightened that she immediately pulled out her gun.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Fuyanni and Billy the Kid had returned.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Billy raised his hands. "No! It's me!"
Fuyanni: "Red Sister, no no no no! No no no no!"
Red Sister, holding her gun, looked puzzled. "I only knew that Furei Kong showed signs of contagion, but I didn't expect that you guys, who worked with a young black man, would come back with a different race."
"The sun in District 54 is scorching!" Fuyanni complained. "It's only been half a month, and I'm already as tanned as someone from Guangzhou."
Looking out the door, a new bronze statue has been erected in front of the Royal Hall, in the fountain square.
The BOSS, holding the gunsmith's urn with a solemn expression, placed it in the pedestal in front of the bronze statue in full view of everyone.
In the eyes of more than two hundred people, it stretched out its claws, pulled out a handful of goat milk powder from the urn, and took a big bite of the gunsmith's ashes, all to finish telling this hellish joke.
"This is a blessing, hmm."
"I will always be with my favorite passenger."
"For those still on their journey, the Abyss Special Train Radio Station will always be there to accompany them."
"I am your good friend, Wang Xiaomei, the counter host of the Council of Five Kings General Council."
"It's past midnight in Asia. Head further into the Twilight Pass, and another anchor will continue to tell you new stories."
"Here is a message from a gunsmith's apprentice. His name is Billy Horn—he works in the anonymous workshop."
"Let's end today's radio show with a little story from this legendary figure's apprentice."
He said--
"--The first love in life is like a chance encounter on a train; there will always be regrets, and youth will always be imperfect. Such a thing also happened on the journey from District 54 back to District 1 of the Nine Realms."
"To avoid disturbing my good friend's sleep, I decided to sit separately from Fuyanni and went to another carriage, where I randomly found a seat."
Another unfamiliar young woman found a seat, and I sat next to her without saying a word.
"Perhaps it was the nameless craftsman's badge that gave the girl a strange sense of security, because she actually fell asleep on my shoulder."
"So many people are coming and going, travelers are moving between the carriages, and they'll glance at me as they pass by, but I can't move an inch."
Two hours later, she stood up with a strange expression, still without saying a word, and hurriedly ran into the distance, heading towards a small town I had never heard of or seen before. And so we were separated forever, but we would meet again someday.
"See you tomorrow, my friends in Asia!~"
"That's all for today's crappy class, goodnight Makabaka!~"