When they left the police station, Lu Qiao was somewhat dazed.
By the end, the conversation could no longer continue. Uncle Gavin’s emotions had become extremely agitated. He repeatedly roared that it was impossible for there to be no one capable of ending the war, that as long as there was one strongest mental-power manipulator, they could make everyone who possessed a consciousness of war perish.
In the end, the joint of his prosthetic limb, which had not been maintained for a long time, developed a problem. He fell to the ground and began to cry bitterly.
Lu Qiao really could not bear to watch anymore. It hurt to see him like that, so Yan Qiu brought him out.
Lu Qiao had always known that Uncle Gavin was different from his father.
Back then, to Uncle Gavin, war was something that could allow him to earn military merit and have a better future. Therefore, even if he had to take the risk of undergoing genetic mutation surgery, he still wanted to enter the military.
However, later on, the war took away his brothers, his lover, and one of his legs, destroying everything he had.
Amid Gavin’s wailing, Lu Qiao even truly began to doubt—
Did a mental-power manipulator who could control the entire war really exist in this world?
If such a person existed, could war disappear from this world?
Suddenly, his hand was grasped.
A warmth spread over. Lu Qiao clasped the other person’s hand back and said softly, “I want to go see my grandmother and my parents.”
Yan Qiu said softly, “I’ll go with you.”
Mountain and forest cemeteries were still popular on Fourth-Class Stars. They were simply prohibited from burning offerings.
Lu Qiao and Yan Qiu went directly toward the cemetery. They bought some flowers along the way, and Lu Qiao remained very silent the entire time.
The weather was very good today. Since it was not a day for tomb-sweeping, there were hardly any people in the cemetery, and it was extremely quiet.
Lu Qiao’s grandmother’s and his parents’ gravestones were in the same place, on two levels of steps, one above the other.
Lu Qiao cleaned the two gravestones, placed some flowers there, and then squatted in front of his father’s gravestone, staring blankly.
“This is your first time coming to this kind of planet, right?” Lu Qiao did not turn his head and spoke almost as if murmuring.
“I’ve passed through some similar planets when transferring between bases before.” Yan Qiu looked at Lu Qiao and also half-knelt down beside him.
“There are many people like Uncle Gavin on this kind of planet. I heard my dad talking with my grandmother before. When the matter of genetic mutation came out back then, they initially said that those who had undergone genetic mutation surgery would also have to be punished. Later, because there were too many people, the higher-ups stopped pursuing these people,” Lu Qiao paused and said, “Most of them went to become soldiers.”
But those who truly managed to make something of themselves were extremely rare. More of them either died directly on the battlefield like his father, or, like Uncle Gavin, retired because of their injuries before they even had the chance to accomplish anything.
People like Uncle Gavin had originally tried to use war to obtain something.
However, something like war was absolutely not something that could be used or anticipated.
In the end, the only things it could give back to humanity were grief and despair.
Lu Qiao had known this since he was little.
His fear of war was because of his father, yet his desire to become a soldier was also because of his father.
Lu Qiao still remembered to this day what his father had said to him: War was frightening, but the feeling of protecting others was wonderful.
There was a saying that might sound too arrogant, too self-important, but—
There were many people in this world who needed them.
His father’s back had been tall and imposing, radiant, like the most brilliant sunlight, radiating a bright, open aura and the warmth of life.
That back was like a seed, taking root deep in Lu Qiao’s heart. During all these years after his father’s death, it had long since taken root, sprouted, and grown, becoming a great tree.
Lu Qiao feared war and hated war, but he had also always held firmly to one determination: he wanted to become a soldier, face war head-on, and overcome war.
“When I heard what Uncle Gavin said just now, I actually doubted myself too. Do I possess the kind of power he was talking about?” Lu Qiao looked at his own hands. “Or rather, could there really be a mental-power manipulator like that in this world, with an infinitely large mental-power threshold and an infinitely wide attack range? If that were the case… could he control war?”
