The sun rose again, and the dark clouds in the sky disappeared. The spring breeze wrapped the smell of grass and trees in the fields, and vitality reappeared in this ruined town.
Luo Kai struggled to get up, and facing the sun, he breathed a sigh of relief. A small puddle in front of him reflected his frightened face. His hair, clothes, and skin were almost burned away, and his whole body was covered with a layer of carbonized black scabs, like a roasted shrimp.
Enduring the pain, he tore off the scabs on his face, and bright red muscle tissue was exposed. Because the skin on his face was burned away, a row of gums was directly exposed, and the key point was that he didn't even have a few teeth. He looked like a corpse that had not been completely cremated, and looked extremely horrifying.
But he was still alive, and the evil spirit had not taken over his body and mind. Under the control of free will, every cell in his body was rejecting the evil spirit's infiltration. The evil spirit's energy that had no place to rely on finally gathered in his chest, forming a cloud of black fog that slowly circulated around his heart.
Luo Kai struggled to move his feet, walked to the house, picked up a few moldy clothes, and wrapped them around his body, and left the town in the spring breeze.
When it was close to noon, he finally saw a wide cement road. There was a lot of traffic, and there were also a lot of people. Steam trucks spewing out black smoke and pulling cannons slowly moved forward, and there were many soldiers following behind. The soldiers' faces were full of depression, and they looked lifeless. Could it be that the front line was defeated?
Luo Kai struggled to move his feet, and limped to catch up. He asked a middle-aged soldier at the end of the line, "Big brother, where are you going?"
The soldier looked back at him, and hurriedly took a few steps back with a disgusted look on his face. He raised the rifle in front of his chest and shouted, "Get lost, if you come any closer, I'll shoot you!"
Luo Kai paused and looked down at himself. His body was also somewhat deformed by the black flames, and it looked very unnatural. The exposed skin was dark red, and it was indeed a little scary. No wonder the soldier had such a big reaction.
He slowly walked to the side of the road and sat down. He tried his best to calm the surging baleful aura in his chest. Things were a little troublesome. The baleful aura in his body fluctuated according to his mood. If he could not control it, he might start a massacre. It seemed that he could not get angry so easily in the future.
After resting for a while, he stood up again and walked forward mechanically. With every step he took, a burning pain spread throughout his body. However, he continued to walk forward without a change in his expression. This pain was not worth mentioning to him.
…
Today's weather was a little strange. In the morning, it was still sunny, but in the afternoon, the temperature suddenly dropped sharply. Snowflakes floated in the sky, and the cold wind swept through the wilderness, making people feel even more desolate.
Yue Han sat in a wheeled armored vehicle and stared blankly out the window.
A burly middle-aged man was sitting in the armored vehicle. When he saw this, he said softly, "Little Han, don't think so much. Victory and defeat are common in war. You lost this time, but you'll be fine as long as you win the next time."
Yue Han did not say anything and continued to stare blankly out the window. Outside the window, the cold wind was whistling. In front of them, a thin figure was walking alone in the cold wind. He seemed to be disabled, and his waist was twisted. With every step he took, he had to pause. He looked very bleak.
Yue Han felt a sense of pity and said, "Fifth Uncle, there's someone on the road. Can we give him a ride?"
The middle-aged man took a look and shook his head. "No, we're still too close to the front line. The bastards from the Secret Services Department might appear at any time."
"Then … Okay."
Yue Han did not say anything else. When the vehicle passed by this person, she suddenly felt that this figure was a little familiar, but she could not remember where she had seen him before.
"Little Han, don't think about the battlefield. There's still more than a month before the fighting competition. Haven't you always wanted to go to Higashimogami Province? You have to work hard this time."
"Okay." Yue Han nodded gently and turned her head to look out the window again, thinking about the worries of a young girl.
…
Luo Kai traveled day and night, avoiding all the human towns along the way. When he was hungry, he would catch some mice and insects in the wilderness and roast them. When he was thirsty, he would condense some water to drink. After walking for three days, the surrounding environment became more familiar. Finally, he returned to Longyang City and Lobster Alley.
There was no change here. Dirty water was still flowing on both sides of the road, and the surrounding shops were still old and dilapidated. All kinds of stray cats and dogs were running around the streets.
The only difference was that there was a flower shop at the corner of the street. A beautiful figure was busy inside. Luo Kai's expression suddenly became sluggish. He just stood there and looked at it from afar. It was Lu Qing. She was still so beautiful.
It was not until the sky turned dark and Lu Qing closed the shop door and left that Luo Kai came back to his senses. He slowly retreated to a corner and squatted down. He raised his head and looked at the bright stars in the sky. Endless exhaustion rose in his heart as he recalled the experiences of the past two years. Should he be like most people, get married, have children, and live an ordinary life?
That was what he had been pursuing all this time.
The next day, Lu Qing came to the shop early as usual to water and fertilize the flowers and plants. Although the flower shop was a little remote, the business was very good. The most profitable part of the shop was not the flowers and plants, but the perfume made by her grandmother. In the beginning, it was only circulated in a small circle. Later on, all the rich ladies in Longyang City came to buy it. It was a pity that her grandmother could only make ten bottles a month. Otherwise, she would have become rich long ago.
After a busy day, Lu Qing counted the money in her pocket and closed the shop door with satisfaction. Just when she was about to leave, she suddenly saw a homeless man at the corner of the street. She hesitated for a moment and slowly walked over.
The homeless man seemed to be shocked when he saw her coming. He hurriedly wrapped himself tightly with the tattered clothes on his body and didn't even dare to show his eyes.
Lu Qing took out a small amount of money from her pocket and put it in front of the homeless man. Then, she turned around and left.
After a long time, Luo Kai poked his head out and sighed with melancholy. He didn't expect that he would be afraid to see people now. He reached out and picked up the money on the ground. Everything on his body had been burned by the black flame, including the pistol and the bottle of gene medicine that Gao Gang gave him. These were all worldly possessions, but the problem with his body was extremely serious.
The stinky ditch in front of him reflected a terrifying face that was neither human nor ghost. Now, he was like a patient with deep burns. Not only was his appearance disfigured, but even his self-confidence had problems. He originally thought that he didn't care about his appearance, but in front of the opposite sex, he realized that he was just an ordinary person. He was far from reaching the spiritual realm of not being happy with external things and not being sad for himself.
Just when he was about to get up and get something to eat, a dirty newspaper floated over with the wind. A few words were very eye-catching. "Seongma Province and Nanzhao Kingdom have signed a peace treaty!"
Luo Kai hurriedly reached out to grab it and read it carefully. The war was over, but the newspaper didn't say which country won. Instead, it focused on the drafting of the peace treaty. The two countries would jointly develop the Tieheng mineral vein and each had 50% of the mining rights. Ironwood Fort would be jointly managed by the two countries and would be built into an important trade center. Nanzhao Kingdom would obtain the right to use Pingshan Port and at the same time, open the grain trade with Seongma Province. The two countries would be eternally friendly and would never fight again.
There were several pieces of information at the bottom of the newspaper. Blackstone had obtained 30% of the mining rights of the Tieheng mineral vein. Lord Iwen would recommend General Chang Yuan, the commander of the Tiger Army, as the next Lord of Seongma Province!
Luo Kai put down the newspaper with a gloomy face. It seemed that this war was just a game between the big shots. Nanzhao Kingdom had obtained an outlet to the sea, General Chang Yuan would succeed the position of Lord, and Blackstone had obtained the mining rights. It seemed that they had all gotten what they wanted. The only sacrifice was the countless soldiers who died in battle.