It was already evening when the ship docked. Zhang Lisheng walked to the new New York port under the dim sunset and slowly walked out of the port along with the crowd.
On the way to get his car, he met a young hawker selling hamburgers and hot dogs. Smelling the aroma of roasting sausages, he rubbed his hungry stomach and couldn't help but walk to the side of the road. "Hey buddy, give me four beef burgers, six hot dogs, and half a dozen iced Coke to go."
The hawker who was wearing a clean apron greeted them passionately when the customers arrived, "Alright, four beef stew, six hot dogs, half a dozen iced Cokes. Thank you for your kindness, 23 dollars." He nimbly took out the hot bun from the oven and cut it open. Then, he added the fried beef patties, lettuce, and cheese sauce to make a hamburger and wrapped it into a paper bag.
Right at this moment, a man wearing a black robe with a cloak covering his face suddenly walked up to the burger stall and shoved a leaflet into Zhang Lisheng's hand. "Sir, the end is coming. God loves the world."
Zhang Lisheng glanced at the similar flyer in his hand. The front side had the Earthlings struggling in the steam while the back side had the Joyous Believers strolling in Paradise. He smiled noncommittally, but the vendor by the side had already said with a cold expression, "Donnie, I don't care if you go crazy, but don't disturb my customers."
"Excuse me? No, this is salvation!
Joseph, my good friend, when will you wake up and throw yourself into the arms of the Lord Christ? "The black-robed man's voice was soft and artificial." The end of the world is coming. Only the Lord Christ can fight against the invasion of the foreign world and save the world … "
"Shut up, Donnie! We can only rely on ourselves to fight against the invasion of the foreign worlds.
I've already signed up for military service today, and I'll set off at the end of the month. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to step onto the battlefield as a 'Steel Warrior' next year. At that time, I'll ruthlessly kick the butts of those 'Karlado' people and let them know that they should never come to Earth to behave atrociously. "
"You, you actually joined the army?" The black-robed man shouted in astonishment. His voice was filled with emotion.
"Yes. Also, after the military doctor examined my physique and let me play a few hours of mecha combat games, I was accepted as a reserve member of the Iron Warrior."
"Damn it, you, you still want to become one of the 'Transformers'?"
"That's right, Donnie. While you were pretending to be mysterious, I had already chosen a path that could truly save the world." The young hawker said and put the wrapped hamburgers, hot dogs, and iced Coke into the takeaway bag before passing it to Zhang Lisheng.
"Thank you. Keep the change. Just take it as a tribute to the future Iron Warrior." Zhang Lisheng took the paper bag and paid 50 dollars. "I'm very curious. May I know if I'll have the chance to pilot the Iron Warrior as long as I pass the physical examination and play the mech game well? I don't have to choose from the pilots?"
"Thanks for the generous tip, mate.
The piloting system of the 'Iron Warrior' is completely different from a fighter jet. It is said that the most important thing is hand-eye coordination and a strong physique. As for the specifics, I'm not sure. "
"Thank you." Upon hearing the answer of this reserve warrior who was going to be officially known as the 'Steel Warrior' but was more accustomed to being called the 'Transformer' by the people, Zhang Lisheng thanked him calmly, but his heart was already filled with stormy waves.
If ordinary people could operate the 'Iron Warrior' with just a little bit of training, then there was no doubt that he would have to re-evaluate the US's war potential.
Stuffing the fragrant burger into his mouth as though he was chewing wax, the young man pondered and walked into the parking lot before driving back to New York City.
Along the way, he repeatedly weighed whether there would be any change in the US's policy on Shrimp B1 Island if the 'Iron Warrior' appeared in large quantities. However, no matter how he pondered, he did not have much of a clue.
When he approached his house, Zhang Lisheng shook his head and no longer let his thoughts run wild. Slowing down his footsteps, he stood on the lawn in front of the door, enjoying the rare cool breeze of early summer. Leaning against the street lamp, he took out his phone and dialed Tina's phone number. Immediately, he heard the girl's anxious voice. "Lisheng, I finally received your call back. Where have you been?
I've called you more than ten times yesterday night and today, but I couldn't get through to any of them. "
"Of course, I'm on Shrimp B1 Island in such a situation. Yesterday morning, I suddenly had some inspiration so I rushed to the laboratory on the island to do a few experiments. I only took the last flight back to New York tonight."
"Really? You've been on the foreign world's island for the past 30 hours?" The girl's voice became much gentler as she asked again.
"Of course it's true! Not only that, if the results of the experiment are announced, it will definitely shock the world!" Zhang Lisheng replied half-truthfully.
"Oh baby, congratulations!" Tina no longer asked any further. "I have bad news to tell you. The consumer psychology exam has been confirmed and it'll be held in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. I won't be able to accompany you to Senator Houg's manor banquet anymore."
"Is that so? The reason why I'm calling you is to confirm this matter.
