The returning field troops were disbanded to rest. Lerden hopped on one leg and was about to find a 'doctor' to fix it. Han Xiao whistled and signaled for Lerden to come over.
"It's you. You're still alive." Lerden hopped in front of Han Xiao.
"I should be the one asking you that." Han Xiao glanced at his broken limb.
"I was in danger a few times and almost died," Lerden said casually.
Although he was not very close to Han Xiao, seeing that someone who could be considered a friend was still alive, Lerden's face relaxed a little.
Han Xiao raised the toolbox in his hand and said, "You seem to need a good mechanic."
"Is it free this time?" Lerden raised his eyebrows.
Han Xiao rolled his eyes and said, "Buy me a drink at the same bar as last time."
This was the Catastrophe period, so there was time to rest. Seeing that the Black Star Mercenary had volunteered to be a field scout, the officer gave Han Xiao the privilege of entering the city again.
Lerden had a spare prosthetic arm, so Han Xiao quickly fixed it for him. Originally, Lerden only had his right hand, but now that it was broken, he did not care about it. He looked calm and did not care about losing his only remaining right hand.
The two entered the city and went to Herlous' bar according to Han Xiao's instructions. There were many customers drinking today, all of them civilians nearby. The soldiers outside the city were killing each other, so most civilians were hiding in their homes or emergency shelters set up by the government. A few people chose to use alcohol to drive away their fear. Ninety percent of the shops in the city were closed during the Catastrophe, but Herlous' bar was still open, so there were many customers and it was a little noisy.
Coming to the bar counter, Han Xiao said, "Two glasses of your signature."
"One," Lerden interrupted.
Herlous looked up drunkenly and saw Han Xiao's face clearly. His expression changed. "It's you again!"
He had an impression of Han Xiao, a weirdo who came looking for his brother's notes and seemed to know his secret.
"What do you want now?"
Han Xiao smiled. "Just a drink."
Herlous stared at Han Xiao for a long time before reluctantly taking out a bottle of wine. Han Xiao didn't talk to him anymore. He drank and chatted casually with Lerden. Seeing this, Herlous put away his doubts and turned to greet the other guests. He pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on the conversation between Han Xiao and Lerden.
Han Xiao glanced at Lerden's broken arm and said, "Don't you feel pain?"
Lerden shook his head. "When I was in the Biomass Gear, I asked the doctor to cut off my sensory nerves. Injuries won't affect my combat ability."
"You are a metahuman, Biomass Gear will weaken your abilities. Why did you go for it?"
Lerden pursed his lips and said calmly, "So be it. You can live longer this way. Dead people are useless."
"You chose to wear Biomass Gear in order to live longer, and you even took the initiative to carry out the most dangerous field combat missions. You really do love your race deeply." Han Xiao raised his eyebrows and said, "No one is born to be a hero. You Sunil Supers seem to be too selfless. You must have your own reasons. Why don't you tell me? I'm quite curious."
Lerden was silent. There was reminiscence in his eyes, and there was some fluctuation in his tone, as if he couldn't calm down when he thought about the past. He slowly said, "Just like all the other Sunils, I used to have a perfect family. My father was strict, my mother was kind, and I had two sisters. When Dark-star attacked, I was still a child. Even now, I still remember the laser cannons falling from the sky, thick like a waterfall. The most magnificent building in the city center turned into ashes instantly. We joined the fleeing crowd, and the military soldiers protected us. They knew that they would die if they stayed behind, but they still prioritized escorting us out. "
"Unfortunately, my family didn't make it to Godora's rescue ship. They died on the way. A laser turned my parents into Ashes. I was just a child who broke down in fear. All I knew was to cry, follow the refugees, and move forward numbly. Every day, the military would give very little food to the refugees. I was so hungry that I couldn't control myself at all. After I received the food, I would secretly hide most of it and only give a small amount to my sisters. At that time, I only wanted to live, and I didn't know how to think about anything else. Then … my two sisters starved to death. "
Lerden paused and said in a low voice, "I still remember the look on their faces when they died. Their bony hands grabbed my clothes, and they stared at me as if they were saying that they were hungry, but they didn't have the strength to speak. Those two pairs of desperate eyes were engraved in my eyes. My mind went blank, and a few seconds felt like a century. When their hands fell off, I finally dared to breathe. "At that time, I was scared. I couldn't believe what I had done. If I had given the food to my sisters, even if I was a little hungry, we could have survived. But I didn't know anything at that time. I only thought that if I ate less, I would starve to death the next day …
"I numbly followed the crowd to board the rescue ship, not knowing where to go from here. Back then, there were many children who had lost their families like me, and they were all raised by the disabled veterans. A group of children and I were given to a veteran and lived with him from then on. He raised us and taught us how to fight. He was a rough person and impatient, but he was a good person and a good soldier. Many of us Supers were orphans who were raised by the race back then.
"I gradually regarded that veteran as my adoptive father, but there was always a thorn in my heart. I felt that my past was too dark, and I always thought that I was a bad person. If I told my adoptive father, would he chase me away? "One day, I was impulsive and told him that I had killed my sister. He scolded me, not because of my selfishness, but because I should have saved the time to train instead of reminiscing about the past. He said that the race was now on the verge of destruction, and there was no time to be tied down by the past. Even if I was an unforgivable thug, as long as I picked up a gun to protect the race, I only had one identity — a warrior. No one cared about my past, they only cared about what I could do …"
Han Xiao touched his chin. "What about that veteran?"
"The first time the Catastrophe came, the disabled soldier could have been protected, but he volunteered to go to the battlefield. Then he died. I later found out that he belonged to the group that protected us refugees, and I used to receive food from him … Then, I became a mercenary." Lerden shook his head. "The race has done me a great favor, so now, I will contribute as much as I can."
"So, your contribution is mainly to repay the favor?" Han Xiao turned around and glanced at Herlous, who was eavesdropping. Herlous was expressionless. He slammed the empty bottle on the table and walked away impatiently, as if he could not be bothered to listen to this conversation.
"Not entirely. It's also for the continuation of the race." The sadness of losing his comrade this morning was diluted by the occasional talk. Lerden also wanted to know more about Han Xiao, so he changed the topic. "Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about you. You …"
This time, Han Xiao suddenly stood up and interrupted. "Sorry, I have some personal matters to attend to, so I'll leave for a while."
Lerden was speechless. Shouldn't you return the favor when making friends? Why did you leave after hearing my story? I feel like I was taken advantage of.
Han Xiao walked to the side, found Herlous, and said, "I want to talk to you alone."
Herlous immediately became alert. "What is your purpose?"
Han Xiao went straight to the point this time. "I know a lot about you, such as your strength, the legacy your brother left for you, and so on. Maybe you're interested to hear about the future of the Sunil Race."
Future?
This word surprised Herlous, and he was even more confused about Han Xiao's purpose. He asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"I'm a foreseer, or you can call me … a prophet."
Han Xiao smiled weirdly.
The reason he contacted Herlous so many times was because he knew Herlous' hidden identity. This guy was the main character of the Sunil Race!
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