“If such a person really existed, war might disappear, but the world would definitely not be peaceful,” Yan Qiu said flatly.
Lu Qiao looked at him.
“Then what about the World Core System?” His eyes were filled with confusion.
Yan Qiu froze.
Lu Qiao said, “In the past few years, haven’t some scholars said that those so-called viruses might actually have been attracted here by the World Core System itself?”
Why had the information flow from the parallel world come to their world?
Perhaps it was not “accidental,” but instead had been actively attracted by the World Core System. In other words, the World Core System very likely consciously wanted to change this world.
“The World Core System controls the rules governing the operation of the entire world. If it wants to change the world, then why can’t it calm the war and bring the dead back to life?” Lu Qiao fell into confusion.
Hearing this, Yan Qiu fell silent and only reached out to rub his head.
After their loved ones passed away, Lu Qiao and Gavin had both become alone.
But now, he and Yan Qiu were bonded together. Every night, he was no longer alone.
But Uncle Gavin no longer had a wife.
Thinking of this, Lu Qiao subconsciously glanced at Yan Qiu again and blurted out a question, “Why did you want to come back here with me before?”
Yan Qiu’s hand stopped.
He gazed at Lu Qiao, his voice slow and gentle. “Because I wanted to do what I’m doing now, and I wanted to walk the road you just led me along.”
The cool breeze from the mountains blew over, carrying waves of floral fragrance. Along with Yan Qiu’s voice, it surged into Lu Qiao’s heart.
Lu Qiao froze.
He swallowed, and his heartbeat suddenly became very fast.
…What did that sentence mean?
But Yan Qiu turned his head back and did not say anything more. He only lowered his eyes and straightened a small flower that had been blown over by the wind, placing it properly in front of Lu Qiao’s father’s gravestone.
After seeing Gavin, Lu Qiao’s mood fell into a low state for a short period of time.
But after making a trip to the cemetery and letting his thoughts wander for a while, he recovered.
Thinking any more was useless. Superman did not exist, and the World Core System was also constantly making strange changes, so war would not disappear. This was also something that could not be changed simply through one genetic mutation surgery. And Gavin had to pay the price for what he had done.
Lu Qiao and Ye Lan had healed everyone whose consciousness bodies had been shattered, and he had also met with Gavin. He could leave directly with Yan Qiu.
Before leaving, it was said that the seven patients who had undergone genetic mutation surgery had all woken up.
Just like those people who had undergone genetic mutation surgery thirty years ago, regardless of whether they had undergone the surgery voluntarily or had been deceived into accepting it, they were not held responsible.
The abnormal genes that had erupted within their bodies had all been closed off, but their bodies had ultimately suffered damage. Every one of them needed at least several days of bed rest to recover.
One of the patients—the very one whom Lu Qiao had beaten unconscious on the mountain—was said to have come from a very faraway place. Today, he was going to be sent back home.
Lu Qiao went to the hospital to visit Song Yue’s younger brother. When he came out, he happened to see medical personnel pushing that patient’s hospital bed out, planning to send him onto a medical transport ship.
People around them stood in groups of two or three, “chattering” and discussing this patient.
“I heard he thought it was cosmetic surgery before he came here. That’s way too ridiculous!”
“It seems he was tricked into believing it could improve his entire body in every possible way. How could there be such a good thing? I’ve never even heard of anything like that!”
“He just wanted something cheap. He didn’t even bring his brain with him…”
“What’s even more ridiculous is that I heard he originally wanted to have himself made to look like Marshal Yan Qiu. The moment he woke up, he wanted to look in a mirror! They gave him a mirror, and when he saw that he still looked the way he originally did, he actually wanted to complain to that doctor… That ‘doctor’ has already gone to prison!”
After the last person finished speaking, he noticed Yan Qiu standing not far away. He immediately covered his mouth and stopped talking.
Lu Qiao turned his head and looked at Yan Qiu.
