The title of the third chapter had already appeared.
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As if it were a cycle, Boothill also had his own child, a lovely daughter.
For the first time becoming a "father," Boothill always seemed clumsy.
He would make the baby's milk too thick, lacking enough nutrition.
And when his daughter cried, he would panic, not knowing how to comfort her.
But he always did his best in these things.
Fortunately, there were Graey and Nick around.
The girl still grew up healthy.
As the years went by, the daughter reached the lively and playful age.
"Boothill, you need to prepare a gift for your child."
The now very aged Nick said with a kind smile: "Of course, don't forget whether your left hand can…"
Nick's words made Boothill smile knowingly.
Because back then, the old man had given him a weapon as a gift.
That way of treating a daughter would not do. Boothill noticed that his daughter was very curious about singing.
Whenever he rode a horse and hummed songs while taking her for a ride, she always became extra happy, raising her chubby little hands, dancing with joy.
So, he decided to make a wooden guitar.
The process was very difficult.
It took quite a lot of time.
In the frame, Boothill's figure was busy around the workbench.
Sometimes lost in thought, sometimes working.
The piece of wood gradually took on the shape of a guitar.
Day and night overhead spun quickly with the passing of scenes.
The bond between father and daughter.
Made the audience feel as if their hearts were melting.
...
: The daughter is so cute, and Bobo is also a good father.
: Seeing Boothill clumsily taking care of the child, I suddenly loved the contrast.
: In the daytime, he's a gunslinger and cowboy who terrifies bandits, but at night he becomes a gentle and warm father figure.
: Who would have thought that one day, Boothill could show such strong "fatherly vibes"!
: It's over, this completely struck my heart.
: No knives, no knives, put the knives away, retreat!
...
Once the wooden guitar was finished and given to his daughter.
In just a moment, she burst out into happy laughter.
She plucked the strings, listened to the sound, looked up happily at Boothill, then struck it again, letting out cheerful coos.
The corners of Boothill's lips curled up. His daughter's joy also made him sincerely proud.
As a father, he was pretty good at raising a daughter after all.
That night, the little one hugged the wooden guitar, tirelessly patting it.
Randomly plucking the strings.
Chaotic tones, but to her, they were fresh and fun.
Nick and Graey also came to her side, Graey deliberately teased the little cutie.
She sang off-key songs along with the random tones, making everyone laugh.
These sounds together under the night sky formed a wonderful painting.
Boothill quietly watched.
He only felt that this was the true joy of life.
Such warm days seemed as if they would last forever.
Until one day. The little cutie in the camp was staggering on her legs, trying hard to walk on the grass.
Nick and Graey surrounded her, clapping and cheering.
The sound of urgent hoofbeats rang out.
"Nick, Graey."
"This doesn't seem good."
Boothill dismounted, his expression extremely serious.
"What do you mean?" Nick was completely puzzled.
"Do you remember those huge black things falling from the sky a few days ago?"
"I asked around, the people in the city call them 'The IPC.'"
"They came from beyond the skies."
Boothill shared the information he had gathered with the two elders.
Just two days ago the sky had filled with countless black dots.
Like meteors. But they had seen meteors before, and these did not explode.
"From beyond the skies?" Nick and Graey looked at each other.
They didn't seem too surprised.
Though this planet was traditional, in the cities and in word of mouth, the world beyond the skies was mysterious but not unheard of.
"Don't be so nervous, Boothill."
Graey shook her head, comforting him: "Look around, cattle, sheep, grasslands, we have nothing valuable here. Those people are probably headed for the city."
That made sense. Those people were big figures.
Big figures wouldn't care about the poor belongings of cowboys.
Boothill felt a little relieved.
But he still made preparations.
Strengthened defenses in the camp, and spread the word to brothers and sisters far away.
Although Boothill and his family on screen didn't know what those things were.
The audience had basically already guessed.
...
: Interasteral Peace Corporation…
: I don't really want to think further anymore.
: After the "Ten Stonehearts" arc, it's hard to imagine what cruel thing The IPC might do to push Boothill into becoming a Galaxy Ranger.
: Graey, Nick, and his daughter, please don't let them die!
...
Thinking of Boothill's transformation in the future.
The audience already had a faint answer in their hearts.
But they still didn't want to believe such an ending.
This short film had already carved that warmth and beauty deeply into their hearts.
For them, no matter which family member died, it would be unbearable.
On screen.
Time passed day by day.
Those beings that had descended from beyond the skies seemed to vanish.
Though Boothill worried, life still had to go on.
He went out as usual to deal with bandits, sometimes hunting beasts.
One day. He jumped down from a roaring train, carrying his spoils, returning to camp.
But at the camp gate, a group of uninvited guests had come.
They were wearing identical uniforms, with sunglasses.
Looking neatly dressed.
At this moment, the audience already sensed something was wrong.
Graey believed The IPC didn't care about their land.
That was true.
But that didn't mean The IPC had no interest in other things.
When Boothill arrived, a IPC employee handed him a strange device.
Boothill was unwilling, but under Nick and Graey's signal, he reluctantly put it on.
Instantly, the previously incomprehensible language became clear.
"Everyone, perhaps you don't know what lies beneath your feet!"
"That is the future of the universe! The true future!"
"In Aeragan-Epharshel, gold is the most precious metal, right?"
"But I tell you, these black ores are far more valuable!"
A sunglasses-wearing employee was passionately persuading Nick and Graey.
In his description, a new future unfolded before the three of them.
Huge machines drove in, wiping out the beautiful grass completely.
The earth was riddled with scars.
Nature and beasts, entire families, and all the native tribes were affected by this environment-destroying machinery.