It's alright. If you don't have time, I can go by myself. "
"For such a thank-you banquet, there'll usually be a dance party in the evening to further communicate." The girl said skillfully. "It's more suitable for you to bring a female companion.
I thought that if I didn't appear before departure, someone would definitely 'step forward' to help, so I asked Trish to be your female companion. "
"Trish as my female companion?" Zhang Lisheng was stunned for a moment. "Is this okay?"
"Of course! This is more reliable than hiring a female companion online to attend the dance party last time.
She's broken up with Dukley and has become single again. She's unrestrained and a devout Catholic so no matter how much she admires you, she'll never fall in love with a heretic like you, making me the heroine in a tragic soap opera who's betrayed by her best friend and boyfriend at the same time. All of these are just right for me! "Tina joked and listed a lot of reasons.
"Whatever you want! After Senator Houg's banquet, I'll go to Shrimp B1 Island and this time, I might have to go back two to three months later …"
"It's alright, baby. Right now, passing through Shrimp B1 Island is as convenient as going for an outing. I'll go look for you after my summer vacation." Without waiting for her boyfriend to finish his words, Tina rushed to chime in. "You've promised me that you'll let the three of us girls have an eye-opener."
"Okay, I'll do what I've said." Zhang Lisheng became silent for a while before saying helplessly. "But there are some taboos that all of you must abide by … Ah, forget it!
If there's anything, we'll talk face to face … "
"Lisheng, is that you?" Suddenly, a shout resonated not far away and interrupted the young man's words.
Zhang Lisheng turned his head and saw his mother walking towards him with two bags of trash. He put away his phone and waved, "It's my mom."
Seeing that her son was really outside the door, Lili sorted the garbage and threw it into the trash can in front of the door. She asked happily, "When did you come back, baby? Why are you hiding outside to make a call?"
"I've just come back a few minutes ago. The air outside is good, I'm just going to chat with Tina." Zhang Lisheng smiled and put the phone back to his ear. "Tina, I'll hang up first if there's nothing else."
"Don't! Don't! Don't, baby! Don't disturb your 'private conversation' with your girlfriend because of my appearance!" Lili hurriedly stopped her son. "Please send my regards to Miss Tina. I'll go into the house to make dinner for you now. It'll take at least half an hour to be done. You guys take your time to chat." Then, she turned around and walked into the house briskly.
"I heard Auntie Lili's words. She asked you to say hello to me and hoped that we could chat for another half an hour. What an understanding mother."
"But I think you should review your homework now. Isn't there only one more day before the exam?"
"Oh God! Thank you for reminding me of this' unlucky thing 'again! See you then, baby!"
"See you, Tina!" Zhang Lisheng hung up the phone and walked into the house.
The ceiling light on the living room's ceiling was already brightly lit. Lili, who was busy in the open kitchen, smiled when she saw her son entering the house. "Didn't I ask you to talk to your girlfriend more? You guys are in love in two different places so you need to communicate more to maintain a good relationship."
"Don't worry mom, our relationship is good enough already." Seeing that it seemed like there was only him and his mother in the entire house, Zhang Lisheng asked, "Where's Uncle Lavin, Michelle, Gill and Harry?"
"Sullo is working overtime. There's a big case happening today. Recently, New York's public security has become much worse because of the war with the Karlado people.
The two little mischievous kids and Michelle went to send off their classmates who joined the army. Time flies so fast! In just a blink of an eye, they're almost 18 years old now! "Lili lamented.
"In that case, we'll have dinner together tonight." Zhang Lisheng began to help his mother. "Mom, speaking of the US declaring war on the Karlado people, I have a suggestion. How about I build a bunker with complete facilities for you to live in?
Your life won't change at all, it's just that you'll have less opportunities to enjoy the sun. "
"Oh baby, you're so considerate! It's true that living in a bunker is much safer than living in this old house that's almost 20 years old if we encounter a missile attack." Lili was stunned for a moment before coming to a realization. "But what should I do when I have to go to work? Of course, you can buy another chariot to transport mom to and from work but what about when I'm working? Don't tell me that you're going to move the entire Lowbige Junior High underground?"
"Just pretend that I didn't say anything, mom." Upon hearing his mother's words, Zhang Lisheng sighed and shrugged helplessly. At this moment, the phone in his pocket began to ring. "Chirp chirp chirp …"
Taking out his phone, Zhang Lisheng saw that it was an unfamiliar number. With a faint premonition in his heart, Zhang Lisheng clenched his teeth and picked up the phone. In an instant, he heard a familiar voice saying, "Hello sir, I'm Harry Ned from Manston Book Publishing House. Do you need the Encyclopedia of Biology? We can deliver it to you immediately …"
Halfway through his sentence, the phone suddenly became a dead tone, as though the line had suddenly been disconnected. Zhang Lisheng pondered for a while and his eyes lit up as he told his mother, "Mom, I have an urgent matter to attend to. I'll be back in 20 minutes at most." Before waiting for Lili to answer, he hastily ran out of the house.
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