We Are Brothers

For a long time, Zhang Tie had felt suffocated by this era. No matter how hard he tried, he felt like a tiny leaf swept into a torrent, completely unable to grasp the direction of his own life. He felt a deep-seated sense of powerlessness toward everything in this era. He was powerless to make Teacher Daina fall in love with him, powerless to stop his parents from being sad, and sometimes, he would even imagine terrifying scenarios involving his closest loved ones. In these scenes, he remained just as helpless, struggling in vain, unable to even scream.

That night, Zhang Tie slept soundly—so soundly that it was perhaps the sweetest sleep he had ever known since he was old enough to remember. That Flawless Fruit had not only ignited Zhang Tie's Divine Palace Bright Point but had also completely ignited a spark of hope for life within him.

So, I can actually be useful too. I'm already a Level 1 Battle Worker! This thought allowed Zhang Tie to sleep peacefully and calmly. The restlessness that had plagued his heart for over a decade seemed to have finally settled.

At just past six, Zhang Tie's internal clock woke him up again. As he opened his eyes and stared at the pointed roof of the attic, he felt an unprecedented vitality. Perhaps it was because he had ignited his Divine Palace Bright Point, but while his body had felt sore all over yesterday, he woke up this morning feeling mostly recovered. Aside from a few spots that were still slightly tender, his body was essentially fine.

"I am already a Level 1 Battle Soldier!" Zhang Tie said to the mirror in the room. The reflection gave him a brilliant smile, and Zhang Tie's heart was instantly filled with sunshine. He tried throwing a few punches and kicks in the small room, and he felt as if his strength had increased significantly. This feeling was truly exhilarating.

He quickly got dressed, went downstairs to wash up, lit the fire, and prepared breakfast for his family. Before his mother even woke up, Zhang Tie had already earned one Merit Value. After wolfing down his porridge, he watched his mother emerge from her room, still bleary-eyed. Zhang Tie rushed over and kissed her on the cheek. "Mom, I'm off to school..." He then darted out like a wisp of smoke, leaving his mother standing there in a daze for a long while—Why is this brat so happy today?

The improvement in his physical fitness after igniting the Divine Palace Bright Point was evident on his run to school this morning. The journey, which usually took nearly 40 minutes on foot, was covered by Zhang Tie in just over ten minutes while full of energy. Although he still felt a bit tired, it was far better than the feeling of being like a dead dog after running for the same amount of time in the past.

Upon arriving at school, Zhang Tie was, as expected, the first in his grade to arrive. He checked the classroom to ensure none of those guys were lying in wait, then wiped down the desks again. Serving those animals earned him three Merit Values. He then ran out to use the restroom, took a stroll around the playground and the Small Woods, and finally returned to the classroom humming a little tune.

Sure enough, when those animals discovered this morning that the desks had been cleaned again, they started gossiping, eventually making it sound like a supernatural event. Listening to their chatter, Zhang Tie began to seriously consider the problem of earning Merit Values in the future. Sneaking around like this was becoming less and less viable; he had to find a way to solve this problem openly—punishing evil and promoting good, respecting heaven and loving people, and reaping the gratitude of billions of lives. Zhang Tie pondered the description of Merit Value in the Castle of Black Iron, and a glimmer of inspiration sparked in his mind, though he couldn't quite grasp it. Just as he was scratching his head, Barry arrived.

Seeing Barry, Zhang Tie felt that his actions yesterday were indeed a bit idiotic. As Tang De had said, if he had been ruthless and decisive enough, the outcome might have been completely different.

Before Zhang Tie could greet the fatso, the guy's eyes lit up upon seeing him. He actually flashed a smile at Zhang Tie, walked straight up to him, leaned in, and whispered in his ear, "After class, the brothers of the Airplane Brotherhood have something to say to you!"

After Barry, the other members of the Airplane Brotherhood—Baghdad, Doug, Sista, Shavin, and Light—arrived one by one. To Zhang Tie's bewilderment, these guys were even friendlier than before, grinning at him and showing their teeth. It made Zhang Tie suspicious for a long time, and he even looked down several times to see if his zipper was undone...

"Teacher Daina is here..." one of the animals in the class shouted. Everyone, including Zhang Tie, crowded toward the windows to watch Teacher Daina's graceful figure walk by below. Looking down from above, in the eyes of every animal, Teacher Daina's magnificent chest was the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Every classroom window in the teaching building that Teacher Daina passed was packed with people, and the sound of swallowing saliva filled the air. The teacher for the first period, Natural History Class, arrived in the midst of all that drooling...

