The returning field team disbanded and rested. Reldon hopped on one leg, preparing to find the "doctor" for a checkup. Han Xiao whistled, signaling Reldon to come over.
"It's you! You're still alive!" Reldon jumped up in front of Han Xiao.
"Shouldn't that be my turn to ask you that?" Han Xiao glanced at his severed limb.
"I encountered several dangerous situations and almost died," Reldon said casually.
Although he wasn't very close to Han Xiao, seeing that a friend he could call himself a acquaintance was still alive, Reldon's expression relaxed somewhat.
Han Xiao held up his toolbox and said, "It seems you need a skilled mechanic."
"Is it free this time?" Reldon raised an eyebrow.
Han Xiao's eyes darted around. "Buy me a drink, at the same bar as last time."
This was Calamity in the chaos, giving them time to rest and recuperate. Considering the Black Star Mercenary Group's initiative in undertaking field Reconnaissance, the officer once again granted Han Xiao the privilege of entering the city.
Reldon had a spare armored arm, Han Xiao quickly fitted and repaired. Originally, only Reldon's right hand was flesh, but now it was also severed. It was temporarily bandaged and left unattended. He remained calm and did not care about losing his only remaining right hand.
The two entered the city and, as Han Xiao had instructed, went to Melos's bar. There were quite a few customers drinking there today, mostly civilians from the neighborhood. With soldiers fighting bloody battles outside the city, most civilians were hiding in their homes or in emergency shelters set up by the authorities, while a few chose to use alcohol to dispel their fear. 90% of the shops in the city were closed during the Calamity, but Melos's bar remained open, so it was quite busy and noisy.
Arriving at the bar, Han Xiao said, "Two signature drinks."
"One glass," Reldon interjected.
Melos, still slightly drunk, looked up, recognized Han Xiao, and his expression changed. "It's you again!"
He remembered Han Xiao, the strange man who inexplicably came to his door seeking his brother's belongings, a notebook, and who seemed to hold his secrets.
What are you planning to do now?
Han Xiao smiled and said, "I just came to have a drink."
Melos stared at Han Xiao for a long time before reluctantly taking out a bottle of wine. Han Xiao didn't speak to him again, drinking his wine and chatting casually with Reldon. Seeing this, Melos temporarily put aside his doubts, turned around to greet the other guests, and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the conversation between Han Xiao and Reldon next to him.
Han Xiao glanced at Reldon's severed arm and asked, "Aren't you in pain?"
Reldon shook his head. "When I was getting my implant, the doctors severed my sensory nerves, so the injury won't affect my combat ability."
"You're a superhuman, and the implant will weaken your abilities. Why did you get the implant?"
Reldon pursed his lips and said calmly, "Being weak is fine. It means I'll live longer. Dead people are useless."
"Choosing to wear armor to live longer, and then voluntarily undertaking the most dangerous field combat missions—you truly have a deep love for your people." Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "No one is born a hero. Your Sunil Race's superhumans seem too selfless. There must be a reason for it. Why don't you tell me? I'm quite curious."
Reldon fell silent, his eyes filled with reminiscence, his tone trembling slightly, as if the memory of the past made it difficult for him to remain calm. He slowly said, "Like all other Sunil people, I once had a complete family. My father was strict, my mother kind, and I had two younger sisters. When the DarkStar attacked, I was just a child. I still remember the laser cannons that rained down from the sky, as thick as waterfalls, instantly turning the most magnificent buildings in the city center into ashes. We joined the fleeing crowds, and military soldiers protected us. They knew that staying behind to cover the retreat would mean certain death, but they still prioritized escorting us away."
"Unfortunately, my family couldn't board Goddora's rescue ship. They died on the way. A laser beam turned my parents to Ashes. I was just a terrified and broken child then, only knowing how to cry, drifting along with the refugees, numbly moving forward. Every day, the army would distribute very little food to the refugees. I was so hungry that I couldn't control myself. After receiving the food, I would secretly hide most of my share, only giving a small amount to my sister. At that time, I only wanted to survive and didn't know how to think about anything else. And then... my two sisters starved to death."
Reldon paused, his voice low and heavy. "I still remember their unseeing eyes, their emaciated hands clutching my clothes. They stared at me, as if saying they were starving, but they were too weak to speak. Those two pairs of desperate eyes were etched into my own. My mind went blank; those few seconds felt like an eternity. Only when their hands slid limply to the ground did I dare to breathe. I was terrified then. I couldn't believe what I had done. If I had shared the food with my sister, even if I had been a little hungry myself, we could have survived. But I didn't understand anything then. I only thought about filling my stomach, thinking that if I ate less, I would starve to death tomorrow..."
Numbly, I followed the crowd onto the rescue ship, not knowing where the future lay. At that time, there were many children like me who had lost their families, and they were all entrusted to the care of disabled veterans. I and a group of children were assigned to a veteran and lived with him from then on. He raised us and taught us how to fight. He was a rude man and lacked patience, but he was a good person and a good soldier. Many of us superhumans were orphans who had been raised by our tribes back then.
I gradually came to regard that old soldier as my adoptive father, but a thorn remained in my heart. I felt my past was too dark, and I always felt I was a bad person. If I told my adoptive father, would he kick me out? One day, I acted impulsively and told him about how I had killed my sister. He berated me, not for my selfishness, but for having the time to dwell on the past. He said the tribe was on the verge of extinction and had no time to be held back by the past. Even if I were a heinous thug, as long as I picked up a gun to protect the tribe, I would only have one identity—a warrior. No one cared about my past, only what I could do..."
Han Xiao stroked his chin. "Where's that veteran?"
"When the first Calamity struck, the disabled soldier, who could have been safely protected, volunteered to go to the battlefield. He was killed. I later learned that he belonged to the unit that had protected our group of refugees, and I had even received food from him... After that, I became a mercenary." Reldon shook his head. "My people have been incredibly kind to me, so now I repay them with whatever I can."
"So your dedication is mainly to repay a debt of gratitude?" Han Xiao turned his head and glanced at Melos, who was eavesdropping. Melos was expressionless, slammed the empty wine bottle heavily on the table, and impatiently turned away, seemingly too lazy to listen to this conversation.
"Not entirely, it's also about the continuation of the race." Occasionally confiding in someone, the grief of losing Zhan He and his book friend this morning was somewhat lessened. Reldon also wanted to know more about Han Xiao, so he changed the subject. "Let's not talk about me, let's talk about you, you..."
At this moment, Han Xiao suddenly stood up and interrupted, "Excuse me, I have some personal matters to attend to, I'll be leaving for a while."
Reldon was immediately exasperated. Shouldn't friendships be based on reciprocity? Why did he run away after hearing my story? It felt like I'd been taken advantage of.
Han Xiao walked to the side, approached Melos, and said, "I'd like to talk to you alone."
Melos immediately became wary. "What exactly is your purpose?"
Han Xiao cut to the chase this time, "I know a lot about you, such as your strength, the inheritance your brother left you, and so on. Perhaps you'd be interested in hearing about the future of the Sunil Race."
Future?!
This word made Melos very surprised, and he was even more unsure about Han Xiao's purpose, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"I am a seer, or you may call me... a prophet."
Han Xiao gave a strange smile.
The reason he contacted Melos multiple times was because he knew Melos's hidden identity—this guy was the main character of the Sunil Race's storyline!!