A Barbecue Feast / The Chain of Fate

"Hmph, and what about you? Where are you from? What did you do before?"

Faced with Chrono and spread his hands, saying, "I used to come from... the M78 Nebula, a planet illuminated by an artificial sun. I was a member of the M78 Security Force. While exploring this star system, I accidentally fell to Earth and couldn't find my way back."

"..."

Chrono stared blankly at the man.

"So that's how it is..."

"Yes, that's right, thousand... Corrugated Paper."

"What the hell!" Chrono immediately realized what was going on. He almost believed the man because of his serious and earnest expression. He said angrily, "Chrono! My name is Chrono!"

"The name isn't that important, we just need to know who we're calling, Qian... zhi."

"Even the corrugated iron sheets are gone?!"

Chrono grumbled and cursed as she returned to the sanatorium with the man. Less than an hour later, the two of them, carrying barbecue equipment, led the entire sanatorium and the bewildered Nun out the door.

Chapter Twelve: Barbecue Feast

The lawn was wet after the rain, and the smell of earth rose with the swaying of the grass roots. The children playing were stopped by the masked man holding the grill to prevent their clean clothes from getting dirty.

The Nun and the man walked behind carrying the ingredients to be grilled. All the way, the Nun couldn't understand why the man and Chrono would suddenly bring everyone out to grill...?

"Um... Mr. Ultraman... why are you all..."

"..."

The man did not answer; his attention remained fixed on the children playing in front of him. He stroked his chin, staring intently at the purple stripes that symbolized misfortune, lost in thought.

"Mr. Ultraman?"

"... It's nothing, I just wanted some barbecue," the man said casually, putting his hand down.

He did have ulterior motives, but they were no different from those of the other people in the sanatorium.

"Want some barbecue?" But this is Dusk Street. Let alone barbecue, even showing a smile would be difficult. Even if the man gave them money to support them, their behavior of going out in such a grand manner to barbecue in the wild was too ostentatious.

The Nun didn't want barbecue either; many people on Dusk Street couldn't even get a meal, yet they...

"Eating is eating, and eating barbecue is also eating. There's no need to think that changing to a seemingly more luxurious way is wasteful. Not eating is the real waste." The man seemed to see through her thoughts. "Fill your own stomachs first, then think about others."

The Nun looked at the children, frowned, sighed, and turned to walk back. "Then I won't..."

"No, you have to come too." The man's gloved hand grabbed her wrist.

Just then, Chrono, who was setting up a grill and starting a fire, was patted on the bottom by a boy. He turned around with a "Huh?" and glared at the brat, but the boy was not afraid at all and grinned as he approached and asked, "Chrono Brother, why does that new brother seem to be very close to Sister Aponia?"

Chrono glanced over at the Nun wrist was being held and who was arguing with the man.

He slapped the brat on the head. "None of your business."

"Ugh..." The boy covered his head, pouting and muttering, "Chrono Brother, since you came, you've only been yelling at Sister Aponia. You're not gentle at all, which is why you made Sister Aponia angry."

Of course, he would only get another slap for saying that; Chrono wouldn't tolerate it.

The debate then came to a conclusion.

The Nun raised her voice slightly. "I don't want to eat. I haven't finished my prayers for today. Please let me go back."

"... Praying can be done later."

"But I don't want to..."

"They would probably like to have a barbecue with you."

"..."

The Nun gave in to the children's expectant gazes, and the man released her when he saw that she was no longer resisting, nodding to Chrono.

Chrono snorted coldly and went back to start a fire.

"Ha~" Danzhu yawned, lying listlessly on the table. "So sleepy... Cangxuan, how much longer until we can rest?"

"There's still an hour left."

"So~ long~"

Danzhu rubbed her eyes and sighed, "If only I hadn't stayed up all night trying to buy those figurines..."

Cangxuan glanced at Mobius's office and calmly replied, "You should hold on a little longer. The Doctor might come out to inspect at any time."