Natural History Class was the most relaxed subject in school. Throughout the entire period, the teacher would ramble on about everything under the sun—from various knowledge and major historical events of the human world before the Great Cataclysm to the many mysterious legends of the Black Iron Era. Any knowledge or topic could be crammed into Natural History Class. These seemingly useless contents greatly expanded Zhang Tie's horizons. Almost all of his knowledge about the human world before the Great Cataclysm came from this class. Some of the animals in the class weren't interested and would start sleeping as soon as the lesson began, but Zhang Tie always listened with great interest. This lesson was about humanity's space exploration activities before the Great Cataclysm, when humans launched a machine faster than sound to explore the two moons orbiting the Kun'ang Continent. It was said that this exploration led to a major discovery, but the human rulers at the time never made the data public, so later generations had no way of knowing. Hearing such stories today felt like listening to myths created by humans. Could humans really have flown to the moon in those metal machines? Zhang Tie was fascinated, unable to stop his imagination from running wild in class.

When the bell rang, Barry gave Zhang Tie a wink. Zhang Tie left the classroom with Barry and the rest of the Airplane Brotherhood, heading to a corner of the small garden outside.

"Big Head, we asked you to come down today to inform you of something," Barry said to Zhang Tie with a serious expression.

Are these guys trying to beat me up? Doesn't look like it, Zhang Tie wondered. "What is it?"

"We, all the brothers, do not agree with your resignation request from yesterday!"

"Do you guys have any idea what kind of trouble I've caused at school?" Looking at the fatso's sharp, snobbish eyes, Zhang Tie was determined to explain yesterday's events clearly to him.

"Isn't it just that you provoked Gelis and his gang?" Baghdad said, crossing his thick arms with a cool demeanor. "They were the ones who were rude first. If they dare to provoke a brother of our Brotherhood, we'll fight them to the end!"

"Exactly!" Doug's large hand landed on Zhang Tie's shoulder. "Don't worry, brother. With us by your side, don't be afraid. Our Brotherhood is backing you this time. Everyone is happy to be brothers with someone as gutsy as you!"

"Can Gelis and his lot grow an extra bird compared to us?" Sista thrust his hips, then placed his hand on Zhang Tie's shoulder as well.

"At worst, we'll take them out in the shadows!" Sista added insidiously, and another hand landed on Zhang Tie.

"It's no big deal to get beaten up with you!" Shavin shrugged and placed his hand on Zhang Tie's shoulder too.

"That's the Brotherhood's stance!" Barry laughed cheekily and placed his hand on Zhang Tie's shoulder as well. "I'm still going to take you to become a man next week. It's the perfect time to enjoy the Brotherhood's benefits, so how could you leave?"

Everyone's hands were now on Zhang Tie's shoulders. Initially, they had done it unconsciously, wanting to offer encouragement, but when they realized only Baghdad was still playing it cool, everyone's gaze shifted to the black brother. Baghdad felt he was being a bit of an outsider, so he reached out and placed a hand on Zhang Tie's shoulder. The scene suddenly took on a ritualistic air. The young, troubled boys suddenly felt that this moment, this action, and this scene were incredibly sacred. Seven young hearts beat violently in their respective chests.

These bastards who only know how to jerk off! Zhang Tie suddenly felt a sting in his nose. At this moment, he felt his whole body filled with strength. This strength didn't come from the Divine Palace Bright Point, but from his own beating heart. At this moment, there seemed to be nothing in the world to fear.

Gelis, go eat shit!

When they returned to the classroom for the next lesson, the seven brothers sitting there all felt that they were different from before. They couldn't quite put their finger on what was different, but everyone felt they had become stronger and more fearless. A strength rising from the bottom of their hearts made them feel they had something to rely on. This feeling was truly addictive...

The fatso Barry was also smiling. He, too, felt the difference in the Brotherhood after what had just happened. How to put it? The feeling was fantastic. The seven members of the Brotherhood had been like seven separate parts tied together, but now, Barry felt that these seven parts had been activated, spontaneously forming a more powerful machine that gave one peace of mind. Barry stroked his chin, thinking about the scene where everyone had placed their hands on Zhang Tie's shoulder. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a sacred Brotherhood ritual. If they were to bring in new members in the future, it seemed they could use this ritual to test them...