Chapter 16: The Old Soldier's Widow
Reflecting on the memories that could correspond to this point in time, after much thought, it seemed only the Ancient One's Dark Tide fit.
It was the day when, every three months, anomalies would erupt, threatening human safe zones.
On this day, whether it was the Lighthouse, Zion, Tianrui Lifeng, or the Red Moon Temple,
All would face the onslaught of anomalies, a calamity that occurred once every quarter.
This tradition had persisted for several eras, for thousands of years.
In the Fourth Era, facing the impact of the Dark Tide was once quite challenging, but after Zion's Steam Revolution, this situation changed completely.
Entering the Steam Age, humans possessed firearms and cannons.
Even without the aid of mages, ordinary humans had the means to contend with anomalies.
So in recent years, during the Dark Tide, as long as you stayed at home that night and didn't wander about, generally nothing would happen.
The anomalies assaulting the city-states would basically be dealt with by the guards and night watchmen in the high-wall districts.
They couldn't even reach the city proper.
However, humans' full name for this event had always been the Ancient One's Dark Tide, abbreviated as the Dark Tide.
But the prompt here was the Red Moon Calamity, which didn't match up!
"Normally, the Dark Tide shouldn't be much of an issue, the night watchmen can handle it.
But these repeated prompts, and this intense feeling..."
Xu Le felt that the so-called Red Moon Calamity was probably not as simple as the usual Dark Tide.
Whatever the case, he needed to be prepared.
Pulling back his thoughts, Xu Le returned to his room.
Watching the dim lamplight, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
The next day, Xu Le woke up very early.
After a simple wash-up, he put on a crisp suit, the only expensive piece of clothing the original owner had.
Apart from being somewhat thin, Xu Le was quite satisfied with his appearance.
He took out Old Zhou's medal and looked at it, then put it away again.
"Hope everything goes smoothly."
Walking out the door, Xu Le saw many pedestrians purchasing defensive supplies, with hawkers' cries filling his ears.
The street vendor culture here was taken to the extreme.
"9 cents for a sandbag? Are you robbing me?"
"Buy it or get lost!"
"Decommissioned regulation knives, 70% new, only 1.5 dollars."
The Lighthouse currency had strong purchasing power, so prices seemed very low.
Besides knives and weapons, the vendors mainly sold wooden boards, nails, and sandbags.
The lower city wasn't as safe as the upper city. Although Dark Tide anomalies were mostly intercepted by night watchmen,
There were occasionally some that slipped through, so some protection was naturally warranted.
Even if not for defending against anomalies, the terrible environment of the lower city meant gangs and vagrants were not uncommon.
So establishing some home defenses was also a precaution.
Following the location in his memory, Xu Le arrived near Water District 62 in the lower city.
Old Zhou's home was here.
The original owner and Old Zhou had met at school.
Old Zhou, as a retired soldier, worked as a security guard at the school, while Xu Le was a foreign student with an odd personality.
The two shouldn't have had much interaction, but one day Xu Le was secretly studying forbidden mage matters and was accidentally discovered by Old Zhou.
After some entanglement, they became acquainted.
Both were quite short on money, so they thought about going out to make some.
Because of Lighthouse rules, at least two people had to go out together. If both returned safely,
They would only need a routine inspection. If only one person remained... then they would be a Night Stayer.
If your teammate died, no one knew what you experienced in the darkness, nor could anyone prove whether or not you were contaminated by the Ancient One.
So once one person died, a Night Stayer inspection was required.
Relying on Xu Le's esoteric knowledge and Old Zhou's passable veteran skills,
The two hit it off and began venturing out together, searching for old era items, Ancient One remnants, and other things to sell.
Before this excursion, they had successfully gone out three times.
The gains weren't particularly great, but compared to that meager salary and scholarship, it was already a huge sum.
If not for encountering the Ancient One's fruit, this cooperation might have continued.
But humans are like this - profit can make people cooperate.
It can also make people betray.
"Ah!"
Sighing softly, Xu Le composed his expression.
His originally gentle demeanor now became much more serious and capable.
He knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, is Mrs. Zhou home?"
Xu Le didn't know the name of Zhou Ke's wife. Zhou Ke always just called her "wife," and with the original owner's personality, it was impossible to ask about such details.
The only thing he knew was that his daughter was called Zhou Tingting.
"Who is it?" Soon, a voice tinged with gentleness and hesitation came from inside the room.
"Hello, my name is Xu Le. I'm here about Mr. Zhou Ke's matter."
Xu Le could sense that the person had already come to the door and was probably observing him.
Looking around, he knew that this widow and orphan living in the lower city, without Zhou Ke as the pillar, would surely face skyrocketing risks.
After a while, as if confirming Xu Le wasn't from a gang or a vagrant, the door opened, and a woman of about fifty appeared before him.
This should be Old Zhou's wife, a very ordinary woman, so ordinary that you would normally overlook her after seeing her.
"Hello, my name is Xu Le. I came today to..."
Zhou Ke's wife suddenly raised her hand to stop Xu Le from continuing, her eyes beginning to avoid his gaze, as if she didn't quite dare to look at him directly.
She lowered her head and said nervously:
"Come in and talk."
"Alright."
Entering the house, Xu Le heard a young girl's voice.
"Mom, who is it?"
A girl two or three years younger than Xu Le, wearing a rather thin shirt and oversized slippers that didn't quite fit, came out.
Soon, Xu Le could clearly see this girl's appearance.
She had a thin, dry build. Forget about a chest, there was barely any flesh on her arms and thighs.
Her dyed yellow hair was somewhat withered, and apart from her small eyes, the most striking feature was the freckles all over her face.
Xu Le hadn't expected that Zhou Ke's daughter, whom he constantly praised,
Would be...
"Come to think of it, Old Zhou was just a retired soldier working as a security guard, living in almost the outermost part of the lower city.
For such a person to have a child as beautiful as a heavenly fairy and sensible,
That probably only happens in novels and TV dramas."
"Who are you?"
"Hello, I'm Xu Le. You must be Zhou Tingting, right?"
"Yeah, what do you want? Don't tell me that old fool owes money outside?"
Zhou Tingting's attitude and tone made Xu Le frown slightly.
Was it truly a nasty personality, or a cautious facade?
Never mind, whatever the case, Zhou Tingting and her mother were Zhou Ke's beloved family.
"Zhou Ke, he..."
"You two chat first, I'll go get you some water."
Old Zhou's wife stood up somewhat flustered, her fingers constantly rubbing against each other. Xu Le observed her demeanor and understood.
This ordinary woman was sensitive enough; she probably knew about Old Zhou's recent outings.
She likely had a premonition about why he had come this time.
"No need to trouble yourself, Mrs. Zhou. Actually, you probably already know why I'm here."
As Xu Le said this, Zhou Ke's wife had already covered her mouth.
"Mom, what's wrong?
Hey, kid, why are you bullying my mom?"
Zhou Tingting hugged her mother, and the woman in her arms began to wail loudly after being embraced by her daughter.
Then, as if belatedly realizing something, Zhou Tingting looked up at Xu Le.
"No, it can't be? My dad... he?"
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(End of Chapter)
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