Two months later, at the border of Finland, in an inconspicuous small farm.
Zhang Heng wiped the sweat from his forehead, put down the axe in his hand, and moved the chopped firewood back to the woodshed. When he pushed the door open and walked into the living room, the table was already filled with steaming bread and freshly cooked fish soup.
The 67-year-old Greta was the owner of the farm. Her husband and only son had died in the war, and she had a daughter who was married to America. More than a month ago, she was kind enough to take in the two who came to stay for the night.
After learning that they had nowhere to go, she warmly invited them to stay.
Coincidentally, the farm was short of manpower, so the two of them stayed. Greta told the public that they were relatives of her husband in the United States, and Zhang Heng's fluent English proved it.
As for Simon, she didn't speak much as usual. But as time went by, her boring persona was gradually accepted by the people around her.
Both of them threw their weapons away on the way, and the gunshot wound on Simone's shoulder was healed by a town doctor. She did not have any relatives, and her only grandfather had passed away the year before last. In a sense, she did not have any family to worry about.
After the battle by the lake, Zhang Heng wanted to bring the girl to the United States, but after thinking about it, he realized that it was a little unrealistic. The United States and Finland were too far apart, and they might not be able to reach there anytime soon. Besides, Simon's English was mediocre. It would be better to stay in Sweden, which bordered Finland.
The former used to be one of the duchies of the latter. Many of the Finns could speak Swedish, and in a small village like this, most of the people could speak two languages. Greta was one of them. At least here, Simon didn't have any trouble communicating with others.
Zhang Heng saw the girl coming back through the window, carrying a shotgun and a dead rabbit and fox in her hands.
Simon put the game in the kitchen, put the shotgun back in the attic, and washed her hands before eating.
Greta's grandmother filled a bowl of fish soup for everyone. Zhang Heng thanked her in Finnish, just like every other night.
The three finished dinner in a harmonious atmosphere and said good night to each other.
The next morning, Greta had already prepared food for the two of them and placed it in a basket.
Simon didn't wear her usual hunting clothes. Instead, she changed into a floral dress that the old lady made for her daughter. It looked a little small on her, and she didn't seem to be used to it.
Greta smiled as she handed over the picnic basket in her hand and said to the two of them, "Have fun."
Zhang Heng took the basket and hugged the old lady. "Goodbye, Greta."
"Goodbye, child."
The old man waved at them from the side of the door. The two looked like a young couple on an outing. Zhang Heng and Simon rode the bicycle through the fields of the farm, the square in the town center, and the hospital with the blood donation advertisement … Along the way, they enjoyed the foreign scenery.
The Soviet-Finnish War had temporarily come to an end, but the flames of war had only just ignited on the entire European continent. Sweden, as a neutral country, was one of the few countries that was spared from this catastrophe. It could be considered a paradise in World War II.
Zhang Heng parked his bicycle on a grassy field outside the town, and the two climbed up the slope with the picnic basket. They saw a sea of flowers on the other side, but Zhang Heng didn't know the names of the white flowers.
Speaking of which, Finland's national flower was a white flower called the lily of the valley. Unfortunately, he came at the wrong time. There were still one or two months before the flowering period, and he probably wouldn't be able to see it.
This was his last day in this quest. He had told Simone a long time ago that this day would come, and the girl did not say anything. She just made an appointment with him for this last outing.
The two walked the streets of the town, fished in the pond, and played poker for a while. After that, they shared the caviar sandwiches prepared by Greta at the top of the slope. Still, they didn't talk much.
This was the way they were most used to getting along.
The breeze ruffled Simon's hair and skirt. Finally, the girl rested her head on Zhang Heng's knee and closed her eyes …
Zhang Heng looked at the time on his watch, took off his coat, and covered Simon with it. The girl's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
The next moment, a familiar voice rang in Zhang Heng's ears.
[Time limit has arrived. Mission complete confirmed …]
[Mannerheim Defense Line has cleared. Welcome. The third round of the game has ended. You will be returning to the real world …]
…
Zhang Heng opened his eyes from the booth, and he felt like he had been in a different world.
Even though this round of the game had lasted the shortest amount of time, due to the immense pressure of death, he had to live with all his might every minute and second. Returning from the war-torn Second World War to today's civilized society, he felt as if he had traveled back a hundred years.
However, he no longer had the person he could rely on.
…
This time, Zhang Heng sat in the booth for a full half an hour before he stood up. As he stood up, something slipped out of his pocket. Zhang Heng looked down and was stunned when he saw what it was.
It was a small piece of animal bone necklace that the girl always wore around her neck. It was much smaller than the bone that the old man in the Tang suit tossed to him. It was only the size of a fingernail.
It was engraved with a tall red pine tree with thick branches and complex roots.
Zhang Heng didn't know when Simon quietly put this thing in his pocket, but since she could bring it back, it meant that this little thing was also a game item.
More than 140 days had passed, and Zhang Heng thought that he wouldn't encounter another game item in the third round of the game. He didn't expect that the game item would always be with him.
He wasn't in a hurry to ask the bartender lady to identify it. Since Simon had worn this thing for so long, it meant that it shouldn't have any side effects.
Right now, he had something else that needed to be identified.
It was the Moresby bone. Zhang Heng listened to the old man in the Tang suit's advice and tried not to expose his relationship with the bartender lady. That was why he waited until the end of the game before he had the chance to present this game item that wasn't obtained from the game quest to the bartender lady.
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