The Weight of Farewell

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass window, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood.

Shen Heng and Han Ling stood in front of the captain's house, unusually dressed in formal attire.

Shen Heng raised his finger, but did not tap it down for a long time.

He then realized that doing this kind of thing seemed even more difficult than fighting the Calamity Beast.

Calamity Beast, just go for it, but this kind...

Han Ling remained silent, standing a step behind him.

Finally, Shen Heng took a deep breath and slammed his knuckles heavily on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Footsteps approached from afar, and the door opened.

The person who appeared before Shen Heng seemed to be the captain's mother.

Her hair had turned quite gray, and her face still carried the bewilderment and wariness typical of the elderly when they see strangers.

"You... Little Ling?"

The initial doubts turned into a hint of surprise when they saw Han Ling behind Shen Heng.

"Auntie." Han Ling tried to force a smile, but found she couldn't.

Shen Heng spoke in a hoarse voice, "Hello, Auntie, we are from the Supervision Bureau, and we are team members of Captain Wang Hai."

The old lady was startled, then seemed to realize something, and her movements suddenly became somewhat slow.

"Then... come in."

The living room wasn't big, but it was kept clean and tidy.

On the coffee table, an old man and a young man were sketching with a pen.

The only difference is that one is done with a calligraphy brush, and the other with a watercolor brush.

Hearing the noise, the two of them turned to look.

Then, the Xiaoxiao figure immediately pushed the table down and jumped off the stool.

"Aunt Ling!"

Little Bell trotted up to Han Ling, called out, and then immediately turned to Shen Heng with a smile:

"Uncle Shen!"

"Hmm." Shen Heng raised his hand and ruffled Little Bell's hair.

Han Ling then squatted down and said softly, "Would you like to go for a walk with Aunt Ling?"

Little Bell glanced at her grandparents with some uncertainty, and seeing that they didn't stop her, she nodded and obediently followed Han Ling out the door.

"Please sit down," Wang Hai's mother said, gesturing to the table opposite.

Shen Heng nodded slightly, then walked to the coffee table and sat down.

His gaze shifted and lingered on the picture drawn by the captain's father.

It was a very ordinary landscape painting, with ink outlining the contours of distant mountains and a lone boat, and the brushwork showed some skill.

The only drawback is that the ink in the painting sometimes overlaps too much in one spot.

Looking at the unfinished painting, Shen Heng's gaze grew even more profound.

"What's wrong with Haizi?" Wang Hai's mother asked, her voice trembling.

"The captain... he... sacrificed himself in today's events." Shen Heng's tone was slow and heavy.

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.

Wang Hai's mother sat there blankly, her body trembling slightly.

Wang Hai's father suddenly paused, his pen lightly touching the paper, the ink spreading out.

After a long while, a suddenly hoarse voice rang out.

"What exactly happened?"

Shen Heng briefly explained what had happened.

After she finished speaking, Wang Hai's mother finally burst into tears.

The suppressed sobs were particularly clear in the quiet living room.

Shen Heng continued speaking with difficulty:

"The bureau... will provide a pension and additional subsidies. As for the follow-up procedures... we will have someone specifically follow up on your future lives..."

"I just want to know..." Wang Hai's father interrupted Shen Heng, "Was his sacrifice... meaningful?"

Shen Heng felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer in the chest.

He recalled the decision made on the rooftop, the explosion that shook the Linhai, and the city that was reborn after the deadly chill that spread from the heart of the cold chain dissipated.

Shen Heng spoke clearly and solemnly:

"Yes, the captain is a hero. Without him, the biochemical contaminants leaked from the cold chain center would have engulfed a quarter or even more of the city."

"It was him who saved the entire city..."

The swings in the small park swayed gently, and a few children were laughing and playing on the slide.

Still not quite understanding what had happened, they returned to their usual cheerful selves after half a day of reflection.

Han Ling played with Little Bell for a long time, until the little one had fine beads of sweat on her forehead, panting, and pulled her hand to the bench.

"Aunt Ling, I'm thirsty," Little Bell said.

Han Ling unscrewed the bottle cap and handed her the water.

Little Bell hugged her water bottle, sipping it slowly, quietly watching the children playing in the distance.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her young face.

After a long silence, Little Bell suddenly turned her head.

"Aunt Ling."

Her voice was soft, with a hint of panting from exercise, yet exceptionally clear.

"Is Daddy like Mommy... someone who will never come back?"

Han Ling's hand, which was about to wipe her sweat, froze in mid-air.

Her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and a sour taste rushed into her nasal cavity.

"How could you... think that?"

"... Because Grandpa came back today and kept looking at his phone, it seemed like... he was waiting for Dad's call."

The Little Bell rang softly, carrying a sensitivity beyond its years.

But the phone didn't ring.

Upon hearing this, Han Ling lowered her eyes, not daring to look into the child's clear eyes.

She took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound steady:

"What will happen to Little Bell if... Daddy never comes back?"

"It's okay." The little girl's voice was practiced, as if she were reciting a phrase she had long memorized.

"Dad said before that if he can't come back, I have to be good, not cry, and grow up quickly so I can take good care of Grandpa and Grandma for him..."

The more Little Bell spoke, the softer her voice became.

Finally, she stopped and turned to look at Han Ling.

Large tears streamed down her face.

"But... Aunt Ling," her voice trembled with brokenness, "Is Dad really never coming back?"

These words were like the sharpest needle, piercing the softest spot in Han Ling's heart unexpectedly.

She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't say anything.

In the end, she simply reached out and gently embraced the little girl.

With her chin gently resting on the child's soft hair, she nodded very lightly, yet very heavily.

"Um."

The sobs in her arms gradually grew louder, turning from suppressed whimpers into uncontrollable weeping.

Tears silently streamed down Han Ling's cheeks.

The distant sounds of children's laughter seemed to come from another world, so far away that they were indistinct.

Leave the captain's house.

Shen Heng and Han Ling went to Wu Cheng again.

His family consists of only one elderly father, who is over fifty years old.

After Shen Heng told him about the incident, he didn't say anything, but just silently smoked one cigarette after another.

Finally, after finishing the entire pack, an overly hoarse voice rang out.

Where is his body?

"At our Linhai Supervision Bureau, you can visit anytime you wish, but if you wish to proceed with the burial, you will have to wait one or two days," Shen Heng said in a deep voice.

When Calamity Beast dies, the Origin Power within its body condenses into a Origin Crystal.

When a human dies, the Origin Power within their body will also condense into a Origin Crystal.

However, because of the identities of the humans who died in battle, they wouldn't have their heads cut off and their Origin Crystal taken like the Calamity Beast.

Instead, there is a specialized device called Origin Crystal extractor.

This device can gradually transfer the energy from the Origin Crystal within a living organism.

"Okay, I understand." Wu Cheng's father nodded silently.