"Ah... now that you mention it, I really miss Lin. When he was around, we never had to worry about the Doctor coming out of his office. The two of them could spend half a day in the office and the Doctor's private lab." Danzhu tapped the table with her pen, seemingly unmoved by the untouched report in front of her. "Why did he suddenly go on a mission?"

"Have you forgotten? Lin used to be a mission fanatic, but he's been less active since he became a member of the lab." Cangxuan shrugged. "He's different from us; the things he does are much more dangerous."

"... I remember now, the first time I saw him was terrifying, it felt like he was going to rush over and strangle me at any moment."

Danzhu touched her neck with lingering fear. She still remembered the first time she met the legendary helmeted man a few years ago. His cold and murderous aura seemed impossible for a human to exude.

Now, Lin has toned it down a lot; at least she no longer finds him particularly scary.

"I'm starting to miss him. How long until Lin comes back?"

"I don't know. How could we possibly have the authority to know what Lin's task is?"

Cangxuan stopped writing, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.

"However... it's definitely a dangerous mission with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death."

"Add more cumin," the man instructed as he grilled the Chrono skewers.

"I know! You don't need to teach me!" Chrono impatiently sprinkled cumin on the meat skewers. "What are you nagging about the whole time! Are you even a good cook?"

"..."

Under the man's guidance, the barbecue gradually emitted a rich aroma. The children sat on the prepared blankets, drooling and eagerly anticipating the meal. The Nun sat awkwardly in the middle, looking somewhat at a loss.

"Sister Aponia, that big brother and Chrono Brother are so close! I've never seen Chrono Brother be so good to anyone before."

A little girl held the Nun's hand and pointed at the man standing next to the grill. The Nun paused for a moment, then looked at the man and nodded hesitantly.

What kind of person is he?

He came here to investigate, but why did he integrate into the sanatorium so quickly? He was cold and taciturn, yet he always managed to say things that captivated people.

He helped the nursing home, so he must be a good person...

The Nun simultaneously thought of the man's letter and gun, her gaze cold and indifferent in the pale moonlight.

"..."

While she was lost in thought, a plate of grilled skewers was placed in front of her.

"Yeah!"

The children cheered and grabbed the sizzling, oily skewers. Some children, ignoring the heat, stuffed them directly into their mouths, naturally yelping in pain from the burns. Others were smarter and blew on them, though drool started dripping from the corners of their mouths as they blew...

They had never eaten such a luxurious and sumptuous meat feast in the sanatorium. The Nun's abstinent nature influenced the entire sanatorium, making the daily meals very simple. Although they were not bad, they would inevitably get tired of them after a while.

This barbecue was like a spice in their otherwise peaceful lives. It might not be anything special that they would remember for a lifetime, but they would definitely remember the older brother who took them out for a barbecue.

"Give."

A skewer of meat was handed to the Nun.

She looked up and saw the comical mask.

Chapter Thirteen: A Chain of Fate

"..."

The Nun chose a quiet spot far away and ate the skewers in small bites. She was somewhat surprised by how good Chrono's cooking skills were than expected. The deliciousness of these skewers should rank among the top three things she had ever eaten in her life.

Of course, it could also be because of the man's guidance.

The man stood next to her, also holding a skewer of barbecue, but compared to the mouthwatering meat skewers they were eating, his was nothing more than a meager skewer of roasted potato chips.

He chewed on the sugared potato chips without a care in the world. Although they looked tasteless, the Nun thought he was eating them with great relish.

Even here, Chrono's loud voice could be heard clearly. He was scolding those naughty kids who had food all over their mouths and hands, as well as the boys who were playing with iron skewers. He beat each of them with a jujube and they ran away with their heads in their hands.

It's clear that he's very popular among the children. Even though his temper, tone, and words are quite impolite, he's someone who's willing to be close to them and care about them. Most of these children, who lost their parents at a young age, are quite precocious and can tell who treats them well.