"Don't worry."
"We will give you compensation."
"This world has already been incorporated into the credit map, so you can sell it at a high price."
The sound and image on the screen suddenly became intermittent.
Because of overwhelming anger, Boothill could no longer remember what he did right after hearing that number.
It seemed he had clashed with The IPC's employees. Those people were temporarily driven away.
Late at night…
"They're insulting us." Boothill said bitterly: "With so-called compensation, they dare to insult our dignity."
"That's right, but we'll show them we're not easy prey." Nick and Graey deeply agreed.
In the heavy atmosphere, only Boothill's daughter, who had just learned to walk, came innocently to his side, tugging at her father's clothes with her little hand.
A few days later.
A large-scale protest broke out.
The IPC's employees tried to persuade the natives of this land.
But just as Boothill had said, people's integrity is worth more than money.
These black-clad employees returned empty-handed again and again.
Conflicts even erupted. Different gangs, camps, and even bandits united together.
They all aimed their anger at the Interasteral Peace Corporation.
With each successful pushback against The IPC, the clashes between the two sides grew more and more intense.
Unlike the natives, who believed victory was theirs, the audience was already anxious.
They knew The IPC's methods.
Sure enough, the IPC, pushed beyond patience, directly ignored the demands of the locals and drove giant excavators into the land.
Along with them came squads of armed troops.
War broke out. The once scattered brothers and sisters gathered again around Boothill to resist The IPC's atrocities.
But this time, they were at a disadvantage.
Schemes, flawless marksmanship, steeds that traveled a thousand miles a day, before overwhelming firepower, all seemed laughable.
All kinds of advanced weapons became instruments of suppression.
The IPC could fight them while still continuing its original plan of mining local minerals.
Boothill grew increasingly mature. He realized things could not go on like this, and many families had already taken heavy losses.
To continue resisting would only mean meaningless sacrifice. So he put on a stolen employee uniform, sneaked into a spaceship under cover of night, planning to strike The IPC hard.
Perhaps by blowing up a ship or something.
But when he approached the core cabin, he saw the back of a man and heard words that chilled him to the bone.
"Aeragan-Epharshel contains crucial strategic resources."
"He who claims it first will take great advantage in departmental competition."
"As these savage and uncivilized cowboys are unwilling to cooperate with the Marketing Development Department, we have no choice but to assume administration of this world on their behalf."
"Time is running short. You are permitted to use military force and bring civilization to this world."
Behind the gentle words was boundless killing intent.
Not only Boothill. At this moment, the audience also felt a chill down their spines.
They had thought that at most a few families would die, that would already be enough.
But the ending was likely to be far more tragic than they imagined.
The camera cut to Boothill. Hearing this terrible news, his expression was indescribable.
Boundless hatred, fury, and tears all mixed in his eyes.
The audience could hardly breathe.
They watched as Boothill suppressed his voice and emotions, retreating silently.
Before his family, no emotion was worth exposing.
The camera shifted. The ending came faster than anyone expected.
Shellfire rained down from the sky, drowning everything.
Violent explosions tore open the mineral deposits hidden beneath the grass.
Minerals would not decrease from bombardment. But people would.
Amidst the firestorm, Boothill stumbled back to the ranch, now completely turned into hell.
The elderly Graey, Nick, and childhood companions, all consumed by flames.
Boothill felt as if all his strength had been drained, his eyes lifeless.
Suddenly, he moved, clinging to a last trace of hope, searching for that tiny figure.
That little one who had only just learned to walk, who could pat the wooden guitar, babble with laughter.
But no, there was nothing. Boothill stood before the sea of fire all night long.
Until the flames burned out, leaving only charred ruins in the field.
The camera gave a full close-up of Boothill.
His stance, his position, the little hill behind him, all were exactly the same as in Chapter Two, when young Boothill stood here, full of spirit.
Only then, there had been laughter, family, and grassland behind him.
Now, he was motionless, eyes bloodshot, with ruins behind him.
The two images overlapped in the minds of the audience.
Forcing out cries of despair.
"Interasteral Peace Corporation…"
"Market Development Department…"
From Boothill's parched lips, these words squeezed out hoarsely.
The screen went black.
The story of Chapter Three ended here.
...
: I take back all my praise for The IPC! From now on, I'm against them! Except for the Strategic Investment Department, every other IPC dog, I'll curse every one of them!!
: Ahhh! Damn it, how can such a thing even exist?! Men, women, children, they don't spare anyone. Damn it, this is genocide.
: At first I wondered, could The IPC really be this outrageous? But the moment I heard the words "Market Development Department," I knew the truth.
: The whole thing with gold panning was this department's doing too, wasn't it?!
: Damn it, Amber King! Look at what your subordinates have done!!
: Who filmed this?! Who filmed this?! Drag the writer and director out to be executed!
: Wuwuwu, I've done good deeds all my life, why do I always have to watch such knives to the heart! Damn it!
: Too despairing. This time the style is completely different from the main story, plain narration, no flashy techniques, but it hit so hard. And the content is brutal.
: Simple and unadorned, yet it delivered all the emotions to us. It hurts so much!
: Mihoyo is way too cruel! People said they were kindhearted, but those familiar faces, gone, just like that. At least they spared us the gruesome sights… but gone is still gone!
: We don't even know what Boothill's daughter's name was!
: Market Development Department! Even killing you a thousand times wouldn't be enough!
...
Not long ago, the audience had felt good will toward The IPC because of the Ten Stonehearts.
Now, that goodwill was utterly destroyed.
At this moment, the title finally appeared on the screen.
It was also the last story.
[Sailing Toward a Second Life]