He wanted to have plastic surgery to look like him?
How could Yan Qiu’s appearance possibly be reproduced so casually through plastic surgery!
Yan Qiu was staring at the hospital bed in the distance, deep in thought.
While Lu Qiao was complaining internally, he also mulled over what those gossiping people had said. Suddenly, he felt that something was wrong. A sense of familiarity slowly rose within him.
He turned his head back and casually glanced over. At that moment, the medical personnel blocking the front of the hospital bed moved aside, revealing the patient’s shiny bald head—
This guy’s wig had already fallen off when he had fought with Lu Qiao.
Without the fangs and with his body no longer swollen, the monster who had encountered Lu Qiao head-on on the mountain finally looked human.
The bald man, now looking human, was awake. He uncomfortably looked around from side to side, and unexpectedly saw Yan Qiu. His eyes suddenly widened, and he stared fixedly at Yan Qiu.
Lu Qiao suddenly remembered something and cried out in surprise, “Ah, Violent Rabbit!!!”
Yan Qiu was slightly stunned and looked at Lu Qiao in surprise.
Lu Qiao did not notice Yan Qiu’s reaction. His shout also shifted the bald man’s attention away from Yan Qiu.
The bald man looked suspiciously at Lu Qiao, somewhat dumbfounded.
Lu Qiao excitedly ran over and asked, “You’re Violent Rabbit, right? I’m Qiao Qiao!”
The bald man looked shocked. “Q-Qiao Qiao?! You’re that bird?”
“That’s right!” Lu Qiao thought this was way too coincidental.
That’s right! Didn’t Violent Rabbit say he was going to get plastic surgery? Didn’t Violent Rabbit say he was coming to San Guang Star? Even that resentful and sour look in his eyes when he had just seen Yan Qiu was so familiar!
So that’s how it was!
So this bald man whom he had beaten up on the mountain was actually Violent Rabbit!
Violent Rabbit had obviously remembered quite a few things in an instant, including those few minutes of getting beaten up on the mountain. His face immediately turned blue, red, and every color in between.
He squeezed a sentence out through clenched teeth. “You really enjoyed beating me up…”
Lu Qiao choked and gave an awkward laugh. “If I hadn’t stopped you, wouldn’t you have caused a huge disaster after going down the mountain? Ha, hahahahaha!”
Speaking of which, this was definitely the weirdest meeting between online friends in history, right?!
No matter how Lu Qiao thought about it, he had never expected to meet Violent Rabbit under these circumstances!
Violent Rabbit’s expression twisted. He was just about to say something when he saw Yan Qiu walk over. His gaze swept between the two of them, and after stopping, he asked Lu Qiao meaningfully, “You two know each other?”
Violent Rabbit suddenly remembered that the two of them had been standing together just now, clearly knowing each other. He immediately realized what was going on and angrily said to Lu Qiao, “Right, you actually know Yan Qiu! No wonder! No wonder you’ve always acted like a brai—”
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”
Lu Qiao reacted quickly and tightly covered Violent Rabbit’s mouth, cold sweat running down his face.
He had almost forgotten that Yan Qiu was right beside them!
Yan Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, curling his lips as he asked, “What have you been doing online?”
“N-Nothing!” Lu Qiao said guiltily. “I didn’t do anything!”
He absolutely did not want Yan Qiu to know about the things he had done online!
After saying that, he quickly lowered his head and leaned close to Violent Rabbit’s ear, threatening him, “If you dare say it, you’re dead!”
Violent Rabbit had originally wanted to struggle, but Lu Qiao’s dangerous tone instantly reminded him of his experience of being beaten up by this guy on the mountain. Cold sweat immediately poured down, and he became obedient.
Lu Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and secretly glanced back at Yan Qiu.
The man looked like he was smiling but not smiling.
Lu Qiao shuddered and said dryly, “W-Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yan Qiu said meaningfully, “Because you’re cute.”
Lu Qiao: “…??!”
What was this guy saying!!