"Mr. Ultraman, you said you wanted to eat barbecue, but that's not really what you wanted, is it?" The Nun looked at the potato chips in his hand. "Can you tell me the truth?"

"..."

The man's skin and organs appeared normal when he lifted a corner of his mask; the Nun even thought his mouth and the part of his nose that was showing were... beautiful? Why was he wearing a mask?

He chewed each potato chip slowly, breaking them into tiny crumbs before swallowing. He only paused slightly after hearing what the Nun said.

"Mr. Ultraman".

The potato chips in his hand were taken away.

The Nun held a string of beads in one hand, gazing intently at him, while the man simply looked back at her through the mask, offering no explanation whatsoever.

"If you don't tell me, I'm going back."

"Them..."

"They've already finished eating, haven't they?"

"..."

The air froze, and the man's cold gaze fell on her face. After a full half minute of this tense standoff, the indifference in his eyes softened slightly.

Do you know what disease they have?

"I don't know... I only know that this disease gradually appeared after that cold winter, and no one... can cure this disease..." The Nun's memory was very clear; it was at that time that Chrono was picked up by her while he was covered in injuries.

The man breathed quietly as he gazed at the children whose eyes still held childlike innocence, their smiles, their tender voices, and their... eroded bodies.

"This disease is called Honkai Sickness. It is caused by an energy similar to a virus invading the body. If you don't have enough resistance to this energy, your body will be eroded. Once it starts, it can't be stopped." The man's calm voice reached the Nun's ears, and she looked at him in disbelief.

How does this person know all this?

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

Could it be that outside of Dusk Street, this disease is actually no longer a serious illness and can be cured?

The man, unaware of her thoughts, continued, "In the early stages of Honkai Sickness, the body may not show other symptoms, only small purple stripes on the skin. As the erosion deepens, the number of purple stripes will increase, and once they reach a certain number, organs will also begin to be eroded."

"It destroys the body's immune cells, damages organ function, burns nerves, and attacks the brain... By this stage, it is already the middle stage of Honkai Sickness. The body will experience various bizarre symptoms, and the pain will deepen with the erosion, and ordinary painkillers will not work."

These are the symptoms of Honkai Sickness who died in the orphanage! What this man said is true!

"In the final stage, the body is destroyed and broken into pieces, the brain is unable to maintain normal function, the patient cannot distinguish between hallucinations and reality, becomes paralyzed, and dies until the heart is completely eroded."

The Nun held her breath and asked, "How did you know...?"

"Because I used to be Honkai Sickness too."

"..."

The man's tone remained steady, as if nothing could reveal any extra emotion.

The Nun's heart was pounding. She couldn't help but glance at the children, then at the man.

"The rate of Honkai Sickness infection depends on three factors: one's own resistance, the strength of one's willpower, and the positive or negative nature of one's emotions. The first two are difficult to achieve in a short period of time, but the third can be achieved by external factors that help patients maintain a good mood, thus slowing down the rate of infection." The man held up three fingers.

"Then what you said today..." The Nun suddenly understood. She realized why the man had done that. Then she quickly asked, "Mr. Ultraman, since you said you were 'once' Honkai Sickness, has your disease been... cured?"

The man nodded silently.

At that moment, the Nun's joy surpassed her rationality, and a beautiful smile appeared on her serene face.

"Do you have a way... to cure them?"

"..."

The man gazed silently at her and at the smile on her face, then lowered his head and raised it again without a word.

She didn't understand why men would make these children feel better instead of giving them treatment directly.

She didn't know what the man's silence, and his rare "unnecessary actions," meant.

If it were someone who knew him well enough, such as Elysia, Mobius, and Kevin, they should be able to guess his thoughts immediately.

But the Nun didn't understand him enough.

Sometimes, people discuss whether it is more painful to have no hope at all from the beginning, or to see a glimmer of hope and then lose it.