Family

Chapter 10: Family

After fiddling with the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device for a while, David put it away and dragged his exhausted body toward the bathroom.

Having recovered his memories the moment he returned, coupled with the discovery of the secret of the Shadow Servant, he had no time to clean the grime off his body.

Having experienced an explosion, he was already in a sorry state; the clear water rushing down from above helped reduce his exhaustion significantly.

After washing up, he checked his injuries. The wound on his back had almost healed after a day, and the burns on his hands were left with only a few scabs.

This body was countless times stronger than the one from his previous life. Such minor injuries would not have healed for a week in his past life, but in this world, the same injuries were mostly recovered in just a few hours.

"Emma, prepare a dinner for me, and add an extra portion of Fortified Meat!" After changing into clean clothes, David felt the hunger in his stomach and loudly instructed the smart butler, Emma.

He also recalled the memories related to the smart butler, Emma. From her name to her voice, she was modeled after an extremely famous actress, who also happened to be his predecessor's favorite.

David couldn't help but feel disdain for his predecessor, who had applied the voice and name of the actress Emma to his smart butler and spent a hefty sum of credits to obtain the usage rights.

He guessed this was just the nature of a shut-in; whether in his previous life or here, it was all the same.

Normally, David would only eat Fortified Meat once a day, which was a supplemental requirement based on his body's needs. However, today, after practicing the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique, he clearly felt that his body required a massive amount of energy. If he ate ordinary food, the effect would be poor and might even affect his training tomorrow.

"Master, your credit balance is only 1320 points. This amount is no longer enough to order next month's Fortified Meat!" While David was eating, the smart butler, Emma, reminded him from the side.

Only then did David remember that because his predecessor had frantically purchased materials needed for the sacrifice, he had invested all his assets into it.

Rummaging through the memories in his mind, he quickly set his heart at ease.

Because his income was not low, his mother, Kathy, had long since prepared for his future life before she committed suicide. In other cities, he still had two commercial properties managed by an agency, from which he received an income of 20,000 credits every month.

It was just that his predecessor had never cared about these two properties and had no memory of where they were located. But judging solely by the income of 20,000 credits, one could imagine that those two properties were undoubtedly of great importance.

For most ordinary people whose average monthly income was only 3,000 credits, 20,000 credits was already a considerable fortune.

Therefore, he didn't have to worry about his living expenses at all, not to mention that even though he was unwilling, Hans would still transfer 2,000 credits of living expenses into his identity card every month.

Although his credits were low at the moment, it only affected the first few days of next month. Once the agency transferred the rent, he would be able to resume his normal spending.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong!" The electronic doorbell rang.

David stopped the smart butler, Emma, from going to open the door, while simultaneously complaining in his heart about the unreliability of the smart butler. One had to know that it was so late, and he was the only one living here; how could she just open the door for anyone?

He put down his dinner knife, opened his identity bracelet, and pulled up the footage of the residence's entrance. His identity bracelet managed all the security systems of this residence.

In the footage, he saw a thin, middle-aged man. The man was wearing a standard Federal official uniform, and on the chest of the uniform, a golden badge emitted a faint light.

David immediately recognized this middle-aged man; this was Hans Kerr, the father of this body, and pinned to his chest was the National Scholar badge.

At this moment, David also understood why the smart butler, Emma, would prepare to open the door directly without asking for his opinion. With Hans being his guardian, he didn't need his consent at all to enter this residence.

And the fact that Hans had pressed the doorbell was an attitude of extreme respect toward David.

David was still not at all prepared to meet Hans, but he still stood up, walked to the entrance, and opened the door.

Unlike seeing Hans on the footage, when David saw the middle-aged man in front of him, many memories appeared in his mind.

Among these memories were the times David's predecessor spent with his father. The predecessor also had fond memories of his father; back then, whenever Hans returned from the battlefield, he would always bring gifts for his predecessor and play with him.

These memories of his father merged with the memories of David's own father from the other world, suppressing all the dissatisfaction the predecessor had toward his father.

"Father!" Almost as soon as he saw Hans, David couldn't help but call out.

Hans seemed very surprised, but immediately a gratified smile appeared on his face. It had been many years since David had addressed him like this.

After Kathy passed away, David had even regarded him as an enemy.

In Hans's view, this was David's reaction after experiencing life and death; after all, David was still just a child.

"David, I heard about the accident you had this morning. It was truly too dangerous. Are you alright?" After a pause, Hans remembered the purpose of his visit and asked with concern.

Although he knew from his subordinates that David hadn't been hurt and the injuries were minor, he was still worried after hearing the news.

It was just that he had tried to contact the smart butler, Emma, at the time and learned that David was resting, so he didn't come to visit David immediately. Only after learning from the smart butler, Emma, that David had time did he rush over.

"Father, my injuries are fine. Please, come in!" David didn't know how to get along with Hans, so he stepped aside and said softly.

His gaze then caught sight of the hovering vehicle parked by the roadside, as well as the faint figures of one large and one small person inside the car.

"David, your Aunt Bertha was a bit worried, and Edie wanted to come along to see you, so I brought them with me!" Seeing where David was looking, Hans quickly explained.

Bertha was David's stepmother, and Edie was the son born after Bertha and Hans married; Edie was three years old this year.

"Father, let Aunt and my little brother come in too!" David was not unhappy. He had received his predecessor's memories, but the emotions were still his own; he had his own way of dealing with family.

Father Hans was not even fifty years old, which was still very young considering the Interstellar Federation's average lifespan of two hundred years.

David knew even better how difficult things had been for Hans. Hans was an Armored Warrior trained by the military. After Hans joined the army, his talent was discovered, and he underwent grueling training in the military.

The military's rules meant Hans didn't have time to go home often, which prevented him from staying with his wife, Kathy, especially after Hans went to the War Star to participate in the war, which caused Kathy to worry herself into illness.

Who was right and who was wrong between Hans and Kathy, or perhaps there was no right or wrong—to David, it no longer mattered. He was now just replacing his predecessor to treat Hans well, and to treat the family he had in this life well.

"Alright, I'll go call them!" Hans was surprised by David's attitude, and his face was filled with excitement. As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the hovering vehicle.

David watched Hans's slightly unsteady figure and felt even more emotional in his heart. He knew the power of an Armored Warrior, but the current Hans had long since lost his powerful physique. Although his left arm and left leg were the best prosthetics, they could only ensure he didn't affect his normal life.

Hans was originally a Sniper Armored Warrior, a special existence among Armored Warriors. It was precisely because he lost his ability as an Armored Warrior, coupled with the fact that he didn't have much ability to socialize with others, that he remained in Peilan City after receiving the title of National Scholar.

"Big brother!" Little Edie ran toward David with his short legs, calling out as he ran.

Although David's predecessor had great resistance toward Aunt Bertha, he was very fond of his little brother, Edie, and would occasionally buy things to visit his brother at kindergarten.

From the memories, little brother Edie was perhaps the person his predecessor wanted to be closest to in the world. Only when getting along with little Edie did the predecessor have no worries and completely open his heart.

"Edie!" He smiled, opened his arms, and picked up little Edie, then greeted Bertha, who was following behind: "Hello, Aunt!"

Bertha was also stunned by David's attitude, but after a moment of daze, she immediately returned a smile.